Chapter Twenty: In Which the Finley-Starrs Finally Get Their Comeuppance
"What's Angelfish Dust?" Apple asked. Flo and Clara stared at her.
"You don't know what Angelfish Dust is?!" Flo said in disbelief.
"Everyone knows that!" Clara added. "Even children in primary school!"
"Apple, you must know of some sort of equivalent on land." Said Percy.
"LAND?!" The Wassers practically shouted.
Flo was stunned. "You mean you're a…"
"Yes, I'm human." Apple said. "I don't normally look like this." She looked at her slutty outfit with distaste. "And I've certainly never looked like this…" She sighed.
"Apple's studying abroad for a semester, and her host mom is a sorceress that gave her fins." Percy quickly explained.
"Ohhh…" Said Flo. He never would have guessed in a million years.
"Then you must be the one that almost got raped!" Clara blurted out.
"What?!" Said Flo.
"How did you know?!" Apple asked.
"The man talking with Odessa behind the club said so. He said Mr. Mara's son nearly raped a human." Clara said.
"You mean that guy I was impersonating? The owner of the club? His son tried to rape you?" Flo asked Apple.
"Yes. He tried to seduce me with a mersong, but my friends and host parents saved me just in time." Apple said.
"Geez…" Flo said. It was kind of weird to realize to that your mermaid friend was really a human and that you just happened to disguise yourself as father of the guy that nearly raped her because she was human. Talk about coincidences.
"Wait a minute, what man?" Percy asked Clara. "What man talking with Odessa?"
"The one who gave her the Angelfish Dust!" Clara said. "She took away ten packages and she said that she'd send her sisters to pick up the money for them next week. And she said that he'd better pay her for delivering them and she threatened to tell Mr. Mara if he didn't!"
"But what is Angelfish Dust?!" Apple asked again.
"It's a drug, Apple." Percy said. "A drug that you snort up your nose and…"
"OHMYGODMOTHER!" Apple exclaimed. "You don't mean like Pixie Dust do you?!" In the U.F.K., Pixie Dust had little to do with pixies, but it was still powerful stuff. And highly illegal!
"I'm not entirely sure, but judging by your reaction, yes: it is like Pixie Dust. And it's a big no-no down here." Percy said grimly. "Grandpa Phineas completely outlawed it when he was king."
"And Odessa's been distributing that stuff!" Apple gasped.
"All of the sisters, apparently. And Gerald Mara's in on it too!" Percy added.
"Clara, did you take any pictures?!" Flo asked.
"No." Clara said with a big grin. "I filmed the entire thing!"
"Well done, Fischlein!" Flo said jubilantly, and he picked up his tiny cousin and swung her around.
"Does this mean you won't tell Aunt Hildegard?" Clara asked.
"Well, I suppose since you just discovered an illegal drug racket, I can't very well do that, can I?" He said.
"Nein." She smiled.
"But we will have to tell the authorities." Apple said. She had thought that they would just leave their pictures and videos of the sisters at the club with Headmistress Finley-Starr and let her decide how to punish her law-breaking daughters. But drug smuggling and peddling was an extremely serious offence. Now they had no choice but to involve the police.
"I can't believe it," Percy said, shaking his head. "I knew the Finley-Starrs were sirens, and I could easily imagine them clubbing as minors, but drug-dealing? I mean, just how low can they stoop?"
"As low as sea muck." Flo growled. Apple nodded; if one of the Finley-Starrs was her villain instead of Raven, she wouldn't have to worry about her family story coming true!
"What are we going to do now?" Clara asked.
"Go to Mel-Mel's and wait for the others." Said Percy. Just then, his stomach rumbled loudly. "And hope she left some cookies there." He added.
"We didn't even get to have those appetizers." Apple sighed. "I'm sorry we wasted your money, Flo."
"I brought money!" Clara said. "Let's go to Taffy's!"
Flo laughed. "You're brilliant, Fischlein!" And the four of them swam towards the sweet shop.
Meanwhile, Liara, Ruby, and Orlando were wondering just what happened to make Apple Percy and Flo leave so fast.
"I hope they didn't get caught!" Orlando said anxiously.
"I don't think so," said Ruby. "I didn't see anyone chasing them."
"Arrrg!" Liara half-growled in exasperation as she checked her latest text message.
"What is it?" Ruby asked.
"Percy's being so infuriating! He says they discovered something big, but he won't tell us until we're at Mel-Mel's!"
