Chapter 6

Finding the Mermaid Transformation class was easy. All I had to do was follow the stench of arrogance and privilege.

It wasn't just the sea witch trio that gave me that impression of mermaids. Every student who carried themselves with a sense of self-importance had the mermaid symbol on their shirt.

The training room was on the far side of the second largest building on campus, which appeared to be used for physical activities. According to the map, there was a gymnasium on the top floor with all manner of sports and exercise equipment and a pool.

I walked through the door, the pounding of my heart against my eardrum beating in time with my footsteps like a death march cadence. The space inside was almost entirely monopolized by an enormous swimming pool, with diving boards of various heights at one end and several metal hoops hanging from the ceiling here and there.

There were already several students in the pool, all of them wearing the same fitted swim top of black elastic.

The realization that I'd be expected to swim shot white-hot panic into my chest. I had never been in any amount of water, and I was almost certain to drown if I tried to swim, or, at the very least, make a fool of myself flapping around gracelessly.

As I stood paralyzed with anxiety, someone leapt out of the water like a dolphin, heading toward one of the hanging hoops. The woman's speed was remarkable, but I did manage to catch sight of something breathtaking before she landed in the water—a long, shimmering green tail where her legs should be, delicate gossamer fins decorating her hips and the bottom of the tail like glorious streamers celebrating its majesty.

I was aware that my jaw had fallen open, but I couldn't connect my brain to my body to close it. All this talk of mermaids today, but I still hadn't fully accepted them as real until that moment.

Unlike the two other shifters I had witnessed, this mermaid wasn't monstrous in any way. On the contrary, it was probably the most beautiful living thing I'd ever seen.

The jumper's head resurfaced a few feet away from where she landed. She pushed her hands up over her face and down the back of her red hair. It was Celeste.

"Arya," she called with a beaming smile when she saw me. "I'm so excited to give you your first lesson! Go into the locker room, and you'll find a swim top in your locker. Just look for the locker with your name on it; it's the third one in the back row."

Too dumbfounded to speak, I just nodded and made my way to the back of the room where there was a pair of doors, each with the appropriate gender stick figure on it—except these figures had tails instead of legs. Cute.

As I walked, I saw more beautiful mermaid tails splashing through the water. Even though I knew everyone was giving me dirty looks, I couldn't help but stare at all of them. They were all just so beautiful.

One of the most interesting things I noticed was that not all of their tails were the same color. In fact, no two tails looked the same. The majority were varying shades of blue and green, but every now and then, there was a splash of red or yellow.

I playfully imagined what color my tail would turn out to be—if I was what they said I was. My heart fell at the question.

I pushed open the door to the ladies locker room and ignored the stares and whispers as I beelined straight to the last row to look for my locker. Third one in, I found my name on a digital screen, at the bottom of which was a flashing oval, the words PRESS FINGER HERE displayed above it.

I pressed my index finger to the circle, and after a moment, there was a beep, and my locker popped open. The screen now said CALIbrATED. GOOD MORNING, ARYA.

Wow. They sure like their gadgets here.

Just as Celeste had said, a long black swim top hung inside. I took it out and inspected it. Something was missing. It had to be. There were no bottoms included. I scanned every corner of the inside of the locker, but it was completely empty.

Did they actually expect me to go out there with nothing below the waist, or was this some kind of hazing prank?

I looked around, half expecting to see Cora and her cronies giggling in a corner, but they were nowhere in sight. A few lockers down, another girl was pulling on her swim top. It went down past her buttocks to just above her knees, looking almost like a tube dress. Then, the girl discreetly slipped out of her panties and placed all her clothes in her locker.

So, we really are expected to go commando.

My cheeks instantly burned at that realization. After a moment of thought, the reason behind it came to me: any bottoms a mer might be wearing would get in the way of two legs becoming one fin.

Logic, though, didn't make me any less uncomfortable with the idea of leaving my lady bits completely bare—in a class with boys, no less.

I would just have to be extra careful. No bending over, that was for damn sure!

Accepting my wardrobe fate, I took off my uniform and pulled on the swim top. The fabric clung to me like a second skin, and I happily found that no part of it hiked up when I made different movements. In fact, the more I moved, the more I realized how difficult it would be to show anything I shouldn't, even if I tried.

It was like the fabric learned my body, tightening and giving in certain places to offer more comfort. Could this be some kind of smart clothing? Was such a thing even possible yet?

As ready as I would ever be, I put my clothes and laptop bag in my locker, the door automatically locking when I closed it, and went back out to the pool.

Celeste stood outside the locker room, dripping as she waited for me. It was almost a shock to see her walking around on two creamy legs after that spectacle in the pool.

"Are you ready?" Celeste's green eyes were bright as she gazed at me. Even soaking wet, her long red hair looked amazing.

"Um, actually, I'm not so sure about this," I said with a timid shrug, then lowered my voice to say, "I've never done this before. I don't even know if I can shift. And I definitely can't swim."

Rather than becoming upset or looking disappointed, Celeste gave an indulgent laugh and put her hand on my back to guide me toward the pool.

