Did I skip last week?
I keep thinking, but I think I did.
Oooooppppppssssss.
I didn't mean to. Honest.
NEXT WEEK. Next week, I'll be on time.
Promise.
Super-Cyber-Pinky-Promise
...Enjoy...
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Ariel
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She had no time to further ponder this, for the lights in the room flickered on suddenly. Blinded by the brightness, she buried her face into Eric's shoulder. She simply hoped they weren't surrounded by carnivorous murders, who didn't even have the decency to get rid of a mangled body.
"Sir." came a strong, deep voice from somewhere behind her, "Everyone is now accounted for."
"Very good." came a second voice.
Ariel sat her head up at the second voice, sure she knew it well. Still blinking in the brightness, she was surprised that the room she had believed to be empty, was actually full of tall, straight-faced guards, all with high-tech goggles on. But still, she managed to spot Grimsby, the second speaker, quite easily. He looked nonchalant, as he held his hands behind his pencil-straight back and peered around himself with an almost bored expression.
"We've been discovered." came a voice Ariel knew was Charming, and she noticed the boy was standing just a few feet away, at least 8 guards tightly pressed around him on all sides but the one closest to her.
She noticed Cinderella was nearly beside him, the only thing separating her and Charming being three guards who looked unmovable. The poor girl looked frightened, standing all alone between at least 5 different guards.
"Get off of me." snapped Adam, and Ariel spotted him just in time to see him snatch his arm from the hold of one of the guards.
She suspected Belle was nearby as well.
"But why did you take my pizza?" came Aladdin's distressed voice.
Ariel saw Jasmine was beside him, two guards between her and Aladdin, looking equally distressed as he was.
"It could have been poisoned." came a guards voice, his tone laced with the idea that he'd gone over that a point million times.
"It's pizza." Aladdin whined.
He then muttered something about finally being able to afford food, but not being able to eat it.
"Whats going on?" Eric voiced, not loosening his grip on her.
For that Ariel was glad. Everyone in the room was separated, and confused looking. Ariel felt safest with Eric, and hoped he wouldn't let them be split.
"Why, you've gone missing of course." Grimsby answered, approaching, "You know you mustn't run off without alerting an official. You might have been kidnapped."
Eric said nothing, but Ariel suspected he'd at least done an eye-roll.
"If that's so," Florian spoke accusingly, somewhere close, but out of Ariel's sight, "then why did you know exactly where to find us? And why were there no guards searching around outside? Admit it, we were never alone. You've known all along where we were. You've got us tagged, like animals."
"Your all predictable." Grimsby said, waving a dismissive hand.
"Aladdin, who's completely new to you, getting pizza was predict-"
Florian was cut off, his voice turning muffled.
Eric's grip on her tightened, and Ariel gripped his shirt in return. Snow White, who was evidently further away than everyone else, called Florian's name worriedly, and she could be heard crying when he didn't answer her. Belle spoke loudly to comfort her, but Ariel knew she would be just as worried if it were herself in Snow White's position.
"Alright," Charming spoke, his voice evidently unhappy with Florian's silence-ment, "We're all here and we're all safe. Now let us alone."
"I don't think that's wise." Grimsby said, "I left you all alone for not even an hour, and you've managed to get the entire castle into a ruckus. Until I get things back up and running smoothly, you will all be escorted to your rooms until further notice."
"You can't send us to our rooms." Jasmine snapped.
"Young lady, you'd be surprised at the things I can do." he responded, and with a snap, Jasmine was thrown over a guards shoulder and carried out the room.
Both Jasmine and Aladdin protested the event all the way, but one look around the crowded room and Ariel knew the fight was futile. She and all her friends were terribly outnumbered and it seemed as if their words and orders and commands were completely obsolete. All she could do was dread the moment she was wrenched from Eric's arms and taken back to her own room.
Someone must have made to move Snow White along, because a commotion broke out and Ariel made out the girl break through two guards and towards Florian. Florian, clearly inspired by Snow White's victory, broke free of the guard who had his monstrous hand over his mouth, and made to get to her as well, but a second guard grabbed Florian's arm and pulled him back into the middle of at least 9 other guards, and he was lost and out of sight.
