Cursed with Fins TWO The Land Calls

Chapter Eight

Like how people say they walked with a skip in their step, I swam with a little twirl in my swim. I had a lot of fun seeing them again, I was now making my way back to the pod. I twirled around, swimming playfully. Remembering all the funny things they have said and giggling to myself.

My fun was taken to a sudden stop when someone yelled my name. "SKYLAR?!"

I stopped twirling and my eyes shot in the direction of the voice, Azalea hurriedly swimming up to me. "WHERE WERE YOU?!"

"What? Just.... Um..."
I rubbed my arm, not sure what I can use as an excuse since I wasn't expecting to run into someone on the way back. Thought it would have been like the other time I left.

"I HAVE BEEN WORRIED AND LOOKING EVERYWHERE FOR YOU! I THOUGHT YOU WERE EATEN!" She grabbed my wrist and began to pull me closer to to the pod.

"Eaten? What are you talking about?" I allowed her to pull me, I remained stiff, unsure of what was happening.

"There was a shark attack!" She finally told me, my eyes went wide.

"What?" I gasped. "Is everyone okay?"

"I wish I could say they were." She shook her head. "Probably about twenty percent of us were killed, another forty percent were injured."

"Are you kidding me?" I pulled my hand up to my chest.

Before Azalea could say anything, the king gently pushed her aside. "Where have you been?"

"I- um.."

"Truth, Skylar. Azalea mentioned to me that you have recently been sneaking off somewhere some nights."

Are you kidding me?! Azalea has been ratting me out?!
"I-I uh, have been.... Meeting up with someone.." I mumbled, bowing my head. I could feel all of the other merpeople gathering around us, all creating a large circle.

Aquilus kept a straight face. "Merperson?"

I didn't even bother to lift my head, I simplify just shook my head no. I heard a few gasps from the others. Azalea even tensed.

"Skylar," he sighed. "I have told you time and time again, you are not to be-"

"But they were my family! It was my Mother and the only two friends I had!"

"Oh, so not only have you been meeting up with a human, you have been meeting up with three? What else do I have to do to keep you away from them?"

Anger started to pick at me at this point. I'm done! I took a breath. "This is all ridiculous! You don't want me to be around my OWN Mother who has given birth to me which she has a right to know! And my own best friends which was THERE the day I joined this RIDICULOUS family!"

This shut them up, but only for a moment. Azalea looked to her Father and Mother before swimming closer to me, sympathy glittered her eyes. "Skylar, you don't mean that.."

"Hell I do!" I shot back at her. I clenched my fists. "THIS is NOT a family! This is not a pod to me! We should all know it. Fish thrown together to make a pod is not family to each other! This is basically what you just did to me! I hardly know any of you!"

I saw the little girl, Adamaris, hiding behind her Mother in the crowd, watching me put on a scene. "You were adopted into this family, I hear humans do it all the time." Aquilus pointed out.

"Whatever," I turned away but turned right back to them. "But this was against MY will! I never wanted to become a mermaid and get stuck down here, leaving my friends and family behind! Sorry for falling off that bridge!"

"Skylar! That's enough of that. We actually enjoyed having you with us. Even though we are.... strangers.. to you, you are becoming part of this family."

My chest heaved in and out while I tried to bite my tongue and listen to what he had to say. But I couldn't help when my eyes drifted a little to the right, seeing what Meredith was holding. My shirt?!

"Why do you have my shirt?" I tried to ask calmly.

Meredith looked down to it in her hands, Aquilus looked behind him as well to see it then turned his attention back to me. "We found this in your cubby hole." He took it easily from her. "It was under all of the kelp."

"So what? Did Azalea snitch on me for that two?" I growled. "Does it really hurt that much for me to have one thing of my past? ONE thing, to remember who I was before?"

"Skylar-" He started, I cut him off by taking it from him, holding it close like a little child would a teddy bear. I glared back at him, moving away from him. "I may be becoming one of you, but I was born on land. I don't belong here!"

He shook his head, apparently getting tired of the way I have been talking to him. "Skylar, YOU ARE NOT TO GO AND SEE THEM OR GO ON LAND ANYMORE! DO YOU HEAR ME!" He yelled. His voice was deep, loud, and booming. It scared me, I flinched at his voice. I had never heard him yell like that before the entire time I had stayed here. He always managed to keep his calm composure. I held my shirt closer, then looked back to him. I saw Azalea and the queen back down from his outburst. His eye brows were narrowed at me, his hands were turned into fists. I didn't say another word, I just quickly swam away and to my cubby hole. "Skylar!.. " I heard someone call after me.

When I got there the first thing I did was sink down to the floor. I hugged my shirt to me, burying my face into the fabric. "Skylar.." I could hear Azalea by the entrance. "I'm sorry I told on you, I was just worrying about you. I-I didn't know what you were doing and I could not live with myself if you had gotten hurt."

"Well I don't need you to be worrying about me! I don't need you to look after me! You. Are. Not. My. Mother!"

She paused, obviously hurt by my comment. "B-bu Skylar.."

"Just go away." I sniffled, curling up into a little ball.

I heard her sigh, then swim away. I hugged the shirt tighter to me. I started to cry to myself silently, hoping no one else would hear me. I could understand that Aquilus was just trying to protect me but this has gone too far. He has basically nailed my fins to the floor.