Chapter 1
Tonight was the night. Nothing was going to stop me from doing it. Nobody could tell me that it was the wrong thing to do.
Tonight was the full moon. And no one could stop me from turning. No one was going stop the pain. And the reason they weren't stop it was because they didn't know. They don't know what I am.
And they weren't going to find out. Why? Because I didn't want them to know. If I told them, then things would change. But I liked things just the way they were. The way they are. And the way they will be. Until the day, I decide I want to change it. I make the decisions. I make the rules. And everyone follows my rules. They are puppets. And I have the strings. They just don't know it yet. And they weren't going to find out. Not now. Now later. Not EVER.
"Amanda! Come on, you're going to be late for school!" My mom called from downstairs. I hated the way she talked to me. It was disrespectful. Sometimes, I just wanted to choke her and watch as the life drained from her eyes until she fell on the floor unconscious. Ok, yes, it is a little mean, but hey, you haven't met my mom yet.
"All right! I'll be there in a second! Just give me some time!" Like, eight more hours. I wasn't planning on going to school. It would just slow down my process. As in, I couldn't go to school today because I needed to get to the ocean and as far away as possible from any aspect of life or else I would end up at area 51 to be tested for...who knows what, never to be seen again.
Don't get me wrong, I'm allowed to do whatever I want with my...ability. But I just didn't want people to think that I was a freak.
"Amanda! Get down here now!"
"All right! Give me a minute! I'm almost done!"
I turned off my curler and ran down the stairs. I left without saying goodbye and got into my car.
I would probably be yelled at for it later, but who cared?
Stop. I probably sound really self-conceded and bratty right now, didn't I? Yeah, I did. Ok, I'm going to try to explain what I mean.
I'm a mermaid. Now, before you say, 'A mermaid? Really?' Let me explain myself.
When I was about thirteen years old, my grandmother took me out to the ocean and sat down with me. She said, 'Amanda, do you see that water?' I nodded. 'Well, I want you to swim as far out as you can and then wait. Just tread the water and wait.'
At first, it seemed ridiculous. But I felt an unusual pull to the water and did it anyway. When I was out of breath and couldn't swim any more, I stopped. And almost instantly, I started to change.
I could feel my legs burning right off of my body. It was excruciating pain. And then my clothes were ripped from my skin, being replaced with scales. Each scale was a giant sword piercing into my leg one at a time. It was like putting a gallon of salt on a burn. So, when that happens to you on every full moon, then you can get a little cranky.
I turned right and stopped at Don's house.
He was sitting on his front porch and smiled when I pulled up.
"Hey," He said as he leaned in to kiss me. "I thought you said that you weren't going to school today?"
"I'm not. But who else was going to drive you there?"
He smiled and got in the car.
"So," Don said, "Why are you skipping today? Homework? Quiz? Test? Or are you just getting back at your Mom for some reason?"
I smiled and pulled out of his driveway. "I have my reasons for not going to school, and you have yours for going to school. Let's just keep 'em to ourselves, shall we?"
"If I tell you mine will you tell me yours?"
I smiled at him, "Probably not. But you could try."
"Ok. I go to school because I need to get into a good college."
"Then why don't you join the football team? You would get a scholarship and have more time to spend with me."
"I think that that'll give me less time. And besides, I'm pretty sure that the university's would pay to keep me OUT of their school if I joined the football team."
I smiled. "Well then, I'll sign you up tomorrow."
He looked at me, "You did it again."
"Did what?"
"You changed the subject. And I didn't even notice until now."
"Well, I'm just that good." I said.
He smiled, "Oh no, you're going to tell me why you're skipping school today."
I sighed. "Can you just, leave it alone?" I said with an annoyed voice.
"No. Amanda, you can't just keep me out. I want to know why you're always skipping school. Are you seeing someone behind my back?"
"What? No! Of course not! Why would you even think that?"
He looked away. "I don't know. It's just, I don't see you that much. And when you don't come to school, you never tell me where you go."
"Well, I don't want to tell you. Can't I have my secrets?"
"I thought that when we started going out that we weren't going to keep secrets?"
I pulled over to the side of the road and looked at him. "Don, you know that I love you. But there are just some things that I need to handle, ok?"
He nodded, "You aren't dealing drugs or anything like that, are you?"
I laughed, "No."
"Good. Because then I would have to make you regret it." He smiled. "So, can I come with you?"
I put my seat belt back on and said, "No. I have to do this alone."
He sighed and said, "Have to do what alone?"
He never stopped. "A thing."
"Well, that sounds interesting. But why can't I come?"
I smiled and said, "Because I don't want you to. Sometimes, I just need to be alone."
"Well, why can't we be alone together?"
I sighed. "Don, do you really want to come?"
"Yes."
Alright. "OK then. But you can't chicken out, promise?"
"Promise."
Well, it was his choice.