Snow White let out a mournful sob as another guard grabbed her the same way he grabbed Jasmine, and she was dragged in the opposite direction of Florian and out of the room.
"This is crazy," Belle said to Grimsby, "You've got these guards acting like animals. Its barbaric!"
"Tell them to back off." Adam added to the man, "Their apparently under only your command."
"Of course their under my command," Grimsby said, waving a hand and having Adam pushed out the room, "If you all were to have that right, the entirety of Pangrea would be in chaos."
Ariel didn't believe that. In the short time she'd met Pangrea's royalty, she realized that they all cared quite a great deal about the people and their welfare.
"Alright." said a stiff voice, "Come on."
Ariel hadn't been aware the guard who had spoken had been talking to her. It wasn't until a guard wrenched Eric's hand from her back and pulled on her hair that she realized. She was shocked a guard was so bold, (and rude), and had no choice but to follow whoever had her hair, if only to lessen the pull on her head.
But Eric took a bit of her hair, himself, and wrapped it once around his hand so that it didn't hurt her, successfully pulling it free from the guard who had had her.
"I'll escort her." he said, firmly.
"That wont be necessary, sir." the guard said.
Eric tightened his grip on her.
"Eric." Grimsby called, sensing the oncoming of a fight, "Calm yourself. She will be taken care of. Please allow the guard to do his job."
"His job," Eric returned, "ought to be to-"
Eric was cut off abruptly, much like Florian had been, when an onslaught of guards closed in on both her and Eric. One of the guards placed a strong, monstrous, hand over Eric's mouth. And before he or Ariel could move to try to remove it, four other guards pried Eric's hands away from her pulled her from him.
They forced Eric to bend over at the waist, and held his hands behind his back, like he were a criminal.
A guard, seeming to come from nowhere, pushed her back and suddenly, she was surrounded by them. She could not see Eric, nor any of her other friends. All she saw the red and blue of the guards uniform. She was surrounded on all sides. They were everywhere. They were close. Much too close. When she looked up, their grievous height seemed to stretch up into the ceiling. She felt like she was drowning in them.
No wonder Snow White had freaked out the way she had. Ariel could feel tears rising in her own eyes, as the panic of claustrophobia set in.
"Sir." came the voice of one of the guards, "We're moving this situation up to a code indigo. For noncooperation."
Grimsby sighed, "Very well. Take them all."
The small circle Ariel was in began to shift, and she had no choice but to walk forward to stay within it. It bothered her that she couldn't even hear Eric. She had heard Florian struggle. She had heard his muffled voice. From Eric, she had heard nothing.
Ariel could not see through the guards, but she knew they must have exited the room she and Eric had come into, because suddenly, she area was filled with bright, natural light. And not the artificial lights that had filled the room.
A spot suddenly cleared in front of Ariel as a guard walked off down a different hallway. While Ariel didn't recognize the hallway she was in, it was very welcome to see a way out of the sea of guards she'd been about to drown in. Another spot, just to her left, clear up, as another guard left. And suddenly, guard after guard disappeared, until Ariel was left with only 3. Apparently, the further she got from the room she'd entered in, the less the guards cared about her well-being.
But that couldn't have been right, because now that she could see, she noticed a blonde head a few feet in front of her, 3 guards surrounding the head. Ariel knew it had to be Aurora in front of her, and Aurora was a royal of Pangrea. Perhaps this was all part of some, code 'indigo'.
Ariel's mind had begun to drift back to Eric, and her hopes of him being alright. She knew he'd be angry, but she hoped more than anything, that he was just alright. But she was jolted from her thoughts when a scream, the same one that had echoed down the beach, vibrated through the castle. It was so much louder inside than it was outside.
The screamer, she had to be close.
Ariel stopped in her tracks, sure that at any corner, she might find herself witness to a murder. The guards behind her, and even the ones in front of her with Aurora, stopped in their tracks too. The guards all shared a look with one another. Their eyes had gone wide, but Ariel noticed they hadn't widened with surprise or fear. They had widened with... something else. Something that was misplaced. It wasn't a look you would expect.
