H2O: Twin Tails
Chapter 6
It started out innocently enough. Extra spice within the soup at the dinner the guests stayed for. A pretend chokeing by Emily. Who insists it wasn't pretend sort of. But really who chokes on soup? No one. That's who.
Then it progressively downspiraled into thin but durable rubber bands holding down the spray feature of thier kitchen sink. Into temporary dye on seat cushions. Into a great many things that Emily was both terribly ashamed of, yet awfully proud of.
It was a heady feeling. Victoriously strengthened by Aimee who as co-conspirator and mastermind had everything they needed in a seemingly innocent pocket. When they were sent to thier rooms- without cinnamon soup- Aimee snuck into Emily's window with her backpack full of comfort foods. They snacked on chips of many flavors, made a plethora of foreign do-it-yourself candies, and eventually Aimee snuck out the window to recieve a pizza she'd ordered before coming to Emily's room.
Aimee plucked out her Ipad and they used a robot shaped earphone splitter- which Emily hadn't even known existed- to watch movies in the comfort of thier own headsets. They ended up taking them off though and making up lines wildly inappropriate for the supposed settings.
At midnight they headed into the kitchen, not to raid about for food, but to rather to put food dye in the most appealing foods. At one, when Aimee insisted thier parents were in thier deepest of sleeps, they made muffins with pancake batter. Those they ate.
After that they cleaned up as best as they could. And went up stairs to Emily's room. It was only then, when the morning was still, when the fun was over, did they look at each other in shock. No longer the children they clung to being. The childishness they demonstrated so willingly, justifiably.
They were mermaids. Merfolk. Fish people. Sirens.
"You know what the first thing we need to do is right?" Emily said as seriously as she could.
"Yeah, we need a cool nickname-ow!" Emily hit Aimee's arm and rolled her eyes.
"No, we need to tell someone. Anyone."
"What and get dissected?" Emily visably deflated.
There was an awkward silence. Emily blinked the tiredness from her eyes. She blinked even more wondering when her life had gotten so complicated.
Aimee blinked, too. She then swore creatively, "My job."
"Huh?" Emily questioned back.
"The one where I tell people about our reefs and marine life and get wet?" Aimee reminded Emily and Emily started to panic.
"Now we must tell someone, oh not your boss, a friend. Yes, what's that one guy's name you used to hang out with loads? The one who ate all my starbursts-"
"Him buying the last pack in the vending machine before you went up to it-"
"Means he stole mine, yes I know. Who does that anyway?" Emily continued being Emily for a while, just complaining.
"What am I going to do for work, Emily?" Aimee asked, cutting Emily off nicely.
"Ask the boy to cover your shift, then quit." Emily said. "Or switch jobs to something not marine related. Like the ticket lady or the uh, um, place people with the thing."
Aimee knew what she was talking about. The plays. And the boy Emily was talking about? Brenden Benjamin. The ex-boyfriend. Aimee's ex that is. Long woeful story short: they thought they'd be together forever, he visited his mom in Ireland, and they haven't gotten back together sence. Not to Aimee. Brenden is under the impression Aimee's been playing hard to get. For a few months. Yeah.
Aimee knew, just knew, asking Brenden- the supervisor of the plays- was a bad as in bad for the heart idea. But what choice did she have?
Emily took Aimee's silence as agreement. She wondered how they'd tell their parents. She wondered if she had met their real parents today. She wondered how twin like they seemed right now, clearly closer than they'd been in years. Finally she wondered quite honestly, who steals a girl's starbursts? Honestly.
Aimee's Point of View:
She got ready with the air of someone being lead to the gallows. Emily was deep asleep because they'd dropped into dreamland together not five hours ago.
Aimee smoky'd her eyeshaddow, teaseed her hair into a long brown mane, debated clothing before angrily telling herself it wasn't a date, and ended up back where she started the day- in the shower.
This time she made sure her teeth were brushed and her face moisturized before doing a simple natural look and brushing her hair into the pin straight length it was supposed to be. She pulled on her tightest tank top though. For luck. She put a logo'd, thin, and sleeveless hoodie on over it, black hugging jeans under it, and accesorized heavily. Like it was her armor and he had, like, an axe or something.
