Chapter 1- Beauty and the Beast
AN: First off I don't own twilight, as always. Plus just wanted to say does anyone know what Paul's actual last name is? Oh well… enjoy! oh and I've changed the weather in forks a bit so it's a lot less rainy, will see why later.
The blue seas were calm today, and the sea life were bright and chirpy as they swam around the multi-coloured corals. Pearl Satomi, a beautiful blonde-haired, aqua-eyed, tanned skinned mermaid, was humming to herself under the gentle waves as she swam around the reef just off La Push bay. Her long tail, was a deep seaweed green with a lighter mint green fin, her scaled strapless bra the same colour. The waters were chilly, but she didn't mind, she just had to get away from her Father, Oberon Satomi, who had told her she was to wed a dim-witted merman, but the girl denied and in her independence left the city for new waters.
A small spider crab scampered over the moving sand, and shied away when Pearl swam over him twirling in the water. The blonde giggled and ghosted gentle fingers over the rocks, picking up sea shells as she went, to add to her collection. She lived in a large cave in the cliff-face, a few metres beneath the waves, there was a little patch of sand when out of the underwater cavern, she had a collection of human things that had been discarded or pretty things from the sea.
Her current collection consisted of:
5 oyster pearls
16 shells of many kinds
A silver fork and spoon
A diamond encrusted ring
A plastic heart locket
A handheld mirror
The cave roof was covered in hundreds of glow-worms that lit up the glistening walls when it got dark. As she swam through the mass of swaying seaweed, the sun was clear through the water and it was enticing to the mermaid. She could have gone on land at any point if she wanted, but living in her dad's city for all of her life until she had turned 18 and left three days ago, she had never been close enough to land to want to venture out. She would have human legs from sunrise till sunset, then her tail would return, and if she was she come into contact with any water then the tail would reappear.
Though when she was in her human form she did not own any clothes, so would not be decent enough to go out anyway. Pearl sighed in frustration, she had always wanted to feel the grass and sands in her toes and the breeze on her skin, but she would never be able to do it in public. "Why me?" she muttered, before deciding to take a peek at the world above and around her, with a small smile tugging at her lips she swam up placing the shells amongst the weeds to be collected later.
As she surfaced, she felt the water trickle down her face and back into the ocean around her, she waded in the water keeping herself upright as she glanced around the bay of the beach. When a group of tanned boys appeared out of the forest, she lowered herself slightly so only her eyes and top of her head were visible, she wanted to watch from a distance. Their booming laughter could be heard from the half a mile or so away from them, where she was floating. Two of the boys were play fighting, but rather aggressively, Pearl felt confused, she hadn't been around humans before, and this was one of the closest encounters she had had.
She let out a startled gasp when the two boys fighting transformed into two large wolves and charged off back into the woods where they came from. They were supernatural, just like her. "like me" she desperately wanted to go over, but she didn't know whether werewolves were common, and mermaids she knew, were most certainly not. She looked at the boys with longing, before slipping back under the water and gliding down to the bank, where a hermit crab had moved into one of her shells. She smiled softly before gathering the rest and setting off for her cave, powering through the water with ease.
It was only about 2pm, and she had the rest of the day to waste and do nothing but swim and have no one to talk to, she was thinking of ringing her mother and talking to her. Her mother, Petunia, had been against the wedding since the beginning and was happy at her daughter's independence, though still missed her immensely. They used large shells to communicate with eachother, one of the only things she had brought with her. She pushed aside the thick plant life and swam into her cavern, glancing around at the empty space. She needed more furniture.
Pearl spread out the variety of shells and set them up with the others, she floated back to admire her work before reaching for the large shell set on a rock near the back of the room. The blonde raised it to her ear and settled down onto her kelp bed, waiting for her mother to answer. "Hello? Pearl is that you dear?" her mother's smooth voice rang through the shell, making Pearl smile at the familiar sound.
"Yes mother, it's me. I was just ringing to ask how you were?" that wasn't entirely true, if Pearl didn't meet someone to talk to soon, she feared she would have to return home and get married. The blonde was lonely.
"Oh I'm great, your father is still a bit miffed about the wedding but he will get over it, he's busy playing some game with his men. But enough about us, how are you doing, have you met anyone? I hope you've found a nice home, we will have to visit at some point in the near future" the concern was clear in her mother's voice, it made her feel loved, but guilty at making her mother worried.
