“Come on, Morgan!” I heard shouting and again, another sharp pain. “Breathe! Snap out of it!”
I didn’t want to. I liked being in my dream and I wanted to find Thayde. Then I was slapped across the face. I opened my eyes to see who’d done it.
Tammer. Mom was holding my hand and Tammer was kneeling over me, an angry look on his face. Anger turned to relief when I responded.
“Thank God!” He cried and helped me sit.
“What happened?” Mom asked, wrapping her arms around me in an embrace.
“My legs,” I began and looked down at them. They were fine. I could move them. “They hurt so bad!”
Tammer grabbed a towel and Mom helped dry me off. I felt eerie – lightheaded and groggy. I couldn’t stand and Tammer picked me up. They took me to my room and set me on my massive bed.
“I’m tired,” I said.
Mom curled up with me and pulled the blanket around the both of us. “I know, baby.” She stroked my forehead. “It’s been an overwhelming day. If you want, let’s just go to sleep and put it behind us. Tomorrow will be better.”
I nodded and closed my eyes. I was hoping to find Thayde somewhere in my dreams. Even thinking about him brought an intense reaction to my body; my heart raced and I felt pins and needles. I hadn’t even met him! Where was he? I concentrated on those beautiful deep blue eyes. I was asleep before I knew it.
Chapter Four
Phasing
I didn’t find Thayde in my dreams. I didn’t dream at all. Everything was just black. I don’t like not dreaming. It’s a waste of time, if you ask me. I’d rather fall asleep and be whisked away to another world. Anything would have been better than facing boring old blackness for hours on end.
Groaning, I opened my eyes. A beautiful pink light filtered in through the windows, covering my bed and me in its warmth. I looked down at my legs, which I still feared would feel paralyzed. Instant relief washed over me when I found I could wiggle my toes, but my relief turned to shock. My legs looked weird. They almost shone in the light.
Startled, I sat bolt upright and grabbed my shins. The color of my hands was a stark contrast. My legs were almost iridescent.
A knock on my door made me jump and I pulled the covers over me. Mom peeked into the room and when she saw I was up, she walked in, closing the door behind her. She stood at the door looking at me.
“How are you feeling?” She asked, a bit formally.
“Okay,” I shot back. “Apart from some weird things going on, I think I’m okay.”
She looked uneasy as she moved to the edge of the bed and stood with her hands together.
“Honey, what I have to tell you isn’t going to make any sense at all. You’re not going to believe anything I’m going to say, but I promise you, it’s all true.”
She bit her lip. I didn’t say a thing. She sat down on the bed, facing me.
“Baby,” she began and stopped. “This is so hard. Naira didn’t have to be told, she just knew.” Pulling her braided hair from behind her back, she held it in her hand and ran it through her fingers. “We are much different from other people. You’ve noticed that, I’m sure. All your life, you’ve been able to tell when something wasn’t right or something was about to happen. You’ve also noticed that people seem drawn to you.”
“Yeah, but it’s always sick people or people with problems,” I added.
She nodded and continued. “There’s a reason for that. You have the ability to heal. That’s why they are drawn to you. In some way, they sense you can help them.”
“Ability to heal,” I said. “Like you think I should be a doctor?”
Shrugging, she said, “I think you’d be incredibly good at it, but no, that’s not what I mean.” Pursing her lips, she then spoke quickly. “We are merpeople.”
I grinned and started to laugh, but her face made me stop as quickly as I started. She was serious.
“What? Really funny! You’re joking, right?”
“No, Morgandy. This is no joke. Look at your legs.”
I didn’t have to. I knew what they looked like. That was why I was hiding them.
“Come on,” she pulled the covers back and there they were. She ran her hand over them lightly and smiled. “You’re beginning to change.”
This was all too weird for me. I jumped out of bed, but when my feet hit the floor, the paralyzing pain I’d felt earlier returned, jolting down my legs into my feet.
