Chapter 9

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dedicated to: dkjanotta this story wouldn't be nearly as good without your help with corrections!
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         I don't know how long I sat there looking at his body. But when I saw the first rays of sunlight I knew it was time to find my way back. Wandering around its about mid afternoon when I admit to myself that I'm utterly lost. Ben must have walked me miles away from the party and I'd been way to drunk to notice. My mom was never going to let me go to a party again. When I saw the same cluster of rocks next to a berry bush for the third time I started too panic. I took off running in one direction hoping if I just went straight I'd find some campers eventually. Yelling at the top of my lungs I hoped that someone would hear.
"Someone help me! Help! I don't know where I am!"

Falling yet again I decide to abandon my shoes. Hopefully Chloe won't be too mad about it if I made it out of these dammed woods alive. I'm exhausted, hungry and my feet were torn to shreds leaving bloody footprints in my wake. When it's getting close to nightfall I decide to stop and take a break. Sitting down I lean onto a tree, sleep calling to me. Scratching at my exposed arms and legs I look at them noticing for the first time the mosquito bites trailing along my limbs. Leaning my head on top of my knees I concentrate on the dark mass swirling through my core. It feels unclean, and corrupted but at the same time it's addicting. I feel as if I can lift a car with one arm. Its deadly seductiveness distracts me from what I truly want to think about, that I killed a living being, and that I'd probably perish soon as well. Karma was a bitch. A sob climbs up my throat fighting to choke it down I jump up and start walking again. I hear tinkling of a waterfall in the distance. Licking my lips I head towards the sound not having a sip to drink since last night, and that was alcohol.
Spotting the spring up ahead I quicken my pace the water calling to me as strong as a siren song. Jumping right in I dip my head below the surface trying to clean away the filth I felt to my very core. There's enough moonlight that I can see the water was clear and flowing looking up I see the trail of the spring going up so it was coming from the mountains so I had a likelier chance that I wasn't about to poison myself. Dunking my face back under I drink water into my stomach until my lungs feel like they're going to burst. Climbing out of the pool I move to keep on walking but I'm allured back to the waters shore dipping my feet back in. I instantly get I sense of relief and wellbeing. Looking down at my toes I wiggling the blue piggies. Gazing closer I take a more focused peek at my skin noticing a glimmer that seems to glow where the water touched me. Confused I realize that I'm no longer cold, even though I was soaked. Stepping out of the water I instantly feel the chill, shocked I jump back in looking for signs of magic at play. My mom mentioned once or twice about blessed pools of water but they were so rare it would be like winning the lottery if you found one.
But that seemed off being a supernatural creature myself I could sense magic, good magic especially like water and air. And there wasn't more magic than any other body of water I've been in. It was coming from me Ben's soul must have done something to me. Thinking of Ben brings back a flood or memories from last night. With my lip trembling I sink beneath the surface an let my tears fall trying to wash away the images.
Opening my eyes in the water I notice my tears in the water  instead of being clear they were a sparkling gold like how I'd imagine Tinkerbell's pixie dust would look like. They swirled in front of my eyes dancing in the water. slowly they started to swirl around picking up speed becoming one big blur around my body until I couldn't see through the whirlpool.
A cool rush runs along my skin sending prickling tingles through my muscles shocking my nerves into submission. Panicking I try to swim to the up not wanting to drown. But I found myself incapable of rising to the surface. More tears stream from my eyes thickening the glow making the whirlpool stronger. With a lurch I'm pushed out of the pool it dissipates instantly. I quickly start my swim to the surface making it to the top in no time even though I was so deep beneath the surface my ears had popped and the pressure on my body had been extremely uncomfortable when I was sinking.
Breaking through the surface I expect to myself to inhale air like a frat boy chugs his beer, fast and sloppy. But I soon realize that I'm fine, I wasn't starving for breath like I'd initially thought. I actually felt like I could hold my breath for much longer. Looking back down at myself I see that I'm practically emitting my own light, lifting my arm out of the water I try to catch a closer look but right when I take it out the glow dissappears putting it back in the water it illuminates once more.
What does this mean, are the legends true? Will I sprout a tail now too? Gazing around at the trees and the night sky I cry in abandon once more catching the golden droplets from my peripheral vision making a path down my cheeks then dropping into the water below me and I'm too distraught to even attempt to catch them fearing them slightly. Wishing I could just go home and crawl onto my mother's lap as she tells me stories of my history like she'd do when I was little.
Before I knew what was happening my body is zooming through the stream going uphill. Looking down at myself though the water I see that I did indeed grow a tail the exact shade as my eyes it glimmers with an opal texture the same as my ring my mom gave me, I check it to see if it's still securely on my finger and see its gone completely black.

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