By the time you get to the beach, scales were continuing to form on your legs. You collapse in the sand as your legs start to fuse. You start to breathe heavily as your pants get tighter and tighter. Then, before you can do anything about it...
RRIIPP! Your pants are torn, reveling all your scales. You hear the popping sound of your sneakers and quickly take them off before they have the same fate as your jeans. Soom you have a full green and purple mermaid tail. You just sit there for a second and stare at new form.
" Mommy, what's that on the beach?" a little girl on the boardwalk asks.
'Oh no, someone's gonna see me' you think to yourself. Then you slide into the ocean before anyone (besides the little girl) can see you.
As you swim toward the tunnel that leads to Adrian's tide pool, millions of thoughts swarm through your head. How did you turn into a mermaid when you weren't even attached to the machine in the first place? What will Adrian think? Will you be able to turn back into a human? What are your parents going to think happened? Most importantly, how are you going to reverse the affects if neither of you can get to the machine?
The only question you could really answer at the moment was about Adrian.
You very quietly pop up in the tide pool cave and see Adrian lying in the sand with his eyes closed.
'Did he go back to sleep?'
Apparently not. Suddenly, he starts singing in a sweet and smooth voice.
"I'm an angel with a shotgun"
"Fight until the war's won"
"I don't care if Heven won't take me back"
"I'd throw away my faith, babe just to keep you safe"
"Don't you know you're everything I have"
"And I-i-i-i-i want to live not just survive"
"Tonight"
Once he is finished, you applud him wildly, startling him.
"Woah," he says, rolling into the water.
"That was awesome" you compliment him once he resurfaces.
Adrian blushes and rubs the back of his neck. " Y-you heard that?" he asks looking down. "Oh this is so embarassing. I must've sounded terrible."
"No way," you exclaim. "Your voice was so beautiful. Also, that's my favorite song. You singing it just made it a whole lot better."
"Well, thank you," he beams. "I was going to sing it to you this morning, but you left so quickly, I didn't get the chance." Then he looks at you in confusion. "Wait a minute. Why did you come through that way?" he points to the tunnel.
You sigh and lift up your tail.
"Whoah, you're a mermaid now?" he asks with his eyes wide with suprise. "How?"
"That's the thing. I just don't know. I think it might have been from what happend last night."
"But we never really..." his cheeks start to flush. "Y-you know."
You knew exactly what he was talking about.
"Well I know that! Why would we do that?How would we do that? That's just wrong on so many levels! I was talking about lip contact. Salivia mixing? It could have triggered your merman DNA to me. That's all I can really think of that sounds accurate."
Adrian starts to swim circles around you while checking out your tail.
"Well whatever did it, you make for an even sexier mermaid than a human."
As he lowers his face closer to the tip of your tailfin,you swish it and slap him across the face.
"Adrian, this is serious," you whine. "How are we going to turn back to human form now?"
Adrian is silent for a moment, obviously in deep thought. Finally he says, "We don't."
"What?" you ask, confused on weather you heard that right or not.
"We don't have to turn back," he repeats. "We could stay like this forever."
"Why? I thought you didn't like being a merman."
"At first I didn't. But then you taught me how to enjoy my new form. I can breathe underwater, I've got powers, I think I might even have siren abilities. I haven't sang tjis good since forth grade choir. I've lost everything since my transformation. What's the point of going back if all I'm gonna face is a snobby ex and probably two weeks grounding. My life as a human is completly sucky, but if I stay a merman, I can start a new life in the ocean. If you want, you can come with me." He grabs both your hands and looks directly into your eyes. "We could live on an island far away or a seacave. Our lives would be perfect-living without a care. What do you say? Will you come with me or not?"
"I..." So many thoughts are swirling through your head as you try to think of what to say, what to chose. No matter what you chose, you'll be left with heartache. And the thought of heartache made you wanna...
You start to sniffle. For the first time in awhile, you begin to cry.
"I don't know Adrian. I just don't know. I really enjoy my human life, but I don't want to never see you again because you're living far off the coast. And if I do go with you, what will my parents think has happened to me? Where will my friends think I have gone? I-"
You look up to see the surprise look on Adrian's face.
"I...I'm sorry. I-I just...This is tough for me. I've made such a big decision like this before."
You laugh at yourself. Tears are still rolling.
"You must think I'm a pathetic crybaby, don't you? Fliping out over something like this. *LAUGHTER* I'm such an idiot."
"Hey," Adrian snaps. You only have a second to look up before you are enveloped into a tight hug. I don't ever want to hear you call yourself that. Don't say that ever again, understand me?"
You nod into his sholder. "Good," he pulls you back to eye contact and wipes away your tears. "Now listen. I know this is a tough decision, so just don't think about it. I'm not looking for an answer right away. Just know that whatever you choose, I'm with you one hundred percent,k?"
You nod again with a small thank-you-for-understanding smile. He kisses you passionetly for a few seconds. Then you just float around holding each other in silence. What were you going to do?