Aliyah army-crawled up on shore in the darkness of the morning. Sand somehow managed to seep into her wetsuit top again, the coarse pebbles irritating her skin. This should be far enough. 

She reached for the potion inside her pocket. Water crept up onto her tail like a blanket, almost begging her to stay. She flexed her flukes, splashing it away. 

Aliyah, come home now! Her father must have read the note she left. Let’s talk about this… 

Aliyah winced. Would she deliberately disobey her father? She closed her eyes and her mind recalled the image of sun-kissed cheeks and blond hair. What would it feel like to run her fingers through that hair? To stand eye-level with Derek? Yes, she just had to do this. Aliyah ignored her father’s messages and popped the cork. 

Aliyah coughed as she gagged the bitter liquid down. Then her core started to burn as her whole body pricked and tingled. Her head started to spin. A sharp pain emerged from the tips of her flukes. It intensified as it spread to her “knees.” 

She let out a piercing cry before everything went black. Slowly Aliyah regained consciousness. Her legs ached. Legs? She wiggled her toes in the sand and looked back. She had legs! Her excitement bursted out in giggles. She just needed to learn to stand, and then she could look right into Derek’s blue eyes and wrap her arms around his neck… Her knees gave out and she crumbled down. This would be a lot harder than she thought.

---

Derek was surprised he didn’t hear any singing this morning. The fog was thicker than usual so he decided to wait for Heber by his car instead of on the beach. Still, Aliyah’s singing usually carried a great distance… 

Heber pulled up and hopped out of his car. “Ya ready?”

“Yeah, man! Let’s go.”

They both jogged down the narrow pathway leading to the beach. The fine dry sand slowly became more rocky as they neared the ocean. They preferred running on the wet sand because the compact sand gave them more traction. 

“Derek! Over here, Derek!”

Derek slowed and squinted at the thick fog. They both walked towards the voice until Derek recognized her.

“Heeeey, Aliyah!” Derek smiled. “What’s up?”

Aliyah smiled in reply. He loved the way her gray eyes shined when she smiled.

“You know this girl?”

Derek turned to Heber. “Oh, Yeah. Heber, this is Aliyah. She’s the mermaid that saved my life. Aliyah this is my friend, Heber. ”

“Um dude, mermaids have tails.”

Derek glanced down and inwardly gasped. Not only did Aliyah have legs now, but they were slender and very attractive…

Heber gave Derek a sideways glance and Derek’s cheeks burned red. He hoped Aliyah didn’t notice.

Aliyah fingered a broken shell on her short skirt. “Um… Yeah, I traded in my tail for a few days with legs.” Before they could respond she continued, “Actually, I was hoping, Derek…” A cold breeze brushed off the ocean and Aliyah’s teeth chattered. “…could you take me to my aunt’s house?”

She handed him a piece of driftwood with an address etched onto it. “Uh… Sure… Yeah, I could do that.” 

“Thank you.” 

Derek noticed Aliyah’s blue lips. “Sorry Heber, but I think I better take Aliyah right away. I’ll see you at school?” He took off his red hoodie and handed it to Aliyah. He was thankful he chose to wear a shirt underneath it this morning. 

Heber gave Derek a knowing smile. “Later, man.”

As Heber ran off, Aliyah took a step towards Derek but fell forward. Derek caught her around her waist and they both regained balance. Heat radiated from her hands on his chest. 

Derek swallowed hard. “I uh… um… do you need help walking to the car?”

Aliyah blushed and nodded. 

Derek shifted to her side and put her arm around his neck. He hoped she could limp to the car because he wasn’t sure he’d be comfortable carrying her.

“It’s a little ways of a walk, but uh… we’ll make it.” 

Aliyah nodded and they slowly made their way forward.

---

Aliyah was grateful for Derek’s hoodie. Not only was it warm, but it helped her feel less self-conscious. Why didn’t she bring her extra skirt with the purple shells? It didn’t look anything like what Derek and Heber wore, but at-least she’d look more presentable. Not like a maid. Did Derek really see her as a poor maid? She couldn’t remember exactly what he called her. 