"Get in here." one of the guards said firmly to her, opening a door and pushing her inside. "And don't come out."
Aurora was ushered into the room too, and the door slammed. Ariel could hear the guards lock the door from the outside, and aside from the idea that a lock on the outside of the door was completely idiotic, Ariel was afraid. What if a body was found? What if there really was a rogue maid within the castle? And most importantly, where was Eric?
Aurora flicked the light on in the room, revealing a small furnished sitting room. Flipping a blonde curl over her shoulder, she sat in one of the two chairs of the room, looking not the least bit disturbed.
"Could this all be any more inconvenient?" she asked herself aloud, "My mani-pedi is in 15 minutes. I could just kill right now."
Ariel resisted an eye-roll. Way to see the bright side of the situation. Ariel looked around the room, looking for a window or some sort of ventilation. After being so inclosed with guards, she'd of liked some fresh air. But the room was bare. Equipped with only the two chairs, and a reading lamp.
"Ariel." Aurora said, the name sounding strange from her mouth, "Come here. Sit."
Aurora waved her over and Ariel cautiously approached, sitting in the chair opposite of the girl. Jasmine said Aurora was evil. Eric wasn't very fond of her either. And clearly, Aurora had her sights on Eric anyway.
The girl made Ariel nervous.
But when Ariel sat down, Aurora smiled sweetly at her.
"Ariel," she leaning forward and taking both of Ariel's hands within the both of her own, "I feel like we didn't get a chance to properly introduce ourselves. For someone who is close to my best friend, Eric that is, I feel like we ought to be on good terms."
Ariel nodded dumbly, still not sure how to react around the girl.
"I'll start," she said, "I'm The Much Honored Princess Aurora Rose Annabelle Dahlia Stewardson of the Environmental Province, Her Lairdship and sole heir to the throne."
She nodded to herself with a smile, as if her own name was a privilege to say.
"And you?" she asked.
Well, she was The Much Honored Princess Ariel of the Atlantic Province, Her Lairdship and 7th in line to the throne. But Aurora didn't know she was a princess, and the title basically was reserved for that role. So instead, and rather lamely, she told Aurora;
"I'm Ariel Waters."
But Aurora simply giggled.
"And where are you from, Ariel Waters?" she asked.
The Atlantic ocean.
"Here." Ariel told her. "Uh, Germany. That is."
"What part of town?"
"...This one."
"Truly?" she asked, "Because surely, your red hair and odd appearance would be more native down south. More towards some economically challenged inner city or poverty stricken area ."
Ariel sat up a little straighter, her cheeks beginning to burn. She snatched her hands from Aurora and she could nearly feel the indignant coming off of her in waves.
"I am not from a poverty stricken area." she told Aurora, insulted, "Nor am I from some economically challenged inner city."
Aurora looked shocked at the outburst.
"I'm sorry." she said, her voice strained, "I didn't mean to insult you. I only meant that the way you carry yourself is... odd, at best. I think its wonderful that Eric doesn't mind taking in a lowly commoner. He even ignores your lack of manners."
She pulled a curl over her shoulder, like this conversation was nothing more important than discussing the weather.
"I am not a commoner!" Ariel burst, "I- why, I'm,- I'm no different than you!"
"Perhaps you aren't poverty stricken," Aurora said, tossing the curl over her should calmly, "But you and I are anything but equals."
Aurora was right, of course. Because while Aurora had a measly province, Ariel's family owned the oceans. If anything, Ariel was above Aurora!
"Now," Aurora said, as if to a small child, "If your ready to speak like an adult, I actually have something important to say to you."
Ariel was a half of second from kicking Aurora's chair over. But she calmed herself. While she was easy to get riled up, she actually could take a page from Aurora's book and try to retain calmness. Eric, surely, would appreciate that.
"Good." Aurora said, sensing her change in mood, and flipping a curl over her shoulder. "Now, because I know you're a friend of Eric's, I want to treat you like a friend of mine."
Yes, because friends always accuse each other of being from poverty stricken environments.
