Cursed with Fins TWO The Land Calls

Chapter Three

After dinner, I swam back down to the docks. Sitting in the sand, my usual spot when I would listen to Noah and Ava. I just stared up at the surface, I couldn't see much on land. A few bit and pieces of the docks and the moon but that was about it.

It has been a while since I have been up on land. But I didn't want to keep putting my lungs through that. Remembering all those other mermaid movies I have seen, like The Little Mermaid, and she was able to go up on land with no problem and when she got her legs, it was about painless.

It makes sense, since children were watching. But that's not what it's really like. If you think about it, when your turning into a mermaid, your legs are merging together. Turning human, you tail is being split in half. Getting out of water? You have water in your system and it needs to be expelled when your going somewhere where you don't breath water. So your lungs burn and you couch up a bunch of water. And finally, getting in water, it feels like your drowning but you live.

I want to go up on land one more time, at least before I have to leave. I haven't seen it for a while. I played with the sea weed around my fingers. My hair flowed in the water. I got up, swimming up a little.

"Maybe, I could just..." I brought my hand up to just were the surface of the water was. I inhaled the water, then broke through the surface. My eyes blurred, water fell from my nose and poured from my mouth. I started coughing.

My lungs burned and ached. I had to grab onto the dock for support. I thought it would never end. I don't like this feeling! My eyes teared up in reaction.

After about three minutes being the most, it eased. I could breath just like I could before, except it felt a little weird, and sore. I wiped at my eyes, clearing them. "Ah, it's freezing up here!" I shivered, wrapping my arms around myself. I looked at the dock, looking different to me.

"Was the dock always this small?" I patted the top of it. I looked up. I saw the dark sky, littered with stars. The big full moon was the major eye catcher.
"Whoa.." I pulled myself up onto the dock. Ignoring the freezing temperatures nipping at me. I need to enjoy this while I could since I had finally did it. And I didn't want to go through that again. I dreaded even thinking about getting back into the water and swimming 'home.'

I just sat there, staring at the beautiful sky. I wish I could come up here every night. I knew I would just get into trouble for coming up here now. But they should know better. This is where I was born, you can't completely take me away from it.

"What are we doing here so late?" I heard a voice ask from behind me. I quickly looked behind me then slid back into the water. I ducked down under the dock where the water came up a little past my chin. I held onto one of the docks supports.

"I told you, we haven't gotten to come by here at all this week to try to talk to Skylar, Ava."

Ava? I looked up. Seeing the very little spaces in the wood, I could see two people. I looked over the dock when they had their backs turned. NOAH? AVA?! I sunk back down in the water, still hiding under the dock. I put my hand to my forehead. I can't believe it's them!

I want to talk to them so bad, show them i'm okay and that I do listen to them when they come down. But I would get into a lot of trouble after it. But then again, I already went on land, I wasn't suppose to do that either. Why make it worse for me? I listened carefully.

I heard Ava sigh. "Noah, are you sure she can even hear you? They could be making her stay somewhere unknown or they might not even be in these waters anymore."

"Either way, it helps me. I feel like she's there. I feel like she's listening." He sat down on the docks, hanging his feet over the side, barely hovering over the water. Ava did the same.

"Hey Skylar.." I heard pain in his voice.

AH screw it! I'll be in trouble either way!

I pulled myself from under the dock and sat an elbow on it. "Hey Noah." I smiled.

"OH MY GOSH, SKYLAR!" Noah yelled, Ava gasped and started squealing with joy. They rushed to hug me at the same time and about pull me out of the water.

"Sheesh, Ava. Your gonna kill my ears." I put my finger in my ear and started twisting it. "They don't have hearing aids down there you know."

She giggled, "Where have you been?" She asked quickly.

"Where do you think? There's only one place I can be." I brought my tail onto the dock.

"Well duh, yeah. But how far away are they? Like how far do you live with them?"

"A little whiles that way. In that direction." I pointed down the ocean, in a certain direction.
"And yes, I do hear you guys when your here. I listen to you two every time."

"Then why didn't you say something?" Noah sat with me.

"One, it's hard on the lungs." I tapped my throat. "Two, I'm banned to see you guys." I said sadly.

"Then why are you here?"

"Well I kinda came up here already when I'm not suppose to, and Noah looked like he was about to cry so I thought I should do something." I smiled.

"Hey! I was not crying!" He protested. Ava and me sat there, looking at him. Waiting for him to explain himself.
"I.. Uh.. I got something in my eye." He turned away, wiping at his eyes.

"Sure you did," I scooted closer to him. I threw my arms around him. "I missed you too." I wrapped one arm around Ava. "I missed both of you."

Then I started thinking, quickly I let go. "Oh my gosh! How is Mom?!"

Noah slowly shook his head. "She isn't taking it well. She's having some bad depression issues. We go over there about everyday to try to help her and give her company since she's alone now. But it's just not the same."

"Aw man," I put my hands on my face, looking down with worry and guilt. "I wish I told her a head of time what was happening to me. Does she know what really happened?"

Ava shook her head. "I don't think so, to her, you just suddenly went missing. That's the story all around school."

I thought about it. I'm going to be migrating soon, if her depression gets any worse then I wouldn't know how far she would go. She could maybe go as far as taking her own life. And I wouldn't be able to do anything about it. No way for Noah or Ava to tell me what's happening and I could be a long distance away.

Aqualius isn't gonna be happy..
"Tomorrow," I started. "Tomorrow late at night. Bring her by here."

"Really?" Ava asked.

"Yeah, bring her by here. She has a right to know what really happened to me. I want her to know I am okay."

He nodded.