by Dee J. Stone
“Me, too.”
We stay in the pool for another fifteen minutes before I reluctantly tell Damarian I need to get to work. As he helps me out of the pool, I try not to think about my class. It’s the second to last lesson, but I won’t be able to get in the ocean. I won’t be able to even stand close to the shore. My shoulders droop at the fact that I’ll most likely never surf again. I guess I need to look at the positive—there is still snowboarding and roller skating. Not that they can compare, but I want to look at the bright side. I don’t want to let my changing into a mermaid make me bitter.
Once we’re all dried up, Damarian and I go upstairs to change—he in a T-shirt and khakis, me in a long-sleeved dress that reaches my knees and covers most of my neckline. My aunt bought this for me when I was a sophomore in high school, and I’ve never worn it. I didn’t think there’d ever be an occasion appropriate for it. Until now.
Hand in hand, we make our way to the beach. Even from a distance, I can taste the salt water on my lips, feel the ocean air settle on my exposed skin. I close my eyes as I take it all in. The ocean has always made me feel good, but this is a whole different level.
Ten-year-old Gail runs up to me as soon as we walk in. “Why aren’t you in your wetsuit?”
After making sure she’s completely dry, I play with one of her pigtails, which look like mine, just light brown. “I need to stay out of the water for the next few weeks,” I lie. “Doctor’s orders.”
She frowns. “That sucks. How are we going to finish the lessons?”
I tug on her hair. “We will. I promise.”
She nods and runs off.
Most of my students have already arrived. I part with Damarian, then make my way to one of the lifeguards, asking him if he can sit with me while I give the surfing lesson because I’m unable to get into the water. In case of an emergency, I need to know someone will be there to jump into the ocean, if needed. I sigh in relief when he agrees.
The lesson begins. Most of my organs sink to my toes as I watch the kids paddling into the water and popping up on their boards. As much as I’ll miss surfing, I know I’ll miss my students more. Even though we’ve only been with each other for a short while, I’ve gotten to know each and every one of them personally and have grown attached to them. I remember being in third grade and my teacher fighting tears on the last day of school. I didn’t understand what being a teacher meant. Once we’re done with our classes, we cast our students off into the real world, hoping and wishing we gave them enough tools to thrive. Okay, I’ve just been teaching them a surfing class, but I feel it. I don’t know how teachers do this year after year.
Luckily, the lesson goes well and it’s over in no time. I wish my students a good day and am about to go to Damarian, when Timmy rushes to me, his body dripping with water. I jump back.
“I’m gonna miss the lessons,” he says, moving closer. I bite my lip as I step back, guilt eating away at me. “And you,” he adds.
I wish I could hug him. “I’ll miss you, too, Timmy.”
He gives me a confused look, like he expects me to ruffle his hair like I always do. Biting my lip some more, I wave and walk to Damarian. I don’t want to look back and see the hurt expression on his face.
Damarian slings his arm around me as we leave the beach. His lips brush my cheek. “Are you all right?”
“I’m going to miss them.”
He nods.
“I guess I’ll have to look for a new summer job,” I joke, though it doesn’t feel like a joke.
He doesn’t say anything, but I feel the tension in his muscles. They stay like that until we get home, where he takes me in his arms and brings me to the couch, snuggling close. “Perhaps you would like to swim in the ocean with me? As a child of the sea.”
My heart beats with anticipation, excitement, and anxiety. “I would love to.”
He smiles and kisses me. “I feel so much joy when you are happy. But it may be wise for us not to venture too deep. Not until you grow familiar to swimming as a child of the sea.”
I’m bouncing in my seat. Even though I’m nervous as hell, I’m also excited. It’ll be like scuba diving without the gear. Total freedom to swim in the ocean together exploring his world, without having to worry about anything.
“Let’s go.”
Chapter Fourteen
I hug the bag of essentials close to my chest as Damarian and I head for the beach. The contents inside are doubled to accommodate the both of us. I hide the bag near the rocks, where hopefully no one will find it. We’ll need the sheets and towels when we return from the ocean.
