How to be a Mermaid (The Cotton Candy Quintet #1)(5)

Torn, I made my decision and called out, “I’m coming!”

I gave the dolphin one last mystified glance before turning away.

I’m going crazy.

I sucked in a deep breath, glad my chest seemed to be in working order again. I shook off the last remnants of that dreadful feeling and jogged over to the other pool, feeling mostly normal by the time I arrived.

The other mermaids were already in the water and checking their breathing hoses before going on stage. Our breathing hoses were nothing special. They were long tubes that we carried with us that allowed us to stay underwater for the entire performance. The tubes fed us air from tanks on the side of the pool, and a trigger at the end released air when we needed a breath. It took a bit of getting used to, but after two months of using one with my performances, it came natural to me.

“I’m here,” I announced, slowing my jog as I got close to the edge of the tank.

I gave myself a shake, wanting to immerse myself in the world of mermaiding and brush off the crazy thought that the baby dolphin had talked to me.

Luckily, I can get into my tail pretty quickly. I grabbed it from where I’d left it by the side of the pool and pencil-dove into the water. I pulled it on, glad that I hadn’t gone a size down when I ordered it, otherwise this would have been really hard. Alaina was already having trouble fitting into her tail with the little that her pregnant belly showed.

“Where were you?” Christine asked me. She was treading water, testing her air hose. It made hissing noises as she squeezed the trigger to see if air was flowing normally.

“I wanted to see the new dolphin.”

I held onto the wall, tugging up the last bits of the tail with my free hand. Inside, my legs were strapped tightly together to create the body while a large flipper at the end camouflaged my feet. I loved this tail. With its silicon green iridescent scales and dorsal fin, it made me feel like a real mermaid.

“Here you are.”

I looked up to see Neptune handing me my air hose. His expression was distracted and grim, not the usual look that he had before any of our shows. When he stood up, he cast his eyes over to the quarantine pool, his frown deepening further.

Yeah, I feel that way too. I felt awful for the little guy, and with the strange voice in my head, I couldn’t quite get all my thoughts together.

I forced them from my mind. I’d have to think about it later and see if I could help Kai. For now, the show must go on.

I sucked in some air from my hose, testing it as the sweet oxygen filled my mouth and lungs.

“Okay, I’m ready.”

Christine nodded and signaled to a volunteer, who relayed that information. The audio system on the other side of the arena wall boomed as the announcer went through introductions about the wondrous mermaids of Neptune’s World.

My heart pounded in time with the music.

When our cue sounded, Christine was the first to move, dragging her air hose with her.

As I submerged my head, ready to swim for the staging area, I heard one last mournful cry.

Focus, Tara, I reminded myself.

I dolphin-kicked my way underneath the curtain to the performance-side of the pool, where spotlights blinded me and the cheer of the crowd deafened me. I took my spot on the front glass to the right of Christine. I surfaced and graciously waved to the crowd.

“Here are your Neptune’s World mermaids!” the announcer roared.

Caribbean-style music echoed throughout the arena, and after a four-count rest, I dove underwater and began my performance. They blasted the music underwater, too, so we could clearly hear our cues.

When I was five, my mother had enrolled me in ballet class right after my dad died to take my mind off his death. At the time, I didn’t know how much it would help in my professional mermaid career, I just really liked the tutus. While my mermaid performance was underwater, a lot of the principles were the same; it was an underwater dance. Instead of pointe shoes and leotards, I had my mermaid tail, the water, and my breathing hose.

Because the viewing glass was relatively shallow, our performance was a lot less complex than they usually were. At Neptune’s World, we’d twist and turn and do underwater somersaults, although here, we were highly limited. We were basically doing an elaborate port de bras, or arm movements, smiling and waving graciously at the audience.

I tried to avoid using the breathing hose much at all. When I had started, Neptune made me promise to breathe as much as I needed to. Apparently, one mermaid tried going as long as possible and ended up nearly drowning. As a result, he’d been paranoid ever since. Christine and the others used their breathing hoses almost as much as we do when we breathe outside the water. Yet, I clung onto this notion that using it less made me more like a real mermaid. I held my breath and used it only when necessary.

We mermaids worked well as a unit. We kept an eye on each other, both for keeping ourselves synchronized and to be there in case one of us got into trouble, keeping us in tune with one another. We all enjoyed our jobs. Here in the water, we were right at home, living out our dreams.

Some girls wanted to be mermaids. We were mermaids, and that made all the difference. I couldn’t believe that I was here. Regardless of what happened in the future, I’d always remember this as the happiest time in my life.

The music swelled for the climax all too soon, meaning that we were coming to the end of our routine and our performance for the crowd. Underwater, Christine signaled for us to head towards the front glass to wave our goodbyes.