“What is going on?” I shrieked, crumpling to the floor. Mom was beside me in seconds and helped me sit on the bed.
“Honey, please listen to me.” She knelt before me and felt my shins. “This is completely normal in the phasing.”
“Normal?” I cried in frustration. “You call this normal? This is not normal!” Fear and panic started to grip me. “You’re telling me that we are mermaids? Do you know how ridiculous you sound?”
“Yes.”
“What are you going to tell me next? That there are such things as fairies and leprechauns? Vampires?”
She didn’t answer, but her look said it all: yes there were.
“You’re off your rocker!” I gasped as the pain intensified.
“The angrier you get, the more it will hurt. If you stay calm, it will be much easier to handle.”
“This has to be a reaction from almost drowning or something. Why didn’t you take me to the doctor?” I demanded.
“We had one of our doctors come and check on you when you were asleep. You are just fine and are through the first stage of the phasing.”
I stared blankly at her. Phasing? What was that? She was serious – she really believed this.
“I don’t believe this,” I said.
“I know. That’s why I’m going to have to show you.” Mom stood up and held out her hand. “Please come with me.”
I refused her hand. All this was insane. She walked toward the door. I was afraid the pain would return when I stood, but it didn’t. My legs just throbbed dully. I limped after Mom and when we reached the pool, she pulled off her dress and stood completely naked.
“Mom!” I hissed, embarrassed.
“You’re going to have to see it to believe it, Morgandy.” She sat, closing her eyes. Then, she brought her feet together and dipped her toes into the water. Nothing happened. I rolled my eyes, but then her skin started to change color. It was iridescent like mine and began to shine brightly until all of a sudden, a green light flashed for a second. A green tail had replaced her legs.
In shock, I dropped to my knees, instantly regretting it, as the pain was agonizing. It was impossible, yet there she was, my mom, completely mermaid.
“I don’t believe it!” I whispered.
“I know,” she ran her hand over her lap. “But it’s real and this was the only way I could get you to believe. There are three phases. First, the pain. Second, the skin change. Third, your tail will develop. The length of time varies for each person, but sometimes a great trauma can speed it up.”
I didn’t know what to say. I just gaped at her tail. It was a beautiful deep green and when she moved, the sunlight reflected off her scales. She watched me stare at it.
“You want to feel it?” she asked, hopefully. What else was I supposed to do? I didn’t know what I was doing. I was surprised I remembered how to breathe.
Inching forward until I sat next to her, I hesitantly held out my hand. She took it in hers and kissed it.
“You’re going to be just fine, baby,” she said and let go. I felt the scales with my index finger. They were smooth and soft and gave way under my touch.
“I think I’m dreaming,” I said, pulling back.
“No, you’re not.” Tammer was walking toward us. “This is very real.” He bent down and kissed Mom.
“So you’re one, too?” I asked, almost daringly. He looked at Mom and pulled off his shirt. Diving into the water, there was a short but noticeable flash and when he surfaced, he too had a tail, only his was silver.
He
pulled himself out of the water and sat on the edge of the pool next to Mom.
“This is who we are Morgan. It’s not a fairy tale, it’s real life. This is the secret. The choice to keep it is yours.”
“No one would believe me if I told them.” I said. “Someone would put me in the loony bin.”
Tammer nodded. “Yes, that could happen.”
“I thought mermaids couldn’t be in the water without their tails appearing,” I said, not believing I was actually entertaining the notion this was real. “I’ve seen you in the pool with human legs,” I said to Tammer.
“We don’t have to have a tail,” he explained, grabbing a towel and covering his lap. Instantly, his tail formed back into his legs. I felt myself grow red.
“It’s sort of a setback when you phase.” He laughed. “We usually carry our shorts with us.”
Mom put her arm around his waist. “We can control when we want a tail and when we don’t. This comes with practice.”
