Zadie plopped down on the sand, gazing out into the darkening ocean. It was at this exact spot 2 years ago that she had sat laughing at Emmett as he goofed off among the crashing waves before he had disappeared beneath those same waves and never resurfaced.
The coast guard had searched but they never found his body. Most people on the island didn’t believe her when she had told them what had happened. Over the months-turned-years Zadie had grown used to the looks and scoffs that followed her in their small town.
When he had first disappeared, the police had taken her witnessing him disappearing into the ocean as a serious, time-sensitive matter but less than an hour after the police had arrived on the scene they found a note in his room addressed to his mom saying that he had decided it was time for him to go explore the world and get to know his dad’s family. And at the very bottom it told her not to look for him.
After that, his mom simply gave up looking, stating that he was gone. And since his mother accepted the note and seemed unworried, the police merely nodded and closed the case, assuming he had run off to finish out high school with his dad. Zadie’s parents accepted that the boy who had almost been like their own son had left. Less than 24 hours after his disappearance and no one but her wondered at his sudden absence. And according to everyone in town, her one parents included, she simply couldn’t let go. That she had lost her touch with reality. Some even speculated that drugs were involved.
But she knew she had seen him die.
And no one believed her.
Somehow this same spot became her refuge from the whispers. Here, she stared at the last spot she had seen him, imagining how different life would be if he hadn’t disappeared. How much less lonely she would be.
Evening turned to night and the moon was her only light reflecting off the water. And still she did not move, staring.
Blinking tiredly, Zadie continued to gaze at the never-ending rolling of the waves crashing against the shore. She stood and wiped the sand off her jeans. When she heard a decidedly non-ocean sound coming from the ocean’s direction she jolted up straight. She squinted her eyes against the darkness. A shiver shot through her when she spotted a dark outline of what looked like a man rising up out of the ocean.
Unfortunately she tripped when she went to move back another step. Her startled cry seemed to amplify across the sand before being drowned out by another large crashing wave.
As she frantically scampered back to her feet she thought she heard her name called. Yet she saw no one else down the beach.
“Zadie?”
Her eyes fixed solidly on the figure moving toward her as tears sprang to her eyes at the familiar voice she never thought she would hear again. “Emmett?”
“What are you doing here?”
Zadie froze, unable to move as she watched her lost friend walk toward her. Shaking her head she began to cry. “I can’t hallucinate now. Everyone looks at me weird enough already.”
“Zadie, you aren’t hallucinating. I’m right here.”
She threw her hands up in exasperation. “That’s exactly what a hallucination would say.”
“It would?” His surprised expression gave Zadie a second of hesitation.
Sinking to the ground, Zadie sighed and buried her face in her knees. She felt the sand shift as Emmett sat down next to her.
Softly, Emmett spoke. “Why do you think I’m a hallucination? Why can’t I be real and get that big Zadie hug I’ve missed so much?”
“You died!” Zadie sobbed, looking up at him through tear filled eyes. “I watched you drown. You never resurfaced.”
When he didn’t respond, Zadie slugged him on instinct, as she had so many times before then gasped as her fist actually connected with his shoulder.
He turned to pull her into a hug but stopped short when he saw her face. “With everything that happened, I forgot that you were on the beach with me that day.”
“Forgot?!” She shrieked. “What could possibly have happened to make you forget that your best friend was standing on the beach when you disappeared into the ocean?”
“This guy grabbed me and pulled me under. I freaked out.”
“You were kidnapped?” Zadie interrupted. “I didn’t see anyone.”
His face softened as he smiled. “No. You wouldn’t have seen him. He was underwater. And yes, I guess you could call it kidnapping, though they said they left a note for my mom.”
“Why didn’t I get a note?”
“I didn’t pick who got notes, Zadie. I was only informed that they had left one for my mom to find. Now, did you want to hear what happened or not?”
“Yes.” She took a deep breath. “I’ll try not to interrupt.”
He chuckled and gave her a side hug. “I know how hard that will be.”
“So they left a note. Who are they?”
“I’m getting to that.” Emmett looked back out at the ocean. “Apparently there is a race of humans that evolved to the point that they could breathe underwater.”
“Mermaids?” Zadie shakily stood. “I’m going home.”
Emmett snatched her hand but didn’t move to stand. “Wait. Let me finish.”
“You just told me that you were taken by mythical fantasy creatures. As if it could be that easy to explain away.”
His soft grip on her hand was firm. “Zadie. I came back to find you.”
“Me?”
“Yes, you.” He chuckled and gently pulled her back down next to him. “Apparently I have the gene that allows me to learn how to breathe underwater. And no, I don’t have fins. They discovered me on a hunting expedition, to find more people to join their kingdom. After they took me, I was required to complete my training before I was allowed to choose whether to stay or leave.”
“And you chose to leave?”
He shook his head. “I haven’t decided. All I know is that I had to see you before I made that decision.”
“To join the merpeople.”
With a groan, Emmett pulled himself up. She stood after him and crossed her arms. “Zadie, they call themselves the Vand.”
“And now you can breathe underwater.” Zadie stared out at the water over his shoulder. “I’m going home. In the morning I’ll wake up to discover this was a dream.”
Emmett’s hand on her back stopped her. “I’ll prove it.”
“How? Are you going to go disappear in the ocean again and I can come check back in a few years to see if you come out again for a quick visit?”
“No.” He laughed. “Come with me. I’ll show you.”
