Even Lost Boys Are Found

Chapter 7

The cove was beautiful. It was covered with the green seaweed that wasn't prickly and slimy, but it looked like you can heal people with it. The mermaids were sitting on the rocks and combing through their hair. They were lovely, the mermaids almost sparkled. "Oh ladies! We are here!" 

They all turned around, "Come in Sarah and little fish! The water is fine!" That was... erm- it was red head, kind of dumb, Squish? Sparkle? Star! It was Star. Sarah took off a green sash and dived into the water. She was kicking hard until a glitter startled to form around her pale, smooth legs. A gold tail started to flip under her torso. She climbed up onto a rock.

"Come in, Little Fish!" Everyone giggled. I walked in, just as she advised me to. I took the little pouch and sprinkled it on my head. My feet soon turned into a blue flipper. A blue flipper, I looked over at Sarah. She was bitting her lip and picking at her short fingernails. "Wow, Little Fish, your tail. Were you always a mermaid?"

"She's a pretty little thing, isn't she?" That was the 1st compliment that she gave me. The evil red head was a cute little red head near her fish friends. 

"So, are we going to eat?"

"Eat? Thats funny. Isn't the Little Fish funny?" The other girls laughed at her. It looks like I won't be eating anything for the next hour or two. 

"How are you and Peter, Sarah? Did he ask you out?" Oh. My. Gods. She did like Peter. 

"He hasn't yet, but I'm sure he will!" She smiled.

"Do you know anything about Peter, Little Fish?"

I spat out an answer, "He's kind and sweet. He's the kind of guy that you think is rude and inconsiderate, but once you talk to him, he's not." 

Everyone looked at me, "Someone has been getting awfully close with Peter, aren't you Little Fish? Are you two in love?" Everyone gathered around me in a fuss and pushed me into the water. 

Everyone started to yell and scream about Peter. Then, over the crowd shouted, "Well, do you love him?" It was Sarah with her arms crossed and looking down. She looked as though she cared, but didn't care. It was confusing, her red, fluffy hair had wrapped around her face and her neck and her lip was pouty, and yet it wasn't. She was interested and yet she wasn't. It was strange. 

"Well, yes. Truly yes. I'm in love with him and he's in love with me, its hard. He can't love me back, I don't want him to. He should love someone who would stay with him. I can't love him, but I do and its not fair to him. He didn't want me to tell you and-" The mermaids looked around and bowed my heads, as if something was desperately wrong. I wanted to run away, far away. Why would I say that? Why would I even think about saying anything? I hate myself. I tried to get out of the water, then a heavy thing weighed me down, my tail. I tried to struggle and flopped it about, and yet nothing happened. 

The girls went into the water and pulled me out, I was tearing up. "Little Fish? Are you alright? We both knew that something would happen with Peter and a Lost Person. We'll bring you back to the tree, okay? Peter will explain for you later." I nodded. Explain what exactly? They pulled me ashore and proceeded wrap the green seaweed around each others tails. "Ouch Little Fish, your legs are rather banged up." I looked at me legs, they were scraped and bleeding. Some had bits of seaweed in them that had been almost glued to them. Everyone's bright beautiful tails had transformed into tan legs. They lifted me up and began to take me back to the tree.

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I had stopped crying once we got back. We opened up the door and the twins began to yell, "Peter? Where are you? We have Nitya!" Peter had ran out of his room, he was wearing socks and was slipping on the floor. He had looked at me in a surprised look. 

"Are you okay?" He picked me up in a baby hold and put me down on a hammock. "What happened to your legs, are you alright?" 

"You'll take care of her, we will be on our way." 

They tried to leave but Peter grabbed one of them, "Wait, what happened to her?" 

"Well, Little Fish had gotten bitten by something and she said she wanted to go home and to her mother, we didn't want to tell her." 

Peter looked down, "Goodbye girls." The girls nodded and walked away. He leaned down and looked at me eye to eye. No one was in the house so we didn't need to be quiet. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, Peter, I'm fine. I'm just a little scratched up and it hurts just a little-" He leaned in and kissed me, and I kissed him back. 

"Thank gods. I was worried." He was tearing up as well. I wiped the tears off of his face. 

"I love you, don't you ever get that out of your thick skull." He grabbed some of the wishing dust and sprinkled it on my leg. "Thank you."

"Anytime, 'Little Fish'." I blushed as he walked away.