Out of the Ordinary

I woke up Monday morning by the loud crashing of rain on the roof. When it rained wildly was the only time this place was not peaceful. I got up and changed for school, grabbed my bag and an umbrella, and headed out the door. Noah was already waiting outside, he had on a raincoat but had the hood off and his hair was soaked. I rolled my eyes and went straight to the driver's side.

The people that were at my house, I now realized were in at least one of my classes. They would either wave, or nod, one over friendly half giant even made small talk with me, as well as a female werewolf. It felt odd and nice at the same time. I sat quietly at my desk as I always did; except in Trigonometry.

Noah kept bugging me to help him and I wasn't exactly the type to help people out, especially when they only want to copy your answers. "Just number one, please, no harm done." He said over and over again. The teacher had to shush us several times.
"You are getting us in trouble, would you just figure it out yourself!" I whispered in rush, trying not to raise my voice. "What about helping out?" He asked. I turned to him, "Cheating isn't helping you." I retorted narrowing my eyes at him. He shook his head. "I don't mean that, I mean I can help you, if you help me with all these human things. I can help you become what you want." He said this slowly, and with each word my eyes grew wider.

I shook my head and gasped, I was pretty sure he didn't just say that. And just then the bell rang. We both put our stuff away as the teacher told us to finish the assignment as homework. Neither one of us talked as we made our way to the car. I was still trying to remember what he really said. 'I can help you become what you want.' He didn't really say that, he couldn't have. There's no way he could have because that can't be done, you can't just help someone become a mermaid.

I got my car keys out of my pocket, I just now realized that my new Toyota Yaris would need to be washed thanks to all the rain. Before I could unlock my door, Noah was beside me, holding my arm a little too tightly. "Just think about it. I will be staying with you and your family, I will have to learn these things. I'll even help you get friends. You do want to be with your family don't you?" He said and walked to his side with out another word.

I didn't get inside the car immediately, I was still stuck on I will be staying with you and your family. I shook my head and noticed my mouth was open slightly; and got inside. My whole family was home when we arrived. They seemed happy; my mother and father hugged me right when I got through the door. It was probably because they would be leaving on Saturday, early in the morning when it's still dark out. Humans go on the beach every weekend and risking being spotted was something they never did.

"How was school?" My sister Erica asked both Noah and I. "I think school is rather fun, besides that one class; human math is just ridiculous." I just shrugged my shoulders. And then I remembered what Noah said and I turned to my mom, who was now resting a shoulder on the kitchen counter.

"Mom, exactly how long is Noah staying here?" She looked away sheepishly but she answered quickly. "He is going to come with us, but he will be back earlier since he has already started school. We aren't sure if this is permanent, but at least he will be as safe as he can possibly be. We decided this last night, we haven't had a chance to tell you. And I hope that you two can work out your differences. Noah is willing to put human dislikes aside because you aren't a normal human. Now, I'm going to get dinner ready, all of you out of the kitchen. Noah, Erin go do homework if you have any. Out, out out, now."

We all dispersed from the kitchen, the rest of my family heading to the living room while Noah and I headed upstairs to our own rooms; or so I thought.

"My offer remains, but I would like to know now." He said as he sat down on my bed. We just started talking and he thinks he can be in my room now. "Well, I know I didn't say 'Hey Noah, come on in' so if you don't mind, I like my door closed." I said that meaning I wanted him out and to close my door as he left. But he simply got up, walked to my door, closed it, and sat back down on my bed.

I rolled my eyes at him, he saw me do it. "Did I do something wrong?" He asked. "You just can't take a hint." I said under my breath so he wouldn't hear me. "What are you talking about? Merpeople can't just happen." I asked instead. "I told you that you will be, maybe not soon, or maybe in the next couple of days, but you will be one day; I can see it happening." He smiled. I was glaring at him the whole time. "How do you know? How can you help me?" I asked still glaring at him.

He motioned for me to sit down on my bed; I was leaning against the wall beside my window. I sighed and sat at the opposite end of my bed. "I told you that I have certain abilities that no other merperson has. One of those abilities is knowing things, not a gypsy like the ones at school or a psychic or a witch. But, I can touch someone and I can just know; it's like a feeling. That's why I wanted to hold your hand, if I knew that you would eventually be a mermaid I thought it would be easier for me to be civil with you." He paused to let me process that.

