Laying uncomfortably against the wall of my cell, I heard the muffled voices of the scientists in the next room, plotting my next 'medical procedure' that I was due for in about eight minutes time. Every seven days at precisely 8:00 am, they drag me out of my cell and inject me with some sort of anaesthesia to make me weak. They then run some tests on me, sometimes strapping me to a medical examination table and poking at me with odd shaped tools.

The first time was almost eleven weeks ago, and they only did the simple stuff like take samples of my blood, hair, and toenails. The second time I'm almost positive they took samples of my bone marrow, as I woke up in my cell with a rather sore pelvic bone. The third time, they poured water on me. Though it seems silly to pour a glass of water on a normal human girl for no reason, it wasn't silly in my case for I am no ordinary human girl and it wasn't for no reason. I am a mutant in the year 1962, and if even a single drop of water makes contact with my skin, I grow the tail of a fish. I guess you could say I'm a mermaid.

I do not know how the scientists found out about my mutancy, as I was very careful when it came to hiding it. I would never go out in public without a long sleeved shirt or jacket, and long pants that covered my legs in case of emergency. Unless of course, you count the first time I had discovered I had the ability, which was very nerve racking and probably the most embarrassing moment of my life.

I was eleven years old and with my mother and father and baby brother, Dustin, at a not very public beach near Houston, Texas. Five seconds after the moment I touched the water, my legs were replaced with a golden, four-foot long, fishtail, and my brand-new one-piece swimsuit was replaced with golden scales covering my prepubescent breasts. My father and mother, overcome with shock, covered me with a picnic blanket and carried me to our car. We drove straight home, whilst my brother and I cried our eyes out in the back seat, not saying a word.

When my entire body had dried, the tail disappeared and I wondered whether or not I had daydreamed it. That wasn't the case and I found out the moment I brought a bottle of water to my lips. That was the last time I drank water without a straw. A week later, my mum came to the conclusion that I was a mutant, after seeing reports of it on the news. She and my father told nobody of what happened that day.

Since then, almost everything that had anything to do with water was a challenge. Baths were kept short and were very complicated seeing as my tail was bigger then most baths and washing my hands was totally out of the question. I had left school in fear of it raining and I hardly left my house ever. The tail ruined my life.

Lost in my thoughts, I hadn't realised the scientists had stopped talking. As I heard the door to the next room open, I shut my eyes and pretended to be asleep, that being the only thing I could think of doing.

"Wake up, mermaid," the tall, balding scientist sneered, as he unlocked my cell. "Time for a swim."

Swim? I thought. After all this time, I had never thought of trying to swim. Of course it had crossed my mind but a part of me was scared of the possibilities. I never owned a pool as a kid because my family had always preferred the ocean and we always lived close to beaches.

The tall scientist and a round, red-headed scientist (whose name tag reads Greg) step into my cell, Greg holding a pair of handcuffs and the tall one holding a syringe filled with a clear liquid substance. Greg notices my eyes on the cuffs and says, "I'll only use these if I have to."

I step towards the two men, without a fight and stick my arm out to the tall one, gesturing for him to stick the needle in me. I feel the syringe pierce my skin and winced softly, biting my lip. They then push me out of the cell and I start to feel a bit weak at the knees due to the substance they injected me with. A short man with grey hair steps out of the office and makes his way towards me, his name tag reads 'Dr. Norman'.

"Well hello, you must be Miss- what was your name again? Suzie?" He smirks, knowing that isn't my name and chuckles at his lame attempt at a joke. I keep quiet.

"Ha, so you're a shy one then? Not to worry, we're not going to be doing much talking anyway." He leads me and the two men behind me through a long corridor which I have never seen and opens the last door on the right. The door was made of a strong metal and has multiple locks on the outside, most probably to keep me in. The tall scientist pushes me into the room quickly and Dr Norman locks the door behind me. I get up on my knees and attempt to stand, only to fall onto my bum, due to the injection once again.

Still sitting on my bum, I look around the room, seeing nothing but concrete floors and walls, and a large oval shaped pool in the middle. There were no windows with only one ceiling light to light up the whole room, and in the top left corner of the room, there was one large speaker. My mind wanders to the thought of somehow escaping, which will be impossible in a room with no windows. I think of my family and wonder whether or not they miss me or if they even care that I'm gone. I shake the thought out of my head and crawl to the corner, sitting there silently. I wasn't getting in the water.

A while goes by and I eventually give up on sitting silently. I consider the thought of having a nap until I hear a loud crash come from outside the door. My head snaps into the direction and I get up onto my feet and move towards it. Three crash noises later I start banging on the door.

"What is going on out there? Hello?" I yell, stupidly. These bastards have kidnapped me, it's not like they are going to reassure me that everything's going to be okay. Sighing, I turn around and start to pace away from the door. All of a sudden I hear a crash louder than the last three and I spin around once more to see that there is a large dent in the door. I gasp loudly and bring my hands to my mouth when I finally realise what is going on. Someone or something has come and attacked these scientists and could possibly attack me as well.

I back away from the door quickly and look around for a place to hide. There was absolutely nowhere to hide other than the pool, and there was no way I could go in there. The thought of exposing myself to someone who would bring harm to me scared me. There was nothing more I could do besides stand there waiting for the door to break open.

I look at the large metal door and see that it is scrunching up in a way that is impossible without a very powerful machine, though I couldn't hear anything other than the sound of nails on a chalkboard and the sound of my heart beating faster than the speed of light. Finally, the door bursts open and falls off its hinge to reveal two men who I have never seen in my life. They were both average looking and it didn't seem like they had any mutant powers at all. However, at first sight, I seem that way too but one drop of water and all of a sudden I have a tail.

"Amelia Bennett? My name is Charles Xavier and this is my friend Erik Lehnsherr. Do not be afraid, we have come to save you." The moment he had spoken, I knew him and his friend were like me. Not because he had a strange voice or because I was somehow compelled to not be afraid, but because when he said my name ever so calmly, his mouth was completely closed. He was talking to me using telepathic abilities.

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