“Okay, class. I want you to fill at least one page talking about yourself. Act like you’re introducing yourself to the administrator of Harvard. What’s your story? How would your friends describe you?”
Mr. Phoebus explained the project while passing a stack of papers out to each row. Of course he forgot to hand me one. I waved my hand around trying to get his attention but he just looked right past me as if  he mistaken my rusty orange hair and hazel yellow eyes for a ghost. “Uhm Mr. Phoebus…”
My voice silently shook, trying to gather his attention. “Oh, Celena, sorry about that. Here you go, honey.”
I nervously reached for the paper already knowing I was going to struggle with this project. What do I fill this page with? The tragic story of my parents death? I could write about how my parents were marine biologist and left me while they passed in a storm at sea. All they left me were my greek mythology books and my fairy tale books. These books are really my only friends so I couldn’t tell you how my friends think of me, but I can tell you how I think of them. They’re wonderful, and magical, and oh how I wish the stories of cyclops, Gods, mermaids, and fairies were true. Every time I read these stories, no matter if it is the hundredth time or thousandth time, I get this overwhelming feeling that my life would be so much better if I lived in one of these books. I would no longer be invisible to my peers. I would be seen and I would be happy about it.
*RINGGG* “Ok class that was the bell! Make sure you grab a permission slip on your way out for the boat trip coming up! Remember this is part of your final grade so if you don’t go you will fail!”
My stomach fell to my feet. I heard the words come out of Mr. Phoebus’s mouth. I stood there feeling the color sink out of my face and watched everyone walk out of the door. Not a single concerned look or glance. A bolt of adrenaline hit me in the head as if it just fell out of the sky and the next thing I knew my feet were taking me forward at an unbelievable pace and I couldn’t stop them. I heard voices behind me fade me until they became silent. It was like my feet had a mind of their own and the breaks were cashed. They kept going all the way to the fields, then pass my home, then into the forest to my safe spot. I could not feel my feet anymore so it took me a minute to realize I was not running anymore. I was finally alone in my safe spot. Nobody could make me go on a boat trip here. I could not feel out of place here. I looked beyond the field of soft yellows and pale oranges. The hints of red and violet warmed the insides of my chest. These flowers made me feel beautiful because, just like them I was a wallflower too. I flung off my backpack and laid in the bed of my brothers and sisters. This was my escape from reality. The only place I felt somewhat belonged. With my rightful peers and my books, things made sense for once. I felt the earth underneath me and thought about the boat ride. It was not that I did not want to go, I felt drawn to the ocean. I often wonder if it is just because I am a pisces, but there was no reason that should make me special right?  Sometimes at night I swear the ocean is singing to me asking me to come visit it. But the problem is, I wonder if the deep mysterious pool sang to my parents too. Asking them to come visit it before it took them under in the storm. My parents loved to be at sea, that’s why they became marine biologists. But, when I was eight they left for a trip and an unhinged storm came upon them that night that not just took their lives, but ruined mine. Sometimes I ask Zeus what I did to deserve that from him. But, then I remembered even if Zeus was real he probably would not pay enough attention to me to purposely take my parents away. A tear streamed down my face and I tasted the saltiness that fell on my lips. I watched the blue sky fade to gray as I wished I would change like the clouds would. I wish I could change my shape and be as free as they are. But I am just Celena. And that is all. I stayed watching the clouds come by till I noticed a dark vile cloud that almost looked like a bat. “Oh no! My aunts! I am probably late for dinner!”
I jumped up and let my feet take control again. They went numb as if they were not even rightfully my feet. I ran up the steps and flew in the door.
“Oh Celena, perfect time for dinner!” My aunt Tisiphone oddly grinned, exposing her gold tooth, at me signaling I would not enjoy tonight’s meal.
“It is about time you got here you little brat! You should be thankful you even get dinner after being so late!” My other aunt Megarea hissed at me.
I could never look at her when she’s yelling because her face would crinkle up like an old leather jacket. Aunty Tis and Meg were my father’s step sisters. They were the only family I had after my parents left me. They always wore lots of jewels that were found in the coal mine they own. I suppose they think it’ll distract you from their awful hearts. And for many people it did. Like all the men that worked for them, these men were their workers spending their entire days in the mines. Some of them would come over at night and spend time with Tis and Meg. Only Zeus knows why because, I sure do not understand why. Sometimes I wondered if my aunts had a spell on these poor men. Sometimes I thought of them as the seven dwarfs but Tis is no Snow White and neither is Meg. Tis slapped a big plate of an over cooked fish in front of me. I felt the urge to puke now realizing why she was grinning. These two are absolute carnivores. All they eat is meat, never have I once witnessed either of them eat a carrot. I hated it and my aunts knew it. They knew I refused to eat fish especially. I can not tell you why, maybe it was the fact that the thing still had eyes and was staring at me, but it did not feel right. I pushed the plate in front of me, “I am not eating this. You should know that aunt Tis.”
“Shame, guess you are not eating dinner tonight.” She shrugged her shoulders and pointed at the lifeless creature on my plate, “Maybe you will see your friend’s family on your little boat trip tomorrow for class?”
“Why do you know about the trip?? I am not going! You never even signed the permission slip and I lost it.” I protested.
Tisiphone giggled, “Oh sweetie don’t you worry! Your teacher had sent out an email so I called and gave you permission to go!”
