The Mermaid Spell

Part Two ~ The Spell

The wind that Adrian had picked up as he ran made my hair stream behind me.  For someone who was a merman, they could run quite fast.  I didn't bother question though, there were way too many questions to cover.

"Here we are."  Adrian said as we came to a private beach.  I had never been to it before, and we were no longer in Cape Cod.  I wondered where exactly we were.  Adrian began to peel off the various layers of clothes he was wearing until he was naked except for a pair of borrowed boxer shorts that I figured were from Ian.  His entire lower body was covered in scales, like a split tail.

"How did you-"

"Potion,"  he rolled a vile of black liquid between his fingers and carefully slipped it into the pocket of his trousers that were laying in the sand.  "Now come on, we don't have much time."  He said and began to step into the water.

"I'm not a mermaid anymore."  I said gravely.

"Yes, I know.  You never were, were you."  Adrian sighed and kicked the water slightly. 

"I was under a spell, Adrian.  I was actually beginning to like it..."  It was true.  I had loved the way I could pump my tail powerfully through the water and swim for impeccable amounts of time.  i missed being able to escape my old life for a new one under the waves and...well, I missed swimming with Adrian, especially when we would meet under the moon in the small cove near the vacation house.  All of that was gone now, all because of my clumsiness and letting Ian be captured by such a horrible species of people.  Or just that one merman who I had never actually got the name of.  All those years of wishing I had a shimmering tail with delicate fins when I was little had finally come true and I had wasted it.

I watched as Adrian's split tail melted together.  He dragged himself into the deeper water and ducked under.  I just stood there, staring at the waves as they met my feet.

"I can't."  I whispered, mainly to myself.  I was afraid to dive under the waves, like the Aquamarine had not only taken away my fins, but made me terrified of them. 

"Come on.  We won't swim to low, I'll carry on on my back,"  Adrian said once he resurfaced.  I shook my head stubbornly and took a seat on a rock with barnacles growing up the sides.

"I can't go back.  I'll never be a mermaid anymore."  I broke into tears and buried my face in my goosebump covered arms.  I could feel Adrian's hand touch my shoulder and his scales brush against my legs.

'We'll stay here then.  Just for the night."  I could tell he was making a big sacrifice for me, the girl who had lied to him, who he was doing this for.  Shame washed over me, but I wiped the tears away and merely nodded. 

I found some firewood in the woods and carried it back in my arms to where Adrian was sitting, a pile of fish at his side.  I dumped the firewood down and took a seat.

"I got some food."

"I see."  I said as I threw a match I had found in my pocket into the pile of firewood.  It blazed to life like a firecracker and became gentle enough for Adrian to skin the fish and set it on branch over the fire.  It reminded me of when my family and I would make s'mores out in my Aunt Anne's backyard in Westchester. 

"Elly..."  Adrian trailed off.  I looked up him and raisedan eyebrow. 

"What?"  I questioned rather cruelly and relented with a quiet "Yes?"

"Ian.  We-we need to find Ian..."

"What do you mean?"  I asked in confusion.

"You know, he turned mer as you turned back into a..you know, human.  They have him now, but I managed to escape."  His eyes glittered under the stars and flames of the fire.  I responded with a nod and carefully moved a stick in the fire.

After we both ate the meat of a fish, Adrian laid back in the sand and stared up at the stars.

"You can sleep in the water you know, you don't have to stay with me."  I told him but he shook his head.

"I want to stay with you."  He gazed at me and a smirk grew across his lips.  "You really are beautiful, you know."  I could feel my face burning and hoped it wasn't too obvious in the dark.

"Thanks."

"Why did you become a mermaid Elly?"  He asked me.  I bit my lip and confessed by telling him the whole story of how I met Armeta in the shop and she sold me the book with the letter in it.  The whole thing seemed so distant, like it happened a lifetime ago.  Adrian nodded in understanding and didn't say a word.  Instead, he leaned forward and planted his lips on mine.

The kiss was luscious and sweet, it was my first 'real' kiss and when Adrian pulled away I couldn't help but grab him and go back in for another.  We sat there, our arms caressing each other like two stars burning in a secluded patch of night sky.

____________

Morning came quickly.  I woke early to find Adrian still asleep next to me.  I felt a pit form in my stomach.  Was I guilty for loving Adrian and still have feelings for Ian?  I stood up and splashed the last bit of smoke from the fire away with salt water.  It cackled slightly, which woke Adrian.  He smiled and groggily rubbed his eyes.

"You ready?"  Was the first thing his said.

"For what?"  I asked while I rung out my sweatshirt that I had left by the waves.  It had been drenched when the tide came up.

"We need to go in the water, we have a rescue mission."  I glanced at the waves with the sun rising over the pink and orange horizon. 

"I guess...."

"Good.  Let's get on with it then."  He said and slid into the warm shallow water.  I kicked off my sandy converse and stepped in next to him.

"I don't think I can," I finally said.  Adrian shook his head in disapproval.

"You can.  You may no longer have a tail, but you have me.  If you fall, I'll catch you."  The last part was a bit ironic since we would be underwater, but I grinned and stepped further into the water until it was up to my shoulders.  It was surprisingly cold, unlike when I was a mermaid it was comfortably warm.

Adrian stretched as his palm that was dripping wet and I took it.

"You'll be okay, I promise."  He then dove into the water, bringing me with him.

I could no longer see and had to close my eyes to suppress the stinging.  I held tightly onto Adrian's shoulder, my legs brushing up against his tail as we glided through the water.  I signaled for Adrian to bring us up and he did.  The moment we touched the air, I let out a squeal of excitement.  I wasn't a mermaid, but I was still one of the sea.

"Congrats, we made it in pretty far."  Adrian squeezed my hand.

"I miss being able to stay under long though, I'm holding us back."  I looked away and closed my eyes shamefully.

"No worries."  Adrian pulled me towards him and handed me another vile of now blue fluid.

"Drink it and it will help you stay under longer.  It will wear off in an hour though, so we have to go fast!"  Adrian warned.  I popped out the cork and let the disgusting potion slither down my throat.

"Where do you get all these potions?"  I asked him.

"Sea witch.  She actuaally helped me escape, Armeta I think?" 

"Armeta!  She turned me into a mermaid, well gave me the spell that is."  I exclaimed.

"Ah, she was very helpful.  Now come on, we better go."  He warned.  I grabbed onto his shoulders once again and we dove back under.