FINS

CHAPTER FOUR

I'm swimming underneath the crystal waters of the ocean, my mind is completely blank. I could feel the soft sea floor tickling my stomach. I feel completely free. I look up to see the bright sun above shining through the water. This is home. I find myself thinking. I'm in open waters now, and I feel the isolation. I'm all by myself here. The dark blue of lone waters frightened me beyond belief. A hand grabs me from behind and pulls me down, deeper into the loneliness. I try to scream but salty water fills my mouth. Struggling to break free I thrash my tail wildly. Wait a minute? Tail?

I hit the ground with a dull thud, my face hitting the cool hardwood floor of my bedroom. "Ow." I groan, propping myself up with my elbow I look up at the clock. It's almost noon. I grab some fresh clothes getting ready for a shower. "Good morning sweetie, well if you could call it morning." Mom stands in the doorway, eyes shining and smile bright. "Mornin' mom. Dad at work?" She nodded, heaving a little sigh. Dad's the towns only veterinarian and is busy most days of the week and mom worked from home. "Julius Love called him about his great dane Buddha and her puppies."

"Puppies?" I squeak. "Lets go see them! Please mom!"

"Of course Sol. I need to bring your dad lunch anyway." I can't contain my squeal of joy as I jump to my feet and run to the bathroom.

"Give me fifteen minutes!" I turn on the water, stripping off Vedas clothes. I brushed my teeth while waiting for the water to heat to near boiling. Humming to myself I hoped in the tub. Puppies, Puppies, I'm going to see some puppies. Dogs had to be the best animals to ever exist. Loyal, strong protectors. They reminded me of wolves. Filling my hands with green apple shampoo I ran my soapy fingers through my hair. I washed and conditioned my hair letting the lather soften the fiery locks. I bent over to shave my legs when I noticed a slight discoloration of my legs. My skin had a bluish green tint and felt slimy to the touch. What's going on? I looked at my hands to see small scales. I couldn't hold back my scream, I slipped, crashing down into the tub. My head slammed into the shower handle with a loud smack. I heard my mom rush the door, rattling the doorknob.

"Sol? Honey?" My mind was a clouded fog as I struggled to stand. "I'm good." I moaned weakly. "Just slipped." Rubbing my head tenderly, I reached for a towel. I dried myself off and wrapped the towel under my arms. I took another look at my legs to see that they were their regular pale selves. What the hell was going on here? Whatever it was, it had something to do with water.

"Sol! If you don't hurry up I'm leaving you." I hastily got dressed, wearing a white lace skirt that flowed down to my knees and navy blue blouse. I pulled my soaking hair into a bun, not bothering to brush it. Slipping on some black flats I ran down the stairs. "Ready." I puffed, struggling to catch my breath, my mom laughed lightly. "You've had quite a morning haven't you?"I grinned letting out a breath. "Let's go." She grabbed her purse and we headed out the door.

Julius Love was the richest man in town and owned the largest and biggest home in Daylight Falls with his daughter. He was a renowned bachelor and his daughter a rumored cultist. As we pulled into his driveway I was nearly to the moon. My eyes sparkled with excitement. I nearly bolted to the front door but quickly regained my composure. Mom knocked on the big double doors and after a few moments the creaked open. Kari Love stood over us. She was one of the few girls at are school that was taller than me, and along with her everyday heels she towered over six feet. Red colored contact eyes glared at me. Kari flipped her multicolored hair and snorted. "What are you doing here?" She snorted. My mom smiled politely. "I'm here to drop off lunch for my husband, and Sol just wanted to see the puppies."

Kari snickered. "You're such a kid." She turned her head sharply. "This way." I glared daggers into her back, how dare she? We're the same age for goodness sakes. She led us into the study where my father and Julius Love were currently talking sports. Or rather my dad was talking sports while Mr. Love was trying not to roll his eyes."I admit Johnny Forns is a great quarterback but I don't think he's broad enough for the position." Julius took a swig from a silver flask. "Uh Huh."I tensed at the mention of Johnny, the memory of his wet tongue still fresh in my mind. Him kissing me had to be the most disgusting thing I'd ever experienced. Julius's white and black spotted great dane Buddha padded up to me, sniffing my hand. "Hey girl. How you doing?" I rubbed her head affectionately. She was swollen with milk. "Come on girl. Show me your pups." She led me outside into their gigantic backyard. A marble fountain sat in the middle of a red rose garden. At the center of the fountain was a mermaid statue. The stone was carved to look like she was underwater, her hair floating weightless above her. It was mesmerizing. Buddha wandered off somewhere leaving me with my own thoughts.

I climbed over the roses onto the edge of the fountain. Wrapping my arms around my legs I buried my head into my knees. Going over the events of what happened this morning in the shower. As soon as my legs touched water they became scaly. My head snapped up, looking at the pool of water inside the fountain. I slowly took off my shoes, my heart thumping in my chest. I inched my feet closer to the running water. A loud whimper of pain irrupted from the bushes. I pulled my feet back and crawled over the roses. Tangled in the flowers was a small Buddha. It whined loudly, crying out in pain. "Hold on puppy!" I scrambled to it, yanking on the stems. "Ouch" I winced, the thorns digging into my skin. The dogs whining died down as it wiggled out of the bush. I look at my palms to see blood dripping from them. I placed my hands in the fountain, washing away the blood.

The small animal nudged me with his head, tail wagging with gratitude. Going on my knees I picked him up. "Aren't you the cutest little thing?" I hugged him to my chest, he's just adorable. He looked up me, I couldn't help but notice two different colored retinas, one blue and one brown. I was soon bombarded with dozens of tiny paws, knocking me over. Little wet noses pressed against my bare flesh, giving me goose bumps. I giggled petting the five puppies. Among them was three black girls, a spotted girl, and my boy. He was currently nipping at my nose, begging for attention. Give me a break. I picked him up gently, he snuggled into my chest, happily resting.

"Having fun?"

I spun around, finding Julius Love leaning against a tree, his green eyes flashed playfully. "Oh!...Um...Yes Mr. Love I am." My boy pressed closer to me, whimpering slightly at my lack of attention.I patted his head lovingly, in puppy bliss. "He's loyal to you now." Julius smiled, taking a step closer to me. "Huh?" A gust of wind rushed by, sending shivers down my spine. "He belongs to you now." He announced suddenly. "What? But, I couldn't!" My parents wouldn't let me have a goldfish, let alone a dog. "Yes he's yours. Go on take him. I don't have any use for him anyways." I looked down at the dozing fur ball in my arms. "Are you sure Mr. Love?"

"Of course I'm sure." He began to head back inside. "Oh and Sol?" He turned his head to me, hair flowing in the wind. "Call me Julius."

He soon disappeared into the house leaving me shell shocked. A puppy? I got a puppy? I spun around happily, squeezing the little doggy in my arms. I have to think for a name for him. I look at his sleeping face, his nose twitched slightly. Max? No, too generic. Diesel? No, only douche bags name their dogs after gas. I pondered this for a good couple of minutes. Parker? I shook my head furiously. What was I thinking? I guess you're just going to have to be Nameless for now. Wait a minute...Parker! I sprinted inside the house. Mom and dad were eating lunch together with Julius and Kari. They all had serious looks on their faces and seemed to be in a deep discussion. However, I was in to much of a hurry to notice. "Mom! I need the car!" How could I forget? He'd wanted me to come over today. "Uh, sure honey I was planning on staying with your dad anyway." Se handed me the keys and I bolted to my moms bright yellow beetle, setting Nameless in the passenger seat. Oh God, he's going to be so mad at me. I couldn't help but think as I raced to Kats.