Until I Swim

Chapter 2

When I get home, I go straight to my room. I turn on my flat screen TV and change the channel to the news. It goes on about a robbery at a bank. I sit back and close my eyes. I get lost in my thoughts.

Mermaid sightings off the coast of San Diego? There have been rumors for...

I jerked out of my day dream. I look to the TV. Sure enough, it's me. Who flies a freaking drone over the ocean?!? Luckily, I am probably the only one who can tell it's me, by my magenta tail. But how did I not catch the drone above me? I hurry to grab the remote, and turn the volume up.

A young boy caught this footage using a drone. Hoax? It very well could be. We are looking for anyone who may know for sure if this is a...

Perfect! I will say it was a hoax and that I was the actor!

Please keep in mind there is a major punishment for this kind of hoax.

Crap. With the urge to punch something creeping through me, I decide on a walk. I need to clear my head. I grab a sweatshirt, my backpack, and my earbuds. As I walk to the door, I let the music drone out life. I walked towards town.

The spring breeze blew my hair into my face. I headed towards the nearby dollar store. On the way, flipped my backpack to the front of me and pull out the money I earned for babysitting the neighbor kids.

It is a routine, now. Automatic, in a way. I go through the door. Say hi to Janet, who is running checkout. Take a right, then a left into the toy aisle. At the end of the aisle is the outdoor section. I pick up a container of bubbles, preferably the green one. This area is close to the small fridge, where I can get an iced tea. I make my way back to the front, where I grab a 100 Grand and checkout. My record time is 49 seconds.

* * *

I slowly lower myself into the jacuzzi. I try hard to clear my mind. I needed to keep from shifting for now. I give myself a minute to just sit before grabbing the bubbles off the edge. I dump about half the bottle into the hot tub. It takes a little bit for the foamy bubbles to form. I look out to the evening tide from the hot tub placed on the back porch.

Then, I dig the bubble wand from the container. I blow into the hole until the bubble reaches a suitable size. Using a merfolk technique, I gently hold the bubble with two hands. I place my lips on the side of the clear, glassy orb and whisper my message.

Dear Penthia, I have been meaning to talk to you, but now it's urgent. I was watching the news and I saw me... as a mermaid. Just send me a time and I will come. Thank you for your time. From Liz.

I release the bubble and blow it towards the sea. I watch it until it dances out of sight, blending with the orange sky.

I slowly get out of the jacuzzi. As I am walking back inside, in a slow-motion sort of way, I slip, my feet flying out in front of me. I feel my head hit the hard patio before I'm knocked unconscious.

* * *

I wake up in a hospital room. It takes a few minutes to remember what had happened. There is a searing pain in the back of my head and my vision is blurry. No one is in the room at the moment, but outside the door I hear footsteps. The door opens slowly. A nurse walks in with a perfect smile on her face. She really lives up to the "California girl."

"Oh! Hello. My name is Juliet. I will be your nurse during your stay. You need anything?"

I realized then how nauseous I was feeling. "I'm fine," I stutter.

"The doctor would like to see you...?" She says it like an option, but I know it's not, so I just nod. She leaves the room and hurries down the hall. No more than two minutes later, a man, maybe forty-something, walks in. He sits down and clears his throat.

"All I came here to do is explain. You have a concussion, and I will need to keep you here for a few days. I just need you to rest. Because it was the back of your head, your vision is blurred. No worries, though." He combed his hand through his hair. He stood, nodded to me, and walked out without another word.

Trying hard to not release the creative curses that rest on my tongue, I massaged my temples. If the doctor had to take my blood, they would find out that I'm not human. And who know what comes after that. Labs. Scientists. Experiments. It would be a movie come to life.

I consider running, but scratch that idea when I try to sit up. A searing pain makes it's way through my head, and I quickly fell back onto the pillow. It didn't take long before I fell asleep again.