Awakening Waves

Cassia stared down at the lights reflecting on the water. Yellow, gold and orange danced on the dark waves as the water of the bay moved restlessness. Cassia glanced up at the Halloween jack-o-lanterns reflecting that light. She was at a party. Or had been until she came out on the little pier connected to her friend’s house. It wasn’t that the party wasn’t fun, it was only that Cassia had no one special to share it with. Her boyfriend of two months had broken up with her a week before and tonight it weighted heavily on her mind.

There was a tickle on her cheek before she saw the tear slip down and splash soundlessly into the water. Cassia didn’t even know she was crying until it happened. She gathered the fabric mermaid tail up in her lap and away from her tears even as her feet remained in the water. Cassia looked at her reflection. Saw her costume with her sparkly green scales, tanned flesh and fake sea shell bikini top. Then saw her own green eyes staring back at her from a rather unremarkable face. Her latest ex had said that, called her looks unremarkable. Plain. Cassia knew she was no beauty but had always hoped her personality and heart would make up for the loss. Even her long strawberry blond hair looked plain to her tonight when it was usually her best feature.

Another tear rolled down her cheek and Cassia sighed sadly. She wished she would meet that special someone, have an instance connection and there would be no maybe’s. Only love at first sight. A love that would stay fresh and bring all kinds of happiness. The stuff of dreams and stories. Suddenly a light flashed in the sky. Cassia looked up in wonder at the shooting star streaking through the night. It lasted only moments but tugged her emotions out of the pit of self despair. Maybe enough to join the party again? Cassia wiped at her eyes and missed the movement in the water below her but her foot felt the brush of something.

With a squeak of surprise, Cassia pulled her feet out of the water and looked down. At first she saw only her own reflection until she noticed another imposed under hers. Like the face of a man in the water. Her eyes widened, the man’s did not. Cassia pulled back away from the water and took some deep breathes. Was it a trick? A trick in her mind or some Halloween prank? She leaned back over to look down in the water and saw the man’s head out of the water. He must have felt her watching him and looked up capturing her gaze. He was young like her, in his twenties, fair in complexion. His golden hair was wet but curled slightly with promise as it framed his face. A face that was clean shaven and chiseled making him ruggedly handsome. His eyes were a vivid blue, almost electric and those eyes held her own like some magic blue flame. And then Cassia blinked and pulled back from the edge of the water. She clung to the railing behind her.

As she watched, the stranger from the sea pulled himself up onto the pier. Well, half way up. He rested his chest and arms on the wood planks as the rest of his body hung down in the water. He smoothed a hand over his face, clearing stray strands of his hair away. He blinked and stared at her.

“Who are you?” Cassia asked.

He smiled. “I believe you called me.”

His voice was a melody. Masculine yet musical at the same time. Cassia had never heard such a voice.

“I called you?” Cassia said with a slight frown. “I don’t even know you.”

The stranger smiled. “Well you called me just the same. I don’t know you either but I hope that changes.”

Cassia blinked. “Is this a joke? Some Halloween prank?”

The man chuckled and that sound also was melodic in some way. “I am playing no trick this night. You made a wish and I am compelled to answer it.”

Cassia’s eyes widened. How did he know she made a wish? Had he been watching her all the time she had been sitting on the pier?

“If this is a joke, your not funny.” Cassia said a bit heatedly. “So cut the games and tell me who you are.”

He shrugged two mountainous shoulders. The man really was built but resting as he was on his chest made it hard to see.

“This is not a game but I can tell you who I am.” He smiled up at her. “My name is Delph. My parents had a thing for dolphins.” He cocked his head. “And you are?”

Cassia felt better knowing his name. It made him less a trick of her mind somehow. She relaxed slightly.

“I’m Cassia.” She replied.

“Cassia….I like the sound of it. Rolls off my tongue.”

She smiled. No one had ever said such a thing to her before.

Delph glanced at her costume and she suddenly felt shy in it. “Did you know I would come tonight?”

It was an odd question. “No.” Cassia answered. “Why do you ask?”

“Well you did dress the part.” Delph said as if it something was obvious but Cassia wasn’t getting it.

“What part?” She asked.

Delph sat up straighter and hiked his eye brows up in surprise. “You really haven’t seen what I am yet? Haven’t even guessed?”

Cassia had a moment to wonder before Delph flexed his stomach muscles and used his arms to pull himself all the way onto the pier. But rather then having legs, Delph pulled up a tail with fins. Cassia couldn’t help the gasp she uttered or stop her eyes from traveling down his body. Delph’s six pack slid down into blue green scales and fins. Fins that shielded a very male part of his anatomy from sight. Cassia blushed and felt faint at the same time. An interesting feeling that made her collapse onto her knees on the pier.