What could I say? It was sheer lunacy to believe it, but I’d seen it with my own two eyes. They watched me process what I’d just seen and after a few moments, Mom’s legs reappeared and she pulled on her dress.
“I know it’s going to take some time to get used to the whole idea. We’re here for you, Morgandy, and we will answer any questions you have.”
It was all just too much. I just sat there, aghast. I didn’t know where to turn or what to think – what to believe anymore. I could feel tears begin to form and I became angry. If anything, I was tougher than this! I didn’t need to cry like a child. Mom saw my tears.
“Baby,” she began, but I brushed her off.
“I’m fine,” I lied and stood. Not knowing what to do, I turned and left. I walked down the driveway to the steel gates, punched in the code Mom had given me, and left the mansion, its perfect grounds, the secrets, and all that crap behind me.
I walked. There wasn’t anything else to do. I cried. The tears flowed and there wasn’t anything I could do about them. Finally, I reached the little park next to Geiruna’s seashell shop. I stood at the edge of the boardwalk and watched the tourists play in the sand. Tourists. I was a tourist yesterday. Now, I knew I’d be staying here. Sitting down on a bench, I drew my knees in and cried to myself.
It hadn’t been too long, when I felt someone sit down beside me. I ignored her until I heard her talk.
“You ok? Are you lost?”
I didn’t raise my head to look at her, but I shook my head and managed to mumble something that sounded like, “I’m fine.”
“Right, it really sounds like it.”
That was a bit rude. I looked up and into the smiling face of a very pretty girl. Thick, long red hair hung over her shoulders like a shawl. Her green eyes were full of mischief.
“I’m Tiesa,” she said and held out her hand. “It means truth.”
I shook her hand. “Morgan.”
“Ah! Short for Morgandy. You know what your name means?”
I didn’t have a clue, so I shook my head. She seemed pleased that she could enlighten me.
“It means little one from the sea’s edge. Very nice!”
Oookay.
“So, you’re not lost. But you’re crying like you lost something.” She looked me up and down. “Oh, you’ve lost someone.” Her bouncy attitude changed into one of reverence when I nodded. “I’m sorry. It was someone close to you.”
“My father,” I blurted, surprised I hadn’t covered her with snot.
She nodded and crossed her legs. Clearly she wasn’t leaving any time soon. “I’ve lost a grandfather, but that’s about it. I remember how I felt and I can’t imagine losing my father. I wasn’t too close to Papa – that’s what I called him - but I hear he was a good man. Well, I also heard he was a bit of a poop too, so…” She looked toward the ocean and her eyes narrowed. “Oh geez, here they come.”
I looked where she was looking and didn’t see anything.
“Who’s coming?”
“The Dartmoth’s.”
“Who are they?”
“A bunch of jerks. Watch, I bet they stomp on that kid’s sand castle.”
I squinted, looking this way and that, and then noticed three people swimming toward the shore. They swam quickly, and after a few minutes, were walking in the surf to the beach.
“The tall girl’s Herra. That means Lord and she acts like she’s the Lord. Gavran is the short guy. His name just means Raven.”
Herra was very tall - close to six feet. She had long brown hair and was wringing it out as she walked. The short guy was skinny but lithe. He walked with a limp. The third Dartmoth was the last to leave the water.
“That’s Akin. His name means Brave One and he is brave, I suppose.” She turned to me. “But he’s a jerk. They all are. The only reason people put up with them is because they have money.”
Akin moved gracefully, turning many of the women’s heads on the beach. He was tall, blonde, and muscular. I watched him pull himself out of the ocean, as did everyone else on the beach. He was handsome and he knew it. Striding up the beach, he walked right through the little boy’s sand castle.
“See?” Tiesa turned to me. “Told you.”
The three seemed to move like a pack with Herra on the left, Gavran on the right, and Akin bringing up the rear.
