The Secret Lives of Fish - a sequel to The Thirteenth Year

Ch 11 - Sunset

Cody writhed in agony and defeat as the water pulled him down, his legs unresponsive as they morphed their way into a tail. He could feel them knitting together and heard the familiar rip of cloth as his shorts shredded around him. Water filled his lungs easily as the pain subsided and as he breathed in a deep breath of liquid. The electricity...he should have known. If he hadn't been panicking about saving Sean's life, he might have realized. He'd triggered his change again and there was no stopping it.

Glancing down he watched his toes finish stretching into the cartilage ridges of his fin as the tender silver webbing stretched out in the water. His tail was longer than he remembered. Had he grown that much in just a few months? Scales itched along his sides as his tail finished forming, and then it was simply done. Cody floated in the deep, eyesight adjusted for the underwater world, and stared down at his tail.

Just like that his return to land and the life he had thought he had wanted was taken from him again. All because Sean couldn't just leave well enough alone. The scary, quick thought of dragging the other boy under the surface flashed through his mind. Why did he have to keep losing everything that he wanted? Why did he have to be so torn between two worlds?

He watched Sean kicking in the water, barely staying afloat. Cody could only imagine how tired and confused he was. He dunked under the water once, presumably looking for him. It was just dark enough outside, without the moon fully risen, for him to be seen. The tide pulsed in the distance and Cody knew that a storm was moving in. It would be best if he just left Sean there and found a cave to sleep in for the night. Sean would be fine if he made his way to shore. The human, however, seemed more willing to keep swimming in circles than make progress towards land.

Maybe he needed help. Cody tried to judge the distance to his cove, but couldn't tell. He didn't realize he'd taken them out so far. In his panic to save Sean's life, he must have swum them out beyond the buoy. He couldn't even hear its toll meaning he should probably surface and help Sean back to shore. Yet, if he surfaced Sean would demand answers. A lot of answers that Cody really didn't feel like giving him. Answers that would lead to more problems for him and his family. But what if he just disappeared and left his former friend to fend for himself? Would he make it back home? If he did, would he tell others Cody had disappeared into the ocean after trying to kill him? People would start looking for him and then he'd really have to hide. What would that do to his family? When the coast guard didn't find his body, would they have to say he was dead? Cody couldn't accept that option. It would mean never being able to go home again, or being able to see his family. Or Sam.

That only left him with the option of confronting Sean what he was so they both could make it back to the cove. Cody had some hope he could get his legs back again. Maybe reset his tail for real this time and try life on land a third time. But...what would Sean do once he knew he wasn't human? If he told people and someone believed him, his life would be over. He'd never be able to see his family again, for real. The rest of the merfolk would be in danger as well. Was it worth the risk? If it was, how would he convince Sean not to tell anyone?

He looked up and realized that Sean wasn't floating above him anymore. Where had he gone? He looked toward shore and saw him slowing swimming to land. The moon was coming up slowly now, and Cody would have a hard time keeping his tail hidden the closer to the surface he swam. Yet, the longer he watched the human swim, the more and more he struggled. His head slipped underwater and Cody tucked his fear back. He'd have to deal with the consequences. His lack of control got him into this mess. He couldn't let Sean suffer for his choices anymore. With a quick flick of his tail, he swam towards Sean.

On the surface, Sean was gasping in pain. His sides were aching and his wrists burned from where the blistered hand marks wrapped around them. The waves kept washing over him as he kicked slowly. Even though he was an experienced swimmer, he knew the dangers the ocean could hold. In fact, more swimmers died from over confidence in their abilities than not. He didn't know where Cody had gone or if he was alive, but he knew he needed to make it to land. It just looked so far away and his legs were getting so heavy. He doggy paddled but didn't feel like he was making any progress. The next big wave that hit him pushed him under. Gasping for air just as he slipped below the surface, he blinked in the mirk of the dark water. Was this how he was going to die?