She floated effortlessly.

Except she wasn’t floating, it just appeared that she was floating. The tall weeds in the field seemed to shine a dim yellow, and they reached over her knees. She didn’t bounce when she walked.

She glided. Her white umbrella was held up high above her, even though it was apparent that the town had been parched of water and there was no need for an umbrella. The faded plants, the dry dirt, the blazing sun all could have told her this.

Her emerald eyes cast upwards, grazing over hills and the trees slightly swaying back and forth. Blonde hair cascaded down her back in silver ringlets, and she was almost perfect.

Almost.

With each gliding step she approached her destination; the water. It was hidden just behind the hills she was eagerly supervising, and it was almost enough to make her bounce on her toes with delight.

However, there was something about her, and he could tell. Ryan was shuffling meters behind, trying not to be uplifted with her overwhelming joy.

October, the blonde ringlet haired girl, was one of his closest friends. He still couldn’t remember how they ever came to realize a friendship, because they daringly opposed each other.

Ryan had ringlets, but they were dark ones around his eyes. Brown eyes, begging for sleep. He was painstakingly thin. Not scrawny however, just delicate.

His dim light brown hair hung like a shade over his eyes, in wispy straight locks.

However, she was so different. Like light and darkness, she was blonde, emerald, beautiful. He looked like a creature, and she looked like a goddess.

But she was so weird. He figured this was why they were alike. They were both weird and unnatural, her soft pale skin, and his shady eyes.

October was almost running now, a slow type of hopping jog, her black and white skirt billowing behind her. She could see the ocean now. She could feel it coursing through her narrow veins, swishing around, the waves lapping in her ears, and she was there.

The grassy hill on the slanted steep end had started to fade into little pebbles, with tiny bits of sand in between. October was thrilled, she kicked off her sandals and ran towards the water, her feet had almost molded to the rocks like memory foam.

Ryan however could feel rocks jabbing him through his shoes, his sore feet pounding against the beach’s surface trying to catch up to her.

Finally he let out a sigh when she had stopped running. The water teased her toes and she shivered. She reached her arms up over her head, stretched, and turned towards Ryan.

“Isn’t it just wonderful?” She pressed, not taking her eyes off Ryan until he sufficed a slight nod.

Ryan stiffened his slouch, trying to appear a little more intrigued. “But why are we here? I mean. It’s beautiful and everything, but, uh, you said there was a reason?”

“We’re swimming at twilight” She yelled happily, searching Ryan’s face again for a look of approval.

She didn’t find one.

Instead he was staring at her- through her.

She sighed. It would probably be another hour before the sun had set, she had told him. October picked up a piece of dead weed a little duller than her hair, fastened it in above her ear, and plunked down beside the umbrella she had discarded near the water.

Ryan slumped down beside her, testing the warm water with his hand.

- - - - -

The sun shone, reflecting an eternal feeling glow; a flame that had never known extinction. The sunset had broken through. The beauty of the pink, blue and orange blended together, almost making it impossible to breathe. A togetherness was felt between the two, amongst the rocks, sand, and mosquitoes in the warm summer breeze. They were meant to be there

Venus emerged, perched bright above the horizon, setting out a beautiful imagery, like the first model on the runway, leaving room for only stars to follow. And next had come the moment where the sky exploded, when the pink clouds lingered in the beautiful afterglow.

“I wish I were a mermaid.” October uttered, receiving an odd glance shot from Ryan’s eyes.

“A mermaid?”

“You wouldn’t understand anyways.”

The doubt in her voice hit Ryan like a bullet. Of course he could understand. There wasn’t anything he couldn’t understand and he understood.

“You mean like, so that you could be one with all of this? Become a part of the water? Wake at sunset and sleep at sunrise...” He glanced at her hopefully; her eyes were focused in on the horizon.

His voice sounded convincing, but he didn’t understand. He knew he had been convincing enough, but Ryan also knew that he didn’t get it. However she nodded, and jumped up off the ground. Ryan followed.

A purple and blue blanket had spread itself over the sky, tiny clouds creating dark folds in the cotton. She realized this, and suddenly had glided into the water. It looked like she was light enough to walk on the surface, as if it were ice, if only she exhaled a breath.