We walk to the marina. A few swallows make their way down my throat as we near the many docked boats. The vast ocean. Am I ready for this?
Damarian squeezes my hand.
I look for Ian, Leah’s cousin, who hooked me up with a boat a few weeks ago as I met Damarian at the ocean. He’s more than happy to provide us with a boat again. After starting the engine, I press my knees together. This is so exciting, yet so nerve-wracking.
Without realizing what I’m doing, my arm reaches over the edge of the boat, my hand sweeping toward the water. Damarian snakes his fingers through mine, pulling my hand away. “Your body yearns for the sea,” he murmurs.
I blink at him, then laugh. I remember Damarian doing the very same thing when I brought him to the ocean by boat. He runs his lips across my knuckles. “I shall protect you in the sea. I will not allow any harm come your way.”
“Should I be scared?”
“No,” he quickly says. “You will not be in danger. But nonetheless, I am here to protect you.”
I give him a long, deep kiss. “Thanks.”
We reach the familiar sandbar. I raise my eyebrow at Damarian, asking him if this is far enough, or if we should travel deeper. He nods that the location is okay. I kill the engine and sit back, wringing my hands together. This is it, the moment I’ve been dreaming about for so long. To swim with Damarian in his natural habitat.
“The sea will feel different than the sea water in your pool,” he tells me.
I nod. I assumed so.
Damarian holds out his hand for mine. “Would you like to go first?”
Staring out at the beautiful calm water, a shudder creeps down my spine. If for some reason I don’t change into a mermaid, I can very well drown. But I have Damarian. He won’t let anything happen to me. “Okay,” I say.
He holds me steady as I strip out of my clothes. I’ll have to return here with another boat to bring this one back to the marina.
I’ve been scanning the area since we left to ascertain that no boats are around. I do it one final time, then take a deep breath, letting it out slowly.
“I will join you shortly,” Damarian says.
I raise my hands and dive into the ocean. The tingly sensation is the same, and so is the pain. I feared it might be more intense, since it’s the ocean as opposed to synthetic sea salt.
As I writhe and splash around, I feel Damarian in the ocean. I don’t see him or feel him physically, but I know he’s there. It’s as though our souls are connected.
The pain stops and I float vertically in the water, my tail flowing in the current. Damarian was right, natural sea water feels amazing. It’s like I can live weeks, maybe months, without food as long as I can swim in the ocean.
Damarian comes into my view, looking exquisite. I’ve never seen him clearly in the ocean like this, just blurry due to my human eyes. He looks slightly different than when he’s in my pool. A beautiful creature of the ocean.
He gathers me in his arms. “Do you feel it?” he asks, his voice even more musical. “Children of the sea have the ability to sense one another, even on land. But it is much stronger in the sea.” He nuzzles my neck. “How I love the way it feels.”
My arms come around his neck, my hands tangling in his hair. “I love the way it feels, too.”
I stare down below. We’re a good few feet from the ocean floor, but I can see all the wa
y down there. The crabs and fish skimming along it. The coral. Raising my eyes higher, I see the many colorful fish swimming around, the seaweed, rays, turtles. Even frogs. It’s all so beautiful and magical. I’ve always loved watching documentaries about ocean life, but now I feel like I’m actually part of it. I can spend weeks here.
Damarian’s tail wraps around mine. A feeling of warmth and love envelops me. In the merpeople world, doing this is probably equivalent to hugging, maybe more. It feels really good, and I find my eyes rolling over as I moan.
His lips are near my ear. “Come.” Locking his hand through mine, he dives deeper into the ocean. I follow. Our tails swoosh behind us, so powerful and strong. The surface draws farther and farther away.
I hear a low hum. It almost sounds like a swarm of bees. Maybe it’s my ears adjusting to the pressure of the water? But as we go deeper into the ocean, the humming gets stronger, and when we pass a school of fish, it gets even more intense. Is it the fish? Do I hear them? Damarian can communicate with any living thing in the ocean. Does that mean I can, too?