She pouted as she pulled on socks and combat boots. She pouted as she walked to work. She even pouted as she explained her nausea to her boss and asked to work in a non-fishy environment.
Her boss- lovely man- was very simpathetic. Even more so when he called his favorite employee Brenden over. "Hey, Bren, you need extra hands on stage? Little Meemee-" Yes, he calls her Meemee, no she doesn't like it. "Here needs a break from the fish."
Brenden's face lit up like Christmas tree and Aimee didn't doubt he'd've fired someone then and there to make necessary extra hands. "Always got room for Aimee." 'Yeah, that's why you left me,' Aimee though furiously. 'Not to be single in Ireland. Not to meet Irish girls. To always have room for Aimee. Poor, let's-take-a-break-or-I'll-miss-you-too-badly Brenden keeping room for little old me. I'm all aflutter.' Aimee kept the annoyance down, swallowed her pride, and smiled.
Brenden was stareing at her, a bit in awe. As was her boss, who probably knew the whole story. Aimee just rolled with it. Brenden hurried to get her going on her new tasks, setting up the stage. He helped her learn the ropes quickly and she despaired as the tasks were working right along side him. Which she knew, just knew, he could've done quicker without a newbie in tow. When all they had left to do was watch and assist when needed they sat down on a large concrete ledge, facing the left side of the stage.
The look on his face had given her an idea. Killing with polite kindness. I'd be like they never met before. A fresh start in the friend zone.
"How was Ireland?" She asked when they'd prepared and checked everything, and had sat to watch and wait for any mistakes, errors, and the like.
Brenden took in a shocked breath before doing that thing she'd always hated. He gave her is complete and undivided attention. "It was...interesting. My mom is visiting down here all this month." He said not taking his eyes off her and leaning closer.
Leaning with Brenden Benjamin is sort of looming. He's six foot three, beach blonde, and built. "That must be fun." Aimee said glancing through the list on her clipboard and glazing forward because someone had to do work around here and-
"I missed you, wrote to you. I called but your mom said you weren't home." He said. Aimee's tummy took some tumbles. Guess his break didn't stop the blues. Joy. 'Friend zone, friend zone,' Aimee thought.
"Yeah, I was rather busy." She said trying to make herself busy right then but it didn't work. He still carried on, this time with a heavy hand on her shoulder and a too serious look on his face.
"With who?" He asked angrily. But not as if he was angry with Aimee. In fact to her it sounded like he was jealous. Oh how the mighty have fallen Bren.
"People." She joked before he slid off the wall and stood in from of her, his large arms coming down like steel to either side of her body. He stooped down for eye contact and the look on his face wasn't so funny this time. It sort of made her want to cry.
"What people? Why today, Aimee? Why right now? Did my mother talk to you? Aimee whatever she said, it'll be alright. It's only in water and- and, god Aimee." Hearing him say so much was rare. Hearing him stumble over words rarer. "Who did you hang out with?" He asked gently, not meeting my eyes.
"Just random people. Good people, Bren. What do you mean why what do you want to know?" Aimee asked.
"Why willingly come near me now?" Brenden said. "I know you, I already know I hurt you worse than this amount of time calls for. I already know you hung out with both Ned Turpin and Jamal Heinz while I was gone, though they claim nothing happened even after I broke both their noses. I already know my mom wanted to talk to you before she left on my behalf. Now, tell me why today."
Aimee looked deep into Bren's eyes and smiled a bit. Emily wanted to tell people anyways right? "Meet me at our pool." Aimee said.
Bren froze a bit. "Why? Can't we meet at another-"
Aimee covered his mouth with her hand. "Nope. I haven't seen your mom. Ned deserved the broken nose because he has wondering hands, and Jamal really didn't deserve much of anything, he just was there and could sit for an hour or so while I baked. And I have a huge secret to tell you. At and only at our pool." Aimee stood from the wall as well looking up into Bren's eyes. "I missed you too Bren. A lot. So, be there okay?"
And then, anticlimactically but cutely, she kissed him.
And boy gee wilikers that boy could kiss back.
A/N: Emily's turn next.