Swim Again (Mermaid)

Chapter One

Words were flowing out of me as I slid the pen across the paper inside the journal. All the letters familiar to me. I was on a roll and could not be stopped. Being that focused and inputing information in the last several months was what I was up to. Until someone broke my concentration...

"What you writing there?" The Protector watching over me said, slamming his hand on my journal causing me to stop the flow of my words.

"The usual," I sighed, slamming the journal shut on his hand. He shrieked as the pages burned his flesh. I smirked, impressed with my spell. "Don't pry, got it?" 

"It's my job. Whatever you're doing, the mermaid leaders will find out eventually," he replied, holding his hand while blowing air on the burn. "Come on, Lara, we've known each other for about nine months and I'm even dating-" 

"Hi!" my friend, Ariel shouted as she walked into the store. "What are you-" 

"Tell your stalker boyfriend to stop snooping in my stuff!" I shouted, holding the journal close to my chest. 

Ariel's vibrant red, curly hair bounced with every step she took. "How about you stop hiding all that stuff!" She said to me. "And you," she looked at her boyfriend, "give her some space, gosh! I'm tired of dealing with you two." 

I gasped. "Ariel? Annoyed? Impossible." Although, Ariel was mad, (a negative emotion she didn't express often), when I hid what was actually going on in my life from her. After I moved here, I had decided to tell her who I really was and what I had been through. She learned I was a mermaid and a dark one too. I spilled everything to her. 

Her shock was amusing, but I tried to let it sink in before giving her more details. I had also made sure to answer all her questions afterward. Luckily, she agreed to keep everything a secret and it brought us closer together. 

That was something my Protector didn't approve of at the time, but now, he was glad. 

She rolled her eyes. "Well, you're in luck. I'm here to take him away." My best friend grabbed his arm and tugged. He took one look at her face and gave in, letting Ariel drag him away. Honestly, my savior. I couldn't stand another second with him. 

"I want a full report of what you did while I'm gone." He pointed his finger at me as Ariel pulled him out of the store completely. 

"Right, I'll be sure to mention when I crapped too." Neither of them heard my reply since they were long gone. I hopped on the counter and set my journal aside. 

Ever since I lost the original family journal, I had to make my own. 

The last thing I remembered was dropping it before Amara took control of my body. She was, supposedly, the person who created my existence. I wasn't sure whether to believe that story or not. With all the crazy magic in this world, it couldn't be so farfetched, but...

I had no clear memory of whether the journal was taken by someone and whenever I went back to retrieve it, it was gone. Having to rewrite what information I managed to contain was hard work. On top of that, I added whatever chant I discovered on my own. 

Although, my Protector disapproved, that was something I had to do. There was no other way for me to use my magic. I understood that the Leaders didn't want me to do anything, but if it came to it, I would need something to defend myself with. 

I sighed.

The emptiness of the store was almost as calming as sitting out by the ocean. It was usually deserted around here, and I enjoyed it. Even though it made me wonder, how the hell was the store still running?

It was a small bookstore. The same one Luka led me to, to be exact. An old lady had been working here at the time I first came to find one of the three original journals. I hadn't seen her since I arrived. 

But I soon learned why. 

The owner was cloaked in the same manner as Luka was. There was never an old woman who owned the store. My new Protector kept the store in check and the reason he cloaked himself was because he was supposed to be dead.

A few years ago the mermaid he had to protect lost her life in a snow storm, but in reports, it was stated that both of them died. He had to explain what really happened within the first month we met. In that storm, it wasn't him. It was Sara's grandma, who had cloaked herself as her Protector. 

Sara's grandmother thought she could save her from the fate that was put upon her. 

Just as I foolishly thought I could change fate. 

"What's with Protectors and not dying?" I had muttered after hearing his story.

"So you want me to be dead?" My Protector had raised his eyebrows in amusement. 

"Do you really want me to answer that?" I shook my head. Though, I realized something that day. 

That was a lot to take in. Three Protectors survived and two dark mermaids were dead. That was something the mermaid leaders knew and kept a secret. Honestly, at that point I wouldn't be surprised if Clara and Sara randomly came back or were alive the entire time. Dying didn't feel permanent with the way it was going in the mermaid world. I was partly to blame because one resurrection was my fault. 

Could I even call it that? Because Luka spilled that Noah was alive the entire time and that left me feeling like an idiot. A pawn in his little game with Amara. 

I couldn't help but feel like I was almost as bad as Luka. 

Thoughts about the Protectors and the dark mermaids wouldn't stop, but that helped me come to a conclusion. Luka had no idea that the Protector, Aiden, had actually survived. 

I jumped off the counter and went to flip the store sign. We didn't close this soon, but I didn't plan on sitting around waiting for someone to show up. No one ever made an appearance anyway. 

I walked up to my room. Sadly, I was living above the bookstore. Aiden used to live here, but he managed to rent himself a small studio not too far from here. Sometimes, he was annoying and slept in the store to make sure I didn't do something crazy. 

Protectors should serve another purpose. Anything that didn't involve me. 

I placed my journal on my desk, reminding myself to finish what I started earlier before Aiden interrupted me. 

My room was still full of unpacked boxes, but it didn't matter anymore. I only had a couple more months until I could leave and hopefully live a normal life. Well, as normal as possible with the life I had. I was doing fine so far. 

I decided to relax by taking a bath. That was how I would get rid of my urge to swim. There wasn't a private pool nearby and I couldn't bring myself to swim in the ocean yet. Taking a bath was the only way to let my mermaid side free. 

After undressing and filling the tub with water, I quickly stepped in. In a few seconds my mermaid tail appeared, still as dark as ever, reminding me of what I did. I felt the rough scales against my palms. Then I brought my hand to my chest, which was still made of ice. 

I spent months trying to find a way to turn it into actual flesh, but to no avail. My only option was to accept the way my body was. A solution did not exist. 

As I moved my hand up to my cheek, to the tiny cut that Selena made, my hand began to tremble. Not from fear or shock, but from something I continued to suffer from.

That something stung within me, paralyzing me for a moment. It didn't take long for my hand to gain feeling again. But it was the fear that paralyzed more than the pain. I planted my hand against the left side of my face, where I could feel a spark against my skin. The area burned as bad as the flame that sparked in my chest. 

"Not now!" I huffed, trying to control the magic within. "I'm in control. I'm in control," I repeated. 

I'm in control!