The Secret Life of a Mermaid
Fantastical Fiction: A story of sisters
Iris held the dart, aiming at the target, and she released. The dart soared through the air and hit the center of the dartboard.
“I know she’s the one,” Iris stated to her best friend, Chloe, as Chloe lifted a dart and aimed it.
“No way! Why would you think it’s your sister?” Chloe asked, but Iris’ mind was spiraling at the possibility as she clenched her jaw with anxiety.
“Think about it, Chloe. I hear her every night, leaving the house around the same time Matt throws a party,” Iris insisted. “And that’s when he cheats on me. I’m not stupid.”
Iris takes another dart to aim, missing Chloe’s suspicious look, revealing that she knew something but wasn’t going to reveal it.
“That doesn’t mean anything, Iris,” Chloe muttered.
“What else could she be sneaking for? She’s not particularly popular, you know,” Iris stated.
“So, why would anyone invite Dahlia to a party,” Chloe whispered as Dahlia approached them.
Dahlia tapped on Iris’ shoulder and announced, “Dad is done.”
“Coming,” Iris said, waiting for Dahlia to leave them alone for another moment.
“Quick!” Dahlia rolled her eyes at Iris before exiting.
Iris waited until Dahlia left and threw one last dart. She faced Chloe, “My sister has been sus since mom died, and you know it!”
Iris walked out as Chloe squinted her eyes, thinking Iris was close to the truth. But was she, really?
A mysterious cabin in the woods sat on the edge of Lakeshore.
Inside was a family of three: a single dad and his two daughters, Iris and Dahlia, sleeping for the night.
Except Dahlia‘s eyes were wide open like she was waiting for something. Suddenly, she looked to the opposite twin bed where her sister Iris was sleeping.
Dahlia carefully got up and checked on Iris to make sure she was out for the night; then she tiptoed outside the cabin.
Dahlia was only wearing her tiny nightgown, but it was cold outside in the middle of February.
At the edge of Lakeshore, Chloe was waiting for her. Chloe whispered, “Finally!”
Dahlia and Chloe took their clothes off without hesitation, even their underwear. They looked around cautiously before jumping into the lake.
Dahlia and Chloe swam deep into the lake, approaching an enchanted cave with purple, otherworldly flowers. They both took a tiny petal from it and put it in their mouth.
It was extremely sour, but they had to do it. The two girls exchanged looks, knowing what was about to begin.
The moonlight revealed a shimmer in their eyes as they screamed underwater inaudibly. The skin on their legs broke apart, forming what resembles the tail of a Fantail goldfish.
The white strikes formed at the carving of Dahlia’s tail while Chloe’s small tail matched the greenery underwater.
The two mermaids swam across the lake, jumping up and down and playing around in the water.
Chloe tried to talk to Dahlia every time they paused, but Dahlia jumped back in the water before she could say a word.
Finally, when they were back at the Lakeshore in their human forms, they put their clothes back on, and Chloe said, “Iris knows about you sneaking out every night.”
Dahlia didn’t pay much attention. “So?”
Chloe answered immediately, “She thinks you’re the one Matt is seeing behind her back.”
That’s when Dahlia’s mouth drops open, “That. Little. Brat.”
Chloe took a step forward toward Dahlia, “I know we’re the only ones with the gene or whatever, but she’s my BFF, and you can’t call her that.”
Dahlia walked away, not caring even one bit.
“I don’t know what’s worse — her thinking you’d sleep with her boyfriend or you lying about her real mother.”
Dahlia threateningly came face to face with Chloe, filled with rage, “She had known her as a mother all her life. She’s finally moving on, and you want to hurt her all over again?!”
Chloe thought for a moment as Dahlia turned around and started to leave.
“She has a right,” Chloe asserted.
“We’ve agreed to wait till she’s 18,” Dahlia declared as she walked away from the Lakeshore.
Thank you for reading!
Prompt response: “The weight of a secret between siblings.”
If you want to prompt yourself this week, check them down below.