Waves--Part I

"Thanks so much, I had a great time," I told Clark once he had walked me all the way to my front door. We faced each other. He leaned in to kiss me; he had done that at least four times this evening. This time, I let him. 1

He was a surprisingly good kisser. We gradually moved closer. It was obvious that there was a gravitational pull between us. 2

When we both pulled away, he smiled. I smiled back.3

"Bye," he said in a heavily seductive tone. I was confused.4

"Bye," I said simply.5

He gave me one last parting glance, a huge grin slapped on his face, and walked down the path to his car. I sighed. 6

Clark might be the one.7

He was cute, yet sensitive, smart and athletic--pretty much everything a girl wanted in a guy. I had been over the moon when he asked me out in front of all the glaring cheerleaders after fourth period that day. 8

I hoped we would go out again.9

I hoped even more strongly that I would be his girlfriend.10

By now he had driven away. I turned around and went inside, smelling heavily of my favorite floral perfume and feeling very cliche'. I practically danced up the stairs to my room.11

I flopped down on my bed. When I closed my eyes, I could see Clark's huge, flimsy grin on his perfect face behind my lids. 12

After about half an hour of lying there, half awake, dreaming of Clark and I going farther than we had tonight, I sat up, disoriented. A shower felt too tiring right now--I went to take a bath. 13

While the water was running, I took off my clothes, leaving them in a heap on the floor, and danced around with an imaginary partner. Maybe I shouldn't go out with Clark again--it was obvious he made me giddy. But I enjoyed every moment of it.14

Soon the bath was full, so I turned it off and eased myself in. After enjoying it for about ten, maybe fifteen seconds, I felt a strange tingling in my legs. At first I thought nothing of it--they were probably just falling asleep. But then when I looked down at them, I saw them binding together with some sort of blue fabric.15

I was terrified.16

What was happening to me?!17

I tried to stop it. I reached down and tried to rip the blue stuff off, but I felt a sickening pain in my fingers and realized that the were cut and bleeding. I almost screamed, but I didn't want to alarm my mother, who was undoubtedly washing something in the kitchen downstairs. When I glanced back at my legs again, I couldn't even see them. The tingling faded, and then gradually stopped. I could only see a deep blue, scaly tube that was wider where my hips usually were and then got slimmer and slimmer until it ended where my feet would've been--18

And where a glistening light blue fin was.19

I realized at that point that I had a tail--the kind you see on mermaids.20

Mermaids!21

I was a mermaid!22

This couldn't be happening. How was I a mermaid? This is rediculous. I was probably dreaming. I slapped myself in the face. All I felt was the stinging of my cheek--no sensation of coming out of sleep. 23

I tried to lift my--I gulped--tail. It felt so alien to be thinking that. It was light and lifted easily, despite its heavy appearance. I felt it--it felt like a boa constrictor. I recoiled in shock.24

Oh crap. 25

How was I going to tell Mom?26

No matter how I said it, it would sound totally awkward. "By the way, Mom, I grow a tail whenever I sit in water. That's not a problem, is it?"27

I sat in the bathtub a while, pondering the situation. 28

Hmm. I had gone in the bathtub before, and swam in pools and the ocean and everything, and this had never happened. Maybe it had something to do with my sixteenth birthday today.29

(to be continued)30