Destiny

(Pages 4-8)

Seanna

I loved living in the water since I was a little tad, that was up to the point when I watched a bunch of girls that looked like me outside of having these scales and this fin having fun. I used to believe that living under water was normal. They had the best of both worlds. They swam when they were under the water, and then when they got out they had these long things on their bottom half. Then I saw them move around so elegantly on the sand. I never knew that I was actually caged until I saw that. I wanted those things so bad that one day I had enough courage to swim to shore. I thought maybe if I got to the beach that maybe magically those walking sticks would appear for me, however it did not. I plopped on the ground. I started hearing people rushing over to me. One of the rules being underwater was that no one could see us that wasn't a part of our kingdom. I thought that might include these people, but maybe my family didn't know about this kingdom. For a moment I was excited because what if I just discovered something. My dad would be very excited. All of a sudden I got pulled under the water.

"Ouch."

I looked down, and my dad was pulling my super dry fin back down to our home.

"Dad, you won't believe what I just found."

My dad was ignoring me and did not even look up.

"I told you not to venture out."

He did tell me that, but there was something I knew about my dad, it was his unwavering determination to figure things out himself. I was just doing the same thing.

"Dad, I want to know why we can't explore? I feel like you're keeping something from me."

My dad's fin started to get really red so I stopped talking. When my dad got like that I knew I should just be quiet. He looked at me like I just killed our pet fish.

"Some things you just don't need to know. Maybe I will..."

I knew where he was going with this.

"What, tell me when I'm older? Dad look at me, I'm old enough."

He has been telling me that same thing since I was 7, that was nearly ten years ago.

"You can't keep treating me like I'm a baby."

He looked down.

"I can if you keep acting like one. Why do you think I don't let you go up there? Do you think this is punishment for you? Do you think I like arguing with you?"

I start to mumble to myself.

"Sometimes I wonder."

My dad looked at me like he could hear me.

"Fine then, go explore."

My dad let go of my fin and started to swim another way. I hated being in fights with him. We both had the same stubborn trait. I knew that he was taking off to calm down. It's what my dad did. I don't know why this made him so angry. I went straight home to my room after my run in with my dad, and he left me. I didn't want any more reasons for him to be mad. He never came in to tell me goodnight. It was so hard to sleep when it came to bedtime. I decided to swim around to see if I could find him. I saw a shiny light coming from up above the water. I went above shore because I doubted anyone was there and saw this magical light. It was so bright and twinkly. I made a wish to myself that things were different and maybe things would change around here. All of sudden the light fell in the water. I was so mesmerized. I tried to touch it, but I started to feel different. Maybe this meant that my wish would come true. I went back down till I got to my bed. I went to sleep so much better that night than I have since I was a baby tad. I knew that tomorrow I would talk to my dad and everything would be better. I had visions in my sleep that felt so real. I saw a girl with no scales and no fins, so I started to ask her for help. She looked at me with pity in her eyes. Her eyes looked so familiar. She tried to help me out of this quicksand once she did she fell in and I was safely on the ground. For one moment I felt bad, but once she was in the quicksand she started to smile and so I walked off. After that I was in this object. It was hard, and there was this lady right next to me. She smelled like vanilla. I smelled that smell before back when I was a tad. It's something I will never forget. It has stayed with me this long, and I don't know why. The lady next to me was just getting up from sleeping. I saw her stretch out her arms the way I do.

"Have you not slept this whole time Hannah?"

Why did she call me Hannah? I must still be dreaming?

"You look like you're really tired. Why don't I take the wheel?"

"Wheel?"

I look up and there is this round thing right in front of me. I start seeing objects moving all around me. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do with this thing, so I just turn it the way I see everyone else that is around me. The lady smiles and unbuckles a belt.

"Honey, you can sit over here and go to sleep. You have been driving enough."

I start to do the same thing she is doing, but have a little bit of trouble getting it off so she does it for me.

"Thanks, I must be tired."

I don't want to sleep though because the moment I do I'm afraid this dream will be over.