Water: The Mermaid Legacy Book One

Sometimes these play dates had ended in fighting, normally because my friend would want to add a detail to our imaginary world, and I’d refuse to allow them to, arguing vehemently that they were wrong.

My mother had tried to explain to me that I couldn’t be angry at my friends about changing an imaginary word. She’d tried to explain that imaginary things were only in our heads, and that my friends could imagine whatever they wanted. I’d agreed with her on every other imaginary topic except when it came to the ocean.

No amount of threatened punishment would change my opinion. I felt certain that I knew what that world should be like. I knew how the animals in it behaved. I knew what it felt like to be a part of it.

The certainty I felt in my waking hours was cemented as I slept because every night for as long as I could remember I’d been dreaming about the ocean.

Each new snippet of information I managed to glean from the books I read or the documentaries I watched would find their way into the dreams. They were never scary, always vividly colourful and serenely beautiful. They were filled with light and songs and life and I was part of the dream, not just a spectator of the magical world beneath the waves, but it was my home. My refuge.But that was before the nightmares.

A shiver of anticipation slithered up my spine as I read the incredible description of how normal human DNA could be combined with another species to create a being that could be both human and mermaid, and for the first time in a long time a bubble of joy and excitement pushed its way up through the anger and grief that had been my constant unwanted companions for the last three years.

“You guys have to see this,” I called.

Luke waved a hand at me in dismissal. “Yeah, after the game, Alex.”

Josh got up and walked around to the pc.

“There they are, Josh.” I pointed at the screen.

He was quiet for a long time while he read.

“Luke, you really should come and see this,” he called, his voice a little breathless.

Luke hauled himself off the couch and walked over to us. He read the article quickly, and then shrugged non-commitally.

“OK,” he said, sounding less than impressed.

“It’s exactly how Josh described them,” I pushed him.

He looked at me blankly.

“Oh, you were inside already,” Josh said, proceeding to fill Luke in on the physical description of the fish-people he’d given me.

Luke was thoughtful for a few moments. “It doesn’t explain the Talita story though,” he said. “I mean, why would they want to take her?”

“So you’re saying you believe they exist?” I asked.

He grinned. “Believe is a strong word, but I’m more convinced than I was.”

“This is so cool.” Josh was bouncing on his toes. “Dude, you have mythical creatures living on your doorstep!”

“We don’t know that for sure,” Luke replied.

Josh suddenly clutched the back of my chair, spinning it around, while grabbing Luke’s arm at the same time.

“We have to go and look for them.” His face was alive with excitement.

The minute he’d suggested it, it was all I wanted to do.

“I thought you were scared of them?” I asked playfully. “You know their appetites are ferocious.”

He laughed. “Please, those stories are just to scare little kids away from the water so they won’t drown.”

“Guys, have you forgotten the ‘adventure zone’ restrictions?” Luke turned and pointed at the mountains. “Last time I checked those were a lot further than one kilometre away.”

“We could leave without telling the adults,” I suggested, clapping my hand over my mouth as soon as the words had left my lips. I couldn’t believe I’d just suggested that.

Never in my entire life had I ever even thought of sneaking out, even to go to a party. Now I was seriously considering running away from the farm, for what? To go on a wild-goose chase looking for fish-people in the mountains?

The more I tried to reason with myself that the idea of running away into Injisuthi was crazy, the more I wanted to go and look for the fish-people, wanted to do it with every cell in my body. Not just because I wanted to break out of the carefully constructed safe activities and emotions I’d created for myself since Brent died, but because something about the legend Josh had told me had made me feel more alive than I’d felt in the last three years, and I didn’t want that feeling to go away.

Josh laughed at me. “Wow, Alex, I didn’t realise you were so bored here.”

I grinned at him, relaxing a little. Josh didn’t think I was crazy, I could see by the light in his eyes that he was all for it.

“Guys, we can’t just run away.” Luke told us, looking incredulously between us. “My folks will go nuts.”

“So tell them we’re going to your youth camp thing,” I suggested, the opportune alibi turning the adventure into a real possibility. “With your Mom away, your Dad will be so busy he probably won’t even check up on us.”

Josh high-fived me, “Great idea, Alex!”

Luke was looking between the two of us like he was watching a tennis match.

“Come on, Luke, don’t be a wimp.” Josh punched him lightly on the arm. “You can’t go to the youth camp anyway, so why not do something fun this holiday. Unless you want to be stuck on the farm doing chores…”

Luke sighed and shook his head, grinning at his friend. “I am going to be in so much trouble if they find out.”

“We’ll be gone for the exact number of days and remember lots of details from the last two youth camps we’ve been on,” Josh promised. “That way when your folks ask questions we’ll have the story sorted.”

“When do we leave?” I asked, excitement fizzling through my veins.

“The camp starts tomorrow, so I’ll call Dad and let him know we’re going,” Luke promised.

We spent the rest of the afternoon packing backpacks and finding bits of food Luke didn’t think would go amiss.

Josh and I stood watching anxiously as Luke told his Dad about the youth camp, and asked if he and I could join it.

“Well, they said that one or two kids pulled out.” He’d answered a parental question.

Silence as he listened.

“No, there’s a whole group of people going, Dad, and lots of activities and stuff, we won’t wander away from the group.”

More talking from his parents.

Luke had nodded and made all the right obedient child noises before confirming that we wouldn’t see Allan before we left because the camp was due to start at eight and he was only due home at eleven.

He clicked the off button on the phone, checking carefully that the call had been disconnected, before turning to us and whooping excitedly, high-fiving as he went.