MELISSA'S POV
I was happy about finding out I'm a mermaid. I remember that when I was a kid, all I ever wanted was to become a mermaid. And now my childhood dream came true. I don't know why Destiny was making so much drama about it. I mean, it was weird to be a fish, but also it was cool because you could swim a lot easier and maybe even breathe underwater. This was also a good chance for Destiny to learn how to swim and overcome her fear of water.
As I stood with May and Destiny, leaned on our tent, I glanced at the ocean that gracefully shone and sparkled under the sun. There were still a couple of hours before we went back home, so why don't enjoy it the best possible way?
"Anyone up for a swim?"
"Yeah, let's go!" A big smile came across May's face. I knew she was liking this as much as I did, and that she was inpatient to go and try on our new swimming ''equipment''.
"I'm not going." But of course, there was Destiny to reject all the fun. Always so serious about things, she barely even had any fun. So, whenever I saw her cheat on a test, I always doubted that what I've seen was true.
"Okay, you stay here then." I took May's hand. "Let's go, May."
May nodded and the two of us ran towards the ocean. We heard Destiny yelling after us to be careful and not to be seen by May's parents and convinced her that we will be. Finally she said something smart.
As May and I made sure we were safe, we carefully approached the shoal, took each other's hands again and smiled at each other.
"Let's count to see how much time it takes for us to transform", May said.
I smiled. We felt the salt water on our feet and both started counting. When we got to ten, our tails spread and we fell to the sand. We started laughing; it was not because we thought it was funny, but because we couldn't believe that what happened was real. Not every day you grow a tail when you touch water so for us it was an incredible experience.
"Wanna go to that sea pool?" I asked.
May nodded. "Yes. And I have a name for it - the moon pool." Of course that she had a name for it. She always has a name for everything, which is mostly a good thing. Especially when she's nicknaming teachers.
"Sounds cool." I have to admit that the name she picked really did sound cool. Full moon being above it yesterday - probably making us like this - and all those weird things that happened there make the name sound appropriate. "Let's go for swim then."
I noticed May having her eyes on my neck, observing it carefully. She frowned and mumbled something. It all seemed so weird. "What?"
"You don't have gills."
"I do not?" Okay, that was strange. Was I supposed to have gills? I guess May figured that they come with a tail. I took a look at May's neck, noticing nothing but bare, plain skin. "You don't have them either. And I'm wondering about this because..."
"I just figured we would have gills, being part fish and all. I guess we can just hold our breath for longer or something", May said. I had to agree on that, it was amazing. Being able hold breath for long underwater made all of this even more fun.
The two of us crawled to the ocean and as we got deep enough, we dove under. Waving my tail was a real nightmare at the beginning because I was used to waving my two legs. I tried my best to at least move my tail, but it didn't really work. I noticed May having the same problem and smiled at her. She smiled back.
With a wave of our hands, May and I dove out. "I see you're having the same problem", I said.
She nodded. "This damn thing is too heavy and too hard to move."
"At least we can't get ourselves drowned", I mumbled.
DESTINY'S POV
I couldn't realize what was so damn amazing about being a fish. You have all those scales and that tail, you maybe even smell like a fish. So why was it so cool to Melissa and May? Don't they realize what all of this means? It will be hard to keep all that a secret, but we will have to unless we want to end up as someone's science project.
I curled up in the tent and sent another SMS to my parents, then checked the time. It was 6:30 am already and it was almost about the time to go back home. Those two crazies spent almost whole afternoon in the ocean. I just hoped they didn't drown or ended up as some shark's lunch. If they did, then I would be the only one stuck as a fish. I didn't want that.
Why me? Was the question I kept asking myself since I discovered that other part of me. I mean, couldn't it have been someone else that got the joy of being a fish with May and Melissa? Why was I one of the lucky winners? Isn't there some law of the universe that makes it impossible for people to turn into mermaids? I remember learning something about those laws on my physics classes. Too bad I never pay attention in school; you can learn some pretty important things there that at first sound really stupid.
"Destiny, you in there?" I heard Mrs. Seward calling me.
"Yes", I answered.
"We should get ready to go back. Do you know where Melissa and May are?"
Yes, I do. They are somewhere at the bottom of the ocean, swimming with sharks and dolphins, trying out those new tails they've got instead of legs. You should see them, they look so lovely. "No, they told me they're going for a walk."
"Okay, well if you see them, please let me know. And you should start packing."
