Meeting Mer

Chandra Suresh stepped out of the taxi and paid the driver. He felt the breeze of the Nantucket coast and could smell the salty ocean. It was a big change for him, being in New York City for so long, living in a small, dark apartment. The sky was clear and blue, a perfect day to go out and fish.

Mr. Suresh wasn't going fishing, nor was he on vacation. He was continuing his research; scoping the world, mostly the United States, to find people with extraordinary abilities. He already discovered a man with telekinesis and a teenage girl who could heal herself. Now he was searching for another unique individual, known as a water manipulator. Searching through the files that he brought with him, he found the young lady who he was looking for. The girl's name was Merissa Andersen from Nantucket, Massachusetts. The only daughter of a fisherman and first mate on the fishing boat, the S.S. Dory.

Suresh walked along the docks, passing many boats, bait shops, fish markets, diners, and other fishermen conversing with one another. Finally, he found a small white boat, on its way to the nearest dock landing, with the name Dory on it. He noticed a middle aged man and a young girl with wavy, brown hair wearing an old shirt, faded blue jeans, and a light brown baseball cap.

There you are, Suresh said to himself. It was indeed Merissa; Suresh even had a picture of her in his file, which he found on a Nantucket website. Once the boat was docked and tied, he waited till the daughter and the father left the boat.

Merissa (or Mer) was the first one to notice Suresh. She figured he was a tourist, since it was late July and many tourist could be found on Nantucket. To Mer, some tourist can be annoying but she figured him to be different. Plus, she noticed he was looking straight at her. So with her father behind her, Mer walked up to this tourist to see what he wanted.

"Can I help you sir?", Mer asked.

"I hope so, Miss Andersen." said Suresh

"If you want to buy fish, we unfortunately don't have any. My dad and I didn't have any luck today."

"I noticed, but that's not why I'm here. My name is Chandra Suresh and I would like to talk to you about your abilities; your water manipulating abilites."

Mer's eyes opened wide with shock and her heart leapt to her throat. The only person who knew about her powers was her father. She became worried and started to think that this Indian man was with the government and that he wanted to do strange experiments with her. Her father was nervous too, she could feel it when he touched her shoulder and started to talk to Suresh himself.

"How do you know about her powers?", Mr. Andersen asked in a whisper, even though no one was around to listen.

"I am a geneticist, Mr. Andersen.", said Suresh, "I'm working on a theory based on evolution. I believe your daughter, and many like her, can help me in my studies."

"Hold on,", said Mer who felt more confident in this man, "There are more like me?"

Soon the three of them found a secluded spot to talk. They all sat on a picnic table by one of the local diners. Mer got herself a water bottle and an empty glass from one of the waitresses. She poured the water in the glass and made sure no one was around to look. The coast was clear, no tourist, no fishermen; just the seagulls and the fish in the ocean. Mer held out her hand over the glass and started to concentrate. Soon the water started to jump a little. Suresh was shocked at what he saw, the water started to move on its own. Now Mer started to make swirling movements using her pointer finger. This made the water swirl around, as if it was a whirl pool or some sort of cyclone. The amazing thing was that she didn't touch the water, nor was her hand anywhere near the liquid. The next trick she did was moving her pointer and motioning the water to come out of the glass. The water went straight out of the glass, like a geyser, and landed in Mer's hand in the shape of an orb.

Mr. Andersen smiled at his talented daughter while Suresh continued to look on in amazement.

"Incredible.", Suresh finally said.

"Thank you, I've been practicing.", Mer said with pride in her voice, "I can also tell when fish are near, have jets of water come out of my hands and fingertips, and I can hold my breath underwater for a long time."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I have small gills on the back of my neck. They're not noticeable but I can feel them whenever I'm in the water." Mer pointed to the back of her neck, a little below her ear lobe, to show where her gills were located.

"She's a modern day mermaid.", Mr. Andersen said with a laugh. His daughter smiled back and blushed a little.

"Yes she is.", said Suresh, "Your abilities are truly amazing Mer. It is people like you that I'm looking for."

"What you mean by that.", said Mer, "What sort of people are we talking about?"

"I've discovered people who could move things with their minds, who can heal quicker and re-grow tissue, and who could fly. I believe this is part of the evolution process that as been changing over the years. I would like to work with you to see how this process came about and maybe change the world and the future."

Mer didn't know what to do. She couldn't believe it; more people with extraordinary powers. It felt like something out of a superhero comic book. She never even dreamed of something like this could happen. Then again, was she ready to show the world how different she was? How would this affect her life and the people she knew? She needed to think about this.

"This is a tough decision, Mr. Suresh,", said Mer, "I'm going to need to think about this, if you don't mind."

"I understand.", said Suresh with a smile, "I have a copy of one of my books here that I hope you get the chance to read. It gives a better understanding of my research and what I'm trying to prove." He handed her a blue and purple colored, textbook sized book with the title "Activating Evolution" on the cover. "My number and my address is in there as well. Once you made a decision, call me."

Mer nodded in agreement and said thank you to the scientist.

Later that night, Mer sat on her bed and started to read the book. She wanted to skip over a few parts to see if her water manipulating powers were mentioned but she also wanted to see other unique abilities that most people might have. It was somewhat dry but she had read drier things in college. Soon there was a knock on the door and Mr. Andersen came in.

"You're reading it already?", he asked with amazement.

"Well it looks interesting.", said Mer as she put down the book to talk to her father, "I just can't believe it, can't you Dad? I mean, more people like me, I thought I was the only one."

"Me too sweetie. This is truly amazing.", the father said and he sat down on his daughter's bed, right beside her. "But I would like to know what you are thinking about. Will you help this man?"

Mer knew this conversation would come. She was glad though that her father was letting her make her own decision; he knew she was old enough too.

"I don't know.", she said, "I would like to meet more people like me and who knows, maybe I can change the world for the better. But I'm worried. I'm worried about what will happen to me if I do help Mr. Suresh. How will that change my world? Will people accept me? Will I ever be the same? There are so many questions but no answers to them."

"You have good judgment Mer,", Mr. Andersen said, "It's good that you are looking at the possibilities and not just jumping in, like some people do. What ever decision you make, I'll always be there for you. I'm proud of who you are and if your mother was here, she would be proud too."

The father and the daughter gave each other a hug. Mer was happy to have a father like hers, she couldn't ask for more. They had a relationship that could never be broken, by anyone or anything.

Over the past few days, Suresh's proposal was the only thing Mer could think of. She tried so hard to come to a decision but she could never find it. If she said yes, she could either help the world or the world would turn on her. If she said no, than she could be missing the opportunity of a lifetime. Mer knew she could trust Suresh, he seemed nice enough and his book wasn't as bad as she thought it would be. And how great would it be to become someone more than the daughter of a fisherman. To be part of something better and extraordinary.

Suresh's number was in the book cover. It was probably a day or two since they've met, she hoped he wasn't too disappointed over the time he had to wait. She dialed the number to his small, dark apartment in New York City and waited for him to answer. She heard his voice and told him her decision and when she should go to New York. What would happen once she was there, only time could tell.