Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The trees zoomed by in flashes of various greens. Six year old Tiia tried to count them but they went by too quick. “I can’t count. They move too fast!”

 “Sorry, dear. I can’t drive any slower here. We still have to drive three hours.” Mom’s answer didn’t please the child and with a mocking expression she crossed her arms.

 “We’ll take a break over an hour, okay?” Mom promised.

“Okay. Will there be candy?”

 “Yes there will be candy,” Mom smiled and that appeased her. To kill some time, Tiia opened her drawing block and started to sketch impressions of the ever changing landscape. Trees, bushes, some houses, the road and water. Lots of water. When Tiia couldn’t manage to capture the beauty of said water, she scribbled her blue marker all over the page and closed the book in frustration.

 “Is everything alright, my dear?”

“Yeah. Will I be able to swim in the city?”

 “Tiia… You know you aren’t able to swim.”

“But why not?”

 “You know why.” Mom kept her eyes fixed on the road.

“But if I ever fall in some water, I won’t know how to stay afloat!” little Tiia argued. Mom sighed. She was about to give commentary, but decided to keep her mouth shut. When silence was all she got, Tiia focused back on the road as well. Eventually her patience got rewarded. At the gas station, Mom brought her into the shop.

 “Pick one piece of candy”, She lifted Tiia up and walked her through the small aisle full of eye catching, mouth watering snacks. Tiia decided on a bag of chips. As soon as they got back in the car, the bag got ripped open and small hands reached all the way into the bottom.

 “Tiia?”

“Yes?”

Mom reached one hand into the back of the car, her hand open, asking. A smile appeared on her lips when her kid spilled a few chippies into her hand. Once the bag was empty, Tiia’s eyes got trouble staying open. And not much later, sleep fell over her.

By the time she awoke, they were inside the city. “Are we finally there?!” the girl exclaimed.

Mom nodded. “We’re almost home.”

 “Home,” Tiia sighed. It would be so different from her rural life in the small village. There were so many people here. The whole city was bustling. So many new faces, how was she ever going to remember each one of them? How was she going to know where the bakery was, the supermarket or the clothing shop? The car stopped at a large building block. When Tiia and her mom got outside, the kid looked up at the flat. She bet that there’d fit a hundreds of her on top of each other. That’s how high this building was. It was kind of intimidating.

 “Come on, let’s get the key.” Mom said, reassuringly squeezing the girl’s hand. Inside, they were greeted by an old man. He seemed to have trouble walking because he was very slow.

 “Are all old people slow?” Tiia whispered.

“Young lady, that’s not a nice thing to say! Shh!”

After Mom’s talk with the old man, they could finally ascend to their new home. Two elevator numbers upward. The hallways looked sad and depressing. Everything felt much colder and grey than the old home. Just as Tiia was wondering if she could ever like it here, the door next to them opened. A man and a boy stepped outside. The boy had pale, blond hair. Much like the tall man who was assumingly his dad.

 “Ah, you two must be our new neighbours!” the man smiled.

“Yes. I’m Viivi and this is my daughter, Tiia. Tiia, say hi to your new neighbours.”

 “Hi,” Tiia shyly said.

“Name’s Petri and this is Marko,” the older man introduced himself and his son. Marko was all smiles and glistering eyes. He stuck out his hand and Tiia, with some encouragement of both adults, took it to shake it.

 “Nice to meet you! I’ve always wanted to meet someone my age!” the boy exclaimed.

And from that day on, Marko and Tiia became an inseparable duo.

Wherever Marko would go, Tiia would follow and vice versa. Sometimes, they’d do sleep-overs at each other’s apartment. Marko’s apartment was pretty much the same as Tiia’s, except that he had a bath next to the regular shower. Plus all furniture and rooms were basically mirrored.

At Tiia’s place, the two kids helped Mom bake cookies and cupcakes. In Marko’s living room, his father taught them how to knit all kinds of stuff. From beanies and simple scarfs to shirts with fun patterns in a wide variety of colours. Once everything was knit, the two would hold a short fashion show for their parents. Then, Marko’s dad put on some music and everyone was dancing until they collapsed of exhaustion. To replenish their energy, Mom had made some sweets, sprinkled with pearly sugar.

