As Cleo sat on her board, watching the wave approach closer, she knew it was too late to move, to even try and escape this monster. She plunged downward, allowing the water to swallow her as she sunk deeper and deeper into its chilly embrace. A sense of comfort came over her, despite the fact that she was losing air by the second. Soon enough she surrendered her consciousness, fading away into the ocean's arms.
* * *
Clank! Cleo's hearing was still cloudy, but even then she heard the faint noise of objects crashing onto a floor. Her eyes were heavy and her body felt like it'd been crushed, so it was easier to stay still, eyes closed, wherever she was. She shifted her fingers slightly. Fabric. Maybe a blanket.
"Shhh," a girl's voice rang, clear now, in her ears. "By Triton's name, you're going to wake her up." Who was that? The strange, silvery voice was completely unfamiliar to her.
Where was she? Although her memory was still foggy, something told her she wasn't at home. She couldn't stand to lie there any longer, especially since her body ache had faded a bit. Cleo sat up, opening her eyes. Ouch. As quick as they'd opened she shut them closed before she could even process her surroundings. She tried rubbing them to get rid of the sting.
"Hello?" a trembling voice spoke out. A slap followed by hushed whispers echoed in the room.
There was definitely more than one person, all with the same silvery accent. Darn you, she cursed her eyes. She needed to see where she was, and who these strangers were. With a silent prayer, she tried again, cautiously lifting her eyelids. The sting had reduced, but she had still had to blink a few times before her vision cleared up and the pain was gone. She glanced around her, taking in a pink bedroom and a few pieces of furniture. Four girls stood, not saying a word, but she barely paid them attention. Something else had sparked her interest.
There was some kind of barrier, a substance that filled the whole room like air, and shimmered like the surface of a portal. The effect made everything appear wavy and magical. Cleo stuck a hand out, almost expecting it to vanish through a portal. What was it?
"Um, excuse me?"
She glanced up, startled. She'd completely forgotten she wasn't the only one in the room. The girl seemed about her age, with silky brown hair that somehow floated behind her, and brown eyes filled with worry. She was holding onto the end of the queen-sized bed Cleo was on, so only the upper half of her body was visible.
"Who are-" she was interrupted by water that filled her mouth, almost causing her a choking fit. Wait. Water? She tried again. "Where-" Again water entered her mouth, salty, like seawater. But where was it coming from? Then it hit her. This barrier wasn't magical at all. It was water.
She was in a room underwater? Her mind whirled trying to grasp this idea. Gazing around her, she realized how much the room did appear to be underwater, like a fish tank decorated with little pieces of furniture. How did I not see that?
If I'm underwater, she wondered, how have I not drowned yet? She wasn't wearing a scuba mask, and there was no kind of breathing device around her. Wait. Breathing device? She took a deep breath, widening her eyes. She tried it again and again, able to breathe as if the water were mere air. She laughed out loud, this time not choking on the water. "I can breathe. Under. Water!" She laughed again. Who cared how it was even possible.
"We all can," someone muttered under their breath. Again, she completely forgot she wasn't alone. The group of girls at the foot of the bed were examining her(except one, who was turned to the side, pecking at her nails) with a look that made her wonder if she'd grown an extra arm or something.
"So. Where am I exactly?" she cleared her throat, gesturing at the water around her. She could talk easily now, barely noticing the water entering her mouth.
"Swordston." A girl with a tight ponytail and emerald-green eyes spoke up. She appeared frightened like the others, as if Cleo were a threat.
"Never heard of that before. You guys can breathe underwater too?" she asked, trying to hide her disappointment with a smile.
"Um, yea," the one with brown eyes and silky hair spoke up. "It's...not common for you humans," she glanced at her companions nervously.
"For humans?" she wrinkled her nose. "You mean, you're not one?" she chuckled.
They all looked at each other nervously, puzzling her.
"Wait." The one with green eyes pointed to her arm. "Show us your wrist."
Puzzled, she lifted her tattooed wrist towards them. They all gasped, frozen in silence for a few seconds.
"She's one of us!" One of them laughed. They all seemed to be relieved, laughing, the tension disappearing.
"What do you mean?" She didn't understand why they cared about her tattoo. Sure, it'd always been a mystery since she'd had it her whole life never knowing where it'd come from, but what did it have to do with these strangers?
They turned to each other, whispering. The brown-eyed one spoke up. "Let us introduce ourselves. I'm Stella. This is…" she turned to the girl next to her.
"Tina." She was the one with slick hair and green eyes, and a serious expression.
"I'm Trish!" A girl with curly blond hair flashed a smile that illuminated her caramel-colored skin.
"Pearl," the last one, a blonde girl with pink streaks in her hair, looked up briefly before turning back to her nails.
"I'm Cleo."
"Ah, Cleodora. A beautiful name," Stella nodded.
"How did you know?" Cleo frowned. Her full name wasn't exactly popular.
"It's native to here, of course."
"Where exactly is here? Why are we underwater? And you said I was one of you?" So many questions were whirling in her head. She didn't know anything, and every time she tried to recall her memory it gave her a headache.
Ignoring her questions, Stella moved towards her, and as she left the foot of the bed, her entire body now visible, Cleo's jaw dropped to the floor. Where there should've been legs, was a real, scaly, live mermaid tail.
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