It was such a strange sight, to see Serenity standing there in her living room. Just a day before she’d been a mermaid, swimming along with Melissa in the ocean. A sarcastic little smirk had spread across her lips as the two girls stared at each other. Yesterday, Serenity had seemed so kind and sweet. Now, Melissa wanted to do nothing more than smack the shit out of her.
What Serenity had told her…that she was going to become a mermaid…it couldn’t be true. It just couldn’t. It was another mermaid trick. Wasn’t it? It had to be. It was Serenity’s idea of a cruel practical joke.
It had to be.
People just couldn’t turn into mermaids.
Of course, people didn’t just happen to find mermaids and swim with them and kiss them and…
Melissa took a deep breath, steadying herself.
“I don’t believe you,” Melissa finally said in a shaky voice. “You’re lying, and I don’t appreciate it. Get out.” Serenity didn’t move. Her smirk grew into a sad little smile, and the former mermaid shook her head. “I said get out!” Melissa repeated with more venom in her voice. She marched over to the door and wrenched it open. “Get the fuck out of here!”
Serenity just rolled her eyes. “Oh, honey. I’m not leaving…and you really should be. What’s been started can’t be stopped now. You’re just delaying the inevitable. I know it seems cruel, but I’m trying to help you. The sooner you get to the ocean, the better off you’ll be. You don’t want to get caught on land without legs.” She smirked again. “Getting around like that is a bitch.”
“Shut up! You’re lying! Get…get out of here! I won’t tell you again!”
“I may have lied to you before to get you to kiss me, but I’m not lying about this.” Serenity impatiently approached Melissa, who let out a startled gasp and tried to back away. Serenity grabbed at Melissa’s hair and held it up between them. “See this?” she asked. Melissa nodded silently. “Your hair. How do you suppose that happened? It’s magic!” Serenity dropped it and held up her own hair. Her hair was still a light shade of cerulean, but it didn’t look the same as it did the day before. It wasn’t just because it was dry now, either. It was lighter. Almost…almost blonde looking. “I’m becoming human. You’re becoming a mermaid. That’s the truth.”
Melissa was silent for a long moment. The two girls stood there in silence. The hair wasn’t the only thing different about Serenity. The makeup patterned on her face was becoming less vibrant, and her nails were looking normal…
Melissa held up her own shaking hands, looking at the nails. They were still a vibrant pink.
“Oh God.” She felt like she might pass out.
“Easy, there, easy…” Serenity said, grasping at Melissa’s shoulder to steady her.
Melissa jerked as though she’d been shocked. “Don’t touch me!” she spat. “You…you piece of shit! You’re stealing my life!”
“Well…yeah.”
There was an itch on her chest, and she went to scratch it, still looking at Serenity warily.
“Just leave. Please don’t do this to me,” Melissa whispered.
Serenity sighed. “You’re still wasting time…there’s no stopping this.”
And just like that, Melissa snapped.
She’d only been in one fight in her life, and that had been in fourth grade, over something she could barely remember. It had been more of a slap fight than anything else. She wasn’t a violent person – oh sure, she entertained violent thoughts during rush hour traffic sometimes, but she’d never actually been mad enough to hit someone in person before.
Until now.
Before she’d even realized it, her hand clenched into a fist and she drew it back.
Her fist swung forward, aimed for Serenity's smug little face.
Except—
Except her fist wouldn’t do it. It hovered in mid-air, trembling as she tried to force it to go forwards. Sweat beaded up on her forehead and she let out a gasp and stumbled back. The instant she stopped trying to punch Serenity, her hand returned to her control and she could move it freely.
Serenity laughed.
“We’re connected. You can’t hurt me Melissa. And you’re wasting time. Maybe you should check and see why your chest was itching instead of punching me.”
Melissa frowned, and then wrenched her shirt up over her chest and pawed at her bra with still shaky hands.
“No!” she whispered.
Bright pink scales had appeared on the underside of her breast. They reflected the light of the entryway.
Eyes wide, arms trembling, she moved her shirt down.
“Why…please…”
“Look. I’ve been there. I know how you feel. But it’s inevitable. You’ll regret it if you don’t get to the ocean.”
“What do you mean you’ve been there?”
“I wasn’t always a mermaid you know.”
The implications of this were almost too much for Melissa to comprehend. “You—you mean someone did this to you?!”
“Of course!”
“And knowing that…you still did it to me anyway?!”
“Just as you’ll do it to someone once the opportunity presents itself.”
“You bitch!”
Serenity sighed. “Okay. I’m getting bored now.”
She turned and marched into the kitchen.
Sputtering, Melissa stood there with her shirt stilled raised. She let it drop with a growl and marched after the former mermaid.
“Don’t—don’t you walk away from me!”
Serenity marched right up to the sink, grabbed the water sprayer, and put a hand on the faucet. She lifted it, aimed it at Melissa, and waited.
Melissa stopped in her tracks, holding up her hands. The memory of how good the water had felt in the shower flashed through her mind.
“I’ll make it simple for you, alright? Either you get out, or I start spraying, and I don’t stop until I see fins. Unless you want to spend the rest of your life in some fucking bathtub, you’d better get going.”
Melissa needed help.
Her keys!
They were on the counter. Not too far away. But it would put her within range of Serenity. There was no choice. She needed them.
“I just can’t understand why…” Melissa sputtered.
Serenity let out a sigh. “Look, I’ve already explained—“
Melissa darted forward. She lunged for the keys, and as her fingers grasped the cool metal, Serenity let out a startled shriek. Melissa turned, but as she did, she heard the hiss as Serenity turned on the water.
The spray hit her in the square of the back. Melissa didn’t waste any time, and kept running, quickly moving out of range.
But even the small amount of water had been enough to send a tingling jolt of pleasure throughout her body, intensifying the tingling in her breasts and causing her legs to feel weird as well.
She raced out the door and didn’t stop until she was in the car.
She shut the door and locked it. As she fumbled with the keys to start it, she glanced up and saw Serenity standing there. Rather than looking annoyed, she was smiling. Her face was almost completely free of makeup, and her hair was lighter than ever, looking very close to the blonde that Melissa's had once been. Serenity gave a little wave, then turned and walked inside.
The door shut.
Melissa peeled out of the driveway and took off down the street.
She needed help. And fast.