Hey lovelies! I have no excuses to make for how long it's been since I've updated. But thanks to all those who have reviewed, commented and followed along. It means the world to me. And now, we continue.
Cody's parents sat with him on his bed. His legs lay stretched out before him, uncooperative in their movements. Mr. Wheatly had left over an hour ago, assuring Cody he'd talk to Jess. It wasn't like the young merman had planned for any of this to happen.
Now, after talking to his parents, he knew he would have made the same choice over and over again. He was a merman and that's how he'd reacted. Maybe not shattering the lights, but definitely diving into the water.
"Try your current again." His dad watched his son, uncertain what to do.
Nodding, Cody put his hands together one more time, his parents bracing him as he gritted his teeth. He felt a little strength return to his legs, but then he was drained and fell back against his pillow. After taking a breather, he tried to bend his knees and ankles and felt them respond a little better.
"Get some rest." Mrs. Griffith ran a gentle hand through his sandy blonde hair. She noticed once more how long it was getting. She'd have to remember to cut it tomorrow.
'Thanks,' Cody thought. The tiredness he felt in his limbs seeped into his thoughts. 'For everything.' His dad helped him slide under his covers and then they let him be.
In the morning, Sean sat at his breakfast, alone in the large house. His dad had left for work an hour ago, as usual. This had been their routine since he was twelve and his mom had left them. His toast was long cold, but he didn't care. He was too consumed with his thoughts to be thinking about much else.
There was something freaky going on with Cody. He didn't believe for a second the story of him suffering a head injury and then suddenly becoming mute. He'd looked it up on his dad's laptop. The research behind it seemed unfounded.
Despite his popular jock status, Sean was clever and usually achieved good grades. Cody had always been the one in their rivalry who had struggled. Now he was more behind than usual. Sean could only guess that if his parents had been home schooling him, he would at least be somewhat caught up.
That was the other thing that seemed off. If Cody had been home schooled, Sean would have at least seen him around town. Even though Cody lived out on the island, he would have gone to the mainland once in a while and Sean would have seen him. Or he would have at least heard more about him from Sam. Instead it was as if he'd just disappeared. He remembered asking Sam once, and she'd said he was around somewhere. Sounded like a complete evasion to him.
He shoveled another mouthful of cereal into his mouth, his toast officially abandoned. He'd seen the three of them swimming at Sam's house earlier that month. The way Cody could hold his breath, and swim so quickly – something about him seemed so different – and off. And what exactly happened at the pier yesterday? One minute he had him cornered for answers, and the next lights were exploding and Cody was gone. To where, Sean had no idea. He glanced towards the kitchen countertop where his former friend's backpack slumped in a heap. At least he had collateral. It stood to reason that Cody would come looking for it. He wanted to track him down first; maintain the upper hand. That was probably the only way he was going to get real answers.
He had riffled through the bag when he had first picked it up and taken it home. The tablet Cody always used in class was in there, easy to unlock without a password. He wasn't too sure if he was going to give it back. If he didn't it would force Cody to talk to him - prove that he really wasn't mute. If he just got him worked up enough, the guy was bound to slip up, he was sure of it.
Sean smiled around another soggy spoonful of raisin bran. Yes, this was going to be interesting.
Morning light filtered through Cody's lighthouse window, making lines across him and the floor as it winked around the half-drawn blinds. He squinted into the warm brightness, his head pounding in time with his rapid heartbeat. He'd had another, horrible nightmare. This time he'd been tangled in a net and Jess was telling him he should have been more careful. Needless to say, he had tossed in bed all night, uncomfortable and itchy. He was exhausted and had absolutely no intention of getting out of bed anytime soon.
Unfortunately, licking his dry, cracked lips he realized just how thirsty he was. A sudden, harsh cough clawed up his throat and he turned onto his side, his lungs heaving. He tried to sit up as the cough momentarily subsided, but he couldn't get purchase with his legs or feet. The coughing continued, more forceful and leaving him breathless. Within seconds his bedroom door flew open and his mom and dad rushed into the room. His coughs must have been loud and painful sounding enough to cause them worry.
Whit, seeing his son struggling, helped him into a sitting position, propping his pillow behind his back. The coughing grew weaker, but refused to subside. Sharon, having rushed into the bathroom, came back with a tall glass of water. Cody downed it in seconds.
'More, please.' Now he was just wheezing, but his throat and lungs still burned.
His mom nodded and then walked out to get a refill. Three glasses later and Cody finally felt like he could properly breathe again. The coughing and wheezing subsided, he pressed back against his headboard, more worn out than when he had gone to bed.
