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Description
Sairah's POV

Haiyden and Becca walked onto the lawn with smiles on their faces.
They sat down across from me and gushed about how much they love school.
"Oh my goodness!", Becca squealed, "I love my science teacher! He studies fish and coral reef! Amazing stuff…"
Haiyden trailed behind her. "My classes are pretty nice…Nothing like this lawn! It's amazing!"
Amelia crept up beside me. "Wow. These are your new friends?"
"Oh yeah,", I smiled, "they're…different aren't they?"
"No. More like cool! They said they'd help me find a good story for my next paper. They surprisingly know a lot about the area's ocean life."
I was not surprised.
"That's cool.", I replied.
It got silent for a moment
Why were they so open with everything? It's like they wanted to raise suspicions!
This is how they got photographed in the first place…
"Well...I have to go.", Amelia said, awkwardly.
I guess there had been a longer silence than I thought.
It just didn't make sense. They didn't care who looked at them. Who talked. Who thought about how weird they looked. Who…stared.
I suddenly felt someone touch my shoulder.
It was Kyle. He had several pieces of paper in his hand, and a weak smile on his face.
"Hi.", he said, "so there's this thing next week.."
It was as if he was forced to say it, or something.
"I mean, it's a party. For the neighborhood, and…here."
He handed me an invitation that was lacy, blue, and had pearly white beads strung all over it.
'It's beautiful', I thought.
"…it's gonna be in our backyard, and go swimming and eat my mom's food and things like that. Not really what I'd call fun, y'know."
I shook my head yes. I can't imagine it being his scene at all.
Then, it came to me.
'Swimming…a pool…water… That didn't sound good at all. If I go to this party, who knows what would happen. Plus, I'm not used to my powers.
If I make the slightest mistake, it could be a disaster!'
"So…are you comin'?", Kyle said, a little irritated that I wasn't saying much.
"I…don't know. I mean, I want to, but there are things that…", I replied.
Kyle frowned. "I get it, it's okay. You don't want to come."
He tried to walk away, but I followed.
"Kyle, hey, it's not that. I'm just not…comfortable being there. I have a…a…a fear of water! I don't like to swim, and being around a pool is just kind of scary to me. Sorry!"
'-phew- That was a quick save', I thought.
"If that's why, you don't have to go near it. You could just…I dunno sit around.", Kyle remarked.
"But, I…" He wasn't going to give up?
"Listen. My parents want me to invite my friends. I've only invited Amelia and Frank, some new guy I don't even know. Just take the invitation, you don't even have to come!", he said loudly and sharply.
Honestly, I should've walked away. Does he think I want to help him now?
Raising his voice was not going to help him.
"I'm sorry. I would've taken it anyways, without the yelling!"
He sat down and frowned.
"Sorry."
I followed, and looked at him.
"Why do you always act like this? I mean, yeah, know you're a boy, and you don't want to talk about this, but just tell me one thing.
Is it about your mom?"
He looked shocked, and shook his head 'yes'.
"How do you know abo-"
I cut him off, "I just..y'know. You are way more like your mom than your siblings."
"I never knew it was that obvious. It's just…I don't know…I have always thought she was different, or something. Like, not…fully human, I guess. She looks so odd. So different from my friend's parents, from…normal people…Kind of like…you. Like,,,how you look like her.", he stuttered.
I knew the answer to everything he wanted to know.
But, I couldn't tell him.
I never knew it hurt him that badly. I guess being a mermaid's son has it's consequences.
And I thought I had it bad.

In the next week, a few things happened.
First, Kyle and I became semi-permanent lunch table partners, something I didn't expect I'd actually enjoy.
Secondly, Haiyden and Becca were invited, by my mother, to stay in the guest suites until summer. And their grandmother said yes!
Lastly, to my dismay, we were going to the Michaels' party. Turns out my parents were invited too, and they couldn't say no.

"You gonna eat?", Kyle muttered from across the table, "Cause if you don't gobble up that cupcake, I will."
He was trying too hard to be funny.
"Oh, it's fine.", I said. I was trying to come up with excuses not to go to the party. Faking sick was out. My parents would take me to the doctor, and, well, that would end quickly.
I could just hide. But then there's the whole 'missing child program' thing, and that could possibly send the whole city and the media chasing after me. Plus, I couldn't just show up after the party.
Clearly, the circumstances weren't on my side.

Finally, the day of the party came. I walked slowly down to my loft, making sure my parents didn't see me.
That's when I collapsed into my pink, fuzzy chair, and sat. I sat for at least a half hour, maybe longer.
I hardly ever sit and think, but I dunno. So much was in my head, going on around me, and so much needed to be said. I hated the stress of having to watch everything I did around water, and act like my blue hair and eyes weren't strange. 'That's the most annoying part.', I thought, 'Out of water, I'm supposed to look completely human. Lina told me, however, that the more the Gift had been passed down, the weaker the distinction between human and mermaid became. The first bearer of the Gift had no powers when out of water, and couldn't even change without her legs being covered with water. Years later, that started to change. Lina fears that one day, the bearer won't be human or mermaid.
That explains why I look so weird. My eyes went from a light, grayish blue, to the color of the ocean overnight. I feel sorry for the person after me. Webbed fingers, maybe? I can only imagine.'
In the middle of my over-thinking, my phone made a noise in my pocket.
Nola, again. She wouldn't stop texting me about what she needs to wear. "green or coral bikini???", the text said.Definitely green.
It was her color.
I got out of my chair, ready to face my closet-and the water.

