One Last Time

17. Sotíra

Matt shrugged and removed his jacket, placing it on the ground. Taya was now worried for his mental health. 

He turned towards her flexing his thin pianist hands. The green shirt he wore brought out the color in his eyes. 

He strode towards the water and cupped his hands in it. "Water is sacred. Wherever it is, in whatever form, you have to remember this. There might be water pixies so you have to be careful. Changing into mermaids is hard and anyways we cannot do it now, our abilities have been compromised. I think, it is because of the demons. Understood?" 

She opened her mouth to speak but he cut her off. "Excellent. Now we come to your basic powers. Try this." 

Matt raised his hands slightly and moved them in a circle. The water rose and formed a mini tornado. Taya was impressed. 

She bent down beside him and did the same, except the water did not move. She sighed.
Matt held her hands. "Focus. Concentrate on the water, feel it in your blood. You are the water. The water is you." He breathed in her ear. 

Taya could feel his hard chest moving in and out. She so badly wanted to lean back into him but resisted the urge.

Taya shivered and focused. She closed her eyes and mimicked Matt's movements.
When she thought nothing was going to happen, the water rose making a bigger and faster tornado. She jumped back in surprise and it splashed on the ground, spraying her in the process. 

"Good. It was really good for your first time." Matt complimented. 

Taya smiled. "Thanks, should I try again?" Matt nodded. She made the same motion with her hand, twirling her fingers and then raising them slightly. 

The water rose again, glittering and whirling. Taya's eyes reflected the water, it looked as if there was a storm in them. 

Matt moved back a small smile tugging on his lips. Taya dropped her aching hands with a look of triumph on her face. He gave her a quick grin. "Don't get too excited. This is nothing, even a two year old should be able to do this." 

Taya frowned, only yesterday he was kissing her and holding her; and today he was being a total butt. 

"So, this isn't called water magic. It is Claeire." 

"Clah-ere?" 

He nodded. "I was telling you about water pixies." He paced, walking in front of her his hands looped behind his back. He looked like a professor giving a lecture, all he needed was a scale and a board. 

Matt continued. "Water pixies or nixies are more commonly referred to as pixettes. They are small but very feisty." 

Taya's lip curled in amusement, he ignored her. "They usually help us but keep to themselves. Next come the merpeople. We can change into them- wait, let's see you try. Maybe you can."
Taya shrugged and stood at the edge of the water and came to a stop, she didn't know what to do next. 

Matt took her hand and raised it, making it come to shoulder-level. He did the same with her other arm. 

"Take a deep breath and concentrate. The feel of the water. Think about Ariel and her friends, her tail and how it would it be to have a similar one. Become Ariel. I don't think it will happen, but there is no harm in trying." 

Taya shut her eyes tightly, recalling all The Little Mermaid stories. Ariel had always been her favorite Disney princess. She saw in her mind's eye how she would look with a green tail, just like Matt's eyes; how wonderful it would be to breathe underwater. 

She remembered the taste of water, the feel of it, the salt in the seas, the waves on the beach, the strong current when she swam. How the water always could call out to her. She had always been able to swim better and faster than the others, she could hold her breath for a really long time. Taya thought it would be impossible, if she could become a mermaid, then she should have found out long ago.