Secrets of the Sea

xix. drowning

Drowning.

Ever since the miraculous incident, including Callie discovering her mermaid form and the undersea world, this occurrence was one of the very last things that Callie would ever imagine happening to her.

Despite her current dilemma, a bitter smile curved onto her lips as the surface, which had been just a fingertip from her body just seconds ago, began to fade in the distance. Just as her hopes had.

How ironic, she though sardonically. A mermaid, drowning. That should be impossible, it's like a human who can't breathe air.

She, however, had one question. How. How was this possible? Mermaids were creatures of the sea, the water served as their air. Up until now, she could breathe underwater just like every other mermaid. Was it because she was not a "true" mermaid?

Callie really had no idea how she was even a mermaid in the first place. I'm a human, she thought bitterly. How was I even able to become a mermaid in the first place? I was supposed to have drowned... maybe whatever caused my mermaid transformation is wearing off. Either way... I suppose my death would be drowning. It was simply delayed.

She didn't know it would end like this, and so soon.

Black spots danced in her blurry vision, and she hung there limp like a doll, paralyzed by the feeling in her chest, which had tightened so much, she couldn't even feel her fingers.

"Ha," she croaked out, her voice barely even audible. "I guess this is how it ends, huh?"

With pain ripping through every inch of her body, she used her remaining energy to twist in the firm grip on her tail and looked down, seeking to see the creature that had pulled her from the surface.

Her eyes squinted into slits, blinking out the bleariness, trying to perceive the appearance by the distinct outline of the creature. And then, she realized. It was an octopus.

Why would an octopus be on the academy's campus? Isn't it supposed to be protected by outside creatures and beings? How in the world did an octopus get past the barrier? And why is it trying to drown me?

"Let... go," Callie cough, her frail body trembling. Is this how weak Daryah had felt when Callie had left her behind? What if Daryah was still there, stranded in the hallways, having their peers laughing at her, having no clue of what was happening?

The name struck a pang into Callie's heart.

Daryah.

There was no proper goodbye. The last thing she had said to Daryah was "It's not a big deal. Get over it."

Regret filled her body, and she felt her eyes prickle with tears. They dripped down her cheeks, and as they floated away, some floating around the octopus's reddish-purple body she couldn't help but think that they resembled blood.

Her throat burned as the floodgate opened. No... Callie realized with dread. My throat isn't burning because of my tears... it's because it's being suffocated.

Without her notice, the long tentacles of the octopus had slid up her body, and now rested, entangling themselves into knots around her throat. By every passing second, the grip got tighter.

Callie's body shook. This was it. Her vision suddenly turned into pure, blinding white, and slowly, she felt her consciousness slipping away from her.

The last words fleeted across her mind, and spilled from her mouth before all went silent.

"I'm sorry."