"Sure", I replied and immediately started packing my things. The sooner I'm done, the sooner I get to go home and enjoy spending the night on Facebook. Maybe I could write "Mermaided" on my status. People would like it for sure.
I noticed the tent opening and saw Melissa and May enter it. They said hi to me and started packing their things. I could see big smiled on their faces. I guess the swimming went well.
"You have no idea what you've missed", May said as she changed into her sundress and packed her swimsuit in her rucksack.
"Yeah, it was so much fun!" Melissa added. "Well, at first it was kind of hard moving our tails, but once we got into it, it went pretty easy."
I curved my lips into a fake smile. "Good for you." They were getting pretty boring with all this ''amazing'' shit. They knew I didn't like water and swimming and all those things and they still were so persistent.
- H2O -
As we got everything packed and boarded it on the boat, it was time for us to say goodbye to the island. I could tell May and Melissa were sad by their facial expressions, but me… I was glad to finally leave this uninhabited land. As I headed towards the boat, I noticed the two of my friends standing still and looking worried.
"What is it?" I asked. If they really liked this place so much, they could swim here whenever the hell they wanted.
"What if we get wet on the boat?" Melissa asked.
Okay, that actually sounded like a problem. If we get exposed to May's parents, we're screwed. They are really nice people and everything, but I don't think they would handle it pretty well if they knew their daughter and her friends are fishes.
MELISSA'S POV
Although May, Destiny and I feared we might get exposed to May's parents during a ride back home, we got home safe and undiscovered. As I entered my house, I said hello to my parents and quickly ran to my room. They wanted me to talk about my camping adventures, but I was just not in the mood. What was I supposed to say? 'Hey, mom, dad, May, Destiny and I went to explore the island at night and next morning we found out we're mermaids. Isn't it great?' That would sound so wrong, I just knew it.
My room was pretty small, but I found it safe and warm. Its walls were light blue, almost white, and were filled with Rihanna and Fergie posters. A closet and a computer desk were in the left and right corner. My small bed was near the glass balcony door. From the balcony I had a perfect view on the ocean that stood just across the road in front of my house. My neighborhood was pretty quiet, except when my neighbors' grandchildren come to visit during holidays. Then it turns into nightmare that starts at exactly 6 am.
As I unpacked my things, I went to the kitchen to eat dinner. My mom's made my favorite meal - a chocolate pancakes. I was ready to take a bite when my younger sister, Misty, came through the door with a disappointed look on her face. Her black hair was tied in a ponytail, revealing her small face and her small, dark eyes. Unlike me, she was pretty tanned, which made me a bit jealous. But both her and I were short and looked two years younger for our age. She was eleven - year old with a face of a nine - year old. Kinda funny if you ask me. She was dressed in a pink T - shirt, blue shorts and yellow flip - flops.
"You're here already? Damn it! I hoped you'd get eaten by sharks!" Oh, good old Misty's humor. She and I always treated each other like that. She was the one that is always mean to me, I just fight back. I'm surprised how she, Destiny and May have such a good relationship. Maybe one of them could adopt her? I'll have to ask them next time I see them.
"I'll never let you have that joy", I said. When talking to her I always have to get to her level and confuse her, or else she'll claim her win.
"I can see that." She rolled her eyes and sat next to me at the dinner table. She took one chocolate pancake and took a small bite. "I bet it was so boring on that camping trip. You probably almost died out of boredom."
"You have no idea." Well, I couldn't actually reveal my new secret to her. If I do, then whole school would know in a second. I couldn't allow that to happen.
Misty got up and went to take a glass of water. As she passed by me to get back at the table, she tripped over her own foot and fell to the floor. The glass she was carrying broke into hundreds of pieces and all the water that was in it splashed the floor. I screamed in fear of getting wet and jumped on the chair I was sitting on, reflexively putting my hands up in front of me like a stop sign. All the water that was down immediately froze. My parents and Misty observed the frozen water, trying to think of a good explanation for that. I, on the other hand, had a perfectly good explanation.
I ran to the bathroom and locked the door behind me and then let the water fall down the faucet. I put my hand in front of me just like I did a few minutes ago. The water froze. I smiled and, out of joy, started to jump around the bathroom. I could freeze water. I could actually freeze water. I tried freezing something else, but the only freezable thing was water. It was so incredible! I've actually got a power. A magical power, something I've dreamed about for so long now actually came true. I remember the talks I had with May about powers and stuff and all those promises that if one of us ever had powers, she would help the other one with them and have fun together. Destiny wouldn't even hear about that. She was a big skeptic, which annoyed me sometimes. But May and I… We believed. And now what we believed was proved right. Magic really exists.