 At school, their friendship smoothly continued.

They sat together during most classes. And when teamwork was required, they quickly found each other’s eyes.

 One time, the children got on a school trip to the city’s park where they learned about the importance of nature.

 “You used to be surrounded by a lot of green, right?” Marko asked.

Tiia nodded. “Yes. We even had a whole garden of our own.” It was unlike the small, concrete backyard at the flat building which they had to share with everyone.

 “Wish I could’ve seen it. Your village sounds a lot like my grandma’s place. It was also a lovely place. Much more quiet than here. Even the park is kinda noisy.”

“Maybe someday we can ride the bus and go back to my village,” Tiia suggested.

“Maybe.” Marko fell back into the grass, his arms supporting the back of his head. Tiia did the same and stared at the clouds which lazily drifted by in the otherwise blue sky. Then she closed her eyes. Marko was right. Even in the city park, she wasn’t safe from the city’s noises and outlets. But at least she had Marko and Mom. Those two made sure she still felt home enough to enjoy this new life.

Chapter Text

Due to the school growing in numbers, the class of Tiia and Marko were split up in two groups, separating them for some classes, including gym. However, one day Marko’s class went swimming on the same day Tiia’s class visited the pool. Hopefully, the guy awaited his friend. He squinted his eyes as he tried to tell her apart from the other heads but to no avail. She just wasn’t among them.

Marko went through the motions of swimming class and finally retreated to the shallow part of the pool once the lesson was over. He kind of floated along, staring at the bright lamps on the ceiling.

 “Hey, Marko!” a familiar voice suddenly shouted.

Distracted, the boy went down under and spluttered back to the surface. His eyes darted around the place, looking for the source.

 “Tiia!”

He swam to the side of the pool where the girl knelt. She wore blue, plastic bags over her regular shoes.

 “H-hey! Did you see me swim through the hoop today?”

“Sadly not. I just got here.”

 “Where were you?” Marko gasped.

“At the cafeteria… as usual. But Miss Laaksonen finally allowed me to come watch the others. Looks like I just missed the lessons itself.” Tiia looked disappointed. The other kids were playing with some inflatable balls or using the swim noodles to tease each other.

 “Oh. You never swim here with the other classmates?” Marko asked.

Tiia shook her head.

 “Ooh… Is it because you’re on you’re period already?”

Tiia’s eyes grew wide and her cheeks reddened. “What? No, luckily not. It’s just that’ I’m not allowed. Mom doesn’t want me to swim.”

 “Oh, that’s a pity. It’s so fun,” Marko said. He plunged back and drifted away from the girl before getting back to her, still curious. “So… But why aren’t you allowed?”

“Mom told me I have this rare skin condition.”

 “You get sick when you get in the water?”

Tiia nodded. “Yes.”

 “Then how can you bathe?”

“I can’t. That’s why we only have a shower. Mom doesn’t like to take risks.”

 “Oh, understandable, I guess.” Marko slowly turned his eyes down.

“It’s alright. I’m used to it by now. I just have to stay away from big masses of water,” Tiia said but Marko noticed that she wasn’t okay.

 “But you would like to try it?”

“Yes. It sucks to be the only girl who can’t swim and never even touched the water.”

Marko just nodded. He couldn’t relate, but he could try to imagine what it must feel like.

 “Do you think I’m weird?” Tiia then quietly asked. But before her friend could answer, he was called back by his teacher, Mister Järvi. Tiia watched as the other kids got out of the pool and went to the public showers.

 “Tiia! There you are. Get back here at once! Your mother doesn’t want you near the water!” Miss Laaksonen tried to get to the girl as quick as her high heels allowed without slipping.

When school was over, Tiia was readying herself to walk home alone. However, she was stopped by a sudden hand on her shoulder. It was Marko.

 “Sorry, I was still helping another classmate with a project. Let’s walk?”

For a few minutes they proceeded in silence until Marko broke said silence. “Back at the pool… You asked me if I thought you were weird.”

