The forgotten secret

The sea called to her. Every curling wave, every grain of sand. The urge was like a constant itch in her bones. Even the lace dress she wore felt like a hindrance. She wanted to run free into the warm water and wash away every care that had been laid on her shoulders like a a brick wall that had built up over time. "Tamina?" the voice cut through her thoughts. She turned round dreamily to be met with the bluest eyes she had ever seen. It took her a moment to focus on the face. A slow smile spread across her face when she recognized Drake, her best friend ever since she learned that boys made better buddies than girls did. They certainly didn't gossip as much. "Hey." she responded as she scooted over on the bench to make room for him. Drake was as tanned as she was fair. In fact, she was always pale no matter how much sun she tried to get. And then there was the matter of her platinum blond hair that sparked the envy of so many girls that they started calling her 'Ghost'. Tamina shook off the negativity and her fingers automatically sought out the turquoise pendant she wore around her neck on a gold chain. Calmness washed through her like a river and she smiled at the sight of a couple of seagulls that were fighting over a fish. The sound of the waves soothed her. And so did Drake's hand on her forearm as he tugged her off the bench and towards the sea. The sea, something about it reminded her of a secret she was supposed to keep. She couldn't go into the sea. A frown creased her forehead as she tried to remember why. But Drake was insistent and she loved the sea anyway, so she went ahead with it. It couldn't be all that important if she couldn't remember it, she consoled herself. The water was warm as she had thought, licking her toes that scrunched through the coarse sand. Drake let go of her as soon as they hit the edge of the water and dived into the oncoming wave with a wild whoop of joy. Tamina enjoyed the feeling of the small waves lapping at her feet as if in welcome. The itch intensified and she stepped deeper into the water, not caring that her dress was getting soaked. The water was a glorious delight against her skin, and she all but leapt under it. But the itch wouldn't go away. She lowered herself into the water and went beneath the surface. The itch disappeared. She tried to stand up again but something was wrong. She couldn't stand. She tried again but she kept floating around in water. She twisted her head backwards and gasped. Then realized with growing terror that she hadn't inhaled water. She was breathing underwater and worse of all, her legs were gone. In their place was a gently swaying tail that was longer than her legs should've been and they were wrapped in light gold and silver scales that shone like pearls. How would Drake respond to this? She couldn't go back to the surface. Suddenly the words of her grandmother rang in her ears. Never go into the sea, they will catch you. And they will kill you like they did to your mother.

~Rei Shiori