Mermaids in Miami
Copyright© 2026 by Rachael Jane
Chapter 15: The Return to the Sea
The ocean embraces them like a long-lost mother.
Salt water rushes over Naida’s skin, cool and alive, carrying the pulse of the tides. Nerissa swims ahead, her tail slicing through the moonlit water with effortless grace. Nerida clings to her aunt’s shoulders, squealing with delight as the waves lift and fall around them.
Naida follows, kicking awkwardly with her human legs. The water supports her, but not the way it used to. She feels clumsy, slow, unbalanced. She’s like a creature caught between two shapes.
Nerissa notices immediately. ‘Are you alright?’
Naida forces a smile. ‘Just ... adjusting.’
Nerissa slows her pace, letting Naida catch up. ‘You don’t have to pretend.’
Naida sighs. ‘I thought it would feel like coming home.’
‘Doesn’t it?’
Naida looks around at the endless blue, the shimmering moonlight, the familiar hum of distant whales. It’s beautiful. It’s everything she missed.
And yet...
‘It feels different,’ she admits.
Nerissa’s expression softens. ‘You’ve changed.’
Naida nods. ‘I know.’
They swim until the lights of Miami fade far behind them, replaced by the vast, open sea. Nerissa leads them to a sheltered cove on a remote island; a place they played as children, hidden between two towering cliffs. The water here is calm, warm, and full of memories.
Nerida wriggles free and darts into the shallows, chasing tiny silver fish. Her tail glows faintly in the moonlight, scales shimmering like stardust.
Naida watches her, heart swelling. ‘She’s so fast.’
‘She’s happy,’ Nerissa replies, pride warming her thoughts. ‘She belongs here.’
Naida’s chest tightens. ‘I want her to belong everywhere.’
Nerissa hesitates. ‘She can’t. Not like you.’
Naida looks down at her legs beneath the water. They’re pale, human, and out of place. ‘I don’t even know where I belong any more.’
Nerissa swims closer, touching her forehead to Naida’s head. ‘With us. With me. With the sea.’
To read the complete story you need to be logged in:
Log In or
Register for a Free account
(Why register?)
* Allows you 3 stories to read in 24 hours.