The Mermaid's Kiss

"You know you can tell me anything, Sweetie,"

"I know that, Mom," Zoe looked at her with a small half-smile,

"I just...I can trust you to take care of yourself but...if there's anything...you can tell me, okay?"

"It's okay Mom," Zoe replied reassuringly, "I'm just figuring things out. I'm okay though, really!"

Diane dropped it but sighed inwardly. She knew she just had to be patient. Zoe would open up eventually.

Eventually.

For the first time in forever, Zoe wore her hoodie down in public, her long dark hair fluttering in the soft coastal wind. She didn't know why but everything felt so fascinating now. She stopped and lingered at the colours of clothes on mannequins, fixating on the details of a little ship in a bottle displayed in an old antique store, breathing in the scent of sweets and coffee in a little boutique cafe. Diane was aghast at the enthusiasm but kept mum. This was the most interaction she'd had with her eldest daughter in years! It was a tremendous feeling, like a magic spell had been lifted.

They stopped at a tacky ice cream place (shaped like an ice cream!) and bought some two flavours: strawberry for Zoe and mint for Diane. Zoe couldn't stop herself from giggling at the way her Mom ate her ice cream, treating it like a delicate puzzle to decipher with every lick. Diane thrilled to hear her laughing again. Was this really Zoe? Was it really possible to change so much in a single night?

She did notice one thing that always snapped her back to reality throughout the day. Whenever Zoe looked out at the ocean, she sighed with a strange sense of longing. Diane couldn't let her guard down. She had no idea what was really going on in her daughter's head.

It was as they were walking passed the antique store again that they heard it. An almost shrill exclamation, bursting out so quickly as to immediately dissipate, except the word expressed was unmistakeable,

"ZOE?!"

The two span around as one, wondering who had said that and where? Zoe's eyes darted about, shocked at the sudden interjection. Someone recognised her, but who? Where? She felt so self-conscious, her mouth half-full of strawberry ice cream. It was just as she swallowed (and suffered some horrific brain freeze as a result) that she saw her.

Forcing herself to ignore the disorienting sensation, she focussed on the face of a young woman behind the window of the antique store, framed by an array of bronze and brass nautical instruments and telescopes. The girl's hair was short, worn as a pixie cut and cropped at the side, with a nose piercing in her right nostril. Besides that, Zoe knew exactly whose face this was. She'd seen it last night.

"THALIA?!"

She didn't even remember entering the store. One minute she was outside, the next second she was there at the counter, the girl with golden-silver hair standing behind it. Her hair was shorter, but the gold hair was the same, except now with obvious highlights streaking along the uncropped side. She wore a navy blue sweater, way too hot for this heat, with a white anchor emblazoned on the front. Surrounded on all sides by the brass instruments, her tanned brown skin seemed to glow as though burnished. Zoe couldn't contain herself,

"THALIA! It's you?! It wasn't a dream I...You...We...I mean...You...In the water and...What are you doing here?!" Thalia was here! She was right in front of her! Last night was real! It had to be real! How else could she be here and look almost exactly like the woman she'd seen the night before?!

"Woah!" Thalia laughed with a confused but pleasing smile, clearly thrown by Zoe's barrage, "are you okay?"

"Last night?" Zoe choked out, "you and me? We... I mean...you know?"

Thalia was puzzled, "know what?"

Zoe's face turned crimson, "You know...in the sea, together, last night?"

Thalia looked very bemused but decided to humour her long-lost friend,

"I don't know about last night, but there's always tonight," she winked,

Zoe was taken aback. Thalia didn't remember any of the previous night? Or she hadn't really been there? Disappointment sank into her stomach. So...it was just a dream then...? Wait, what did she just say?!

Diane entered the store, the little bell tingling as she did so, zapping Zoe back into reality,

"Oh wow, Thalia, is that you?!" Diane exclaimed cheerfully,

"Oh hey Mrs Crenshaw," Thalia chirped, "long time no-see!"

"Please call me Diane!" she replied automatically, "what are you doing here?"

"Just a summer job. Figured it'd pay towards college maintenance or something,"

Diane failed to conceal her surprise, "You're going to college?"

Thalia beamed and gave a thumbs up, "Oh yeah."

