Kelsie's fingers hurt. How Anne or her crew hadn't noticed her yet, she did not know. All she knew was that she really needed to get her skin out of Anne's clutches. Luckily she had an idea for a plan, sort of.
So, she grabbed the piece of wood that she'd been holding between her feet for the entire duration of her walk around the boat and hit it softly against the back of the nearest crew members leg. He shrieked and fell backwards onto the nearest person who, in turn, fell backwards onto the one nearest them. This continued until everybody on the deck (save for Anne) was flailing in fright or surprise on the deck. Kelsie had to suppress a laugh, they all looked like blubbering seals.
Angrily Anne pulled her gun from her pocket (making Kelsie's skin fall to the floor) and fired it into the air.
'CALM DOWN AND GET UP, OR I'LL FILLET YOU LIKE THE FLOUNDERS YOU ARE, APPARENTLY, TRYING TO BECOME!' Anne screamed.
During the commotion that followed Kelsie reached out towards Anne and grabbed the end of her skin from where it had fallen. It felt nice against her skin; and she would've put it on then and there - had it not been for the drawback of appearing in the deck as a very large seal. Casting one last glance around the deck to ensure she hadn't been spotted Kelsie loosened her grip on the ship's side and fell down into the water below.
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The waves were huge and coming faster and faster towards her. Her human legs were exhausted, but she knew that she had to keep going. Luckily the people on Anne's ship hadn't noticed that their captives had disappeared, and they hadn't begun to follow after the pair (probably due to the bad weather).
Kelsie sighed; she hadn't had a day that felt this long since her sister's 16th birthday party. Ugh. She hoped that Will would wake up soon.
Suddenly, as if her very thoughts had spoken this idea into existence, a wave hit Will's head with a splash. Will's eyes snapped opened and he sat and stared at her, gasping. Her eyes began to tear up. She was really going to do this, wasn't she?
Swiftly Kelsie moved her arms away from his head, grabbed her skin and eased backwards off the piece of wood into the water. From his vantage point Will could only just see her hands and her eyes. They were full of tears, and her body appeared shrunken in the deep blue of the stormy water.
'I'm so sorry for what I am about to do. Will, I am so, so sorry. Please know that I regret nothing that I have done with you; and that I won't forget anything.' Kelsie said.
She reached over and grabbed her skin from next to her left hand and pulled it up next to her face. Will's face grew worried as her words sunk in.
'Kelsie?' Will pleaded.
Her skin was almost on over her head. It was almost time to initiate the change, and leave the human world behind; become a seal forever.
'What are you doing? What?'
She pulled it down over her shoulders and her entire body began to tingle. When it was over her arms and her feet to create her tail.
Only when her body was that of a seal's and her spirit was that of the sea's did she look back at Will and breathe out. He had stopped speaking, and was staring at her with wide sad eyes. She stared right back at him, parroting his expression. They were divided by the sea and it's barriers once more. Around them the water calmed down Will gained the courage to speak again in the silence.
'I'm really going to miss you, you know that? You've changed my life - in more ways than I'd ever thought possible. It'd be a crime to forget you. I'd hate myself if I did.' Will said.
As Kelsie watched he hesitantly twisted around on the board; so that his feet were submerged underwater and his head was next to her before leaning over and pressing a small kiss into her fur. A small act of affection, but one that Kelsie needed.
'Now, on-wards. Let's get out this storm; I'm really starting to get sick of this water - much like you were when you were confined to the bathtub.' Will said, lifting his head away from hers.
Kelsie then flicked her tail again and inhaled a copious amount of air before diving under the board. It was going to be a long journey to take Will back home.
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This chapter was published on the 11th of December 2018, edited initially on the 7th of October 2020, and edited again on the 18th of October 2021. I hope you enjoyed this final chapter.
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