I leaned back on my elbows, stretching out on the soft sand. Prim was building an enormous sandcastle nearby, helped by Sami and a thoroughly over-excited Ali. Natalie was sunbathing on a flat rock, and Cass was climbing on the huge rocky wall behind us. Zoe was stretching her delicate wings in the sun, basking, catlike, on a rock close to Natalie.
Prim sat back on her knees and stretched, her back arching.
“Shall we go for a swim?” she asked, and Ali bounced to her feet, nodding excitedly. I rolled my eyes, but jumped up too.
“Why not,” I smiled, shrugging. Cass somersaulted down from the rocks, and Natalie rolled off of her rock. Zoe fluttered onto the sand, purring. Sami looked up, and Cass pulled her to her feet.
“Last one in is a mouldy potato!” I shrieked, and sprinted towards the water. Zoe went arrowing past me, wings tucked in close. I ran along a spur of rocks and dived into warm, deep water, my legs instantly replaced by my silvery-blue tail. The others leaped in after me, splashing down with wild enthusiasm.
There was a shower of glittering silver sparks, and instead of one mermaid, there was suddenly six of us, bobbing in the water, swishing our long tails. I flicked my tail, circling the others.
“Well, this is weird,” I mused. A golden head broke the surface – Zoe has somehow turned into a dolphin. I stroked her nose gently, and swam back to look at the others. Prim was looking nervous, a pink tail swirling in the water. Ali placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, a pale blue tail keeping her afloat. Prim smiled. Cass was staring at her own red tail, and Sami was swimming small circles around her. Natalie was bobbing at my shoulder, looking worried.
“I suppose the best thing to do would be to explore! I’ve always wanted to show you the sea floor!” I grinned, and dived.