It's My Life

Chapter 23 - Onward and upward

I arrived at the beach a few minutes later and transformed back into my human form, letting myself float and relax, then walked out of the water and hurried over to the phone, my hair plastered to my back. I picked up the handset and dialled the call reverse number. After following the instructions and typing out Tom's number, I waited.
"Cass? Cassi?" I heard, and burst into tears at the sound of Tom's voice.
"Oh, Tom." I sobbed, unable to control the flood of tears. He stayed quiet a bit until I stopped crying so hard.
"Hey, I'm here. Are you okay?" He asked.
"I think so. Just very, very scared." I said.
"I know. And I can safely say that help is on the way. I spoke to my father, and we will get you out." Tom said. I wanted to laugh.
"What does your father do? I thought he was a business man." I said. Tom took a deep breath, and I could almost feel as though he was preparing himself.
"I have something to tell you, and I hope you'll hear me out before you say anything. Can you do that?" He asked.
"Sure." I said, feeling confused.
"I know what you are, Cassi." He said, and I gasped. How could he know?
"How I know, well you remember each time we touched there would be a spark, or shock, or whatever? I am like you." He said. I laughed out loud that time.
"You're like me?" I asked, knowing I sounded skeptical, but I couldn't help it.
"Please let me continue. You were all suspicious of me when I said I was allergic to fish. I heard you all talking about it. Mer folk try not to eat fish. For some it's not bad, but most of us feel very sick, it's almost like poison to us. For you the mere smell of it is revolting, right? I can't say why that is. But you ask what my father does. He's...the Ambassador between the land-dwellers and our world." Tom said.
"Our world? But I don't understand." I sputtered.
"There is a whole world under the ocean, different...suburbs if you will, where..." Tom started, but I pulled the phone from my ear, looking around.
"What is it?" He asked, and I was surprised at his words.
"Shh, wait." I said, looking around again. I thought I could hear a car engine, and strained my ears, looking at the road leading away from the parking lot. I didn't hear anything else except Tom breathing on the phone.
"Something wrong?" He asked.
"I thought I heard an engine. Sorry, please continue." I said.
"All right. There are suburbs where mer folk live. It's beautiful, serene. But some mer folk choose to live on land, some are banished. Some, in other cases, merely just...end up there. I'm not allowed to tell you too much, but all will be revealed soon. Two days more, maximum, and we'll get you out. I promise. So not tomorrow, but hopefully Monday . Can you hold on that long? We will come for you." Tom said. I felt tears start to fall again.
"My parents too?" I asked.
"Oh, oh yes of course." Tom replied.
"I know they aren't my real parents, but they looked after me, and loved me." I said.
"They gave you love, a home, and protected you. That's more than I can say about some real parents these days." Tom said.
"Yeah." I replied. I looked around.
"Are you okay now?" He asked. I smiled.
"Is that part of what we are, sensing each other? Feeling things?" I asked.
"Oh, yes. Wait until you swim with others like you. It'll be overwhelming at first, but you will learn to block out what you don't need to feel. It's weird, I know. But amazing too. Trust me." Tom said. I felt a surge of emotion from somewhere, and I smiled.
"Was that you I just felt? Why haven't I felt that before?" I asked.
"It was me, yes. I try to hide it when I'm around you. It's not easy, but I didn't want to scare you. But now I can project freely. If you are okay with it." He said.
"Oh, I'm fine with it. But if we all do that, you can feel me?" I asked. He laughed.
"Often. You're a powerful beacon at times. Ever wondered how I found you all the time? That's how." He said. I blushed. He laughed again.
"I feel like an open book. But I like that you can feel me. So if I projected hard enough, you would all feel me?" I asked. 
"It's hard to say who would hear, usually one would rarely hear stuff as far as we are now from home, but with how untrained you are, anyone could probably hear you. Babies can't control the projection, so when one is born everyone just unconsciously switches off, ignores them. We learn to just be selective on whom we hear. It comes as a second nature as to whom we hear and whom we allow to hear us." Tom said.
"I wonder if that's what happened with me. No one heard me." I said. I felt Tom's concern.
"I don't know your story, not yet, but I hope to do so soon." He said.
"I want to try to stay in touch. I better go though, or they'll get suspicious for me staying here too long. But I'll see you soon." I said, feeling tears form.
"Cassi?" Tom asked, and I felt sudden uncertainty.
"Yes, Tom?" I replied.
"I...I love you." He said. I sobbed, but also felt happy.
"I love you too." I said. We'd only chatted maybe twenty minutes, maybe a little more, but it had made such a difference. I hung up and walked towards the water. I felt as though arms wrapped around me and I smiled, then ran into the water, diving under.

"What's taking so long?" Brad demanded when the guard in the other van called back.
"I have photos of Cassandra on the phone. She was talking for over twenty minutes. She just entered the water." The guard said. 
"So she'll be back in the next hour or so. Thank you. Come back to the lab and hand the photos over to either Dr. Shields or myself." Brad said. The call terminated then, and Brad got in the van. Settling down, he waited for the girl to return. An hour later Shields poked him and he opened his eyes.
"She's back." Shields said, and Brad sat up and yawned, and then got out of the van, stretching, picking up a towel for Cass.
"Not a word tonight, as ordered by Jones. We'll confront her tomorrow." Shields said. Brad nodded in agreement, and switched off the computers and equipment, getting a guard to pack it up. Brad saw the girl walk out of the water and moved towards her, holding the towel out, not bothering with the camera. He wrapped the towel around me and I quickly wiped my face, hoping it wasn't obvious that I'd been crying.
"Did you have a good swim?" Brad asked. I nodded.
"It was  very refreshing, and just what I needed." I said. He led me over to the van, looking at the watch.
"That came in handy then, having the watch." He said. It was nearly midnight, and I felt tired, but more alive. I nodded, but didn't say anything. We all got in the van.
"You can have a bit of a sleep in tomorrow, if you like. Say 9?" Brad said. I yawned and nodded, not saying a word. Instead I tried to reach out with my mind, now thinking about Tom, and felt his surprise and affection. I felt a little drained from the effort, but proud of myself. I had done something I'd never done before. I didn't say anything as we drove the darkened streets and didn't object as I was blindfolded and led into the facility. I had a secret, and I would be rescued by my own kind soon. I fought the urge to grin, entering my room. I changed out of the still-damp clothes, got into my nightgown, and brushed my hair. Once that was done I lay down and sent out my senses, not knowing how I was doing it, I just tried to relax and send my feelings outwards. But I didn't feel anything. Feeling that perhaps Tom had gone to sleep, I settled down and drifted off, dreaming of mer folk welcoming me home.

"So she knows what you are now." Andreas said to Tom. He nodded.
"Yes. She is a quick study, she's already used her abilities to feel me. In time I think she will be very strong." Tom said. It was early the following morning, and Tom had woken early despite the late night, a lingering feeling of Cassandra around him. He wondered if she had reached for him in her sleep. He smiled.
"That's good. It'll make locating her easier." Andreas said. Tom relaxed on his couch.
"Not going to school?" Andreas asked. Tom frowned a moment.
"Actually, I think I might. The school is closer to the labs than here, and I don't want her exhausting herself." Tom said and stood up again, getting his things.
"If everything works out, we will rescue her in the next few days. Just one or two more things I need to organise." Andreas said.
"Give my love to Mother, and I'll talk to you later." Tom said.
"Will do." Andreas replied, and hung up. Tom hauled his bag over his shoulder and left his apartment, sending out his senses, but he couldn't feel her. He hoped she was still asleep.