"That'll happen soon enough," Orlando said, pointing out the window. "Look!" The Finley-Starrs were leaving the Capelin Club and headed towards Atlantis Academy! Liara immediately sprang into action.
"I'll start tailing them." She said, jamming her black wig back on her head. "You two call the others and catch up." And with that, Liara quickly swam out of the café.
Ruby dialed Atticus's number. "Hello, Atticus? Ruby here. The sirens are headed for school. Get ready!"
"OK, everyone the Finley-Starrs are on their way," Atticus announced after he got Ruby's call. "Head for the gym!"
The five merteens all swam for the gym where the anti-pollution club's giant model of a coral reef was being stored; thankfully, the set of keys Mel-Mel borrowed included a master key. They all scrambled to find places to hide.
Helena and Atticus swam beneath the bleachers. Mel-Mel quickly unlocked a teacher's office and ducked in there. Sep managed to squeeze himself into a rolled-up gym mat. And Mitena curled herself on top of one of the round light fixtures on the ceiling. One nice thing about being a mermaid was that height and gravity weren't an issue when you needed a good hiding place indoors.
And the group waited with their cameras poised for the next twenty minutes. Thirty seconds before Liara sent Atticus a text message, Mitena whispered:
"They're in the school. I can hear them."
"Now what?" Orlando asked as he, Ruby, and Liara watched the Finley-Starrs enter the school.
"I'll stay here and film them coming out." Liara said. "You two head for Mel-Mel's. And you might as well text Jul and Hermia and tell them to go there too; we probably have enough footage of the library."
"Right." Ruby said, as she pulled off her old lady disguise and pulled out her phone.
"And if Percy tells you what the 'big discovery' is when you get there, text me right away; I hate suspense!" Liara added.
"Almost as much as Percy in drag?" Orlando innocently asked.
"GAH! I told you never to speak of that!" But deep down, Liara knew that no matter how hard she tried, she could never erase that image from her mind.
A minute later, Julia got a text on her phone.
"It's Ruby." She informed Hermia. "She's says the Finley-Starrs have entered the Academy and that there's no point in us dallying here any longer."
"Finally!" Hermia said in relief. Although Hermia got along with Julia far better than her twin, she never wanted to tediously wait with Julia for anything ever again. The two sisters quickly packed up their camera and left for Mel-Mel's.
The next fifteen minutes were torture for Mitena. It was bad enough to watch the three bullies destroy what she and the Wassers had worked so hard on, but her worry over getting caught made her a nervous wreck.
For Mitena's anxiety made her super-hearing increase. And every single noise her companions made set her even more on edge. She could hear Sep wriggling inside the gym matt. She could hear Atticus pressing the buttons on his camera. She could hear Mel-Mel bumping into a chair in the office. She even heard Helena sneeze at one point. Sneeze! Actually it was more of a little snort of indignation regarding the Finley-Starrs' doings, but sounded like a loud sneeze to Mitena's hyper-sensitive ears at that point. And Mitena was terrified that the Finley-Starrs would hear her own heart wildly thumping.
Thankfully, the Finley-Starrs' hearing wasn't nearly as sharp as Mitena's. They were like little girls at play; giggling as they sprinkled garbage all over the display and smashed sculptures of coral. The same thought ran through Atticus, Mel-Mel, Helena, and Sep's minds as they filmed and took pictures of the Finley-Starrs' actions:
Enjoy this while you can. This will be your last prank. They thought in quiet anger.
Finally, the Finley-Starrs concluded their business and left, with their laughter echoing through the halls of the empty school. But the five merteens didn't make a move until they received a text from Liara.
"OK, Liara says they're gone." Atticus announced. Everyone else gave a huge sigh of relief, especially Mitena. "She says everybody else is at Mel-Mel's and she's heading over there. We'll join them as soon as we fix the display."
Unfortunately, the display didn't look like it could be easily fixed. The Finley-Starrs had really done a number on it. Unknown sludge and slime stained many of the sculptures and several other sculptures were smashed into little bits. It would take hours to clean and re-glue everything!
For a moment, all of the Atlanteans just stared at the mess before them. Even though it was only a fake coral reef, it was still awful for them to see it so damaged and abused. Mel-Mel even started crying a little.
Mitena looked sadly at her friends. She knew all too well what they were feeling.
And that's when it suddenly hit her! The ruined coral reef was having a huge effect on her Atlantean peers. And when she saw how choked up Mel-Mel was, she got a brilliant idea!
"I guess we'd better start cleaning…" Helena said gloomily.
"No! Don't clean it!" Mitena exclaimed. "Leave it as it is!"
