Enchanted by a Siren

Chapter 12: True Form

Zen quickly changed into her dress at the public bathrooms available just off the beach. She checked for a good spot to stash her backpack and found a broom closet with a chair she could use to try and loosen one of the ceiling tiles enough for her to slide her bag through. It came away easily and when she clambered back down she checked the ceiling thoroughly to be sure no one would notice a difference.

She left everything exactly as she found it and peaked her head out to be sure no one was in the bathroom. She hadn’t heard anyone come in, but rather safe than sorry she thought. The coast was clear. So, she made her way out of the bathroom, careful to shut the broom closet door firmly behind her. She had also left the window in the stall she was using as wide open as it could go so she could climb back into the bathroom just in case it was locked when she got back.

She walked onto the beach, observing everyone who strolled across the sand. She needed to find a spot deep enough into the ocean so no one would notice her. She remembered the rocks she saw on her walk to the harbor, from what she remembered they lead far enough into the surf that it would be somewhat secluded and she didn’t recall seeing any fishing spots close by.

She made her way down the beach until she found the rocks and was relieved to see that there were no fishermen or surfers anywhere nearby. Being extremely careful not to touch any of the small water puddles she climbed over the gigantic rock formations until she was close enough to the farthest edge to see the waves crashing over the rocks.

Her heart was racing now as the smell of the saltwater filled her nostrils. She would need to dive as far as she could so she would be submerged deep under the waves when her magic overtook her, to hide her from prying eyes. She did a quick sweep of the beach and surrounding rocks to be sure no one was watching her, there were some people still meandering on the beach, but they didn’t seem to notice her.

With a deep breath she bent over into a running stance and before she could lose her nerve she took off and dove just as a wave finished breaking. She felt herself fly over the ocean’s surface and managed to get a good 30 feet between her and the rocks before plunging into the ocean.

The moment she touched the water she felt her skin start to itch and burn in agony as her body continued on its trajectory into the deeps. At the painful sensation she let out a muffled scream under the water, filling her lungs with liquid. During the transformation she focused on keeping herself as straight as a plank so she would continue to soar through the water for as long as possible. Instinctively, her feet started to kick, but it became impossible as her limbs melted together.

She screamed and lost focus at the blinding pain of it, stopping her descent to look back at herself. Muscle and bone merged as her legs pulled towards each other and the skin on her entire body was turning a silvery holographic blue as it became scales. This was the most painful part and were she not submerged in water already, tears would have been visible in her eyes.

Her feet broke as her bones elongated and her toes merged together into a beautiful flowing fin. Once it was over she took a moment to look at herself, it always fascinated her how her fin was almost as long as her legs. 

She held her hands up to look at them and the skin on her arms had also transformed into scales. Her hands were webbed together with small tiny fins between each finger, somewhat like a frog’s. Remembering the mirror she placed in the pocket of the dress she quickly took it out so she could see her face. She had never been able to see what her face looked like when she transformed and she was astounded by the sight.

The skin on her face was as scaly as the rest of her, but what caught her off guard was her glowing  turquoise eyes offset by her blue hair that almost pulsed as it shone. She pulled her hair in front of her face as if the mirror were playing tricks on her, but it kept glowing as she examined it, her bright blue hue as neon as she had ever seen it. She'd seen her hair while swimming, but never registered that it was literally glowing. She always thought that it was just a product of how vibrant her hair was when her power was free.

She examined her face again and realized that her ears had almost merged into her head, there was no longer much of an earlobe left. She touched the spot curiously and it mesmerized her that it felt pretty much the same aside from the texture of her skin. 

Her fingertips drifted down to her neck where three small gills have appeared on either side. She took a deep breath, watching them open and close as she did. Her teeth was sharpened into small fangs that looked as sharp as needles. She carefully ran her tongue over the piercing edges of her teeth and it made her feel invigorated, deadly.

After examining herself for a few moments she couldn't help but feel that her true form was in fact beautiful. Even more so than her human form. With a satisfied smile she placed the mirror back into the pocket of her dress and shot through the open ocean with a twirl.

When Calum finally got into the ocean he felt his spirits lift. He rode wave after wave until his worries had just melted away. As the sun started to set he paddled out past the waves where the ocean was quiet enough so he could just sit on his surfboard with his feet dangling in the water, watching as the sky turned spectacular hues of orange and pink.

Zen spent hours exploring the ocean at full speed. She'd heard on some wildlife show that sailfish are the fastest fish in the ocean, able to travel at up 68 miles per hour, but she felt pretty confident she was much faster than that. 