 “Yeah.”

“I just wanted to say, no. No, I don’t think you’re weird. And if so, then we’re all weird.”

 “But then everyone is normal?” Tiia replied, confused.

“Not exactly. I mean, just forget it. My point still stands. I don’t think you’re weird because of the water thing.

 “You really think so?! Some classmates they had been talking”, Tiia threw a look at the pavement beneath their feet.

 “Let those other kids talk. And yup, I really think so. I mean… I’m pretty sensitive to some things too.”

“But does it prevent you from being part of the group? From playing with the other kids?”

To that, Marko wasn’t sure how to reply. Finally he muttered: “Well, I do get along with my classmates. But I still feel different from them in some ways.”

 “What ways? Or do you not want to talk about it?”

“It’s fine. I can talk with you about anything, right?”

 “You can,” Tiia reassured him.

“Well… I think I don’t like girls,” Marko confessed as they kept on walking. “As in, how some guys look at girls. It doesn’t interest me.”

 “So who do you like? Or do you like nobody at all?”

“I don’t know. Maybe I like boys more. But the boys in my class can be stupid.”

Tiia laughed and said: “You’re right. Some boys can be stupid. But thanks for telling me. Now I feel less alone.”

 “Me too,” Marko smiled.

Chapter Text

The car is filled with bags, tents, silly banter, laughter and an overall positive vibe. Even in this heat.

 “Hey, pass me some water,” Markus exclaims.

Tiia and Marko stop their conversation for a second so the latter can take a bottle from the large food bag that separates him and Tiia. The younger man unscrews the bottle and passes it to the front

 “Here you go.”

“Thanks. Ahh, really needed that!” the driver sighs in relief. Markus, or Kapu as is his nickname with friends, is the oldest of the four. The pro of having someone with a driver’s license in the group is that you don’t have to travel by other transport or ask a parent which would make this trip a lot more awkward. Olli who sits next to him, is listening to the radio. He is first and foremost friends with Marko, but gets along well with the others too.

 “How far is it still?” Tiia asks.

“Not much longer,” Kapu reassures them with a grin. “I know, it’s so hot everywhere, we could all use a refresher.”

 “Such as the lake,” Olli smiles. “It will be great.”

“Neat. You’ve visited the place often, right?” Marko informs.

The younger blond nods. “Yes, yes. With my family. There are a few spots where you have a bit more privacy. It’s a bit of a walk but it’s worth it.”

 “We’ll see then.”

As the boys continue their chatter, Tiia drifts off and stares out of the window. The lake. It will be the first time in years that she’ll be that close to the water. To such big amounts of water. Although the local swimming pool can be tempting, it’s not enough. Now she can feel it tingling in her whole body. The closer they get, the stronger the sensation is. She wonders if it’s just because the obscenely warm weather or if it’s something else. Maybe it’s the thrill that comes with doing something forbidden. Candy seems to taste so much better when you know you weren’t allowed to eat it.

As soon as Kapu has parked the car at their destined camping spot, the others jump out. Olli and Marko are already discarding some of their clothes to make a run for the lake.

 “Hey, hey now!  Wait up! Who is going to help set up the camp?!” Kapu exclaims as he wipes off droplets of sweat from his head.

 “I’ll help,” Tiia says. She’s already unloading the trunk. A few sleeping bags, the tent itself, some cooking utensils…

The duo constructs the tents. At this point, they’re both glad they got a rather easy to set up device. Tiia’s faced toward the lake. Marko and Olli are splashing around in the water still. She has the urge to join them but she knows she can’t.

 “Soon we can join them in their fun,” Kapu snaps her out of her thoughts. She laughs nervously.

“What?” he raises an eyebrow, having caught onto her unease.

 “I’m afraid I can’t. I still have to fill the tents with our stuff.”

“We could do that afterward,” Kapu says. “I’m getting all sweaty too.”

 “It’s fine,” Tiia insists to which the older guy shrugs his shoulders.

“At least make sure you stay hydrated!”

