Change of A Lifetime

Chapter 5

Change of A Life Time

Chapter 5

I panicked, but only for a second.

My brother cannot know about this. I thought.

I heard him walk up the stairs and go up to his room. Then I heard a loud thump on the wall.

Of course, he’s drunk. I thought with a smirk.

I went up to bed and fell asleep, with the thought I’m a mermaid still in my head.

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My alarm clock startled me into consciousness as it rang, and rang. I slowly got up and out of my bed, put my clothes on, and was about to pack my swimsuit, but I remembered the night before.

“Ah, great. I’m going to have to tell Sasha. Sorry mom.” I said with a smirk. I knew I could trust Sasha with a secret, and if she told anybody... I would kill her. Plain and simple. But I know that would never happen. And besides, Sasha would need to know why I wasn’t swimming, and if I refused to tell her, all hell would break loose.

But I was definitely NOT swimming. I knew that for a fact.

I picked up my bag and went downstairs to go eat some food!

I was surprisingly very hungry. I sat at our little table by the big panel window that looked out to the sea.

I wanted to go swimming already! I couldn’t wait until my mom and I went.

I ate my bagel, grabbed my bag, and headed out the door yelling “BYE MOM! BYE DAD! BYE GRANDMA! BYE BODI, BUTTER, STRIDER, AND SHADOW! Bye Jack.”

I forgot to say that my grandmother lives with us. Yay! Not really, but it’s ok. She’s a pretty beast grandma. She’s a black belt in karate, and she won the women’s championship kickboxing tournament in America. Depending on how... um elderly she is, she probably won the first one! Yeah! And, she owns us in poker. It’s not even funny. I lost so many headphones to her. But, she’s really bossy.

I was thinking about my four dogs also; Butter, Bodi, Strider, and Shadow. Butter is a small terrier mix, Bodi is a fat shih tzu, and when I say fat, he is FAT. Strider is a black lab, and Shadow is my Pit bull. He’s huge! But, he the sweetest dog you’ll ever meet.

I was walking to the bus stop to catch the next public bus.

It came up to the curb and stopped. I walked in.

“Hey Crystal! How’s it going?” said the bus driver, Phil.

“Hey Phil! It’s going great!” I said with a friendly smile. I sat next to the sweet yet mis-guided lady who always rides this bus.

“Hello, Gladys. How has your morning been treating ya?” I said softly and happily.

“Perfect. Fine. Amazing. Sad. Infuriating. Confusing. The world is full of questions Crystal. I sense it in every one’s aura. Every one has fear, confusion.” She said warily.

As she was talking, I looked around. Every one looked troubled, like they were waiting for something and that something wasn’t good.

“I sense a storm coming Crystal, and not a storm of the Sea, a storm in the Sea.” She whispered as she looked around, worried and scared.

This was when I had actually listened to her when she mentioned the Sea.

“What kind of a storm Gladys?” I asked with interest.

People never listened to Gladys. But really, she does make sense, but in her own special way. No one ever really pays attention to her, but I feel that she has a big part in this world. She is important to us.

I shook my head. Why was I thinking this? I sound like a fortuneteller or a psychic.

“Fear has corrupted your mind I see.” She said with a disapproving side-ways look.

“I wonder why the fear is being caused Gladys. Is it fear of the sea, or fear...” I waited for her to finish her sentence.

Suddenly, her body jerked to the side, and then to the other, it was like her age was catching up to her, and she was seizing.

“Gladys!” I yelled.

The people around us just looked at Gladys and I and then turned away as if nothing happened.

I turned and looked at Gladys. Now, she was perfectly still, but there was something about her eyes. They were a different color. Not her usual grey, blue, but a sky blue with a pearly sheen covering her whole eye.

Then her face moved.

It was like there were five voices talking at the same time.

“There are two. Two of the same kind. Two of the same breed. One, the clouds lay their blessings and the sea calls, the other, the darkness descends but cowers in fear over the shell.” She said, like she was in a trance.

Then her body convulsed again, she jerked in her seat, and then the whole place around me was frozen. I looked at her again and her eyes were the same grey, blue, and the scene around us was normal. The man next to us was still reading his paper, the young woman, cradling her baby and looking out the window.

I heard a distant voice. “Crys... Crysta... Crystal!” said Phil, nearly yelling.

“What?!” I yelled. Phil leaned back in surprise.

“Your stop hun.” He said with a patient smile.

“Oh, sorry Phil.” I said as I grabbed my things.

“B-Bye, Gladys.” I stuttered walking away from her.

I looked back one more time before getting off the bus; I saw her looking at me, with a smile. Her hand came out of her cloak, it held something.

“Wait a minute, Crystal. I have something for you. Wait, a minute Phil.” She said kindly.

Phil was looking at her with a smile and rolled his eyes while saying “Alright.” as he pulled the lever to let the air out of the tires.

I walked over to her hesitantly while saying “Yes, Gladys?”

“You saw my vision. And heard it. You know too much. But these will keep you safe. She slowly opened her hand, and I looked at it.

There was a long necklace, with a pendant of a small metal figure of a shark, and the other, a... comb, or a pick. It was silver with a shell in the middle and with waves carved into it.

“Do not misuse them. They can cause harm to others.” She said with warning in her voice.

“And, only use the comb for emergencies. And the necklace, only in water can you use it, if you don’t, it may very well fail you. It’s name is Murphy.” She said with a smirk.

“And how do I... make them work?” I asked.

“You’ll know.” She said contentedly.

“Thank you very much Gladys. They are beautiful.” I said with a smile as I looked at them.

“And, keep them safe at all costs. With these in the wrong hands, both worlds may be in jeopardy.” She said with a gleam in her eye.

“Thank you again Gladys, for your insight, and the gifts.” I said stepping off the bus.

“Thanks Phil!” I yelled as he shut the doors with a smile.

I walked into the school, with my new treasures in my hand, and I put the necklace on, and the pick in my bag, having no idea what I had just received.