Pride of the Ocean

Chapter One

"Meri! Give it back!" Deniz yells at his older sister.

Meri scowls at him but she doesn't return the beachball. Deniz had throw the ball and hit Meri in the head, on accident he said. But Meri didn't believe him. Little brothers are always pains in the ass.

Meri raises the ball above her head and throws it as far as she is able. Which isn't far, because just then the wind picked up and the ball flew back, right into her face. Meri cursed as Deniz laughed and grabbed the ball. As the boy ran back to their new home Meri kicked dirt in his direction.

She hated it here. Stupid beach, stupid sand, stupid ocean, stupid brother. God, she just wanted to go back to New York. But no, her mom just had to get a job all the way in Hawaii! When she told her friends back home they all were in shock. Partly that their life long friend was moving away and partly that she was so upset to be moving to Hawaii. Paradise of all places. But to Meri it was hell.

Their new house was right on the beach. It was big enough for their four person family. Three bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a dining room, and a living room overlooking the ocean. The outside was painted a lovely, pale shade of blueish green. The roof was white tiles and the porch white painted wood. Above the front door was a sign that read 'Murphy Family' decorated with sea shells and other oceany things. Although there were a few other houses nearby none were close like in New York.

Meri missed the city. She missed her friends, Brooke and Lynn. She missed her bedroom with a window overlooking the busy streets.

Meri grabbed a rock off the ground and threw it at the water. Meri watched as the water rippled around the area the rock fell into and then she was grabbing anything she could get her hands on and throwing them in tight after the rock.

"What are you doing?" A voice from behind her asks, a laugh hidden in their voice.

Meri turns behind to see who it was. It was two girls. One was a Japanese girl with short hair. The other was a Hawaiian girl with longer hair. They stood close to each other and looked at Meri.

"N-nothing. I-I'm doing n-n-nothing." Meri tried to look anywhere but the girls as a blush spread across her face.

"What is your name?" The Japanese girl asked.

"Meredith Murphy. But people just call me Meri."

"Nice to meet you Meri." The other girl smiled. "I'm Kainani Kalawai'a. You can call me Kai."

"And I'm Oki Mizushiama. You can call me Oki."

Meri let out a small giggle. "Nice to meet you both."

"You just moved here?" Oki asked.

Meri nodded and pointed up to her house.

"Well, welcome!" Kai smiled again.

After that the girls all sat down and talked together. They talked about New York, Kai and Oki wanted to hear everything about it, they talked about siblings, Kai had a little sister and Oki had an older sister and brother, and they talked about what people did for fun in the town.

Swimming was a popular activity. Oki was a surfer and Kai had a passion for underwater photography. Meri had never swam outside of indoor pools. Oki and Kai promised to take her swimming tomorrow morning. It was becoming too late for it now, especially if it was your first time in the ocean.

Although Meri still missed home, at least she meet some-would they be considered friends? Nice people, not friends quite yet.

Meri waved goodbye to the two girls as she walked back to the house. Kai and Oki lived close by and told her they meet her at the beach at eleven the next morning.

Meri walked into the house and was greeted by the smell of dinner. She quickly ate, washed the dishes, and then excused herself to bed. She claimed to be very tired and that tomorrow she had plans and needed the energy. Her parents nodded and wished her goodnight. Deniz laughed and said she probably was hanging out with a boy. Meri stuck her tongue out at him and then stormed up the stairs into her room.

She flopped down on the bed and sighed. Meri looked up at her ceiling in silence. Her brown eyes searched the ceiling as if looking for the key to the universe. But it was just her bedroom ceiling.

Meri picked herself up and walked over to the closet. She pulled out the clothes she'd wear tomorrow. A tank top and shorts and a one piece swim suit. She laid them down on a chair in the corner of her room and then turned her attention to the window overlooking the ocean.

The sky had darkened and the moon and stars shone down on the tranquil ocean. It did look beautiful. Her eyes searched the gentle waves, looking for who knows what. A mermaid perhaps? Meri laughed at the thought. Until she saw something in the waves. What was it?

She leaned closer, her nose squished against the window as she squinted at the ocean. It had disappeared- no wait! There it was again! A tail? No, it had to be a dolphin's tail. Whatever it was disappeared beneath the waves again. And then like a dolphin- it jumped up out of the water.

Meri could see it cleared now. It truly did look like- like a. But it couldn't be.

Meri grabbed a pair of sneakers and tugged them on. She had to see for herself. She opened the window and looked to the ground. The distance from her window the the porch roof wasn't far, she could easily make it. Meri pulled herself out the window. Hanging on to the ledge she dangled out of the window and stretched her feet down. She let go and stopped to the roof. The sound was quiet enough to not alert her parents, but just in case she waited. But no one came.

Meri let out a sigh of relief and then repeated the steps to get to the ground from the porch roof. She landed like a cat and then took off down to the ocean. She stood on the shore and strained her eyes looking for it.

And then in the distance, she saw a tail flap up above the waves.