The Alpha's Mermaid [COMPLETE]

Chapter 1 - Beached

The first thing I feel is the pounding in my head and I groan from the intense throbbing. I roll myself onto my back but regret it instantly when the sun shines right into my eyes. I groan even louder and cover my eyes with my arm. I can taste sand and water in my mouth, and I could feel the water in my lungs. Since I can breathe underwater this wasn't a problem, but considering that it's been sitting in my lungs while I'm breathing in the air for Neptune knows how long, I'm having a little trouble breathing.

I sit up and cough up a small amount of water before laying back down with a thud. I hear seagulls in the distance and I open my eyes.

.......We don't have seagulls near the shore on our beach...

Then I remember the storm. I shoot up and look around frantically, but this beach I'm laying on I haven't seen in my life. The sand isn't as nice, rather than crystal soft sands, its mainly chunky rocks with the bodies of washed up decaying fish everywhere.

There are woods a few yards beyond the shore that seem to go on for hundreds of miles. I look to my left and only see rocks and cliffs, and to my right, the beach continues to where my eyesight reaches.

I can feel my eyes start to tear up and my heart rate increase as I begin to look around frantically. I start yelling out praying that anyone, maybe not even my family, will answer and tell me everything's ok and this was just a prank by one of my brothers.

 I yell for a few minutes before my throat is too dry from all the screaming, my tears all dried out and I'm left with awkward gasps of air and my cheeks stained with tears.

I stand up, only to have my legs collapse underneath me. I try a few more times before succeeding. I begin to take a step until I notice my legs are bare. Come to think of it, I dont have any clothes on besides my coral bra....... I quickly reach for my bag, only to find my bag is gone. I look up to the sky and heave a sigh. Great. I'm lost and half naked.

 I walk down the beach ways, praying to Neptune perhaps my bag washed ashore with me. I walk for a few minutes and I begin to lose hope until I see something on the rocks in the distance. Please be my bag, please be my bag.....Aha! My bag! I reach out and grab it, to see there is a tear in the side.

I quickly look inside to see if any of my belongings are still inside. I find my bikini bottoms, but not clothes. At least I have pants now.....I slip the bottoms on and continue to dig through my bag. I find one of my favorite swimsuit cover-up dresses and I heave a sigh of relief. I slip it on, it has a few holes and it sort-of see through, but I have a swimsuit on which helps.

 In my bag, I find the necklace my brother Mason gave to me and put it on. We found a beautiful shell while diving together, and he made it into a necklace for me for my 18th birthday. I frown, missing my family, but I know I'll find them soon. 

       I throw my bag over my shoulder and look at my surroundings again. Well, since there are no signs of houses, maybe the woods lead somewhere? Maybe I can find a....aha! A trail!  I start walking towards the woods towards the trail. At the entrance to the woods, I turn back to the beach one last time, give myself one last nod of assurance, and begin to walk through to woods.

       As I walk through the woods, my worries increase. I've never been this far away from home, I've never even been alone for over 24 hours, and here I am. Alone. Far away from home, with no clue of my location. I shake my head and focus back on the trail, making sure not to get lost.

 After a few minutes, I notice something. I stop walking and bend down and look at the trail and I notice footprints. That means people are nearby! I jump with joy. I could ask for help and-..........I just realized something. Merpeople are able to talk to sea creatures, and I could go back to the shore and ask the fish living there for my location and how to get back home!

       I turn around, about to set foot back to the beach, when I notice the trail splits into two a few feet in the direction from where I came from. They lead in completely opposite directions, and the beach is nowhere in sight, and the smell of salt water isn't in the air. I decide to keep moving forward, not wanting to get lost.

      ~

       A few hours pass and my feet begin to hurt. Its almost dark, and there are still only woods surrounding me, and I've come into no contact with people. I throw my bag onto the ground and plop myself down beside it and rest my head up against a log.

  How much longer until I reach people? I've been walking forever!  Ive only been to humans towns a few times, so I'm not very familiar with where they choose to locate their homes. Maybe they dont live here? Maybe I'm alone for miles and miles....No! There's no time for doubting! I saw footprints which looked fresh so there has to be people around!

       I look down at my feet and see all the dirt and leaves sticking to them and up between my toes since I don't have any shoes. I comb my hair with my fingers to attempt to make it more presentable because the last thing I want is for when I finally find people and they run away from me thinking im some sort of scary psycho woman. My skin is a little dry, but nothing that will hurt me. I've never pushed my limits when it came to my hydration, so I dont know how long I can go without being fully submerged.

       I stand up and throw my bag back over my shoulder and give myself a nod of reassurance. I take a step forward when I hear a twig snap from behind me. I turn around and look, but dont see signs of people.

"Hello.....?"

No answer.

I shrug and continue walking, as I see the sunset over the mountain tops in the distance.