Swim Away (Mermaid)

Chapter Fifty-Five

I screamed as I was thrown back against the sand. Luka and I were separated by the magic that shot out of the ocean. I landed on my back and quickly sat up to find out who had done this to me. Groups of mermaids and mermen swam out of the water. They surrounded us after burning off their tails and stared at the both of us with disgust.

In front of each group, a water formed and created the bodies of mermaid leaders. Somehow, I recognized one of them.

Mom! I screamed inside my head when I spotted her. She stood in front one of the groups. The mermaid that was possessing me looked down at my hand and noted that scream I released. It took me a moment to realize that was a bad idea. I gave the person controlling my body information she could use.

"We'll never get there now," I muttered to Luka, who was rubbing his back. 

"What have I always told you, Amara?" He wasn't phased by the new threat that faced us. I never understood it, but he enjoyed a good challenge. With the bodies we were controlling, we couldn't use our powers to its full extent. 

"To trust you because you know what you're doing," I smiled, then sighed. He never failed me before, so I didn't doubt him or his words. Luka grabbed my hand and helped me up. 

The person I was waiting for wasn't here. I was losing my patience. They must've known the situation and decided to approach it a different way. As always.

Luka placed a single finger in front of him and the air rippled. He smiled to himself as the ripple became solid like an invisible wall. "In this space we are protected. For a little while."

"And that's your plan," I rolled my eyes. "I should've known." He was great at holding things off. That would never change. 

I could feel someone giving me an intense stare and I couldn't help but look back at them. This girl's mother didn't seem pleased by what had happened. I smiled, finding it amusing. My own mother fought against me all those years ago and seeing this girl's mom facing her the same way wasn't surprising. 

People were threatened by the power that Luka and I possessed. If they never-

Luka grabbed my arm, taking me out of my thoughts. I pulled away and leaned against the invisible wall he created. "It won't be long before they start breaking it down." 

"Remember when your mom found my skills tedious," Luka laughed to himself. 

"You're doing it again," I said. "What even is our plan?" I stared at the ground for a second and there was a moment of weakness that stabbed me from the inside. My hand flew to my ice covered chest. The second flame danced and grew, making the pain far worse. 

I was using all the strength to fight for my body.

"She's got fire in her," Luka said, chuckling lightly. 

There had to be a way to push them out of our minds. I had to take control again. 

I rubbed the new patch of ice that became my permanent skin. Having no other option but to fight back, I used my flame to my advantage. By fueling it, I was able to push back the one that belonged to the girl's body I was using. 

"We need to do this quick," I said. Although, I only had a gist of what he was really planning. He didn't have a clue about how much I remembered, but I knew enough to follow along with what needed to be done. 

Luka let our invisible wall down and all the people of the sea surrounded us. With nowhere to go, we had no choice but to surrender. But the glint in Luka's eyes told me that this wasn't the end. There was more, much more.