Ocean Avenue
Chapter One: Strange Things
California is a place of wonders. The ocean is a thing of endless beauty; endless mystery. When the sun shines off its surface at dusk, it makes you feel truly alive. Once, I asked someone where we came from...And he told me our souls are all floating somewhere deep in the water, and when inspiration finds them, they come out, and form a body. Then, when we die, our souls return to the ocean, but find a better place there. And when the sun sets, we set with it...and find that place we've always wanted to find. Weird, I know, but it's always made me feel calm when I was a child. My name's Tori. Tori Vega. I'm your typical seventeen-year-old girl living just outside L.A. by the beach. My friends, sister, and I all go to PCA. High school can be a major pain, but they make it worth while. My all-time best friend is Carly Shay; she's sweet, innocent, always there for everyone but herself, and clever as heck. Then there's Cat Valentine. We're like sisters. She's happy, preppy, childish (in a good way), and so in touch with her emotions it's impossible. Katrina, my sister, is a total drama queen who thinks the world revolves around her, but she cares about others. Sam Puckett, a tom boy who loves to eat and pick fights, the girl who'd snap your bike in half then give you her own and make you feel like her new best friend, is definitely a close friend of mine.
Unfortunately, there's a girl named Jadeyn West. Jade's a tough, edgy mean girl who mostly keeps to herself. She's Cat's best friend, even though the two are polar opposites. However, Jade seems to have a soft, caring, even motherly attitude towards Cat. Go figure. Then, there's Zoey Brooks. Zoey's a clueless girly-girl who doesn't think much beyond what color eye shadow she wants to wear. She's kind of like Cat but more superficial and lacking in emotions. Quinn Pensky, a sophomore girl at our school, loves math and science (and needs a ton of subjects for her experiments), though she often lacks common sense. I think it's called dadaism or something. Above all, though, Quinn is nice, sweet, caring, and determined to keep everyone happy.
Forget stereotypes; we're all smart (with the exception of Zoey), independent, and totally committed to our friendships. No bimbos here (with the exception of Zoey). What I'm getting at is that life is full of variety, unexplained events, and a greater force that somehow brings us all together no matter how hopeless we seem. These are our stories; our lives; and it all starts with summer at Ocean Avenue, Los Angeles.
June 13th. Thursday. 8:15 P.M. The sky is dazzling crimson all over. Only streaks of orange from jets' trails change the color scheme. It's cool but warm enough to be cozy. The waves are gentle but enough surf-worthy.
Cat and Katrina were sitting on two long, light-blue beach towels under a big umbrella. They were wearing sunglasses (Cat's were pink-framed with pink cat ears on the edges, and Trina's were blue-framed and in the shape of stars). Catarina's long red velvet hair was down to her shoulders while Katrina's thick, flowing locks were tied back in a ponytail and pulled back so she had no bangs. Clad in a pink, shining, one-piece suit, Katrina looked highly appealing to the guys "stealthfully" staring at her. Cat's usual royal blue two-piece made her look cute, but not really hot. "Can you pass me the sun block?" Trina asked, her tone sweet but distracted.
"Sure," Cat optimistically responded, handing her the pink bottle of protective cream. "The waves look awesome tonight...I'm not really in the mood for surfing, though."
"Dido," Katrina added, staring at the darkening sky. "Hey, check out Blondie."
Sam was standing in the sand, clad in a sexy green bikini with think straps around her thighs and shoulders, waxing her board. Her long, thickly-curled blond hair was lightly blowing in the breeze, and her sunglasses made her seem so unobtainable. Two boys with extremely tan skin and scorpion necklaces on couldn't get enough of her, and it was obvious.
"You think they're gonna talk to her or just slobber from a distance?" Trina jokingly asked Cat.
"I guess the first one," the red-head answered, amused by the stupid situation.
However, one of the boys, a blond one with short hair and overly-pumped biceps took a leap of faith and proceeded over to the girl. "Hey," he said, using a voice deeper than his natural one. "You need any help with that?"
"Nope," Sam answered, barely looking away from her board. "Thanks, though." Strike one.
"You wanna hit the waves after you're done?" the boy persisted. "You look like you'd be an amazing surfer."
"You can tell all that by my swimsuit?" Sam jokingly replied. Strike two.
"Um, no, um..." the young man stuttered. "You just...I've seen you on the water before. You're like a pro."
"Hm, thanks," the blond humbly replied with a slight giggle. "I'll be done in a minute, then we cin go out."
"Wow, really?" the boy awkwardly replied, clearly taken back. "I mean, yeah. Sure. Thanks."
Katrina and Cat giggled amongst themselves. It felt good being around so many desperate guys that were quick to embarrass themselves; like being the only one in your class to pass an easy test.
Meanwhile, Tori was surfing, catching glances of the beautiful sunset above her. Clad in a rather skimpy pink bikini with Hawaiian-style white flowers on it, the thin brunette felt herself glide through the air. Her long, light brown hair flowing, Tori tore to the side, splashing some water forward.
