When Life Gives You Fins by Elaina H (most read books txt) 📕

            We all eat our dessert before the King asks me. “Celia, will you tell us about land,” he pauses, “Brunswick,” he removes his eyes like he’s embarrassed.

            “Of course. Well, I guess I’ll start with the beaches. During the summer and late spring months there are so many tourists. We don’t have great surfing waves, but there okay for boogie boarding. People line the beaches all day and soak up the sun. I enjoy swimming in the early fall because everyone’s gone by then. Too cold, I guess.”

            “What else?” the King pries.

            “The town itself is a little bland. I used to think our town had no money, but now I realize our money was coming here. Most of the houses are white, yellow, blue, or pink. And usually two story. Not much else I can tell you guys. It’s really boring up there. And I find most of it annoying including the people.”             “Is there still enough money to fund our home, Brunswick?” the Kings eyes show he is slightly worried.

            “I believe so,” I say with only some courage. The King looks relieved.

            A stout man brings out some sort of Conch Shell on a table. He moves it and music starts playing.

            “Thank you, Mr. George,” the Queen says. Then she looks at her husband, “Thought you could relax a little,” she grabs his hand and they start dancing. He laughs, and they look happy.

            I shift in my seat uncomfortably. Out of the corner of my eye I see Destin and Zak get up. Destin gets to me first and pulls me onto the dance floor. I smile at him at laugh.

            “I can’t lie to you, Destin. I don’t know how to dance!” I laugh as he pulls me along. “You are crazy!”             I ruffle his hair as he dances with me. Destin is laughing and I see their majesties are spinning. Zak and Adrianne sit at the table bored.

            I whisper in Destin’s ear, “Dance with your sister.” He runs off and grabs her hand. She rolls her eyes and whines, but a smile spreads across her face when he twirls her.

            I swim up to Zak and pull him out of his chair. He surprised, but I just want to dance. I don’t care about little fights.

            Prince Zak grins and spins me out then whips me toward him. I shriek and land with my hand splayed on his chest. He laughs and continues dancing.

            The music is fast and it only seems to be getting faster. Adrianne actually smiles at me as we pass, and I throw my head back and smile to myself.

            Why does this have to end?

            Half an hour later the Queen claims she’s tired and the King follows after he bids me good night.

            Adrianne and Destin swim out of the hall arm in arm. Her aqua tail swishes next to Destin’s onyx one.

            Zak and I leave the room in silence. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs.

            I glance his way and don’t answer. After a minute we hit the stair case that leads to my room.

            “You don’t have to come all the way up this stair case. I’ll swim myself to my room.”

            “Don’t worry about it.” He swims along side me till we reach my door. “Good night,” he says under his breath.

            “Night, Zak,” I turn around and being to unlock my door. Zak swims away then calls my name.

            I turn around to see what he wants, “CJ, will you go to the ball with me, please? I’d be honored if you would.”

            I pause and mull it over in my head, “Okay, I guess.”

            “Is that a yes or no ‘I guess’?”

            “Yes.” He smiles and turns around.

            “Good night,” he calls from down the hall.

            He also leaves me thinking, What the Heck?!!!!!!

When Push Comes To Shove

            I sit on my stool and take out my hair. I stare into the mirror and look at my green eyes. They’re full of life right now, after I danced, and lived, and had so much fun.

            My hair tumbles down and I slide off my dress.

            I’m going to the ball with Prince Zak. I’m going to the ball with Prince Zak. I keep repeating these words in my head until I’m twirling around shrieking.

            Unfortunately, I have no girl friends at this place, so I can’t share the news. Well, there’s Mira. I’ll tell her tomorrow morning.

            I climb into my shell and shut the lid. I fall asleep happy and quickly.

            Cold water wraps around me as I feel my shell open. I shiver and see Mira working around the room.

            “It’s 6:30. We have thirty minutes to get you ready before Sir Haden comes and takes you to your educator,” she pulling our hair clips and clasps.

            “Can’t I just go like this!” I click the button that brings the lid down. Mira swims over and catches it with her tail.

            “No! Now get up!”

            “I get up and sit with my head in my hands. She rolls her eyes at me and shoves me onto the floor, off my stool.

            “What the heck.” I’m lying on the floor with her standing above me.

            “Going to do this right now?”

            I grumble and sit back in my chair, straight this time. She clips and pins my hair in some sort of bun.

            “That wasn’t too bad was it?” she smacks my butt as I stand and she laughs.

            “Mira!”

            She smiles and makes my bed.

            “Oh, Mira! I almost forgot to tell you,” She raises an eyebrow and I grab hr shoulders, “Prince Zak asked me to the ball! Can you believe it?”

            She shakes her head, “You are blind, everyone but you I guess knew he was going to ask you.”

            “Why didn’t you tell me? I could have been more prepared! Instead of, ‘duuuuuh’ I could have been like,” I twirl my hair around my finger, “ ‘I’d like nothing more.’”

