Watery Fate
Adele
Adele
Shore
Barry
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�I can�t believe my life.� Adele muttered as she swung her legs through the water of the light ocean. �Oh, it�s not that bad.� Nessie told her as she floated on her back. Adele rolled her eyes at her and thought about when she should leave. �When are you leaving?� Nessie asked as if she could read minds. �I don�t know.� Adele answered. �You don�t know what?� Asked a voice behind her. Nessie dove and Adele whipped her head around and found Neal standing there holding a piece of cheese. �Oh hi Neal.� She said. �Wow you sound so excited to see me.� Neal said as he sat down next to her. He peered into the water curiously but didn�t say anything. Adele wondered if he had seen Nessie but doubted it. Neal offered her the cheese and she took it gratefully. Under the shade of the desert apple tree the two norns sat peacefully until Adele felt something dry touch her shoulder. She looked around to find a small curled up red brown leaf lying on the sand. Adele felt fear welling up inside her. She didn�t want to leave the only world she had known. She didn�t want to leave Neal, but she didn�t want to leave Shore either. �Neal, I�ve got something to tell you.� Adele began slowly. Neal turned toward her and Adele paused. She reached up to sweep a wisp of hair out of his field of vision. Neal�s eyes softened and he bent down to kiss Adele gently. Adele couldn�t believe her luck, but didn�t struggle. Neal kissed her again before he let her go. �What did you want to tell me?� He asked. Adele couldn�t bring herself to tell him, he looked so delicate. A wind stirred up sending more leaves whirling to the ground. Adele knew she didn�t have much time. �Neal, I�m a...a�� Adele couldn�t finish her sentence. Her breath came in short gasps. �Adele? What�s wrong?� Neal asked frightened. He realized Adele was suffocating but didn�t know why. She wasn�t chocking on her food and she wasn�t in the water either. Adele buckled over and tried to inhale the air but knew it was impossible. Suddenly a bright pink head burst through the surface of the water, alongside a blue head. Both Shore and Nessie swam toward Adele while Neal watched them breathless. �N-Neal, I�m a M-Mernorn.� Adele wheezed. �Oh, Adele no!� Neal bawled. Adele�s legs melted together forming a tough skinned fin. Shore held his breath and pulled himself up onto the dock, lifting Adele into his arms. Shore gazed at Neal for a brief moment before diving back into the water, his love in his grasp. Nessie watched her brother and her friend sink below the surface silently. She turned her head towards the stunned norn on the dock. She swam over to him and looked up. �I�m sorry. There was no way she could stay with you any longer.� Nessie tried to comfort him. Neal stared into the water, not believing that Adele was gone. He glanced at the Mernorn curiously, a single tear on his cheek. �Will I ever see her again?� Neal asked tentatively. �I�m sure you will.� Nessie said. She patted his hand and then dove into the clear water leaving behind the shattered Neal.
It was winter. The cold air blew above, freezing the surface of the sea. Adele was safe below, kneeling on the warm sand next to Shore and Nessie. Faces were solemn, as Nessie shoved sand over the still body of Seafan. The tombstone read Seafan 7:14 Fins to Scales The best mother and friend You were brave not frail Adele sniffled. Her mate Shore hugged her gently, kissing her cheek. �I�m sorry Adele. Your mother lived a full life.� Nessie consoled. Adele nodded as she stared at the red fin tip that was sticking out of the sand. She covered it gently, trying not to cry. Shore watched her bend over frowning. �Are you OK honey?� He asked. Adele smiled, �I�m fine.� She was lying but he didn�t know. She carefully touched her bulbous stomach it was bigger than normal. Nessie sat by Seafan�s grave and began to cry. Shore went over to his sister and hugged her comfortingly. Adele swam to the submarine bay and looked up at the Zander fish gathering around a fishhook. Adele pumped her flukes and stuck her head out of the water quietly. A little Kai child was sitting at the edge of the dock trying to look through the water. The hook came back up and she excitedly grabbed the flailing Zander fish. �Mommy! I caught one!� Screamed the little girl. Her mother walked to her from across the desert. Adele recognized her at once. She swam up to the dock and slapped her tail playfully. The mother norn quickly looked toward the sound and then grinned. �Adele?� She asked happily. �Katy!� Adele yelled. Katy ran over to her friend and they hugged awkwardly. �Well look at you!� Katy exclaimed as she spotted her friend�s belly. Adele laughed and then pointed to Katy�s daughter. �Who�s the father?� She teased. �A hot new imported norn.� Katy answered happily. They both laughed like adolescents again before Adele felt a pain. She gasped and heaved herself onto the deck just as she gave birth to two eggs. �Wow, twins!� Katy�s daughter exclaimed. Adele couldn�t believe it. She sank back into the water just as Shore popped up beside her. He saw the eggs and slapped the water with his tail. He was shocked. The eggs were differently colored, one was white with pink spots, and the other was cream colored. The pink spotted one hatched first, spilling out a gray female with green spots. Then the other one hatched, a maroon male popping out. The babies eyed their new world happily and instinctively crawled toward their parents. Adele and Shore grabbed them before they tumbled into the water. �I can�t take care of my babies until they�re at least at the child age.� Adele said disappointed. �Wait here,� Katy began. �I know just the person who would love to look after your kids.� Katy ran off leaving her very confused friends, and daughter. She returned a short time later leading a whining Neal by the arm. Neal stopped when he saw the Mernorn Adele. She realized he still loved her, but then he spotted the two squirming baby Mernorns in both her and Shore�s arms. �You have kids Adele?� Murmured the fragile Neal. Adele nodded; she then smiled and gave her baby to Katy�s daughter. �Give me a hug Neal!� Adele begged. Neal grinned and hugged her, realizing after all these hours, they�re friendship still flowed strong. �Neal will you do me a favor?� Adele asked. He said OK as he and Katy�s daughter played with her babies. �Will you raise my children until they are old enough to join Shore and I in the sea?� Neal looked at her surprised. Adele�s daughter, Baylee, crawled up to him and cooed, �Em foo dat!� She shrieked happily. Baylee and her brother Barry crawled up onto Neal�s lap. �I�d love to Adele.� Neal murmured. Shore and Adele smiled their thanks as they said goodbye to their babies. Then the Mernorns dove back underneath the water. Baylee and Barry watched them leave, the salty water splashing them. They screamed happily as the water touched their skin. The clouds gathered above them all, and snowflakes fell gently. Neal, Katy, and the children made their way underground where it was warm and safe.
