It is very rarely that I remember how far from the norm my family is. Well, the human perspective of normal anyway. Today is one of the days were I can’t stop thinking about how much I wish I was ‘normal’. I can’t really describe what normal is, except that you can relate to most people you know. I can’t. My family is genetically mermaid. We usually live in water, but my family was cursed about five years ago by an egotistical maniac, and since then we haven’t had tails. My family consists of my mother, my two sisters Gen and Brook, and me, Marella. Ask me how got into this mess and depending on the day I will tell my story, or huff at you and walk away.

The morning of a day in August is quite literally the beginning of the end. My sisters had been telling me that they’ve been finding fish scales in their beds. The curse is getting weaker. My mother was concerned and decided to call in another family of virtutes, a fire family I think. For some reason she decided that the people to help us should be the people whose powers are opposite to us.

I wonder what they will look like. Families of mermaids always look alike. I have short, pale blonde hair, like my mother and sisters. It depends on what mermaid ancestor your family is descended from. Mermaid’s families can be found all around the world, like Africa, China, Romania, America and pretty much every country on earth. I am descended from the Australian mermaid ancestors. There aren’t many of us, which is weird considering how much coast it is, especially in Queensland where we live.

Living in the human world when you know you belong in the water is hard. Some days you can try and forget, try to embrace this life where you walk everywhere and breathe in air. Some days all you can do is swim in the pool in your backyard and wish for more. Wish for a tail, to be able to have no boundaries to what you do, where you can swim. I wish to be in a place where everybody knows about mermaids because they are one. Sometimes I wish that I could have contact with my father. But it is unknown who he is, and he never knew what my mum was. I don’t think I’ve been affected. No mermaids have ever known their father, except for possibly the first ones.

I wander around my living room, knowing where what I want is, but not sure what to do with myself. Making sure that my sisters and mother are out of sight, I pick up the cursed photo frame, turning it over and over in my hands, wishing this curse had never been put on my family. I know that we probably deserved it after what we did, but living on land with no ability to use our tails is hard. To cheesily quote that song lyric ‘they say you never know what you got til it’s gone’ is the exact way my family feels.
The accident happened five years ago, when I was eleven and my sisters were seven and fourteen. A man eager to steal powers captured us and when my mother fought back he cursed us, so if he couldn’t have our powers neither would we. My mum was inconsolable for weeks. Our contact to our remaining mermaid sisters has been cut off with our powers. No idea if they’re even looking for us.

My sister Gen (who’s 19) walks into the room, looking at the ground and avoiding my stare. She flops onto the couch, obviously sulking about something.

“Mum’s being a tyrannical potato again” she huffs, blowing air out of her nose the way she knows I hate. I sighed.

“What did you do now” I ask cautiously, hoping that she doesn’t totally hulk out at me.

She doesn’t answer, just glares at the floor and grabs the remote, turning the TV on and turning it up loud. I roll my eyes and wonder how she’s supposed to be the one, who’s mature and looks after us when mum can’t. I go outside and walk until I feel better, wanting to jump in the water and swim but I know someone will notice and I have to keep my head down.

I have no friends to go out with, and my schoolwork is abysmal. The lessons are remarkably different from my old school under the sea. The beach is cold, icy wind blowing and the waves are tall. Just like my family the sea was as colourful and beautiful as one imagines, but turn around for half a second and the next time you see it, the darkness will spread over it and take longer than you can imagine turning back.

My other sister Brooke is having problems with bullies at school, just because she’s a little different and can accept it.

This life can be harsh and cruel, but when I can finally get back into that ocean, the water surrounding me and the simplicity rushing to greet my family and I, it will be worth it.