Dive In

Chapter 6

Ella's heart was racing. Her whole body shook with the beat, even her finger tips were pulsing. Never before had she snuck out in the middle of the night, and certainly not to go see a boy. Or a merman. Whatever Landon said he was. Or should she call him Lagoon? Her thoughts were still racing through her brain at a million miles per minute, there was no slowing them down. She'd been oddly silent during dinner, letting her brother prattle on without interruption. Thank god Maria had been too tired from work to notice.

Waterfolk. Fish people. They we real. Maybe she was even one of them.

Ella sat perched on her windowsill, waiting for her aunt to stop rustling downstairs and for her brother's light to go off. Her plan was to open the window, slide down the roof and land on the deck railing to shorten the distance between her and the ground. Getting back inside would be the hard part, but she was too excited about what Landon and Carter wanted to show her tonight to focus on a reentry plan. The sliver of light coming from Derek's doorway flickered out, and Ella listened hard for any signs of movement downstairs. All she could hear was her aunts gentle snoring.

She took a deep breath, it was now or never. She popped the latch open on the window, freezing to listen for if she'd woken anyone up. The house stayed silent, so Ella put a tentative foot out onto the roof. She ducked through the window and pulled her other leg out behind her. For once she was grateful for her childish stature. She paused on the roof for a moment, breathing in the sweet sent of the night and letting its darkness cool her skin. Silently she lowered herself onto the shingles, sliding down them carefully to make sure she didn't loose her grip. When she reached the edge she rolled on to her stomach and stuck out a foot, searching for the railing with her bare toes. For a moment she worried she was too short, but her foot found purchase on the rough wood and she lowered herself down. She jumped down onto the soft grass, loving the feeling of the smooth blades. She turned around and stared at the lake, searching for any sign of movement. She saw a small ripple and a flash of silver, and crouched down low and started towards the beach. Once she'd reached the waters edge she stood up straight, relying on the dark waves to hide her from prying eyes.

“Psst, Ella, over here!” shout-whispered Carter from the edge of the dock.

“Where is Landon?” asked Ella as she walked out on the dock, praying that she didn't get splinters.

“He got stuck on guard duty. He figured by the time he gets off, you'd be gone, so he sent me instead. Well, I was coming anyways, but I had to come all on my own,” he mocked wiping a tear from his eye.

Ella narrowed her eyes, “Why would you need to come?”

“Don't be silly, Landon explained how to prove our Wildfolk theory. You know exactly why I'm here!” he laughed, splashing up some water with his tail.

“Shh!” hissed Ella, “You're going to wake someone up. I thought you guys just wanted to talk to me, I had no idea I was going... Under.”

“Well when else are you going to go? Now is the perfect time!” beamed Carter, his white teeth standing out in the night.

“But... That means I have to kiss you,” gulped Ella. If her heart wasn't racing with adrenaline before, it was now.

“It's not big deal. It's just a kiss. And not to brag, but I have been told I'm an excellent kisser,” Carter winked.

“You're sure there's no other way?” Ella sighed.

“As far as I know. Here, climb into the water at the end of the dock. It's deep enough to hide you while your uh... changing, and you can still stand,” said Carter, floating over to the deep end of the dock.