“It’s this red one here.” 

So that’s a car.

Derek helped her into the passenger’s seat and shut the door. When he climbed into the driver’s side he pointed above Aliyah’s head.

“That’s the seat belt. Here, I’ll show you how to buckle it.” He pulled his own seat belt over his chest and gestured for Aliyah to do the same. Click.

Derek pulled out a slender box from his pocket. He held it up to his face and it glowed. “I’m just gonna put your Aunt’s address in real quick…” He used his thumbs to tap the device. 

It wasn’t agate. “Um… what’s that?”

“Oh, a phone. It’ll show me how to get to your Aunt’s place.” 

So land-dwellers use magic too. “Oh, okay.” 

Derek placed a hand on Aliyah’s seat and looked over his shoulder. Everything outside the windows moved forward. Aliyah braced herself.

“It’s okay, Aliyah. I’m just driving the car.” 

Oh, right. Aliyah felt like a fish out of water. Everything was new and different. It didn’t help that her head still hurt from her transformation this morning. Her excitement started to fade and exhaustion started to kick in. 

Derek turned onto the road. 

“So, how long will you be visiting your Aunt?”

 It depended on if he would kiss her in three days, but it didn’t seem like a good idea to bring that up. “I’m not sure…”

“I didn’t know mermaids could turn human.”

There’s that word again. “I’m not a maid Derek. I happen to be a princess of sorts,” Aliyah snapped.

“Woah woah, I didn’t mean to offend you. Mermaid means um… sea maiden, I think. Uh a girl of the ocean.”

Aliyah crossed her arms. “We prefer the name, sea-dwellers.”

“Okay, um… What do you guys call me?”

“A land-dweller.” 

Derek chuckled. “Makes sense.”

They continued in silence. Aliyah looked out her window. The car’s hum relaxed her aching body. At first Aliyah just saw cars and buildings, then she noticed the trees. So tall and green. She’d never seen anything like them. 

“So Aliyah, what type of music do you like? I know you have a beautiful voice, if you want to sing something, I don’t mind.”

Sing something? Aliyah knew the perfect song to sing! She took in a breath to start…but nothing came out. Her heart sank. Aliyah loved singing. What would she do without her singing voice?

More silence.

Derek’s face fell. “I mean… You don’t have to… I’ll just turn on the radio.”

They listened to soft-rock the rest of the way. When they arrived, there was a lady watering her plants on the front porch. Derek went around to open Aliyah’s door and helped her out.

“Is that my Aliyah girl?” Rita ran down the steps and gave Aliyah a hug that knocked the wind out of her.

“Hi Auntie.” 

Rita was different than Aliyah imagined. She expected her to look like Auntie Mara, but she looked more like Aliyah’s dad. She even had similar red hair with white streaks, although her’s was way more curly than Aliyah’s dad’s hair.

“And you must be Derek.” Rita shook Derek’s hand. “I’m Rita. Thank you so much for bringing my niece here, young man. Have you two eaten yet? My husband made us pancakes this morning to celebrate! Care to join us?” 

Aliyah’s stomach growled. She had no idea what a pancake was, but she was willing to try anything at this point. 

Derek pulled out his keys. “I’d love to, Mrs. Rita, but I’d better be getting to school. I’ll just grab something on the way.” 

“You sure, dear?”

“Yeah, I’m sure. Thank you though!” Derek opened the car door just as Aliyah remembered his hoodie.

“Derek! Your…shirt thingy!” She pulled on the sleeve. 

Derek chuckled. “Why don’t you keep it for now. I’ll come by and pick it up tonight, if that’s okay.” 

See Derek again tonight? That was more than okay! Maybe she would feel a little better by then. She felt bad for the awkward car ride. 

Rita responded, “That will be just fine, Derek.” He waved and drove away. “Oh, you picked yourself a handsome one, Aliyah!” 

Aliyah blushed, “Yeah, I kinda like him.”

Rita laughed, “You better if you’re banking on a kiss in three days. Here, I’ll help ya inside.”