MY FATE IS IN MY HANDS

Nervous!!!

PHOEBE

I followed Lucas quietly to the dining room, keeping a careful distance behind him.

Even from the back, he looked… unreal.

Broad shoulders, straight posture. Calm and controlled movements. The kind of presence that made people instinctively lower their voices. I kept asking myself the same question over

Am I dreaming?

Men like him don’t just appear in the lives of girls like me.

When we reached the table, we both sat down. I tried not to stare, but it was impossible not to notice how handsome he looked even in simple home clothes. Effortlessly maly and powerful

I lowered my eyes quickly before he could catch me looking.

We began to eat.

The room was quiet except for the soft sound of cutlery against plates. My hands felt slightly unsteady, and I kept telling myself to act normal.

It’s just dinner just calm down

But every time I felt his gaze shift in my direction, my heart skipped.

“Are you cold?” he asked suddenly.

I nearly dropped my fork. “N...no.”

“Then stop shaking.”

I froze.

Was I really that obvious?

I forced my hands to steady, pressing my fingers tighter around the utensils. I couldn’t even enjoy the food properly.

After we finished eating, I stood up quickly.

“I’ll pack the plates,” I said, eager to escape the tension building inside me.

At the exact same time, he stood up too.

“It’s fine”

We both reached forward.

And then we bumped into each other.

I stumbled slightly, and his hand came around my waist to steady me. My breath caught in my throat.

Our faces were suddenly too close but before I could step back, our lips brushed.

It was barely a touch. I felt like my entire body had been struck by lightning.

I froze.

I couldn’t breathe.

His hand was still on my waist. I could feel the warmth of him, the steady strength in his grip.

My heart was pounding so loudly I was sure he could hear it.

“I...I’m sorry!” I blurted out, panicking.

I pulled away too fast.

He reached out, probably to steady me again—but instead his fingers caught the necklace on my neck that i didn't realise I'm wearing, I didn’t even realize it at the time.

I just heard a faint snap.

But I didn’t look back and I ran up the stairs into my room.

I shut the door behind me and leaned against it, pressing my hand to my burning face.

“What is wrong with me?” I whispered.

I touched my lips without thinking.

It was an accident.

Just an accident.

So why did it feel like something more?

Flustered and embarrassed, I hurried into the bathroom. The bathing basin was still filled with water from earlier. Without thinking clearly, I knelt beside it and dipped my hands into the cool water.

I leaned forward slightly, letting more of my skin come into contact with the water.

My breathing slowly steadied.

I closed my eyes, replaying what had just happened and out of frustration, I hit my forehead lightly with my palm.

“Stupid, Phoebe,” I muttered. “Why did you run like that?”

I sighed and shifted slightly and that was when I felt something was… wrong, very wrong

The position of my legs felt different, heavier and strange.

I lowered my gaze.

And then I gasped.

My legs.... they were gone.

In their place was a long, shimmering tail.

Scales glistened under the bathroom light, reflecting faint hues of blue and silver. The tail moved slightly in the water, as if it had a life of its own.

I stared at it, my mind completely blank.

“No… no, no, no…”

My hands trembled as I reached down, touching the smooth scales.

“This can’t be happening now,” I whispered.

My heart pounded wildly as panic surged through me.

My legs had turned into a tail at the wrong time!!

"Knock, knock... are you there miss?"