Beyond the Waves

Tayla Rodgers

"WHAT IS GOING ON?!" she exclaimed.
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It was like any other day for Tayla. She woke up, ate a blueberry muffin, and then proceed to the beach to practice her surfing. Tayla had to practice every day if she wanted to win the Trestle's Invitationals in two days. Surfing had been her life. After her parents died in a car crash, she moved to Australia to live with her grandpa.

She headed for the waves, taking in the tangy, salty smell of the ocean. Stroking her arms, she continued deep into the ocean, for the gnarly waves, her grandpa mentioned to her this morning. The waves were radical and the sun was shining as Tayla danced like Taylor Brown on the white caps. However, this next wave was the mother of all breaks. Swimming towards the wave, she was prepared to ride this.

Things took a turn for the worst. The wave swallowed her whole and the wipe out was gnarly. It felt like someone sitting on top of her and Tayla was drowning. She couldn't breathe. The world went dark.
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Her eyes slowly opening, Tayla held her head as it throbbed in pain. All she could remember was the wipe out, then everything after that was a blur. Looking around, she was intrigued by the room. The room was covered in various sorts of coral and she found her self lying on top of a clam shaped bed.

"Where am I?" Tayla thought.

A young man around the same age as Tayla, maybe 17, entered the room.

"Are you feeling better?" the man asked.

"Yes, I'm feelin- WAIT. WHY DO YOU HAVE A FIN INSTEAD OF LEGS? WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?" she replied. At this point, Tayla realized that the "wall color" she thought was some cool painting style perceived to look like the ocean was ACTUALLY the ocean.

"Well, there's no need to shout. I am what you humans call a "merman", but we merfolk prefer the term, Nix," he responded.

"I need to leave; I promise I won't tell anyone about this, but I need to get back home. My grandpa is probably worried sick."

"You are home, Princess," the man said, bowing at Tayla.

Tayla's world was now upside down. Everything she believed was no longer true. Her life was about to change FOREVER.