The Unwanted Mermaid

Chapter 13

I woke up, safely tucked away in my sponge bed. Wow, I hadn't slept this good in a long time. I sleepily opened my eyes. I looked over at my eel clock. Wait, where'd it go?

Oh sh*t.

Now I jumped up from the bed. This hadn't been a dream. I wasn't in my sponge bed. He must've took me to his apartment last night. What happened? All I remember was...

"Sh*t!" I swore out loud, immediately covering my mouth. He saw me last night. He knows that I'm a mermaid. I stumbled around the room, searching for a door to escape. My human legs wobbled, unstable beneath me. Damn. I couldn't even walk without shaking.

Thoughts filled my head.

What if he tried to keep me here? What if they lock me up? I began to panic, frantically trying to find an escape route. Joel was nowhere in sight as far as I could tell. Good.

Suddenly, I heard a door swing open. I swore again.

Joel appeared, shirtless, only a towel around his waist. I couldn't help but stare at his sexy, muscular body. Why did I have this desire? Was it a spell? Why couldn't I tear my eyes away from him?
He caught me staring.
"I-I'm sorry, I took a shower while you were asleep, I didn't mean to wake you up..." He spurted the words out, as if to cure the silence.

Heat rose from my face. I was sure I was crimson red. I looked down, trying to find words to explain.

"No, um..I just woke up. I need to go. I have to get out of here." I blurted out the words in a panic.

I clumsily ran on my legs, somehow managing to get past him to the door, and escaped.

Outside, the sun was bright, hot and dry.

Water.

I need to find the water!

Suddenly, I felt like I couldn't breathe. I gasped for air, desperately wanting to fill my aquatic lungs instead with water.
Not air, water. I craved it so bad.

"Wait! Come back!"

It was him.

I started to run, stumbling across the cobblestones to the dock that was just across from me.
I could sense him right behind me.
D*mnit! I had to go faster.
In a panic, I finally reached the dock. My fragile legs shook underneath me as I dove into the water. At once my legs transformed back into a tail. I flipped it, testing it only for a second before I started swimming.
Sh*t sh*t sh*t!
The human clothes were restricting my tail and my speed, pulling me down.
I struggled to get them off of me, wriggling out of the thick soaking material.

Finally I was free.

Suddenly, I heard the heavy pounding of footsteps above me echoing through the water.
Was he going to follow me into the water?!
I started flicking my tail, going at a high speed through the water.
I swam deeper, because for some reason this made me feel safer.

More out of reach.

Harder to catch.

I swam for my life.
About fifteen minutes passed before I entered the barrier and hid in a small rock cave. My chest rose and fell fast as I tried to catch my breath and fill my dry, empty, lungs with the water they craved.
But the waters swirled around me, making me dizzy and lightheaded. I cried, trying to catch my breath in time, but it was no use.
A dark cloud filled my vision, and then there was nothing.