"Don't worry about any of that. The water in the pool is salt water—mermaids automatically transform in salt water."

"Really?" I asked in a hushed tone.

Celeste gave an encouraging nod. "You won't even have to try. Just let your body do what it was meant to do. Don't fight it—that lesson comes later." She winked at me.

"Okay," I said, doubt weighing down my tone.

I examined the crystal clear water as we came closer. There were no steps to ease my way in like I'd seen in movies. From the looks of it, every part of this pool was just as deep as the rest, and it seemed to be at least two meters deep, enough for the water to go over my head and then some.

"Just go in at whatever pace you feel comfortable with," Celeste said as we stood at the edge of the pool. "And don't be alarmed when your skin starts to react."

"What will happen?" I asked, unable to take my eyes off the water in front of me.

"Dip a toe in and see," Celeste encouraged.

My fear overridden by curiosity, I stretched out a leg and allowed my toes to submerge into the pleasantly warm water. Instantly, a prickling sensation devoured every inch of my wet skin, and I instinctively retracted my foot. The flesh that had previously been smooth and unblemished had begun to peel, revealing shimmery scales beneath.

I gasped, in awe of the reaction a tiny amount of salt water could produce.

"Oh, just dive in already," Cora's unmistakable voice said behind me, and suddenly, swift hands thrust against my back, knocking me off balance and forcing me to belly-flop into the pool.

I tried to scream, but water rushed into my open mouth and filled my lungs. I threw out my arms to find something—anything—to hold onto, splashing fruitlessly and grabbing nothing but water.

And then the whole-body circus of sensations took hold of my consciousness, and I could see, hear, and feel nothing else.

That same prickling covered the surface of my entire body, an itch that no amount of scratching could satisfy. Before I could even process that, the bones in my hips, legs, and feet began to shift, unsetting and resetting, breaking and healing, so quickly that the pain began and ended in the blink of an eye.

Half blinded by the sting of the water in my eyes, I hunched over to look at my legs. I could just make out that they had connected into one piece.

Another piercing pain rippled through my chest and the sides of my neck, and I felt the skin on my throat splitting. Squeezing my eyes shut, I cried out again in panic, releasing bubbles into the water around me like an over-shaken can of soda, and clutched at my neck as it seemed to tear apart.

All at once, the experience was over, and the world, both inside and outside of my body, was silent and calm. I opened my eyes, surprised to find that the water no longer stung and that I could see perfectly.

I gasped, only to realize that I could breathe. Water filled the inside of my mouth, throat, and lungs, yet somehow I could still inhale and exhale without struggle. I took in a deep breath, and tiny bubbles appeared at the corners of my eyes. With my hands still clutching my throat, I could feel that those bubbles were releasing from three long slits on either side of my neck.

Holy crap, I have gills!

Burning with the thrill of my new reality, I looked down at my legs and found a long, magnificent tail in their place. It was the most beautiful shade of pearlescent pink. Tissue-thin fins formed a makeshift skirt around my waist and blossomed from the end of my tail, long and flowing, like silk swaying in the wind.

It was true. It was all true! I really was a mermaid!

My heart sang with a newfound freedom and joy. I twirled in the water, the liquid submitting easily to my will.

I flexed my tail, marveling at the revelation of having only one limb instead of two. Rather than having only knee and ankle joints, it was like my new tail had hundreds of joints, and they obeyed my every internal command, bending backward and forward like a snake's spine.

I flicked the end of my tail and watched as the water rippled in its wake. For a girl who had never set foot—or any other body part—in water, I felt like an Olympic swimmer. No, I felt like Aqua Man—Aqua Woman?

The sound of arguing echoed through the water from the surface, and I suddenly remembered that I'd been pushed into the pool. I should be pissed.

I spun around and swam to the surface.

In my current form, the dry world felt painfully loud and overbearing, assaulting all my senses. I blinked through the brightness of the fluorescent lights at Celeste sternly chiding Cora, whose expression looked bored.

"Look, she's totally fine," Cora said, waving a hand at me. "I did her a favor. It would have taken her all period to get in there at the rate she was going."

"That's no concern of yours, and your little act of charity has earned you a week's detention," Celeste scolded.

"What?" Cora snapped, stomping her foot in protest.

"Want to make it two?" Celeste threatened.

Cora hmphed and scowled at me, then stormed off to the girl's locker room.

Turning her attention back to me, Celeste knelt at the edge of the pool. "I'm so sorry, she had no right to do that. How are you feeling?"

"Actually, I feel incredible," I confessed, my chest barely containing my electric joy. "I can't believe I went my whole life without knowing this part of myself."

"Well, I won't pretend to know anything about your home life, but I'm sure your mother had a good reason for keeping you in the dark." Celeste's emerald eyes were sincere yet cryptic as they looked down on me.

I looked away, unable to comment. The mention of my mom caused the joy of transforming to evaporate, the buzz in my chest turning into a sour taste in my mouth.

Celeste thought my mom had a good reason for hiding this. I only wished I knew what that reason was.