My name is Eira Edwards, and this is my life.
It's a lonely life really. I'm not exactly what you'd call 'social', and with good reason too. Because I'm not 'normal'...
My family is originally from India, but I was born in Cardiff. My mother died when I was 3 years old. My father now cares for me and my sister Gwen in our large flat by Mermaid Quay. I always thought that name was ironic considering well, me.
Basically, I'm a mermaid living next to Mermaid Quay in the biggest city in Wales. Coincidence? I think not.
There's a cave in the cliffs. Off the Welsh coast not far from my home. Me, my father and Gwen were all having a picnic there one day, but I was stupid enough to wander off and get lost. I wandered round alone for hours, desperately trying to find my way back. But then I found the cave, and it was like it drew me in. Like it wanted me to go in. Inside there was a beautiful pool that seemed to shimmer. I reached down to touch the surface of the water, but I slipped and accidently fell in just as the moon came overhead.
That was 11 years ago.
It was difficult for me to process, at first I chose not to believe it. I actually considered that I hit my head when I got lost and I was hallucinating, but in the end I (finally) got the message.
I really was a mermaid. A mermaid with powers.
I never told anyone, knowing that they wouldn't understand. The only person that ever knew my secret was my childhood friend. Her name was Bella Hartley. I met her at school 3 years after becoming a mermaid when she was placed in my class. She and her family had just moved from somewhere in Europe and I was supposed to look after her. She was clever and friendly, just like me, and she loved to explore. One day she insisted that I show her all around Cardiff Bay. Naturally I was reluctant for fear of getting wet, but Bella was so insistent, I had to give in. We walked down on the jetties by the boats.
Then it started to rain.
I panicked and dove into the water without a second thought, and to my initial surprise Bella did the same. I was terrified that she would see me with a tail. I felt the change occur and I looked to Bella, expecting her too be staring in shock or fear. Instead she simply swam towards me sporting a tail of her own! I could hardly believe that I wasn't the only mermaid in Cardiff anymore, I wasn't alone anymore.
From that moment on we were inseparable. We appeared to be complete opposites of each other. She was tanned with golden blonde hair and I was dark-skinned with black hair and glasses, but we didn't care. We had each other. We'd spend long summer days floating in the Moon Pool or torpedoing through the Welsh sea. But 2 years later she moved away, and I was devastated. My only friend was gone. I was alone again, forced to keep my secret by myself. I wrote hundreds of letters, but she never replied. Not even once.
Now I'm 19 years old and in my first year of University studying Art. I don't have any friends, the only person I ever really spend any time with is Gwen. But then everything changed for me again, the day the last person I expected too got in touch. She'd searched for me, and the first thing I heard her say when I picked up the phone was:
"Eira? It's Bella. And I wanna meet up."