Paradise

By: Mew Ami

Beta Reader: Miakemi

Chapter One: Disbelief

Gabriel

The sun was shining down on Mediterranean Sea. It was a hot summer day in the city of Mer. Its citizens crowded the beach. Umbrellas covered the shore while people played in the water. Meanwhile, Gabriel Agreste was sitting on a rock sketching the sea. He had a perfect shot of the sea from where he was sitting. Gabriel spent all morning looking for this location. It took him far out enough so the people who were swimming in the sea wouldn't be in his shot.

Splash

Gabriel looked up from his sketch book. The rock he was sitting on was surrounded by water. He glanced around and saw nothing. Probably just a fish. Gabriel returned to his drawing.

Splash

There it was again. He ignored it.

Splash

Gabriel tightened his grip on his pencil. He looked up annoyed. Was someone messing with him? He placed his sketch beside him, crawled to edge of the rock, and looked down into the water. It was crystal clear and he could see tiny little fish swimming about. There was no way those fish could make such loud splashing noises. He frowned. How deep was this water? He was actually pretty far away from the shore.

Splash

He turned around. It came from behind. Gabriel crawled over to that side and again nothing. He went back to his sketch book. All focus was now lost. Gabriel let out a sigh. Someone had to be messing with him. He tapped his pencil on the piece of paper. Could it be her? No. There's no way she could hide herself under water for so long. Gabriel stared back at his sketch and started to shade in an area. Focus was slowly returning to him.

Then suddenly a pair of hands covered his eyes. "Guess who!" a voice sung.

Gabriel let out a feint. "Hello, Charlotte." He knew her since childhood and always found her annoying since she had a thing for him. The only reason he put up with her was because their fathers were friends.

"Gabby!" she said angrily. "Call me Lotte!"

"Please stop calling me Gabby," he said and turned around to face her. Charlotte was tall and pale. She had long curly red hair and bright green eyes. She also had freckles across her cheeks and nose. Gabriel ignored her comment. He stared at her for a moment. She was wearing a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. She also wasn't wet. So he was right. She wasn't causing those splashing noises.

Charlotte sat down next to him and pouted. "But we need pet names!"

"No we don't. Now go away."

Charlotte frowned. "Must you be so cold?"

"Must you be so annoying?"

"Ouch!"

Splash

It returned! Gabriel crawled to the other side of the rock and looked around. Again nothing.

"What a lovely drawing!" said Charlotte, who was now holding his sketch book.

"Give me that," he said as he turned around and grabbed it back from her. "You know I don't like you touching my stuff. Now what do you want?"

Charlotte crossed her arms. "My parents would like you to come over for dinner since your parents are leaving for New York today."

"My parents? They're what?" Gabriel looked annoyed.

"They didn't tell you?" she started to laugh. "Oh, boy."

Gabriel just shook his head and got up. He then leaped across the rocks and headed back to his family's beach house. He could hear Charlotte calling out to him, but he ignored her. Gabriel quickly walked down the beach. He felt annoyed. They were going to New York? Why didn't they tell him? When he got to his family's beach house, he saw his mother heading toward the beach.

"Oh, Gabriel, wonderful, you're home!" she said, walking over to him. She was carrying a shopping bag.

"Hello, mother," he said. "Charlotte told me you and father were leaving for New York today?"

"Oh, shoot! I wanted to be one the to tell you. Her mother called me earlier today and invited us over for dinner. I guess she told Charlotte that we were leaving."

"Why are you guys leaving?"

"Oh! Your father got a call from his clients this morning. They want him in New York ASAP." Gabriel's father was a famous Parisian fashion designer. "I'm tagging along with him. After he's done with work, we're going to Hawaii for our wedding anniversary!"

"Oh," Gabriel said emotionless.

"I know we promised you that we'd spend time together here this summer, but you know how your father can't tear himself from his work. Which is why he agreed to take me to Hawaii. "

'I would like to go to New York and Hawaii too,' he thought to himself.

"To make it up to you, your father and I agreed that you can stay here for the rest of the summer. We trust you. Oh!" she then handed him the shopping bag. "I also bought you art supplies!"

"Thanks, mother." Gabriel gave her a feint smile. He placed his sketch book into the bag.

"You're welcome! I'm glad you understand. Sorry that you heard about it from Charlotte. You were gone when he got the call. Now, I need to go finish packing." His mother then went into the house.

Gabriel just sighed. He went inside as well and went to his room. When he got inside his room, Gabriel closed the door behind him and put the shopping bag on the bed. He sat down next to it and pulled the art supplies out of it. She bought him a new sketch book, sketch pencils, erasers, and colored pencils. At least it was all high quality. But still… They always left him behind whenever they went on trips. Granted his father traveled mostly for work, but his mother always tagged along so she could sight see and shop. So it would have been nice if he got to tag along too.