I thought that becoming a mermaid was amazing, but now that I have this power I found being a mermaid a less fun thing. Sure, I could swim better and hold my breath for a long time and have a tail, but having a power was actually I useful thing. I could make my own ice creams or, my favorite, cold cappuccinos. I had to let the girls know about this. I mean, if what I think is true, Destiny and May should also have powers. We all became mermaids together so we should all have powers too. But at the moment I was too excited to send a text or make a call so why not wait till school tomorrow morning?
DESTINY'S POV
I couldn't wait till I got home. Too many strange things happened in only two days and it was just too much for me. Entering the house, I said hi to my parents and went into the dining room to eat dinner. I haven't eaten anything for the whole damn day and was feeling pretty exhausted. My mother served me baked pork and I immediately started eating. It was so delicious that I ate everything I found on the plate in just half an hour. I drank two big glasses of water, but was being careful not to get wet.
"You should go to bed now", my mother said as she cleaned the table. Like I was gonna listen to her.
"No way, I have to check my messages first", I said.
My mom just rolled her eyes, while dad smiled. She hated new technology and always said that it's turning people evil. You have my full permission to make fun of her. But dad was cool with that. He even had a Facebook account. I made it for him.
"You should go study instead." But of course, mom was a school freak. The fact that she's a housewife with only high school finished made her think that I should become a second Einstein. Well guess what? I'm a complete opposite, a total school - hater and I'm damn proud of it.
"You should go to college instead of preaching me here." I was not letting this go easy. You thought she was mean? I can be worse. A lot worse. I took a glass in my left hand and was just about to drink more water, when I heard her preaching again.
"I don't know what's the matter with children these days. When I was your age, if I ever talked to my mother like that, she would beat me up to make me realize who's in charge. And that looks of yours… Who normal looks like that? So much make up and all that black and red and those dark colors."
Now that was way out of line. Was she trying to say that abusing children is a way to raise them? Has she ever thought about talking to them in a nice way, without insulting them or their style? Why was it her problem how I dressed up anyway? It's my life and my appearance, not hers. I clenched my fingers in anger, trying my best not to send her to hell, when I felt the water in the glass I was holding in my other hand turning hotter and hotter. I glanced at the boiled water, then put the glass back to the table and ran to my room.
As I closed the door, I leaned my back on them and looked at my hands. I observed my long, skinny fingers and my long, black nail - polished fingernails. That what happened right now with the water, did I cause it? Did I make the water boil by clenching my fingers? After becoming a mermaid, it was possible. Nothing would surprise me after that.
I looked at the paper that stood on my bed and clenched my fingers again. Nothing happened. But what if I could only boil water? I am a mermaid after all and as that, I'm related to water. Now all the talks Melissa and May had came to me. They knew magic was real all along and I… I was the skeptic one. I was the one that denied it. I was the one that made my friends shut up when they talked about magic. And now… I have the power.
MAY'S POV
As my parents and I set up in our house, the first thing I've done was going online and checking my messages on deviantArt. There were about 200 of them, mostly my watch and thank you's for the favorites. I was still excited about being a mermaid and after spending almost whole afternoon in the ocean, I started to feel kinda like a part of it. I had this great desire to write a deviantArt journal and let the world know I'm a mermaid, but I had to restrain myself from doing it. If I did that, I would only attract trolls and flamers, accusing me of lying, and I would also reveal my secret. I could not allow that happen.
"May, are you inside?" I heard a knock on my door. It was my mom, disturbing me… Again!
"Yes, mom", I replied, annoyed. I rolled my eyes. "What do you want?"
"I just came to tell you I'll make you something to eat for dinner." Of course she was. Whenever I was on a diet, she always preached about me becoming anorexic, but if you could actually see me, you'd realize I'm way too far from that. At the moment I was not on a diet, but still, I wanted to be left alone.
"I don't want to eat anything, I'm not hungry."
"I'll make you a hamburger." Okay, you can forget what I said.
"Now we're talking."
- H2O -
With my eyes gently closed, I enjoyed the vanilla smell of a shampoo as I lay in the bathtub that was whole filled with water. There wasn't any better way to spend time after eating dinner. The water was warm and I felt kinda protected being in it. But, my eyes couldn't stay closed for long as I couldn't take them off my tail. My tail was pretty big and it hung over the edge of the bathtub. I was still questioning myself if this was real. I mean, it was still too early for me to get used to it since I only got this tail this morning.