"WHAT?!" Mitena's friends were shocked; what had gotten into her?!
"Mel-Mel, can the anti-pollution club borrow your head sculpture?" Mitena eargerly asked Mel-Mel.
"Sure, but why?" Mel-Mel asked, utterly mystified. Mitena quickly told the others her idea.
"OhmyPoseidon, that is absolutely genius!" Squealed Mel-Mel.
"It'll be amazing!" Gushed Helena.
"Totally AWESOME!" Added Sep.
"That'll definitely get everyone's attention! It's perfect, Mitena!" Said Atticus.
"And you know what else is great about this?" Grinned Sep.
"What?" Asked Helena.
"We don't have to spend all night cleaning up!" He cheered.
"Come on," Said Mel-Mel. "Let's get the head from the studio and get started!"
And what originally looked like a long, painful clean-up job turned into a joyous art project. In twenty minutes, they were ready to leave for Mel-Mel's.
Much to Liara's annoyance, Percy steadfastly refused to share what the "big discovery" was until everyone was present at Mel-Mel's. Luckily for her, the team stationed at the Academy arrived way earlier than expected.
"Alright, now SPILL!" Liara demanded once everyone was settled in Mel-Mel's living room.
Apple, Percy, and Flo told the others about their experience at the Capelin Club and how Clara witnessed Odessa picking up Angelfish Dust to sell. When the others didn't believe them, they presented the indisputable proof: the package of the illegal drug and Clara's video of Odessa's exchange with the delivery guy.
"I simply can't believe it," breathed Julia, after she saw the video. "What in the seven seas would possess her to do something so incredibly ludicrous?!"
"Probably money." Ruby said. "All of the articles I've read about drug smuggling say that you can make a bundle from it."
"If you don't get caught!" Clara piped up.
"Even so, how dumb can you get?!" Said Orlando. "It's a huge risk!"
"Aw man, her mom's gonna kill her!" Exclaimed Sep.
"She'll have to break her out of jail first." Atticus said dryly.
"They'll go to jail?" Apple asked.
"Probably." Said Atticus. "Or get majorly fined at the very least."
"How many illegal things have they done tonight?" Mitena wondered out loud.
"Just two." Said Percy. "They went into a club as minors and they've been dealing drugs."
"And the jello shots." Apple reminded him.
"Oh, that's right." Said Percy. "We also got footage of Odessa downing jello shots. So that's three."
"Three strikes and they're out!" Snickered Mel-Mel.
"And if you count everything else they've done this evening…" Said Apple.
"Lying to their mother." Said Hermia.
"Borrowing her keys without permission and breaking into the school." Said Julia.
"Massive littering." Said Helena.
"And destroying other students' property." Said Ruby.
"That makes seven." Totaled Percy. "Well, eight, if you view taking the keys and breaking into the school as separate things."
"Yeah, they're screwed." Liara concluded.
"Actually, they did do one good thing tonight; tell them, Mitena!" Mel-Mel urged.
And Mitena told everyone about the idea she got when she saw the wreckage the Finley-Starrs had created and how she and her teammates had not only fixed the display, but vastly improved it as well!
"That's wunderbar!" Flo exclaimed as he gave Mitena a huge hug. "Ganz wunderbar! Mitena, sie sind brillant und Ich liebe dich!" And then he stopped and turned bright red. Had he really said that? Out loud?! But thankfully, only Clara understood what he said. And he knew he could trust her not to tell.
"Erm…" Flo quickly regained his composure before anyone could start asking him to translate. "Sorry, I do that when I get excited. It's a fantastic idea, Mitena; it's just what we need for our club!"
Just then, Flo got his own fantastic idea. "And I know something else we can do; to get more than one point across!" He said. He shared his idea with the others and everybody loved it. Except Julia.
"I don't know…" she said doubtfully. "We're already telling their mother, and now we're obligated to tell the police. Wouldn't this be going a trifle too far? It seems awfully vindictive."
"No it's not!" Argued Clara. "It's educational!"
"It does need to be said." Atticus agreed.
"And come on, we can't be perfect, little, high-minded princes and princesses all the time." Liara said as she nudged her sister in the ribs. "Sometimes you gotta relish dishing out justice."
"And justice has been waaaay overdue for those three." Added Percy.
"Totally. They need to go out with a bang!" Declared Sep. "Like all good villains!"
"Don't you mean bad ones?" Percy joked.
"Same difference." Sep said.
"Fine." Julia sighed, seeing that she was completely outvoted. "But I still don't approve."
