As Blue As The Ocean!

Chapter Eight

I had the next day off. Though I really wanted to go into work. Gary would not allow me to go into work, because of what happened. I had really odd dreams off and on all night that night. About falling in the water. Getting gills and swimming around in the tank. One other dream I had that night was of me being chained in the tank like the merman. He was really on my mind.

We were connecting to deep levels. But then when we did, he was pushing me away once we had reached those levels. I did not get why. I hoped that one day I was going to be able to find out why. I was hanging out at Kandice house that afternoon I was off work. I planned on swimming in her pool. Normally I sat back drinking a sweet tea because I could not swim. Today I wanted to try something out.

Better to try that out in a pool not in an ocean. That way Kandice was around, and she could save me if I failed this test. I sit there in my chair while Kandice sat on a floaty getting a tan. Could I swim now? Could I breathe under water? What had that merman done to me? Had he given me some powers? Or was it a one-time thing kind of deal?

“You are coming in the water there Elissa?” questions Kandice.

I nod. “Sure, in a moment I will” I tell her.

“Why are you so deep in thought?” she asks me.

“Something bad happened to me yesterday at work” I sigh.

“What happened?” she begs to know.

I could not tell her too much or I would be fired. “I fell in the big tank. I nearly died when I fell in the water. A man saved my life” I admit.

“Wow what worker saved you?” she begs to know. “did Gary save you?” she teases.

“No, he did not save me” I grumble. “anyway, it had me shook up. I could not stop thinking about it”

“No wonder, you nearly died” says Kandice.

I nod. I get up. I am all dressed for a swim in the pool. I glance at the waters edge. I was in the shallow end. So that way I would not die if I were just in the shallow end swimming about. And like I said before Kandice could save me. She was here with me. I was not swimming alone. I take a deep breath. I could do this. Nothing to it.

Easy peasy.

I go to jump in. I startle poor Kandice. “What are you doing Lissa? You can’t swim! s**t!” she exclaims to me.

I am sinking in the water now. Under. Not floating at all. I wince bracing myself for my lungs to explode in pain from being under water. I breathe out. I could breathe under water. I gasp. I feel something caught in my hair near my ear. I reach my hand up to my ear. I find gills. Scaly gills like the merman had. I nearly freak. I was freaking out. I was. He had done something to me!

I can soon swim. I swim all around under the water. Fast. Swift like never before. I go back up to the surface. I am amazed then go back under. I swim and swim. I never could do this before. I felt empowered. I loved feeling this free. Not dreading swimming. Not dreading sinking. I could swim. I swim up to the surface.

“When did you learn how to do that?” exclaims a surprised Kandice.

“I don’t know. I wanted to learn. Then suddenly I can finally swim!” I tell her happily.

“Good for you” she tells me happily. “It is about time” she laughs.

“Can I use your bathroom?” I ask her.

“Go for it. But bring a towel so you do not drip water on my floor” she demands.

I get out of the pool. I grab a towel. Then wrap it around my middle. I go to the bathroom in her house. I go to the mirror. I move my hair past my ears. I gasp. There were the same purple green scales behind my ears that the merman had. What the hell had he done to me? He did this to me when he kissed life into me the other day! He did this!

Was I turning into a merperson? A mermaid??

I had to go talk to the merman as soon as I could.

“Is everything okay in there? You have been in there a long time Lissa” says Kandice outside the bathroom door.

“I will be right there” I answer her nervously.

What had he done to me??

The next day I was heading into work. I made some seaweed for the merman again. I had gathered some up the night before. So, I had it to bring into him. When I get to work, I see signs all over the aquarium. They were getting ready to show off the merman the next day. I could not believe they were going to show him already. He was not ready to be around people. He hated people! I had to talk Gary out of this! This was going to end so badly. I grab Gary when I spot him.

“Hi Elissa, how are you feeling now?” he asks me. “Hope you are better”

“I am much better thank you. Gary that merman is not ready to be around humans. Do you really thing it is wise to get him on display already?” I whisper softly to him.

Gary sighs. “They want him on display. They ordered us to” he warns me. “we have some government officials coming to take a look at him even”

That was not good.

“Gary if the government comes to see the merman, they will take him away. We will never see him again” I warn Gary. “They will dissect him”

“So what? They will find out how merman were made” says Gary. “Maybe we will find out there are more merfolk out there”

“Gary that is not right” I argue with him.

“Just do as your told. Keep your nose out of this Nancy Drew. Be a good little girl or you will get fired. Got it?” Gary warns me sternly.

“Fine” I say. “But I do not like it” I warn him.

“Go feed your new little pet. He won’t eat for us” Gary snaps. “We tried”

I glare at Gary then head to the back where the merman was at. The government was going to find there were more of them. The merman was in danger. How could I free him? We were watched all around here. I knew I had to help him. But how could I be of help to him? I did not have a clue how to do that.

I walk up to the top where I met Kavan. The others leave me with him.

“Hi, I bring food” I call down to him. “you can eat. Or not” I say to him.

Nothing. He was ignoring me again. In one of his moods I guess. His necklace begins to glow.

“So many people want to meet you” I say to him. “They are so impressed with you. I think Gary should let you go. But he won’t listen to me. I tried” I tell the merman.

He suddenly is right beside me. He grabs the food and eats it.

“Thanks for saving me the other day” I ramble on. “I can’t swim”

He says nothing. But he at least was eating. He was so hard to talk to.

“What have you done today?” I make conversation. He sinks back under the water once he was done eating and had nothing more to do with me. “so, we are back to that are we? You are not going to talk to me at all?”

Nothing.

“Can you please tell me what you did to me yesterday? You saved me. When you did something to me, I can now swim when I could not before. I can breathe underwater to” I begin to say. “Tell me please what you did to me?”

I had a right to know what the creature had done to me.

“Why do I have gills like you? How did I get these here?” I demand to know as I show him the gills behind my ears. “How can I get rid of these?” I demand to know. “Answer me” I say sternly to him.

He swims up to me at last. He looks intensely at me. “You always had them” he speaks up. “you never noticed them”

“I would have noticed these” I snap defensively at him. “you some how did this to me!”

“Believe what you want” he mutters. He smirks then floats back down below the waters.

“Please get rid of these!” I demand to him.

“Something wrong here?” Gary asks as he comes in the room with us.

“I was just leaving. He ate” I sigh. “I am done here” I snap.

I get down off the stand. I glance at the merman who was watching me. Why had he done that? How was I going to get rid of these gills? I could not hid them forever. Someone was about to notice them at some point in time? Then what was I going to do?? I was a freak. I was not a merfolk. Or a mermaid. I was a freak. They would be sure to put me on display to if they knew what he had done to me. I knew they would if they could!