Sea Breeze

Small Splash

She'd always loved the wind. She'd always loved the fresh smell of the sea, and not the half baked air freshener scents either, but the real deal. Thus it made perfect sense for her to live near the ocean.

She had recently moved to a small island just off the coast of the mainland into a nice.... well it was actually a rather beaten down shack by the terms of the other people on the island, but by her standards it was paradise. She didn't have to worry about her parents or her family. Hell, she was a completely new person on her little island.

She giggled and wiggled her toes in the sand of her beach front property, "Ah! I'm finally free!" she stretched out and flopped down on the sand as she surveyed the water. So peaceful. So elegant. So child drowning... wait what? Child drowning?!

She immediately began running and stripped her shirt off as she did so. The newly free girl dove off of a high rock next to her and swam toward the boy.

Damn the tide's strong here... she grunted as she tried a variety of strokes before settling on the mermaid stroke. She reached the child and lifted him out of the water as a pain shot through her side. She gasped and kicked harder, "Don't worry, I'll get you to land!"

The small boy whimpered and she struggled to keep him above the water but did so half drowning herself in the process. She pushed him onto a rock instead of climbing up herself and rested half out of the water panting, "You okay kid?" 

The little boy nodded enthusiastically, "Yes ma'am. Thank you ma'am for saving me."

She panted, "What were you doing out there? Where are your parents?"

He shook his head, "They threw me out there."

She gasped, "Why? Oh my why not come with me? I need company. I'm sure your parents won't mind since they did leave you to drown."

He nodded, "Yup! I'll come! I really didn't want to be in those waters at that time anyway."

She nodded suspiciously, "Uh huh... my name's Marie Santos, what's yours?"

"Jamie Laymen." He hugged her as she pulled herself from the water, "Thank you for taking my test from me! I never ever wanted it, I had to swim back and be out of the water or..." He trailed off distracted.

Marie decided that this test thing must've been some cruel family joke, "Don't worry about it, you're safe with me kid."  She put an arm around him and began leading him toward her home.