It's My Life

Chapter 16 - A Secret Revealed

I was swimming in the ocean, my hair streaming behind me, my silver tail flashing, and felt exhilaration flood through me. I could feel others like me around, on the edge of my consciousness, though I couldn't see anyone. As I swam I felt suddenly tired, and thought it was best to head home. For a moment I couldn't remember which way home was, was it up or down? I swam one way, thinking I was heading upwards, and found myself on the floor of the ocean. I felt panic rise in my chest but tried to squash it down, breathing deeply and evenly, then started to swim in the opposite direction, my tail flashing, but for some reason I started slowing down, each push of my tail growing harder to do, and my tail started to split, to become legs. I gasped for air, trying to get to the surface but I couldn't break through.
"Cassi! Wake up!" I heard, and lashed out, yelling in fear. My hands were grabbed and I struggled, then saw Brad and the guards standing over me, Brad holding me. I stopped, lying back on the pillow.
"Oh...I'm sorry. Bad dream." I said, cheeks flushing. The guards stepped back, but Brad let go of my wrists and sat down on the bed.
"Are you all right?" He asked. I nodded and wiped at my face, feeling the hair stick to my forehead with sweat, and sat up slowly, feeling queasy.
"I don't feel well." I said softly. Brad picked up the hot bowl of soup.
"Here, you must eat something." He said, trying to bring a spoonful of soup to my mouth but I pushed it away.
"I can't..." I gasped, my hand going to my mouth as the smell of the soup hit me. There was nothing in it that would make me sick, but just the smell of food made me feel nauseous and, clapping a hand to my mouth I leapt from the bed and hurried into the bathroom, collapsing by the toilet as my stomach heaved, causing everything in my stomach (which thankfully was only water) to spurt out of my mouth. Brad followed me, pulling my hair back from my face.
"You really aren't well, are you? I thought you never got sick." Brad said. I tried to stand up, but my legs gave out, and I landed heavily on the floor. He quickly picked me up and took me to the bed, laying me down on it and bringing the soup bowl closer again.
"Please, try." He said, and I opened my mouth obediently as he brought the spoon to my lips. I swallowed it down, the soup hot and nourishing, but within a few seconds my stomach heaved again, and I threw up that tiny morsel onto the carpet, my body shaking.
"I'm sorry...I'm so sorry. I need the ocean. I promise to tell you more, but I need it now." I moaned. Brad stood up and left the room and I lay back as a guard came in and cleaned the carpet. I closed my eyes, feeling like I was still drowning.

"What is it?" Shields asked, hurrying into the observation room, Jones moments behind him.
"She's dying. If we don't take her to the ocean now, she'll be dead in a few days, if not less. I have no doubt of that." Brad said. Jones looked up at the monitor as Brad spoke, seeing the guard cleaning.
"What happened?" Jones asked. Brad looked at the monitor as well.
"I gave her some soup, and she was instantly sick. She has promised to tell me stuff if we go to the ocean now." Brad said. Shields moved to the phone and picked it up.
"What're you doing?" Jones asked. Shields looked at him.
"Getting a van to take her, two guards, myself and Dr. Thompson to a secluded beach near Lewiset. I know of a few private areas hidden by bush. No one will see us." Shields said. Jones pondered this for a moment, and then nodded.
"All right. But I want her guarded at all times. Get guards that are good swimmers in case she tries to swim off. We don't know how good a swimmer she is. No matter how weak she is, she could be strong enough to try to escape." Jones said. The thought of a tether crossed his mind, but even that seemed a little far-fetched, and he pushed it from his mind. Shields placed the call and arranged for all they needed, and Brad called a female guard to help Cass change into fresh clothes. Shields looked at Brad.
"The van will be ready in five minutes, and two guards are coming." He said.
"Good. Let's go then." Brad replied, getting a notepad and pen, a few items they would need, and headed out.