"Nice one, Tori," Carly called as she lay stomach-down on her surf board. The girl was clad in a black wet suit with her long brown hair worn down.
"Thanks, Carls," Tori replied, swimming up next to her friend after the wave set. "You gonna catch some tonight?"
"Nah, I'm really tired," Carly answered. "I think I'm gonna head inside after a few."
"Okay," Tori accepted. "I'm gonna go inside too. Just one more wave." The girl began looking for a good-sized wave.
Sam and the smitten boy rode along side each other atop a large wave. For a second, the boy looked over at Sam's long blond hair flowing behind her. Her stomach peaked somewhat in the center, but in a cute way, the boy thought.
"Watch out!" Sam called, noticing her crushed boy's board going over the wave.
Before the tan teenager could do anything, he felt himself falling. Struggling to see, the boy saw a large splash around him, then went under the water. Cold liquid began to pour into the teenager's mouth, making him sink faster.
"Oh man," Sam exclaimed, leaping into the water in a dive position. The girl's arms tore through the water, trying to reach the drowning boy. Leave it to this guy to get himself killed while staring at me, the girl thought. Sam wasn't used to being anyone's center of attention; that's not the way it worked in Seattle. She was the bad girl with an even worse attitude. Boys were more afraid of her than anything else. Many viewed her as a time bomb who kept to herself and hated the world. Too bad they never got to know the real Samantha Puckett...Not that these new guys did that either. "Where are you?" the girl cried, rising above the water.
"Hey, what's going on?" Cat asked, jumping up. "Come on." The two girls ran towards the ocean, and lept towards Sam.
Not noticing this ordeal, Tori glided along a violent wave, trying to keep her balance. Oh my gosh, she though, beginning to panic. I can't handle this. I can't fall. I... The girl felt herself lose her control over her body, then fall off into the ocean. Her hair blowing up into her eyes, Tori began to grow frantic. With a loud, painful thud, the girl hit the water, causing every bone in her back to loudly pop. Everything went black.
"Tori!" Carly called, swimming with all her might. Suddenly, another wave crashed down over the girl's body, swallowing her.
Sitting on a rock on the far left side of the beach, Jade stared into the sky. Clad in a black one-piece bathing suit that dropped down to her mid-back and left her hips exposed, the dark-haired girl sat still, feeling the air around her. Noticing the panic in the waters below her, the girl began to feel guilty. "What's going on?" Jade called, deeply concerned.
"Somebody's drowning!" Cat called back. "Come on, he needs help. I don't know what happened to Sam either." The dark-haired girl followed her friend into the ocean, then dove under the water.
From a distance, Zoey was walking along the board walk, clad in a tiny blue bikini that flared out tutu-style around her waste. Her tan skin and long blond hair glistened under the setting sun. "Wow, the waves are big tonight," she said to herself before catching some hot guy out of the corner of her eye. Wow...do people really believe all this? she wondered.
While Zoey's petty problems went on, the girls found themselves waking up on a tropical shore. None of the guys were in sight. Tori sat up and clenched her aching head. "Where are we?" she asked, her eyes tightly closed.
"No idea," Cat answered. "What happened to that guy?"
"I don't see him," Carly sadly replied. "Is everyone here, though?" Looking around, the brunette saw Tori, Trina, Cat, Jade, and Sam. The area was foggy, but clad with beautiful, unusual plants and flowers.
"How'd we get washed off shore?" Jade asked, standing up and looking around.
"Where'd you come from?" Katrina asked the girl.
Suddenly, the girls could hear laughter...The laughter of a young girl.
"There's a kid here," Sam said, sounding shocked. "Come on, maybe she knows the way back." The blond ran into the brush.
Jade couldn't help but notice the way the girl's long blond hair tossed back and forth, not to mention the way her cute butt swayed as she ran. The girl quickly snapped herself out of it, and looked straight ahead.
Finally, the six teens reached the spot where Sam heart the girl. However, what they met was shocking; a being in the shape of a woman but composed entirely of water sat on a rock, staring at the river. "I've been waiting for you," it said. "For thousands of years."
"Whoa," Carly whispered, breathless.
"W-who are you?" Cat asked, shocked but not afraid of the pretty being in front of her.
"My name is Atlantis," answered the woman. "I am the spirit of the ocean."
"Atlantis?" Tori asked, staring at the creature. "Like the lost continent?"
"Yes," the water being answered, nodding her expressionless head. A hint of sorrow was in her voice. "You six have wonderful things inside you. You will be the new protectors of the waters...The descendants of the Ancients."
"What?" Jade asked, her strong voice trembling.
The water woman stood up, her legs resembling a long flipper; like that of a mermaid. "Jadeyn West," she said, her voice amazingly calm. "Innocent and fearful...but powerful and dutiful. You are the descendant of Aerial; the mightiest of Neptune's soldiers, and the lost virgin of the sea."