We stop and wait for the school to pass. They don’t pay attention to us, but I hear the humming. Straining my ears, I try to make out what they’re saying, but I have no idea. Once they pass, I turn to Damarian. “Can you hear them?”
He nods. “But they are too numerous in number to hear precisely what they are saying.”
A small fish swims up to my shoulder. I look down at it. It just floats next to me. I raise confused eyes to Damarian. He smiles. “I believe she enjoys your company. Attempt to communicate with her.”
I stare at it for a few seconds. What exactly do you say to a fish? “Um…hi?”
The fish doesn’t answer, but I see something in its eyes. Like it understands me.
My lips curve into a smile. I reach for it, expecting it to dash away, but it moves closer to me. Just as I’m about to brush my finger across its middle, something large swoops toward it, catching it in its mouth.
A startled shriek escapes my mouth as the fish swims away with my little friend. Damn, that thing almost bit my hand off.
I clutch my thumping heart. Damarian covers my hand with his. “I am sorry. But that is life in the sea.”
As my heart slows down to a normal pace, I realize he’s right. Things are different here in the ocean. It’s a dog-eat-dog world—well, a fish-eat-fish world. And the little ones are most likely to be chomped.
I search the area, studying everything. The different kinds of fish, the way they swim and how they eat one another. I’m not an expert on fish, so I have no idea what species they are, but there are so many of them. I can’t help but marvel at how amazing all of this is. My eyes are soaking it all in faster than my brain can process what I’m actually seeing.
“Come,” Damarian says, gesturing further into the ocean.
As we swim, he suddenly dives deeper until he’s a few feet beneath me. Raising his head, he smiles, then spreads out his arms, his tail pumping behind him. My hands spread out as well, my own tail propelling me forward. We swim in sync like this, like we’re attached by strings. Like we’re flying in the ocean. When he pumps faster, I do, too. When he turns, I turn. It’s like we’re connected through our minds.
Then without warning, he shoots up, his arms coming around me. He’s moving at such a fast pace that it takes a second for me to understand what’s going on. We’re somersaulting in the water, first dropping toward the floor, then shooting up. Just as we’re about to break the surface, we flip over, our tails thrusting. We do it over and over. As a human, I would probably get dizzy, but I’m not. In fact, I don’t want it to end.
Damarian turns me around so that our fronts are pressed into one another. As we continue to somersault, his lips find mine. I feel him smiling as we kiss, our hands gripping one another. Kissing him underwater like this feels different, too. More sensual, more enticing. Damarian told me that his hormones are more intense as a human, but right now, I’m finding it hard to believe. I’ve never felt like this before.
When our lips finally part, Damarian smiles warmly. “I am having a magnificent time with you, my love.”
My lips latch onto his for a long time before I say, “Me, too.”
We explore more of the ocean, touching the coral, the ocean floor, even say hi to a few fish. I don’t know how long we stay under, but I’m guessing quite a few hours. My body starts to slow down, my tail not pumping as fast as before. My arms feel weak and I sink a little. Damarian clasps an arm around me. “Forgive me, Cassie. Your body is not accustomed to swimming in the sea for such lengths. Perhaps we shall return to land.”
I’m about to protest, tell him I want to stay down here forever, but my eyes get heavy.
“I do not think it wise to rest here,” he says. “It is only safe in the colony, where we are well guarded.”
“From what?” I ask.
“Humans. Other creatures as well. Come, we shall return to land.”
I lean into him as he steers us toward shore. “What about visiting your family?” I ask. The thought makes me want to puke everything I ate today, but at the same time, every cell in my body fills with anticipation. I want to meet his family so badly, even though I’m scared as hell.
“It is a lengthy journey,” he says. “Perhaps once you grow accustomed to swimming in the sea.”
“Aww.” But I know he’s right. I am so wiped out right now. All I want to do is curl up in my bed and sleep for days.
