Days twenty-two and twenty-four of MerMay prompt month.

Sorry I missed the weekend postings! Health and family caused me to have to delay. I had been fighting an ocular migraine for two days, barely being able to post Friday's chapter without my vision going blurry. Friday was also my kids' last day of school and the transition for them is intense, especially for my fine-year-old who has trouble adjusting to changes in schedules. So yeah... Saturday was interesting... and painful.

Then Sunday morning I woke up when a nerve in my neck pinched. It's still affecting me, but with the migraine nearly gone, I can at least function now. So I did this chapter up quickly, merging the two Isabella chapters in order to catch up.

Enjoy!

Hurt/Sunset - Isabella

"Isabella!" someone called out to her as she was walking by with a bowl of ice cream and a plate of cookies. "Come sit with me!" Adyson patted the spot next to her with a smile.

Isabella returned the grin, but before she headed over, she glanced towards the blanket she had been sitting on earlier. Ferb wasn't sitting there anymore and the spot was taken by two other people. She glanced around and looked for him, but he didn't appear to be around. Bathroom, maybe, she thought, feeling a little bummed.

Ferb had started acting weird around the beginning of the first Stumbleberry Finkbat movie. It was sweet of him to bring her a sandwich, though she had already eaten half of his first one, but he was so quiet—even for him! Even when she asked him if he was okay, Ferb's response was jumpy and awkward. He even declined her offer of getting him cookies! Who didn't want cookies?

Maybe it was her? Did I do something…? she wondered. She couldn't think of anything that might have offended him, and she hoped that wasn't the case. Ferb was very quickly becoming a good friend—someone she really cared about… If she had made him mad somehow, she needed to talk to him and fix whatever it was.

Isabella shook those thoughts from her head and walked over to sit with Adyson, offering her a cookie when she sat down. Adyson's eyes lit up and she grabbed one of the oatmeal ones that Linda had added to their snack table. They munched on the cookies, making snarky comments about the movie to each other. At some point, Holly and Katie came and sat nearby, and to Isabella it felt like old times. Granted, Ginger and Gretchen were sitting with others, the latter with her boyfriend of course, but all that was really missing was Milly who had moved about three years ago.

Someone sat down next to her, on the other side of Adyson. Her heart jumped in her chest and Isabella turned, half expecting it to be Ferb. She was instead surprised to find Gretchen sitting on her other side, watching the movie casually. Gretchen had been sitting with Buford for most of the day, which made sense. Her sitting there with Isabella was a little odd… and the look Adyson was giving her made Isabella suddenly feel like she was back on jury duty (which was about as much fun as her dad had always said it was—ie: not at all).

"Hey…" she said again, slowly this time, glancing between the two.

"I have a question for you, Isabella," Adyson said seriously.

Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Gretchen shift and turn to watch her instead of the movie. "Um… okay?" she asked. The other girls nearby seemed to realize something was going down and they scooted closer so they could be included in the drama.

Adyson's eyes narrowed, studying her intently. "When did you and Ferb start dating?"

That was not what she was expecting. Isabella's eyes widened as Katie shrieked out a "WHAT?!" snapping Isabella out of her stillness.

Everyone's eyes turned towards the blonde, her face rapidly reddening and she glared at Isabella. Holly bit her lip, looking around quickly before her eyes lit and she placed a hand on her arm. "Hey Katie, did I tell you that George was asking about you a couple of days ago?"

Katie's eyes snapped to hers, the flush rapidly fading away. "Wait… really?!" she asked, excitedly. Holly nodded and started leading her away from the duo, both of them staring after her. The darker girl turned back and winked at them—George and Katie were that couple that kind of ran circles around each other. They went on a few dates, but something always seemed to get in the way of them really building a relationship.

Adyson nudged her shoulder, eyeing her with suspicion and Isabella remembered what she had been asked. "Oh! Uh…" she began, shaking her head slightly. "We… We aren't dating."

Her friend looked at her, unimpressed with her words. "Really?" she asked flatly.

Gretchen leaned back on her shoulders, looking like she didn't have a care in the world. "You two have been very close since he returned home."

Isabella turned her gaze on her. "We are friends…?" she finished in a questioning tone, wondering what her friends were getting at. She and Ferb were friends; they liked to hang out with each other and do things together and play with each other.