As I watched, Akin and Herra turned their heads at the same time and their gaze fell on me. Herra seemed to sneer and she turned her head quickly away. Akin fixed his gaze on me, and after a few moments, I had to look away. They walked haughtily past us and loaded into a black Hummer. Tires screeching, they pulled away.
“Humph, typical.” Tiesa was not as impressed as I was. “I can’t wait for them to graduate.”
“Graduate?” I asked. They looked old enough to be in college.
“Yeah, they’re seniors this year. They go to the private school here on the island. GSA – it’s short for Gulf Stream Academy.” She smiled. “But what about you? Where do you go?”
“I guess I’ll be going there too. I was living with my Dad in Idaho, but it looks like I’ll be staying here now.”
“Oh good!” She clapped her hands and then seemed to realize the only reason I was here was because of my father’s death. “Sorry,” she apologized. “I go to GSA. What grade are you in?”
“I’ll be a senior.”
Her face fell. “Oh.”
“Why? What grade are you?”
“I’m a junior.”
“What’s wrong?”
“Seniors don’t hang with lower classmen.”
“Really?” I nearly laughed. “That’s stupid.”
Tiesa just looked at me.
“I’ll hang with you,” I added and she smiled brightly.
“Awesome!”
I guess it was. I’d made my first friend.
“Morgan!” A deep voice called.
I instantly knew who it was. Tammer stood behind us. Tiesa blushed. He smiled at her and motioned me to come to him.
“You know him?” Tiesa asked.
“He’s my stepfather,” I said and her eyes nearly popped out her head.
“No! Tammer Riddick is your step-dad?”
“Yeah,” I stood up. “Why? What’s the big deal? ”
“My dad and he are best friends. I hardly see him though because normally they go boating together. Everyone knows him! He’s like the richest guy in this area. And he’s gorgeous!” She whispered the last part to me as she stood.
We walked up to Tammer and he held his hand out to Tiesa. “How are you, Tiesa?” He asked.
“I’m good, thank you. How are you?” She was practically melting before him.
“I’m well. Say hi to David for me.”
“I will.”
Tammer smiled at her and then looked at me. “Are you all right?”
I shrugged. “I guess.”
“Your Mom is worried. I told her I’d bring you home.”
Tiesa turned and gave me a hug. “I’ll ca
ll you!” She said and walked away.
How? I hadn’t given her my number.
“Everyone knows my number,” Tammer said. It was as if he’d read my mind. “She’ll call you tomorrow.”
I dug my toe into the ground. “You know, I don’t feel much like being anywhere but here, Tammer.”
Tammer tilted his head to the side. “I understand, Morgan, but your mother is very worried about you. This may be a small city, but it’s still foreign to you and the last thing anyone would want would be for something to happen to you. Can you understand that?”
He was right. I didn’t want to admit it, but he was right. I was getting hungry, too.
“Look, I know that all this has been dreadful for you. Heaven knows we didn’t want it to be this way. Can you see it from our side? We wanted to explain phasing to you gently, not be forced into it because your legs suddenly changed.” He paused, looking at the ground.
“Your father’s passing has been hard on your mother. She cared a great deal for him. He was a good and kind man and though I only met him once, I knew he was a perfect father for you. It is terrible that he’s gone, but look at what a good job he did helping raise you. At least you have those memories of him. He was a special man.”
I stared at Tammer. Most people weren’t like this. Most adults didn’t go around talking so nicely about their spouses ex. But here he was, practically spouting poetry.
“I didn’t know you’d met him.” I knew that Mom had talked once or twice to Dad about Tammer, but meeting him was something I did not know.
“Once, many years ago.” Tammer seemed sad. I almost felt sorry for him, but I was the one who’d lost him.
“Yeah, well, I’m really sorry all this is so hard on you,” I said sarcastically and instantly regretted it. He looked up at me.
“You’re right,” he said and pulled his keys from his pocket. “I’m sorry I tried to talk to you so soon after his passing. I know you’re angry. Are you ready to go home?”
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