He got up from his bed and grabbed his old sketch book out of the shopping bag. Gabriel left his room and headed back to the beach. He wasn't going to bother to stick around and say goodbye to his parents. There was no point. They would just say the same things they always said when they left him behind.

His family's beach house was right up on the beach. Gabriel walked through the backyard and walked up on a small hill. He was now on the beach. Before returning to drawing spot Gabriel headed into the town. It was lunch time so he bought a sandwich to go from a local cafe.

He returned to the beach and walked over to the rocks. Gabriel came to a complete stop and saw children playing around the rocks. He let out a frustrated sigh. Now he couldn't finish his drawing. Why must this day keep getting worse? So Gabriel walked down the shore until he found more rocks. He hated sitting on the beach. He did not like sand getting all over his clothes.

The rocks he found was apart of a small cove. He smiled at the sight of it. This would be fun to draw. Gabriel climbed up on some rocks and started to eat his sandwich. He loved coming to Mer. He always found new places to draw nature. Gabriel looked out at the sea and watched as seagulls flew around. When he was finished with his sandwich, Gabriel started his sketch of the cove.

A few hours passed and Gabriel was starting to feel hot. He looked up and saw the sun was beating down on him. Normally he didn't mind the heat, but this was too much for him. He placed his sketch book on the rock and stood up. He took off his flip flops and pulled off his t-shirt. Gabriel hopped off the rocks and walked into the water. He laid back in the water when it became deep of enough. He closed his eyes. He was so happy that he was all alone. No children, no parents, and no Charlotte.

When Gabriel opened his eyes, he saw a bright pair of green eyes staring down at him. Startled Gabriel thrashed about in the water and a small wave came by that was strong enough to knock him under. He felt his glasses float off his face and he quickly grabbed them. Gabriel came out of the water and quickly put his glasses back on. He can't see without them. He glanced around and saw no one. Was it the heat playing tricks on him? Gabriel could have sworn he saw a pair of eyes staring at him.

Gabriel went back over to the rocks and climbed up on them. Maybe he would see someone from a higher view. When he got up on the top of the rocks, Gabriel looked around. There was no sign of anyone. He frowned. How could that be? He would see someone running down the shore. There was no way a person could hide themselves in the water. He let out a sigh. Maybe it was the heat. Gabriel walked across the rocks and returned to his sketching area.

After hours of sketching, Gabriel finally returned home. When he came through the backdoor, he saw the lights were off. His parents were gone. Gabriel walked into the living room and turned on the lights. He threw his sketch book on the coffee table and sat down on the couch. He leaned back into the couch cushions and reached for the TV remote. He turned on the TV and sat there, watching the evening news.

As he watched the news he heard the phone ring. He sighed and got up from the couch. He entered the kitchen and walked over to the phone and read the caller I.D. It was Charlotte. He ignored it. She was probably trying to get him to come over for dinner. There was no way he was spending his evening with her. He walked away from the phone and went back to the living room.

"There was quite a sight today on the beach," said the newscaster. "Several eyes witnesses spotted a mermaid!"

Gabriel let out a slight laugh. He grabbed the remote and turned the TV off. A mermaid was spotted? Yeah right. If mermaids were real that meant magic was too. He left the room and went upstairs and into his bed room. He turned on the radio and sat down on his bed. He grabbed a different sketch book off a night stand. He opened it up to a sketch of a dress. Like his father he was into fashion as well. Gabriel was going to take over his father's business when he retired.

As he worked on the sketch, a thought crossed his mind. What if those eyes belonged to a mermaid? He shook his head for thinking such a thought. That was impossible. Mermaids were not real. They were myths that both sailors and fisherman made up.

He froze. Somehow he ended up drawing those eyes beside his sketch. Gabriel closed the sketch book and leaned back against the head board. He tapped his pencil on the sketch book. Those eyes were beautiful. He had never seen such beauty before. He wanted to see who they belonged too. Gabriel got up from the bed and went into the bathroom to take a shower. He needed to stop thinking about them.

When Gabriel returned after his shower, the phone was ringing again. He let out a sigh and had no choice to pick it up. Charlotte was good at getting under his skin. "Hello?"

"Hello, Gabriel," said the voice on the other end.

"Oh, hello Mrs. Roux," he replied. It was Charlotte's mother. Great..

"Would you still like to come over for dinner?" she asked him. "You never gave Charlotte an answer."