"Anyway," Aurora continued, "It would be wise of you to take my advise, when I say, stay away from Eric."
Ariel rolled her eyes openly, hoping Aurora saw.
"You know," Ariel said, "I shouldn't find it astonishing at all, hearing that from you. Everyone knows your gunning for Eric, yourself."
"What I do and why I do it is my own business," Aurora said, strangely calm, "I'm only telling you this, because I don't believe a word out of your mouth. What kind of last name is Water's anyway? I think your some random, crown-fetching girl who's gotten in way over her head. Don't mistake me, I don't think you'd hurt Eric, but I don't think you're doing him any good either."
Ariel struggled to keep her temper in check. But if she really thought about it, Aurora wasn't totally in the outfield. Ariel wasn't known around, and maybe, Waters was a lame last name to go with. How was she supposed to have known that?
It was strange, but maybe Aurora did actually care something for someone else. Could she really be concerned with Eric's well-being?
"I wont lie," she continued, "Eric does seems to actually have taken a liken to you. Heaven knows why, but he has. I've never seen him so... well, it doesn't matter. Eric is always nice and he's always polite, so it really shouldn't surprise me. But the point I've been trying to make, is that in your own interest, and for your own safety, you should quit while your ahead and just leave. I don't doubt you've run into... people... who don't exactly agree with you being here, too. They wont stop coming, and your options will only become more and more limited."
Before Ariel could respond, the door opened, and several guards stood in the doorway. They motioned for both Ariel and Aurora. Ariel, stood, trying to remain carefree, but shaking a bit on the inside. Would Grimsby count as being one of those to 'not agree with her being there'? And if he did, how did Aurora know about it? And why was she suddenly interested in Ariel, besides, of course, to get to Eric?
...Get to Eric. Ariel decided, that had to be it. Aurora was just trying to eliminate competition. She wanted Eric all to herself. That had to be it... right?
Aurora smiled sweetly at her, though for some reason, Ariel realized that this smile, was very fake. Disturbingly fake. Fake in a way that made her want to smile fakely too.
Ariel mimicked the sweet smile, making her way to the guards, and out of the room.
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Eric
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Eric was carelessly tossed into his room. It took all of his balance to stay on his feet. He spun to his door just in time to see it slam and hear the lock click on the outside.
Outside locks were such a dumb idea.
Pacing his room for a moment, he hoped Ariel was treated gentler. Never in his entire life had he been treated as he had been. None of the guards in the past had dared to lay a hand on him. It wasn't a request Eric had made, simply something he'd believed they had been taught or simply figured.
To be both silenced and manhandled within the same day was a bit much for Eric to take in. It made him angrier than anything, though. Eric was sure his father would never put up with that kind of mistreatment. Being silenced. It was an insult. His father, surely, would have the courage to deny that kind of treatment. Better yet, everything would already be established, and Eric's father wouldn't need to deal with anything.
Eric sighed and was just about to sit down on his bed when his bedroom door unlocked and a handful of guards stood outside his room.
"Grimsby seeks an audience with you." a guard said.
Eric complied, following the guards out the room, wondering why he wasn't just immediately taken to Grimsby from the start.
Eric was led, to his surprise, outside. His personal jet was already running and the sound of its engines were defeaning. His guards closed around tighter, and they moved in almost scary unison. Eric's hair whipped around, (reminding him that he could use a trim) flying into his eyes. He was blinded for a good 5 seconds and didn't notice Grimsby cut his guard-circle.
"Eric!" Grimsby yelled, still nearly unheard over the sound of the jets engines, "I'm sending you off to the Academy early."
Eric could hardly hear the man, and his hair was making lip reading impossible. It wasn't until Grimsby repeated his message for the 4th time that Eric got everything the man was saying. Once understanding kicked in, his shook his head defiantly.
"I'm not supposed to leave for another three days!" he told the man, having to repeat his own message twice more.
Grimsby gave up on trying to figure out what Eric wanted, and waved him towards he jet, where they could close the door and talk without screaming. But Eric dug his heels into the ground when his guards tried to move him forwards.
