Free Droplets (DROPLETS Trilogy Book 1) by Meaghan Rauscher

was in total comfort in the water, as though I was one with it. The water was neither hot nor cold, but rather a comfortable warm, even though I knew I filled the tub with hot water. I wondered if this was how the merman had withstood the cold water of the ocean so well.
         My mind was filled with visions of what the merman had looked like. I didn’t think of him because I was attracted to him, but because I was attracted to the idea of what he was. I longed to be like him, out in the ocean just swimming. The feelings were so desperate; I had such a pressing need to swim. It was a primal urge like I had never known before that took over my thoughts. My body responded, my fingers tingling, my legs pressing tightly together even though nothing changed. My lungs strained to take a breath underwater, but the logical part of my mind refused to believe that I wouldn’t choke.
         Resurfacing with a gasping breath, a flicker of light caught my attention. Looking down into the water I gasped at the sight on my skin. The cut, which the merman had placed on my hip, was shimmering with a soft, almost transparent, lavender glow. Like a stained-glass window, it refracted any light that touched it into lavender shimmers.
         Moving to get a closer look, I gasped once more. The ripples upon the surface from my movement caused the lavender scar to dance with flashes of twinkling colors. I was transfixed in watching the small cut rippling beneath the surface. It reminded me of the merman’s fins, the odd shape I had seen the night I was out singing. They had always been constantly changing even though the merman himself hadn’t looked like he was moving. Now I knew why. The water was what caused the fins to look like they were in constant motion.
         Time slipped by as I watched the shimmering of my little cut. Finally, I ducked under the water one more time and then stood. The water rushed down my smooth skin like a river. I reached for a towel and then remembered there was hardly any need for one. Once all of the water ran down my body I would be perfectly dry. I waited a few seconds and then stepped from the tub, just as dry as I had been before getting in the water. I quickly pulled on my pajamas and was just about to head back to my room when I saw my reflection in the mirror.
         The girl standing opposite me looked very different from the one I usually saw. I was used to seeing an average girl, with soft golden curls, and a calm face. Now the reflection had eyes wide and open with curiosity. Mischief and excitement were bubbling below the surface of every feature. This girl was more aware of the world, or more ready for the world. She was ready to do new things and live differently. I placed my hands along the counter to support myself as I looked at my reflection.
         I turned my head from side to side to get a better look at this new me. My hair caught my attention. It had changed not in color, length, or style, but rather in its movement. It lay on my shoulders as normal hair would, but if I whipped my head around it did not follow quickly. Instead it floated along and settled on my shoulders once I was still. It reminded me of the hair I had seen upon the merman.
         It was like I was underwater, and my hair had a hard time moving through the air. I moved my head from side to side and watched as the hair rippled in slow motion. It was beautiful to watch, mesmerizing to look at, just like the shimmering cut on my hip.
         Uncertainty of what I was becoming trickled into my mind. I just hoped that I would not inherit the cold dead look in the merman’s eyes. Although, if I had to spend the rest of my life with him, and who knew how long that life could be, I would not be surprised if I looked as evil as he did.
         A soft shudder ran down my spine and goose bumps rose on my skin. Ignoring the reaction, I turned and walked back to my room, with the merman’s dark gaze