Mermaids

Missing Shell

IT HAD BEEN SIX MONTHS, almost into the start of thanksgiving break. I used to visit Ryan, but he was never anywhere. I used to wait inside the cave for hours on end, but for evidently no reason. He never showed.

I was kind of a mess. My hair was never quite brushed. I didn't spend as much time on my clothing as I did went Ryan was here. I constantly snapped, as much as I hated to admit it. On top of that, I grew even more curious about my real parents. But more than that, I felt betrayed.

Why wouldn't anyone tell me the truth?

I dialed Carly as soon as I got home from school. I hadn't seen her the last couple of day.

"Hi, this is Carly."

"Hi!" I almost shouted.

"Please leave a message!" The message box continued. I flopped on my bed and sighed. Should I go over?

"Hey," my adopted mom entered the room. "We haven't had a family beach day in a while, so I was wondering if today would be a good day?"

"I don't like the beach." I said flatly.

"What's wrong, honey?" She asked me, concernedly.

"I'm just not in the mood." I said, my voice making the same tone as last time.

"You love the ocean."

As if I didn't know.

"The ocean. Not the beach. I don't need another sunburn." So I felt guilty that she was being nice and (as usual) I wasn't. But what could you do? Go and reveal what I was? That wasn't exactly an option.

My dad was out on a work trip, meaning that he couldn't cover for me.

"Should we just leave you here?" She looked disappointed and I felt bad.

"Yeah." I turned and flopped my head on the covers.

She got up to leave.

"I-I'm sorry." I managed, even though that wouldn't make up for it at all.

She smiled and left the room. Ten minutes later, she and Kayla left for the beach.

I waited for ten minutes then wrote a note.

'I do love the beach! See you later. -H'

I nodded approvingly. I had to go search for Ryan. I couldn't accept that he was gone. I shook my head. I'd see him again, I would!

I left the house quickly, not bothering to get a towel or even a suit. I ran down to the beach. In the six months that I had searched for Ryan, I memorized every nook and cranny of the beach for miles. There was a small cove made of watered down stone about a mile from here. It was hidden from the public eye, perfect for my usage.

I'd hadn't looked for Ryan in a while. My stomach flipped. What if he'd gotten hurt?

But today I had a good feeling. Maybe I'd find him today. I ran all the way to the cove and immediately dove into the water. Not even waiting to transform, I started paddling out. The change came and I gulped in breathes of the salty water. I'd hadn't been in the ocean in months. Already, I felt like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulder, and I hadn't even found Ryan yet. I swam immediately to the cave but to my surprise, I didn't see the cave.

It was only a pile of rocks. I couldn't find anymore of the pink shells. Oh my gosh. What happened? I swam around the rubble, pacing back and forth. Forward. Back. This was horrible!

I bumped into something hard and warm. "Sorry," I said out of habit. Then I blushed, because it was just a rock.

The rock chuckled. "That's alright."

That sounded like...

I turned around. "Ryan!"

He practically tackled me in a giant underwater manatee hug.

"Why didn't you visit?" I pulled away then promptly punched him. Because it was underwater, it was barely a tap. I sighed.

"I couldn't! The shell was missing and I couldn't go up! I'm SOO sorry."

Maybe I believed him. Maybe.

"How's Carly?" He asked, searching my eyes for an idea of what was going on.

"I-I don't know. She hasn't been at school the last couple of days. I'm kind of worried."

He gave a frown-upset look. Then he changed the subject. "I have to show you something. I discovered it while down here recently. It's a village," his eyes shined with excitement. "Full of people like us."

He led me down deeper. If I was a human, my ears and lungs would've collapsed for sure. We turned a corner of rock and then a brilliant view greeted me. A whole city, looking much like I imagined Paris to look like was sprawled out. It should've been dark, but it glowed in the daylight and busy bustling. It was incredible! It looked like I had stepped inside a Disney movie or something, much like the human world but more.. princess-ey I guessed. Out in the distance was a huge castle, and I could only imagine what it would be like to live in one and be royal. I sighed dreamily.

"Well, shall we head on?"

***
Short chapter, sorry guys. I had a crazy day, haha.

Thanks for all of the reads!

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Rae <3