Jade looked down at herself, and saw her body shining and transforming before her. "Whoa!" she yelled, deeply shocked and scared.
"Relax," Atlantis reassured the girl. "You'll be okay."
Jade held her breath, and watched her legs fuse into a long, shining, pink-scaled flipper. Her skin began to change; tanning to an almost golden color, and her arms growing more muscularly developed. Jade's hair glew with a devastating color, then turned a shining platinum-blond color. Her face now looked mature and distinguished, like that of a woman. Her breasts, though she tried to ignore it, were larger and covered with pink guards lined with white armor. "Wow," she said, her voice deep and resembling that of Grey DeLisle from Generator Rex. Jade, at first, resented her bodily changes, but soon grew to like her new strength. "Too bad I look like a priss."
"And you, Victoria Vega," Atlantis said, turning to the brunette. Tori grew nervous. "Filled with wonder and compassion...you are a descendant of Anastasia; guardian of the East Waters, and an eternal searcher."
Tori looked down at her body, which was now glowing with blue light. Rays of energy shot up, blowing her long, light-brown hair into the air. Tori's legs fused together and formed a shining blue flipper. Her body grew somewhat thicker (but by no means fat), her skin more tan, and her hair grew down to her lower back and turned thick and blond. A red, exotic flower grew in her hair. "Holy cow," Tori said, looking over her body.
"Katrina Vega," the water woman said, turning to the older brunette. "Descendant of Alana; Wife of Arthur. Caring and devoted to all life. Warrior of the West seas."
Fearing the pain of a transformation, the girl closed her eyes as her body began to change. Katrina's legs fused into a single aqua-colored flipper, her body grew thin and slightly muscled, and her hair turned bright red, straight, and down to her mid-back. After feeling it was over, the teenager opened her eyes, and gazed at her new body.
"Carly Shay," Atlantis said.
"Oh boy," Carly said, not meaning to be irreverent.
"Pure, fair, and wise," the woman continued. "You are the descendant of Daphne; Virgin queen of the ocean."
"Q-queen?" Carly asked, awe-struck. Suddenly, the girl's smooth, modest hair grew thick and long. As it turned black, her lips were dyed red, and her legs united into a single golden flipper. Her body tanned to a shining near-golden color and grew more powerful in stature. "...Wow...I'm beautiful."
"Samantha Puckett," the water being continued, turning to the blond. "Tenacious in battle...Noble in virtues and loyalty...Sweet and innocent. You are a descendant of Emeralda; Princess of the seas."
Sam looked down at her legs as they united into a shining purple flipper. In shock, the girl screamed, and lost her balance, only to be caught by Daphne. The girl's hair grew down to her waist and turned a shining brown. Her body grew thin and tight, though her stomach retained its slight peak in the middle. Her arms became muscular and clad with effeminate jewelry. A small golden crown formed on her head, which now bore a more mature but youthful face.
"It's alright," Atlantis assured the girl. "It's over."
Sam fixed herself up on her flipper. "Finally," she said, trying to sound composed and angry as usual.
"And lastly," the water woman concluded. "Catarina Valentine...Wise, caring, and loving. You are the descendant of Hope; Tamer of dolphins and teacher of the youths."
"Cool," Cat replied, excited. The girls legs fused into a soft red-colored flipper, her skin remained the same tint, but grew thin and muscular. Her long, red hair turned black and shining with blue hues. "Wow."
"The boy you all tried to help, should you notice him, was an illusion to get you all deep into the water," Atlantis explained. "Do not be fooled, being mermaids is a lethal game to play, but the burden has fallen on you. You are to defend the seas against the evils of the Neverseas, as well as evil on earth. There are more like you...some good. Others evil. Never sway from the pure ways of your ancestors, or your own souls. Do you accept these powers?"
The girls looked at one another, and seemed to share the same thought. "You know it," Anastasia answered, her voice confident.
"Carly shall lead you into battle," the woman continued. "Should she fall, Sam will take her place as queen."
"I don't have what it takes," Carly replied, nervous.
"You will," Atlantis responded, her voice confident in her apprentice. "As mermaids, you will be able to see that which mortals cannot. Evil lurks in the sea as well as good. Only you can restore the balance. Return to you homes."
Suddenly, the girls woke up on the beach near L.A. Their bodies were back to normal, and the sky was black. Waves gently crashed onto the shore.
"That was weird," Jade said, rising out of the sand. "Did anyone else see all that?"
"I know we did," Carly answered. "That was too real."
"Oh, great," Sam replied, pulling her face out of the sand. "That princess and I did not jive."
"They're gonna have to," Katrina shot back. "We're mermaids now. No backing out."
"Where do we go from here?" Tori asked, looking at the starry night.
"I think I have the answer to that," said a woman clad all in black, watching the girls from a crystal ball. Darkness coursed around the room she was in, which all too well matched the corruption and blackness in her collapsed heart and soul.