THE WATER ATTACKS I couldn't see Emma anymore. She had disappeared. "Where is Emma?" the new girl who had followed me out asked me. "I don't know" I said irritably. "Haven't you got anything else to do?" "There is something going on here, and I want to know what it is!" the new girl looked at me. I didn't even know her name.
The time was running out. Emma could be anywhere in the ocean. I had two options: I could jump in the ocean and start to search for Emma. If I did that, my secret would be discovered. The new girl would find out that I become something else when I touch water. The other option was to wait and call Josh. He was my best friend and knows mine and Emma's secret. But if I did that, Emma could disappear forever. I would rather lose my secret and end up under a microscope than lose a friend.
Emma's Family Reunion 2010
Girl with fan
Japanese coverI took a deep breath before I jumped in the ocean. I looked down where my feet had been. They had been replaced by a tail. I knew that the new girl would start to wonder where I was. Humans can't hold their breath for one and a half hour. I can.
Every second counted. I had to be fast. I knew I didn't have much time. It was a race against the clock. What if I didn't reach the moon pool in time? The grief would be overwhelming. I couldn't imagine a life without Emma. We had been best friends since I was nine. Suddenly something was moving in the water behind me. I turned and looked at something that looked exactly... exactly like me. The new girl was a mermaid, a mermaid just like me and Emma. I didn't have to worry about our secret anymore. It was safe with the girl. We started to swim the fastest we could.
I had made the right choice. The time was running out. We had to hurry up if we wanted to reach the moon pool in time to save Emma. We swam in the opening to the moon pool. I could see Emma. She was screaming of the top of her lungs. She looked terrified. I couldn't blame her. A snake of water was holding her tight and tried to drag her under water. "What are we going to do?" the girl looked terrified. "I can try to freeze it" I reached out my hand to perform my little magic trick. "No! Let me! Freezing it will just put fuel on the fire! It will make everything worse!" The girl looked desperate. I didn't lower my hand. I am used to count on myself. I don't like to be told what to do. Why should I trust a girl I had known two minutes? I froze the water. It was a stupid thing to do. The snake didn't freeze, only the water surrounding it. "Damn it!" I yelled. I was angry. We were stuck in the ice. There was nothing we could do to save Emma. "You should have listened to me!" the girl looked angry at me. "Yeah...and what should you have done? Hit it with you tail?" "Why are you so angry at me? I haven't done anything wrong. You are the one who screwed up!" I was angry. I wanted to hit the girl who was standing next to me. I looked at Emma. She looked weaker. The screaming had stopped. It looked like she was taking her last breath. How should I explain her death to her parents? I don't know how long I had been standing stuck in the ice, but suddenly I realized that I and the girl weren't the only one who was stuck in the ice. The snake and Emma was too. They couldn't get away. I should never doubt my judgement again. I am always right. "I did the right thing" I told the girl. "Yeah... We are stuck in the ice. We can't get out of it. What a great plan." "But on the other hand" I continued "Emma and the snake are stuck in the ice too." The girl looked at Emma. "She is weaker. I don't think she has long if we don't help her" Suddenly the ice melted. The snake disappeared with Emma. "They are gone!" I yelled. "Come on!" the girl started to swim. I followed.
We swam for a long time. Suddenly everything went black. I couldn't see the other girl. I couldn't see anything. I was swimming in blindness. The time was running out for Emma. I felt like I had an inner clock who counted down the minutes. I had to hurry up. I swam after my instincts. It was an amazing feeling. I swam for an hour. I knew I would experience the lack of air in every minute. I didn't care. All I cared about was finding Emma and bring her back safe.
I saw something in front of me, a shape. My surroundings weren't black anymore. I was delighted to see again. I could see Emma. She was still alive, but very weak. My inner clock told me I had three minutes to save her and bring her to the surface. Three minutes isn't an especially long time. I swam quickly towards Emma. Something was blocking my way. It was an invisible shield. I had three options, everyone with serious consequences. Plan A: I could swim after help. That was probably the worst option. I wouldn't reach back in time, and my secret would be discovered, and besides, I had no idea where I was. Plan B: Freeze the invisible shield. It was unlikely it was going to work. Plan C: Find a weak point in the shield. That was probably the best option; the only problem was my lack of time.
I chose plan B. I think it was worth a try to freeze the shield. I reached out my hand and started. "Don't do it!" the girl was back. "I know how to break through the shield!" I lowered my arm. "Give it a try" I said, convinced that the girl's plan was not going to work. My inner clock told me I only had one minute and 20 seconds left. "Hurry up!" I said. The girl reached out her hand. The shield disappeared. I swam quickly in and brought Emma out. I had 20 seconds to get to the surface. Ten seconds. Three seconds. A little bit more. One second. I took one final, giant flap with my tail and felt fresh air in my lungs. Emma was gasping for air. I had made it. Emma was safe. But where was the girl? I couldn't leave Emma. But I couldn't let the girl be in the water with the snake either. "Emma" I said. "I have to go back in the water. Stay here" Emma nodded. I swam quickly down to the bottom again. I could see the girl. She was smiling at me. I pointed my finger to the surface. The girl nodded. I took her hand, and we swam to the surface where Emma was waiting for me.
"Nice tail!" I said to the girl. "Thanks. I think it looks good too." "Where did you get it?" Emma looked curiously at the girl. "The same way you got it, I think. It was full moon, and I fell down into this pool. I was nine." "Nine years old!" I whispered. "We got it last year." "Come on. I want to go home" Emma said. "What's your name?" I asked the girl. "My name is Indiana Evans".
A photo of Indiana Evans that I took myself during...
Painting girl
Sleeping girl