The Adventure of Fel

chapter one

I wonder if the mermaid in my jar ever feels trapped.

Around four inches long, with a slimy silver tail and long red hair, she resides in a pint-sized clear jar. It has a rock I found outside and a few plants from the lake, but that's all. I wonder what the sea was like. Or did she live in a lake? A swamp? This jar is probably nothing compared to the big, big ocean.

It's silly of me to get so worked up over a common household pet. But as the tears dry on my cheeks, I feel as though I know exactly how she feels. Sun shines through my window and through the jar, passing through her bloody hair, lighting it ablaze. I wonder if she ever had anyone taken from her. Or maybe she was the one taken.

"Sure would taste good," Leo says, his eyes staring intensely into the jar, pupils following the mermaid. He sits on my windowsill, tail curling across the beige wood. He cocks his head. It's clear he's trying to get a laugh out of me, or at least a smile.

"Leave her alone," I croak, rolling onto my back, forearm pressed to my eyes. "Do you know if breakfast's ready?"

"Chin up, sunshine. What should we do today? We could go down to the lake. Or maybe to the Market? You have some money saved up, right? You could buy us some real fish."

I turn away.

"Where's Gwen?" I ask. Leo's quite the entertainer, but Gwendolyn's the type of cat to let me cry into her fur and not complain.

"Here!" I turn my head just in time to see a short-haired chocolate cat hopping from the ground and into my open window. Gwen's chirpy voice brings the tears right back up.

"Oh, Fel..." She jumps onto my bed and sits on my chest. My hands fly to her fur and begin petting her instinctively, and I bury my face in her side as the tears roll harder. I feel a small pressure as Leo climbs up on my legs and nestles down.

A few minutes later and I can smell bread baking from downstairs. My mind isn't so occupied with being sad that it can't imagine the warm crackling of a loaf of bread, washed down with some grapes.

"Thanks, guys," I sniff, sitting up, causing Leo to fall off and land with a thump on the floor. My fleecy blanket is still wrapped around me like a shawl. "But maybe I should get up. I'll see you later, okay?"

       Leo and Gwen each give me one last stare before leaping back out the window. Sometimes I wonder what they would do if I didn't live on the bottom floor of the Communal Housing. Maybe I could have a basket with a string and pull them up, or perhaps some sort of hovercraft. I grin to myself for a brief second before I draw the curtains and feel my mood worsen with the sudden shade poured over the room. I keep my mind on the bread as I change into a long sleeved shirt and my favorite comfortable black pants and clomp loudly down the stairs.

My mom is already sitting at the kitchen table with a slice of bread in front of her when I arrive; she gives me a tiny smile as I enter but says nothing. Deciding to ignore her too, I walk over to the icebox on the counter and open it, taking out a water crystal. In the cabinet above is a glass which makes a rather loud clink as I place it on the counter. I wince.

"Sorry," I mumble, putting the crystal in the glass. It immediately melts into water, water I am thankful to replenish with after a long night of crying. Mom wordlessly passes me the bread on a cutting board, but I only stare at my feet and don't move a muscle.

"Fel, sweetie."

"Sorry," I repeat.

"Listen," her sadness burns, and I can see the potted plant by the window begin to wilt at rapid speed. "Fel, we knew this day would come. Ivy's gift is strong. We can't deprive her of the chance to live such a rich life because we miss her."

At this I raise my head to meet my mother's eyes. She's devastated. I know that. She's got those bittersweet blues that I'm sure all parents get when their kids leave the nest. But I've got them too, it's just that I'm stuck on the "bitter" part while Mom's gone full hyper-speed into the "sweet."

"I know, Mom, and it's alright. I think I just need a bit more time, y'know? To adjust. Thank you though." Mom nods and looks down at her bread.

I leave my water and walk past the table and out the front door, shaking my head.  I halfheartedly wave at the other tenants as I pass by them, making for the exit, feeling like I'm about to burst until finally, finally, I'm outside. Sun falls onto my face, glinting off my tangled hair out of the corner of my eye. Grassy hills stretch out in front of me, and I can hear the busy murmur of Burr's main market to the right, despite its being half a mile or so away. My family's lucky to live so close. Many would come a long way to go there; Burr has one of the most versatile markets in the world.

I don't bother calling for Gwen or Leo as I head off towards the lake. They always seem to find me; must be some sort of cat sense thing. Unfortunately, so does Mr. Atkins, my neighbor. He lives in the communal house right next to mine, with his apartment right across from my own, with a tendency to never shut his window so that I can hear his singing at all hours of the day (his ability is repelling water off of his skin, but he clearly likes to pretend otherwise). I've just walked away from the building when I hear the large glass front door slam. He power-walks towards me, limping slightly.

"Fel my girl!" He calls, blue eyes wide with anticipation, face crinkling into a smile. A tuft of gray hair falls into his eyes as he approaches me, and he blows it back. "Congratulations on your sister. Your family must be very proud. If I had an ability like that, maybe my parents would have stuck around." He laughs. I keep a polite smile on my face. Mr. Atkins likes to think he's funny, but most of the time his jokes are just sad.

"Yes, definitely," I say. "It's hard to remember her as the girl I used to play pretend with. Seems like it was just yesterday."

"I bet it does," he chuckles. "She's going to amaze a lot of people, though. I hope you know that. We have tons of healers and superhero types, but not enough dancers these days."

"Yes, I know. She's getting the best education in The Lands." I shift from foot to foot, hoping he gets the hint. Finally he smiles, nods, and turns back around, heading to the communal building. I feel a twinge in my gut as he grows smaller in the distance.

I trudge away, trying to feel better, though my interaction with Mr. Atkins hasn't helped. I approach the edge of the lake and crouch down, watching the tiny minnows swim. A light breeze hugs me from behind. If I stare across the water, I can just make out the tall, reflective buildings of the City, where those with the most important abilities live. You know what I mean – those who can manipulate weather to prevent storms or change salinity to make water drinkable. It's weird to think that Ivy's there now, learning how to control her power. How to twirl, glide, leap. I feel selfish, but part of me thinks she should be here, and the only people she should be dancing for are me and my parents. We used to put on little shows together when we were small. I wasn't bad, but even I would stop in the middle of a performance to gape at Ivy's moves. It wasn't that she was super graceful, exactly - more like she took control of the theater and set the stage on fire and danced in the flames.

Yeah. That makes sense.

Don't get me wrong – I'm not angry that she had to go away. Her dancing is her ability, and you don't get to choose that. No one does. But she happened to draw one of the best cards in the deck, and now she gets to live where I like to call The Center of Everything. The City. The latest technology? The City has it first. Newest clothing designs, from the fanciest dresses to the most lavish socks? The City has it first. Best medicines and healers and athletes? It all begins in the City. And it's not like there's any competition to get there either – no room for foul play or ruthlessness. It's not like anyone else has your ability. Whatever you've got is either important or it's not.

No, I'm not angry. All I'm saying is it must be nice to have lavish socks.

Or maybe you could sell those expensive socks to buy a trip around the world, see what there is to see. But I don't currently have any fancy socks any more than I have a sister. So I stay near my house, walking in circles near the lake.

I am the mermaid, swimming in my jar.