And now, the thrilling continuation of Farley as a merman. Let's see what happens!
Chapter 28: Merman Form
Farley lay still for several minutes staring at his sapphire blue tail. His breath was labored and quick. Everything had changed. Sara had turned him into a merman. Why did she do this to me? I mean… She was moonstruck… But still! Why? What the fuck was she thinking? Farley ran his hand down its length, feeling the rough and slimy scales beneath his fingers.
Pulling himself out of his shock, Farley pulled himself out of the tub slowly, adrenaline pumping. He collapse onto the bathroom floor, his tail unfurling from him. He frantically reached upward, grasping a towel from the rack and pulling it down to where he was lying. He quickly ran it up and down his body, trying to dry himself off.
After a few tense minutes, the last of the water was dried off of Farley's body, and his legs promptly returned to their usual position. The sensation was weird and tingly. He jumped to his feet, breathing heavily. This was too much. He had to talk to someone. Who do I tell about this? What do I do?
Farley quickly put his clothes on, and he headed outside. He needed to clear his head. Maybe a walk would help. This is just a bad dream right? Right? No. This is real. It has to be. Fuck. He paced quickly down the street, forgetting about his surroundings. Too many thoughts invaded his mind, and he could barely thing clearly. Who can I talk to about this? I can't tell Sara, that would kill her to find out what she did to me. Blake's been too secretive, I can't trust him right now. Scratch Mia, Katy, and Mitch as well. Shit. Who do I tell? Shit! Farley nervously kept going through his mind on what he could do. What was he going to do? His life was changed forever. Was it all gonna be ok? Sara enjoyed her tail. But would he?
Without realizing it, he found himself outside of Rikki's Cafe. It dawned on him. One person knew more about this than anything. It was his only chance for answers. Farley entered the Cafe. A young waitress was cleaning behind the counter, so Farley went straight to the office. He thrust open the office door quickly. Zane, having been staring at his computer, jumped in shock when Farley entered. "Farley? What are you doing here? Also, there's a thing called knocking if you didn't know that," Zane spoke up.
Farley entered quickly, locking the door behind him. "Zane… I need to talk to you about something…" Farley said slowly, unsure of how to go about it. "It's…. A big thing…"
Zane turned to Farley. "What's going on? Is it relationship issues with Sara? I've heard about the rocky issues in your group from Mia. I also hear you and Sara are on a break right now. I can try and help. Rikki and I definitely had our moments over the years," Zane chuckled. "Did I tell…"
"Zane please!" Farley interrupted, "Well… This is different Zane. This is much more serious… I guarantee," Farley started to pace back and forth.
Zane scowled. "Why are you coming to talk to me about this? Isn't there someone else in your friend group you could go to?" Zane asked.
"No… You know the most about this… I need your help… I just need a neutral person to help."
"Farley. I have no idea what you're talking about. Quit being coy about it and just tell me what's going on already."
"Ok. Ok. I will explain. I swear." Farley looked and saw a glass of water sitting on Zane's desk. He walked over and swiped it away. It was the only thing Farley could think of doing.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Zane protested.
"Zane, don't freak out. But, this is what's going on." Farley gulped, and he poured the water onto his hand, then promptly sat down on the office couch to avoid falling.
"What was that f-" Zane's voice caught in his throat. A sudden realization came over him. Sure enough, Farley's tail appeared, unfurling its blue length along the floor. Farley looked up at Zane, fear and confusion in his eyes. In that moment, anxiety ripped through Farley, like he had just made a huge mistake. "Farley… What the hell is this? How did this happen? Did you do this to yourself on purpose? Why are you a merman?"
"It happened last night. It was an accident! I swear! Sara caused it when she was moonstruck! I didn't purposefully do this to me!" Farley exclaimed rapidly. "I'm scared shitless about it."
"Tell me. Now. How did this happen?" Zane commanded. "The whole story too. And don't bullshit me."
Farley quickly recapped the past couple weeks with his and Sara's growing rift, and them going on a break. He talked about the night before when moonstruck Sara said she wanted to give him a gift to get them both back together. He finished with the kiss in the Moon Pool and how he ended up this morning as a merman.
