The teenage boy stared at the sea longingly. He wanted to go swimming so badly, but he knew he had to wait until nightfall unless he wanted his secret to be revealed.
"Aaron?" he adoptive brother called, capturing his attention.
"Yeah?" he asked.
The six year old stared up at him curiously. "Why do you always watch the ocean but never come with us when we go there?"
"Can I tell you a secret?" Aaron whispered.
He nodded. "I won't tell, I promise!"636Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm6I0SxSstT
"Ok," he paused. "I'm a merman. When I was little, a sea witch put a curse on me to keep me in my human form until I turned 18. After that, I can go back and forth between being a human and a merman, just like all of my fellow mermaids and mermen."636Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0VE8sy5PqM
"But that's tomorrow!" his little brother whined.636Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrNsXSxLfj7
"I'll visit, I promise, Jaimie. I miss my home so much!"636Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkbsBqldOdi
Jaimie latched on to his big brother tightly. "I'll miss you!"
"I'll miss you too, buddy. Make sure you don't tell anyone what I told you, especially your parents."
"I won't," the young boy vowed, telling the truth.
"I have to go to my room now and write a goodbye letter so they don't think I was kidnapped or anything. Pretend to be surprised when you don't see me in the morning. I love you," the older boy said.
"I love you too!" the younger boy declared tearfully.
Aaron pulled away, going into his room and locking his door behind him. He started writing his letter, making up some lie about having found his parents and going to live with them. Though, it wasn't entirely a lie. He was going to join his parents and take his rightful place as King of Atlantis.
A few minutes before midnight, the teen opened his bedroom window quietly, climbing outside carefully before closing it behind him. He sprinted to the beach, walking into the shallow water. At exactly 12:01, he felt a tingle in his legs and immediately waded deeper. He popped his head underwater and when he came up, his two legs had turned into a powerful scaly green tail. A grin spread on his face, glad that he could finally return to the depths of the ocean, as the shallow water was not enough to satisfy his need to be in the sea. He dove deep, feeling truly alive for the first time in a long time. Aaron swam to the bottom of the ocean floor, finally reuniting with his family and friends. The end.
ns 15.158.61.51da2