He wanted to pull her back as he hesitated on the sand. Ryan was terrified, and it was getting darker and she wanted to swim.

“We’ll go into the water, but . . . can we stay close? I mean, you know I don’t like swimming . . .”

“It’s alright Ryan. And I’m sorry for making you come along. I’ll swim and you can stay here, or we can go home . . .”

“No, we’re going to swim. I’m going to swim and you can’t stop me. It’s what we came here for” He teased, stepping into the water.

She smiled and bounced along beside him. The water licked at his ankles, and he casually dropped his hand to his side, and she casually grabbed it, and they both casually acted casual.

“We have to stay close, like you said.”

The water was getting darker, or maybe it was the sky, but it was scary and daring and they felt alive. The waves weren’t so bad; they weren’t dangerous like he’d presumed. However, they were hard to walk against, and Ryan discovered that if he weakened his body against the waves they would push him back a few feet, effortlessly.

This didn’t matter. They were twenty-five meters out by now, just stepping off of a sandbar. The water was tip toe height; they could feel the squishy sand beneath their feet, but their heads were still held high above the water.

Ryan hadn’t said a word. October could feel that he was scared, the waves growing closer to his face, but he smiled at her whenever she looked at him.

“You know I’m going to need a smoke after this.” He said nervously, but he was amused by the expression of disgust that twisted in her features. She nodded.

“I understand, I guess. I mean, I’d rather you don’t, but if you do”, she hesitated. “I won’t say anything.” She smiled slightly.

And he thought longingly about his stuff back at shore, still visible but not close.

He felt her hand leave his.

It was a great feeling of absence, like dropping your lucky penny, or realizing you didn’t have your cell phone with you. The water had made her feel natural to him, a part of him, so that he had almost reached out to grab October again as she started to stray. He stayed put however, and watched her with caution as she dove underneath the water.

Suddenly she bounced upwards beside him, right when the worry had started to creep into his mind. She’d knelt to the sand and propelled herself toward the surface, with a big splash. She shook her wet hair, laughing.

They swam for two hours, but it’d only felt like twenty minutes. He wasn’t ready to go. She wasn’t either, but shriveled prune toes had reminded October of her curfew. The wind had continually increased and Ryan’s paranoia was creeping back slowly as they inched toward shore.

They were halfway there, the sandbar was nearing. He glanced at the sky for only a moment, or maybe two, or three, watching how the stars slightly peaked out from behind the clouds.

Clouds. He hadn’t noticed them before, but now they were there. They glared down, intimidating Ryan, and he had hoped they weren’t overflowing with water.

Suddenly he remembered that they hadn’t been holding hands.

She was gone.

But she couldn't be gone, he thought as he darted around confusedly. A little voice in his mind told him she was lurking beneath the surface swimming, but a bigger part of him was screaming search. He darted around. She hadn’t made any noise when she’d left, if she’d left, and she hadn’t been talking, nor had he. He stuck his hands beneath the water, kicking, grasping, and searching for something.

She wouldn’t have just left him.

Finally he got the courage to overcome his nerves and put his senses to work. He inhaled, filling his lungs with air desperately, and plugged his nose as he plunged under water. This wouldn’t do. Ryan’s eyes were shut tight, it was dark, and he had his hand in front of his face clumsily holding his nose.

He bobbed to the surface, not even quite sure how he’d kept himself underwater for so long. The moment his senses had regained to their full potential, he heard a loud splash, two meters behind him.

‘It’s her.’ he thought, and finally gained the impulse to yell. He shouted her name.

Another splash, he saw this one, and Ryan darted toward it. He saw a hand dart up this time, and desperately reached. There was no way she was drowning, she couldn’t be. She was October, the pro-swimmer, the ocean, the water-

The mermaid.

He darted under again, and opened his eyes wide. All he saw was darkness. There was no moonlight to even grace the water’s surface, let alone illuminate the depths around him. Ryan reached the surface again, and heard a sharp gasp.

“Ryan ” he heard, and then again, and it was so close. She was nowhere to be seen. Her voice had been hoarse, and traumatized, but it was hers.

Ryan felt a thin hand wrap around his wrist, and he blacked out instantly.