Zane had an unmoving and blank look on his face. He studied Farley in his merman form, trying to think of something. Farley began to ramp up his anxiety once again. This was a bad idea. Really bad. He thought.
Eventually Zane spoke. "We have to do something about this," he stated.
"You're telling me," Farley quipped. "What am I going to do?"
"Ok.. At this moment telling your friends is out of the question… At least for now. Soon yes, but especially the fact that Sara caused this makes it somewhat more complicated." Zane reached back and tossed Farley a towel. "Dry yourself off. I'm going to teach you everything I know about this thing."
Farley dried himself off quickly, his legs and clothes returning. He stood up, his heart pounding. Zane got up from his desk as well. "Alright come on, let's go."
Farley followed Zane out into the main Cafe. "Where are we going?" he asked.
"You'll see. Come on," Zane replied, and he led Farley out of the Cafe and down toward the docks. Zane stopped at his boat tied down. He turned to Farley. "Ok. I want you to jump into the water. When your tail appears, stay underwater. Swim straight toward Mako Island. You should have an internal homing mechanism of some kind that'll lead you there no problem. At least, that's what the girls explained to me. But until you get there, stay underwater at all times. You can't afford to be seen. I'll meet you there. Head toward the beach on the far side of the island. We need to stay away from places that Sara, Mia, and Katy might go."
"Are you sure about this? I don't know…" Farley trailed off.
"Don't be scared like a little bitch Farley. You need to learn how to do this now. Either I can push you into the marina, or you can get in yourself. Doesn't matter to me. You've seen the others do this a million times. Just do it already." Zane asserted.
Farley grumbled. He lowered himself onto the dock, then slid into the water, staying under the surface. His tail appeared momentarily, once again. When it did, Farley noticed how immediately calm he felt. It was a feeling like he was meant to be under the water with his tail. It was bizarre. It's like I meant to be here. So… This is how Sara feels in the water. Now I understand. Ok. Let's try this out.
Farley turned outward toward the open ocean. He felt a strange pull in his mind, as if a compass was pointing him in a certain direction. That must be the way toward Mako Island! He tested out a few kicks of his tail, which propelled him quickly through the water. Farley smiled. So this is the joy Sara feels in the water. Wanting to see how fast he could go, he kicked his tail hard in succession, and he flew forward in a jolt.
Farley felt a sheer joy as he shot through the water, heading toward the general direction of Mako Island. He eagerly pushed his limits, increasing speed as he raced toward the Island. It wasn't long before he spotted the upsloping ocean floor, signalling a land mass ahead. Farley noted it and switched direction, heading around the island for the far side.
It barely took a minute for Farley to circle the island, poking his head out of water to spot the beach that Zane had designated. He swam ashore, dragging himself onto the dry ground. He pulled heavily with his strong arms, as his tail was useless on land. When he was clear of the waves and tide, he collapsed backward onto the sand. He needed to get used to this.
What if… I have powers? Farley pondered. I could dry myself much more easier. He racked his brain, thinking back to how the girls activated their powers. He held out his hand over his tail, focusing on his control. He tightened his fist.
Sure enough, steam began to rise off his tail as the water was being boiled away. Farley winced as the heated water stung his scales. But, in no time at all, the water was gone, leaving Farley back in his legs once again. So… I have Mia's power of boiling. That's… new… He stood up, brushing the sand from his clothes. But why would I have that power specifically?
It was a few minutes later when Zane's boat appeared, approaching the beach. Farley waved him down, and Zane steered toward him. Zane stopped the boat, and pulled it up the beach and out of the tide. He approached Farley. "How was the swim?" he asked. "You made it here by the looks of it."
"Yeah. I made it ," Farley replied. "Oh my god Zane, that was so exhilarating! That was one of the greatest experiences of my life! Like, how do the girls ever want to leave the ocean?"
"You're beginning to sound like how Rikki used to talk about it," Zane chuckled. "She always talked about how great it was. But you have to remember. This is a serious thing. Your life will never be the same from now on."
Farley nodded quickly. "There's something else as well," he said. "When I got here, I used Mia's power to dry myself. For some reason I have her power to boil water? I mean… Why would I have her power?"