Tiia finishes the job and looks in the food bag. There are still some sandwiches left but they’ve gone soggy and warm. Instead, she makes a quick trip to the camping supermarket. It’s small but has sufficient supplies. The girl returns with some ice creams and cool drinks. Olli spots her first and swims ashore. He grabs one of the towels Tiia brought with her as well.

 “Oh, great!” he gasps.

He’s followed by Kapu and then Marko joins them. They thank her and then Kapu asks again.

 “Sure you don’t want to take a swim too?”

“Sorry, I can’t,” Tiia mutters, clearly uneasy by now. Her best friend notices quickly.

 “Just leave it, man. If you feel more comfortable to just dip your feet in, is fine too,” he suggests instead. Tiia smiles and nods.

 “I’ll do that.”

In the past few years, a little bit of water never hurt her anyway. Else she wouldn’t be able to shower. So for the next few minutes, after the group has drank their sodas and eaten their ice creams, are spend closer to the shore. It’s indeed refreshing, Tiia thinks. The cool water washing up to her knees. Now that she’s more at ease, she confesses that she can’t swim because of a skin condition.

 “Oh, sucks. I’m sorry for being so persistent,” Kapu apologizes.

“It’s okay. I don’t want to think about it too much.”

 “No, no, we could’ve chosen a better location,” Olli joins in.

Tiia shakes her head and waves her hand. “It’s fine, guys. You can have fun and so can I. I didn’t bring my books with me for no reason!”

--

“Tonight there will be an extravagant, big, full moon,” Olli informs on their third day.

 “Then we’ll make sure to stay up long enough to see it fully,” Kapu nods.

“You’re the one who’s first asleep last days,” Marko points out with a smirk. The older guy rolls his eyes. “That’s why I said it. Look, driving can be exhausting.”

 “I bet, so much things to keep track of.”

After breakfast, the gang prepares to visit a nearby town. Olli speaks of it fondly as it brings back more childhood memories. They visit the old ice cream shop during the early afternoon to replenish some of their energy and to simply cool down. It’s a charismatic, vintage shop located at the foot of a small lake. The sign with the shop’s name is weathered and missing an entire letter. The owner, Old Lady Hilkka, is very friendly and even seems to remember Olli whom she treats as if he were her grandson.

 “This is the best ice cream I ever tasted!” Marko points out.

“It’s really good indeed,” Tiia seconds and Markus nods in big agreement.

 “I’m glad you youngsters enjoy it so much.”

“It’s a really beautiful spot too,” Tiia adds. She looks out over the small lake. A few children are playing at the shallow part with their parents.

 “I know. Very convenient spot. Children and their parents come here often during the summer. It keeps me busy!” the vendor smiles.

Tiia nods and then her eye catches something in the further distance. On the other side of the lake, someone seems to be sitting on a rock. Is it really a person?

 “Something the matter?” Marko asks.

The girl turns her head back to her friends and then looks back at the rock. The person disappeared!

 “N-nothing… I-”

“Did you see something?” Lady Hilkka asks.

 “Yeah, I thought I saw someone on the rock over there.” Tiia points and the rest tries to see what she meant. Again, nobody and nothing to be spotted. Just a regular rock in the lake.

 “Was it really a person or a creature?” the shop owner continues.

Tiia gives her a puzzled and slightly concerned look.

 “Did it look slightly human?”

“I guess?”

 The old lady now squints her eyes and huffs. “It better not be that cursed Ved-ava.”

“Who?”

 “Ved-ava. You don’t know her? She means no good. Back in my day, people actually were restricted from swimming if she was spotted.”

 “Old lady Hilkka, what do you mean?” Olli exclaimed. Clearly, this was not something she had told him when he was little.

 “Ved-ava is a mystical creature that disguises herself as half woman, half fish. If people spotted her, no good was going to happen afterward.”

 “Wait, but isn’t that just a myth?” Kapu asks.

“Although I never saw her myself, I know that if she was spotted, people would drown not long after the sighting.” Visible shivers run through the group of young people. “Anyway, maybe if you go out fishing and offer her some fish, she might be merciful.” There’s a laugh coming from the old woman but it does nothing to ease the younger people.

