Bella's POV.
The water is cool. Not quite as cold as it normally is this time of year, but really warm either. Not that I mind much. I head off to my private sea cave, the one where I became a mermaid six years ago, today. I pull myself over the small rock ledge and slide into the pool. Strangely the water here is rather warm. It's always warm, not matter what the temperature is like. I guess it has something to do with the magic of this place. I rest my chin on the edge of the pool and stare out at the starry sky. I always feel at peace here. I close my eyes and feel myself start to drift off. I really shouldn't fall asleep here, I should get back home before my family notices I've snuck out, but I can't bring myself to do it, not yet anyways. My mind is full today and I need a chance to unwind. I'm worried about moving. This is the longest we've ever stayed in one place. My dad's job forces us to move a lot. It's hard enough keeping my tail a secret, I don't want to have to do that somewhere new, with new people I have to lie too. Not to mention I'll lose this cave. I can't imagine what it would be like not to come here every other day. My dad hasn't said anything about moving, but it's still a nagging worry in the back of my mind. I don't really have any friends here, its kind of hard to have people around when you can't touch water. Too many risk factors. My dad's suggested moving somewhere new, so I can make new friends. I've convinced him that I'm fine, but I don't know how long I will be able to keep that up either. I push the stressful thoughts from my mind. I came here to relax and that's exactly what I intend to do…
I jolt awake as I feel a tremor. The water starts to ripple, and rocks start to shake. It gradually grows worse as the underwater earthquake grows stronger. Soon the whole cave is shaking, and the ocean is roiling. Boulders start to fall from the cave ceiling, they land in the ocean, on the cave floor and some fall into the pool. I feel a sharp pain in my fin and a cry of pain tears from my throat. Then just as suddenly as it came on, everything goes still. As the dust settles I look around. Lots of rocks have come loose, piling around the entrance, making it hard to even see the ocean outside.
"Great those will take forever to move" I mutter to myself, miserably. I go to start moving some of the rocks and find myself incapable of moving. I look behind me to see my fin pinned to the floor of the pool. Seeing it makes me aware of the dull throbbing in my tail. Some of the boulders must have fallen on my tail during the earthquake, and they've now effectively trapped me in the cave…
Okay, really short and dull chapter, but I'll try to make the next one longer and better. This was rolling around in my head driving me nuts, so I thought I'd write it. I'm working on the next chapter of a fish out of water as well, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to update right away. Going through a stressful patch at school, so I won't be have as much time to write, with mid-term reports coming up and whatnot. But I promise to try and update as soon as I can. Don't forget to review, if you want of course, but your comments are helpful, inspirational, and very appreciated, thanks. ;)
-Mermaid