Perhaps Emily was just a good screamer, or perhaps the transformation had enhanced her hearing. Either way – Emily’s scream fucking hurt her ears.
She clamped down on them and winced as Emily finished her scream, drawing back, covering her mouth with her shaking hand.
“What in the fuck…?!” Emily cried. “Who…what…are you?!”
If there was anything that could’ve made Melissa feel worse than she already did, it was that. She was truly no longer herself. She couldn’t be recognized, even by one of her oldest friends. She could only hope that Emily would listen to her.
“Emily!” Melissa cried. “Shut up! Listen to me! It’s me!”
“How – how – how do you know my name?” Emily demanded.
“It’s me you moron! It’s Melissa!”
Emily’s eyes grew wide, and for a moment, Melissa feared she might faint on the spot. But then she lowered her hand.
“Mel…Melissa? That’s you?”
“More or less,” Melissa said.
“Oh my God.” Emily ran a hand through her hair, blinking rapidly. “Um, okay. So, please tell me, why are you wearing a costume and lying down outside my door?”
Melissa smiled sadly. “It’s not a costume Em. I wish it was.” She flexed her tail to prove it, in a way that no leg could ever bend.
Emily went pale, and this time, she did faint, falling backwards into the hall.
“Fucking hell,” Melissa muttered. She glanced around to make sure no one had come to investigate, and then dragged herself into the apartment, using the same method as before to get herself inside. She closed the door with a swipe from her tail, and then crawled over to Emily’s prone form. She seemed alright.
She was already coming to, as a matter of fact.
Her eyes fluttered open.
Emily sat upright so quickly that Melissa almost screamed. Emily stared at the tail in front of her and tried to back away into the wall.
“Melissa….oh my God, Melissa…are you alright? What the fuck happened to you? Why the fuck are you a mermaid?!”
Tears spring up from Melissa’s eyes, and she let out a choking sob, the events of the day washing over her. The loss of her legs, the betrayal of Serenity, all of it – it was too much for her to bear.
Emily hesitated for a moment, and then leaned forward, and drew Melissa into a hug.
“Hey – it’s – it’s okay. I’m here. It’s okay. I’m sorry. Let it out.”
Melissa hadn’t cried like this in high school, but Emily proved to be as good a friend now as she had been back then. She stroked her hair, whispered comforting assurances, and held her tightly.
Finally, Melissa felt better and was able to stop crying. Emily let her go and Melissa saw that she’d been crying as well.
Neither of them said anything.
Emily reached out a shaking hand and touched Melissa’s tail. She rain a hand down it, and made a face.
“Icky,” she said.
The two girls stared at each other, and then burst out laughing.
“Thanks a lot!” Melissa said.
“Well, it is!”
They laughed some more.
“So, are you going to explain this, or…I mean…it’s not…god damn Melissa! How?!” Emily demanded.
“Carry me to the couch and get me some water and I’ll explain.”
Emily stood up and bent down to scoop Melissa up.
“Jesus! You’re heavy!”
“Hey!”
“Well, you are!” Emily protested.
She ended up half-carrying, half-dragging her to the couch. She returned with several bottles of water, and then sat down across from Melissa.
Emily had always been a beautiful girl. Firm breasts, average height, short brown hair with striking blue eyes…more than once, Melissa had felt the urge to kiss her, to feel those lips pressed against hers—
Whoa. Where had that come from?
She pushed the thought away, but she couldn’t quite tear her gaze away from Emily’s face. From those lips. She had a bad feeling about this.
Emily was watching her, concern in those blue eyes.
“Melissa…seriously. What the fuck happened?”
So Melissa explained. She explained everything. How she’d met the mermaid the day before – how they’d gone swimming, and then how she’d been tricked into a kiss. How Serenity had shown up the next day and told her what was happening. And finally, about how she’d managed to get away and get to Emily’s without getting caught.
By the end of Melissa’s story, Emily looked ready to cry. She started to stand up, to go over and comfort her.
“Wait!” Melissa said. “I think something’s wrong. Ever since you dragged me over here, I’ve felt…I’ve felt like I want to kiss you. And if I do, I think the same thing will happen to you that happened to me.” She broke down into sobs again. “Oh God, Emily, I just want my life back! I don’t want to be a mermaid! What am I going to do?”
Emily frowned. “Well…”