I was now wading in a tub larger than I had ever seen. This thing could be its own swimming pool. The faucet was running. Warm water washed over my body. I had removed the jacket, but Gage had loaned me a shirt. The soaking wet material stuck to my skin. I glanced around the room, the delicate images hanging evenly on the wall. The large tub was white on the outside, and the inside was the deepest shade of black I had ever seen. It cradled my body gently, the fin hanging over the edge. Gage sat on the floor, his arms leaning against the edge of the tub.

Sammy continued to pace back and forth. Her fingers flew across the screen of her phone, trying to figure out anything she possibly could about mermaids. Things like what caused it: Would it go away? Would I forever be stuck like this?

"Sammy, stop. Please," I mumbled, my head leaned against the wall. My eyelids felt heavy and they started to droop. My body felt weak, but the warm water soothed my muscles.

"We need to drain the tub. She might turn back." I watched as she rushed for the tub drain. She shoved her hand in, pulling the stopper quickly. I wanted to move, to get out, but I couldn't. My body too weak and, honestly, the fin was too big for me to move anyway. I hoped she was right.

We all sat in silence, listening to the water swirl down the drain until it was all gone. None of us moved once the water had fully disappeared. The room was quiet for a few more moments before I finally spoke. The awkward silence drove me crazy. I removed the shirt quickly before grabbing a towel that was hung up neatly next to the tub. Wrapping it around me, I used it to dry myself off. I had to get out of every drop of water possible. If it went away earlier, hopefully, it would go away now.

"So, what now?" I tried to put a little humor back into the room. It felt like everyone's heart was pounding violently in their chests, their eyes staring holes into my fin. Why wasn't it going away? I ran my hand along the scales, they still felt wet.

"Gage, do you by chance have a hair dryer?" I questioned, he shot me a side glance. He nodded his head rushing out of the room before coming back with a silver hairdryer. Sammy took it from him, quickly plugging it in. I reached for it. I turned it on in a timely manner and used it to dry my fin as much as possible. Heat washed over it and, slowly, the colors began to fade away. My legs felt like they were separating. The tingling returned.

"Whoa..." Sammy gaped as she watched the fin slowly disappear. Gage's face went pale as if he was going to pass out, watching carefully as my legs became human once again.

Twenty minutes later, I was standing on my own feet, staring down at the red nail polish on my toes, wiggling them with excitement. My legs felt weak, teetering under me.

"What a way to spend a birthday," I mumbled, looking around for something to cover my legs. "I'm sorry Gage, do you have something I can..." I looked down at my legs, "You know."

He jumped up quickly leaving the room once more before coming back, a pair of sweats in hand. He had another t-shirt, a dry one, folded on top. He handed me the clothes. I thanked him before ushering the two out of the room. I put the fresh clothes, taking a look at myself in the mirror. My hair fell in salty waves around my face, my eyes sunken in-- probably from crying so much earlier. It had been a stressful day and my body was showing the effects of it. I hardly ate anything all day and my stomach was aching for food. Growling noises emanated, reminding me of the lack of food.

I reached for the knob on the bathroom door and opened it slowly. I hadn't remembered the route we took to get to the bathroom. I was wondering where I would have to go to get back to the kitchen. Gage and Sammy stood in the hallway, watching me eagerly as I walked out of the bathroom.

"How do they feel?" Sammy questioned, pointing towards my legs. I took a couple of steps through the hallway, the oversized sweats made it slightly difficult on my tired legs.

"Weak, but they feel like legs again." I tried to smile. The whole situation seemed awkward and like we had just brushed over it all as if it didn't matter. Nothing happened. Olyvya didn't grow a mermaid fin at the beach tonight.

I followed Gage as he leads the way back to the kitchen. His eyes traveling over my body every few seconds, like I was a broken china doll ready to fall from the top shelf. I wanted him to stop, but at the same time, I secretly was enjoying his eyes dancing over me. He had the most amazing eyes.

"Thank you guys for not running away tonight. Thank you for helping me back to the house," I mumbled, fiddling with the glass of water on the table. My eyes searched the granite table top for any sign of normalcy.

"Why would I have run away?" Sammy questioned, her hands dropping to her waist, cocking her head to the side. She looked like a stern mother. I took a seat on the stool next to me, my hands still holding the glass carefully. Gage and Sammy leaned against the counter across from the island where I sat. Gage rushed over, placing his hand gently on my back. His fingers trailed small circles on my skin through his shirt I wore.

"Because I'm a monster," I mumbled, hoping no one would hear me.