Making a Splash

A Night to Forget

The moon cast its light down onto the small coastal town of Malenia. The streets were empty with the lamp posts along the sidewalk illuminating nothing but the scenery. Almost all of its residents were fast asleep by this point, especially those still at the age of a high school student.

But as much as Lily wanted to be one of those people sleeping soundly in bed, she couldn't. She had somewhere she needed to be.

After double checking that both her parents were asleep in bed, she went back to her room. Grabbing a small bag to keep her clothes in, Lily opened the window of her bedroom and quietly climbed outside. Once she did, she closed the window almost all the way, leaving just enough of a crack open for her to slide it open when she would return in a few hours.

Lily made sure to stay wary of her surroundings as she moved through the streets of her hometown in the dead of night. The darkness helped keep her hidden, but if a passing police officer noticed her, she would have no excuse for being out so late.

Fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately, Lily made it to the beach without anyone spotting her. She went to the secret cove and squeezed her way through the crack. As she emerged there, she saw Marie and Emma had already arrived.

"Hey." Lily said, her voice lacking even the slightest hint of joy.

Her two friends replied in a similar manner. "Hey."

It was currently 11:15 pm. Another 45 minutes were left before their deadline to arrive at the lair of the horrible cecaelia known as Grimlur that they had encountered earlier that day. The three of them knew the way there and estimated it would only take them around thirty minutes to get there. Twenty if they hurried, but none of them were exactly excited about going there.

Not saying another word, the three girls began to undress, sticking their clothes in their bags before putting them on the sand. Every time they had undressed before becoming mermaids they hadn't minded it at all. They were all girls, and it was a necessary step for their explorations underwater. But as they stood there in the moonlight, they couldn't help but feel weird about being completely nude.

Who could blame them? They knew what was awaiting them this night.

Marie was the first to step into the water, followed by Lily and Emma. Within seconds, their legs began to glow and their tailfins formed. After that, they made their way through the small opening and swam out into the open sea.

Every swim before now had started off fun. The only dangers they had to worry about were the carnivorous predators like sharks that lurked around, hungry for a filling meal like the trio of mermaids.

Lily didn't dare say it aloud, but she almost wished a shark would pass by and gobble her up. At least then she wouldn't be at risk of losing her freedom and becoming a plaything for the rest of her life. Far less painful than the brief pain of being digested in some shark's stomach.

Eventually the three of them arrived at the familiar crevice they had left before. Waiting for them at the entrance was Cleo, who seemed just as thrilled about being there as the rest of them. Once she saw Lily and the others swimming her way, she went inside alone without saying a word, an apologetic frown on her lips.

Lily, Marie, and Emma paused briefly as they arrived at the entrance to the cavern. It was tough to tell since they were underwater, but Lily was pretty sure tears were coming out of Emma's eyes. She didn't want to go in there, but she knew they had little choice.

Marie tried to console Emma as she gently rubbed her back and put a hand on her shoulder. "It'll be alright." she told her. Her words were hollow though. Marie knew that none of them were going to be alright after tonight.