I must have dozed off, because the next second, Damarian is dragging me onto the wet sand. My body wakes up when it dawns on me that we’re on land—two merpeople on land. In broad daylight.
My eyes search for my bag. Where did I put it? I see it a few feet away. Laying my hands on the sand, I groan as I heave my body toward the rocks. Damarian gives me a light push. I snatch the bag and open it, yanking out the two sheets and tossing one to Damarian. After we cover ourselves, I hand him a towel, all the while keeping my gaze on my surroundings. Hardly anyone comes to this area because there’s nothing here but a pile of rocks and some garbage, but I don’t want to risk anything.
Damarian draws me close. “Are you prepared?”
“As ready as I’ll ever be.”
The pain is unsurprisingly just as bad as the last time. And just like the last time, being in Damarian’s arms makes it more bearable.
Chapter Fifteen
I wake up to the sun shining in my face. Moaning and stretching my arms, my eyes open. I’m lying on my bed.
Moving my gaze to my left, I find Damarian sitting next to me, his face brightening when our eyes lock. I stretch my arms again and yawn. “What time is it?”
“Seven in the morning.”
I squint. “Seven in the morning? How long have I been asleep?” The last thing I remember is changing into a human after having such a great time with Damarian in the ocean.
“Since the shift,” he says.
He carried me home. He must have been pretty tired himself. I sit up and take him in my arms. “You’re so amazing. I love you. So, so much.”
His lips sweep across mine. “Not as much as I love you.” He nuzzles my nose. “I wished to allow you more rest, but I did not want you to miss your final lesson.”
Final lesson? I pull out of his hold. “The party!” I want to throw a small picnic party on the beach for my students. I slam the heel of my palm against my forehead. “I totally forgot to buy supplies.”
Damarian grins.
“What?” I ask.
His grin grows wider and he holds out his hand, motioning that he has something to show me downstairs. Keeping my curious eyes on him, I give him my hand and let him lead me downstairs. The table is cluttered with a picnic basket, food, drinks, snacks, and paper goods. Perfect for a party.
I gape at him. “You bought all this?”
He nods, still grinning.
Throwing my arms around him, I squeeze him as tight as possible. “How did you remember?”
; He dips his head so our lips touch. “I try to remember all that you tell me.”
I press my cheek to his and I hug him even tighter. “Thank you so much! How did you know what to buy?”
“Leah assisted me.”
He did it all for me, after carrying me home from the beach, even though he must have been exhausted. He and Leah are so great for doing this for me. I’m really lucky to have them.
“After your celebration with the fry, I wish to swim again in the sea,” Damarian says, skimming his lips along my jaw. “I very much enjoyed it.”
“Me, too.”
We go about our usual morning routine, swim in the pool, and make breakfast. I once again dress into the long dress, my throat constricting. Today is the last day I teach my surfing class and I won’t be getting in the water. But this is my life now, and I can either embrace it or mope around. I choose to embrace it.
Damarian offers to carry the basket. There’s a skip to my step as we walk to the beach. I’m excited to throw this party for my students, to see their shocked and surprised faces. Damarian keeps the basket with him while I ask the lifeguard to sit with me again when I teach my class. Then I head to my students. Most are already there, and as my gaze sweeps over them, I feel proud. A few weeks ago, they were nervous, afraid, had no confidence that they could ride a wave. But today, most of them can. And the ones that haven’t mastered it will one day. I don’t know if I had that determination at their age.
“Miss Cassie!” Timmy runs, carrying his surfboard. A little girl chases after him.
“Hey.” I wave.
When he reaches me, he grabs the hand of the girl and pulls her forward. “This is my sister.”
She looks no older than six, with the same dirty blond hair as Timmy. “Hey,” I say. “What’s your name?”
“Kayla.”
“She wanted to come because it’s the last day,” Timmy says. “Can she watch?” He bounces on his feet like he’s had too much sugar.
“Of course you can,” I tell her. She smiles shyly.