“Cassia!” Delph cried out and started using his arms to pull himself to her.

She didn’t know if she wanted him to touch her or not but couldn’t get herself to move and then he was suddenly there. Delph’s arms enfolded her in safety and flooded her with emotion. Cassia cried in his arms. The emotions sweeping through her body felt both good and out of control. Feelings long forgotten or never experienced. Somehow she knew Delph was the man in her wish. Her own love at first sight or would that be touch?

“Cassia?” Delph made her name a question.

She looked up at him and saw a wealth of emotion trembling under his surface as well. Cassia reached up and hugged Delph back. It seemed right and comfortable as nothing else in her life had been in such a long time.

“I wished for you and you came.” Cassia whispered.

Delph kissed her cheek. “Because I wished for you too Cassia. I also shed tears in the water and spoke the same words of the heart under the light of a falling star.” He pulled back to look into Cassia’s eyes. “The Fates whispered to me. Told me to be here. This night, this time. They said my other half waited for me and here you are.”

Cassia couldn’t help but smile even as another tear fell from her eye but this time in happiness. It was a magic. A magic that had nothing to do with logic or the considered reality of the world that Cassia knew. But she didn’t care. All that mattered was how she felt. She needed Delph.

He started to rise with her and she looked down to discover Delph’s tail was missing. Cassia got a good look at how excited Delph was being there with her before she raised her head and blushed, burying her head in his shoulder.

Delph chuckled. “It’s okay. You can look if you want to, I’m yours.”

Cassia turned slightly to look up at his profile. “What happened to your tail?”

“I’ll get it back once we go back into the water. But didn’t you want to dance first?”

It was then that Cassia heard the music coming from the house. The party was in full swing and the music drifted out to hang hushed and almost unreal over the water and the stillness of the night air. A soft, haunting melody that was both romantic and dangerous.

Delph started dancing with Cassia, their bodies swaying softly and not stopping even as the music changed. The candles in the jack-o-lanterns flickered at their movements.

“You will come with me, won’t you Cassia?” Delph asked.

“Where would we go?” Cassia said.

“To my home first.” Delph answered as they danced. “I want my family to meet you. Then we can explore if you like. I’ll show you around, teach you what I know. The mystery’s and adventures of the deep take more then a lifetime to explore.”

Cassia closed her eyes feeling the fabric of her mermaid tail sway against her legs as they moved. “But Delph, I’m not a real mermaid.”

“How do you know?” He asked. “Have you gone in the water yet?”

Cassia stopped dancing to stare him in the eyes. “Many times Delph, and I never sprouted a tail.”

“Have you been in the water tonight?” Delph questioned.

Cassia glanced at the rippling dark water over the edge of the pier. “No. Not all the way in.”

Delph grinned. “I think you may be pleasantly surprised if you take a swim with me tonight.”

She looked back up at Delph. Wonder lit her eyes. Cassia couldn’t imagine what awaited for her in those dark depths but if Delph was with her, she knew she could handle just about anything.

“Will you be my heart’s desire Cassia?” Delph asked. “Will you end my lonesome nights, and bring joy to my life?”

“Yes.” She answered.

Delph made a soft whooped sound of joy and spun her in the air. Cassia held onto him and laughed . They both walked to the edge of the pier and ducked under the railing.

“One moment…” Delph said before diving in. He surfaced a moment later and slapped his Merman tail in the water behind him. “Okay, now its your turn.”

Cassia hesitated and looked back. Through the windows she saw people dancing and eating. Somehow she knew she was leaving this behind if she went but in a way, she never really fit into this world. There were pieces of her that would always remain claimed by her surface life even as she took to a new life in the sea. She turned her back on the pier and jumped.

The water was cold and Cassia came up gasping but then warm arms surrounded her. Delph held her safe as her shivering stopped and a warmth started in her body. Delph felt it and smiled down at her.

“You don’t need this anymore.” He said before he grabbed the fabric mermaid tail floating in the water and pulled it off her. “Why have a fake tail when you now possess the real thing.”

Cassia found her legs seemed to stretch sideways as they had not been able to before and suddenly an goldish green Mermaid tail exploded out of the water where her feet would have been. Immediately Cassia sent her hands down searching and exploring her new tail.

Delph grabbed one of her hands forcing Cassia to meet his eyes. “That is only one of many new things you will discover in yourself. But for now, we must go. The sea calls and no one must find us like this.”

Cassia nodded understanding the logic. She glanced around her and then followed Delph down into the water. He tickled her to get her to open her mouth under water so she discovered she could now breathe the water as easily as air. A few lessons on movement through the water and they were swimming away from the pier along with Cassia’s old life. She did not look back this time but concentrated on the future that was swimming before her. Delph’s fingers curled around Cassia’s as they swam back to her new home.