            Mira laughs out loud at me, “Lady Celia, I had no clue that you,” she pauses and twirls her hair, “ ‘would’ve liked nothing more.’”

            I gape at her, “How could you not?!”

            “To be honest, I couldn’t tell whether you liked Prince Zak or Haden more,” she shrugs her shoulders.

            I think about this because I do really like Haden and I really like Zak. They are both so different. Haden is funny, nice, and uber cute, but only when he’s by himself.

            But Zak is sweet, caring, and –not going to lie- easy on the eyes, but can be crazy protective and jealous when around other people.

            Am I really sending mixed signals? “Mira? Am I giving them both the idea that we could be more than friends?”

            “It depends, do you want to be more than friends with either one of them?”             “Well, obviously, Mira, I do. I mean I agreed to go to the ball with Zak. But I think I would have given Haden the same answer if he asked me.”             “Then, you are stuck.” Mira pushes me out the door and locks it. “It is 6:56 where is Haden? He should be here by now.”

            Another minute goes by and Haden still isn’t here. “I’m going to be late on my first day, Mira!” I complain.

            “I know, but he’s supposed to take you.”

            Right as Mira finishes Haden comes zooming down the hallway. “Thanks, Mira!”             And then we are going back down the stair case. “Sorry I’m late! I’ll explain later. Okay?”

            We’re at an old door two minutes later. “This is it, I’ll pick you up here,” he points to where we are standing, “at eight. Bye.” He kisses my forehead and leaves.

            I walk into the door and an old man sits there, “And with not a moment to spare.”

            “Sorry.”

            “Quite alright! Just a lesson in life, always be early!” he organizes his stacks of books and papers. “I believe we should start.”

            “Yes,” I grab a piece of parchment from a stack on his desk, “Do you mind?”             “Not at all. We are going to start with prehistory. Of course, you know all of the human prehistory: hominids, homo sapiens, homo erectus, homo sapiens sapiens, and so on.

            But what you don’t know is homo ichthyoid, which means ‘fish human being.’ The hominids came first then some hundred years later came the merfolk. Now, around the same time human civilization broke out, is when mer civilization came about.

            Mer civilization developed quickly. There were many civilizations, but around the time Columbus discovered the Americas is when things start to change.

            The civilizations leader, Neptune I, was found by an old man who used magic. Knowing that Neptune I was mer he cast a spell on an old staff. The staff held power and he gifted it to Neptune I. But of course, there was a deal, Neptune I had to give him a mermaid and a merman to conduct an experiment on.

            Neptune I was a little greedy so he agreed. Anyways, the old man gave them formula after formula and eventually they mutated. And their voices became high pitched and beautiful at the same time.”

            I broke off his lecture, “Are you talking about Sirens?”             “Actually, I am. Sirens are deadly and dangerous. If you ever see one stay away. They are more dangerous to humans, but they have the same drowsy affect.”

            “Oh.” Scary thought. The teacher stopped talking.

            “It’s 7:40 already, wow! I really didn’t even want to start talking about sirens yet. Since I don’t have much more to say, I believe you can leave. I was expecting more questions, so.”

            “That’s fine,” I pick up my paper and pencil, “I have a few places to go anyways.”             “Well, it was nice meeting you, Celia Jane.”             “As well as you Sir…?”             “Harrison Benford.”

            “Pleasure Sir Benford.” I wave good bye and stop outside the door. I still have twenty minutes until Haden is supposed to be here.

            I sit on the floor beneath the door and wait five minutes before I’m bored. Across the hallway I see a sign that say in curvy letters Seamstress. I glance both directions and swim to the door and knock.

            “Come on in!” yells an women’s voice.

            “Hello, mamm?” A tiny woman in a too long skirt swims out from behind the counter. Her glasses are askew and she wears an embroidered apron that says ‘Don’t mess with the Seamstress’.

            “Hi, my name is Celia Jane Kendal. My friend dropped off some gold fabric. I was wondering how it was coming along.”

            She stares at me for a minute before she registers what I am saying, “Okay, follow me!”

            I follow her to the back of her room and she pulls out a dress form. “I already finished.”

            “In two days!” I am super surprised.

            “Well, for some reason the Prince wanted it on rush order. I’m assuming it is for the ball in two days?”

            “The ball is in two days? Already!”

            She shakes her head, “Why, don’t have a date?” she laughs.

            “Actually I would like to inform you I’m going with…” I stop myself because I really don’t want everyone knowing. “Oh! Can I just see the dress?”

            She shrugs and steps aside. The dress is amazing. She took my gold fabric and braided each and every strand. She sewed every braid together, and in between some of the golden braids are deep violet ones. The dress is strapless and comes to about mid-thigh, like most dresses do. It is form fitted till it hits my hips than the fabric is some violet silk the flows to my thighs.

            I am absolutely in love with this dress. “Can I try it on?!”

            “I don’t care.”

            I shriek and swim to put it on, I slip it over