Then a question appeared in my mind - have I got any powers? I watched 'Aquamarine' once and the mermaid there had water - related powers, so I was wondering if maybe I had them too. I tried moving my hands and fingers above the water in the bathtub, but nothing happened. But what if my powers have nothing to do with water? I've always wanted to get telekinesis so maybe my wish came true. I looked at the toilet paper role and squinted my eyes, trying to move it. Nothing. Then I waved my finger. Again, nothing happened. Maybe I didn't get powers after all.
I remembered the hand movement Piper from 'Charmed' did when using her powers, so I decided to try it out. I opened my hand, waving it right and left and a tentacle of water started to rise up from the bathtub. I opened my mouth wide and smiled. I knew I had powers! I knew those were real!
As I put my hand down, the water tentacle fell down to the rest of the water. I did the same thing again, but this time I somehow managed to make a ball of water and levitate it. I felt so proud of myself. Normal people would probably be scared of themselves or jump around the house if they find out they have powers, but with me it was different since I believed in that stuff already and there was nothing anymore that could surprise me. Although I wanted telekinesis, hydrokinesis was also a good thing. Telekinetics move things with their mind and I move water. Melissa will be so jealous and Destiny will probably freak out!
- H2O -
As I opened a big, white classroom door, I headed towards my desk and sat on the chair. I put my school rucksack down and leaned on the chair back. I wore a knee - length bleached jeans, pink T - shirt with a panda's head on it and pink shoes with fat brown heels. Yes, pink is my favorite color, but don't get the wrong impression - I'm not as girly as you may think. I'm quite dangerous, especially now that I've got powers.
Opening the rucksack, I remembered I had a chemistry test today. A final test that decides my grade. If I fail this, I fail the whole subject and then I'm screwed. And I haven't studied. I haven't had time. I forgot about the damn test actually. I think I'm destined to fail.
I heard the door opening and saw Melissa and Destiny entering the classroom. Melissa wore a white tunic and black tights and Destiny wore black T - shirt with a skull on the front and knee - length dark jeans she wore yesterday. The two of them obviously talked about something extra fun since both of them looked pretty content and excited. They greeted me as Melissa sat next to me and Destiny at the desk in front of us.
"Girls, I have to tell you something", I said. I was ready to tell them everything about the power. I knew they'll totally go crazy.
"We have to tell you something too", said Melissa, "But you go first."
"Okay." This was intense. I was kinda embarrassed talking about it. Why? I dunno. Maybe because I'm that kind of a person. But what had to be said, had to be said. I was not gonna be quiet about this, not with my best friends. "Last night when I was having a bath, I found out that I have this power to move and levitate water. You should've seen it, it was so cool!"
I noticed a grin on Melissa and Destiny's faces. They surely looked surprised, but what Melissa said to me afterwards was totally unexpected. "We got powers too." That was new. But I admit I was pretty stupid. We became mermaids together so it's obvious that they had water powers too. "I can freeze water, Destiny can boil it."
Freezing and boiling? Of course, the three water states - liquid, solid and gas. Why haven't I thought of that earlier? Man, I was so stupid that day, probably because of all the excitement I've been through these days.
As the bell rang, all my classmates ran into the classroom. They all took their places and took their chemistry books, trying to study those few seconds before the teacher appeared. I was also about to study, but I just couldn't take my eyes off him - spiky dark brown hair, brown eyes, tanned, tall, skinny and smells so good. Yes, that was Dyson Zachary, the guy I was in love with since 5th grade, when he moved here. He came in this school exactly the same day Melissa did and immediately became my whole world and guest starred in most of my dreams. He was one of those hot sweethearts, always ready to help everyone. There was a rumor he had a crush on me, but I was convinced that it was only that - a rumor because who with a little piece of brain would have a crush on me? I've even got scales now. Dyson was also a straight As student, a total opposite of me. I used to be like that, but ever since I started 6th grade, my grades lowered down and my concentration abandoned me.
Melissa and Destiny knew what I felt for him and always teased me about it. Since Dyson and Melissa live in the same street, she was kinda checking the situation for me. You know, that he was girlfriend - free and stuff. He had a girlfriend a couple of months ago, which almost made me explode. I wonder what would happen if I had my powers. I would probably go to her and make her blood explode.
