My mythical creatures~Mermaid

Chapter 17

Stacey and I sat for hours trying out how I can get the water to do the things that I want it to do. "Okay, see if you can make a waterfall from your hands!" Stacey suggested. She sounds like a little kid. I start to laugh at her.
"C'mon, let's head back; the others are probably worried about us." I tell her. I stagger my way up onto my feet due to the pins and needles. She lifts her hands up to tell me that she wanted a hand up. I pulled her up, off her lazy ass. Just as she was stable, we started to turn around to walk back.
"Cass!" I hear Drake shout. I see him running towards me in a flash. Trailing behind him is Jaz and Austin being followed by a handful of people with guns. I look behind one of them and recognise the face. Bill. Drake collides into me causing us to tip backwards into the water. Just before we hit the water, I hear the others jumping in. And a gun shot.

Once in the water, I spin around looking for the others. I can't see any of them, not even a tail! I wonder how long I've been underwater for. It can't have been long, I can't hold my breath for long. Then I remember what Stacey said to me, my memories turned into dreams. I opened my mouth, breathed out the air I was saving and breathed back in. I can breathe underwater! I look down at my legs to see if I'm actually a mermaid instead. I'm not. I laugh to myself and decide to kick my legs up to the surface. Once there, I feel arms grab me by my arms. I cough out all the water I swallowed before looking up. Linda was towering above me. "Well, well, well. It has been a while Cassidy." She smirks. I pull myself up and look her in the eye.
"What are you doing here?" I ask her whilst pulling my wet hair out of my face.
"For you. Well, for your Dad actually. Your friends try too hard." She says whilst grabbing a towel out of her bag and offering it to me. I refuse.
"What makes you think that I'm going to accept that?" I snap at her. She raises one eye brow. She turns to sit on an old post.
"I don't blame you to be honest. We are here to tell you the secrets your friends are keeping from you." She admits. I walk over to her, take the towel from her hands and dry my face.
"What's the catch?" I ask. She smiles at me, turns her head towards Bill. He walks over to me.
"For starters, we will make sure your friends get to go home and Drake to the hospital..." He starts. I stop him there. "Why would he need to go to hospital?"
"One of our people shot him. As I was saying, we will also take you back to your dad's where you'll be the face of the war!" I hated the sound of it. Just before I was able to say no, Linda showed me the others cradling over Drake. I rush over to them.
"Oh my gosh, Drake!" I cry out. He looks towards me.
"Cass, I'll be fine! Don't do what they ask, I can recover quickly." He pleaded. He took my hand and looked me into my eyes. I left a tear slip.
"I'm sorry." I whispered. I removed my hand from his and went back towards Bill and Linda. I look over my shoulder to see them all looking at me. I turn back away.
"You have my word."

My Dad called up Bill telling him I could have till the end of the week with my friends before leaving. That is the only decent thing he'll do...ever in his life time. Linda and Bill left in vehicles with the people they came with, leaving me in the dirt.
"What did you do that for?!" Demanded Jaz. She turned me around just so I could face her. She was fuming. Her eyes change colour to fit her emotion I had noticed. Drake was now standing up with one arm around onto Austin and the other one on Stacey. His wound has gotten smaller but he was in agonising pain. I hate seeing him like this. "Drake can recover very quickly! We all can, including you!" She carried on.
"Then why didn't you tell me that?! All of you are keeping secrets from me so how am I supposed if I'm doing something right or wrong?" I start. She moves over to Drake to check up on him. Typical, always been pushed away. "Nothing I do makes any of you happy! If I want to do something myself, it's the end of the world!" I continue. "I never wanted to be like this, I never wanted to be like you guys!" I yell whilst pointing at them. "All I ever wanted was to be normal but the longer I'm with you guys, the less normal I get!" I started welling up which made Austin come over. He wrapped me in his arms and stroked my hair. I close my hands behind his back and cry into his chest.
"Normal?" I heard Jaz say through her own tears. "This isn't normal for any of us! I'm a mermaid walking on two feet! Look around yourself Cassidy, you're not going to lose your entire species! That's what I'm facing! I'm going through that whilst trying to help you because someone thought you could save us!" She yelled. She walked over to me, wiping her tears on her wet sleeve. She looks me in the eye. "And whoever thought that was completely wrong!" She told me with her natural voice. I swallowed the lump in my throat to prevent me for crying out. She walked back to Drake and Stacey. "C'mon, let's go." She orders them. They take one more look at me before turning away. In a short period of time, I'd lost 3 of the greatest people in my life.
"Don't worry Cassie," Austin comforted me, "you'll still have me in Warrington and I won't leave you." I hugged him tighter before letting go. I looked away so he wouldn't see me cry. He put his hand on my cheek in order to look at him. I gave him a reassuring smile before I started to head home.

Alone.

As I arrived home, all the lights were off. I snuck in through the front door to insure I wouldn't wake anyone up. Curled up on the sofa was Max, he must have come home after hearing I was back. I made my way upstairs. I decided I'd poke my head into mum's room and Justin's. Mum had fallen asleep with her side light still on and her book to the side. I closed the door as quietly as I could, she didn't wake up. As for Justin, he was still up. He was playing with his Lego. He looked up at me in the doorway and smiled. I smiled back and went in to sit by him on the floor of his room.
"Glad you're here, can you help me build this model?" He asked whilst handing me the instructions.
"What is it?" I dared to ask. He took the instructions back from me, turned it 180 degrees around and handed it back. "Ah, I see." I said. He burst into laughter and I joined in.

We sat for an hour trying to build his model. He fell asleep so I finished it off for him. A surprise for when he wakes up in the morning. I lift him into bed, tuck in him, turn off the light and leave his room. I then go into my room. I look around my room, it seems different to me. My curtains above my bed are already drawn, mum must have done it. My desk, in which I've had since I was 10, was over crowded with old school work. I walked over to my small built in wardrobe. Inside was many dresses I wouldn't wear. Behind them, my suitcase and ruck sack. I pull them out, open them up and start packing clothes into them. I only want to pack clothes that I'd wear until I get to my Dad's where I have some clothes. Once packed, I grab my phone charger and purse which contained debit cards and loose change. I decided I'd leave a note for everyone tell them what I was doing. I scavenged for a decent pen on my desk and scrawled on the back of a piece of paper.

To Mum, Max, Justin,

Don't worry about me, I've gone back to Dad's in Warrington. We all know it is what's best for me right now. I decided to leave on my own accord and during the night as I didn't want a scene or any more goodbyes. I'll see you soon and I'll let you know when I get there.
Love you all, Cassidy xx

I write a separate one for the others:

Drake, Stacey, Jaz, Austin and Andy,

I'm sorry. I had to do this. My Dad wants me for some kind of war and I know that, I'm not scared anymore. You guys were keeping secrets from me for a reason but if you're not going to tell me, then my Dad is my last resort. Hope you guys will one day forgive me when our paths cross again. Don't come after me and you can't stop me, I need to do this for myself.
Goodbye.
Cassie xx

I wipe away the tears I made whilst writing the letters. I folded the up, headed downstairs and put them on the table. I turned around to see Max still asleep. I snuck out the back door and left to go to Warrington where answers await.

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