The Turned

by Tracy Kiser

  Daniel jerked. He had been busy thinking out loud and hadn’t expected Sarah to interrupt. He stared up at her with wide eyes searching for the spark that had ignited this outburst.

  “What?” Daniel echoed.

  “You can’t take me home,” Sarah said firmly, her cheeks flushed crimson streaked with fallen tears.

  “Then where should I take you? Did you want to stay at my house until I get back?” Daniel offered sincerely.

  “I’m going with you,” Sarah stated simply, counting her breaths to make sure she still could.

  Daniel let out an awkward laugh. “No, you’re not.”

  “Yes I am,” she challenged.

  “Sarah, you can’t. You can’t come.” Daniel replied, shaking his head. Had Sarah ever been on a sailboat in her life? He couldn’t remember.

  “Why not?” Anger had overtaken Sarah’s voice and Daniel saw her shoulders shaking.

  “You’ll be safer if you stay here.” Daniel crossed his arms over his chest, staring down Sarah.

  “Daniel,” she looked him straight in the eyes. “I am not staying here waiting to see if my daughter will make it back alive. I’ve been the worried wife sitting at home twiddling her thumbs, and I am never, never,” she emphasized, “going to do that again. My daughter is out in the middle of the ocean. Damn anyone who tries to stop me from helping her.”

  “But, Sarah…” he struggled with words, attempting to reason with her.

  “No, Daniel. You don’t have a say in this. I am coming with you. There is no way in hell I’m staying here, helpless and worried sick. So let’s go get your supplies and be on our way. We’re wasting time.” She turned to climb up the ladder to the top deck of his sailboat.

  Daniel stared at Sarah, watching her move. He couldn’t believe what she had just said to him. He nodded his head and they moved from the boat to the dock, rushing to his truck. Sarah followed him closely, proud of herself for making Daniel understand. She had already sat idly by while her husband was gone and he had never come back. Sarah couldn’t do the same to Lana.

  * *

  Lana was dreaming. She lay in a cave lit by glowing jellyfish. Her entire body was sore, like she’d run ten miles. It felt like she had growing pains all over again. She tried to move her hands but they were stiff. It felt as if her fingers were glued together. Lana focused on wiggling her toes but they felt the same as her hands.

  Her eyes adjusted to the dim light. Directly in front of her sat a boy, a beautiful boy. A kind of boy that she had never seen before. Lana’s eyes looked over the boy’s whole body. He had bright red hair and piercing green eyes. His skin was pale with dry patches in random areas. The patches made his skin look like scales. Despite this one abnormality, this boy was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Lana inhaled deeply, feeling liquid flow through her nose. It tickled, causing her to scrunch her nose in reflex.

  Lana felt drawn to this young man as she watched him shift his body. The muscles in his chest were firm, slightly moving with the shift. When the light from the glowing jellyfish reflected off of his skin, the color changed to various shades of blue and green. Lana’s eyes widened with amazement.

  “Who are you?” Lana asked. Her voice came out weak and hoarse. The words stung her throat. She swallowed tasting the salt in the ocean air.

  “I’m Merric.” The sweet melodic voice rushed over Lana’s body. Chills danced over every inch of her skin. “Try to save your strength, you’ve been asleep for some time,” Lana heard the beautiful red headed boy say.

  “Where am I?” She managed to whisper. Lana looked around the cave and was reminded of a photograph of an underwater ocean scene. Underwater…

  “You’re in my home. I couldn’t just leave you out there to die. I figured this would be the safest place for you right now.”

  Lana’s body jerked and everything came flooding back into her memory. Aiden. The boat. The blue lights. Falling. The feeling of water flowing into her lungs. Drowning. Lana held her hands out in front of face. Her hand shimmered silver. The spaces between her fingers had been replaced with rubbery webbing. The promise ring that Aiden had given her had become a part of her hand. Lana’s breathing became difficult. Then she realized that she wasn’t breathing.

  “Oh my God, I’m dead. I’m dead.” Lana muttered over and over. “I’m dead. I fell off of the boat and drowned. I’m dead.”

