"Catch me if you can!" a mermaid shouted, playfully. She swam between boulders, around some colorful coral, and a group of merfolk.
"Hey! Watch where you're going!" one of the shouted angrily.
"Sorry!" she yelled back and kept swimming. The mermaid was being chased be a dolphin, who was her best friend named Dan. He was like most dolphins, except for his size. He was smaller than most, but that didn't bother the mermaid. She absolutely adored him.
"Slow down!" Dan shouted.
"No way," she giggled and started swimming faster. She swam around merfolk and schools of fish towards home, the castle. Once she reached the outside walls, she halted to a stop. She peeked behind her to see Dan swimming up behind her. Before he had the chance, the mermaid placed her hand on the wall. "I win, I win." she chanted like a child.
"Whatever," the dolphin scoffed.
"You're just mad that I'm quicker." she taunted. He just rolled his eyes at her playfully. "Come on," she gestured. The two swam up to the mermaid's chambers and closed the door behind them. She opened her satchel and placed three conch shells on her nightstand.
"Whoa! We found those?" gasped Dan. She nodded and carefully placed each of them a shelf. She stepped back to admire her collection.
A knock was heard and the mermaid said, "Come in."
Her mother swam in and Dan greeted her, "Hello, Queen Aquata."
"Hello Dan," she returned and turned to her daughter, "Hello Pearl."
"Hello mother," she greeted back.
"Where were you?" she questioned.
"I was out with Dan. We were searching for new additions to my collection. See?" she pointed to her shelves.
"I see," she murmured. "These are beautiful, Pearl. You remind me of my sister, Ariel. She was quite a collector herself." She smiled at her daughter, before snapping out of her thoughts. "Well, come on now. We have to get ready." Pearl nodded although she didn't want to.
"Do I really have to attend this ball?" she asked as they swam downstairs, hoping there was a way to get out of it. Her mother nodded and Pearl groaned. She wasn't a huge fan of balls and parties, but it was something she had to attend every once in a while because of her status.
They swam into a dressing room, where all of Pearl's sisters were getting ready. She plopped down at her dressing table and picked up a brush. She started brushing her hair before her mother came up behind her and started doing it for her.
"Why do I have to do this again?" she questioned.
"Your father and I want to introduce you to the rest of the kingdom and to the neighboring kingdoms. Also, you'll get to meet new people and make new friends." she answered before someone called her away.
"I still don't see what this has to do with me," Pearl muttered as she put on a necklace.
"Pearl, mom and dad just want us to make new friends and meet new people." Coraline, her oldest sister, told her. "Plus, we even might find a boyfriend."
The mermaid just sighed as she placed a chain of pearls in her hair. "The faster we do this, the quicker it's over." she thought and frowned.