"We never expect you to." Liara quipped. Her big sister could be such a prissy prig.
"Hey, now that we have the evidence to bust the Finley-Starrs, you know what we should do?!" Said Mel-Mel.
"What?" Asked Clara.
"Have a we-have-enough-evidence-to-bust-the-Finley-Starrs party!" She said.
"Uh, Mel-Mel?" Orlando said. "I think busting the Finley-Starrs was the party; it's nearly eleven now. We need to go home." Mel-Mel was very disappointed.
"It's OK." Percy told her. "We'll celebrate it this weekend."
"After we've busted them." Orlando added.
As everybody was leaving Mel-Mel's, Apple called Aiden on her shell phone and Aiden made a portal to bring her home. Apple was so tired, she didn't even bother to change. She just sipped her potion, took her pills, flopped into bed, and fell asleep almost immediately. Her last conscious thought was:
So this is what it feels like to be Briar…zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
While Apple was sleeping, Aiden waved her hands and replaced Apple's trashy costume with her PJs and removed her heavy make-up and long nails with magic. And she kissed her softly on the head.
Goodnight Apple. She thought. It'll be interesting to see what you and your friends have been up to this evening.
The next day, the Finley-Starrs were bubbling with malicious glee; they couldn't wait to see how the freshies reacted to their precious display's destruction! And Apple and her friends couldn't wait to see the Finley-Starrs' reactions when they found out what they had in store for them!
At last, the moment of truth came. During lunch period, Headmistress Finley-Starr made her announcement:
"Attention students! I'm sorry to interrupt your lunch, but I thought making this announcement now would be a pleasant change from interrupting your studies with an assembly."
There were several groans in response to this; at this point in the semester, any break from class was a welcome one.
"Ahem." Said the headmistress, as she gave several students pointed looks. "I would like to take this time to introduce you to some of our new students: Mr. Florian Wasser, Miss Clara Wasser, and Miss Mitena Ziibi. They will be starting an environmental club next semester and I've invited them to give a short presentation about the importance of protecting our ecosystem. I hope this will inspire you to join their group, or at the very least, do your part to preserve the beauty of our underwater world. And without further ado, I'm pleased to present Atlantis Academy's anti-pollution club!"
Everyone politely applauded as Mitena and the Wassers wheeled in their covered display. But the Finley-Starr sisters were troubled; something was definitely amiss.
Portia was deeply confused. "Wasn't the display flatter?" She asked.
"Yeah, it was." Said Angela. "Now it's tall. Do you think we got the wrong project?" She asked Odessa.
"No, it was exactly where and what Mumsy said it would be," Odessa said. "I mean, how many giant coral reef models can there be in one school?"
"Do you think they made a decoy?" Angela asked.
"It couldn't be, they had no idea!" Odessa snapped. At least they shouldn't have had any idea, she thought to herself.
"And why is Orlando wheeling in that large projection screen behind them?" Angela added. "And why is Atticus setting up that projector? Is there a video?"
"Were we supposed to destroy that too?" Asked Portia.
"Mumsy didn't say anything about that; it was supposed to be just the reef!" Odessa hissed. The whole thing was weird, and Odessa had a distinct feeling that things weren't going to go according to plan.
"Hi everyone!" Flo said in a strong, clear voice. "Thanks for taking time to listen to us today. We promise not to keep you from your lunches too long!"
"But we don't plan to waste too much time talking, anyway." Mitena added. "Because some lessons are clear when you take time to look at them." With that, Mitena whipped the cover off of the display.
There was a collective gasp from the entire student body. Mel-Mel's giant head sculpture was filled with bits of realistic coral replicas and trash, all intermingled together. Mel-Mel had even made a gaping mouth in the wire head and created a long wire arm and hand with a trash bag dangling down from the hand, right in front of the mouth. It looked as though the wire head was feeding itself garbage.
"Our homes are a part of us." Mitena said. "No matter where we come from. For Atlanteans, the beautiful coral that surrounds this kingdom has been around since the time of Poseidon. It is part of your heritage, part of who you are. Just as my river will always be a part of me."
"And our river will always be a part of us." Flo said, as he put a hand on Clara's shoulder.
"But not everyone treats that part of themselves with respect." Mitena said. "Many people near my river did not take care of their home. And they destroyed not only their home, but that of my clan, and many others as well."
"And the people who polluted our river not only destroyed their homes and ours, but also destroyed many people. Including my mama and papa." Clara said tearfully.
