Submerged in Water

I told Aubrey the entire story as soon as she got home from swim practice. I was so agitated that I couldn't breathe, much less think about anything else. I was so wired that even Mom and Dad noticed.

"Everything alright? You seem... antsy."

I was walking back and forth in my room, after Aubrey had left, and Mom was leaning against the door frame with a worried expression on her face. Mom looked a lot like Aubrey. She had the same auburn hair and brown eyes but Aubrey had Dad's nose and long thin face. My Mom was more baby-faced and it made her look younger than she actually was.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I lied.

"You don't seem fine."

"It's just..." I sighed and rubbed my hands on my thighs to wipe the sweat off of them. "I might have a boyfriend."

"Oh." Mom visibly relaxed and then she laughed. "That's what you're so worried about?"

I nodded.

"Well, jeez..." She smiled at me. "I thought you were in trouble... you know with your fish thing or possibly with Aubrey, I didn't think it would be..."

I laughed, I knew what she was getting at. "Normal?"

"Well... yes, but I was just worried it was a lot worse." She came and sat down on my bed. She smoothed out the sheets nonchalantly with her hands. "So, what's his name?"

I decided to keep to the truth, slightly. "Rune."

"What a unique name." She commented.

"Yeah... he's kind of cool."

"Do I have to give you the typical teenage speech about safe sex and boys or can we skip that altogether? I gave it to Aubrey a couple years ago and I don't want to have to repeat the experience." She told me truthfully.

"Yeah, let's skip that." I agreed.

"So are you going to go out with him or?"

"Well, I think we're sort of keeping it to a friend basis right now. It's kind of complicated. Teenage stuff. Half-fish thing. You know..."

"Say no more, just let me know if you want anyone to talk to or any advice." She said, standing up from my bed. She picked a few clothes up off the ground and threw them into the laundry basket. "You can talk to Dad any time you want too."

"Thanks Mommy." I smiled at her.

She gave me a cute smile back.

When she left, I face planted on my bed.

Twelve hours later, after not getting much sleep and wondering what my meeting with Rune would entail, I left my room just before four in the morning. I would be early if I was going to travel by foot, but I figured I should get some swimming and practice in when I could, after all, that was my first priority.

I decided to wear something different because even though I'm sure he would appreciate the frog pyjamas and undergarments attire, it wasn't something that I'm sure I should do on the first date. If you can even call it a date. Let's just say I wanted to make a good impression, so I wore a white dress that was light and I wouldn't mind getting wet and I also wore one-piece navy blue swim suit underneath. The cold never effected me, even more so lately, so I didn't bother with a jacket.

It was cold, at least I assumed, but I felt perfectly fine walking across the clearing and even entering the river. There was ice on the border of it where the water was still but I avoided it easily. I took off my shoes and slipped into the water, dress and all.

I swam the two miles up the river to the cove, by where the moon was and how long I had been swimming for, I guessed I was late since the water was rougher than usual and I was also in a dress. I pulled it off before I exited the water and threw it on the dry rocks near the bank.

I saw Rune on the shore, where he was waiting for me to emerge. I was still neck deep and I slowly walked up to greet him and I saw something flash in his eyes.

"Hello, water princess." He greeted me.

I smiled slyly. "Princess?"

He looked down at my one-piece bathing suit. "Definitely princess."

It seemed like... he liked the way I looked. Slightly confused by this, I raised my eyebrows at him. "I usually swim naked but I figured you wouldn't appreciate that."

He laughed. "A teenage boy not appreciating a naked woman? Where have you been?"

I shrugged. "Clearly not around you."

"Clearly." His voice was rougher and lower now, but he seemed to shake himself out of it. "Listen, we don't have a whole lot of time. I had to cancel training with Dale to meet you today."

I put my hand up. "Wait, whoa, slow down. What is training and is Dale your uncle?"

"Yeah, but I just call him Dale and I'm training with him because well... my parents are kind of busy right now. It's a long story."

I noticed then that he had his bow and arrow with him. I glanced at it worryingly for a second before returning my attention back to him. "Were you planning on something?"

He noticed what I was staring at. "I brought it just in case, I didn't know if I could trust you or not but I realized... Uh... I thought about it on the way over here and..." He sighed and stepped a few feet away from me. "Listen, I don't know who you are but I know I can trust you."

"How do you know that?"

"I just know, okay?" He seemed angry. "It's hard to explain. There are so many things I want to say but I don't know where to start."

"Just say something." I told him. "Anything would be nice."

"The first and probably most important, is that we need to keep this meeting a secret and we can't let people know we're hanging out. Word could get out that we're talking and being seen together and I don't want Dale to know."

"Why don't you want him to know? Isn't Dale like you?"

"Yes but..." He ran his hand through his hair. "I don't trust him."

"Why not?"

"Listen, Emele, you don't know what you're getting into. I know you think this whole world is exciting and that you're finally going to get the answers you truly deserve but information and knowledge comes with a price. The world that I live in... it doesn't come without it's consequences."
I stepped back from him, startled. "What do you mean?"

"If you want to know who you are, if you want to know what you can do, if you want the answers, I can give them to you but once I tell you, I can't pull you back out again."

"I want to know, Rune. I want to know who I am. That's why I talked to you, I thought you knew..."

"I do know or rather... I can find out."

"Please." I begged.

He closed his eyes. "You might not like what I have to say..."

"I won't run or get angry, if that's what you're worried about."

"Emele, you have no idea what you're getting into. This isn't just about you or me. You're going to end up in a middle of a war you don't understand."

"Wait, what?"

"There is a war going on between my people, your people and another race. It's been going on for the past hundred years."

"A war?"

"Yes a complicated war. That's why we need to stay quiet about this. If Dale found out you were one of the Kamille..." He sighed. "It just wouldn't be pretty, you have to believe me."

I nodded. "I believe you."

He bit his lip. "Before I explain any further, I have to know. Are... are you really one of them?"

Since I was slighty stirred about this new information, I had subconciously already reached out towards the water source from behind me. I lifted as much as I could from out of the river and let it circle around us like a long thick whip until we couldn't even see the outside world any more. The water surrounded us, closing us closer together. I felt confident.

"I am. At least.... I think I am." I whispered to him, walking slightly closer. The water came in my wake behind me. "I don't know what I am, Rune. I've had to live with this for all my life in the dark. I think it's finally time I learn what my history holds and why I'm here."