  The young man, Merric, started to move closer to her. She watched him. His legs moved together and seem to connect. His feet spread out like a fan. Lana felt herself going insane. The boy’s legs had just become one large fin. Merric swam to Lana.

  “What the hell is going on? I’m dreaming aren’t I?” Lana began yelling. “Wake me up! Wake me up!” She tried to pinch her skin. She noticed the scales on her arm. The same patchiness that adorned the boy’s body.

  “You are awake,” his sweet voice whispered.

  “No! This is just a dream. I’m dreaming. You…you…it can’t be. This is crazy.” Tears welled up in Lana’s eyes. She pinched her arm again, harder, but she didn’t wake up. The scales on her arm frightened her.

  “This is not a dream. This is the only way you could live. I told you that I couldn’t just let you die.” Merric reached out for Lana.

  Slapping his webbed hand away, she tried to move, but didn’t get very far. Her legs were just like the young man’s. When the light from the jellyfish reflected off of her body, the scales shimmered blue and purple.

  Lana stared at her body. Everything was different. Merric moved toward her to try to help but she closed her eyes and let out a high-pitched scream.

  * *

  “Calm down,” Merric whispered. “Shhhh.”

  “You want me to calm down? I look like a fish and you say calm down,” Lana yelled. She tried to move but her legs wouldn’t do what she wanted them to. Lana rolled through the water.

  “It’s going to take a little bit to get used to your fins,” Merric chuckled at Lana’s attempt.

  “I don’t want to get used to it. I want to go home. Fix it now, turn me back.” She pointed at her legs as if he didn’t know what she was talking about. Panic had filled her completely. What the hell had happened to her?

  “I can’t.” Merric admitted sheepishly.

  “What do you mean you can’t? I’m stuck looking like a freaking fish?” Her arms rose and her hands balled into fists.

  “You do not look like a fish. You look like one of us. Beautiful.” The boy named Merric corrected.

  “And who exactly are you?” Lana questioned. She was beginning to worry that she wasn’t dreaming and that this beautiful creature in front of her was telling the truth.

  “We’re merpeople. People of the sea.” He gestured as if to emphasize his point with the cave dwelling and the water surrounding them.

  “You cannot be serious. This has to be a dream or else I’m clinically insane. Or in a coma. Or dead. But not a merperson. There is no way.” Lana shut her eyes tightly and shook her head back and forth. Images of what had happened on the boat and after she fell flashed like a slide show behind her eyelids.

  “Of course, I’m being serious. Why would I lie to you?”

  “What did you say your name was?” Lana asked in a whisper. Her sore throat ached from all of her yelling.

  “I was named Merric. What do people call you?” He inquired, slowly inching closer to her.

  “Lana.”

  The two sat staring at each other for a few brief moments. Lana’s eyes lowered to re-examine her body. She realized that she was naked and then she realized so was he.

  “Please, Merric, change me back. Where are my clothes? If what you’re saying is true then you have to turn me back. I can’t be this…this…creature swimming around naked,” Lana pleaded. She felt the tears escape her eyes, but didn’t feel them flow down her cheeks. They had fused with the ocean, becoming a part of the world around her.

  “Lana, I can’t. Your blood has already started changing. The
re’s no way to reverse the process until it’s completely finished. And merpeople don’t wear clothing. It slows us down when we’re swimming. No need to feel embarrassed. You’re beautiful, Lana.” His eyes swept over her and a smile crossed his face.

  Lana stared into Merric’s deep green eyes. “My blood? What did you do to me?” Merric flinched at the words, she sounded horrified.

  “I kissed you.”

  “Uh, what? You kissed me? While I was drowning?”

  “Yes. It’s forbidden in our region but I could see that you were drowning. It was either let you die or make you one of us. I didn’t have the heart for the first option.”