"So as you eat your lunches today, and put good things in your mouths, think about what you're putting into our world." Flo said. "Because it's part of you just as you're part of it. Please take care of it as you would yourself."
"And please think about joining our club next year!" Clara added.
"And honor of this display, which our good friends helped build, we're officially christening our club H.E.A.D." Mitena said.
"Help the Environment, Avoid Destruction! H.E.A.D.!" The three freshwater merpeople shouted.
The entire cafeteria burst into applause; some people were even crying like Mel-Mel had last night. H.E.A.D.'s display and introduction was a huge success! The Finley-Starrs were seething in their seats; those freshies had turned their prank into something profound! This wasn't supposed to happen!
"This sucks." Angela muttered.
"Totally." Pouted Portia. Odessa was too mad to say anything.
But Flo wasn't done yet.
"Now I know we said that this would be brief; but there's one more thing we'd like to say while we have your attention." He said.
"We'd like to talk about some other kinds of pollution." Clara said.
The Finley-Starrs looked at each other. Other kinds of pollution? They thought. Their mother hadn't mentioned this. And why were they smiling like that?
"Percy, will you do the honors?" Mitena asked.
"My pleasure." He grinned. By now the projection screen and equipment had been set up. Percy flicked the remote, and the short film he and Atticus had quickly put together played.
"This was filmed inside the Capelin Club." Mitena said as the first short scene played. "Maybe some of you have been there."
"Especially since the bouncer doesn't bother to check IDs." Flo said. "I mean, just look at those girls." To the Finley-Starrs horror, the camera zoomed in on them dancing like skanks with several sketchy, older mermen. "I don't think they're twenty-one do you?"
"I sure hope this girl's twenty-one!" Mitena said. "Look at her go at that jello shot!" If looks could kill Mitena would have died from Odessa's furious glare.
"Uh-oh, what's she up to now?" Asked Flo mockingly, as the film showed Odessa's interaction with the delivery guy. "And what's in those innocent, little packets, you might wonder? Nothing much…"
"Just Angelfish Dust!" Clara said triumphantly. "And the police now have a packet to prove it!"
"Oh ja, good old Angelfish Dust; the drug that causes slurred speech, bloodshot eyes, high blood pressure, paranoia, hallucinations, and suicidal tendencies, just to mention a few lovely side effects." Flo said sarcastically. "No wonder King Phineas outlawed this stuff back in his day. What a way to destroy yourself!"
"Or in this girl's case, destroy others." Mitena said pointedly. "Consuming too much alcohol and taking drugs is a way of another polluting yourself. And selling drugs is a way of polluting others."
"So again, be careful what you put inside yourself." Flo cautioned.
"And don't let people like the Finley-Starrs pollute you!" Clara said, as the film showed them destroying the original display. "Whether it's through selling drugs or just plain bullying!"
"Thanks everybody, have a good lunch!" Flo concluded. And the cafeteria burst into another loud round of applause.
The only people in the cafeteria who were absolutely still were the headmistress and her daughters.
The Finley-Starr sisters knew that they were dead meat, plain and simple.
Headmistress Finley-Starr felt as though someone had paralyzed her entire being. This couldn't be true! She thought.
But when Percy, Apple, and their friends presented her with a mountain of evidence, she had to conclude that it was indeed true; her daughters had behaved terribly, to say the least. She had no choice but to expel them. And she didn't interfere when the police came to the Academy to take the sisters into custody.
Portia cried like a baby when they were arrested and Angela was furiously snarling insults and threats at the cop that led her to the police chariot. But Odessa didn't struggle or say anything. She just looked downright evil, as if she was already plotting the demise of everyone who exposed her. The look on her face made Apple shiver a little bit. She hoped she'd never have to cross paths with Odessa again!
Apple was worried that she, Flo, and Percy would get in trouble for illegally entering the Capelin Club as minors. But instead, Inspector Puffer congratulated them for uncovering the drug smuggling ring and for proving that the Capelin Club consistently broke club regulations and served alcohol to minors.
"At least old Mara won't have to miss his boy anymore!" He laughed. "They'll spend quite a bit of time together in prison!"
And lots of students at Atlantis Academy were overjoyed to see the Finley-Starrs finally get their comeuppance in spades! Apple, and everyone in their group, attributed their success to Percy since he was the one who orchestrated the plan to expose the Finley-Starrs. The only person who didn't believe that was Percy himself; he gave all the credit right back.
"Every one of us made this possible." He said. "But I think we all owe an especially big thanks to Apple; she was the one who helped me and my brothers and sisters recognize our royal duty to prevent toxic people like the Finley-Starrs from polluting our school!"