“She’s getting old,” Olli apologises for the woman’s behaviours as they drive back to the camping.

 “It’s fine,” Kapu says. “It’s just a myth.”

“She good us good at first, though,” Marko chuckles. Tiia quietly nods. She still can’t shake off the eerie feeling. But what’s even stranger, is that she felt that this Ved-ava was looking straight at her. Even though she couldn’t really see it from the space between them, she felt it.

By the time they’re preparing dinner together, the group has already forgotten about the strange happening earlier that day. Marko is in charge of the BBQ and making sure no sausages or burgers get burnt. Kapu and Tiia are making a nice, refreshing salad and Olli has put out the table, stools and cutlery. “I hope my camera is good enough to take pictures tonight,” Kapu states.

 “Ah yes, it’s going to be a full moon, almost forgot it,” Marko says.

“It’s going to be great! We can all cuddle up and sit at a campfire,” Olli is excited about the nightly event.

They aren’t the only ones who’ve decided to build a campfire. A few other people have done so as well and thus the camping is lit by cute, little fires all over the place.

 “Did anyone bring marshmallows?” Tiia asks.

Olli raises his hand before going into his and Kapu’s tent to grab a whole bag.

 “Someone is clearly prepared,” Marko sniggers. There’s a vibrant look of adoration in his gaze.

Luckily for them, the moon comes out early enough. Markus takes a few pictures with his newly bought camera. He also takes photos of the campfire and a few burnt marshmallows. Then Marko, Olli and Tiia pose in front of the lens. First all serious, then a few silly positions. Tiia insists on her friend and Olli taking a few separate pics too. It makes them both flustered and she and Kapu laugh but are encouraging nonetheless.

--

Tiia wakes up in the middle of the night. It takes a few minutes before her eyes are used to the pitch darkness surrounding her. Turning her head to the side, she sees her best friend. Marko’s vastly asleep. As careful and soundless as possible, Tiia crawls out of the tent. She stands in front of the one of the others. Markus and Olli seem to be sleeping as well. One of them is even snoring a little. A small chuckle escapes the girl. Then her eyes dart over the camp site. The fire has been long extinguished but the smell of burnt charcoals is subtly lingering. Her gaze turns away and now focuses on the lake. It looks beautiful at night. Even more welcoming than during the day, when many people occupy its first meters. The water is glistening and the full moon is reflected like a silver pancake, surrounded by equally shimmery dots. Tiia takes a few steps closer. The tingling sensation she felt when she just got here is back and stronger than ever. Every invisible string in her body pulls her toward the edge of the lake and beyond. Not to prevent her socks and shoes getting wet, but because something tells her so, she goes bare foot, leaving the unnecessary garments in the sand and grass behind.

Once her toes get submerged in the cool, but soft water she knows it. Feels it to her very core. Tiia is being called into the water. The urge, no the necessity to be as close as possible is here and there’s nobody to stop her. Somehow she isn’t afraid. Even if she knows that she never learnt to swim, never been in water deeper than her knees, Tiia feels an inexplicable trust and devotion overwhelming her survival instincts. That’s when she spots a figure in the lake. This time, it’s much closer to her than the shadow on the rock.

 It’s a woman. Feminine at least. Her hair is long and thick, yet wavy and seems to not adhere to the rules of gravity. As if she’s floating underwater still. Her upper body is nude. The lower Tiia’s eyes go, the less human the woman appears to be. A long, heavy fish tail with glistening scales, similar to the stars, makes up the lower anatomy. The intense eyes stare at the girl, yet she does not feel threatened. More so, she is enthralled by this mystic entity. Tiia takes a few more steps into the water. It’s already past her knee’s length when suddenly she gets pulled out of her trance by two strong arms.

 “M-Marko?!!” she gasps in shock.

“Yes, it’s me!” Marko splutters as he gets some water in his mouth as he tries to pull his friend away from the deeper parts. Once they’re on the shore, both have to catch their breaths and Tiia’s gaze is still fixed on the lake.

 “What-, what was that all about? Just walking into the water like that?!” Marko shouts. He sounds angry, but mostly shocked and worried.

