Aqua Waters | ✔

Ten

My body was pulled from the water just enough so my face wasn't being washed over with every crashing wave.

Sammy coughed violently. Her hair was soaked, dripping the salty water. Strong hands pulled me by my shoulders, dragging me closer to the shore. I looked up, my eyes blurry from the salt water. Gage was puffing as he tried to drag me through the water, his hair dripping on my exposed skin. My head nodded downwards as sleep begged to take a hold of me. My eyes fluttered shut before opening once more, trying to focus on my body. In between the darkness and the light, I saw skin. A lot more skin than I remembered baring as I entered the water. My chest bare, my stomach smooth, meeting a line of blue-green scales at the top of my hips. My breath quickened, my mind finally putting the pieces together.

"My shirt!" I shouted, trying to wiggle out of Gage's grasp, my recent struggle causing him to trip. He tumbled backward into the water, splashing as she slipped into the soft sand. Sammy sat on the beach, her hair covering her face as she wept into her hands.

I quickly turned my body over, laying on my stomach now to cover myself as much as possible with the water.

"What is going on?!" I shouted. Earning glares from both Gage and Sammy.

"You tell me!" Gage shouted back, his voice raspy as he tried to wipe the water away from his face. He wasn't wearing any pants, his dark blue shirt now looking black as it held the water close to his chest. He took a minute before his words came crashing on me once more. "Are you nuts! What the hell is going on here! You walk into the water with legs, and you won't listen to anyone, now you have a..." He motioned towards my legs, the words disappearing from his lips.

"A fin. You have a fin," Sammy wailed with just as much anger and force as Gage's previous words. My heart sank. What was she talking about? I quickly turned to look, folding my legs the best I could to get a better look. But there weren't legs. The bottom half of my body had transformed into something much different. Something I thought only existed in children movies.

I rolled over once more, forgetting the fact that my chest was exposed. My mind focused on one thing: the fin attached to my body. I did the best I could to hold it in the air, attempting to take in all of its details. The large fin curved gently in the typical mermaid look, the green and blue scales dancing together.

The sun had nearly set, making the details hard to see. I turned to look at the two on the beach.

"We have to get out of here. Get me out of the water!" I shouted, my mind racing with questions. Would I forever be a mermaid now? Is this what was happening earlier when I ran my hand under the water? Would I ever be able to swim again?

Gage and Sammy dove into action, I was thankful they didn't question my sudden demand. Once they dragged me onto the beach, the sand scratching at the fin I now possessed. I was able to take a slightly better look at the sight.

"What are we going to do?" Sammy questioned, her mind probably racing just as quickly as mine. She paced back and forth on the sand. "We have to get her out of here, before someone sees," She ran over to grab the edge of my fin. Her fingers soft against the rough texture.

"Um, guys, I would like a shirt." I raised my hand like I was in a classroom trying to get their attention. Gage quickly grabbed his leather jacket off the beach and wrapped it around me. I thanked him quickly. After wrapping the cold material around my skin, I felt better being a little more covered up.

"Sammy, it's a private beach," Gage started, before slipping his own pants back on. "No one will see this." He glanced up at the house he called home.

"What about all the other houses, if they have a view half as nice as yours then, of course, they will be able to see her." Her words were rushed as she panicked to figure out what to do. She started grabbing sand trying to cover the fin. I quickly flicked the sand off, throwing it into the air. I shook my head at Sammy.

"No, you are not burying me in the sand because I'm a sea-freak!" I folded my arms across my chest. Was I really a freak? The sight in front of me was one of such beauty that I could barely take my eyes off it. Sammy shook her head.

"We have to carry her, there is no way she can walk." Gage searched my face for any expression change. There wasn't one, my eyes still harsh from Sammy trying to hide me in the sand. Whatever they were going to do, I had to go along with it.

Gage wrapped his arms around my body, picking me up like a bride in her husband's arms. He struggled to hold the weight of my fin as well as my body, his legs quivering under him. "Sammy, grab her fin, make yourself useful." He snapped. I winced at how harshly his words sounded.

Sammy took her spot, taking some of the weight off of Gage. I wrapped my arms around his neck nuzzling myself into him. He smelled of salt water, his skin gritty from chasing after me. I felt safe in his arms like he would fix whatever was going on with me.

They struggled up the pathway, trying to fit my body through the bushes and struggled once more to fit the end of my fin through the doorway. Lucky for us, it was getting late and no one was outside.

"Here, let's put her in the bathtub." Gage motions to Sammy to help him up the stairs of his house. My eyes grew wide, this was a new room we hadn't seen before. My heart quickly stuttered as I realized what he had actually said.

"The bathtub." I shot him a look, he smiled down at me, the beads growing on his forehead from carrying me so far.

"Yes, the bathtub."