Scales and Secrets (Rough Beta Version)

Chapter 1

The brakes of a bus screeched as it pulled up at a small brick house. With a sigh, I climbed the small stairs onto the faded yellow bus with D.I.S.D. written in bold black letters on the side. I tucked a chunk of messy blonde hair behind my ear and walked to the back, sitting down in an empty seat that wasn't falling apart yet.

It was the last day of school for seniors. I had wanted to stay home, but the school board had decided that our last few days would be used for finals in a desperate attempt to have people stop skipping the last week of school. Thankfully the board was still letting seniors get out a week early. But it didn't help that my car had broken down, forcing me to take the bus this morning. On the bright side, I thought, at least my calculus final was yesterday.

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I walked into the cafeteria, where my group of friend met every morning, the cafeteria was sheet white and looked absolutely immaculate as a result of the janitors doing a thorough cleaning job before the year ended. I took my bag off and sat down at our usual table against the large window that took up the back wall of the cafeteria.

I reached into my bag and dug out my sketch book. I pulled out my latest drawing that I was almost finished with, it was me, but with a mermaid tail. For years I had been in love with mermaids and always wanted to be one. I would never admit that out loud though.

I started sketching the scales on her, or I guess me. I always imagined mermaids with scales covering their torso and chest as well as the tail, because why would they bother with seashells?

I looked up, checking to see if my friends were here yet, and I saw my friend Lauren was walking, almost running up towards me, I closed my sketch book and smiled.

"Luna! Hey!" She said happily as she took off her bag and sat next to me.

"Hi." I said pushing the sketch book into my bag. "Have you seen Nikki or Hannah at all?"

"No, but I saw TJ in the hall." She got a very dreamy look on her face, the same one she always gets when she's taking about her current boyfriend.

I rolled my eyes. "You would think you would be over all the dreaminess by this point in your relationship, don't you think?"

She glared at me, obviously about to say something about me not having a boyfriend, when Nikki and Hannah walked up.

"Hi guys." Hannah said, letting her bag fall off her shoulder and sat down with us, obviously still half asleep.

Nikki laughed and sat down across from us, in a good a mood as she always.

"I really wish I could have stayed home." Hannah mumbled, and laid her head against the wall.

"Oh perk up its the last day of school, and a half day!" Nikki said poking her in the arm.

Hannah sighed and closed her eyes, "But finals!"

"Well at least we're going to be leaving for Florida tomorrow!" Lauren said looking towards me with a grin.

Since it was my last summer before college, mom had agreed to let me and a few people of my choice take a trip to Florida as a graduation present. We were planning on staying in my grandmother's condo on the beach for the entire summer.

"True!" I said, already starting to feel excited about our trip, "But there's been a slight change of plans. Mom and Paul, my step-dad, are going to be coming with us."

I explained that the marine life center that mom and Paul worked at had gotten a call from their sister location in New Smyrna, Florida, and that they had been requested to go down there and help out in June with a new exhibit they were planning.