Tiia blinks a few times before realizing what really happened. She gives her friend a bedazzled look. “I… just wanted to.”

 “You just ‘wanted to’? What’s going on, Tiia? You know you aren’t allowed! A-and you don’t know how to swim. You’d drown!”

“I know. But still,” Tiia then looks away and whispers: “It might sound crazy, but I felt the water calling to me. And I saw… I saw her again.”

 “Ved-ava?” Marko whispers back, as if he’s afraid the creature might hear him. Tiia nods. The guy looks behind her but sees nobody. “We, we should go back to our tent. This is getting out of hand.”

He stands back up and tries to take Tiia with him but the girl remains static.

 “I can’t. I have to know what it feels like, to be surrounded by the element.”

“Tiia! You can’t! I promised your mother I’d look after you!”

 “She did what?!” Tiia snaps back. She clenches her fists. She thought her mother had finally learned she shouldn’t be so worried about her daughter. She was almost 18 years old for crying out loud!

Marko’s eyes are full of regret and shame.

 “Tiia-, I… I’m sorry. But please, come back. I don’t want to lose you.”

“I’m sorry, Marko. I have to do this. I know what the old ice cream lady said, but don’t worry. Something tells me I do not have to fear the water.” And now, with more confident and conscious steps, Tiia threads deeper into the literal unknown. When she feels there’s no sand beneath her feet anymore, she takes the plunge and closes her eyes.

What happens next would not be believed by others if Tiia would recall the moment. The water around her seems to boil and light up, it wraps around her legs as if it isn’t a liquid. Something’s happening. She is changing. It doesn’t hurt, but it’s clearly a foreign feeling. She’s too long underwater. She needs to resurface, breathe. Out of a reflex, her lungs cry out for fresh air. Instead, something around her neck area opens up and Tiia no longer has the need to breathe like a regular human. Suddenly the world that had been dark and cold and unfathomable, feels so alive and warm and familiar. As if she had always known it. Which brings Tiia to her next realization. She can swim and see.

And oh whoa, she doesn’t remember ever having a fish tail instead of a pair of legs, yet again it feels natural to her. With her new found body and excitement, she almost forgot about her friend, who is probably looking for her, worried madly. She quickly swims back to the surface where she finds Marko swimming about, every now and then diving underwater in search for her. She swims up to him and drags him upward.

 “Marko! Marko, it’s me. Tiia!” she exclaims.

“Oh, Tiia! Oh, I’m so glad you’re alive. I-, I was afraid you’d drowned,” Marko cries, his salty tears mixing with the water around them. He hugs his friend closely before noticing the difference.

 “You-, you…,” he stammers completely puzzled.

“It just happened, I’ve got a fish tail!” Tiia says. For a moment silence downs upon them as they both just try to stay afloat.

 “Wow, how… Did Ved-ava do this? Or the moon?”

“So… This is all okay with you?” Tiia carefully asks, trying to read her friend’s facial expression.

Marko nods. “Yeah. I just don’t know how to go from this? Like, should we tell the others? Should we keep it a secret?”

 “I don’t know. Maybe the others will react negatively. But they’re our friends.”

“I’d trust Olli. But the choice is yours of course. And I can keep it a secret,” Marko smiles and winks.

Tiia smiles back. “Then it’s better if nobody knows it, for now. Especially strangers. Let’s swim back.” There’s a struggle to get back on land and Marko has to drag his friend out of the lake the last meters. The tail is heavier than expected.

 “I’ll get, eh… some blankets,” Marko says and quickly runs off. Tiia feels vulnerable and exposed but luckily there’s no sign of other awake people. Her friend is back in no-time and helps patting her dry. Once most of the water has disappeared, Tiia’s legs appear again and the duo walks back to their tent.

 “That was one weird night.”

“Yes. When we get back home, I have to have a looong talk with my mom.”

Marko notices her insecurity and puts his hand on hers. “Hey, it will be alright. If you want, I’ll go with you. I’ve got your back, okay?”

 “Thank you, Marko. I couldn’t have a better friend than you,” Tiia wipes away some tears and hugs him tightly.