Arietta-
'What have I done?' Panic filled my mind as I realized that I did not recognize my own body. Deep down to the depths of my core I ached, a shock of electric pins coursing through me as I tried to move. I felt different; I felt heavy. I felt something but it did not feel right. Forcing my eyes open I saw through crystalline waters, watched sun light dance and glimmer between the slow moving currents. I remained there motionless against the wet sand until an unnatural movement caught my attention to the left of me. Bracing myself, I shut my eyes and forced myself to sit up; no pain now. "I have a tail!" I felt giddy, hands running over the slippery scales where human flesh had once been.
I was in awe of myself, of the colors that gleamed under my fingertips. I took just a moment longer to marvel over the greens and yellows glowing in my tail, to admire the way red tints sparkled from in between the scales like rubies beneath the surface. Someone was scrambling onto the shore, what little of it there was after water filled the cavern, rapid breathing loud and terrified.
"Wha- wh- how-what?!" Whomever was causing the commotion lurched onto the beach, gasping air as if they could not inhale it fast enough. I peered at them from the water, eyes bobbing above the soft crests, unsure of why they were there. Anger filled me at the intrusion and I wondered how much this being had seen. 'It's a girl,' I realized when shaking hands shoved matted black hair from her large grey eyes. She looked around, fright a clear expression on her high cheekboned face. "What is wrong with me!?" The question burst forth from her with such force that it echoed off the cavern walls and causing me to dive beneath the water. "You did this to me! You did this! Why?"
Maeve-
"You did this to me! You did this! Why?" Tears mixed with sea water streamed down my face as I tried to collect my thoughts. My hands trembled terribly as I sat in utter confusion as I tried to process what had transpired. "My skin," I wailed, rubbing up and down my arms as if that would make the crude upraised tendrils disappear. Angry stretches of lilac snaked and twisted over my body, marring the normal olive tone.
I realized with a start that I was still bleeding from the gash in my side. "Help me!" I looked out at the female in the water and reached out, "Please." The lose of blood and over abundance of emotion took its toll, exhaustion like a weight dragging me down. Next thing I knew I had hit the sand. I lay there, sputtering the grains from my mouth, and felt my world get hazy. Darkness invaded my vision, a loud ringing struck up in my ears. 'This is how I die,' my thoughts whispered through my mind. I felt weak. I barely noticed when she pulled herself onto the land beside me and shoved me onto my back. 'I cannot breathe.'
"Open your eyes." Pressure now on my left side, "Look at me!" Pain blossomed where she pressed but I could not comply. I physically could not lift my lids, I couldn't even get my lungs to cooperate enough to inhale. "Dammit," Arietta ripped the rest of my shirt away from the wound and shoved two fingers inside of me. "Sana. Sano. Sarcio." She chanted the foreign words over and over, her voice gaining volume with urgency.
I began to sieze, my whole body lurching as fire exploded through my veins. "Sana. Sano. Sarcio!" Convulsions wracked over me and the pain grew more intense. "Sana." Just as quickly as the fire began it began to subside, "Sano." I felt chilled to the core, like a frozen weight had settle inside of myself, "Sarcio." Her palm rested atop the area as her words drifted out.
I remained still for a long time, eyes still tightly shut, but finally able to breath. Tears leaked from behind my eyelids to puddle momentarily in the dense sand. "Who are you?" I found my voice at last and asked the question I had wondered since first laying eyes on her.
"Arietta." She pulled me against her and stroke the sand from my hair. "Arietta." Breathlessly she repeated her name and I melted into her embrace.