"Here, here!" Everyone cheered.
Apple didn't feel like she had done that much. But she still felt very proud.
That evening, Apple told Aiden and Roland everything that happened. Aiden had been there for the presentation, but she didn't know the whole story. And when Apple finished, Aiden said:
"See? I told you the Finley-Starrs would get their comeuppance in the end. You didn't need my help."
"Wait, did you know this would happen?!" Apple asked.
"Not exactly." Aiden said. "I knew that if you wanted to be a fair ruler like your mother, you wouldn't stand for bullying for very long. And I was pretty sure you could convince the Atlantean royals to help you stop them eventually. But I had no idea how and when you would do it. And I certainly had no idea about the drugs; that was a wonderful thing you and your friends did for Atlantis."
"So is that why you refused to stop them in the first place? Because you thought I should do it myself?"
"Yes." Said Aiden. "I thought you could, and therefore, you should."
"And you did!" Roland grinned. "You helped stop the Finley-Starrs from hurting tons of people, and not just students!"
"You acted like a real princess. And you even taught the Tritinius kids an important lesson about being royal." Aiden said proudly.
Apple smiled, but something was bothering her…
"Roland? Do you remember when you told me that nearly everything bad happens because someone is suffering from pain?" She asked.
"Yes?" He said.
"Well what kind of pain do the Finley-Starrs have? I mean, they have a mother who loves them, they're beautiful, and well off; what made them so bad? Why did they bully others and sell drugs?"
Roland and Aiden looked at each other. Unfortunately, not all questions had obvious answers.
"I don't know." Roland said simply. "You're right; you would think that with their mother's love and care, they wouldn't turn out the way they did. I do know that they've been like this for a long time, since they were little girls. They always used to make trouble behind their mother's back."
"I can think of only one possible reason." Aiden said. "Their lack of a father. I don't know what he was like, or what happened to him, but he's not in the picture. And I don't know how his past presence or current absence affects their family. The headmistress never talks about him."
Apple was silent as she tried to imagine what must have happened to make the Finley-Starrs such spiteful sirens from a young age.
"But remember Apple: nearly everything bad happens because of pain." Roland said. "Some people, for whatever reason, are missing a crucial part of their souls from birth. They just like to play with fire and watch the world burn."
"Although it's much more likely that the Finley-Starrs do harbor some inner demons we don't understand." Aiden said. "I can't believe the headmistress would give birth to three children like that. One would be unfortunate. Two would be tragic. But three is a definite pattern."
"If only there was a way to stop all pain." Sighed Apple.
"If that happened, all sorcerers, wizards, witches, and magicians, good and bad, would be out of a job." Roland joked. "And in most great stories, pain creates the conflict that makes the stories interesting."
"Besides, pain isn't the real problem, Apple." Said Aiden. "It's what people do with pain that matters. Look at your friends Mitena, Clara, and Flo: haven't they gone through a lot of pain?"
Apple thought about her friends' heartfelt speech earlier that day. "Yes." She said "Terrible pain."
"And what are they doing?" Aiden asked.
"They're trying to protect the environment. They're trying to prevent what happened to their homes from happening to Atlantis."
"Exactly! Just as Mitena took the Finley-Starrs' destruction and made it something beautiful, she and the other freshwater students have chosen to take something away from their bad experiences to make the world a better place." Aiden said.
"So you must never wish away pain." Aiden told Apple. "You must always look for a way to help others avoid it."
As she got ready for bed that night, Apple thought about what Aiden said. And once again, Apple wondered if her own fear of uncertainty was a kind of pain that would later hurt others.
Once, she was convinced that she wanted to relive her mother's story because it was beautiful, glamorous, and vital to becoming queen. But now that she saw how silly it really was, she just felt like she had to do it.
For Apple never wanted to re-experience that feeling she once had as a little girl at the bottom of a well. The feeling of being trapped in the dark. The feeling of not knowing whether or not you would survive. Just thinking about it convinced Apple that she could never sway from her destiny!
Besides, everyone expected her to be just like her mother. And not living up to her mother's standards was a whole other kind of pain.
So what could she do? She could try to look up some ways to make her story better for her descendants. And she would do her utmost to make sure that Raven didn't suffer any more than absolutely necessary.
But it didn't seem like enough.
Just sleep for now. The little voice said. Tomorrow is another day to think and do. And you've learned and accomplished a great deal today.
Apple couldn't argue with that. And she fell into a peaceful sleep.