"Good morning, students!" I heard a familiar voice which made me mad every time I heard it - the voice of a biology and chemistry teacher, Zelda Reeds. She was a short and thin woman in her early thirties, but looked at least 22. Her long hair was dark brown and curly. She was clad in green sundress and black high - heels.
As she greeted us, she took her seat and put a black bag she was carrying on her desk. Although she expected us to return the greeting, we never did so. You wonder why? Because she was a terrible teacher. She had to ask someone and give them bad grades almost every damn class we had with her. It was annoying, but who were we to stop her?
"Put all your things into your bag, except for a pencil and eraser", she said.
I noticed Melissa putting her hand up, asking for permission to speak. "What if someone has a mechanical pencil?"
"Obviously she or he will use it to write." Ms. Reeds rolled her eyes. "Any more questions?"
No one said anything. I just had to laugh hard at what Melissa asked her. She was kinda the funny girl of the three of us when we were in school. But at home, she came in second place. I was first.
Ms. Reeds gave everyone their test and took her seat again. I noticed Melissa observing my test, trying to copy something from me, even though she knew I was a total failure for chemistry. And there were also A and B groups, which was stupid because like we would dare to cheat. I rested my head on my left hand, going through all those questions in search for something I might know. And I mean, what the hell? Like I'll ever need formulae for glucose and fructose.
I looked around myself, trying to think of a way to maybe cancel the test. Looking through the window across me, I noticed a big bin of water on the schoolyard. I smirked. A perfect place and a perfect time.
I slightly hit Melissa's arm, getting her attention. On the desk I wrote a note saying 'Wanna play?' and pointed my finger to the water bin. She smiled and nodded, then whispered to my ear: "You know I do."
I put my hand down and slowly waved my hand, making the water from the bin flying out and hitting the window. Melissa then merged her fingers together and the water on the window froze, making the glass explode. Everyone jumped from their seats and screamed, while the two of us did our best trying not to laugh out loud.
"Is everyone okay?" Ms. Reeds asked. Everyone nodded.
"What the hell was that? How did it explode?" asked Illene Peets. She was one of the main and the most popular girls in school. You know, one of that rich, bratty and spoiled kind of people. She was a bit shorter than me, skinny and her short dark brown hair was spiked, with light blue edges. Her brown eyes showed the concern at the moment, which made it even more fun for me. And all that make up on her face actually made her look like a woman - without it she looked like a boy. Literally.
"Yeah, what the hell?" repeated Therese Brown. This was Illene's best friend. A skinny and short, spotted and pale brat that usually pretended to be nice to people and when they most needed her, she turned her back on them. Her wavy, light brown hair was short and her brown eyes were small. She 'pretended' to be pretty with or without make up. I dunno what made her so popular, I believe it was that 'nice' attitude of hers. She looked at her left shoulder, where a small cut and a little bit of blood were. "I got hurt!"
Ms. Reeds picked up a glass fragment and carefully observed it. "It's frozen", she noticed. "Something made it cold and froze it. I believe that's what made it explode. If only I knew a logical explanation for this… I guess I found myself a job for tonight."
Melissa and I almost laughed even more. Destiny turned to us, surely knowing it was us that did it after hearing the word 'frozen'. I expected her to preach us or state her disapproval, but instead she gave us thumbs up and smiled. I think she was finally learning to have some fun, especially now that we have these - pretty useful, if I might add - powers.
I was just about to whisper something to Melissa, when I heard Ms. Reeds saying: "All right, students. Since we were distracted by this unusual event and some of us probably scared to death, I'm informing you that I'm canceling the test. You will be writing it next week during biology."
Everyone started yelling and screaming in joy, celebrating the test canceling. Now there was more time to study, even though no one will actually do that. And you know, I learned something today. Being different has some good qualities. Not everyone can do what you can and it can still be kept a secret.
- H2O -
Okay, so the girls discovered their powers and used them to cancel the test. Yes, I know that Cleo, Emma and Rikki would never do that, but let's look at this in a more realistic way - if a teenager in real life got powers, do you really think they wouldn't use them to get what they want? And this is just the beginning; you'll see more of things like this later.
And I'm uploading fast now because it's weekend, but during the work (school) days, I won't be so fast so I apologize. I am translating this from Croatian so it also takes some time. I'm sorry if there are errors, I'm doing my best to write properly. Sometimes you're just too fast on a keyboard. Please R&R.