With a name that means “shining one”, you’d think that twelve-year-old Meissa would be a bright, happy girl, excited about everything and prettier than spring itself.

That would be the exact opposite of Meissa.

Yes, she was pretty, with her streaming sandy hair, piercing silver eyes, and freckles strewn across her ivory skin.

But she was so distant from everyone, and cold as a winter wind. She snapped if you corrected her, stalked away to hide in her room if you tried to teach her something, and her glare was like fire if you told her she should probably treat her maid better.

Needless to say, she was a very difficult child.

But in her father’s opinion, all she needed was a break. A small vacation, perhaps, from the bitter winters of Minnesota. The coast of Florida, maybe?

When Meissa’s father introduced the idea to her, everyone in the room paused, bracing for the explosion. At first silence; and then―

“That sounds agreeable.”

Everyone breathed an inward sigh of relief.

After Meissa had packed all the things she needed for a two-week vacation, they boarded their private jet and flew to Florida.

They arrived at the five-star hotel two hours later. Unpacking all of their things, Meissa’s father suggested they go down to the private beach he had rented. Slipping into her swimsuit in the bathroom, Meissa zipped on a sundress over it and walked with her parents to the beach.

The crystal-blue water was placid, and the temperature was well over 80 °F. While her parents spread out the towel on the shore, Meissa walked over to the water and stood in it. It was lovely and cool, and she went so far in that her chin was touching the water. Her parents yelled a warning, but she didn’t have to listen to them…

Something grabbed her ankle and yanked her from underneath.

Meissa tried to scream but only bubbles escaped her mouth. It was a human-like creature, with jagged teal scales, its massive claws digging into her foot and drawing streams of blood. Its yellow eyes never seemed to blink. Meissa looked for ways to escape, eyes blurred from loss of blood and oxygen. The thing was just holding her there, waiting for her to pass out and die. Her hair whipping around her face seemed almost white, like the flowers on her grave she would be lying in soon…

Her hair!

Meissa had never let her parents cut her hair. But she couldn’t escape and was running out of air. There was no other way.

Meissa found a sharp rock on the coral beside her, closed her eyes, and slashed off all of her beautiful locks.

Sandy hair streaming into its face, the thing hissed and let go. Meissa swam around it and covered the thing’s gills with her hair. The choked and thrashed, but Meissa held on. Eventually the creature went limp. Meissa swam to the surface, passing out promptly when she got there.

Whenever her parents asked her what had happened down there, she murmured that her feet had slipped and she cut her foot and hair on a rock.

Her parents could only wonder what kind of rock could cut off feet of hair and render their healthy child’s foot useless for the rest of her life.