Description
Sairah's POV

Haiyden and Becca walked onto the lawn with smiles on their faces.
They sat down across from me and gushed about how much they love school.
"Oh my goodness!", Becca squealed, "I love my science teacher! He studies fish and coral reef! Amazing stuff…"
Haiyden trailed behind her. "My classes are pretty nice…Nothing like this lawn! It's amazing!"
Amelia crept up beside me. "Wow. These are your new friends?"
"Oh yeah,", I smiled, "they're…different aren't they?"
"No. More like cool! They said they'd help me find a good story for my next paper. They surprisingly know a lot about the area's ocean life."
I was not surprised.
"That's cool.", I replied.
It got silent for a moment
Why were they so open with everything? It's like they wanted to raise suspicions!
This is how they got photographed in the first place…
"Well...I have to go.", Amelia said, awkwardly.
I guess there had been a longer silence than I thought.
It just didn't make sense. They didn't care who looked at them. Who talked. Who thought about how weird they looked. Who…stared.
I suddenly felt someone touch my shoulder.
It was Kyle. He had several pieces of paper in his hand, and a weak smile on his face.
"Hi.", he said, "so there's this thing next week.."
It was as if he was forced to say it, or something.
"I mean, it's a party. For the neighborhood, and…here."
He handed me an invitation that was lacy, blue, and had pearly white beads strung all over it.
'It's beautiful', I thought.
"…it's gonna be in our backyard, and go swimming and eat my mom's food and things like that. Not really what I'd call fun, y'know."
I shook my head yes. I can't imagine it being his scene at all.
Then, it came to me.
'Swimming…a pool…water… That didn't sound good at all. If I go to this party, who knows what would happen. Plus, I'm not used to my powers.
If I make the slightest mistake, it could be a disaster!'
"So…are you comin'?", Kyle said, a little irritated that I wasn't saying much.
"I…don't know. I mean, I want to, but there are things that…", I replied.
Kyle frowned. "I get it, it's okay. You don't want to come."
He tried to walk away, but I followed.
"Kyle, hey, it's not that. I'm just not…comfortable being there. I have a…a…a fear of water! I don't like to swim, and being around a pool is just kind of scary to me. Sorry!"
'-phew- That was a quick save', I thought.
"If that's why, you don't have to go near it. You could just…I dunno sit around.", Kyle remarked.
"But, I…" He wasn't going to give up?
"Listen. My parents want me to invite my friends. I've only invited Amelia and Frank, some new guy I don't even know. Just take the invitation, you don't even have to come!", he said loudly and sharply.
Honestly, I should've walked away. Does he think I want to help him now?
Raising his voice was not going to help him.
"I'm sorry. I would've taken it anyways, without the yelling!"
He sat down and frowned.
"Sorry."
I followed, and looked at him.
"Why do you always act like this? I mean, yeah, know you're a boy, and you don't want to talk about this, but just tell me one thing.
Is it about your mom?"
He looked shocked, and shook his head 'yes'.
"How do you know abo-"
I cut him off, "I just..y'know. You are way more like your mom than your siblings."
"I never knew it was that obvious. It's just…I don't know…I have always thought she was different, or something. Like, not…fully human, I guess. She looks so odd. So different from my friend's parents, from…normal people…Kind of like…you. Like,,,how you look like her.", he stuttered.
I knew the answer to everything he wanted to know.
But, I couldn't tell him.
I never knew it hurt him that badly. I guess being a mermaid's son has it's consequences.
And I thought I had it bad.

In the next week, a few things happened.
First, Kyle and I became semi-permanent lunch table partners, something I didn't expect I'd actually enjoy.
Secondly, Haiyden and Becca were invited, by my mother, to stay in the guest suites until summer. And their grandmother said yes!
Lastly, to my dismay, we were going to the Michaels' party. Turns out my parents were invited too, and they couldn't say no.

"You gonna eat?", Kyle muttered from across the table, "Cause if you don't gobble up that cupcake, I will."
He was trying too hard to be funny.
"Oh, it's fine.", I said. I was trying to come up with excuses not to go to the party. Faking sick was out. My parents would take me to the doctor, and, well, that would end quickly.
I could just hide. But then there's the whole 'missing child program' thing, and that could possibly send the whole city and the media chasing after me. Plus, I couldn't just show up after the party.
Clearly, the circumstances weren't on my side.

Finally, the day of the party came. I walked slowly down to my loft, making sure my parents didn't see me.
That's when I collapsed into my pink, fuzzy chair, and sat. I sat for at least a half hour, maybe longer.
I hardly ever sit and think, but I dunno. So much was in my head, going on around me, and so much needed to be said. I hated the stress of having to watch everything I did around water, and act like my blue hair and eyes weren't strange. 'That's the most annoying part.', I thought, 'Out of water, I'm supposed to look completely human. Lina told me, however, that the more the Gift had been passed down, the weaker the distinction between human and mermaid became. The first bearer of the Gift had no powers when out of water, and couldn't even change without her legs being covered with water. Years later, that started to change. Lina fears that one day, the bearer won't be human or mermaid.
That explains why I look so weird. My eyes went from a light, grayish blue, to the color of the ocean overnight. I feel sorry for the person after me. Webbed fingers, maybe? I can only imagine.'
In the middle of my over-thinking, my phone made a noise in my pocket.
Nola, again. She wouldn't stop texting me about what she needs to wear. "green or coral bikini???", the text said.Definitely green.
It was her color.
I got out of my chair, ready to face my closet-and the water.