  “So by kissing me you turned me into a freaking mermaid?” The anger she felt overcame her. “I can’t believe this. This is impossible. Mermaids don’t exist. You don’t exist. It’s a myth. And now you’re telling me that I’m a mermaid? A character out of some Roman or Greek fairy tale? No. No. No.” Lana shook her head to add the emphasis, not wanting to believe anything that Merric was saying. “I can’t do this. I have to find my father. I can’t be stuck looking like a mermaid. I’ve gotta’ get out of here.” Lana moved toward an opening in the cave.

  “No! Wait! You can’t go out there!” Merric shouted.

  “And why not?” Lana shouted back, her throat straining.

  “Because they’ll kill you…”

  Lana froze. “Who will kill me?” The panic returned in one swift swing. This had just gotten much more dangerous and Lana didn’t want to be a part of it. This was too much for one adventure.

  “The High Order. I told you what I did to save your life was forbidden. If they ever found out they’d kill you and maybe me too. You can’t leave until the changing process is complete or if everyone’s asleep. But, in that case, you’ll require my guidance.”

  Lana was frightened. She moved away from the opening. “How long does this process take?”

  “Studies have shown two weeks to be the average.”

  “Studies? Are you kidding me?” Lana couldn’t handle this. It was too much to take in at one time. “And two weeks? You cannot be serious,” she echoed her earlier words. “This is ridiculous. I don’t have time for this. I’m trying to find my father. How could you do this to me?” She yelled again.

  Merric felt her words pierce his heart. “Shouldn’t you be grateful?” He whispered. “I save your life and you don’t even say thank you. Maybe I should have just let you die. You aren’t the one, are you? Would that have been better for you?”

  Lana shut her mouth before she said something that she knew she would regret. This beautiful creature did save her life. Even if by doing so he had turned her into a funny looking fish person.

  “No…” Lana whispered. “You’re right. Thank you for saving my life. I’m just kind of freaking out right now. Well, more than kind of. I’m really freaking out right now. I never knew any of this was possible. I just took it as fairy tales, like everyone else.”

  “I know,” Merric consoled Lana. “It’s only two weeks. Then we can help you find a human to change you back. But I have to ask you, why are you looking for your father here in the Triangle.” He wondered again if she was the one.

  “He’s a sailor. He was lost and his logbooks all tell me that he was coming here before he disappeared. I’m thinking that he’s on an uncharted island or something.”

  He smiled at her words. “If anyone knows their way around here, it’s me. While we’re waiting for the process to finish we can check out the islands and see if we can find your dad. Then when we turn you back to a human, you can go get him.” Merric’s chest filled with guilt, but he had to take heed to what his mother had told him.

  “Thank you, Merric. For everything.”

  “You’re welcome. Now let’s see if we can get you to swim like a merperson, instead of like a human. It’ll make everything a whole lot easier.”

  Chapter 17

  Aiden continued to search the water for Lana. He had lost track of time completely, without his watch and the sun, he wouldn’t know day from night. The feeling of hopelessness surrounded him, but he refused to stop looking. He was determined to find Lana.

  Aiden’s eyes were twitching. He knew he hadn’t slept soundly since Lana fell overboard. He was exhausted. Slowly, his muscles had started aching. A break from searching was direly needed. Aiden shook his head. He didn’t want to take a break for fear of her coming to the surface and finding the boat while he was asleep. What if she couldn’t pull herself up onto the boat? What if she screamed for him and he didn’t wake up? What if she exhausted herself and drowned while trying to climb aboard? He couldn’t take those chances. Aiden knew he had to stay awake but it was harder than ever.

  Toward the front of the sailboat were built-in benches for storage. Aiden sat down, promising himself it was only for a moment so he could rest his legs, his eyes never leaving the water. He prayed that Daniel would be there soon, but how quickly could they get there when it had taken him and Lana five days? Before he knew it he had fallen asleep, dreaming that he was still searching for any sign of Lana. The screams of help echoed in his tired subconscious.

  * *

  “There you go,” Merric told Lana. “You’re getting the hang of it. Just squeeze your legs together and the friction will let you use both legs as one fin.” Merric acted out what he was saying so that Lana could grasp the concept.

  “Like this?” Lana asked, following his directions. She imitated each movement perfectly.