"How can it be a feeling? You don't see it or anything?" I asked trying to understand a bit more. He answered right away, turning his body so that he was fully on my bed and was facing me. "Sometimes I can see, when the person has a lot of emotion, like you, I can see a lot. Other times it's like getting a hunch, it's a guess, only I don't guess because I know that will happen." He smiled again, that same weird smile he gave earlier.

"So, if I have so much emotion then you saw me, you saw me change?" I asked just to make sure I was following what he was saying. He nodded. And then I blinked once and my face froze; I just stared at him. He bit his lower lip once and then opened his mouth. "I tried not to look, but it's not something I can not look at, I mean, not at you, but that I see what will happen in my head, it's like a movie; and I actually think I will be there at the time you change." He said quickly, defending himself. I understood why he was smiling that way.

When a merperson changes, it's not like in the movies where they magically have a shell bra covering them up. We are surrounded by the brightest light, just as bright as the sun; all you can see is the shape of the person changing into a merperson. And then once the change was done they were half naked with a beautiful long fish tail. It's usually the color of their heart; red, green, blue, pink, orange, purple.

Noah had seen me change; that wasn't exactly the best thing to tell someone you are trying to be civil with. I folded my arms across my chest and I heard my sister laughing from the other side of the door. She opened my door still laughing hysterically. She sighed. "You don't have to be so ashamed, I mean there are plenty or mermaids in the sea that don't even make their bras, they just go swimming around half naked." she sat down on my bed between Noah and I. I looked at him and he stiffened and moved away from my sister slightly. I furrowed my brows, why would he move away from her?

My sister talked to us about watching a movie and Noah and I both sat there listening to her chatter away. She finally left after what seemed like hours and Noah and I were alone again. "I'm sorry." he said. I nodded. "It's...understandable that you couldn't do anything about it." I said, there was no way I would say that it was alright.

"You don't like my sister?" I asked looking at him, assessing his reactions. He grimaced. "Your sister is very lovely, but her heart doesn't flow with mine, she has a red heart, very good, but with who I am my parents said that I needed someone with a certain type of heart. She held my hand one day and I knew nothing would happen between her and I." He now looked slightly troubled. "Are you sad that nothing will happen?" He shook his head. "You know she is a good person." I said defending my sister. "I know that, but she still thinks looks are more important that love. She has good intentions for everything she does, but yet her heart is still not what my parents, nor I, want for myself." My sisters tail color was red, it was the third best color a mermaid would have. I always wondered what color I would have. I loved purple, but I don't think I would ever get that color, that was for people not conceited like my sister, it was the second best color, it meant you were a really good person. I didn't think I was that good a person.

"Did you see what color I would have?" asked nervously. he shook his head. "Once I saw, um.. a certain area of you I let go of your hand. I didn't want to be rude." I nodded, "Thank you."

We sat in silence, I didn't know what he was thinking about but all I could think about was me being a mermaid. I would finally be with my family, be a part of my family. Every now and then I would look at Noah and smile because him knowing that was indeed something I had never heard of and I was happy that he knew that I would be a mermaid.And then I started thinking about everything he said, he mentioned he could help me. He never answered how.

"Noah, how can you help me become a mermaid?" I said with so much interest, keeping my eyes on him. "I'm not certain it will work, but I have helped families change their children into mermaids. It worked with little kids, but I have never tried with someone older than six years old, I've never had to try. We would just have to stay at the shore every now and then, find some rocks to hide us so no one sees. I've already thought of a place. It's kind of like meditating." I nodded.

"Maybe...maybe we could find some common ground, I don't want help with friends. I will help you, but I will not allow you to teach, we can start with the math today, and when you get back we can start with me." He nodded in agreement. "But you do want friends, I know you do. Some are willing to be your friend, they just think you are too quiet."
I looked away, a bit ashamed, I was only quiet because I had no friends, I had no reason to be loud and talkative. "They like you and Max, the half giant, thinks you are very attractive." I rolled my eyes, but then remembered that Max must have been the over friendly half giant that was talking to me in class. I sighed, let's just get started on our homework, o.k.?" He nodded smiling.