He wasn't going anywhere without Ariel.
Because Ariel was not of royal nor noble stature, and he was just about sure she wasn't, (though he figured that was something he ought to know about her), she needed him to even get in the gates of the academy. And while he was sure there was a way he could be alerted of her presence at the school, hundreds of thousands of people claimed they knew him trying to get in the school, and by the time Ariel was seen and interviewed, he might be out of school.
No, it was better to simply go with her.
When he tried to explain this to Grimsby, the man again gave up trying to hear Eric over the roar of the jet and said something to a nearby guard. Eric was able to pick up the word 'indigo' over the noise and before Eric could object, he was once again manhandled against his will and forced onto the jet.
He was pushed up the stairs of the jet and he and Grimsby was shut in.
Eric had to force himself to calm down. He was beyond tired of his guards forcing him to do things, and tired of Grimsby instigating these events.
"Now," Grimsby said, going over to Eric to fix his wind blown hair, "Whats all this about that girl?"
Eric pulled from Grimsby grip, running an unconscious hand through his hair and destroying what work Grimsby had managed.
"I'm not leaving the country without Ariel," Eric said, simply. "It'll save everyone time if you just brought her out now and we could go over together."
Grimsby shook his head in disagreement, pulling a comb from his sleeve and trying once again to fix Eric's hair.
"I'm afraid we've not the time." Grimsby said, "She'll be brought over when she can. For now, I'll drop you off at the academy myself."
"Shes right inside." Eric argued, "I can go and get her within 5 minutes. Besides, its such a waste of fuel to just send me on this empty jet when Charming, Adam, and everyone else is right here. We can all go together."
Grimsby sighed, again, "Eric, you know your not to ride with the other royals. Standard procedure. Should something happen to the plane then all of Pangrea's royal lineage will be gone all at once. What a disaster."
"Then just let me go get Ariel. 3 minutes. That's all I need. Probably less."
"Eric, I wont allow it."
Eric stood, ready to simply go against Grimsby wishes, which wasn't uncommon. But the jet lurched, and Eric looked out the window, realizing that already, he was too late.
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Ariel
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Ariel paced in her room. Not out of nervousness, but out of boredom, anxiety and worry. She had no word from Eric since the altercation, and it had been hours already. She peaked out her window, which was bright, despite the night sky, due to the lights of the castle.
She hadn't been served dinner yet, but she probably couldn't eat anyway.
Ariel sat on her bed, running a hand through her hair like Attina did when she knew Ariel was upset. It did little to ease her tension. She'd spoken to her sisters just a few minutes before. She was thoroughly distressed, now, for her sisters brought her no good news.
Apparently, all four oceans were under great turmoil. Everyone was looking for her. Worried, angered, and upset merfolk were beginning to get upset with the royal family, for the provisions that were being taken to find her. Fights were breaking out and random acts of violence were occurring over this confusing state. It was a disaster. And it was all her fault.
It seemed as if she'd disappeared. Because it was true. She had. No merman or mermaid could ever find her. Not while she was up on land. While her sisters each swore to keep her secret, they insisted that she somehow let their father know she was alive and alright. He was so worried, they said. He was beyond grief. Some of the less optimistic of the mer-world had begun leaving flowers and teddy bears and gifts at the gates of Atlantica, already believing her dead somewhere. Or worse yet, abducted by some human. Ariel knew he father was aware of her love of all things human.
No doubt, he wouldn't be able to keep the idea that she'd been snagged out of his mind for long.
She was confused. She didn't know what to do. Should she contact her father, wouldn't her father demand to know where she was? She couldn't tell him. She couldn't even lie, because surely, he had people everywhere already. He wouldn't believe her, and wouldn't trust her no matter what she said. And should she tell him the truth... well, he might rage war on all of human kind. Bring the seas up and drown half of Germany. Maybe all of Germany. Rage war. Rage was against Eric. And that, she couldn't handle.
"What do I do?"she whispered to herself, clutching her hair in confusion and concentration.
"Can I help in any way?"
