Read Online Into the Deep by Missy Fleming - Free Book Online Page A

barely. When I get home a headache is blossoming. My brain won’t shut off and it’s exhausting. On top of that, my body hurts. It yearns to change. I’m not certain how I know, but it’s there, this incessant desire to throw myself in the ocean.
    When Mom and I aren’t ignoring each other, she tells me how frightened she was the past few years. The more she explains, the more I understand what she did, but the hurt doesn’t fade. Finding out about my dad, and this other part of me, could be the best way to move past her betrayal.
    By Wednesday, I’m itching to go again. Avoiding the whole mermaid issue is driving me insane, morphing me into a crazy girl. If I can’t get in the water, then most of my problems are solved. On the other hand, if I can summon up the courage to venture in, I’ll be able to stop with the what-ifs. At the very least I have to say goodbye—to the ocean, to Kona, to that existence I could have had.
    With yet another lie to Mom, I shout I’ll be studying at Charlotte’s as I run out the door. I hate not being honest with her, but she’ll only stop me.
    Again, I choose Mission Park and pick my way to the same rock I used last time. Tonight, the rain isn’t coming down in sheets. It’s more of a mist. I stand at the very edge of the rock and stare out at the water. An entire strange world stretches out in front of me, hugging each horizon and calling to me with a song of hope, of discovery.
    A slow burn begins in my gut, spreading out to my limbs. My body wants this, desires it. It’s been telling me all week, yelling at me. But the same body is shaking like a leaf, afraid of what waits for me in the murky depths.
    Defeated, I sink down to the rigid stone, a safe distance from the churning waves, and tuck my good leg under me. I ignore the yearning and make an effort to quell the fear. I should probably give it time and wait to recover from the horrible incident.
    I hug my chest, catching no signs of the dolphin. The temperature isn’t freezing, but I’m soaked. It’s odd how one form of water can be so miserable and the other so welcoming. Bringing my crutches would have tipped Mom off that something was up, so I am resigned to the fact I’ll be wet and unable to fit my prosthetic to the stump later, either from the rain or an excursion into the sea.
    My gaze is focused on the dark horizon, out there somewhere beyond what I can see, but I hear my name on the breeze.
    “Zoey.”
    Sitting forward, I scan the waves in front of me. Off to my right, a head bobs in the water, white hair fanning out around her. A mermaid. Her orange and yellow tail glows below the surface. She’s beautiful. Smooth, unlined scales, pebbled and textured in a rich gold color accent her skin, which is a little darker than mine. It’s impossible to guess her age.
    A smile lifts her bow-shaped lips. “Hello, Zoey.”
    I’m too shocked to answer. My mouth opens and closes, not letting any sound out. This can’t be the witch, not this gorgeous creature. I manage to clear my throat and squeak, “Who are you?”
    Her lips stretch wider. “I’m Galina. Your grandmother.”
     

Chapter Eleven
     
    I blink rapidly, struggling to quiet the pounding of my heart. This must be a dream. But I manage a better view as she swims closer. Eyes flash, so eerily familiar to mine, and my voice comes out stronger.
    “My mother told me about you. How did you know I was here?”
    “News travels fast in the ocean.” She tilts her head regally. “And a dolphin sent word that you were in danger.”
    I lean closer to the edge, careful not to let her see that I’m marred. For some reason, I’m not ready for her to know, afraid she’ll gaze at me with pity or tell my father I’m not perfect. “You got here fast.”
    “I was on my way, considering your sixteenth birthday had arrived. I hoped to be here earlier, but we had to be extra cautious.” She pauses to purse her lips. “Why are you up there and not in the