Teenage Mermaid by Ellen Schreiber Page A

barefoot.
    â€œLilly,” I exclaimed, overjoyed and confused. “Lilly!”
    She turned toward me, and smiled radiantly when she recognized me.
    â€œSpencer!” she said breathlessly, running toward me.
    I held the necklace out to her, but she shook her head and hugged me hard. I wasn’t about to let go.
    â€œI missed you,” Lilly said, looking up. Her words rained magic on me.
    â€œBut where did you—”
    â€œLet’s not talk now,” she said, placing her salty finger on my lips.
    There are some people who touch you and you know they are yours—or if not, they should be. Not as a possession, but as an extension of yourself. Adding, enhancing, liberating the real you with their touch, their aura, their spirit.
    She had already left me twice. But for some reason she kept coming back. Whoever she really was, at least she was with me now.
    Lilly grabbed my hand and pulled me underneath the stars and stripes. We held each other close while the DJ played “Baby, It’s You.”
    Our embrace was magical, different from any other—not that I had done much slow dancing in my fifteen years. But this dance was different. Although I didn’t know much about Lilly, I felt I knew everything. It was as if I could feel her soul press through her body into mine as we held each other tight.
    Suddenly a rocket shot into the air, and a explosion of red showered down, reaching over the sea.
    â€œThe city of Seaside and KGMS Radio proudly present Seaside’s tenth annual Festival of Fireworks,” the DJ’s voice blared through our radios.
    â€œCome on!” I said, grabbing her hand. Our hands fit so nicely together, as if they were made for the sole purpose of binding us. We raced down to the crowded beachfront and found an empty spot on the rocks jutting out from the pier.
    Chainsaw and Robin followed and we all lay back, staring at the confetti-colored night sky.
    â€œOuch,” Lilly said suddenly, pulling at her side.
    â€œAre you okay?” I asked.
    â€œLook at that!” she said, pointing up to a burst of golden sprinkling dust.
    I stroked her silky hair. The beauty of the fireworks didn’t compare to the beauty beside me.
    Suddenly she sat up, clenching her stomach.
    â€œAre you sure you’re all right?” I asked, worried.
    â€œIt’s just something I ate.”
    â€œI’ll get you a drink,” Chainsaw offered, uncharacteristically polite. “Come on, Robin.”
    â€œDo you want me to take you home?” I asked.
    â€œI am home.” She smiled, resting her head on my shoulder.
    â€œAre you a runaway?” I asked, concerned.
    â€œI’m not running away. I’m running to…We’re connected, you and I,” she said, looking up at me.
    â€œMy life hasn’t been the same ever since you saved me.”
    â€œNeither has mine. The rhythm of the sea is different. I feel a peaceful surf when we’re together and a storm inside my heart when we’re apart.”
    Lilly spoke so poetically!
    I wanted to tell her how much she meant to me, but I felt she already knew. This was good, because suddenly Chainsaw and Robin returned, invading our love space.
    â€œIf this doesn’t settle your stomach, we’ll try something else,” Chainsaw said, plopping down a two-liter of Coke.
    I opened it for her. She drank the whole two-liter in one gulp!
    â€œWow, girl!” Chainsaw exclaimed. “You drink like a fish!”
    â€œLilly!” a voice shouted. “Lilly! Where are you?”
    Suddenly a barefoot girl with a seashell skirt like Lilly’s and seashells woven tightly into her black hair was stumbling toward us on the rocks.
    â€œOh, no!” Lilly exclaimed, as if she were seeing a ghost. “I can’t believe it!”

Lilly
    W averly caught sight of me and stumbled over to us. “Lilly, it’s time to come home!” she demanded.
    She was frustrated and