  The ocean was quiet. The moment had become a sort of fairy tale dream to Lana. She and Merric were the only two people in the world as she learned to swim with her new fins. If Lana really was a merperson, and not just dreaming, then she needed to learn everything Merric had to teach. It was the only way to get back to finding her father. Merric had said that everyone in the city was asleep which allowed them to practice Lana’s swimming techniques. The more practice, the less that Lana would stick out if she should ever be seen by a real merperson.

  “Perfect. Now spread your bottom fins out. They’ll expand and make it easier for you to swim. You won’t have to flip your fin as much.” Merric again demonstrated the directions he gave.

  Lana followed the instructions that Merric gave her perfectly each time and after about two hours, she was swimming like a pro. It began to seem natural to Lana.

  “I’m doing it!” Lana shouted in joy. “Now let’s go try to find where my dad would be.” She was so excited to explore the rest of the ocean. Only God knew where her dad would be and Merric would help her. She looked out past the city of merpeople and dreamed of seeing her father’s tan face.

  “It’s almost wake time, Lana. You can’t go any further until the next sleep time.” Merric replied, his voice full of regret. He knew how much it meant to Lana to find her father. She had told him everything from receiving the logbook to the storm that knocked her from the boat. The guilt held him with a vice grip, but he knew that she was so newly turned that the merpeople would realize what he had done right away.

  “You were serious about the whole ‘killing us’ thing, weren’t you?” Lana asked.

  “Absolutely. So we’re going to have to wait. Besides, you probably need something to eat. You’re body needs nourishment for the change.”

  “Actually, I am starving. I didn’t even think about it, but you’re right. So what do we eat?” Lana brought up her arms in a shrug and looked around the cave that they had been staying in since Lana had been changed. She momentarily questioned her sanity. Was this even really happening? What if she really was in a coma somewhere… or dead? She didn’t feel dead. Her body felt more alive than ever. Lana struggled to accept that she had been turned into a merperson. That just didn’t freaking happen…

  “I have some left over squid that I caught a couple of days ago. It’s delicious with seaweed wrapped around it, if you want some,” Merric offered, pointing to a small bowl made of coral that had seaweed fastened to the side and layered over the
top to keep the contents from spilling out.

  “What?” Lana was appalled. “That sounds disgusting.” Lana squirmed when she thought of eating even one bite.

  “You have to eat something. Just try it. You need as much strength as you can build to help the process along.”

  “Fine. I guess I’ll give it a chance. I’d much rather have cheeseburgers though. Oh God, now that sounds amazing.”

  “What’s a cheeseburger?” Merric asked. His face exemplified confusion. He stared at Lana waiting for some kind of explanation. How do you explain a cheeseburger to someone who has never seen a cow? Lana wondered.

  “Never mind,” Lana replied. “Squid will have to do,” she said her upper lip curling with revulsion.

  * *

  Lana and Merric swam above the city of merpeople. Lana was in a state of constant amazement. If any of this was actually real, Lana loved it. The city was dimly lit by the glowing jellyfish in net cages. It made the city below look like the night sky above with thousands of twinkling stars.

  The houses and buildings were constructed out of seashells, coral, and stone. They reminded Lana of igloos. The layout of the city was unbelievable. It looked like a circle inside of larger circles as the city moved away from the center. It reminded her slightly of a bullseye. She gazed down at the city as Merric swam in front of her.

  The pair was going to visit the closest island to try to find any sign of Lana’s father. Merric had come up with the idea of starting with the closest islands and working their way out. Lana prayed that somehow he would be on the island they were swimming to and that she’d be able to find him. But as soon as the city was out of sight, the water darkened. Lana struggled to see anything around her.

  “How are we supposed to be able to see anything? It’s so dark; I can barely see you and you’re right in front of me.” Lana told Merric, obviously irritated.

  He stopped swimming and faced Lana. Her mouth dropped open. His eyes were glowing. The soft, pale, blue light surprised Lana.

  “I forgot that humans don’t have very good night vision.”