Myths: The Folklore Trilogy

Chapter 18- In Which the Journey Begins

Turning into a mermaid was bliss. I hadn't relaxed for almost an entire day straight, except when I fell asleep, but that was more from pure exhaustion, so it didn't really count.

I was finally forced to truly relax. Just let go of all that anxiety, flow like the river, swell like the ocean. You are free. Free from worry. Free from anxiety. Free from fear.

And for a moment, the freedom was beautiful. But immediately after I transformed, everything came rushing back, hitting me full force in the center of my soul. I felt like throwing up.

"Sierra, look at your clip," Sophie said in subdued excitement.

I reached up and touched my butterfly clip. It had turned sleek and almost plastic-like. Perfect for going underwater. I grinned in spite of myself.

I touched the necklace at my neck. It was a simple four-pointed start within a circle. Abigail had given it to me before she parted. "It's so you can communicate with me too," she had whispered.

Then she had flown away on a broomstick ("because even a sorceress deserves to be a little dramatic").

I missed her. True, I had only known her for a few hours, but she seemed like a true kindred spirit. And now she was gone, and we were alone once more.

"Hey Sierra, don't you think we should send them a message now?" Audrey asked. "Just so they know what we're doing."

I nodded. "Yeah that's a great idea." I propped myself up on the island and unclipped the butterfly, which converted back into its original form.
Audrey and Sophie swam up next to me. I nodded to Audrey, and she took the blush container out of her...pocket? I wasn't sure where she got it actually.
I placed the blush packet on top of the butterfly. They both began to glow. I cleared my throat. "Send this message to Tess Varela," I said as clearly as I could.

The blush container lifted into the air, spun once, and then settled on the ground. The butterfly's wings flapped once, and then went still. A blue sphere floated up out of its back.

I waited, but nothing happened.
Audrey nudged me. "I think this is where you say stuff," she whispered.
I nodded. "Um, hi Tess, this is Sierra. As you probably know at this point, we happened to escape the dome, and are now traveling. We met a friendly sorceress who enchanted this butterfly for me. And, uh, we happened to have something of yours, so we could send it to you."

"I took your blush thingie," Audrey butted in. "Ha!"

I gave her a warning look and continued. "You don't need anything of mine to send a message back, it automatically returns to me."

I took a breath. "Ok, now for the important part. Tell Mrs. Simone that we..." I hesitated. I took a deep breath. "We're going to try and stop Giselle."

There was silence. Now that we were sending this message, there was no turning back.

"Tell her not to worry..." -even though she probably should- "...and, uh, respond as soon as possible. Bye."

We waited for a moment. The butterfly seemed to sense that we were done. The light sank back into the clip. It's wings glowed with new vivacity. Then the butterfly flapped its wings and fluttered into the air.
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We swam for what seemed like ages. There's something beautiful about being completely surrounded by water. It's safety, almost. The world loses its sharp edges, and everything blends together. Everything you see merges with everything you feel, surrounding you with peace. And you hear nothing but the rushing of the water in your ears. All of the tension in my chest fell away and mingled with the endless complexity yet simplicity of the ocean.