The Change of Tides

The Beginning

Hi. My name is Odessa. If I had any friends, they would call me Dezzi. I would love to have a nickname...but that's not why we're here. I here to tell you my tale. Some of you will probably not believe me and will brush it off. But if you do believe me, well, get ready for one heck of a story.
12 years ago.

We were on a family vacation to Florida. I was only four, and it is the farthest back that I can remember. My mom and sister had just gotten into another fight. I can't be sure what is was about in my four year old memory, but I can remember it was big. There was a lot of yelling, screaming, something broke...and so I did what any four year old who was being neglected and who was curious would have done. I went down to the ocean.

The vacation home we were renting was a large, old thing that was right up against the ocean. At times, when the wind picked up, it felt as though the entire house was going to fall over, or collapse in on itself. The eastern-most room was a sun room that had ceiling-to-floor windows. You could see the ocean in every lighting the day had to offer. Sunrise. The brightness of noon. High tide. Low tide. Midnight. Twilight. You could see when the waves were angry and attacking the shore with a deadly purpose. You could see when the ocean was first waking up, with it's surface reflecting the sky above, peaceful and serene. It was beautiful.

The night of the fight, my mother and sister were upstairs, my father, in the master bedroom turning up the volume to try to drown out the rising voices of two arguing, my brother was drunk and passed out in his designated room, and the ocean? The ocean was gathering mist upon it's surface as the moon tried unsuccessfully to pierce through haze.

As everyone else was "distracted", my four year old self decided she wanted to go out to the ocean. I left my shoes in the house, and I crept to the shore's edge.

I thought I saw a dolphin fin break the surface out towards the horizon, so, of course, I waded in to get a close look at the pretty dolphin. I started to walk into the lukewarm water until it was up to my knees. Then it was at my waist. I continued until the water was at eye level. That is when the panic started to set in. I wasn't a strong swimmer and here I was; alone and far too deep. It was in this moment, when the ripe tide pulled my little feet out from under me. I cried out for help, but the second I opened my mouth to scream, salt water invaded my entire oral canal. I couldn't breath, I couldn't see, and I couldn't figure out which direction was up. I watched as fish swam around me in a cloud, as if they were trying to protect me from the rest of the ocean. All I remember are metallic scales and a muted lullaby. And even though I'm pretty sure I was drowning, and with that song playing in the back of my mind, I slowly sank to the bottom of the ocean and into a deep, deep, sleep.

The next thing I know, I am waking up in my bed to the sound of my dad and mother yelling at each other about how the other should have been keeping a better eye on me. Evidently, I had been found the next morning perfectly fine, but asleep on the beach, half covered with sand. Even at four years old I knew that something had happened to me last night. Shouldn't I be dead? My throat still hurt from all the salt water I had swallowed..."Mommy!" I screeched, my sore throat making my voice crack.

I heard my mother hurry up the stairs and come over to my bed. "Oh good, you're awake! What were you thinking sneaking out and sleeping on the beach little one? Don't you know better than that Odessa? A stranger could have come a plucked you up!"

"But I didn't fall asleep on the beach mommy...I went into the ocean and I swallowed a lot of water and I heard a someone singing to me as I fell asleep!"

"Oh hush, stop being so dramatic. Now let's get you up and packing, we need to leave the house by 3 if we want to make our flight."

And with that, I was all alone once again.

Just when I rolled over in the bed to go to the bathroom, a stabbing pain in my neck, on the back of my arms started and the heels of my feet started to burn and sting. I screamed and started to cry. This is where the weird part starts. It was as if my crying, or should I say, the tears streaming down my face, began to take the horrible pain I was feeling.

My mom ran into the room, "Sweetheart, what is it now?"

"My body mommy, it hurts!"

She slides her hands around me, trying to uncovere whatever mystery illness I have suddenly contracted, but finds nothing.

"Odessa, it's okay, you're fine. Now please, stop crying and let me get back to packing? Okay?" She kisses my forehead and leaves the room.

My four year old brain refuses to believe that what I just felt was "nothing".

After I hurry to the bathroom, I look into the mirror. I run my hands over where I had felt the pain, my neck, my arms and my heels. I felt something. There was something ragged, warped, and raised in three lines in each place. I pulled the little hair I did have away from my face and looked closer at my neck.

I had gills.

Gills? I know, I know. That's not normal, but it's true. I have gills on each side of my neck, on the back of each of my arms, just where the arm meets the should joint, and on the heels of both of my feet.

I had no idea what happened to me and I had no idea why gills appeared on my body and I also had no idea why, a few minutes before, I had just experienced the most pain I have ever felt, but I did know this.

I could tell no one what had happened. They would think I'm a freak.

I would always have to hide now, and always live in fear of someone finding out, because I'm not normal. And I will never be.

***************

So this is the first chapter! Let me know what you all think!