In her human form she was already much faster than most male Olympian swimmers, it took a conscious effort on her part to hold herself back in swim practice, and even then she still got looks. In this form she felt like she was literally shooting through the water. The way her body could build up momentum and bend in any direction was a feeling she couldn’t describe.

She knew she had to be careful, her speed and the nature of the ocean meant she could get lost easily. She made a mental note of anything that could help her keep track of where she was going. Most aquatic animals were attracted to her, even in her human form. They would follow her around like she was some oceanic deity. To her relief she was faster than most and could normally lose them quickly. Though, some she didn’t mind hanging around.

Having a thousand fish swirling around you is more fun than she could possibly ever put into words. Once she even came across a pod of dolphins and she honestly never wanted to leave. She played with them through the water and they taught her to leap over the waves. She even sang with them. It was the most magical thing she had ever experienced and that was saying a lot.

Today she'd seen quite a bit of fish, a few octopuses trailing the bottom of the ocean and some sea turtles here and there. She had a habit of biting through fish nets whenever she came across commercial fishing boats. She was always careful to remain out of sight and swim off before they noticed an issue, trying her best to help her aquatic friends escape their greedy snares.

Throughout the day she hadn’t forgotten why she came to San Diego in the first place and kept an eye out for any trace of her kind, but she couldn’t even find a shell that looked out of place.

She made her way back to the shore now as the changing colors above her told her it was approaching sunset already. She could tell by the rising ocean floor that she was getting close to the beach, but she was trying to figure out which way the rocks were when something at the surface caught her eye.

It was a surfer sitting on his board, his legs dangling into the water. It was strange to see surfers this far out, there weren’t any waves this deep. The surfboard seemed familiar to her and she swam a little bit closer to see why. 

In this form colors were brighter and more versatile. Her vision was crystal clear, much better than her human eyes, but only in the water. That was probably why she hadn’t recognized it immediately. It was Calum’s surfboard floating above her and she could only assume it was Calum sitting upon it.

For a split second her heart skipped a beat and she felt a sudden urge to swim up and let him see her. Maybe then he would understand, he would remember everything she had made him forget. Without warning the memory of him leaning forward to kiss her flashed through her mind and she wondered what it would feel like to kiss him in this form, as her true self.

How could she love someone who didn’t know what she really looked like? The truth was she couldn’t. As she swam backwards to get closer to the bottom of the ocean again the mirror in her pocket fell out and shimmered as it went tumbling toward the ocean floor. Her heart stopped as Calum leaned forward on his surfboard and peered into the water.

Calum was enjoying the beautiful sunset when he got the strangest feeling that someone was watching him. He looked around, but there was no one close by or even looking in his direction. Something caught his eye in the water, a small silver glittering. He tried to peek through the surface and although he couldn’t make out much there was definitely something there that seemed to blend with the ocean.

It was almost silverish like a fish, but not exactly, and much too big to be a fish. There was something else about it and he was squinting to make out what it was. It was almost glowing…

Zen kept very still as she watched Calum observing her. Now was her chance. He was enchanted, she reminded herself, she could always just use that to make him keep her secret. If he took it really badly, she could also just make him forget what he saw.

She took a deep breath, feeling the water flow through her gills and slowly made her way to the surface. She watched his eyes widen in recognition as she came up to him. When she surfaced he let out a scream and tried to scramble away from her. Tipping his surfboard and himself into the water.

She went under again watching him flail with open eyes as he looked at her in shock, trying to swim away from her. She came a bit closer hoping he would calm down, but as she opened her mouth to speak his eyes rested on her fangs and he bolted for his surfboard. “Calum.” She tried to say, but she had forgotten that she could not really speak too well under water and especially human ears would not be able to comprehend her.

She watched in disappointment as he climbed back onto his surfboard and paddled for dear life to get away from her. She quickly darted underneath him and as she surfaced in front of his board held the tip of it with her hands to stop him.

“Calum, it’s me.” She tried to say, but all that came out was water as she coughed out the words and her gills contracted, trying to find oxygen. She went under and took a big gulp to steady herself. 

When she finally turned back to him she saw that he was already a few yards away. She went after him, surfacing at his side this time, but as she came up she realized someone was calling to him and she went under again almost immediately, praying that they didn’t see her.

She couldn’t let him get away. She grabbed onto his legs to stop him and he started screaming for help. Someone was paddling towards him now. She had no choice, she let him go and darted for the safety of the deep. She watched as he met up with another surfer and they swam as if their lives depended on it for the safety of the beach.

He had seen her and was afraid of her true form. It hurt more than she cared to admit. No one had ever seen her in this form and she vowed right then and there that no one ever would again. There was nothing she could do now, but hope that everyone would think he was crazy.