Even though her soaked shoes became more caked in sand with every step, Evarista was glad to be back on the beach. The clear blue waters of the sea appeared inviting to her. She wasn't much of a swimmer. In fact, she couldn't swim at all. Not until now, anyway. Today, she had found yet another way to cheat her nemesis, Nature, out of hard work.
Kicking off the annoying shoes, she strode barefoot straight into the water, not flinching when a a slow wave pushed against her advance. The sea was definitely better than the lake. The open horizon somehow allowed to breathe more freely, but more importantly, so did the clear water. Her clothes were already wet, so there was no point in taking them off. Having waded in until the water was almost up to her shoulders, she began the final stage of her immersion in the discovery.
The soothing caress of the water against her increasingly slimy skin was almost addictive, and she couldn't help but begin shuddering uncontrollably, allowing the strange sensations to consume her more and more. No longer able to discern the feeling in her fingers and toes, or even her arms and legs. It was like she was becoming formless; an inseparable part of the water around her.
An oncoming wave obscured her vision before rolling over her, burying her briefly beneath the surface. Since she was barely holding onto the sand with her feet, Evarista expected to lose balance, but somehow didn't. It was like the wave went straight through her. No... the wave did go straight through her. Resisting the temptation to look down at her body, afraid of what she might see, the girl closed her eyes tightly and dived.
It didn't feel like she was submerged in water at all. The sea only wrapped her in a soft and warm blanket, as if it was a caring parent doting over a child. The subtle current, barely noticeable before, picked her up and carried her slowly along. Eyes still closed, she tried moving her arms and legs. Did she still have arms and legs? It felt like she did. She didn't morph her bones, so she was surely human in shape still, but flesh and blood were no longer a burden.
How long has she been underwater? Could be a two ticks, could even be two bells. There was no sense of time. She only now realized that she didn't feel the need to return to the surface at all, as if the air in her lungs never ended. But it did end, and probably a good while ago. It didn't matter: she was breathing with her whole body now. The sea gave her everything she needed.
Idly thinking back to the model, she remembered the pattern of its eyes. Those invisible eyes. She wouldn't even know they existed if it weren't for the auristics. Maybe she could mimic them as well? She certainly didn't feel like opening her human eyes right now. Provided those still existed. She really couldn't tell. The new eyes, on the other hand, showed her everything she needed to know. There were no pictures, only rays of light. She now knew the direction of the sun... it was below her. Apparently, the current turned her upside down without her noticing.
A tug in her consciousness told her that she had to get out now, or she might not get out at all. Straining her will, she began reverting the changes, starting with her hands and feet. Because she clearly sensed the direction of the current, she flailed began flailing her limbs against it as soon as they regained some measure of firmness. After a mercifully short struggle, she felt her shoulders drive into the sand.
Evarista finally opened her eyes, looking up at the blue sky blankly. Her mind was still recovering from the surreal experience, and her body felt so sluggish that she could barely move, but eventually she mustered the strength to turn over. When she made an effort to prop herself up on the sand, her throat exploded into violent coughing, sending torrents of water onto the sand below. The sand and jungle around the spun violently, making her cringe from the nausea.
Thankfully, a short while of simply laying like a log on the sand was enough to get her bearings, allowing her to wobble up to her feet and look around. The inside of her clothes was covered in slime, and her shoes were nowhere nearby. Fortunately for her, the current had carried her towards the village and not away from it, so she could look forward to getting some sleep without any further adventure. Frankly, that's all she could think about at that point.
Except for that ever-burning tiny spark glowing a little brighter in the very back of her mind; that tiny portal to the world of the inhuman.