Day fourteen of MerMay prompt month.

Yet again, another short chapter. BUT! There's some Ferbella friendship interactions to make up for the lack of chapter length.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HIGHERSILVER

(Are there any other May birthdays out there in our Ferbella fandom? I'm willing to give a shoutout to anyone!)

Driver - Isabella

Riding in a car while Phineas drove was always an experience—one that Isabella honestly wanted to avoid at all costs. So when she got a text saying exactly that, she replied with a different suggestion.

Why don't we take my car instead?

Sure! That sounds great! Your car is so fun!

She grinned. She did love her car—she just didn't use it much. The bike worked well for the short distances she had to cover daily. It didn't make sense to take the car for a couple-minute drive to get to the restaurant or to the water's edge.

The car had been a gift from her Nana Shapiro on her sixteenth birthday (and it was one of the few things that caused tension between her mother and grandma). She had put less than five-thousand miles on it, which showed how little she actually used it in two years, but she still kept up with the maintenance. It hadn't been new when it became hers, but it was in such excellent condition you'd never know that.

At eleven that morning, she backed the car out from behind her house where it was usually parked (as to not be in the way of either of her parent's cars). Phineas must have been watching for her, because she had barely put the car in park, still in her own driveway, when both of them came hurrying across the street.

"Hi Isabella!" the redhead cheered as he opened the passenger door. Even with his long legs, Phineas had no trouble climbing into the smaller backseat. Isabella didn't quite understand it, but it was seriously his favorite place to sit in her car.

She laughed as Ferb, hesitating only a moment, got in the front seat. "Hi Phineas. Let me run in and grab something before we head off." She doubted she would need her notebook, but she figured it was better to have it on hand, just in case. You never know—maybe Ferb might have another fascinating myth to tell her and she'd want to take notes.

Getting back into the car, Ferb gave her a curious look while Phineas verbally asked the question in his eyes. "Are you doing better today, Isabella?"

She chuckled. "Much. Yesterday was… ugh," she groaned, shaking her head. "Don't get me started." She checked the road before pulling out of her driveway, turning towards the city center. "I love children, I really do, but birthday parties with picky kids is never fun."

Isabella saw Ferb's lips twitch out of the corner of her eye and she couldn't stop herself from poking him in the side. "None of that," she remarked playfully. She could see Phineas looking confused—he hadn't seen Ferb's face—but she didn't explain. "Where are we going first?" she asked. Phineas had told her in her texts that they were going to show some of the new stuff around the city to Ferb, but there was much to see.

A noise from the backseat gave her the answer, even before the boy spoke.

"Lunch," all three said as one as they all laughed.

Isabella watched as Ferb's eyes closed in delight as he took a bite of the cheeseburger, piled high with cheese, avocado, and onion rings. She looked down, trying to hide her grin as she ate a fry off of her plate. "So, the plan is to show Ferb what's new in Danville, right?" she asked after swallowing.

Ferb nodded, his eyes wide and his cheeks full. Phineas smiled brightly. "Yeah! I figured we could show him that skate park they built from the old landfill, then maybe the new mall that they finished last year, and maybe spend some time at the beach too!" The last part was said while sharing a glance at Ferb, but Isabella didn't question it. Her mind was caught on something else.

With a twinkle that kept growing brighter, she grinned. "That sounds great!" she said. "But, could we leave the mall for last?"

Phineas blinked at her. "Uh, sure? But why?"

She turned her sly look towards Ferb, who stared back at her with a wary expression. "Oh… no reason…"

Ferb raised an eyebrow at her, but didn't say anything, opting instead for another bite of his cheeseburger. She giggled—he had originally ordered 'fish and chips' while she had ordered the burger. However, as soon as their meals arrived, he had looked at her plate so longingly she simply switched their food and started eating. Phineas, watching this, had laughed so hard his soda sprayed out of his nose.

Isabella didn't mind—the fried haddock was delicious.

The skate park was, unfortunately, kind of a flop. Obviously Ferb hadn't had much practice riding a skateboard in the last five years because it seemed like all of his former skill had vanished. Still, he laughed every time he fell down, and he seemed to enjoy watching some of the very skilled teenagers doing jumps and tricks, so it wasn't a complete failure.

The beach was a much better success. Walking along the boardwalk, visiting the shops there, was great. Even though Phineas seemed to observe the buildings more than what was inside of them, they all found something they ended up buying. Isabella finally got herself the pretty dress that she had been eyeing for a while, Phineas found a waterproof notebook and pen, and Ferb, well…

Lets just say he also ended up buying himself a new shoulder bag for all of the little things he found. Seriously, he bought something at almost every shop. Isabella was curious about how—as far as she knew, he hadn't found a job yet—but she never asked. Instead, she enjoyed the afternoon basking in the sunshine, listening to the surf crash, watching the children play (she really needed this after the day she had yesterday).

Getting some ice cream from a booth near the docks, they settled in to watch the boats as they came and went. Isabella sighed happily. "I love it here," she said quietly.

Phineas and Ferb looked over at her. "Oh yeah, you like the beach don't you?" Phineas asked.

Isabella blinked, not realizing she had spoken aloud. "Uh," she chuckled, awkwardly adjusting her glasses. "Yeah, I do. I come here a lot." She saw Ferb smile at her and she gave him a mocking glare.

The redhead didn't notice, instead looking around. "Where do you usually go when you're here?"

Isabella felt herself freeze, though she wasn't exactly sure why. "I… I just find a spot that's unoccupied. There's one not too far from here that's usually empty."

It had to have been just her imagination, but she could have sworn Ferb had looked at the abandoned dock at the end of the pier—her dock. But he couldn't have.

"Can we see it?" Phineas asked, focusing his grin on her.

She started, turning her gaze to him. "Uh…" She thought quickly, trying to think of a place she could take them. She came up empty. "Well, I thought we were going to the mall next." Her voice was strained a little and Ferb's eyes locked into hers, something unreadable in his eyes.

Phineas, however, didn't seem to notice. "Oh yeah! What time is it? We better hurry—Candace is coming home for dinner tonight." He stood from the bench, and Isabella and Ferb hurried to follow him.

"What are you planning," Ferb asked her as they walked together behind Phineas back to the car.

Isabella smirked, an eyebrow raised. "It's a surprise," was all she said.

He gave her a deadpan look before shaking his head, fighting a grin.

Lorelei

In Germany, there is a 132 meter (433 feet) tall rock on the right bank of the river Rhine. The name of this rock, Lorelei, comes from the old German word lurein ("murmuring") and the Celtic term ley ("rock"). The heavy currents and a small waterfall nearby created a murmuring sound, and the echo off of the rock acted as an amplifier, giving the rock it's name.

In 1824, a German author adapted the first telling of the enchanting woman associated with the rock, changing her from a human accused of bewitching men (who then falls to her death from the top of the rock believing she could see her former lover in the river), to a kind of siren who sits atop the rock. The being would sit and sing, all the while combing her golden hair, unwittingly distracting shipmen with her beauty and song and causing them to crash on the rocks.