| Short Stories |

Aquas

Day - 3 -
   I could practically taste the concrete. My face planted against it. The waves around me crashed up over the slab drenching me. My face was covered with wet hair. Dont ask me why or how I'm floating in the middle of a flooded city on a piece of freaking concrete, sounds like a nightmare to me, fake and something you wouldn't want happen to you. Now I was laying on my back. Staring up into the scorching sun. Maybe I should just jump into the salty water and end it all. The water would probably kill me anyways and if it somehow didn't, then the aquas definitely would.

   I could see them swimming in circles around my concrete. Waiting for me to give up or fall in. Their long claws swayed behind them occasionally scratching their own tails leaving a string of blood behind. Yep. Im in hell. Listening to my mom would have probably been best. Pushing me constantly to get me to learn to swim, but I didn't think that was important because why would learning how to swim even matter in life. A drop of sweat or water, unable to tell what it was, slid down my face like a tear, I knew I wasn't gonna make it off of here. I don't have food and I couldn't drink the water. The aquas blood had intertwined with the actual water, making it undrinkable from the poison.

Day - 4 -
My tongue felt like gravel. My tongue was gravel. I ran my finger over it, the bumps were definitely noticeable. I probably looked like I had gone crazy. My throat clawed at me, trying to escape its misery. Maybe it was time to give up. Time to leave my pain. I stuck my hand in the water, the pressure pushed it back and it floated further up to the surface. I needed water. Cupping my hands together, I did what I was taught not to. I drank the water.

Day - 5 -
   Water is a luxury. A luxury that I have. The water hadn't done anything to me. I still felt fine, even better then fine. Not more rumbling stomachs or scratchy throats. My tongue was, well, a tongue again. Hope flowed through my veins and gave me a light to guide me. I stood up, my legs were shaky but that didn't mean I couldn't stand. I could, I knew I could. I began to laugh, it was a clean rich one, and the first time I've really said anything in days. Even though that technically isn't saying anything. It's still close enough. I ran my hand through my hair. Or at least until it got caught in a pile of naughts. Ugh I want out of here so bad. I peered over the edge of the concrete. Concrete.  I still couldn't get over the fact that I was floating around on a piece of concrete. The whole world had lied. Then I seen my reflection and my face dropped.

This is why I was told to never drink the ocean water. I couldn't believe I hadn't thought this through.  My cheekbones spiked out more, my skin was a pale blue, my lips had thinned and my teeth had grown. I was turning. Or it was just the water, changing my face with the waves. But there wasn't any waves, nor wind. Damn. I've really messed up this time.

Day - 6 -
  I hadn't drank any more of that water, even though I would probably eventually. My body changed drastically overnight. Not drinking hadn't done anything to stop the process. I was evolving. It was time to except the fact that's it was my last night.

   My fingers were long and sharp now, all my skin was pale blue, almost like the sky, just lighter. I had fins growing from the back of my arms and calves. I ran my hand over my neck, trying to feel for any possible changes. There is was, on each side below my jawline, were gills. They stretched to nearly underneath my ear, which had pointed too. That explains why breathing was becoming so difficult lately. I cant go to sleep or else I might just suffocate on the land.

Day - 7 -
   The moment I knew was coming. Now I couldn't breath. I choked on the air and rolled onto the water, expecting aquas to swarm around me. All they did was look at me and swim away. I was one of them too. I just hadn't grown my tail yet, that was yet to come. I kicked my legs and swam around leaving my concrete up at the surface. It was time to go. I had a place to be, they were calling. I'm coming.