Sapphire
I was almost there rounding the corner of Green Lake Park. I was close to the lake and the time was almost 2am which means that it would be lonely. I heard the cool sounds coming from the lake, just hearing that sound was enough to calm my nerves.
I came to a stop at the edge of the little platform that led to the lake. I looked around to check for any signs of people, better safe than to be sorry. Satisfied that no one was around, I started undressing and folded my clothes in a neat pile at the side. I kept all my accessories including my phone, earrings and wristwatch on top of my clothes, not before setting an alarm for 5am.
Standing naked, I took in a breath of fresh air as I prepared to dive inside the water. After counting up to 10 in my head, I dived deep into the water and barely held back a scream. Damn! The water was cold, not cold chilling. After getting comfortable and used to the temperature of the water, I channelled my concentration and called on my second form. I almost lost the connection but forged on. Damn! It was only two weeks since I has phased, I needed to be phasing more often.
A warm feeling started in the pit of my tummy as I felt my second form emerging. I moaned in part satisfaction and pain as the metamorphosis started slowly, first with the two small marks on each sides of my neck pulsed open into tiny slits. Those slits which are sealed close in my human form looked like scars, but in my mermaid form they were my gills. Said gills were already breathing slowly under the water, next was my chest region which was covered with scaly tissues. They were scattered in different patches from my neck to my chest partially covering my naked breasts. Merpeople weren't self-conscious about nudity, they took pride in it. Not me, my hair was shoulder length which I usually put in a band when I am at work. At least my dignity was still in some way intact.
I felt a tingling sensation from the base of my spine to the sole of my feet as the final stage of phasing started. A pang of pain rippled through me as I felt my legs changing form. My spine arched back in pain as my knees started snapping, twisting and legs merging together to form an electric blue tail. I opened my eyes seeing the water in a whole different light, the tiny film of membrane protecting my eyes helped me see better. I snapped my tail in satisfaction as I swam up from the deepest part of the lake to take a breath of air. I gasped in air and dived in again to explore the water.
Since I was using my gills now, my pulse was lower than normal. Merpeople had lower pulse and heart rate than other species. I swam in delight letting the water caress my skin. How I had miss this! This feeling of freedom, if only Mom could hear my thoughts right now. She would demand for me to relocate and move closer to the Ocean. I saw a school of tilapia fish and swam closer to meet them. They sensed my movement from the vibration in the water as I approached them slowly hoping that I was emitting a nonthreatening aura. Because just one slight mistake, they would disperse and scatter thinking I was a predator wanting to prey on them.
Fortunately, they didn't disperse and I swam along with them for a long period of time before swimming upward again. I sighed with contentment as I phased back into my human form. The transition was less painful than the former. After drying myself up with the little hand towel I brought along with me, I put my clothes back on and checked my phone. No messages or missed calls, and I was already over my scheduled time. It was already 5:30am, time to go home so I wouldn't be late for work again tomorrow.