Both Whit and Sharon stood back by the door, watching as he fell into another fitful sleep. A large pitcher of water had been brought up from the kitchen and now sat by the half empty glass on his bedside table. Worry etched both their faces. Hugging his wife to his side, Whit gently rubbed her shoulder, trying to ease their agitation.
"He'll be alright," he whispered into her ear.
Sharon nodded, her arms wrapped around herself. They had to believe that. Yet, she also had to think how this was just another reminder that Cody wasn't really theirs. That he wasn't really here to stay. How much longer were they going to be able to pretend that everything was going to be okay?
It wasn't until late afternoon that Cody woke up again. His throat was still incredibly dry and he downed another two glasses of water. His headache was a steady throb making its way through his head. He probably could have slept twelve more hours and still woken up sore, groggy and depleted. This sort of exhaustion was nothing he had felt before.
Even though he wanted to turn back over and pull his covers tight around him, he stayed awake. Yesterday had been a huge disaster, and he needed to work on a plan for how to fix it. He realized that Coach and his once teammates would never again fully accept him. This disability of his made him different. No longer was he popular and a star. Now he was just the strange mute kid who could have been something.
He shouldn't have pushed Jess to join the swim team. Jess really just wasn't the competitive type. The more Cody thought on it, the more he realized he might have just been trying to live some of his former glory through his best friend. An apology was in order; one he would deliver later that day.
Determination to get out of bed and get on with his life helped him push himself back into a sitting position. He set the empty glass he had been holding back next to the pitcher, the bathroom calling his name. No wonder, considering how much water he had just drunk. Staring at the bathroom door, it had never felt further away. With a glance down at his covers, he sighed and pulled them back and stared at his legs to assess the damage.
His toes were webbed, as usual. Except… he squinted and peered closer. Each toe was a good half inch longer, his pinky toe even longer than that. The webbing had also, definitely, gotten longer, having grown all the way to the toenails. Scales were scattered along his ankles, silver and blue giving off a slight shimmer as he tried to wiggle his toes. Instead, they bent more like his fin would have.
Everything else about his legs looked normal. Trepidly he bent his legs and sighed with relief when his knees responded. There was a hollow ache in his joints he hadn't felt before, but at least his legs were behaving like legs. For the most part.
Swinging first his right leg then his left over the side of the bed, he tried to stand. Immediately he lost his balance and fell to the carpeted floor with a muffled thump. Instead of a cry of pain, a strangled moan issued from his throat. Clamoring footsteps grew louder, followed quickly by his mom bursting through his bedroom door.
"Cody!" Sharron knelt on the floor next to her son. "Sweetheart, are you alright?"
Laying prone on the floor, rubbing a sore shoulder, Cody elected not to respond. Nothing about this was alright. He struggled into a sitting position, grateful to find purchase with his odd feet. Still feeling weak, he propped himself up against his bed, letting his head sink against his mattress as he closed his eyes.
"Cody?" His mom's voice was soft and pleading.
The young merman shook his head. He didn't want to talk. He wanted to be despondent and pretend that none of this was happening.
"Son, please." Sharon scooted next to him, leaning against his bed, and pulled him in close for a hug. Her gentle arm wrapped around his shoulder.
Cody leaned into her, finally opening his eyes and looking at his mom's very normal legs stretched out next to his own. Together they sat, simply mother and son as they leaned on each other for strength. Sharon's heart ached that she couldn't do more for him. Cody's own heart fell. He could only guess how much strain this whole situation was putting on his parents. Neither moved until a doorbell downstairs sounded.
"That's probably Sam. She called earlier to see if she could come over. Do you mind?" Sharon gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze.
Cody sighed and shook his head. 'Not at all.'
Smiling and getting to her feet, Sharon walked out of the room. A moment later Sam was pushing open the door and smiling down at her boyfriend sitting on the floor. He had once again closed his eyes, a small frown on his drawn and tired face.
"Hey you." Sam sat where Mrs. Wheatly had been only a moment before. She rested her head on her boyfriend's shoulder, content to sit in silence.
They probably would have sat there, comfortable in each other's presence, for the rest of the day if Cody hadn't had to use the bathroom so badly. That was the reason he had gotten out of bed in the first place. Nature was calling. Badly.
'Mind helping me up for a minute?' Cody shifted, trying to get his feet under him.
"Sure." Sam stood and held her hands down to him. Heaving, she helped pull him onto his unsteady feet.
Both were surprised to find that he only wobbled a little. His flexible toes weren't as unsupportive as he had suspected. Taking one tentative step forward, then another, he made his way to the bathroom. Each step felt weird and awkward. His toes splayed apart and made a soft 'thwap' on the carpet.
