Shadow at the Water's edge.

The Shadow.

Alex rolled over in his bed and let out a heavy sigh. He couldn't sleep. But then again, what else was new? He hadn't gotten a good night's sleep since the wreck...almost six months ago now. 

He glanced at the clock and groaned as he saw what time it was. 2:34.

Ever since the wreck he had been waking up at weird hours, tossing and turning until exhaustion had forced his brain into sleep once again. 

School had been a nightmare, his grades were dropping rapidly from his lack of sleep, and he had nodded off several times during class. Nick had been informed, but there was nothing he could do. Alex would exercise right before he went to bed, he would drink relaxing tea, he had even talked to his doctor about it. 

The Doctor's only explanation was that he was still suffering from mild post traumatic stress syndrome, and that he would adapt eventually. And be able to sleep once again.

For Alex, that couldn't happen fast enough. 

He groaned again as his brain refused to relax and let him sleep. After another ten minutes of tossing and turning, he rolled onto his back and let out a sigh. Then he sat up and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. 

He sat there for a minute, foot tapping the floor as he tried to decide what exactly he would do once he got up.

Finally he stood, and quietly got dressed in a pair of swim trunks and a grey T-shirt. Pulling on a pair of sandals, he tiptoed downstairs and crept out the front door, closing it silently behind him. 

He took a deep breath of the warm night air, and walked towards the sound of the waves.

He reached the harbor and walked out onto the dock. He sat on the end and let his feet hang above the water. The waves gently lapped against the dock, splashing quietly as the water rose and fell. 

Alex took a deep breath and let it out in a content sigh.

He could sit here forever, just being close to the water gave him a sense of security. Wait, security? That didn't make much sense.  He shrugged it off, knowing that mixed thoughts and saying the wrong words were caused because of the wreck.

His mind wandered back to the accident.

Most of it had grown hazy from time, but he remembered the cave like it had happened seconds ago.  He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.

He could still see her eyes...swirling with life and color. He could feel her fingers tracing his features, and the light kiss on his forehead. He still didn't understand how a hallucination could seem so real. 

A splash interrupted his thoughts, and he straightened up, looking out over the water for whatever had made the sound. He waited patiently, his eyes scanning the dark water. 

"Where are you..." He murmured to himself, flicking on a flashlight and directing the beam onto the water, sweeping it back and forth. 

He aimed the light directly in front of him, pointing down into the water. He was about to switch the light off when he froze, staring at the dimly illuminated water. 

He could see a girl's silhouette, long hair flowed in every direction in the water. The head turned briefly towards the light, and then quickly swam under the dock. 

Alex didn't bother following the silhouette with his light, he was too shocked.

In the moments that it took for the girl to swim through the light, he had seen her entire silhouette. Just a girl's shadow...with a tail. 

"Sailors will wonder with eyes open wide, jumping in after us is suicide, don't they know that when we sing, we can make them do anything?"

Alex's head snapped back in front of him, listening to the beautiful voice very softly singing, almost too soft for him to hear. 

"I could kill you by singing just one verse, but then I would maybe fall under a curse..." The voice trailed off, and then Alex heard another voice, this one sang in a clear musical tone reminiscent of a songbird, much different than the haunting tone of the first singer. 

"If I were you I would get out of here, the boy is someone that you should fear, if you stay you might not live long, you will be cursed if you sing one more song."

Alex heard a hiss, and then a splash. He rubbed his eyes, too tired and confused to even try to comprehend what just happened.

He sighed and opened his eyes, gasping and pulling his legs up onto the dock as he saw the girl from his dream. 

Her dark hair draped over her shoulders, her eyes shining in the moonlight. She stared at Alex with curious eyes. 

"Why do you sit so late by the water?" Her voice sounded like a calm breeze blowing across the ocean.

Alex gaped at her, unable to say anything. 

"Can you hear me?" Alex nodded. "What did you hear?"

He shook his head, finally finding his voice. "I...I don't know...who- what are you?"

She glanced around and then beckoned him closer.

He hesitated before sliding closer to the water.

She rose slightly out of the water, her shoulders now completely exposed. "Come into the water." She said calmly.

Alex paused and stared at her, not really trusting her.

She looked surprised. "You do not feel compelled to do as I command?"

He shook his head. "Not really..."

She reached one long arm up and managed to grab the dock.

Alex realized it must be high tide in order for the dock to be within her reach. He scooted back slightly to allow her space to grab with her other hand. He could see that she was wearing some sort of bikini top now that she was partially out of the water. 

She pulled her well toned stomach and back out of the water, and rested her elbows on the dock.

Alex gasped in shock as he saw that where her hips started, her skin was covered in scales. But before he could react in any way, she grabbed his hands and pulled him off the dock and into the water.

He held his breath and blinked several times to clear his vision, right as his vision cleared, his head broke the surface and he realized he was underneath the dock.

The girl's face was directly in front of his own, her eyes shining in the dim light. She held a finger to his lips, and sang quietly.

"When you wake you won't remember anything, you never saw me, or ever heard me sing." The soft, lullaby like tune was entrancing. The minute she finished singing she held Alex's face in her hands, and placed a kiss on his forehead. 

Alex could smell sweet coconut, and ocean spray before the world went black.

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