Bree stared
out at the water as she sat comfortably in the passenger seat of the boat. She
loved the water, but this was a dangerous idea. She knew Mara wanted to do
something to celebrate with their friends, but all Bree could think about was
what she needed to keep secret.
As Mara
drove the boat out into the lake, Bree did her best to decline any offers from
the other girls for her to water ski. “No, thanks,” was her standard answer
every time one of them asked if she wanted a turn.
“Oh, come
on,” Tracy teased. “This is your bachelorette party—one last day out with just
the girls.”
Bree
smiled. “I’ve never liked water skiing. It’s fun to just be out here on the
boat with you guys.”
Bree
watched as her friends took turns water skiing. She longed to feel the water on
her skin, but she couldn’t let that happen today. Mara was a great boat driver.
She expertly turned the boat at the best moments for the skiers, but it caused
a bumpy ride for anyone inside. Bree kept a firm grip on her seat as the boat
attempted to spill her out into the water.
At the end
of each run, Bree would go help the skiers climb back into the boat. She was
helping Tracy when it happened. One minute, Bree was pulling Tracy out of the
water; the next, Tracy flashed a smirk, and Bree found herself pulled in.
The first
thing that Bree felt was relief. The water was where she truly belonged. The
next feeling that came was panic. She couldn’t let her friends see her like
this. While she was still submerged, she removed the scrunchie holding up her ponytail
to allow her hair to float freely around her neck and face. She took a moment
to make sure that her secret was covered before she allowed her head to bob
back up.
Seeing
Tracy’s grinning face, she immediately sent a huge splash toward her friends. “I
said I didn’t want to get in the water,” she teased playfully.
“Oh, well,
I guess you’re already wet.” Tracy’s eyes danced mischievously. “Are you ready
to waterski now?”
“No, thank
you. I’m good. Hand me a towel, would you?” Bree’s wet hair draped around her
neck as she pulled herself up to sit on the boat’s edge. Mara threw her a
towel, and she wrapped it around herself like a hooded cloak. No one noticed
the tell-tale sign that she might not be completely human. She vigorously
rubbed her skin dry until the gills on her neck disappeared. Wow, that was a
close one.
Bree
managed to stay out of the water for the rest of the day as she laughed and
joked with her friends. The secret of who she truly was remained a secret—for now.
No one knew that she was actually a creature of the water, living her life on
the land.
