Tipping the Scales

2. Mornings

"Hazel, what's this about you having a tail?" Mum asked through the door.
"Nothing, Mum," I told her.
"Mackenzie says you have a tail."
"And you really believe that? She's six! Anyway, how on earth could I have a tail? I'm not a fish! You should know... I'm your daughter!"
"Open the door please!"
"Why?"
"You need to get ready for school! Dad taxi leaves in fifteen minutes!"
I opened the door.
"See Mackenzie? No tail!" I bent over and said to her.
"But I saw you, Hazy!"
"No, no, darling, you saw nothing," I tried to assure her, "Now go on. Time to get ready for school."
"You too, Hazel," my Mum warned.
"Yes, I know!"

I went to my room and closed the door to get dressed. I was more than shocked – this kind of thing didn't happen to people! Fantasy creatures like this are fictional. But if mermaids exist, I wonder what other creatures do. I sat on my bed for a while, wondering how this could have happened. I suddenly realised the scale. Firstly, I get cut by it and get a massive cut; secondly, I wake up and there's no cut or scar and lastly, I grow a tail as soon as I touch water. This was all too weird. I didn't feel any different though. I just felt normal. But if my tail was covered with the same scales, then there must be another mermaid around who the scale belonged to.

I decided to pull the 'I'm sick, can I stay at home?' trick. I creased my forehead and tried to look sick. I then went down to Mum and Dad's room slowly with my arms crossed.
"Mum?" I called feebly.
"What is it?" she asked, making the bed.
"I don't feel too well."
"Where does it hurt?"
"My tummy. And I feel hot."
She came over and felt my forehead.
"You do have a temperature," I was surprised by this – I didn't think I was actually sick! "You look pale too."
"Do I?"
"Come downstairs and I'll take your temperature."
We went downstairs and Mum put the thermometer in my mouth. It read 37 degrees! Dad was in the office and Mum dragged me in there.
"Darling, her temperature is 37 – she needs to stay home today."
"No she doesn't, there's nothing wrong with her," Dad replied, staring at the computer screen and not us.
"Look at her!"
Dad looked at me but still wouldn't change his decision.
"She'll be fine. If she is that sick, how come she was fine at breakfast? Maybe it was her late night out that made her so sick."
He looked at me and I screwed up my face in discontent at him. He raised his eyebrows and looked pleased with himself. He somehow had an instinct that I was faking it – even though the temperature was real.
"Looks like you're going to school," Mum concluded as we left the office.
"I think I can cope," I commented weakly.
"Hurry up if you want me to drive you," Dad yelled after us, "You have seven minutes!"
I decided there was no point in stalling and continued to get dressed. But then I tested something.

There was a drink bottle on my bedside table. I knew that I had to test the tail. I gingerly poured some water into my palm and waited. I felt the transformation again and this time I moved so that I would fall onto my bed. I lied on my bed, looking down at my tail, which was long and heavy. I also had a little matching bra thing on as well. My clothes disappeared when I transformed... and came back when I was dry. I quickly dried myself using a rug that I had on the end of my bed and sparkles surrounded me and soon I was back in my clothes again. I was still in shock but hurried to get ready.

"Dad taxi leaves in five, four, three, two..." Dad was calling up the stairs. My two youngest siblings, Zander and Mackenzie were already downstairs with their bags on.
"... and one!" Dad called.
In a split second, Zeke and I raced eachother down the stairs and made it.
"Mackenzie, Zander, Hazel, Zeke..." Dad counted us, "Where's Zoe?"
Zoe – the middle child. She is twelve and takes the longest to get ready. Dad seemed surprised that this morning I had beaten her down the stairs.
"Zoe! We are leaving NOW!"
"I'm coming!" came her annoyed voice from upstairs.
She came down the stairs with noticeable makeup on and was wearing her Converse shoes.
"What the hell are you wearing, Zoe?" Dad's stern voice asked her, disappointed.
"Uh, my uniform?" she replied sarcastically.
"Take that makeup off now!"
"No!"
"Yes! Do you see Hazel wearing makeup to school? She's fifteen and you're twelve! Twelve year olds do not wear makeup!"
"Yes they do. You should see all the girls at school. And Hazel's the 'angel child'."
"You are NOT all the girls at school. You will wash it off in the car."

After kissing Mum goodbye, the six of us filed out into the garage where we got in the car. Zander quickly jumped into the front with Dad. Zoe, Zeke and I in hopped in the back and Mackenzie got in the boot. Dad told Zoe once again to remove her makeup. Surprisingly, she actually had makeup wipes in her bag. I think she knew that she wouldn't get away with it. She started wiping it off with a scowl on her face. She was sitting in the middle and Zeke and I leaned around her to smile at each other. Then suddenly, Zeke did the unthinkable. He grabbed his water bottle...
"Here Zoe, I'll help you wash it off!" he squirted his water bottle on her face. And of course, some got on me. We both squinted and our mouths opened in shock.
"Zeke!" we both exclaimed at the same time. He chuckled evilly, which was actually quite cute. Wait, what am I saying!? He's my brother! I took me a second to realise that I had just gotten wet. If I didn't dry myself quickly, a tail would appear and I couldn't risk anyone knowing. Besides, it would be a bit uncomfortable squished up in the car. I quickly yanked a towel out of my school bag, which I had initiatively packed. I was frantically drying myself, and luckily I did it in time... I didn't transform!

Zoe saw my towel and quickly yanked it out of my hand to dry her face.
"You're an idiot, Zeke!" she said angrily without looking at him. I couldn't help but chuckle, even though I nearly exposed my newly found tail.
"That's me," he said proudly.
"Kids, be quiet!" Dad's voice came from the front, "Why can't we just have no fighting?"
"Dad, it's in the sibling code to fight," Zeke told him, "You should know. You have two sisters."
"Yes, and do you know how hard it is to be in the middle of two sisters?"
Zeke, Zoe and Zander all replied yes at the same time. Since it doesn't take long to get to school, we were at Zoe, Zander and Mackenzie's school within a few minutes.
"Stop one – Pebble Springs Primary."
Zander, Zoe and Mackenzie got out of the car. That left Dad, Zeke and I. Neither of us bothered to get into the front, which was strange. It was only a two minute drive to our high school. Once there, Zeke and I got out and Dad drove off to go to work.
"It's hilarious when Zoe gets in trouble," Zeke commented to me as we walked in the door, "She's at that bitchy age."
"Was I ever that bitchy?"
"Not as bitchy as her, but you were just like that too."
"Well if I remember correctly, that was the age where you locked yourself in your room and ignored everyone."
"I was at that age!"
"So was I! Twelve is that age when... you know."
"So, how were the springs last night?"
"What?" I was genuinely shocked.
"Hazel!" I heard my best friend call my name. I turned around to see Matilda coming towards me.
"Tilly!"
"Were your parents mad?"
"What? No, of course not!"
Zeke snickered under his breath.
"Oh, hello Ezekiel," she greeted.
"Hello Matilda," he replied, "I'll leave you two to it. I'm sure you have a lot to catch up on."
He was being sarcastic of course. He started walking in the other direction.
"We'll talk about this later," I called after him. He just waved his hand without looking back. We walked to our lockers to put our bags away. And then the bell rang.