Ariel sat up with a gasp at the voice that answered her. Realizing who had entered her room, she stood up, too briskly for herself, and felt her vision swim for a moment. She grabbed on to one of the bed's posters for support, and strong arms suddenly took her arms, sitting her down gently.
"Are you alright?" asked the male voice, and Ariel nodded her head slowly, just making out the concerned look of Jim Hawkins.
"I'm... just tired." she confessed, trying not to appear too distressed.
"You seem a little more emotional for simply tired." he said, kneeling in front of her and putting a hand on her forehead. "Your not sick, are you?"
Ariel felt the need to shake Jim's hand away, but his cool touch reminded her of Adella's, and no matter what she tried to force her body to do, she couldn't manage to move it.
She remembered, instantly, that uncomfortable feeling she got the last time she was with Jim. She remembered the rose that was still in her drawer, and the note that was still in her trashcan. And mostly, she remembered Eric's unreadable face, when he'd seen her and Jim holding hands.
But still, she was frozen.
"Maybe you just need some food in your system," Jim said, standing up and going to her dresser, "Here, I brought this from the kitchen. No seafood, right?"
Ariel nodded her head, a bit surprised that Jim had known about her 'allergy'. Jim handed her the bowl and she felt almost guilty hearing her stomach growling and feeling hunger creep up into her stomach. She was depressed. Confused. Upset. She was not supposed to be so hungry.
But when Jim handed her a spoon for the soup he'd given her, she ate it hungrily.
Neither of them said anything until she had finished her food, and truth be told, she didn't put her spoon down, so she couldn't say anything even if she did have something to say.
"Thank you." she told Jim, as put her empty bowl on the floor beside her, "It was very good."
Jim, who had been looking out the window, shrugged without turning around.
"Thanks." he said, offhand. "It was nothing."
Ariel raised an eyebrow, "You made it?"
Jim dug his hands deep into his pockets, casually strolling over towards her.
"Mom's a cook." he said, "Dad wasn't around much, so I spent all my time with her."
"I'm the opposite." Ariel said, more to herself than him. "And I'm not even that good of a cook."
This caused Jim to smile, "Everyone's a good cook. Just not every enjoys bad cooking."
Ariel thought about what he'd said for a moment, and once she understood, she allowed a small smile to grace her face. That was one was of putting it.
"Soups a pretty simple dish though, and common where I'm from, further north," Jim said after a moment, content with the slightly less depressing mood of the air, "Where are you from?"
It was a simple question. A simple question that began simple conversations. Something non-personal and didn't make people feel uncomfortable. But just the thought of where she was from, brought tears to Ariel's eyes. Where she was from, chaos was reigning because she'd ran away from home. People where getting hurt, maybe even killed, because she'd been selfish.
She hiccuped and tried to force herself to breathe calmly and evenly, but the tears didn't stop, and her breathing became even more labored. She didn't want to have a breakdown, and she certainly didn't want Jim to see her have one.
Ariel put her face in her hands, momentarily pretending that she was in the room all alone, so that she could calm down and try to regain control of her emotions. But Jim must have thought she'd truly lost it, because in two long strides, he'd approached the bed, sat on the edge of it, and took her in his arms, her chin resting on his shoulder, and his on hers.
Ariel stiffened, sure that if Eric saw them now, he might be inclined to do more than hit Jim. She wanted to push Jim away. So badly did her brain and heart tell her that this was all wrong, but she couldn't, for some reason, push him away. She so much wanted to be held. Held by Eric. By one of her sisters. Even her father would suffice. Someone she knew. Someone who loved her, and would send all her problems away for even just a moment. But she had none of them.
All she had, was Jim.
And that thought made her feel even worse, and the tears came harder, ragged breathing destroying her attempts at getting herself together. She couldn't help but long for Eric, and feel so horrible that she couldn't find the self control to push Jim away. She couldn't help but pray and pray that her sisters and father somehow found a way to calm the raging waters that used to be her home. And she prayed hardest for her sisters safety. She knew, very well, that when things did not go the way people wanted them too, heads turned to the leaders. To the royals. And if the royals could not help, then things would just get worse.
