Until I Swim

Chapter 1

We live among the humans. We fit in quite well, actually. Though immortality is really hard to hide, we find a way. We age the same, until about 50 years old. Then we just stop. You keep going. This is why it hurt so bad when I experienced my first funeral. It was 3 weeks ago. I loved my mom so much. She was the kindest human I'd ever met. She adopted me when I was 3 and raised me like her own. And I only got to call her "Mom" for 12 years. The funeral was the first time I've cried since I skinned my knee in 4th grade.

I can't talk about it without crying all over again. So I will tell you about myself. My name is Lizzie, and I am not like you. That is, if you're human. And technically, I'm not immortal. I have the ability to die. Just not of old age. I am 15 years old. I have dark brown hair and round sky blue eyes. I am tall and slender. I lived in San Marcos, California. And since my mom just died, I don't know where I will go next. I am hoping to stay with my uncle. I have plenty of good friends and, not to brag, I am one of the most popular at school.

Now that we are done with introductions, let's get on with the day. I wake up to my alarm clock and hurry to get ready for school, until my uncle comes out to remind me it's Spring Break. So I get "unready" for school and get back in bed. When I can't go back to sleep, I decide to make breakfast. The kitchen is huge, but that is just to match the rest of the house. Why have we never visited here? My uncle got to retire from working as a surgeon at 42. And he is rich! His mansion is on the beach in San Diego, so my drive is about an hour to get to school.

Uncle Leon is very nice. He says he will only let me stay for a few months, but I highly doubt that. He is growing on me and I think I can say the same for him.

"Are you making breakfast, Liz?" I hear Uncle call from upstairs. "If you are, waffles sound good!"

"Okay, Uncle!" I get right to it. It does sound good, after all. After I get the waffles done, I grab an orange and cut slices. By the time I run to the top floor, the "Crazy Awesome Room of Science and Technology," to get Uncle and go back down, the waffles are getting cold.

We enjoy breakfast in silence. Every once in awhile, he scratches his beard. He is starting to get silver tints in his hair, but it doesn't take away from the bright blue eyes. When I get done, I take all the dishes and go to get them in the dishwasher. "Don't worry about," says my uncle as he takes the plates from my hand. "Go out and have a day to yourself."

My eyes light up. "Really! Thank you, Uncle." I give him an awkward side hug, grab my bag, and rush out the door. I run straight for the beach property. It is a pretty far stretch of beach. A light breeze blows my hair back. Sand bites at my shins. I can already taste salt.

I stop by the beachfront shack my uncle built. It has a bedroom and bathroom. I go into the bathroom and change into my cutest bikini. I take everything out of my bag. This includes my beauty products, sunglasses, phone, money, clothes, and my food. I replace the other backpack with a waterproof one. I pull it over my shoulders and exit the shack.

I look back to the mansion to see if Uncle is looking out any windows. When I know for sure he's not, I run to the dock and dive into the water. I cross my ankles over each other and keep my legs together. Starting at my feet, my legs slowly shift into a tail. I keep my eyes closed until I feel them shift to water proof. I hold my breath until slits forming gills appear on the side of my neck. Then I inhale the water. My tail feels a little stiff, so I do a few circles and flips. Then, I search for a current heading deeper into the ocean.

The current is strong and as I go deeper, I see more marine animals. After about a half hour, I reach my destination. The island is too small for a satellite to detect, so the mermaids are the only ones who know about it.

I see my best friend flirting with the mermen our age and rush to join her. Our "hang out spot" is in an underwater cove. It's not too far from surface. When I arrive, I take a seat on a rock.

"Hey, Lizzie! It's been awhile," says Aurora. She looks as good as always. Her strawberry blonde hair reaches her waist. Her skin tone is a fair olive. Her smile shows off perfect teeth and blends with her pale purple eyes. Mermaid's eyes change color when they go underwater. Mine are magenta underwater. Aurora's are ice blue on land.

"I had school and my uncle doesn't give me many chances to get away." I felt my face go slightly pink when I turned to Alex.

"You should ditch your human identity. It limits you so much. Living in secret gives you so much more freedom!" Bruce has been telling me the majority of my life. What he doesn't understand is it's not that easy. There are already rumors of mermaids existing. And my uncle shows suspicion about me being different. My sudden disappearance would have mermaid written all over it.

"You could live with me!" There is so much hope on Aurora's face, I don't want to ruin the moment.

"Honestly, I would live with Penthia before any of you." I love Grandma Penthia. Though she isn't really any of our grandmas, she sure acts like it.

"Hey! We should go see Peny! It'd be fun," Alex suggests. His perfect blonde hair sways in a current. His light blue eyes remind me of a spring sky.

"Sure. Why not?" I need to talk to her about something, anyways.

Bruce released a dramatic groan. "Why should we waste our time with an Old Maid?"

And with that we all made our way out of our cove, Bruce trailing behind. His brown eyes glinted with annoyance. I must say, they do go well with his tan skin and dark hair.

We swam fast. Penthia's place wasn't too far, and we were in no hurry, but excitement got the best of us. Penthia always had some goodies for us. She has an aquatic garden consisting of water mint, watercress, taro, and lotus. When we got there, the smell of Water Mint Doughnuts instantly filled our nose. She must've been on the third floor, because even mermaids can't make doughnuts underwater. Penthia's house has three floors plus the roof. The first two floors are underwater, then the third floor and the roof stick out of the water.

I yell to Penthia, "Grandma? You home?"

"Oh, dear. I wasn't expecting guests today." Her voice is sweet. I don't get why Bruce would think this is a waste of time.

When we all reach the kitchen, I rush to give Grandma a hug. "May I help with the doughnuts?"

"Ooh, that'd be great, thank you," she says.

I start dipping her finished doughnuts in Water Mint Glaze. Alex and Aurora hurry to join also. Bruce takes a seat at the dining table.

"So, dear, how's life on land?" She has a nice smile on her face.

"It's good, Peny. Anything new in the ocean?"

"Oh, just trying to keep hidden. The usual. As the human's technology is getting more powerful, there is a growing threat of discovery." Her smile has faded, and is replaced with a look of sorrow.

When we finish the doughnuts, we all take one. I took my time, savoring every bite of the sticky mess. I take a quick glance at the clock. "Guys, I need to get back to my uncle's. I will try my best to come again tomorrow, but I don't know I will be able to."

"You better come tomorrow, otherwise I will kidnap you," Aurora jokes.

"Uh, huh. Sure. See you later guys!" I say it cheerfully, though I am sad to have to leave so early. Also, I didn't get to talk to Penthia. ________________________________________________________________

I'm trying my best to write as much as I can, but between school, sports, and friends, its hard to keep up with you guys! I apologize in advance. We'll see how this goes!