Free Kira's Secret by Orysia Dawydiak

Cody stood on a beach out of sight of any houses. It was just after dawn, and the water surface was awash in rosy pinks streaked with peach reflections from the rising sun. The day was hazy, the water calm, except for lazy waves lapping at the rocks.
    â€œIf anything happens and I don’t get back in time,” Kira said, her brows furrowed, “tell them not to worry.”
    â€œYou know they’ll worry,” Cody said.
    â€œMaybe. But maybe they already know what I am. I just don’t want them to think I drowned.” Without looking Cody in the eye, she removed her glasses, her jacket and sneakers, and handed the clothing to him.
    â€œI’m sure you’ll be back in time. Don’t worry about your parents. Anyway, it’s covered. If you’re late and if they ask I’ll tell them I don’t know where you are and you were fine when I last saw you at your house on Saturday. Then 24 hours later I’ll give them the note you wrote and pretend I just found it tucked into my hiking pack. But I’m sure that won’t be necessary!”
    With her glasses removed, Cody’s fuzzy outline reminded Kira of a teddy bear. She smiled at him. “I’ll be back. But if I find my real family and I can’t return right away, I’ll try to let you know somehow. I promise.” She could sense Cody’s frown.
    She turned away quickly and dove into the waves before she changed her mind. Kira had not been underwater this early in the morning, and the surface looked like it was on fire above her. She glanced back at her undulating tail, bathed in a shimmering mango colour. The seaweed bed waved gently below her, as if welcoming her back to its world. To her new world.
    As she drifted into the darkness below, Kira had no way of telling time without a watch or the sun to guide her. She decided not to worry about it for now. She’d check at the surface once in a while, when she thought of it, but for the time being she simply enjoyed the scenery.
    Kira stayed close to the bottom, keeping the coastline on her right side. She swam south against the current, reasoning that twelve years ago that same current may have swept her towards the fishing boats, where she had been found. Somewhere down in the sea, she hoped that her real parents were still alive, and that she would find them.
    From the corner of her eye Kira noticed a slight movement and she swung her head to the right. She came face to face with a tiny seahorse. She smiled at the sight of the little creature bobbing up and down. Before long, several other seahorses joined the first one and they appeared to be dancing, making small circles, teetering forward and back like rocking horses. Kira laughed at their antics and the seahorses scattered. She had forgotten she could make audible sounds underwater. She made a note to herself to remain quiet. Cody would find all of this fascinating.
    Kira swam for what seemed a long time, following the shoreline, though she felt she must have moved farther away. She pulsed her tail and aimed for the surface to get her bearings. Before she had moved very far, she heard faint high-pitched sounds coming from her left. She decided to follow the sounds. After all, it could be what she was looking for—she had to investigate. How wonderful, she thought, to be able to home in on a noise so weak yet distinct.
    As she came nearer, the sounds became more complex. There were high whines along with scraping noises and deep booming reverberations. The higher tones made her uneasy. They reminded her of sea-bird distress calls. They lasted a few seconds, stopped for a beat, then repeated over and over, like the fire alarm at school.
    In the distance Kira sensed a large, dark object above her. She slowed down and approached more cautiously once she recognized the shape. It was a boat, a huge ship. And trailing out behind the ship was a gigantic net, scooping up thousands of fish. She could hear them,