It was times like those when people tried to overthrow the royal family. Times like those when assassinations and murders and revolt happened. And Attina, Alana, Adella, Aquata, Arista, and Adrina just happened to be just the girls who would get hurt if things were to go wrong.
Ariel shut her eyes tight, trying her hardest to put bad thoughts out of her mind. Trying to find it within herself to gather herself to the point that she could convince Jim she was alright, send him away, and then cry in peace. Or at least, until Eric came to get her, which surely, he would.
Ariel hadn't realized she'd be clutching Jim's shirt in her despair. But the shock of realizing this was too much betrayal to Eric for her to take, and she tried to push off of Jim. Jim wrapped his arms around her waist, much like Eric did, and she found herself locked in his embrace.
She told herself that he only did it because he was being friendly. She was clearly upset (maybe even hysterical), and he was a gentleman. He probably couldn't bear to see any woman so torn down. He only did it to comfort her. To try to ease some of her troubles.
But his arms, though they were not as muscular and defined as Eric's, were strong. And if she thought about it, his grip might not be much too different from Urchin's. He was only being nice. And he was anything but her true love, especially since she'd only met him twice. He did not hold the calming smells Eric did. She could not read his facial expressions like a book.
In fact, he was all wrong. His smell was all wrong. His look was all wrong. He did not smell like the ocean. His hair lacked the scent of an expensive shampoo. His skin was weathered by hard work, like Eric's, but where Eric had the necessities that kept the softness and moisture that skin needed to stay aglow, Jim did not have that.
Granted, only Eric was all of these things, but that only served to enforce it in her mind that he was the only one for her.
And Jim had to know this. The way Eric had kissed her that night... that was not something you could fake. It was not something that someone could misinterpret as just 'friendly'. No, Jim was just a naturally nice guy. And he just naturally cared for people. This had to be the case. He was only being friendly.
This eased her mind a bit. No longer did she feel like she was hugging a stranger who would only serve to anger Eric. No, now, she was hugging a friend. Hugging someone who had cooked for her. Someone who simply cared, because he was that nice.
But even still, Jim's arms were around her waist. It was weird that the arms didn't belong to Eric, and friend or not, she didn't much like that. She pulled back from Jim firmly, leaving no room for argument from him, and wiped her eyes.
"I'm sorry." she croaked out, completely not 'UP- like'. "I've... just had a long day."
"Who hasn't?" Jim said, gently. "It's alright."
"I think I better just get some sleep." she admitted, "I'm tired and today's been a bit chaotic."
"Right." Jim said, standing up from her bed, "Goodnight, then."
Ariel watched Jim leave, not nearly as creeped out by him as she had been the last time she saw him.
Now, she watched Jim, not a creeper, but her new friend, leave.
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Eric
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It had to be at least 3 in the morning.
Eric shut his eyes tight, clenching his hands into fists. He focused his breathing and tried to avoid thoughts about jumping out of the jet. It would solve nothing, and Ariel would be upset. And that wouldn't do at all.
Madame Grimhilde was a few seats behind him, but already, she had proven that she could somehow see his hands, and that her whip could easily get to him if she wanted.
"-so I practically single-handedly had to fetch my own tea. You'd probably agree that that was beyond improper, not to mention absurd-"
Jewel, who sat beside him, jabbered on about something or another. Eric had tuned her out before she had even begun talking. When she'd showed up, already packed and on the jet, Eric had at first been furious. Grimsby had had no hesitation to pack Jewel up and get her on the plane. But Ariel was left behind?
He'd tried to stay polite to Jewel, after all, it wasn't her fault that she was on the jet and Ariel was not. She'd done nothing wrong. But he had expressed to her that he simply wished to be alone, and did not feel like any company or talking so that he could sulk in a corner, plotting how he'd get Ariel to the academy before the school year started.
But for Jewel, he must not have been very clear. Because alone to her meant sitting side by side. And wanting no company meant endless conversations. And not wanted to talk meant she did all the talking for him.
Between her and The Evil Queen, who sat behind him, whip in hand, needless to say, he hadn't gotten very far with his plans to get Ariel out of Germany.