Zoe just watched the conversation dumbstruck, having no idea what to say or what to do. This was Thalia, the only person she'd ever called a friend in her life. Here. Now. They'd been separated for so long she couldn't even process it! Also she might be a mermaid? Now that she couldn't process at all!

"We moved here after all that," Thalia chuckled, referring to the whole vandalism and expulsion affair like it was just a bad hangover, "Dad got a job with the big shipping port a few miles from here. That's the town's main industry now, besides all the touristy beach stuff here during the summer."

"Well, it's great to see you doing so well," Diane approved, then turned to Zoe, "Zoe? Are you okay? You look pale?"

"I..." she stammered again, gulping before finally gasping out, "Thalia, it's been so long!"

"It really has, Zo," Thalia concurred sadly. "Zo", Zoe thought, I haven't heard that name in years,

"I can't believe you're here!"

"Same for you!" Thalia inspected the two women, "you guys on vacation?" They nodded, "that's cool. Well if you need any ships-in-bottles or astrolabes, you know the place to look!"

"I think we'll pass," Diane laughed, "but my husband might be interested! I'll make sure to tell him about this place!"

"Please do! He might be our customer for the day!"

"Well, we'll let you get back to work. It was lovely seeing you, Thalia. Send my love to your parents for me,"

"Will do. It was great seeing you guys!"

Zoe was so dazed she barely even registered that her Mom was beckoning her out the door. She couldn't leave! Not yet! She sprang to action,

"When do you get off!" she yelped, embarrassed but sincere. Thalia smirked at the double-entendre,

"6 most likely, but I'll be finishing up with the sales count for a sec..."

"6:30 then?" Zoe interrupted,

Thalia liked this confidence, grinning slyly,

"Sure. I can meet up 6:30."

"Here?"

"Yeah, here works. I can show you the sights!"

"Okay, well..." Zoe felt so awkward. She couldn't unsee Thalia as the woman in the water. She finally forced herself to turn away with a haphazard, "see you later!" all of a sudden terrified to even look Thalia in the face.

Diane was concerned,

"You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost?"

"I'm fine, Mom, it's just, wow."

"Small world," Diane noted. She couldn't hide the disappointment in her voice. Zoe really didn't need a troublemaker like Thalia Miller back in her life. What if they got in trouble and Thalia ended up incarcerated? Zoe would shrink back into her shell again! Or worse, she'd get Zoe into trouble too!

Still, Thalia had said she'd gotten into college. She couldn't be that bad if that was the case. Plus she couldn't shake the look she'd seen on Zoe's face when she'd seen her. Her happiness bloomed like a flower in Spring. It was unbelievable how radiant she'd become, like all the negativity in her life had melted from her. Diane was nervous for her daughter's safety, but looking into her pleading eyes, she knew she couldn't get in the way.

The rest of the day passed by like a dream for Zoe. She was vaguely aware of returning home, and Maddie apologising for what had happened with the laptop, then having a small dinner with the family, but it all seemed so small and unimportant now. Only Thalia occupied her thoughts. Thalia...with her cropped hair and piercing. Thalia, with her golden hair and tanned skin and underwater majesty. Who are you, Thalia? What are you? She needed to know.

She had a minor freakout about what to wear, realising with some embarrassment that she'd never dressed for going out before! She voiced her concerns to Diane, who reminded her that Thalia would be clocking off work, so she wouldn't be dressed up either. Zoe breathed a sigh of relief happily, appreciating for the first time in a long time just how lucky she was to have the Mom that she had,

"I love you, Mom," she murmured quietly as she prepared to leave,

"What was that, Sweetie?"

"I love you, Mom. I mean it."

Diane bit her lip. It had been a long time since she'd heard that,

"I love you too, Sweetie. Please promise not to be out too late."

"I promise, Mom. You don't have to worry about me."

"Good, because I'm giving you the car, so no funny business!"

"It'll be fiiiine!" Zoe giggled.

Zoe delighted in the glowing sunset as she drove, witnessing it hang over the horizon in a stunning array of yellows, oranges and reds. The sky was pink from the effect, making the day feel all the more mesmerising and romantic. Zoe thought about her stories, and decided the next one would have a sky like this, hanging over the azure blue ocean in enchanting harmony.

