Cursed with Fins TWO The Land Calls

Chapter Eleven

I made my way up the stairs, hearing the little pitter patter of my bare feet on the hard floor. I remembered where Ava's room is at, but I was coming up on a closet. I stopped in my tracts and did a double take.

As quietly as possible I pulled the door open, seeing shelves of towels. I remember this when I use to go swimming with Ava when we were younger. We would about attack each other to just get a towel and get to the pool first. I smiled at the old memory. I grabbed a deep red, big towel and wrapped it around my waist.

Sigh, a lot better! I went into the bathroom right next to it, to look at the mirror. I haven't seen my reflection in what felt like forever. My brown hair was a disaster, sand littered my body, and I did look skinnier. I pulled the towel down little ways to fully see my waist. Wow..

I pulled it back up and turned to make my way out. But I ended up slipping on the cold floor, knocking some bottles into the floor.  After a few seconds I heard someone running down the hall. Who showed up at the door was Ava. She gripped onto the door frame and looked to see what caused the noise.

"Hey, Ava." I nervously smiled. I sat with my knees bent.

"SKYLAR?! HOW- WHAT-"

"Ava! Please calm down!" I told her, smiling. "Breathe!"

She took a few breaths.
"Please help me up and I'll explain everything to you." I held my hand up. She grabbed my hand and pulled me up.
"Am I dreaming?" she asks in disbelief. "How do you have legs? You were suppose to have scales forever."

"I know, but apparently the whirl pool still can have a little effect on me. Perhaps not as big as when I lived on land buuuut, still has some type of effect. We don't exactly understand this." I looked down to myself.

She stared at me. "We?"

"Oh yeah!" I opened the closet to pull out another towel. "Let's go." I grabbed her arm and pulled her out the house. I pulled her down to the little sandy area, not seeing Azalea anywhere.
"Azalea?" I glanced around.
No response.

"Who was Azalea? One of those mermaids?"

I took a few more steps into the middle of the area. "Yeah! She um.." I glanced around more. "She's my friend. She's the one that's always around me, that tried to help me when I was changing." I looked back to her. "The one you called freak with fins." I smiled at her.

Ava's face lit up, she started nodding. "Oh! Okay okay!"

"Azalea?"
I heard a small sound behind a bush. I breathed. She's hiding again..
"Okay.."

"What?" Ava remained in her spot.

"She's hiding, she's scared." I came up to the bush and squatted down. Azalea was curled up on the other side, looking up at me and not daring to say a word.

"A-are you sure that human isn't gonna gut us alive?" She stuttered.

I gave her a little assuring grin. "Yes, I am sure. If she would do that then she would have done that to me already."
I held my hand out to her.
"You can come on out."

She gave my hand a few looks then took it in hers, allowing me to pull her onto her new feet.

"Why are you scared of me?" Ava leaned to her left side, tilting her head.

"Her parents basically drilled into her head that all humans are bad. You know when your parents says to never talk to strangers? Basically same situation but maybe a little worse for her."

Azalea stared Ava down, looking her up and down. But Ava wouldn't make too much eye contact, she tried to keep her eyes away from her. I handed Azalea a towel.

"What am I suppose to do with this?" She asked, giving the soft fabric a strange look.

"Wrap it around you. Wrap it around your waist. You need to cover up."

"Why?" She looked up at me.

There was a moment of silence as I thought about it. Azalea has lived her whole life being half naked, if that doesn't sound wrong.. Some mermaids doesn't even have much of a top or doesn't have one at all. The guys doesn't stare at them like people do, they give them respect. At least to mermaids, their.. um.. breasts isn't something bad or that HAS to be covered. Its just nature. Merpeople are not perverted as humans are.

"..... People are perverted." Was the only reason I gave her and tossed her the towel. "Trust me, just please." I walked towards Ava while Azalea wrapped the thing around her slowly.

"What now?" Ava asked, looking over to me.

"Let's head to my house and we can get it all figured out then. I am in need of a shower! And I'm sure she is too." I looked over to the girl, trying to keep her towel up. "Would technically be her first shower.. At least I think she would be happy to be able to play in water again.." I groaned. "I'm probably going to have to help her aren't I?" I slouched over.

Ava just nodded, crossing her arms. "What do you think? She won't know what she's doing." She spun around and headed for the direction up the hill. I followed her but looked behind me.

"Come on, Azalea! Were gonna get this all worked out. You're also gonna have to try to recall all you can of the whirl pool. You know more on that stuff than I do."

"I-I'll try." She stayed close behind me.