New problems

A fresh wave of panic swept through me. What the hell happened to us this last week? We only had two more weeks until all the collages started letting out for spring break. I felt my breathing hitch up a few notches as my heart rate picked up. My head spun as a headache dug in to stay.

"Sam," Jack gripped my shoulders, "You need to calm down."

"What are we going to do Jack?" I could only let out words between breaths.

"You need to stop panicking, and breath," Jack yanked me to my feet.

"How am I supposed to stop panicking?" I could feel my muscles start to tremble.

"Like this," Jack shoved me off the edge of the cement into the water where we normally parked the boat.

I felt the change immediately. I gasped in a bit of water, but it didn't hurt or make my lungs squeeze like it should have. I could feel air getting to the muscles throughout my body. How though? I pulled my shirt off as I sank to the floor under the water.

I was getting air somehow. I checked my neck. Neck felt normal. At least my neck didn't feel freaky. That would be something obvious that others could notice.

My chest looked normal. My sides. I stopped there. I could see 2 thin lines along my sides that were slightly open. They looked almost like super over sized paper cuts.

I felt the stripes slowly, and the outer skin side wasn't sensitive like normal skin. The under side was super sensitive so I left it alone. I flicked my fin, and was quickly pushed back to the surface. My head broke through first, and I gasped in air.

"What the hell Jack?" I yelled as I sunk back under the water.

Apparently I didn't float very well anymore. I flicked my fin again. Pushing for the surface again.

"Had to be sure," Jack gripped the ladder tightly, and stretched out his hand for me to grab, "Figured surprising you would stop you from panicking."

I grabbed the ladder, and climbed so I was high enough to reach Jack's outstretched hand. Jack yanked me up, and out of the water slowly.

"Damn," Jack huffed after I was out of the water, "You're heavy."

"And you're an asshole," I brought my fin up, and slapped it down on the pavement as Jack looked over his webbed fingers, "My pants."

I groaned as I rolled myself over slowly. Propping myself up to look at my completely ruined jeans. My legs had fused straight through my jeans ripping clean through the crotch of my pants all the way down. I unbuttoned my pants, and started scooting my way out of them.

"What are we going to do Jack?" I looked up at my brother, "Spring break is right around the corner, and we grow gills when we get in the water."

"I don't know," Jack started pacing back, and forth.

Jack got more agitated with each time across the room. Pausing only to watch his hands go back to normal. His frustration sent literal chills into the room around him as the water in the room started freezing. Including the water on me. Which would have freaked me out if I felt the cold, but I didn't feel any cold.

"Jack," I lunged as far as I could from where I was sitting on the floor, and grabbed Jack's ankle, "You're going to ruin the water pump if you freeze it."

Jack stopped, and looked down at me. Than around the room to the ice that was literally forming on everything near Jack. I let go of Jack's ankle, and saw that scales had formed where my half dry hand had touched.

"Towels would be nice," I scooted myself further away from the water, "I don't know about you but I'm planning on having a mental breakdown later. Right now we need to figure out what happened to us." I sighed as I laid down on the floor, "Which means we'll have to go back to the cave."

I could practically hear Jack's disproving look as he tensed up.

"No," Jack snapped, "That could make it worse."

"How could it get any worse Jack?" I yelled, "Fins, and gills every time we get in the water says that we're already fucked. I'll go by myself if you don't want to go."

"What if you permanently become a fish Sam?" Jack yelled.

"Then I'll have to live with it," I rolled off the cement, and back into the water.

Jack might follow me, but I reacted to the water just like a fish might. My gills opening back up as I put my fin to good use. Shooting through the water with an ease I'd never felt before. Reckless was my job. I was the stupid younger brother after all.

Jack knew where I was going, but he wasn't much of a risk taker. Granted he'd been right about the whole cave idea, but even if I got stuck as a fish forever it wouldn't really matter. All my old problems would go away, and I'd have just two problems. Eat, and avoid getting spotted. Lonely way to live, but simpler than what was going on now.

I had to dive down whenever I saw any boats above me in the water, but it was mostly fishing boats so unless I was stupid enough to get in their nets I was relatively safe. Not that they were stupid enough to drag their nets in a reef anyways. I stopped to regain my bearing for a moment. It was harder now that I was taking a 100% underwater route vs the above water route. As soon as I realized where I was, I headed towards the cave once again.

I felt my pulse pick up as I came closer, and closer. I could feel the cave practically pulling me in. I moved faster. I could close the distance rather quickly. Being able to swim like a fish was actually kind of nice.