When she arrived to the antique store, Thalia was all finished and waiting outside by the entrance, leaning against the wall,

"All okay?" Zoe asked, suddenly feeling very nervous and self-conscious. Thalia had changed from her uniform into a black crop top and denim short shorts, showing off her pierced navel and stunning bronze legs. Zoe was in her black hoodie and a pair of dark pants (her usual attire) and felt so stupid next to this Venus in denim.

"Yeah all good," Thalia responded coolly,

"You're not cold?" (it had been a warm day, but as the sun set, the long shadows brought with them a quiet coolness),

"That sweater was hot enough for the day! Time to chill out!" Thalia stretched up, lifting her arms up and displaying her full height for Zoe to see. Is she flirting with me?

"Come on! I'll show you around!"

It wasn't a big town, so it didn't take long for Thalia to show off its little hotspots. There was the arcade where kids usually hung out, there was the old Goodwill store where Thalia did all her clothes shopping, there was the bar she could get drinks from because the bartenders knew her, there was the tattoo parlour blasting heavy metal music,

"Wanna see my tattoo?"

Zoe was still in a haze just from being in Thalia's presence, but she did manage a small, "sure," in response.

Thalia approached Zoe coquettishly, making Zoe's heart pound as she pulled her top down, revealing the tattoo of a mermaid on her left breast. Zoe's eyes widened,

"Cool, huh?"

Zoe could barely speak, "Yeah, um, wow, yeah, really cool."

"You okay, Zo? I don't remember you being this quiet!" Thalia asked, concerned,

Zoe forced herself to smile,

"I'm good I'm just," she paused, "I'm really enjoying this, you know?"

"Yeah Zo, it's sweet that you're here!"

They stopped off at the one Subway in town because Thalia was STARVING, but otherwise they just walked into the evening, with Thalia doing most of the talking,

"So yeah, after the whole expulsion thing, my parents wanted a fresh start and figured somewhere small and boring like this would work!" Thalia laughed as she bit into her sandwich, "little did they know that I can find trouble wherever I go!"

"You had trouble here too?" Zoe asked quietly, feeding questions like this, so desperate to catch up on everything,

"Oh totally! Especially at the start! I hated this boring town so starting trouble kept it interesting!"

"Trouble like?"

"You know, fights, graffitiing, destruction of property, the usual,"

"What changed?" Zoe had noted earlier that Thalia was going to college. She couldn't have slacked off that much!

Thalia paused then said,

"Let's go to the beach."

It was darker now, but some people were still strolling about with their dogs and one small group of boys were still playing volleyball. Besides that, the beach was grey from the ebbing sunlight, disappearing into an unfocussed darkness. Only the sea kept the place lit, with the last of the orange light being chased away by the moon's silver shine. Thalia took her shoes off to walk through the sand and surf barefoot, and Zoe did likewise.

"I'll be real Zo. I missed you."

Zoe thrilled at hearing this, but kept quiet and plain-faced. She wanted Thalia to continue,

"You were the only one who ever listened to me, you know? I never found anyone like you here, so I guess I just kept acting out, hoping that it would fill the hole. It didn't though."

"I think I know what you mean..."

Thalia raised an eyebrow,

"You do?"

"Yeah," Zoe murmured, trying hard not to start crying, "I kept writing stories..."

"Oh shit no way! That's awesome!"

"Thanks," Zoe smiled, feeling so good talking about the stories with Thalia again,

"Still sexing them up like I said?"

"You bet!"

They both laughed, with Thalia reaching up to hold Zoe's shoulder. Zoe shivered at the touch, remembering the night before,

"I gotta read them some time!" Thalia beamed, then halted at Zoe's forlorn expression, "what's wrong?"

"Yeah about that," Zoe sighed, "the stories might not exist anymore,"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, last night Maddie and I got into a fight, and the laptop was the collateral damage,"

"Aw shit, I'm sorry. That sucks so much!"

"I'm dealing with it, I guess, plus Dad says we can maybe rescue the hard-drive,"

"Want me to kill your sister for you?"

"That'd be awesome, yeah!"

