Swim Away (Mermaid)

Chapter Nine

This morning I woke up early just to sit by the water again. The sun wasn't even out yet.

I kept thinking about the three days I had left. It was worrying me. What did a magical paper know anyway? Heck, papers weren't even magic!

But something inside me was saying otherwise. To be patient and that it wasn't anything bad, or something to actually worry about.

I continued to watch the water. The waves coming and going. I chose to dip my feet in, but I wanted more. The water was already near my shorts, so I stayed like that for a bit, and soon I could see the light of the sun.

I walked out of the water, and once I reached the shore I fell to the ground. From lack of sleep? Maybe? Probably.

I tried to get up, but couldn't. I looked over to see if I still had legs, or if a shark ate them, because it felt like I didn't have my legs anymore. But I saw that my legs were still intact.

"Hey! Are you okay?" I heard Noah's voice as he dropped his surfboard. He helped me up when he saw me struggling. I put my arms around his neck and closed my eyes, wanting to sleep. But I knew I couldn't.

I opened my eyes and looked back at the ocean. I spotted his surfboard still on the sand, "wait, your board."

"It's okay, it'll be there when I get back," he smiled. He knocked on the door of my house. My dad opened it after the second knock. He was rubbing his eyes, and it took him a while to adjust to what he was seeing.

"Lara?"

"I found her passed out by the ocean, and I thought I'd bring her back," Noah said. I kept my eyes closed to make it look like I was sleeping.

"Thanks, Noah," my dad said, "I'll take it from here."

"No problem, sir," Noah said, giving me to my dad. I could hear Noah's footsteps as he walked away.

My dad went up to my room and placed me on my bed. He didn't say anything and left the room. I fell asleep for real this time.

***

"Lara? Hello? Lara!" Ariel shouted. I woke up, and I wasn't too happy about it. I rubbed my eyes, feeling uneasy. I didn't feel good, and my mind was in a million different places, but I came to school.

I slept in which was something I barely did. When I woke up and checked the clock, the school was in the middle of second period. By the time I got ready and walked to school it was fifteen minutes after third period. After that came lunch, and here we were.

"Yeah, what?" I said, not caring at all.

"Are you okay? You seem lost." Ariel said.

"No, I'm fine, just tired that's all."

"Well, okay then," Ariel replied, eating her sandwich.

I kept staring into the distance, wondering why in the hell did she wake me up. When Noah walked by, I snapped out of it. I watched as he turned to me and winked. I didn't know why, but I got up and followed him.

"You so like him," Ariel taunted.

"Shhh!"

I caught up to Noah, and he quickly looked at me. "Meet me later at the beach, I'll be close by."

I stopped walking with him and stood there, "okay?"

I said that so low, I wasn't sure if he heard me.

***

When I came back home from school, I quickly finished the little homework I had. Once my homework was complete, I looked up at my mirror, which had the paper still up there. I stood in front of my mirror and dipped the paper in water.