(Originally a one shot, I decided to continue the story due to its popularity. Enjoy :D)
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"Hmsgph!" Nikki was jerked out of her slumber by a large object being tossed onto her sleeping bag. "Good, you're awake. God I thought you'd sleep forever." She heard Elena's voice.
"Mmph." Nikki buried her face in her pillow, her mind fuzzy and feeling slightly nauseous from lack of sleep. "Ugh get up, we've slept for nine hours already, do you honestly want to sleep this beautiful day away?" She felt Elena's hands on the outside of her sleeping bag, kneading her side.
"Hahaha!" She laughed uncontrollably, opening her eyes so she could shove Elena's hands away. For you maybe, it's only been a few hours for me, Nikki thought grumpily to herself. On this side of the day, it was hard to believe that a few hours ago she had met a mermaid for the first time. On that thought, she couldn't help but grin, remember the pleasurable night.
"See, it's not that bad." Elena said, misinterpreting the grin. "I already packed your stuff for you; get ready to do some hardcore hiking!" The grin was gone in an instant.
Nikki felt the hot sun on the back of her neck as they traversed white-grey rocks. Only Elena would think of hiking first thing after waking up, Nikki thought to herself, wiping the sweat off her brow with one hand. The scent of pine trees was muted in this hot afternoon, the air felt thick, like it would catch in her mouth if she breathed in too much.
She found herself taking breaks often to look down at the lake, a perfect blue green, the lake stretching far beyond her sight. She wondered if the mermaid had ever left the lake, and immediately found herself wishing that the mermaid could talk. I wonder what she's doing now, Nikki thought to herself, enviously imagining the mermaid floating languidly in the lake, perhaps enjoying the shade of the large mountain in the distance.
She heard impatient footsteps coming towards her and quickly whirled around. "You are so slow." Elena complained. "It'll be dark before we get anywhere. Maybe I'll just leave you behind." Elena teased.
"Oh god, I'd get so lost, I'd have to live here for the rest of my life." Nikki joked. She was about to tell Elena exactly what she had been thinking about but caught herself. She liked the feeling of keeping the mermaid a secret, a secret she could enjoy by herself. "I'm ready now, let's keep going." She said, taking a picture of the beautiful lake scene with her Canon. This was definitely a wallpaper-worthy scene.
"Look at how far we've come!" Elena said excitedly, dancing so near the edge of a cliff that Nikki felt a jolt of fear. "Careful you don't fall." She cautioned.
"I'm fine, Nikki." Elena laughed. Sometimes Nikki felt jealous of her best friend, so confident and bold, fearless. She rested against a boulder in the shade of a large tree, watching her friend's vivacious dance from afar.
"Come here." Elena beckoned with one finger, Nikki took a deep breath and walked over. Wow. From this elevation she could see the tops of tall trees, the beach looked so small in comparison to the massive lake. She looked down and kicked a rock off the edge, feeling the thrill of an adrenaline rush as the rock fell, counting the seconds until she heard a distant thud. Whoa, they were definitely very high up. "Let's have lunch and we can go back down, maybe chill in the lake? I'll pump up the inner tubes."