The Mermaid's Journey

1. The Day This Nightmare Begins

Why do I always have the worst luck of all time, I have never had such a bad day as the eve of my 16th birthday. The day I have feared for the last year of my life. And the day my whole world and everyone in Atlantia and further under the sea had feared for but have rejoiced in the same day.

But we're getting ahead about a year to this day, the day I started this point in my life, and the day I learned we were mermaids...

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June 8th, 2015

"Clare are you almost done in there? I need to shower."

I give up her answering and open the door, she takes forever in the bathroom finding makeup all over the counter, and her clothes and wet towels thrown on the floor. And as usual our powder blue walls with the matching sink and tub greeted by the destroyed bathroom counter. She's borrowing my makeup and destroying the eye shadow pans with her brush digging she does like she's digging for gold. I really think I need to teach her how to get eye shadow on a brush without my pans being left cracked, and Grams wonders why I need new eye shadow and brushes so often. I look over to find the shower head still dripping and her sitting in a ball in the corner of the room.

"Clare what's wrong? You aren't yourself and you left the shower head running by the way." I say walking over to her.

"Ellie no I am not can't you tell? Jackson just canceled our date on all days my birthday and now he won't even text me." Clare says while tears run down her cheeks.

I go kneel down next to her but my knee pops and doesn't feel right so I sit on the toilet seat instead. I don't know what to do for her, all I've ever had is fictional boyfriends from books and haven't had to deal with date cancellations. I try to remember anything from books that can help, though pretty useless I'm tired and haven't read any contemporary in months. I just need one thing, and I usually can really remember things from books years after I've read them pretty well. Thanks knowledge for failing me, don't be useless tonight Clare needs me.

"What can I do Clare, you know I hate seeing you like this. And maybe he just doesn't have his phone charged, you do sometimes jump to conclusions too quickly." I say realizing the last sentence was the worst thing I've said all day.

"Ellie, I just want Lucas and chocolate and no one bothering me all day." Clare says trying to hide the fact that she's about to start sobbing.

Lucas the cat a tortoise shell long haired calico who has a love/hate relationship with me. He is quite possibly the most annoying cat when you're trying to sleep at 2 am in the morning and he eats all of the food and doesn't tell you until then. Who is playing almost constantly even though he is 4 years old, and the cat who we almost lost our lives to because if we didn't save him Clare would have a fit and never forgive me. Especially since I was the one who let him out by accident in the first place.

My phone begins ringing in my room and I leave to go answer it, of course I can't find it on my bed. This is what I get for not making my bed earlier, I begin to take off my blankets and pillow and hear my hit the floor. Oddly enough falling through the second floor of the house and hitting the hard marble tiles in the kitchen. So I run down the stairs and just barely in time to pick up the call without even know who it is.

"Hello, who is calling me?"

"Um, it's Jackson." his voice having a hint of worry in it.

I can feel the anger boiling in my blood, and all I want to do is scream for hurting Clare. I don't even know what to say in a civil tone of voice to him, his phone wasn't dead at all he was ignoring all of Clare's texts and calls. I feel like steam is coming out of my ears and want to hand Clare my phone.

"Are you there?" He asks

"Yeah. Why have you ignored your girlfriend on her birthday of all days?" My voice starting to become more and more upset.

"Because, I have to leave and don't know if I will ever be coming back. And I can't face her or talk to her this moment. I was supposed to break up with her last week, I promised them I just couldn't do it to her." His voice starting to crack like he wants to cry.

"Jackson, you can tell me why, it's not like you committed murder or something and you need to disappear forever. Clare will not take this easily, which you can me both know so don't wimp out on telling us anything." I say raising my voice.

"If I do they will kill me..." sounding rushed and worried at the same time.

"Who? You know my Aunt is a police officer we can protect you." I am genuinely worried for him now..

"No you can't they'll find me, they always do. Plus they might find you. Just calling you from this number has already put you and your friends and family in risk. "

The line drops and I immediately redial but no answer comes. I pray it's actually his phone dying but my senses say otherwise. His number called from Oklahoma, why is he in Oklahoma and not in Florida? All I want to do is go to my Aunt Lucy about this, though I 'm not going t because that would involve telling Clare and I just can't tell her this. And with his last words of they might find you I am going to watch out for us.

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