Submerged

Reborn

The room was grand, a towering cylider rising around me, the ceiling many hundred feet above me. I stood in the center of the room, on a large round rock, flattened at the top with a space just big enough to stand on and surrounded by water, dark and smooth like glass. Crystals reached out of the water and candles sat atop them, unlit. Along the walls were holes with candels and mirrors and I could see faces in most of them, faces that looked down at me, some smiling, some with a confused or worried look. The faces were chattering loudly and it echoed back to my ears but there were far too many for me to hear anything but noise. I wondered were Mikko was, and where his father was. I wondered when I would die.

There was a loud scraping sound, rock on rock, and Mikko appeared wearing a sheen white shirt similar to the dress I was wearing. His pants looked black but in the poor lighting I couln't get a very good look at him, But I could see he was smiling. He walked through the shallow water, disturbing the calm. As he stepped up onto the rock, my heart fluttered. He stood infront of me and kissed me gently, his hands lightly holding my face. I put my arms around him and leaned into him, as before, and didn't want to stop. The loud chatter around me faded and I thought it was him blocking it out, but I realized that it wasn't my imagination. It was starting.

When he released me, he moved quickly off the rock and waded to the crystals. My arm fell to my side in his absense as I watched him. He held a long match, and he moved quietly to each candle, gracefully lighting them. When they were all lit, he didn't look back at me, just moved back into the shadows and closed the heavy rock door he had emerged from. I suddenly felt very alone in the quiet. It was still and the candles flickered, surrounding me in a soft glowing light. I stood there, waiting for something violent to happen but it was so still.

Then I felt water around my feet. I picked up my feet slightly and splashed in it. It was rising around my ankels now, more quickly, rising to my calves. I felt a tight feeling in my gut, nervous, the need to bolt overwhelming. I already agreed to this, it's far too late to turn back. I couldn't help but wonder how I was going to drown. I was a much better swimmer now and this room was far too tall to fill up completly, it would take so long I would grow tired and not be able to...

Not be able to stay afloat. But that's torcher! I screamed in my head, "What the hell? I'm going to drown from fatigue? That is not romantic in the least!" I felt angry for a glimpse of time when it became clear. The point wasn't to try and swim. The point was to die.

I am not supposed to fight this.

The water was around my waiste now, and I looked up at the faces that were silently watching me. None of them were smiling now. As my eyes moved across those of the people, I met a pair that looked warm and wrinkled... Mikko's father. He smiled when I met his gaze, and I instanlty felt calm. The butterflies stopped, the urge to run stopped.

The water was up to my chin and rising quickly. Over my mouth now, I instinctivly began tredding water, trying to stay above it without looking panicked. The strange part being that I wasn't actually panicking. Just trying to judge when the best time would be to give up and sink to the bottom. Should I take a breath? Make the pain and fear last as long as possible? Or let out my last breath before going under. After tredding for a few minutes I felt impulsed to exhale and stop kicking.

So I did.

I let out the last breath I took into my lungs as a human and lifted my arms about my head. It's surprising how quickly you sink without air in your lungs. I felt the stone on my feet in seconds, reaching into the water around me with my hands. I looked up to the ceiling where before it was dark, now there was a bright blueish white light, a perfect circle above me, distorted by the rippling water. I closed my eyes and felt the burning in my lungs that was all too firmiliar. I opened my mouth and took in a breath that felt like thick fire slicing down my throat and into my chest. I felt like screaming from the pain and I was impulsed to kick and fight for the surface but by the time I began to swim, the water had risin far above my head. The entire room was a blast of white light now and I could only see my hands infront of me as I kicked and swung around the emptyness.

The lack of oxygen started to get to my head and I felt dizzy, disoriented. My body tried repetedly to gasp for air, though there was no relief to the burning pain in my lungs. Then I felt the blackness come over and I went limp. Given up the struggle, floating there in the water.

~~~~~~~~~~~

I could bearly watch as the water climbed up her legs. She seemed so calm, so ready for this decision that was gonig to change her life. I felt a tiny twinge of giult come over me. I should've let her drown. Saved her this pain, being forced into a choice like this is no way to fall in love with someone. And I lit those candle myself. With my own two hands I sealed her fate. The water was around her waiste now and I threw myself into a run, down the hallway to my father's chamber to change his mind. I will fight for her, to stay human and go back to her world and I will face the consiquences of my actions.

Around and around I ran in circles up stairs until I made it to my fathers nook where he stood and watched my Sophia tred water. I frantically grabbed his arm and shouted "Stop!" I looked out the hole and saw the bright light enter the room. It touched each crystal and beamed around the room, bouncing off the mirrors and making a maze of blue white light. If it didn't mean death it would be beautiful. I let go of his arm and watched with him. It was too late to stop anything now.

What have I done.

A low pounding started in the stands as the population stomped their feet in complete harmony. Like they have done this before. Well years ago, but this generation of merpeople have never done this. Maybe it is in our blood to know what to do. Maybe it is in our blood to know what to do.

The room shook and the water started to drain. I could begin to make out her shape as the water lowerd, much faster than it filled. I ran again, this time downward. I had to get there in time to start her heart back up before the moon moved past the opening in the ceiling. That was the only way.

I got through the doorway just as the water placed her on the floor, her body limp and lifeless, her dress nearly seethrough, clinging to her curves and her hair soaking, stuck to her skin. The moon beams moved with the posiition of the moon, and I watched eagerly for it to fall on her, and it was taking so long. Beams of light criss crossed and danced along the walls and water. I held her face, on my knees, waiting for the moon.Finally it reached her, diagonally moving across her chest and stopping at her heart. The pounding in the stands grew louder and chanting started to fill the room, echoing in my ears. I could feel her cold skin under my finger tips, my eyes beginning to water. I felt a hot tear run down my cheek and land on her chest. The moon beam grew bigger and almost got big enough to engulf us completly. I leaned down and pressed my ear to her skin below her neck.

A soft lub dub was music to my ears. She suddenly drew a hard, watery breath, gasping and sitting up quickly. She reached for her throat and gasped, clutching her neck as she coughed up a lungs worth of water. I held her up and smoothed her hair. The light faded and I watched it from the cornor of my eye crawl back up the walls and dissapear into the ceiling. Now it was dark, the candles on the walls were lighting themselves adn illuminating the room around us. She stopped choking and met my gaze, her eyes watering from the stress of breathing air instead of water. I held her head in my hands and pressed my lips to hers, they were just as cold as mine. Her lips parted and I felt a cold tongue touch my bottom lip. I pulled away, she opened her eyes and looked confused.

"Sorry," She said, looking down. I lifted her chin to meet her eyes, "I'm glad to see you still feel the same way." I smiled big at her, "And I'm thrilled to see I still make you blush." We laughed together and Dawn emerged from the doorway and walked through the shallow water towards us. The chanting and pounding had stopped. I furrowed my eyebrows at her, "Why are you crying?" I watched her as she knelt down, taking each of our hands and putting them together so Sophia's fingers were intertwined with mine. Her skin was the same temperature as mine now. Her voice reminded me of my mothers. Calm and soft, she said "It is time for your first swim."

Sophia's hand tightened, "I have to get back into the water?" Her voice took on a watery smoothness that was very sexy, and very natural sounding on her. I smiled, "It wont be nearly as bad as your last swim." I kissed her on the cheek, "I promise."