Lost Wings

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Viviana

After dinner I check the weather on my laptop to make sure I can go swimming this weekend. No luck, it was going to be fifty degrees at most on Saturday and I would prefer not to have frostbite. I check tomorrow but that was when the cold front moves in for the cold weather this weekend. I guess it’s now or never and by never I mean next year.

I change into my white and orange polka dotted swimsuit in record time and grab my favorite beach towel before running out to the lake. I set out my towel and Gatorade from earlier beside the water on the edge of the dock. With that arranged I dive into the water head first. I stay out in the water for a while swimming and before I knew it the sun began dipping through the trees and ignites a fire on the water. It was so extraordinary; this was my favorite time to be out on the lake. The sun's rays dappled the dock with yellow and pink hues. I know I should probably get out because once the sun completely sets I will freeze. Suddenly the sound of light steps pulls me out of my hypnotic state. My mom is at the end of the dock smiling at the sunset too, I think I get my love of the water from her.

I am almost a carbon copy of my mom; we have the same long wavy brown hair and paper white skin despite all the time we spend outside. The only difference is I have my father’s electric green eyes instead of her cobalt blue.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" she asks. I nod in agreement. "The sun is almost done setting you really need to come back in." She tells me.

"I know, I know. I just love being out here so much." I gesture to the spot where the sun hits the lakes edge. "It's just so beautiful."

She sighs, her eyes following the direction of my hand. "Yes," she agrees. "It is quite remarkable. That still doesn't change the fact that you need to come in."

"Fine." I cave in, hauling my arms onto the dock and pull myself up. For some reason my legs feel connected and extremely water logged. Had I gained weight and not noticed until now? I raised myself higher and my mother gasped.

"Sweetie." She whispers. "Stay in the water I'm going to get your father."

"What? Why?" I ask. Then I look down and instead of my legs was the beginning of a tail and its glistening scales. "What! No no no, I do not have a freaking tail. No!" I started to hyperventilate; I have, breath, a tail, breath, I have, breath, a tail, breath.

"Calm down we were expecting this just wait here for a second while I get your father. He will help you inside." She explains, then walks away back through the back door. I continue pulling myself out of the lake and sit with my tail in front of me towel over it to cover the fact that my legs are gone. Not a moment later my dad came out and picked me up to carry me inside.

Twenty minutes later I sat on the tiled kitchen floor helplessly glaring at my parents. "So my mom is a mermaid and if I get in water I grow a tail?" I ask incredulously.

"Yes," my dad begins. "But there's more."

"Fabulous! More!" I comment sarcastically.

"I am a Phoenix. Like the mythical bird that catches on fire and is born of ashes and all that. We didn't want to tell you until you morphed one way or another." Dad says.

"So I'm part Phoenix too?" This is way too much for one day.

"Yes. You will need to control your temper because strong emotions trigger the morph and we both know how you are when you get upset." He continues. Yeah I guess I over react a little, on occasion.

"So by morph do you mean I morph into a freakin' bird that is on fire!?" I exclaim.

"Calm down and yes, technically speaking. When you get older you can morph at will but emotions still affect your morphing capabilities." I decide to calm down because I don't want to change my form again.  Twice in one day, that is just too much.