"That doesn't make sense," Zane added. "You were in the Moon Pool with Sara… I'm not sure if that would mean anything still. But, why would you get Mia's powers? Maybe…" Zane went into his boat, pulling out a bucket which he filled with seawater. He placed it down in from of Farley. "Show me."
Farley held out his hand like I did some minutes before and clenched. The water began to boil lightly at first, then eventually to a violent bubbling. It surprised Farley, and he jumped back. The water returned to normal. Zane pondered. "That's interesting. What if… Try a different hand position. Try to control the water like you're wanting to lift it." he spoke. "There may be more to your powers than we think. And, it's important we check all angles. I've never known a merman, so your powers could be wildly different."
Farley nodded his head. He held out his hand again. This time he changed his hand position and focused on the water rising out of the bucket. To his and Zane's surprise, the water quickly rose out of the bucket in a tentacle shape, snaking into the air. Farley halted the stream of water in the air. It stood there, hanging in the air. Farley thrust his hand left, commanding the water. Sure enough it shot that way with extreme force, landing on the beach many meters away.
"That was awesome!" Farley exclaimed. "I have both Sara's and Mia's powers then!"
Zane nodded. "That appears to be the case. For fun, let's see if you have Katy's freezing power as well. That would mean you have all the powers of the mermaids."
Farley waited as Zane refilled the bucket and brought it back up. Farley readied himself. This time, he thrust out his hand quickly, similar to how he had seen Katy do it before. Sure enough, the water in the bucket cooled and froze, although it took a few seconds and wasn't simultaneous.
Farley lowered his hand as he and Zane stared at the bucket. "Looks like you've got all three of the girls' powers," Zane noted.
"That's insane! I don't even know what to think about it…"
"Here's something I noticed though," Zane added. "Both your boiling and freezing water were slower than what I've seen from Mia and Katy. But, when controlling water, you were able to control it extremely quickly and effectively, and you were able to shoot the water across the beach with ease."
"What does that mean?"
"I'm not sure. Maybe it has to do with the fact that you were in the Moon Pool with Sara at the time when you were changed. Or maybe it has to do with the fact you're closest to her, so your power was increased because of that. I really don't know. Lewis is the mermaid scientist, not me."
Farley stared out over the sea. "What now?" he asked, sitting down onto the sand.
"That's really up to you," Zane replied, taking a seat next to him. "Soon you're going to need to talk to the girls about this whole thing, and how they're not the only mers in the ocean now. Sara needs to know especially. She's probably worried about what she did last night. She deserves the right to know. You'll have to face the three of them eventually either way."
"I just… I need time. There's so much going on right now," Farley stated. "I'm going to need a few days before I will be confident enough to reveal it to them."
"The longer you wait, the hard it'll be," Zane warned.
"Maybe so…"
"One thing I will say. Before you decide to tell them, avoid this area of the ocean as much as you can until you decide to tell the girls. You don't want them spotting you swimming about. That'll only make it worse. It's better to just tell them about it. Trust me, waiting too long will not work out in your favor."
"Understood. I'm glad I have you here as a mentor, Zane," Farley spoke.
"Don't give me too much credit. But still, I'm glad to help you out with this," Zane paused for a moment. "What are you thinking right now?"
"I don't know. A million thoughts are racing through my head right now. Where do I go from here? How do I tell Sara? How do I survive not being able to touch water? I'm also thinking about good things as well, like how much of a rush I felt swimming here. The excitement of having powers. There's just too much to analyze right now," Farley explained.
"Keep at it Farley. I'm on your side. I'm sure Sara, Mia, and Katy will be ok with you as well. It'll all work out in the end."
"Right. Thank you Zane. Now, I'm going to try swimming more if you don't mind," Farley spoke.
Zane smirked, stepping out of Farley's way. "Be my guest!" Farley grinned, standing up and sprinting off toward the ocean. "Be safe!"Zane called behind him, but Farley wasn't listening. He dove beneath the waves as his tail appeared, and he swam toward the deeper water.
The water was incredibly still as Farley rocketed through. He loved the feeling of being free as he swam. The scared feeling he had melted away with each stroke of his powerful tail. He raced in the direction of the mainland. The water was crystal clear around him, and he could easily see all around.