"-but of course," Jewel continued, "My favorite color is green. Whats yours?"
Eric had tuned in, quite naturally, at the perfect moment to Jewel's question.
"Blue." he said, lacking emotion.
Blue. It was the color of the ocean. The color of the sky. The color of the love of his life's eyes. Just the thought of her. It made his heart clench. He should have worked harder to get her on board. He should have fought his guards harder to stay off of the jet. He should have sent for her the moment Grimsby asked for him. He should have been thinking.
What she must be thinking. There he'd been, just a few hours before, explaining that she needed to come to school with him. Indirectly stating how serious he was about their relationship. He serious he was about her. And then he'd gone and left her.
She had to hate him.
She had to. He was a jerk.
And that was, if she wasn't scared to death. It was probably why he was beating himself up the way he was, but he would never forget the look on her face when they'd heard that scream on the beach. It hadn't been the sound of a young maid seeing a mouse. It hadn't been a maid tripping down a flight of stairs. There were screams of fright and of surprise. And there were screams of agony and misery. There was no mistaking them.
Of course, Grimsby claimed it was something they'd imagined, or the sound of the wind whistling, but Eric knew... or at least suspected. Whatever or whoever had gotten to Florian's maid, had somehow made it to Germany.
And Eric had left Ariel alone with them.
He groaned, running a hand through his hair. Idiot. Why couldn't he be smart enough to think ahead? Why couldn't he have heard the sound of the jet before he'd left the castle? Surely, Eric's father would not have made that kind of mistake.
"Are you alright?" Jewel asked, seeming to stop talking for the first time since the beginning of the flight.
"I'm afraid I don't feel so well," Eric admitted, watching half amused as Jewel got up and moved across the aisle from him, sitting as far from him as possible.
"Do you want me to tell an aid to get you something?"she asked, and Eric had to wonder that if she didn't want to do something herself, why did she think he was incapable of asking himself?
But he shook his head politely.
Honestly, if he'd of known that she'd move with the promise of possible vomit, he'd of gagged and heaved until she demanded to be switched off of the jet. He was a well enough actor. After all, she'd thought he'd been listening the whole flight.
Even across the aisle, Jewel picked up her one-sided conversation where she'd left off. But Eric closed his eyes, resting his forehead against the cool glass of the window. Unconsciously, he pulled on the gloves he wore, allowing his fresh wounds to get air. Long, thin lines of red criss crossed across the outside of the gloves, and he set a mental reminder to himself to get a new pair, and have his current pair washed and repaired. He hated to waste anything.
"Isn't that funny, Eric?" Jewel asked, "Isn't is?"
"Quite." he told her, and she laughed, as if his simple answer was even funnier than whatever she was initially laughing at.
It was such a long flight, and being stuck with Jewel just made it seem longer.
And possibly even more shocking to Eric, was the quietness he felt in the air. Jewel was talking constantly, and yet, there was something lacking. Like, the sound of a random giggle. A beautiful voice humming unconsciously. Small feet that wiggled and kicked, as if they were the most interesting things in the world. She probably did not think he was aware of such habits, but he knew her already, far better than he knew most people that he'd known for years.
It was deranged that Eric had known Ariel just a little under a week. Granted, he'd met her years ago, but he'd only begun to know her, just under a week ago. How could he miss her so soon? So much?
It was like he was back in Paris all over again. Obsessing over a voice. Over a conversation. Over a girl he hadn't known. And now that he knew who'd haunted, and was haunting, his mind and thoughts, it was even more maddening that he felt her absence of a presence even more. It was like he'd left a great chunk of himself back in Germany. And he didn't feel like he could function without his missing pieces.
And now that he believed something very serious had happened within his castle, he felt even worse. Worse even, then when he'd realized he'd left Max back on his burning ship. Ariel, his poor Ariel. He'd left her on a burning ship. And he had no way to go and rescue her. He was stuck watching. Watching his ship burn.
And burn with her on it.
Ta-da!
That's all she wrote for now.
Remember, I'll be on time next week.
Cyber-Promise.
Now REVIEW so that I have a reminder.
_TheForgottenName