Sam sat on his bed and watched as her boyfriend took careful and measured steps, eventually reaching the bathroom and shutting the door behind him. She had spent a good half hour on the phone with Jess that morning, hearing all of what he knew about yesterday. She had been shocked to learn that Mr. Wheatly had fished Cody out of the ocean. Shortly followed by anger at what Sean had done. She wanted to hear it all from Cody and know what she could do to help. Other than his feet looking a little fishier, he seemed to be more or less okay.
After a few minutes Cody strode back into his room, his gait more confident and his feet looking stronger. What had been almost fins were slowly turning back to how they had been the day before he went for an impromptu swim. His toes were still webbed, but at least they looked and felt more like toes. Whatever affects swimming for so long in the ocean had, they seemed to be going away back to his new state of appearance.
Grateful to return back to his somewhat normal, Cody sat on the bed next to Sam and gave her a tentative smile. 'Thanks for coming over. I'm guessing Jess called you.'
"Of course. He only talked my ear off for a good thirty minutes before I convinced him that I was going to come and get the whole story from you." She grabbed his hand and held it between them. She loved how strong it felt.
'He seemed pretty upset last night. I half expected him to come biking over here and give me an earful first thing this morning.'
"Nah. I told him that, as your girlfriend, it was my job. He can wring you out when I'm done." She smiled that gorgeous ear to to ear grin and Cody couldn't help but smile back.
"So…" she looked down sheepishly. "What did happen yesterday?"
Exhaling and rubbing his free hand through his shaggy hair, Cody thought back. 'Jess and I were leaving from talking to coach. He'd already left to meet up with his dad when Sean and two other guys cornered me.' He paused. 'Sean pushed me and on instinct, or something, I accidently used my electric current on them.' His cheeks flushed. 'I was so angry . . . I just couldn't control it.'
Sam shook her head. "You mean like what you did to Jess when he almost drowned?"
Cody shrugged his shoulders. 'Kind of. Except more intense. When I was away, I learned how to control it so I could stun fish. Since I've been home, it's been hard for me to keep it under check. I've shocked my alarm clock so many times I'm surprised it hasn't been burnt to a crisp.'
"So what did it do to them?" She was curious now.
'I tossed them back about ten feet. Hard. I tried to make it look like I'd just pushed them, but I doubt it felt like that. Then, when I got to the docks and the ferry wasn't there, I panicked. Sean had me cornered and he was drawing attention to me. I sent out a large current that made all the lights burst. Then just jumped into the water and swam off.'
"You did what?" Sam dropped his hand and stood. "How many people saw you?"
The young merman hung his head. 'I have no idea. I was hoping the randomly exploding lights distracted everyone long enough. I did leave my backpack behind though. I need to go back and get it. It has my tablet in it.'
"Cody…" The young brunette was at a loss for words. Now she understood why Jess was so upset. "That wasn't exactly subtle."
Silence fell around them and finally Cody stood and stared at Sam. 'I'm a merman. I have been for almost year. These things… swimming to get out of danger and using my electric current…they've become second nature. I may look human again, but Sam…I'm not."
Frowning and blushing, Sam looked away. Sometimes it was so easy to forget that he had become a completely different person. Yes, he was the same guy. But he also wasn't. Just talking with him was evidence enough.
A soft touch on her shoulder drew her out of her thoughts and she looked up. Her brown eyes met his own gentle hazel eyes. She noticed for the first time how they more green than usual. Was that a part of all his changes?
'Hey. I'm still me, and I'm here.'
Sam nodded. That's right. He had come back. Was it an adjustment for all of them? Definitely. Would they get through this? She was determined that they would. She had watched him swim out of her life once before. She wasn't about to let it happen so easily again. If she had to fight to keep him human, she would.
"You're right. I'm sorry. This is hard for all of us, but most of all you. It's like you are still you, and then you do things and I suddenly remember that you have this whole other side to you that I'm just not used to. I mean, I had just found out about this, and then you left. I had nine months to think about it, but it still seems so unreal sometimes."
Cody laughed, the jovial sound echoing in Sam's mind. 'Trust me. It still seems pretty unreal to me sometimes too. Just the other day I woke up in my bed, confused out of my mind because the usual fish who share my seaweed patch weren't swimming around my head. I've been back for almost two months and I still feel so awkward and out of place.'
Laughing, Sam gave him an amused grin. "We're teenagers. Of course you feel out of place."
Standing as he laughed, Cody pulled Sam to her feet and tugged her down the stairs in search of lunch.