His speed was too fast. Farley failed to notice three objects moving quickly in the water toward him. He saw them just in time to slide to the left, flying in between two of the three fast-moving subjects that roared past him at lightning speed, as he sped past them. Farley tumbled forward, out of control before coming to a stop, dizzy and confused. What was that? Dolphins? Or… Shit… That could've been Sara, Mia, and Katy! But, that's impossible! Farley wasn't going to take any chances. He increased his speed to maximum and fled, hoping that if it was them, he wouldn't be recognized
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Sara, Mia, and Katy were in normal swimming mode, racing toward Mako Island when something rocketed in between Sara and Katy, throwing them spinning away in the wake. The two of them stumbled to a stop underwater, with Mia turning around to get back to them. What in the hell was that? Sara asked telepathically.
Don't look at me! I didn't see what it was. It was moving extremely fast. And, it was large too! Katy replied.
What was it? A dolphin? Shark? Sara questioned.
Neither of those could move that fast! And if it was a shark or dolphin, it would've circled back around. Mia exclaimed.
Ok, whatever it is, let's head to Mako Island right away in case it comes back. Sara put in. The other two agreed, and they all raced away for the Moon Pool. They surfaced up into the cavern, breathless after their accelerated swim. "What… do you think that thing was?" Sara questioned.
"Well… If it wasn't a dolphin or a shark, what could it be?" Katy pondered.
"Could it be… another mermaid?" Mia asked.
"Oh come on. That's impossible," Sara shot out.
"Is it though? Last night was a full moon after all," Katy added.
"Yeah, and who could master swimming that quickly after just one day? That's impossible," Sara retorted.
"We started swimming the day after, so it can't seem that far-fetched," Mia argued. "But still… We don't know enough about it."
"Let's go under the assumption that it wasn't a new mermaid. It would be too crazy to think that someone else would've gotten into the Moon Pool last night…" Sara put in. "The odds of that happening are extremely low."
"I suppose so. Unless we have evidence of that, we'll be worrying about nothing," Katy agreed.
"Ok. So, no new mermaid. Got it," Mia relented. The three of them began to relax. The idea of a new mermaid fading from their minds. It wouldn't be plausible.
"How was the full moon for you all?" Katy asked after a minute.
"Fine for me. No problems whatsoever," Mia chimed in. "Maybe we should do this separate every time. When we all do it together, it all goes to shit in the most spectacular ways."
"Yeah totally. No problems here either!" Sara lied nervously. "But still, I'll be glad when we get to Cleo, Rikki, and Bella's point where we can just resist the pull of the full moon no matter what." Sara gulped. She couldn't tell them about her getting moonstruck the night before. So far, it didn't seem like anything bad had happened. Her father had noted her weird behavior. But, he hadn't been tipped off on anything else. So, Sara wanted to keep it that way.
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Meanwhile, Farley was in a predicament. He got lost among the canals trying to find his way back home. It took him some time, but he eventually found his way back. He was underwater in the canal right behind his house. However, his back dock was too open to dry off completely without the possibility of being seen. He frowned, staring up at his boat bobbing in the water above him. Well, this isn't going to work out too well. For several minutes, he contemplated what he could do.
Farley circled around for a better option. It was then that he looked up to see a small alcove next to a dock. He popped his eyes slightly above the water line. Surprising, he was right outside the back of Sara's house. This must be the spot she uses to dry off.
Farley broke through the surface, crawling up onto the land. He spun around, laying on his back. He rested for a moment on the dry land, tired yet content. He loved the sheer excitement of swimming with his tail. And, he understood what Sara loved so much about it. He lifted up and extended his hand. Steam rolled off his body as he hyper-dried the water using his heat powers.
Within a few minutes, Farley's legs returned and he stood up promptly. I wonder if I'll ever get used to that feeling… Farley stared out over the canal, watching the water. He had a newfound respect for the ocean, considering he was connected to it now. Farley crawled out toward the side yard of Sara's house.
"Farley?" sounded a voice behind him. He jumped skyward in shock and spun around. In his confusion, he lost his footing and slammed forward onto the ground, knocking the wind out of him. After coughing for a few seconds, trying to regain his breath, he looked up to see Sara approach in the canal staring up at him from the alcove he had just left a minute ago.