The female guard came in and ordered the men out, then turned to me.
"Let's get you dressed. Do you have clean clothes in your bag?" She asked. I nodded.
"Yeah. Underwear, normal clothes." I said softly. She collected a few items and took them into the bathroom, then collected the chair and took that in as well. She came and then picked me up, carrying me into the bathroom.
"Do you require a shower?" She asked.
"No, I'll be okay." I replied. She nodded and helped me off with the horrid hospital gown. I felt relief to  be out of the horrid thing, and reached for my panties, slipping them on over my ankles, which she helped with. Before I could try to stand though she slid my leggings on as well, and then stood me up.
"Pull them up together. Easier than one at a time. And quicker." She said. I did as I was told, her holding on to me whilst I did so. She then helped me slip into a simple t-shirt, and I thanked her. I started to move towards the bedroom area when a guard came in with a wheelchair. I sat on it gratefully and didn't even object when the  blindfold was put on me. I felt them wheel me out, and lifted onto a car seat. Once the door was shut the blindfold was removed, for the windows were tinted and I couldn't see out. Brad and Shields sat opposite me, and the two guards sat either side of me. Two more were in the front, one driving, the other observing. I looked at the two men opposite me as we drove on.
"Thank you." I said. Shields nodded.
"As long as you hold up your end of the bargain. Don't forget, your parents are still at the labs." He said. I looked down, fiddling with my hair. The drive probably took ten minutes, maybe a bit longer, but it felt an eternity to me. Finally the car slowed down and came to a stop. The guards in front got out first, making sure the area was devoid of other people, then opened the door for the others to get out. The guards got out first, then Brad and Shields, and I was instructed to move over and climb out. I did as I was told, standing up slowly on wobbly legs. Brad had pulled a large container from the back of the car, most likely to transport sea water in, I thought, and Shields walked to the edge of the sand, holding his phone. They had activated the chip before leaving the facility, but they hadn't turned on the screen yet, thinking it probably wouldn't be needed. The two guards that had been sitting beside me each took an arm, gently, and led me into the water. I noticed they didn't stop at the waters' edge, and I was a little worried, but knew that if I timed it right, they wouldn't notice anything until it was too late.
The water touched my skin, and I nearly sobbed at the feeling. I had missed it ever so much, the cold ocean water washed up over my feet and ankles, and I felt slightly weak, but managed to take slow steps into the surf. As I kept walking the water grew higher, to my calves, my knees, my thighs. I was actually surprised that my body didn't transform, such was the effort it took to stay in human form. Once the water lapped around my waist I tried to lower myself into the water, and the guards let go, moving to chest depth and watching me as I started to swim. It wasn't very deep, but the water was slightly murky, not like the beautiful beaches on the Gold Coast or Whitsundays, so I wasn't too perterbed. I swam a little bit out, the guards moving as I did so, and I wanted to change so badly, but I pushed myself to do laps, swimming up and down, some backstroke, freestyle, etc, then just resolved myself to dipping under the water for a few seconds, immersing myself (which felt fantastic), and resurfacing a few seconds later, but every few disappearances I'd start to stay under just a second or two longer, so they wouldn't notice, or I hoped they wouldn't.
Back on the shore Shields's phone rang, and he answered it.
"Shields. What? They're not? Hang on, you did those tests, and they aren't? Good grief!" Shields exclaimed. Brad looked at him in confusion but Shields waved a hand at him, indicating he'd tell him later, listening to the speaker on the other end of the line, watching the girls' head bobbing above the water. The guards stood nearby, and he was reassured  by the fact they had both claimed to be very fast swimmers. I turned my head to look at Brad and Shields', the latter of whom was talking animatedly on his phone. I felt a little sorry for misleading them into bringing me here, but it was necessary. I came up for air a few more times, not looking at the guards, then slipped under the water, turned away from the shore and propelled away, my gills forming so I wouldn't have to resurface. Once I knew I was far enough away, the water quite deep, I swam deeper and transformed into my mer self and sped off as fast as I could.
The guards were standing there, not realising for nearly a minute that the girl hadn't resurfaced, and looked around, a little confused. One of them dived under whilst the other kept watch on the surface, and when the second couldn't find her, nor the other one see her return above the water, they both dived under, searching the area, then went back to shore quickly.
"She never came back up. One moment she was there, then she was gone." One of the guards yelled. Brad grabbed a pair of binoculars from his objects and focused on the water, but he couldn't see her anywhere. Shields hurried to the computer and turned it on.
"What the hell just happened?" Brad demanded as he scanned the area. Shields cursed as the guards shrugged, watching the screen.
"One minute she was swimming, back and forth, then she went under and never came back up. By the time we realised, she was gone. I don't know how though, she never came up for air." A guard said. Shields was watching the tracker.
"There is definitely more to her than we gave credit." He said, then looked at Brad " She's nearly ten kilometres away already. Heading East. Call the lab and get another car out on the road. I want her apprehended the minute she sets foot on dry land." Shields ordered. The guard jumped to the task, and Shields turned to Brad, then looked at the screen, at the dot moving fast up the coast.
"What was that phone call about? You seemed shocked." Brad said.
"Oh, yes. I should maybe wait until we get back to the lab, to tell Director Jones too." Shields mused.
"Just tell me!" Brad said shortly. Shields looked at him.
"Oh, fine." He said,  but didn't say anything more until they had packed up the stuff, the screen with the tracking dot showing on Shields' lap, and the van had taken off after the girl.
"Tucker did a few tests, and she found some inconsistencies. She then compared the DNA strands between the three. Neither Jeremy, nor Louise, is Cassi's biological parent." Shields said. Brad's jaw dropped open in shock.
"Oh, God." Brad said. Shields nodded, and neither of them spoke another word as the van sped off.