Adyson and Gretchen shared a look, and Isabella tried to interpret it. She didn't get it.

"I'll ignore the hair brushing thing this morning," Gretchen started.

Adyson continued. "But friends don't generally eat off of the same plate."

"Or tickle each other like that."

"Or pull each other into their laps."

"Or entwine their legs as they watch a movie."

Isabella's face reddened, having not realized they had seen that. She hadn't even noticed when it happened until the movie was half-over and they had been sitting like that for nearly an hour.

And they weren't done!

"Friends don't often communicate without words."

"Or spend hours walking around holding hands and blowing bubbles."

Adyson's eyes snapped to Gretchen's "What?" she asked, her expression excited and smug.

Isabella's mouth fell open as Gretchen told the other brunette about her and Ferb's day at the park on Friday. "How… How did you even know all of that?" she asked when Gretchen had finished.

Adyson clapped her hands. "Oh it's true!? How perfect!" she laughed.

Gretchen leaned over behind Isabella and pushed her over before answering. She gave Isabella an arch look. "Because I was walking through there with Buford, of course. We saw you."

Isabella flushed. Buford saw?! Oh, they'd never have any peace now! "But-but we're just friends!" she exclaimed, and she suddenly realized something.

Am I trying to convince them…? Or myself?

Oh…

Isabella's hands covered her mouth and she stared wide-eyed at her ice cream bowl as if it held all of life's answers.

Something clicked.

"I have to go!" she exclaimed in a panic, suddenly standing and bolted out of the yard, not bothering to say bye to anyone else.

Two days later, on Thursday, Isabella had a short shift at the restaurant, so she headed home just before four-thirty that afternoon. As she rode up the street, she glanced up and saw Ferb walking up the opposite direction. She stopped, eyes wide and heart pounding.

Ferb glanced up at the sound of her breaks and froze, his expression extremely similar to hers. After a moment of them just gaping at each other, Ferb blinked and raised a hand in a casual wave. Isabella snapped out of her thoughts too and pushed her bike closer to him.

"H-hey!" she said stiffly, stopping beside him on the sidewalk in front of his house. "H-how have you been?"

Ferb nodded, silently telling her he had been fine. Then he audibly swallowed and Isabella's heart jumped. "How have you been?" he asked, his voice hoarse. "I… I didn't see you leave the other day…"

"Oh, right…" she chuckled awkwardly. "I… I was a little tired after the early morning and decided to turn in early."

That was a total lie! She screamed at herself. But she couldn't just come out and admit that she had completely fallen head over heels for him, right?

Or… could she…?

Ferb nodded again. "Good… I'm glad you got some sleep," he told her, looking and sounding nervous.

"Uh… yeah. I did."

She didn't.

She forced a sweet smile on her face. "You kind of disappeared on me that day too. I was going to bring you cookies."

Ferb shifted, his hands in his pockets. "Oh, sorry. I had an encounter with Irving and, well…" he shrugged helplessly.

Isabella giggled. "Irving hasn't changed much, has he?" she asked, feeling more comfortable by the minute.

Ferb's shoulders relaxed and he laughed. "No, not really." He looked her over and she felt herself pink. "Were you working today?" he asked.

She nodded. "Yeah, how'd you guess?"

He smirked. "Well, you are on your bike, but you don't have the salty air smell to you."

She narrowed her eyes and him and poked him in his hard stomach. Ooh… Abs… "Hush you." She flipped her ponytail. "I'll have you know that I am going to the beach today, whether you tease me about it or not," she said, finishing by sticking her tongue out at him.

He laughed. "I have little doubt that any teasing would keep you from the ocean," he responded; his voice fond, his eyes softly observing her.

Her cheeks pinked again and she rubbed her thumb on the bike handle, allowing the textured rubber to steady her. "I was wondering… would you…?" she paused, taking a quick glimpse at his face.

Ferb's eyebrows were raised and he watched her, his eyes bright. She felt hope and excitement raise in her chest and she pushed forward.

"Would you like to come with me to the beach tonight?" she asked in a rush. "To… watch the sunset?"

Ferb's entire face lit up for a moment, before his expression froze and his shoulders slumped. "I… I can't," he admitted sadly.

