Rosewood and the legend of the Unicorn

Chapter 9- A tail of mine

Ariana begins to pick up her pace, as she travels behind Tatum who is now inches away from coming in to contact with the ocean.

Ariana lets the wind brush away all this stressful, yet important new information. Deciding to forget about the situation with Ashton and Nixon, she leaps in to the sea but is hesistant to dive under.

Even though she's always loved the beach, she's never actually swam in the ocean before. But Tatum was already at a distance where Ariana could only see a small circular shape, bobbing up and down.

"Come on Ariana!" Tatum shouts, and if it wasn't for Ariana's powers of being able to hear things even from a great distance, Tatum would certainly not have been heard.
"But I've got my clothes on still?" Ariana shouts back.
"Oh that's alright Ari. Trust me, they'll dry off quicker than you think."
Ariana is shocked at how Tatum was also able to hear Her from such a distance. She comes to the exciting conclusion that this must be a part of a mermaids true soul.

Ariana hesistantly walks in to the icy waters, up to her hips, but is quickly warmed by the gleaming sun above. The water is crystal clear, she can see her feet rolling in the sand, and is surprisingly not alarmed by the crab that gently scatters over her ankle.
Eventually, Ariana grasps the courage to dive in head first, and completely submerges herself in to the ocean.

Tatum notices Ariana heading towards her, and splashes the water with excitement. As Ariana approaches Tatum, she begins struggling to swim, as she still has a full set of clothes on her back. But she powers through, amazed by her ability to hold her breath for so long.

As Ariana gets close enough to Tatum to be able to see her full body, still under the water, what greets her eyes leaves her in utter shock, causing her to gulp a whole load of gritty seawater.

Having to quickly remind herself what she is doing here, Ariana emerges from above the waves and comes face to face with Tatum who's hair is now laying over one of her shoulders and no longer in a ponytail. They are in a depth where the sand beneath them can no longer be seen, and the beach is far out of reach.

Ariana struggles to form words, as she fears what comes next. Underneath the glistening surface of the water, lies a light purple tail, double the length of tatums original legs. Thousands of scales cover the tail, and at the end stretches two stunning flukes, swishing about as if eager to begin swimming.
"Pretty amazing - isn't it?" Says Tatum with a large grin on her face
"Er - yeah - I mean it's just incredible. I've never seen - I never even knew -"
"It's okay Ari. I was stunned when I saw it for the first time too. But it's a part of me now, it's who I am. And it never fails to amaze me every time I get in the water."
Ariana continues to admire her tail, whilst also struggling to keep afloat herself, with the waves crashing over her head, and the clothes pulling her down. "So what about - what about me?"
"Oh you have one too. "
"Um - so how do I like -" Ariana says with a new mouthful of seawater.
"You have to believe in it. You have to want it to happen. I'm sure your father has explained to you that in Rosewood we don't use any fancy 'props' or 'magical phrases'. It's all controlled in our minds, and you have it locked inside of you. It's now time to release it."
"But I don't know how-"
"Just believe in it. This is real. This is happening. Allow yourself to just float with the waves, stop fighting them, and soon your body will release your true soul and you will become its form."

Ariana decides to take Tatum's advice, although not really understanding what she truly means.

She suddenly stops kicking her legs, and flailing her arms about as if she was drowning. Expecting to sink, she's shocked when she finds herself slowly tilting backwards until she's completely laid on her back. The sun impales her flesh with its rays as she stares directly at it, but not squinting, as if she has become a part of the atmosphere, floating as if nothing lays beneath her. She's slowly pushed around with the rhythm of the waves, escaping from her own mind for just a moment.
But she is soon pulled back, when there's a sudden tingling sensation at the cutting edge of her toenails. It promptly proceeds up her legs until she can no longer feel its presence. Captivated by the sun, as if imprisoning her thoughts, Ariana doesn't think to look down to reveal the explanation for this bizarre sensation in her legs.
But it isn't long until she's returned to reality, when she hears a slight squeaking sound coming from the side of her.
"What - what is it ?" Ariana pounces back, and submerges half her body back under the water.
"You did it!" Tatum screeches, whilst Ariana remains speechless, as for a moment she forgets exactly what she is doing in the middle of the ocean with a complete stranger. "And it's  just - it's so beautiful."
Ariana follows tatums eyes, with slight hesitation, but she finally looks down beneath the waves.
Forwards and backwards it tilts effortlessly, Tatum has to remind Ariana that what she's staring at... is now a part of her.