Coral Blue (BOOK 1) ✅

5

  As soon as we touch water it takes us exactly 15 seconds for us to grow tails. It's a weird feeling... But it made me think. If the three of us became mermaids and we don't remember how it happened, is it possible that there are more people like us?
  - Ok, so 15 seconds... - Chris says - And we're in this... Figure.
  Chris and Diane we're at the beach getting all wet and wrinkly. I said I wasn't going to try my tail in there because I was affraid to get caught. I tried to convince them to go back to the lagoon but they didn't hear me. I wasn't going to do this alone, I needed them.
  - Come on, Mel! We're going to try this. - They kept calling me. I gave in.
  I dive in the water at once and feel my body transforming. And there it was, a tail. I had to pull them by the tails so that they could come in. There was one big problem ahead of us. The swimming. As we didn't know how to manage the appendices, we started to drown. Or so I thought. When I felt like I couldn't hold my breath anymore, that was when I knew I could breathe underwater. I looked at the girls, they were thrilled.
  - This is just amazing. - Diane said. - How cool it is to breathe underwater?
  I smiled at her and so did Chris. And before I knew it, I swam next to them. I didn't understand how I did it, it was just too natural. They did it too. And there we were, mermaids in the sea.
  - How about we go a little further and deeper to see what we can find? - Chris asks.
  - Well, I have a better idea. Why don't we go check if we can find the tunel that leads to the lagoon? - I ask.
  They exchange looks. I know what they're thinking, they don't want to find out how this happened. But I needed answers.
  - Are you coming with me or what? - I ask, frustrated.
  - Fine, we go. - Chris said, pissed.
  We swam for what it looked like an eternity. We explored the sea with other eyes, the corals, the starfish, the fish itself. We were deeper than usual and further from the beach. To be honest, I said we should head to the lagoon but I have no idea how to get there. I decided to follow my instincts and somehow, they led me there. Arriving to the entrance of the lagoon, I noticed something - a bracelet. I swam to the end of the lagoon and grabbed it. It looked just like mine and Chris's, only this one had orange fading to yellow. How incredible that there were three of this bracelets. When I looked in front, I saw something. As I said, it was pretty dark down here but I could see light: an entrance to another cave.
  - Girls! - I call - Come check this out.
  They come to my side and they get as interested as I am. We swam in before we headed to the top of the lagoon. The entrance was full of seaweed, different types of them and seashells, loads of them. When we head back, I'll collect some of them. As we approached the light, our vision was more and more clear of what this was - some underwater lair.
  - Girls, check this out. - Diane called.
  As Chris and I swam in, we got freaked out - a trident. They were real, I mean of course they existed but the ones I've seen were made of plastic to wear as an accessorie to a costume, like Aquaman or Little Mermaid, I don't know.
  The curiosity was killing me, so I decided to grab it. As soon as I do so, it releases a powerful source of energy, almost impossible to contain and it eletrifies me. I feel full of power, somehow. Chris and Diane tried do detain me but they were pused away by its force. The trident started releasing lightning and I felt way too powerful. What was happening? 
  Suddenly, the lightning stops as soon as a m... Mer... Merman?! A merman?! Whatever he was, he stop the lightning when he put his hands on the trident. His eyes turned white with its force and then they came back to normal as soon as he stopped the energy. I was mesmerized and couldn't contain what I was feeling. Power. I smile.
  - Who are you? - The merman asked.
  - Who wants to know? - I reply. He raises his eyebrow to me. - I mean... Who are you?
  - I'm the owner of this trident. My name's Aegeus and I also own this lagoon. I wonder who are you since you don't look like the normal mermaid around here.
  More mermaids? I was intrigued.
  - This is all very sudden for us... - Chris intervenes. - We're not exactly from here...
  - We're from... Huh... How can I put this up? - Diane says. - We're like... Land people.
  I laugh at her try. Hilarious but true.
  - Wait... Does this mean... You were transformed somehow? - Aegeus asks.
  We all nod our heads. We asks us to follow him and he swims at a speed that seems almost impossible. We can't track his speed so we go at our own pace. Eventually we reach where we wanted to and it stincks the place we arrive. 
  - Just don't say anything, what you're about to see is going to change your lives forever.
  We follow him through and what we see makes us take our hand to our mouth. Around us are, at least, a few dozens of files of "land people" as they call us and among them are a few deaths. I grab one of the files and it says "Mermaid found at the beach, 1975".
  - Aegeus... What is this? - I ask.
  We swims to my side and grabs it.
  - This is exactly why you can't be here. - He says with a sad look on his face. - The mermaid on the picture was Cora, my sister.
  The three of us exchanged looks.
  - She turned one human into one of us, just like you were turned. - He explains. - She thought she could trust the girl but she was wrong. One day, they decided to go for a swim but Celia didn't show up where they usually met... So, Cora decided to meet her at the beach.
  He looks down. I can imagine how tough this is being for him.
  - I lost my sister because people like you exist! - He shouts.
  Chris frowns.
  - Look, Aegeus or whatever your name is, I don't mean to be rude but you can't treat us as trash without knowing us! - She shouts back. - We're not like that. We just want to know how this happened to us.
  - I think I can help you with that. - Someone says from affar.
  - Aquilina.

*

  - You're insane! - Aegeus shouts. - You had no right to turn them! You know what the council will do to them.
  - I didn't do it so they would get killed. - The mermaid says.
  Killed? What does she mean with killed?
  - I did it so that we could obtain informations. - She continues. - I want to be able to turn human when I want as well. I want to see their world.
  I'm perplexed. Chris wouldn't say a word, she was way too pissed. Diane was scared to talk. I couldn't stop words from coming.
  - What do you mean with that?
  They both look at me. Aegeus looks down as if what's about to happen will make him feel sorry. Aquilina, on the other hand, looks very pleased.
  - You will help me get to land. - She says smirking. - You will make me human, just like you.
  - What? - Chris finally speaks. - You're crazy! You don't have legs.
  - I don't, I know but there's a way for me to have them, as there's a way for you to have your tail.
  Now I really was confused. She smirked again.
  - I tranformed you using my essence, my mermaid essence. You will do the same for me.
  Aegeus really meant what he said about how different me and the girls were from this mermaids. While we kept most of our human form, they kept most of their fish form. Aquilina was ugly as hell.
  - And how are we supposed to do that? - Diane asks.
  Aquilina raised her eyebrow and laughed. God, that laugh was so evil.
  - You will do a blood sacrifice. Exchange half your life as a human, for half of my life as a mermaid. A true mermaid.