Tails (Transformations: Book 1)

13

Aria felt a little panicked as she returned home and realized what she had agreed to do. "What was I thinking?" She looked at Freya. "What were you thinking?"

Freya just smiled and shrugged. "You are very endearing. If anyone can win over the council, it's definitely you."

"Well, maybe nobody can win them over." Aria pointed out. "You know I freak out about public speaking, right?"

"You're fine when you're doing mermaid stuff like that. Remember when we did that Q and A for the customers? You spoke in front of a pretty large group." Freya pointed out.

"That wasn't me." Aria looked at her, already starting to freak out at the idea of standing in front of people and talking. "That was the mermaid version of me. You know I'm always better when I have a tail."

"You could wear a tail to the meeting." Freya suggested, earning her a withering glare. She just smiled and shrugged. "It was just an idea. You shouldn't worry so much."

Aria sighed and flopped down on the couch. "They had better not ask me to use any complicated science terms. You know it's not a good subject for me."

"Think about it like one of the trials of Hercules." Freya told her, trying to be helpful. "You'll be a hero, right?"

Aria lay down on the couch and closed her eyes. "Hercules died, Freya."

"Did he?" She thought about it, for a second. "Well, that sucks."

Aria couldn't help but laugh a little at her friend. "You're ridiculous."

"Maybe don't think of yourself as a tragic Greek hero." Freya sat beside her on the couch. "That's not very optimistic."

"No, it's not." Aria smiled and sat up. "You really think I can do this?"

Freya nodded. "Definitely. I think you can do anything you set your mind to."

Aria nodded. "Well, now, you are definitely not getting out of taking me to that party."

Freya cocked her head. "So if I hadn't pushed you to speak at the meeting, you might have agreed to stay home?"

Aria thought about that, for a minute. "Nope. Not a chance." She grinned as she stood up. "I'm going to take a shower and get to bed. You make sure to get some sleep, too."

"Alright." Freya smiled as she watched her go. Once Aria was out of sight, it was Freya's turn to flop back on the couch. She stared up at the ceiling, considering her options. She could wait until after the meeting to give Astrid an update. She could also do it at the party. However, Astrid might not appreciate the delay and Freya didn't want to get on her bad side. The other nymphs had been leaving Aria alone, for the time being, but that could change very quickly. They might never harm the girl, but she couldn't trust them not to do foolish things and put her in harm's way.

She heard the bathroom door opening and sat up, not wanting to seem distressed. Aria passed right by her on her way to her own room. The younger girl barely glanced at her friend as she passed through. She had too many other ideas going through her head. Everything from endangered birds to mermaid parties was drifting around in Aria's skull.

Freya sighed as she left the room, deciding there was no rush to talk to Astrid. She could give her an update at the party, but they didn't know enough to make it significant.

Aria stayed behind after work, that evening, to work with the scientists on her talking points. They had picked the easiest topics for her, much to Aria's relief. She could pronounce every word they gave her to memorize. Even so, her head hurt when she finally left for the night. Eric offered to walk her out, even though Freya was still waiting to take her home. He took her hand as they headed out. "I want you to know how much it means to us that you are doing this. I know it's not easy for you, after all."