"I'm alright, I have found a lovely cavern though, beautiful at night. No, I haven't met anyone yet, it isn't exactly normal in the human world to have a tail, though I did see some werewolves on the local beach. I'm just feeling a bit homesick, but I will get over it. Tell father that I am truly sorry but it just wasn't to be" she sighed and glanced up to the glow-worm filled ceiling, wishing there was someone here to talk to, or even just to look at. She could hear her mother sigh too, she had suspected this much too, mermaid weren't that common after all, and the many that lived all lived in groups. "I just wish that I could go ashore, but I have nothing to wear, and it is not appropriate to walk around naked, humans are such strange creatures"
"Hang on a minute dear…" Pearl could hear the faint murmur of her father talking in the background with his men and her mother, it wasn't long before her mother returned to the shell. "I've got to go honey, I will ring you soon, love you Pearl"
"Love you too mother, tell father I love him to, bye" with that the conversation ended, she felt like crying, why had she done this, why couldn't she have just been like every other mermaid in their city. Marry a merman and live happily ever after. Because that was not her destiny, she was not going to be bound to some idiot, she could be free and live happily, she just had to look harder. She wanted a vanity desk in her room, she would have to find the materials herself though.
First, four strong poles of coral for legs. With the task set firmly in her mind she waded out of the kelp door and into the open reef, a lot of the sea life had disappeared, this confused the blonde immensely, she saw no threat that would make them retreat. It was then that she saw the big greyish wolf that was swimming around trying to eat the escaping fish, she gasped and darted behind a large boulder, hiding herself from it.
She watched giggled to herself at the ungraceful movements of the creature, snapping at some cod that were swimming frantically into any cracks they could find and fit into. The wolf have large paws and big coal black eyes that narrowed as all of the fish escaped it's reach. Deciding to give up, the wolf glided back to the surface, no doubt to take a much needed breath. It was then that Pearl noticed the three large coral poles in the spot where the beast had just been, but the body remained at the top of the water and could dive down at any time it wanted.
Pearl didn't want to risk being caught, but she wanted those poles, the adrenaline was rushing through her as she came around the boulder and into the open swimming smoothly out into the coral bay, and tugged harshly at the pole, moving it only an inch. She glanced up nervously at the wading figure as it pawed away, towards the shore. With a sigh of relief she yanked again, this time loosening it enough to lift the heavy object from the sea bed. She flipped her fin and powered through the soft rip, large coral in arms, until she came to the familiar overgrowth of kelp.
Once she was back in her room she placed the pole down against the wall so it came up to her waist, there was another two out there, but she still needed one more. She frowned in thought, before going to retrieve the other two and placing them as if legs for a desk, but with one missing. She lay back onto the kelp bed, feeling very tired and worn out after a long day.
Her eyes fluttered shut as sleep took hold of her, the deeper she fell into sleep, the realer the dream felt.
The grass was damp beneath her feet, but she had no tail, she had on only a long t-shirt and some boxers. She looked down at her legs then back up at the forest that surrounded her, Pearl felt alone and cold. A loud howl ripped through the forest, but it came from all directions, disorientating the girl. A sharp shiver went down her spine as silence fell again.
She gasped and her hands started shaking when a large white wolf with red eyes snarled and stalked out of the forest, almost as if it was testing her. The way the red eyes bore into her as if seeing her soul, made her stomach churn, she felt sick. That was when leaves crunched behind her, making her spin around, blonde locks spraying out in the air around her.
There, behind her, stood a lean figure with deep coal black eyes and purple bruises under their eyes. He smiled grimly and glanced between Pearl and the wolf behind her, who let out a low growl and scraped it's hind feet against the solid earth. "Pearl… I know what you are" his voice was shrill and came out more as a hiss than anything else.
Her eyes widened at the bold statement and backed away, forgetting the large beast behind her. When both figures snarled and charged she let out a high-pitched scream –
Pearl shot up, clutching at the waving kelp below her, the water around her swirling the plants in the room. She was breathing very heavy, her head pounding and her heartbeat overly erratic. She didn't know what the dream could of meant, the wolf she had saw at the bay seemed nice enough and certainly didn't have blood red eyes. Shaking slightly she lay back down, willing the bad dreams to leave her be for the time. She closed her eyes and snuggled into the soft kelp, putting her worries to the back or her mind.