"Oh hey Sara!" Farley called, carefully pulling himself back to his feet, easing his pained ribs.
"What are you doing here?" Sara asked. "I see you've found my secret spot to dry off."
"I mean I was just coming over to talk to you about things... Had a chat with your parents and they said you weren't here but you'd be back soon… So I just came out here thinking you'd be coming back from Mako… And here you are!" Farley sputtered. He was lying through his teeth, but it was the best he could do. He couldn't tell her he was a merman yet.
"Well, I'm back! Mind if you help me out here?" Sara asked, extending a hand up to Farley. Farley took one glance at her palm, soaked in water. He couldn't do it. He would be exposed immediately.
Farley backed up. "Uh… Sorry… Sara… I can't. I just remembered. I have to help my father with something. I'll text you later!" He sputtered. Farley turned tail and jogged away from Sara, leaving her flabbergasted.
Sara pulled herself up out of the water, shaking her head. What's wrong with him? She pondered. Using her powers, she dried herself. She walked up toward the house, entering in through the back door. She found her parents watching TV on the couch when she came in, enjoying the lazy sunday. "Hey, did you guys notice anything strange about Farley when he came in here?" Sara asked.
Her parents turned toward her. "Farley never came here. I haven't seen him yet today," Karen spoke. Paul nodded as well.
Sara looked puzzled at her parents. "Farley didn't come and ask where I was?"
"No. We haven't seen him at all. What are you talking about? I thought you two were on a break." Paul asked.
Sara froze. Why did Farley lie to her? What was he hiding? "Oh nothing. Thought he came by earlier. Anyway, I'm up to my room!" And, she was upstairs before her parents could respond. As Sara sat on her bed, she pondered why Farley had lied to her. What would cause him to be so secretive? She reached for her phone and called him, only to receive no answer. Ok Farley. I'll play it your way. I'm going to find out what's going with you.
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The next day, Sara was determined. She was going to find out what was going on with Farley. When she saw him the day before, he completely lied to her face. It was a bad lie, but still, what could he have to hide.
Sara peered out her window toward Farley's house. No movement was seen. She wanted to catch him and talk to him on the way to school. It was getting close to class time, and nothing. Sara grabbed her backpack just to be safe. She wanted to wait for Farley, but she wanted to make sure she could make it on time to class.
Then, Sara saw motion at Farley's front door. Sara saw in confusion as Farley shouldered his backpack and burst out the door. He looked cautiously around for a moment before sprinting down the street and out of sight. Sara couldn't even react. She was dumbfounded. He has to be ignoring me now! That's the only thing to explain his behavior.
Sara watched as Farley sprinted off into the distance, far too gone for her to catch up with him. A million questions rattled through Sara's mind but she shook them off. She was going to get to the bottom of it, but slowly.
Instead, she met up with Mia and Katy outside of the school grounds. "Hey, have you noticed anything strange with Farley lately?" Sara asked.
"What do you mean?" Mia replied. "We don't hang out with him enough to notice anything really odd about him, especially after you two went on a break."
"I know, but this feels different. He texted me a few nights ago saying he was thinking about me. Then… I don't know. Yesterday I see him in my backyard for no reason. And he lies straight to my face. Then he tries to avoid my questions and runs away! This morning he sprinted away from his house like he was trying to escape something? I don't know. I think he might be trying to avoid me," Sara explained.
"Like Mia said, you two are on break. I wouldn't worry about it too much," Katy consoled. "If so, who cares?"
"I care. I still really like Farley. I still want to date him, but this is what I have to deal with," Sara added.
"Maybe it was karma for your 'business deal' with Blake," Mia sneered.
"Stop it Mia. I don't want to get into this now," Sara replied sternly.
"Fine. I'm just gonna say, don't let it come back against you," Mia spoke before walking away to her class.
Sara sighed. "Cheer up, Sara," Katy added. "It'll all work itself out."
"I hope so Katy, I really hope so." Sara didn't have any confidence in that though. Farley was purposely trying to avoid her. And it hurt her. She had no idea why Farley would act like it. Only time would tell what was going on.
