Melissa had overheard the entire argument from the front room. It had stung when Emily had called her a freak…but honestly, she couldn’t really blame her. She WAS a freak, despite what Stefanie had said…though she’d blushed at that, feeling both grateful and embarrassed. She was helpless, stuck here on the couch, forced to listen to the argument that never would’ve happened if she hadn’t come here. Perhaps she should’ve just gone to the ocean. Let everyone think she’d disappeared. Then at least no one else would’ve been at risk.
She flipped her fin a few times. She still found it weird, to only feel only appendage down there…
She tried to keep her mind off of that kiss, but damn, it had felt good. Under normal circumstances, she might have wanted to explore it more…Stefanie was definitely a beautiful girl…but…
The argument reached a new crescendo. Melissa hugged her tail to her chest, feeling bad.
Until she heard the next statement.
“And that means, Melissa would be able to go with you, and find Serenity! Do you really want to go after this girl alone? What if she does something to you? In our current state, neither of us would be capable of helping you.” Stefanie’s voice came from around the hall.
Emily didn’t say anything.
Melissa’s eyes grew wide, and she peered down at her fin, which flapped slightly off the edge of the couch. She really wanted her legs back, and for a moment, the idea of being able to transform back, even if it meant Stefanie would be stuck, was almost overwhelming. It would mean she could be free of this. That she could walk again. Stefanie wanted this, she didn’t – it would work out.
But…
No. It was wrong, and selfish. And Emily would never forgive her. Especially if something went wrong.
“No!” Melissa called down the hall. “Don’t let her do it!” She felt tears well up again.
There was a moment of silence.
“Melissa?” It was Stefanie. “What are you talking about? This is the smart thing to do! It’ll give you your legs back!”
Melissa took a deep breath. “Emily is right, Stef. We don’t know if Serenity was lying. We don’t know what could happen, what might go wrong. Maybe I can’t pass on the curse, or worse, maybe something else will happen. Maybe you’ll turn completely into a fish! Who knows? This whole thing is fucking insane. Until we know for sure, we can’t risk doing anything about it. Emily can take care of herself.”
“But…”
“Stef, please!” Melissa let out a sob. “I don’t need to feel any worse than I already do!” The tears came again. Melissa looked down at her tail. “Look, I just…I can’t…I can deal with this until we know more. I’m really sorry this happened to you. What I really want is a friend to keep me company. Please.”
There was a long moment of silence, followed by a whispered conversation that Melissa couldn’t hear. Finally, there was a rustling noise, and then Emily appeared, followed by Stefanie, once again wrapped in her towel.
Stefanie took a seat next to Melissa, looking embarrassed. “I’m sorry,” she muttered. “I was so focused on becoming a mermaid, thinking how cool it’d be…I wasn’t thinking about how you’d feel.”
“It’s alright,” Melissa said. “I’m sorry too. I know you kissed me on your own initiative, but I didn’t exactly discourage you either. Maybe it was the curse. Maybe it wasn’t. I’m sorry either way.”
“Don’t be.”
Melissa put a hand on Stefanie’s shoulder. The teen took Melissa’s hand in her own, smiling.
Emily cleared her throat, shooting Melissa an exasperated glance. Melissa blushed and took her hand away. Stefanie just looked annoyed, though there was a slightly coy smile on her face.
“Okay, Emily said finally. “Okay…” She started to pace. “The sooner we get this over with, the better.” She sighed. “Melissa, how do you feel? Dry?”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t hurt or anything. I’m not gasping for air. I feel fine.”
“Either way, I think we should move you to the tub. Just in case something happens and you start to feel dry or something happens. I thought maybe you’d transform back given enough time, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.”
Melissa nodded glumly. “I can’t argue with that.”
“Give me a hand, Stef.”
It took the combined efforts of Emily and Stefanie to carry Melissa down the hall and into the bathroom. Stefanie grabbed her tail, and Emily lifted her back. It felt weird to be carried like this, weird to only have a tail to be carried. Grunting, the two girls maneuvered her into the bathroom and slowly lowered her into the tub. The porcelain felt cold against her bare skin, and she shivered slightly.
Stefanie reached for the knob, but Emily knocked her hand aside with an annoyed look. Stefanie sighed and took a seat on the counter, swinging her legs back and forth.
Emily turned on the water. Cold liquid splashed across Stefanie’s back, but as the water swept across the tub and onto her tail, she let out a sigh. It felt…good.
“You alright?” Emily asked.
“Yeah,” Melissa breathed. “Sorry. It feels good.” She didn’t like the fact that it felt so good, but it did. She hadn’t been lying – she was sure she would’ve been fine out of the water for as long as she wanted, but being in the water felt good.
Emily nodded. “Stef, can you give us a moment?”
Stefanie walked out without protest, but she didn’t look happy about it.
Emily sat on the edge of the tub, not meeting Melissa’s eyes.
“Look, Emily…I’m sorry,” Melissa said. She felt tired now. “I’m so, so sorry. I never meant for any of this to happen. If I could go back in time, I’d never have gone to that damn beach in the first place. Right now, I wish I was at home, with my own legs, without any knowledge of this. And I’m really sorry about Stefanie. I never meant for that to happen…maybe nothing will come of it, or…or…”
“Oh, shut up,” Emily finally said. She let out a sigh. “I’m not mad at you, you moron…I’m mad at Serenity. That bitch is responsible for all of that. Not you. Alright?”
Melissa nodded, though she didn’t entirely believe it.
“Look, Stef…she…she does what she wants. There’s no stopping her.” She let out a long, tired sigh. “I know that when I’m not here, she’s likely going to transform herself. If you transform back, I want you to watch out for her, alright? And I’ll call if I need help, or something…”
“Can’t you tie her up or something?” Melissa asked.
Emily smiled. “She’d probably find a way to get out of it. Damn her.” She sighed again. “But I love her. And she’s right. She can’t stay away from water forever. With any luck, she’ll transform, and then we’ll find a way to reverse it and we can put it behind us. Okay?”
Melissa nodded. “Okay. I’m still sorry.”
“Idiot. It’s alright.”
She hugged Melissa, and then stood up. “Alright. Try not to worry too much. Hopefully…hopefully this will all be over with soon.”
Emily departed. She spoke to Stefanie in the hall, but Melissa couldn’t hear over the sound of the water. She sighed and leaned back into the tub. She curled her tail up out of the water, looking at the pink glistening scales. For the moment, she was stuck here. But the water felt very nice against her tail. And for the first time since this had all started, she felt some hope that it would all turn out alright.