Isabella blinked, her smile falling as his words sunk in. "O-oh… Okay… Maybe another time then…" she felt a stinging in her eyes, but she turned to look away from him so he wouldn't see.

"Y-yeah…" Ferb sounded just as dejected as she did, but she didn't ask.

She raised a hand and waved at him. "S-see you, Ferb," she told him, pushing away from him to cross the street to her own house. When she parked, she noticed he was still standing there, watching her. She waved again, sending him a sad smile.

He returned both the wave and the expression, and as one they turned away from each other—Isabella into her house, Ferb up the walkway to his.

She sat on the dock, tears falling. She hadn't cried over a boy in years, but somehow Ferb had wormed his way into her heart. Him rejecting her hurt so much, but it was the confusion that was the cause of her tears. He had wanted to! He had wanted to be with her. But he still said no! Why?

She dug her fingers into her scalp, trying to think of why. Did he have someone in Cornwall? He never said anything about dating someone over there… Or had he?

She shook her head. No. He had made no mentions of anyone. He had told her about his friends and cousin, but no one else was really mentioned, and none of his friends were talked about with that tenderness that she saw earlier directed at herself.

So why?!

Isabella wiped at her eyes again, but the tears still fell. She scowled at her wet hands, drying them roughly on her shirt before wiping her eyes again. She sat still and took a deep breath, her eyes closed blocking out everything as she tried to calm herself.

As she meditated, a thought struck her.

Maybe Ferb had something going on today. Her eyes opened, staring at nothing. Maybe he already had other plans.

She shuddered once as her breathing calmed. That made sense… It could also explain why he looked so crestfallen when he had told her no. Because it looked like he really had wanted to go with her…

She squared her shoulders, determination filling her body. I will ask him tomorrow! she vowed. She still wanted to spend time with him… and hopefully go on a date with him… Hopefully. Even if they decided not to date, she still wanted to be his friend. He was so lovable, so supportive. He had this way about him that made everything seem easy.

He had only been back for a little over two weeks, but he had burrowed his way into her heart and soul…

She didn't want to lose him.

She glanced out at the water, at the many colors filling the sky as the sun set. It was more than half-way below the horizon now, and she really needed to get home before the light vanished completely. She placed her glasses back onto her now dry face and she stood, swinging her bag over her shoulder. She stayed for a moment longer, just embracing the wonder that was nature.

Suddenly, something broke the surface of the water. Isabella's mouth fell open and she was transfixed as arms separated from the being's body, stretching out above the head, before diving back down into the water.

It was definitely not a dolphin, but it was also not human. Even the best swimmers couldn't get that much lift from the water! Whatever it was, it was unique—something she had never seen before. She sighed, almost dreamily, as the ripples from the being were erased by the waves. Her heart was pounding. Her head almost felt dizzy.

A warmth filled her entire body and she grasped the fabric of her shirt over her heart.

It's real...

Banshee

A banshee is a female spirit in Irish folklore who, by shrieking or wailing, forewarns of the death of someone close to the listener. She is said to have long streaming hair, usually black or red, sallow skin, and red eyes from continual weeping. She is usually seen wearing either a green dress under a grey cloak or a white gown which makes her look ghostly. Her size varies, but a banshee is generally considered short statured in most tales.

Some Irish legends speak of a lament being sung by a fairy woman, ie. a banshee. She would sing when a family member died or was about to die, even if the person dying or who had died were located far away. The banshee's song would be the first indicator that the household had a death. If there are several banshee appearing at one time, it foretells the death of someone great or holy.

The legends that speak of the origins of a banshee recounts that she is the haunting spirit of a specific murdered woman or a mother who died in childbirth.

Dryad

A dryad is from Greek Mythology and is what they call a tree nymph; originally for nymphs of oak trees, but is now used for all trees. They were normally considered to be very shy except when around the goddess Artemis, who was known to be a friend to most nymphs.

Not all, but some dryads were so integrated with their tree that, if a mortal were to destroy that plant, the dryad would die as well. These were called the hamadryads, and mortals would be punished by the gods for the death of these beings.

There are many other subtypes of dryads such as the Daphnaie (nymphs of laurel trees), Epimelides (nymphs of fruit trees and the protectors of sheep), and the Melaie (the dryads of the ash trees who tended to baby Zeus in Rhea's Cretan cave).