Oh my god… Oh my god! I stared down at the water that soaked my leg from the toes to my thigh. This cannot be happening. 10 seconds, I only have 10 seconds to get out of sight.
I looked at the road. There were several cars on the street, and houses on the other side. Not safe here. If I change here, I'll be seen for sure. 8 seconds.
"Miss, are you alright?" someone said. I looked up, a large blond man stood not 15 feet away from me. He started to approach. I have to get out of here. 5 seconds.
I turned to my left, and I saw the river. There was a metal railing on the side of the concrete path. On the other side of that, there was a sheer drop into the Hudson River. If I can get myself into the water before I transform, I should be safe. 3 seconds.
The man was still watching. I don't have time. I grabbed the railing and flung myself over. I could feel my legs fusing the moment I touched the water. I just made it. As I sank down into the river, I looked down. My clothes had been replaced by a coppery gold scale bikini top, and my legs with a large and muscular coppery gold tail.
I almost breathed a sigh of relief, except for the fact that I needed the air I had to get to a safe spot. Using my hands to rotate myself to a downward facing angle, I pumped my tail and dove deeper into the cold water. I felt the fluke of my tail break the surface of the water and I swore under my breath. That man saw me… I just know it.
I brought my arms up in front of me and shot forward like a bullet. I left the river, the bay, and swam into the Atlantic Ocean. Turning down, I slowed to a halt in front of an old sunken boat. Peering through a broken window, I saw that the inside was covered in just as much brown silt as the outside of the boat, and the surrounding ocean floor.
I squeezed through without much effort, and settled myself on the bottom of the boat to rest and come to terms with what had happened. I'd been seen. Sure no one would believe him if he said anything but someone from outside my family knew about me. I felt vulnerable, and terrified. If the street had been empty of pedestrians I'd have chalked the whole thing up as bad luck, but to go walking in the city right after a rain was just stupid. I should have known better.
My eyes stung as I berated myself over and over, putting myself down and forcing myself to the brink of hysterics. Unable to hold my breath any longer, I swam to the surface and started crying. My vision blurred dramatically, and I shook for several minutes until I'd gotten most of the tears out of my system.
As I calmed down, I turned around to get a look at the city from a distance. It looked pretty from afar, glittering skyscrapers forming a beautiful skyline. I felt nauseous just looking at it. Surely I wouldn't see this guy again, there's over a million people in this city right? The chances would be very slim. Don't let a silly mistake make you a shut in? You could never be content with just a bathtub to sit in.
Ducking back under the water, I swam back to the spot where I'd fallen in. There's got to be a ledge somewhere I can dry off on, right? I swam up and down the area near my apartment until I found a secluded spot to hide in.
I dragged myself up and into the damp tunnel and out of sight. Looking around, I lifted up my hand and concentrated on heat. The water around me started to evaporate, steam rising out of the tunnel and away from me. When my surroundings were dry, I turned my attention to myself, evaporating water from my skin and scales. A bubbly sensation tickled my skin and my tail separated into legs.
Staggering to my feet, I found the exit for the tunnel, a small trap door hidden in an alley. I felt like a teenage mutant ninja turtle. Except instead of a turtle I'm a teenage mutant fish girl. Funny how these things happen. I carefully closed the metal plate behind me and wandered out to the sidewalk to figure out where I was. After finding my bearings, I hurried home. I needed a shower or something.
[Steve's P.O.V.]
That was a mermaid. My mind was repeating the same statement over and over. I saw a girl turn into a mermaid. I felt kind of scared, but mostly excited. I walked fast. I didn't bother sticking around to see her surface; I figured she was too smart to return to that exact spot.
I fumbled with my keys trying to unlock the door to my apartment. Hearing the lock click, I hurried inside to the phone. Picking up the receiver, I looked to the piece of paper with a list of essential numbers on it. On the top of the list was Nick Fury. I dialed the numbers with shaking hands, and held the device to my ear. The phone rang only a couple of times before he heard a voice on the other end.
"Captain Rogers! To what do I owe the pleasure?" Fury sounded surprised.
"I know there's a lot I don't know about this 'modern world' but I'm sure I saw something today that's pretty strange, even for this place." I said, anxious about whether or not he would believe me. Fury's been dealing with strange going-on's for much longer than I have, I'm sure he's seen something similar.
"Strange? In New York City? Try me." The director said bluntly, "I'll bet you $10 that it's not that off." I smiled at his statement. This was a bet that I felt I had the advantage in.
"You better get ready to pay up then, sir," I said, "Today, I saw a mermaid in the Hudson River."
[Jacqueline's P.O.V.]
I sank down into the couch, freshly cleaned and back in my pajamas. Grabbing the remote off of the arm of the couch, I turned on the TV and promptly turned the volume down. Flipping through the channels, I settled on the weather channel. Bright and cloudless days ahead. That means I should be safe if I avoid the puddles and gutters. Blowing on the spoonful of peach oatmeal in my hand, I gingerly ate the first bite. I hissed as it burned my tongue, but I was grateful it wasn't worse.
I thought about that blond man I'd encountered on the street, I remembered his face pretty well. He looked like he could have been an actor; he had that sort of face and voice. I wondered whether or not I'd see him again. I knew there was no way he could out me for what I am unless he was smart enough to realize that I changed after I got wet. Even then, what grudge would he have against me to track me down and douse me with water? He seemed polite enough, but looks can be deceiving.
Groaning, I glanced over at the glass of water that was sitting on the coffee table. I reached out and dipped my fingers into the glass. Lifting my hand toward my face, I stared quietly at my hand until bubbles coated my form and left me legless.
I grabbed the bowl of oatmeal and continued eating until I had finished my meal, dried off enough to turn human again and put my bowl in the sink. I couldn't wait for today to be over with.
[Steve's P.O.V.]
"A mermaid? You mean to tell me you saw a mutha fucking MERMAID in New York City!?" Director Fury repeated carefully, as though he might have misheard me.
"Yes, sir." I said, my tone of voice harder than it had been before, "I saw a girl jump into the river. When I looked down to see if she was alright, I saw something that was either her tail, or the biggest and strangest fish I've ever seen."
"Well you've got my 10 bucks," Fury snapped, "I've never heard of any honest to god mermaid sightings, let alone in such a populated area. If you can find this girl again, get a couple pictures of her face. We'll need to do some surveillance to see what she's doing here."
"I'd say she's just trying to live a normal life, sir. At least, as normal as one can get for a mermaid. She seems to young to do any major damage."
"Unless she's a scout. We don't know what we're dealing with here Rogers. Just get me some pictures and we'll find out."
