“When it comes to love, the ruthless wins.”
Willow looked away and started fidgeting with her braid again. “It’s, it’s different for you. You’re brave a- and popular. But, um, me… Paul, he, his is, um, me…” her voice trailed away as the fidgeting increased.
From the open window the energetic sounds of football practice filled the silence. It was an effort to keep my eyes from drifting outside and that irritated me even more. But me what?! you stupid, stupid cow. You think it’s easy? You think the boy you like will one day wake up and decide to do all the work while you stand there wishing? Even that scarecrow of a guy put in the effort, track team star & community clean up volunteer last month. Quite a few girls started to notice him by now. Why would he go out of his way for someone not even willing to put herself forward.
“Well, that’s why I suggested it. Not saying it’s a guarantee, but you’ve seen my George right. You try telling anyone thought and—” I raised an eyebrow testing the waters. On cue her eyes darted back to my face in panic. “What?! N-no of course not! I’d, I’d, I’d never! Who, who’d believe m-e anyway…” I nodded in reassurance, who’d believe that old wives tale. You’d look silly spreading that kind of rumor around. That kind of thing is only spoken in giggled whispers to girls like Willow, the graveyard where all gossip and rumor are buried. To never again circulate the school grounds and have no existence past a line or two in their diaries. She probably has one with a lock on it, totally the type. “So, no then. Oh well, I guess I’ll call George and watch a movie or something. You probably have plans for tonight too anyway.” I rummaged around for my phone, and deliberately turned away from her as I played with the screen pretending to look up his number. Again my attention drifted to the sounds coming from the window and I waited. Five, four, three, two, two and a half, two and three quarte–. “Um…”
Our school is an old one, like every school it had it’s own legends and myths. Thing about old tales though is that at one time or another they were real, they were facts that were passed around in a never ending game of telephone. Gaining or losing something with each retelling until in the end you can only call them myths. Find the real thing amid the reflections and you might end up here. Which was telling that moony cow Willow off for jumping at every little thing. Yes breaking into the school at night was wrong, yes we were going to get in trouble if we got caught and yes, if she wanted to go home then go. Also to stop pulling on my sleeve, she’ll stretch it out. I relented when she hanged on with just two fingers though, guess it was my fault for thinking she could handle it.
“You have everything right? The sharpest knife? Not some plastic rubbish from the food court or something.” I had confirmed that part before we even made our way in but her nervousness were infectious. “ye–yes. And a r-red apple. I, um, I pra- practiced that part a fe-few times, just, just in case.” I bet you did. I bet you practiced it so often you worried you’d run out of apples and ran to buy more. “Remember, that isn’t the important part. It’s the one after that really matters. You want a sharp knife and quick legs for something like this. One chance is all you get, understand?” I didn’t have to look behind me to see her nodding like a bobblehead. One chance, you get your man or…. well, better not think about that part. It HAS to work.
The ritual was an old one, it was practiced by young women for hundreds of years in fact. Peel an apple in one long strand and then toss the strand over your shoulder and it will fall into the shape of the first initial of your future husband or lover. That’s the myth, the legend.
We made our way to class 9-B. Why there? Because that was the place. The time was the half moon, when it was neither one thing nor the other and anything could happen. As the clock struck twelve speak the incantation into the apple as you peel it and name your intended beloved, Willow needed some help with that and I had to recite the incantation with her word for word least time ran out, weaving the magic into the very air around us. With the last strike and a yell from me she threw the strand over her shoulder and closed her eyes shut.
Drop
the peel fell as if on a puddle. From that spot the ripples spread throughout the classroom floor and they started to appear. The Mermaids.
It’s odd to call a girl the same age as me that but if you saw them you’d understand. They splashed out of the floor as if it was a pool, each wearing the old uniform swimsuit. Their hair and movement as if still underwater they jumped and ran around splashing through the walls and floors in haste, scattering everywhere. The hunt was on.
“You idiot! Why didn’t you turn around immediately. The one you want is always the first to show up! RUN! GRAB HER!” I forced Willow into action. The mermaid’s appearance didn’t matter, it was the large letter stitched on her uniform that did. Catch the one with the first initial of the beloved and he will be yours, that’s where the knife came in. “Dawn is in four and a half hours, hurry! They’ll disappear and so will your chance! I counted three Ps so anyone of them will do, go, go, GO!”
Hesitant and half hearted at first she started to get more serious as one after the other the mermaids slipped away from her grasp. From one floor to the next we chased after them, devising one strategy after another to corner one of the three she wanted. We finally managed to catch one, a short girl with freckles I think, not too sure. All I saw was that large, capital P on her uniform. Holding her down I called on Willow to do it, to finish the deed before she wriggled out. Stupid girl just that stood there panting the knife to her side. Wouldn’t even lift it. “It’s four now! Dawn is coming!” I lied. “Do you want him or not! She’s not real, he is!” I think it was that last part that got through to her. She made a lung for the mermaid but the thing kicked with all her might breaking free and splashing into the floor below. “Great, good job genius. Keep it up and you’ll die a virgin! I’m sure Rebecca from Math or Lily from 10-C would make a way better girlfriend for him anyway.” I spat. It was a low blow but this was serious, Dawn was coming and failure was not an option, not with something this big. Picking herself up Willow didn’t even complain about the kick, just started running to the stairs chasing her prey.
I lost sight of her but seeing how we were the only real people in the building I just had to follow the sounds of her footsteps and occasional yells of dismay.
It was a while before I finally found her. She was standing over the body of the mermaid, her clothes and hands soaked in blood and a dazed look on her face. “Well?” I said. “Aren’t you going to do it? Dawn is coming and she is right there.” Willow’s mouth opened and closed soundlessly, her eyes glued to the dead body.
“Fine, I’ll take him then.” I hate this part, I really do. They’re not real, they’re ghosts at best. But the flesh feels real, and it tastes very, very real. The disgusting copper taste of blood was going to linger in my mouth for weeks now. I heard the sounds of sick from Willow as if she was far away, weak, she was weak. That was all. Focus on what had to be done, eat every last bit before she disappears and he will love you as much as you ate. Eat it all, before the first ray of dawn touches these cursed grounds. Don’t think of anything else, just eat.
“Hey you came! The movie is about to start, I bought the tickets already.” Paul gave me that goofy puppy dog smile of his. He was probably going to spend all his money on stupid theater snacks, like that was going to impress me or something. You’d think he knew me better after dating for close to a month. Oh well, doesn’t matter. The next half moon is coming, and this time. This time… “Huh what?” Was he actually saying something? Paul looked flustered suddenly. “Ah sorry, maybe I shouldn’t have brought her up. She was your friend right? The girl that ran away?” Took me a second to connect the dots. Ran away, that was the conclusion everyone came to when Willow disappeared after that day. A logical one I guess, more so than the truth. That magic had a price, a steeper one for those that failed. After all, the mermaids had to come from somewhere. And this time, there will finally be a W among them, for my William. Captain of the football team and the one I spent half a year and three false starts pursing. “Not really, she was just… there. That’s all there ever was to it I guess.”