Think Tank, TheRoost [book club suggestions .txt] 📗

/> She smiled again. "More than you know, little one."

I stomped my foot. "A 'little one' wouldn't try to make the sacrifice I am making; a 'little one' wouldn't think to let someone they loved go; a 'little one' isn't what I am anymore."

She smiled at me. "No, you're right, but I forget sometimes, my apologies."

I took a deep breath. "Wait here, I'll get the key for you, and then you are free to go."

She gave me a calm, easy stare. "Come with me?"

I let out a gust of air that was building up inside me ever since Vincent left. I gave her a gracious smile. "I would be honored."

She extended her hand. "Then there is something we must do."

I ran to the changing station, quickly putting on a two piece, and dived into the water. Evangeline was swimming after me fairly soon, wrapping her tail around me, holding both my hands in hers...

And she bit my neck. The pain was instantaneous, but fleeting; she repeated this numerous times, and I convulsed under the water, but after a few minutes, the pain went away entirely, and a pleasant, tingling sensation spread through my legs. Then a sharp pain attacked my bones, but again, it was fleeting. I felt the air return to my lungs, and a ripping sound filled my ears. I opened my eyes and looked down, some-what startled.

Where my legs were supposed

to be, where they used

to be, was a tail; a tail as beautiful as Evangeline's. It was a mixture of scarlet hues, fading in and out, with a sleek shine that sparkled under the water. I felt my hair; it was smoother, straighter, and swirled around me in long, shimmering waves. As it floated in front of my, I noticed navy colored highlights, like those Evangeline has. I smiled at her, and I was happy, truly happy; I belonged.

"Let's hurry," Evangeline whispered. She touched my face, a small smile on her face. "I raised you, you know, more than your parents did. Maybe this was all meant to be."

I swam, my powerful fin pushing me quickly to the edge of the tank. "Perhaps," I said, climbing out of the tank, quickly drying off my legs. "Perhaps..."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am now going to skip to the boat. This is where the story may truly end.

I had already stolen the key to Evangeline's collar; we had already dived into the ocean. In all technical terms, we were free. Evangeline had to dive to the bottom, looking for a conch she could blow, to alert her kind. It would be impossible for us to find her home without them. I was bobbing above the surface; the lights in my old home, my mansion, were all on, and I watched as one by one, the sailboats left our docks, excluding mine; I assumed they thought I was in bed still, and they did not want to wake me. Or perhaps they thought I was already gone, alerting scientists, or staying at a friends. I did not know, nor did I care; nothing in that regard has changed.

It was then, in the middle of these thoughts, a strong light shined on my face, nearly blinding me. The ocean was pitch black, and my tail was successfully hidden. I raised my hand, trying to shield my eyes as the light dimmed down and a loud "Violet!" echoed on the sound. Vincent; of course it would be him

to find me.

"Violet, thank goodness I found you! I thought you would be swimming out to find Evangeline, but don't worry, Mother and Father will get her, we have a chip in her collar" Vincent seemed terribly excited about all this, and I remember his eyes were alight with a fresh passion, brighter that what was shown for Evangeline in the first place.

"Leave me be," I had whispered. I began to swim away at a human pace, as to not alert him to my other-wise obvious metamorphosis.

"Violet, I need you back in the boat, we need your help!" Vincent had switched from relief to groveling in a matter of moments. Pathetic.

"No, Vincent. I doubt you would take my help in the first place."

"Why wouldn't I? What would-"

"I'm not like you, Vincent. I never was, and now I have fully embraced it."

Vincent froze and stared at me. I swam back into his light, into his line of sight.

"Violet," Head h whispered since his voice was now more hoarse from his ridiculous shouting. "What has happened? We used to be thick as thieves, and now..."

"We are no less thick than before, Vincent, but you may no longer think so."

"Stop speaking in riddle! Tell me what is already on the edge of her tongue!"

I splashed the side of the boat with my tail, a wicked smile on my face. "Join me."

"My God," He had whispered. His eyes went wide, but whether it was awe, fear, or or disbelief I did not, nor do I now, know. "Come on Violet, I'll change you back."

"I don't want to."

He glared at me then. "Violet, you are human

. You're not one of them, you're not some kind of disgusting freak

!"

"Is that all I am to you now? A freak?"

"Yes, but we can fix this, it's not permanent, we just need to get you out of the water for a while, that's all."

"A year, Vincent, and I'll probably die

. I'm worth no more to you dead or alive, am I?"

Vincent gave an exasperated sigh. "Violet, I think I lost Evangeline forever. I love her and I love you. I can't lose you too."

I shook my head. "You never knew what love is, Vincent. You never will. You are greedy, selfish, and cold to the core. Goodbye."

As I dived below the surface, a pain attacked my legs, a constant hurt. I saw red float around me and I saw a knife, lodged into my tail. I pulled it out with a sharp cry and lodged it into the boat as it sailed away.

Evangeline was swimming to me now, blowing a conch as hard as she could. A low, tenor horn sound emerged and shook the water in a pleasant way. I smiled as she noticed my wound, dressing it with seaweed as many others of our kind emerged, giving us curious glances and awing at the crown that sat on Evangeline's head.

"Who did this?" Evangeline whispered.

"No one of importance." I replied.

We swam into the dark trench, the future awaiting.

Imprint

Publication Date: 05-08-2012

All Rights Reserved