The Golden Mermaid

𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒆

Ollie waits in the kitchen for me to clean myself in the bathroom. I don't take much time to look at my reflection, afraid of what I'll find. Tears mingle with the cold water I splash on my face repeatedly.

"So, are you okay?" He says once I sit down beside him.

I shake my head, then bury it in my hands. "No. No, not really."

There's a long pause before he speaks again. "So... do you want to tell me about it?"

"Yes," I say before I realize that I've said it, "but I can't."

Another long pause. He taps on the table. "Okay, um. Why can't you?"

"Because... I just can't. No one can know."

"At least does your dad know? If it's something really important he should know." He says, his brow furrowed.

"He knows,"

"...Well that's good at least. Where is your dad anyway? Work?"

And then I'm crying again. "It's just..." I can't finish my sentence. Ollie hands me a paper towel. "Thank you." I sniffle, blowing into it. I crumble it before getting up to throw it in the trash.

"Do you need some water? I'll fix you some water." He stands up and starts shifting through the cabinets for a cup. "Here," he says after filling it with tap water.

"Thanks," I start to reach for the salt shaker. Ollie's eyes widen in puzzlement as I pour a little in my water. "It helps with headaches and... everything else. Look it up." I explain. I'd been putting some in my water everyday ever since the night I'd woken up in the tub with the tail and Dad told me to try it. It's helped me calm down—helped me get my priority's straight when there was too much going on to focus. But would it help a regular human person? Probably not.

He still looks confused, but tries to hide it with a tight smile. "Huh, I guess that's a new thing. I've never heard of it before."

"I guess so," I say, glancing at my feet. A tear rolls down my cheek and I wipe it away with the back of my hand.

"So when do you think your dad will be home? I'll stay with you if you want. We can, I don't know, watch a movie. Take your mind off things, whatever the things are..."

His voice trails off into a constant, annoying buzzing. There's too many thoughts—too much and nothing I can do about it. Dad's gone, there's nothing I can do; my mom is mermaid drained of herself and slowly withering away, nothing I can do; I'm getting chased by some evil snake lady who wants to kill me, nothing I can do; my best friend is mad at me and there's nothing I can do. Something courses through me, a hot energy burning through my veins. I close my eyes and will myself to calm down, trying to stop the panic attack I know is brewing.

Water starts pouring on me. I can't even register what's happening before I'm soaked. My cup of saltwater is shattered on the table, completely emptied, but I'd only taken a sip. Neither me or Ollie had touch it, but somehow it's exploded into a mess of tiny pieces of glass.

"What the heck!" Ollie is standing now, backed against the refrigerator. His dark hair is soaking wet and his shoes squeak on the floor. "Did you just see that?! I looked up and-and the water was just floating in the air and it was pulsing and growing and..." He looks at me, unblinking. "Hey, what's wrong? Did the glass hurt you? Are you okay?" Suddenly he's at my side, his hand on my shoulder, having completely forgotten about what happened only seconds ago. "Sydney, what's..." he starts, but then he looks down at my legs, "...what's that?"

I look down instinctively, but already know what I'll see. My skin fades into shimmering golden scales whereever it's wetted by water.

"Sydney, what the heck..." he runs his finger across a few. "Ow!" He yelps in surprise, pulling his hand back. Then his deep brown eyes are looking into my own and I can't tell if he's fascinated or terrified. I know for a fact that I'm terrified. "What.., is that?"