The water felt wonderful around me, and at that present moment nothing else mattered. As the water streamed past me I focused on just swimming, I thought about where I could go, and felt my heart ache. I couldn't go home, they would find me instantly. I couldn't go to Tabitha's, Brad was her father. Tom suddenly sprung to mind, and I felt it was the right choice. I focused on just swimming, but felt there was a beach coming up. I swam deep, taking it easy, and ate some seaweed. It wasn't the nicest thing to eat, and I risked swallowing a lot of water whilst I ate, but I didn't care. I needed the nourishment. And I was extremely hungry. I slowly surfaced, the cool air making my skin tingle, and I saw the beach and parking area up ahead. Praying hard that it was like most parking areas, I scanned the area for a payphone. 

"She's slowed down, I think she's on land, or will be soon." Shields said. They'd been driving nearly an hour, mostly in silence except for Shields giving directions. Brad looked at him, then leaned back. Jones had been kept up to date, though Shields hadn't given much information away, except that they had news for him.
"The other car is nearly at her location, Dr. Shields. They have chloroform ready." The guard in the passenger seat said.
"Thank you. She is barefoot so she may not get far. The minute we get there I want more guards to block off the exit into the water, I don't want her near the water again." Shields ordered. The guard nodded and relayed the message to the other van. They then continued in silence.

Walking out of the water I made sure no one was around and ran over to the phone. I had no money, but thankfully there was a sticker on the payphone that stated I could make a reverse call. Picking up the handset I sighed with relief when I heard the dial tone, and dialled the reverse call number. An automatic voice answered me.
"To place a reverse call to a landline, press one. To call a mobile, press two, to send a text message press three." The voice prompted. I pressed two, eyes scanning the area.
"In a clear voice, state your name after the beep." The automatic voice said, then I heard the beep.
"Cassi Silver" I said. I felt a chill go through me, and knew I didn't have long. I knew I should hang up and run for the water, but I was too close now to getting help. I didn't know when I'd get another chance.
"Please enter the recipient phone number, followed by the hash key." I heard, and I quickly dialled Tom's number, thanking the gods that I had a good memory, then pressed hash.
"Please wait while your call is accepted." I heard, and listened to the music. Finally I heard Tom's voice.
"Cassi! Oh my gods where are you? What's happened?" Tom cried. I felt tears well up, but blinked them back.
"Oh Tom, I was abducted, by Brad and his cronies at the lab. I'm so scared, I don't know where I am, I don't know what to do." I sobbed, trying to stay composed.
"I knew it. Don't worry, I'll save you. I'll get my parents to help us." Tom said. I looked around and heard engines, the thrill of fear building.
"Oh no, they've found me! I don't know how  but they did. I have to go. Please help me!" I cried then hung up the phone and sprinted as best I could across the asphalt and towards the sand, but I saw guards emerge from the shrubs and hurry towards me. I tried to turn away from them, trying to get to the water when I was grabbed.
"No! I won't go back! Let go of me!" I screamed, struggling,  but a hand holding a cloth went over my nose and mouth, forcing me to breathe in the sweet dampness on the cloth, and I tried to fight but the hand stayed put, and the chloroform did its trick, causing me to lose consciousness and slump in the arms of the guards holding me. 

Brad and Shields had watched as the girl had been grabbed, hearing her screams and seeing her collapse, then being carried to the other van. Once the girl was safely secured, the two vans started up and headed back to the lab. Brad had called home to advise he would be a little late and to put his meal in the warmer for him. Shields had called Director Jones and advised him of what happened. Once at the lab Brad carried in the sea water he'd collected, and took it to his lab as the girl was carried to her room. Then he and Shields both went home.