"Sure," he said, hiding his emotions. He did not want to come over for dinner. He was just going to make himself a sandwich and work on his fashion sketches. But he couldn't say no to Charlotte's mother. She would tell his mother and she would nag at him for not socializing much.

"Great! I'll see you in an hour."

"Alright. See you then." he just hung up the phone. Gabriel walked over to his closet and grabbed some clothes that were suitable for dinner.

Charlotte's beach house was a few doors down from his. He slowly walked down the sidewalk dreading dinner. He couldn't show his disdain for Charlotte around her parents. She knew this and would use it to her advantage. He arrived at their house and rang the doorbell. Unfortunately, Charlotte answered the door.

"Gabby!" she shouted happily and pulled him into the house. "I'm so glad you came."

He just nodded his head and pulled her hand off his arm. "Is dinner ready?"

"Yes! My parents are in the dining room." she grabbed his arm again and pulled him into the dining room.

"Hello, Gabriel," said Charlotte's father.

"Hello, Mr. Roux," he said. He pulled Charlotte's hand off his arm again and took his seat. "How are you?"

"I'm doing well. You?"

"Same."

"Great to hear! Are you enjoying your summer vacation?"

"Yes." Gabriel tried not to fidget in his seat. He just wanted to go back home and eat by himself.

Dinner carried on with generic conversations. They talked about his parents, school, future goals, etc. When dinner was finished, Gabriel hope that meant he could go home, but no there was dessert afterward. They went outside on the back patio and ate dessert. Gabriel just stared at the piece of chocolate cake. He didn't really have a sweet tooth. He took a bite of it and tried not to make a face. He only ate it to be polite.

"I saw something incredible today!" Charlotte said.

The only good thing about Charlotte talking was that he wasn't the focus anymore. He just took another bite of the cake and thought about what he was going to do tomorrow.

"What was it?" her mother asked.

"I saw a mermaid!"

Gabriel tried not choke on cake. She saw one!?

"I was walking along the shore," Charlotte continued on. "And there it was! A fin of a mermaid! I saw it going under water!"

"Are you sure it wasn't a dolphin fin?" Gabriel asked. He had no idea way he was interested in this conversation.

"I'm positive! Dolphins aren't green," she said looking at him.

"Green?" He wondered if its eyes were green..

Charlotte nodded her head.

"Maybe the heat was playing tricks on your eyes," Charlotte's father chuckled.

"It was not Papa! Esme saw it too! She ended up on the news!" Charlotte did not sound happy about that. Esme was a girl from their class. They did not see eye to eye.

Gabriel looked down at his cake and tuned out the rest of the conversation. He was trying to convince himself that Charlotte did not see a mermaid, and he did not see a pair of green eyes. It was the heat. Just like her father said. This year, the heat had broken the record in Southern France.

"Where did you see the mermaid?" her mother asked amused.

"Right after Gabby left me earlier today," her daughter replied.

Gabriel looked toward the sea view. Could a mermaid have made those sounds of splashing? In stories, they had been known to mess with humans. He shook his head. Why was he still considering this? They were not real! End of story! Gabriel placed his cake down. He looked at the others. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to head home."

"Oh, is there something wrong, Gabriel?" Charlotte's mother asked.

"I have headache," he lied. "I was out in the sun all day."

"That's fine. Get some rest."

He nodded his head. "Thank you for having me over."

"You're always welcome here."

Gabriel got up from his chair and went back inside. He quickly walked over to the front door. Right when he placed his hand on the handle, he heard Charlotte calling after him. He turned the knob and went out the door at once. Gabriel had a feeling she wanted to walk him. He wasn't going to give her that opportunity. So when he got outside, he quickly went behind the neighbor's house and went onto the beach. He made sure Charlotte's parents couldn't spot him from the patio.

Instead of going home Gabriel just took a walk along the shore. There was no point in going home. No one was there. He walked for a good hour and right when he was about to turn around, Gabriel spotted something in a distance. He stopped in his tracks and could tell it was a person lying on the beach!

He ran towards them. As he got closer, Gabriel felt his heart pounding. The person wasn't making any attempts to move. What if the person was dead? What should he do? When he got closer, he could tell it was a girl. A teenage girl. He stopped in front of her. Gabriel quickly looked away. She was naked..

He shook his head. He needed to keep it together! She could be hurt! Yes, hurt! She was not dead! Gabriel kneeled down beside her and noticed her chest was moving up and down. Good, she was breathing. He glanced over her body. She didn't look hurt. Wait. The way she was breathing. Was she sleeping? Gabriel bit his lip. What should he do? He looked around. It was just them. He couldn't just leave her here.

"Um," he said and shook her arm. "Are you alright?"

The girl's eyes snapped open and he stared into them. Her eyes were bright green.