First Light [Mermaid!Reader]

Part 1: Death on the Beach

written in 2nd POV; the reader (17 she/her) will be addressed as ________ instead of Y/N.

***

PART ONE: THE PASSING

It's too damn stuffy in your bedroom. Hot. Humid. Suffocating.

You already got rid of the blanket. And the quilt. And the comforter. You're wearing shorts and a tank top, and the air-conditioning is on full blast. And still... still, you're burning.

You shuffle around uncomfortably for several more moments, feeling sweat drip down your skin. Finally, you can't take it anymore.

You throw back the blanket and push open the window. The warm night air breezes in. Perhaps it's counterintuitive to have the window open with the AC down, but it actually makes the room cooler. Though not by much.

You glance at the clock. 1:16 am.

Downstairs, you can hear your foster parents' voices. They're yelling at each other, of course. You strain to listen for a moment.

"Jane, this is the third time this week!" That's your foster dad, Matt.

Jane's response comes in a bit of a slur: "I'm sorry, okay? Okay? I just went out for some... fresh air, all right?"

"Bullshit!" Matt shouts, and there's a loud crash from the kitchen that reverberates through the house.

You wince. They must be in one of their 'moods' again. One month, you think to yourself. One more month until your eighteenth birthday. One month until you can move out of this broken family.

"Fuck you, Matt!" Jane sobs.

Screw it, you think. It's too hot tonight for their shit.

You push the window open and climb out.

***

Midnight strolls have always calmed you down. There is a lot you hate about this small coastal town, but the beach is lovely. Especially on summer nights.

Tonight, however... Tonight, something is different. The air is still. Stagnant. In anticipation. Something is happening.

You're ambling down the beach, kicking at the slow tide, staring up at the full moon. Then you hear it.

Whining, heaving, crying.

Your heart stops. You take off, running down the length of the beach, under the pier, and towards a little alcove hidden by rocks and leaves.

You smell it next. Something... cold. Tangy. Metallic.

Blood.

The crying gets louder. More desperate. You push the leaves aside and gasp. There is a woman — a gorgeous woman — lying there, naked on the sand. Her eyes are squeezed in anguish, and she is breathing roughly. Where her legs should be is a strong, glittering blue-green tail.

You're frozen in place, staring at her.

Her eyes slit open and she opens her mouth, only to cough out more blood.

Holy. Shit.

She reaches her hand out towards you. Transfixed, in a daze, enchanted... You take her hand. She pulls you close enough that her hair tickles your shoulder. She brushes her lips to your ear and whispers something. The words are raw, beautiful, ancient. Almost like a song.

"I..." you shake your head. "I can't understand you. Just... just wait here, alright? I — I'm gonna get help."

You start to get up, heart hammering, but she grabs your wrist in a tight grip. When you meet her eyes, she shakes her head slowly. She clutches her chest, breathing heavily, and closes her eyes.

Just as you think she might be dead, her skin begins to glow with a brilliant blue light. The glow travels down her chest and into you. It's an incredible sensation, and you can feel the energy all the way to the tips of your toes.

The mermaid uses all her remaining strength to grab your chin. She gazes deep into your eyes and whispers something else in her ancient language. Then, she touches her forehead to yours.

When you open your eyes, you watch as her body dissolves into glitter until nothing of her remains, not even her blood.

Speechless, you look down at where she just was. You don't see her, of course, but you do see something that nearly makes you scream.

One: you are naked.

Your tank top, shorts, and panties are lying a couple inches away on the sand.

And two: your legs are gone.

All you see is a sparkly green tail.