I sat on the patio, my arms folded on the table to support my head. Am I losing my mind? Is there something wrong with me? The tingling feeling had subsided but a throbbing pain took its place. I shook my head. Why would I run away without grabbing my shoes? I sat up, looking at the nature around me. It was moving on with its existence, not a care in the world about the destruction of my life.

I pulled my feet close to myself. My fingers brushed against the spot where the scales had once been. The image of them flashed back in my mind. The skin was soft and smooth, nothing was out of the norm. My hand wiped away the tears on my face. I glanced at the back door to the house.

"I wonder if we locked that yesterday..." I whispered to myself before getting up from the chair. Heading over to the door, I grabbed the handle, tugging gently as the door broke free. We hadn't locked it. My heart jumped for joy because I now had access to the home, but then fell with how easy it would have been for someone to break in. Sammy and I left ourselves vulnerable.

Once inside the kitchen, I stumbled to the sink. My mind was telling me I needed to know that what I saw was actually there. It could have been something in the water. I wanted to smack myself, there was nothing in the ocean that would look like that on my foot. Especially if I took my foot out of the water, it should have washed away. But it hadn't.

I stood in front of the sink, my hands resting on the stainless steel. I had to remind myself to breathe. My mind was racing with so many thoughts but was numb at the same time. Once I finally built up the courage, I reached up to turn the water on. It started with hot water and I let the faucet run for a few moments before placing my hand underneath.

The water rushed over my palm and down the drain for a few seconds before the tingling feeling came back. I watched closely, waiting for anything to happen. The tingling began to grow unbearable. The needle pricks were becoming harsher as blue and green scales began to tear out of my skin. My heart stopped at the sight of my hand turning blue.

"What..." I gasped, nearly losing my balance. My hands caught me before I could fall. My breath was short. The air was coming in short small bursts. My brain begged for more, for anything to supplement its needs. I slumped down to the ground and stared at the scales. I rubbed my fingers over the texture, my skin catching every so often.

"Olyvya!" I heard the familiar voice shout from the back of the house. She must have been in the backyard. I tucked further into my hiding hole, pulling my legs close to myself as I tried to calm myself down. Wiping the tears away, I sat quietly and listened to Sammy's feet against the floor. Someone else was with her. The footsteps grew louder as she searched the house, yelling my name once more.

"Olyvya?" a man questioned, his voice softer than the fear in Sammy's. I winced at the sound of his voice. I wasn't prepared to see him. How was I supposed to explain my reaction from earlier? My eyes focused on my hand, the scales slowly began to disappear. Maybe they wouldn't have to know.

I watched diligently, waiting for them to fully go away before speaking. "I'm down here," I mumbled. I heard the footsteps stop. The house grew silent before Sammy came rushing around the corner. She grabbed my arm sitting on the floor next to me, pulling me into an embrace.

"Are you okay? What happened to you?" Sammy seemed panicked and I felt bad that I made her feel like that. I nodded, my head meeting those green eyes as Gage peered around the corner at me.

"Yeah, sorry. I'm fine..." I sniffled as quietly as I could, continuing to wipe furiously at the tears on my face. "I'm sorry for running away like that. I freaked out."

"Yeah, you did," Gage interjected. He took a seat across from me, leaning against the opposing cabinets. He was still in his wetsuit but it looked perfectly dry. Sammy's wet hair dripped against the floor, my eyes watching each water droplet as they fell. I tried to pull myself away from her, creating a distance between me and the cursed liquid.

"What do you want me to say?" I pushed myself off the floor, trying to get away from Sammy. I could feel the moisture on my skin, my breath shortening once more. I quickly started wiping all the spots she had touched me, trying to dry myself off completely.

Neither of them responded to my comment. I'm sure they didn't know what to say either. I stood in the middle of the room in silence, everyone's eyes peering into my soul.

"Let's just act like this didn't happen, okay." I tried to muster a smile, turning to look at Sammy. "It's my birthday. I don't want to spend it like this." I folded my arms, my fingers tugging at my shirt.

"It's your birthday today?" Gage pulled himself off the floor and leaned against the counter. His eyes were questioning every move I made.

"Yeah, it is," Sammy interjected, pulling herself off the floor as well. We all stood in an awkward half circle, the attention focused on me. I felt small under their microscopic looks.

"Okay, well uh..." Gage scratched the back of his head before continuing on, "how about you guys take a minute. Happy birthday by the way... and maybe tonight you guys can just come over and we can watch movies. Redo this entire morning, but without the water?" His hands were held out in front of him like he was trying to surrender.

"That would be great. We'll see you later. Thank you for helping me search for her." Sammy led him to the front door. Once Gage left, Sammy returned to the kitchen.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" She shouted. My body tensed at the sudden shrill in her voice. I needed to be ready for her upcoming earful.