They laughed again, but fell into an eerie silence as they walked along the shore, twirling their toes in the gentle tide's spray,

"So like, when we came here," Thalia continued, "I was messed up and acting out a lot, but all it was doing was getting me hurt in the long run. Adults would talk about my career prospects getting fucked and all that shit. I didn't care about that, but I was also getting fed up of all the detentions and disciplining. It was getting boring, you know?"

Zoe listened intently,

"So I figured I had to straighten out, otherwise I'd end up somewhere even more boring like Juvie. I found another outlet,"

"Doing what?"

Thalia stopped walking and held her arms outstretched, gesturing wildly,

"What do you think, Zo? Water sports and stuff!"

"No way!" Zoe was impressed, although it was unsurprising. It explained Thalia's head-to-toe tan and perfect athletic body,

"I started out learning, but now they're getting me instructing too," Thalia explained enthusiastically, "swimming, rowing, kayaking, wind-surfing, I do all of it!"

"That's so cool!"

"I'll take you out wind-surfing sometime. It's the best feeling in the universe."

Second best, Zoe thought, looking longingly at Thalia's lips. Looking out towards the sea, Zoe sighed,

"I just shut myself in. Didn't talk to anyone. Never did anything. Sleepwalking my way through High School."

"Just you and your writing, right?"

Zoe was so happy talking to Thalia. She knew the situation without even needing to be told,

"Right! My writing was my one connection to you."

Thalia studied her face intently, not surprised but...cautious...contemplating...

Zoe stared back in turn, unsure of what else to say. Should she mention what had happened the night before? How they had met already, but in some other kind of reality? That sounded insane! Besides, it didn't matter now. What had been the best night of her life paled in comparison to this moment, steeped firmly in their reality. This wasn't a dream, this wasn't an illusion. This was real. Thalia was here and they were together on the beach.

Without waiting a single second more, Zoe kissed Thalia squarely on the lips. Thalia was taken aback, but did not recoil,

"I've missed you...so...so much," Zoe whispered, feeling tears spring to her eyes. Thalia's hands reached up to hold Zoe's face,

"I've missed you too," she replied as she kissed her back.

The kissing was anarchic, free-falling and messy. It was like something had been unleashed in them; a wild freedom finally wrought. Thalia stuck her tongue in-between Zoe's lips, desperate to taste this girl so long lost to her. Zoe's hands reached around Thalia's body, slipping in under her top and caressing her back and shoulders passionately. It didn't take long for Thalia to toss the top aside, her bra quickly following.

A little more nervous but willing, Zoe pulled off her hoodie and shirt, revealing her soft light bra for Thalia to see in the moonlight. Thalia paused a second, gazing at Zoe, silhouetted against the vast, bright ocean,

"You're so beautiful."

Zoe breathed deeply as she unclasped her bra, closing her eyes at the words she had just heard. She thinks I'm beautiful. Hands suddenly felt at her breasts, holding them close and stroking them delicately. She allowed herself to melt into these hands, swooning at Thalia's soft kisses on her neck and shoulders. The hands reached down and undid the button on Zoe's pants, letting them fall to a heap on the floor. Her panties swiftly followed.

When Zoe opened her eyes, she saw that Thalia too was equally naked, her golden body shining like candlelight. She luxuriated in the sight of her perfectly toned and trimmed body, her sleek legs and shapely breasts. Oh if only she could be one with that body.

They embraced again, planting soft kisses on top of one another, spinning around in a playful circle as they danced upon the sand. Their hands saw no limits as they stroked, brushed and pinched, finding new ways of pleasuring the other. They kissed again, and held the kiss on each other's lips for a long time, breathing upon one another, feeling the warmth of their breaths interchanged, the taste of their lips exchanging. Zoe stared into Thalia's eyes, and Thalia into hers, their eyes filled with unimaginable love.

Thalia pulled away from her, stepping further into the sea. Looking up at Zoe, she winked and held out her hand,

"You ready for round two?"

Her hair was longer now, flowing over her shoulders. Her skin glistened gold in the moonlight. The silver bridge shimmered on the ocean's surface behind her. Zoe stared at the sight with wonder, then whispered,

"Yes," tenderly taking Thalia's hand.

Hands clasped as one, they waded together into the silvery sea.