The room started spinning and I felt my face swelling up presenting itself like a plump tomato.
“What?” was the only word I could bare to utter out of my clenching teeth.
“Better get some floaties so you do not end up like your parents!” Meg could barely speak with cracking up. There was nothing I could do now but go to bed and prepare myself for tomorrow. I listened to Tis and Meg laugh till they could not breathe anymore.
The next day I got on the bus and sat directly behind the driver. I watched everyone come on the bus one by one talking about how excited they were. We were going to Egremni Beach. I had been there when I was little with my parents, but I have not since they passed. Egremni was the spot for teenagers I guess. I always heard stories in the hall about spring break there. I was never invited to the parties of course.
“Joe Bushy did a handstand on a keg and drank all the beer like a champ last time we partied Egremni! I was a proud girlfriend that day.” Krissy Canon shared her story loud enough in the back for me to hear.
“Wasn’t that the same day he cheated on you, Krissy?”
“Honestly Jean, shutup. You know that was an accident!”
At this point in the conversation I decided to stop listening. Though I already knew their juicy drama, at the moment I did not mind being a wallflower. I pulled out one of my books hoping to ease my nerves before we get there. It worked until till we were boarding the boat. I felt my chest squeeze so tight my heart fell to my stomach. I was the last on and probably the shakiest too. I could not tell if it was the water making the boat shake or if it was me. The boat was just big enough to hold my whole class in it but yet I felt like I was squeezed in there. Like I was one too much. The motor roared as the driver started giving instructions. I felt anxiety kick in listening to him speak about safety on this trip. I am sure my parents knew all this but it did not seem to help. I decided to close my eyes and tune him out and focus on my breathing. Moments later wind hit my face opening my eyes. It felt so refreshing surprisingly. I breathed in the smell of the seawater that made me nostalgic. I felt like a happy child again. We came to a stop so Mr. Phoebus could start his lesson. As interested as I was in the different types of shrimp that lived in these waters, I just could not pay attention. A sound so lovely rang through my ears. I looked around to see if anyone else heard it but everybody kept their eyes on Mr. Phoebus. I drew my attention back on the noise, the very familiar noise. It was the singing I heard at night. I swore the ocean sung to me at times and I was right! I leaned over to the side of the boat being drawn in by the seductive noise. My parent’s death suddenly seemed like an accident just like Krissy Canon and her cheating boyfriend. The ocean was such a fair blue like it had just been painted. I leaned in wanting to feel like fresh blue paint on my hand. Suddenly my hand felt like it weighed almost a trillion pounds taking me head first into the water. I bursted my head up screaming, “Help!!! Please!!!!!!!”
My mouth filled with out trying to take in breaths of air. My arms flew up looking for anything to grab on. I squealed louder and louder. My lungs started to fill as I heard Mr. Phoebus finish his lecture about shrimp, “A shrimp can average about 6 inches while the longest ever found was at 16 inches!”
Even when I was drowning nobody noticed me. I stayed invisible. My feet and legs started to go numb like they do when I am running. They started to pull me down and I stopped trying to grab onto nothing. I felt my insides fill with water and my vision went black as I drifted into the deep mysterious ocean that once ate my parents and now me.
Black was what I saw. Nothing but black darkness. I felt nothing and heard nothing. Am I dead? Is this all life is after death, darkness? I suppose it was better than being in Hades like I almost expected. Suddenly I felt wind smack my body like I was on the boat again. My body! If I can feel my body I’m not dead! But where am I? Suddenly all the nerves in my body felt like they were bursting in sync. I could feel my feet and legs again but I could not move them. They tingled as if they fell asleep and were being held down. I felt my eyes and opened them expecting the burn of seawater but I was blinded by a gold brighter than the sun. I swear I felt a hand plunge into my chest and steal my breath. My head began to spin with my body like a carousel out of control. All at once it all stopped. Everything was black again. There are no words to describe how I feel right now. I don’t know if I’m about to enter Heaven or Hell. I don’t even know if I’m dead!
“Celena”, the graceful voice was here again. “You can open your eyes now darling.”
Never have I ever been so terrified to wake up. Was this all a dream? I slowly opened my eyes and tried to observe my surrounding. I was glowing gold bringing my focus to myself and only myself. I felt my breath come back as I looked down to find an emerald green tail reflecting the ocean off it’s scales. This tail had replaced my bottom half and it was the most beautiful thing I had ever laid eyes on.
“Oh my Zeus!” I covered my mouth astonished, “I’m… I am a…. I’m a-”
“Mermaid. Celena you are a mermaid. You have always been destined to be a mermaid.” A beautiful woman with a tale as long as mine with hints of deep blue scales and dark violet hair, that flowed so lusciously, revealed herself through the murky water to me.
“My name is Sirena. I have been waiting for you to come join our family.” Her warming smile compulsed me to swim in for a hug.
“Is it you who usually sings to me from the ocean at night?”
“Yes my darling. My sisters and I sing to all of our lost children. Didn’t you ever wonder why you felt like you never fit in? Because, you did not belong on foot there. You belong here and you always have. Besides, didn’t you ever ask yourself where mermaids come from?”
Sirena smiled with a wink and nothing never made so much more sense. My name is Celena and I am a pisces. My parents passed when I was young but I am thankful for the books they left behind for me. I know they left me these stories knowing I would become one. My name is Celena and I am a mermaid. I am the story, where do mermaids come from?