Cranberry Clairvoyant (Azealia Banks Story)

Fatality and Casualty

The air, along with my heartbeat, was face-paced and fierce. The wind howled and whistled, persistently blowing everything it encountered. My neck suddenly developed an itch. I swatted at the back of my neck, and saw a crushed mosquito on my hand. I laughed vengefully and scraped it off.

My nose curled every once in a while when the air settled with the scent of the sea. I didn’t quite like that smell. But soon the wind would start back up again, and so would my nervousness. I was so on-edge because today was the day—

“Bingo!” A shout rang from around the ship. I leaped over the chairs and ran toward where the voice came from, my Fujifilm camera in hand.

“I don’t believe you,” I accused once I skidded to a stop next to the girl who had shouted.

“Well start believing, ‘cause it’s right there.” That was Milan, my cousin. She and I were like sisters, since we grew up together. I followed her gaze into the waters; they were sea green, just like my hair. I moist my lips and peered closer, and then finally caught the tail.

“Call everyone!” I pushed her, urging her to head downstairs on the cruise ship and alert our family that our detour had paid off. Only Milan and I really wanted to come to this part of the ocean ever since we watched that television broadcast about real, live mermaids being spotted in this sea. I'd wanted to be the one to spot it, but even if Milan saw one first, it was still great.

I reached over to grab the hook with its bait and throw it into the water, only when the tail began to rise. She was a jumper!

Instead of proceeding with the hook, I took my camera and readied myself for a picture. This moment had to be captured, whether I caught the mermaid herself or not. I snapped the picture immediately before her tail went back down. Talk about luck!

When the polaroid photo slid out of the camera, I was confused. Why had I photographed two swim divers?

I diverted my gaze from the photo and looked back at the waters, only to see two boys laughing their heads off, holding a painted mermaid tail in their arms. Of course—these were Ezekiel and Darrius, two major idiots on my private school’s swim team.

“Did you get her?” Milan asked, her feet vibrating the ship’s floor as she stomped back toward me alone. Our family and friends probably didn't believe her enough to come and check it out for themsleves.  I shook my head and glared angrily at the two boys.

“No,” I said through gritted teeth, “there was no ‘her’. It was these two low-lives who pretended to be mermaids.”

Milan’s eager expression instantly transformed into rage. “You two are some asses, you know that?” She yelled to them.

“Ouch,” Ezekiel cooed. “That’s not what you were saying in bed last night, Mimi.”

As if it was a reflex, Milan picked up a half-full bottle of water and lunged it at him, hitting him right on his forehead. Darrius’ shoulders shook with laughter at his friend. Even Ezekiel laughed at himself. But Milan and I didn’t see this as funny at all. We travelled away from the original route to witness some mermaids, who we knew were here, and had no time to be teased.

Ezekiel rubbed his head from the blow, and I felt an itchy sensation in the center of my own head. The itch turned into a potent vibration. This was something I couldn’t ignore. I usually disregard the messages—if I didn’t, I would go crazy with them whilst I walked on the street every day—but this had never happened before. This one must be urgent.

So I gave in. I cleared my mind like I learned to do when I was little, and held my breath. Soon enough, the message flooded in. They were never in words, but in a foreign code of emotion that I somehow comprehended. It was beyond me; it just happened.

And when this one was over, I didn’t feel good.

“You alright, Zee?” Milan asked, concern etched on her face. I nodded dishonestly. This was not good.

“Hey!” I called to the boys, who were still floating in the water like pros. “Ezekiel, where are you going tomorrow?”

“Why, you want to plan something?” He asked with a wink. God, he was so obnoxious. “I’m busy tomorrow; we have a fair to go to.”

My heart’s rate skipped up a little, keeping up with the pace of the wind like it had been doing lately. Horror swamped my mind as I imagined their fate, the fate expressed in the message.

Both of these boys were going to die at the fair.

 

ᴀʟʟ ʀɪɢʜᴛs ʀᴇsᴇʀᴠᴇᴅ.  ɴᴏ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ᴏғ ᴛʜɪs ᴘᴜʙʟɪᴄᴀᴛɪᴏɴ ᴍᴀʏ ʙᴇ ʀᴇᴘʀᴏᴅᴜᴄᴇᴅ, ᴅɪsᴛʀɪʙᴜᴛᴇᴅ, ᴏʀ ᴛʀᴀɴsᴍɪᴛᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴀɴʏ ᴍᴇᴀɴs, ɪɴᴄʟᴜᴅɪɴɢ ʀᴇᴄᴏʀᴅɪɴɢ, ᴘʜᴏᴛᴏᴄᴏᴘʏɪɴɢ, ᴏʀ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ᴍᴇᴛʜᴏᴅs ᴡɪᴛʜᴏᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴏғғɪᴄɪᴀʟ ᴘᴇʀᴍɪssɪᴏɴ ᴏғ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ/ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇʀ, ᴇxᴄᴇᴘᴛ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ᴄᴀsᴇ ᴏғ ʙʀɪᴇғ ǫᴜᴏᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴs ᴇᴍʙᴏᴅɪᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴄʀɪᴛɪᴄᴀʟ ʀᴇᴠɪᴇᴡs ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴ ᴏᴛʜᴇʀ ɴᴏɴᴄᴏᴍᴍᴇʀᴄɪᴀʟ ᴜsᴇs ᴘᴇʀᴍɪᴛᴛᴇᴅ ʙʏ ᴄᴏᴘʏʀɪɢʜᴛ ʟᴀᴡ. ғᴏʀ ғᴜʀᴛʜᴇʀ ɪɴғᴏʀᴍᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀᴄᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴀᴛ ᴛʜɪs ᴀᴅᴅʀᴇss: ᴀɪsʜᴀᴍᴜғғɪɴ28@ɢᴍᴀɪʟ.ᴄᴏᴍ. ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ʀᴇғʀᴀɪɴ ғʀᴏᴍ ᴄᴏɴᴛᴀᴄᴛɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ ᴠɪᴀ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴀᴅᴅʀᴇss ɪғ ɴᴏᴛ ғᴏʀ ɪɴǫᴜɪʀɪᴇs ᴘᴇʀᴛᴀɪɴɪɴɢ ᴛᴏ ᴀɴʏ ᴏғ ᴍʏ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴡᴏʀᴋs ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏᴘʏʀɪɢʜᴛ ᴅᴇᴛᴀɪʟs. ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ.