*bounces* i udpated! whoot! ^^ hopefully the next few chapters won't come as late as these do... i've had rehearsals for my trip to NY with the school's glee club, and in two days we're going! we're going to be in NY for at least a week and we're going to see plays and all that! ack, i'm so excited. ^^ anyways... another long chapter... lol. hope ya like!

~*~

Meetings

~*~

Florian narrowed his dark brown eyes as he flowed through the passing natives through the streets of Costelos. The town was busy and they had been working hard to keep everything back in place from the chaos that had reigned only a few days ago. He groaned, squinting his eyes shut, as he continued through the crowd. The ache in his head multiplied when he saw more and more people come towards him. He cursed inwardly. That was one of the downsides in being a spirit. You could hear everybody. Everybody's thoughts and everybody's feelings. It was complicated, that was for sure, but it was something they had to put up with. The actions and feelings that all the creatures went through passed through their head. Yes, creatures. Not only natives, but also everybody on Costelos. They all had souls, didn't they?

So why didn't anybody hear what the spirits were thinking? We still have souls, don't we?

These questions forever haunted Florian ever since he had become a spirit. He never asked to be one. He never wanted to be one, although they fascinated him. He couldn't help but admit that he brought it upon himself. He could've just went along with his usual daily schedule as just another native of Costelos, but the thoughts in his head just couldn't help but keep on asking questions.

Curious, that's what his nature was, and that's what led him into the form that he would stay in for all eternity. He asked about the outside world. He asked about the gods. He asked about the authorities. He asked about how they came to be. But most of all, he asked why. Why things had gotten to be what they are now.

He was on the brink of it. The answer was on his fingertips, but it easily drifted away just as sand drifted through his fingers. Not that he had fingers anymore. He was just another transparent figure in the dark. Only his outlines made him what he is.

There was a war. That was all he knew. But what had happened?

Numerous amounts of thoughts and wishes flew into his head as he continued walking. Flying past the town, Florian traveled through the jungles of Costelos, its vines circling the trees that had stood strong all those years. He suddenly felt a tingle upon the upper right corner of his forehead. A quick jolt of pain seared through his body, but as quick as it came, it was suddenly gone. Florian sighed. The gods were calling.

He turned his eyes towards the sky, the clouds drifting to and fro, creating images for children to adore. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, and thought of the house of the gods, Langhet.

"About time. We've called you too many times to count…"

Florian opened his eyes to see Carmichael and Smith, two of the gods that reigned over Langhet. Carmichael, the male god, sat luxuriously in his armchair as he looked over Florian. He had grown to have a distinct hate for him, although he could do nothing about it. It was he, who made him into a spirit for eternity, working to serve the gods and the natives.

"I'm still not used to the voices… there's just too much that I can't--."

"You have to concentrate," said Carmichael, narrowing his eyes as he said each word sternly.

"John, you're being too rough on your spirits. Florian is new, and he'll get used to it eventually," exclaimed Smith, the female god, her wavy black hair that flitted about the corners of her face. Her black eyes glittered at Florian. Carmichael sighed and glanced at Smith.

Another question sparked inside his brain. Florian still had no idea why the gods insisted to be called upon their last names although they called each other by their first names.

"That's 'cause we're much more superior beings than you, Florian," said Carmichael slyly.

His eyes widened as he looked at the male god before him. He wasn't expecting that.

"Stop scaring him, John," said Smith, then turning towards Florian. "You were bound to know eventually, but we have the ability to tap into your thoughts, even though we may not want to. Although we have the power to control it."

"Yes, control. That's what you have to learn."

Florian sighed. He was a new spirit, he had to admit that, and he was still trying his best to get used to the new ways of the spirits. He always thought that it was fascinating how the spirits could interact with the gods, but now he thought otherwise. He soon realized that it was a lot of hard work. That, and the gods depended on them solely on what the creatures of Costelos wished and wanted. The gods had the power, after all, to change things around.

He opened his mouth to protest but was suddenly interrupted when the third god stepped forward from the shadows, his face flustered in fury and his blonde hair glistening more than ever.

"BRADFORD!"

"Something's wrong, can you feel that?" said Smith, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Carmichael.

"He shouldn't have done that…" muttered Carmichael, his eyes looking out into the great sky.

"That spirit…" muttered the third god. "That spirit's been with us for decades and he still has the nerve to take over somebody's body. An elite, for crying out loud!"

"Calm down, Callahan," said Carmichael. "I have a feeling there's more to this story…"

"Call him," exclaimed Smith.

Florian kept his mouth shut throughout the whole ordeal, questions flitting about his head. Bradford. The name was familiar to him. He was one of the middle-aged spirits that lived about the island. They simply called him Bradford, no last name whatsoever. That was the way things were. He was known to have killed his parents' friend out of revenge, the reason on why he had been sentenced as a spirit. Not only that, but he had a reputation of having a soft spot every now and then. Bradford was a tough person to read.

With a flash, Bradford's outline appeared in front of the gods, and Florian as well. Standing much higher than Florian, Bradford looked as if he could've been a giant. A mop of dark curly hair stood on his head as his brown eyes stared at the gods lazily.

"How may I serve you today?" asked Brad, putting his hand over his mouth as he yawned lazily.

"No need to be sarcastic right now, Bradford," said Smith, eyeing the spirit. "We have things to discuss."

"Things that you have been doing lately," said Callahan angrily.

"What? You mean when I scared that old lady? It was just a joke for crying out--."

"YOU TOOK OVER A HUMAN'S BODY! A LIVING BREATHING HUMAN! WHAT'S WORSE, IT WAS AN ELITE!" continued Callahan.

Florian took a step back, shocked by the god's rage and anger. He turned his eyes towards Brad, who kept his frame and stared back at the three gods.

"You know it's been frowned upon. Spirits have done it before and now we have rules against it. Now, what do you have to say for yourself?" asked Callahan, sounding a bit like a schoolteacher.

"I say… that you should consider things before punishing me…"

"Excuse me?" said Callahan, stepping forward and looking Bradford in the eye. "Consider things?"

"Hold on… the boy has a point here…" said Carmichael, standing up from his position on the armchair and laying a hand on Callahan's shoulder to stop him from advancing any more. "Why did you take over that girl's body?"

Bradford's eyes darted between Carmichael and Callahan. He knew these two gods had power beyond belief and he didn't want to see them forcing their wrath upon him. Smith, however, was always the kind one. It wasn't a surprise that more spirits looked up to her than the others.

"Yes, she was an elite," said Brad. "And she was washed up on the beach miles away from the local town."

"We heard about the Ambassador…" said Smith from behind the boys.

Carmichael nodded and said, "Tell us something we don't know…"

Bradford opened his mouth to answer, but Callahan rolled his eyes and uttered, "Please don't tell me you've gone soft again. Every so often you always do this. Almost every two years. It's a pattern and we're used to it. We usually don't bother, but it's an elite, and it's different!"

"I see…" said Smith, walking over to the group, assuming authority and looked at Bradford. "You may leave. You may all leave."

Florian and Bradford stood rooted to the spot, shocked from Smith's sudden outburst.

"But Alexis, that wasn't supposed to be the end of the--."

Smith sighed and flicked her hand in the air, causing Callahan's mouth to shut tightly closed.

"What the boy did was understanding and a good thing. That, and I also think it's incredibly sweet."

"Sweet?!" exclaimed Carmichael, but suddenly took a step back when he saw Smith raise her hand in the air.

"I guess it's time for us to fly, don't you think so?" said Bradford, arching his eyebrow towards Florian as they disappeared within the gaps of the clouds.

Florian smiled inwardly towards himself. He had escaped the gods for one day, thanks to Bradford. The mermaid's thoughts and wishes for the gods were going to have to wait for another time.

~*~

Rays of sunshine glittered throughout the ocean, giving the three mermaids just enough light that they need to continue their task. Lady pushed back her golden brown hair from her face, squinting to look at the Ambassador much clearer than usual. It wasn't their fault and they all knew it. For some unknown reason, the Ambassador sunk into the ocean the exact same day they were to show their tricks to the Elites. They were just going to play with their heads, that was for sure, but they were sure that they didn't want to bring any harm towards them.

"Nothing," muttered Brittany, shaking her head and motioning for the two other mermaids to move upwards. They had been underwater for nearly two hours or so, circling and observing the ship for any signs of its sinking. Perched conveniently between two huge rocks of coral and reef, the mermaids took their time into making sure that there wasn't even one inch of the ship that they had missed.

Lady opened her mouth to take in a breath of air as they appeared upon the surface of the ocean. Waiting for the other girls, Lady looked about the beach, seeing the movement of two creatures, a human and a wolf. No doubt they were Prowlers, thought Lady. She furrowed her brow as she suddenly saw flash of pink and orange not far from the shore.

"Come on, Lady," said Cassandra, patting her friend on the shoulder. "We're going to have to go and tell the others about the Ambassador."

"Oh, um, alright," answered Lady dumbly. She swam back under the water, remembering Irish and Kathryne talk about the meeting that they were to have in a few minutes. But her mind currently dwelled on what she had just saw on the beach. She knew who had the colors of pink and orange from their group. It wasn't hard to tell.

But what was she doing with them? The question revolved around her thoughts as they neared the cove from where they were supposed to meet. Mermaids and Prowlers weren't usually associated. Sighing, Lady pushed her thoughts in the back of her head as they took their positions around the cove.

Karthryne sat boldly on the rocks, her eyes scanning the area for any of the other mermaids to come. Seeing the others, she quickly nudged Irish, who seemed not at all attentive as she played around with the fish that twirled about her fingers.

"Right, so, we'll--."

"Calm down, Irish, Audrey isn't even here yet," interrupted Karthryne immediately. Lady raised her eyebrow. Audrey. She was the only mermaid who had the colors of pink and orange.

"Did anyone even bother to tell her?" asked Brittany. "I haven't heard from her lately since the Ambassador sunk…"

Lady and Cassandra exchanged glances. It had only been a day since the Ambassador sunk and no sign of Audrey had appeared since then. The two of them, both Lady and Cassandra, had freely taken the responsibility of keeping it from the others, knowing full well that they would burst into suspicions and worry. They had searched the ocean for her, hoping that they would find her but failed. It was only that day that Lady had seen any sign of Audrey.

"Don't worry," answered Cassandra quickly. "I told her… she said she might come a bit late."

"What's with her lately?" asked Karthryne. "She's been a bit distant--."

"I'm here!" shouted Audrey, appearing on the surface of the water and moving next to Cassandra's side. "Sorry about that. Swimming from a shark can be a bit tricky sometimes."

"Is that the reason for the scratches and bruises?" questioned Brittany slowly.

"Bruises?" asked Audrey. "Oh! You mean these? Yeah… those sharks are vicious…"

"You didn't get badly hurt, did you?" asked Irish, looking at Audrey suspiciously. "You should really watch out for yourself here in these waters…"

"Don't worry about it," answered Audrey. "Scratches, that's all."

Lady and Cassandra looked at Audrey, giving her a look that meant we'll talk later before turning back to Irish and Karthryne's announcements for that day. Audrey gave an unsure smile as she slumped in her seat and pointed at Irish, showing the others that it was time to listen.

"Alright, since everyone's here now…" started Irish. "We can start our meeting…"

"Girls," piped Karthryne. "Did you find anything on the Ambassador?"

"Nothing," muttered Lady. "Nothing wrong at all with it. It looks just the same as it was when it was above water, only this time without anyone in it."

"Unless you count the… erm, dead bodies that it brought down with it," cringed Brittany. "Other than that, you'd think that it was made underwater."

"Are you sure?" asked Karthryne. "The Ambassador couldn't have sunk at all on its own! We're doing this so that we can make clear that we have not done any harm to the Elites. So that people would--."

"Since when did we care what other people think?" snapped Irish, obviously in a grumpy mood. "We've done what we've wanted for as long as I can remember and we've let the natives and the other creatures roaming about Costelos think what they want."

Silence reigned for a moment as Irish glared at the mermaids. Nobody could deny that what Irish said was true. Just because the Ambassador sank didn't mean that the mermaids had to change their ways. Even though they were getting a much worse reputation that they already had, the mermaids still continued on with their everyday lives. But they couldn't help but think that what had happened only a few days ago was something that could affect everybody on the island.

"Let's make this quick," continued Irish, her voice tense and serious. "We all know we want to be somewhere else right now, don't we?"

"Yes, Irish, but--."

"Hold on," interrupted Irish, raising a hand towards Karthryne. "Why don't we restrict talking or even interacting with the other races for now? Especially the natives and the prowlers…"

Lady turned her attention to Audrey slightly, noting her actions as Audrey's eyes slightly widening from the news, but still keeping her posture.

"Now, the spirits… we're still not too sure about that since they can just go fly up to the gods whenever they want to. I'm not saying that we should avoid them, but just… caution yourselves. But the natives and the prowlers…" muttered Irish, lowering her voice, showing bitter detestation. "You can never be too sure."

"Right…" mumbled Karthryne, unsure of how to handle the current situation. "Meeting's… over?"

"Meeting's over," nodded Irish as she slid off the rock she had been currently sitting on and dove into the water, taking no note of the stunned faces of the mermaids.

It had been a long day, and Irish wanted some space for herself. Not that the ocean wasn't big enough for the mermaids, but there were just some times when being a mermaid didn't seem enough for herself. Yes, she was leader of them all, and there were some conveniences that came with that.

Irish fingered the corals and reefs as she swam beneath the ocean towards no exact destination. She wanted to swim, that was all. Those were one of her joys. One of the reasons she loved being a mermaid. But despite the calm feeling that was about to take over, she couldn't help but think of what had just happened at their meeting. The Ambassador sank all on it's own. That wasn't possible. Was it? There were many things on Costelos that nobody understood.

What puzzled her even more was her sudden burst of shouting at the mermaids. She had just restricted their interaction with the other races. Not that they weren't already doing that, but she wanted to make it clear. But the spirits? Irish had told the others to caution themselves from the spirits.

But aren't they good? They're from heaven aren't they?

She knew in her heart that she felt that something was wrong. Something different had landed on Costelos and it was disrupting the usual on goings. Nothing would ever be the same anymore.

Irish sighed as she continued on through the waters, silently making a message to the gods for guidance and help.

~*~

"I still don't believe that you have one hazel eye and one light brown colored eye," said Inquisitive, otherwise known as Ink, in a lowered voice as she pushed back the leaves that covered her face with her hand to reveal the Prowlers' hideout.

"I do!" retorted Whisper, stepping next to Ink to listen in on their conversation. "See? The other one's darker than the other!"

Ink rolled her blue eyes at her friend, illustrating authority as she stood fully, showing that she was much taller than Whisper. "Just 'cause you're a spirit doesn't mean you have to make up all those things about your eyes being a different color!"

"You know you have some hazel flecks in your eyes if you look really closely…"

"Whisper!"

"Hold on, shhh!" interrupted Whisper. "Something's happening…"

"I don't see why we have to hide when they can't see us since we can--."

Whisper sighed and clamped a hand over Ink's mouth to silence her. She had only been a spirit for a few months and was completely new to the transformations and rules that they all had to follow. Sure, it seemed amazing and extraordinary at first, but Whisper found that it wasn't all that it was cracked up to be. She could've easily walked out of harm's way into being a spirit by sticking to her priorities.

She had once needed to make a choice on what group of companions she wanted to be with. Her long time friends or her newly befriended comrades. One thing led to another: betrayal and lies, leading her to what she is now. Without the help of Inquisitive, Whisper would never have felt a part of their new world as a spirit.

"You know I'm still not used to becoming invisible…" muttered Whisper. "Now, let's just watch…"

"Strider!" came a shout from the clearing. "Why did you do that?! We could've just kept it to ourselves and there would be no worrying! Why did you have to tell Allen?"

Strider groaned and looked at her friend, Juan. "He's not going to tell! Besides, not much is going to happen if Francis knows that we met a mermaid, right? He can't be that uptight, can he?"

"Shows how much you know!" retorted Juan. "You could've told Cat, I wouldn't have minded but… Allen?"

"I'm only here, y'know!" shouted Allen behind Strider. "Besides, I have to right to know these things!"

"Really?" asked Juan, raising his eyebrow. "You've caused enough trouble here with the Prowlers and if you go off and tell--."

"Tell Francis? Is that what you think I'm going to do? For goodness sakes', Juan, you know me well enough that I hate Francis so much that I'm not even willing to talk to the fool!"

The two boys glared at each other for a moment, with Juan gritting his teeth to prevent himself from speaking anything offensive and with Allen openly glaring at Juan with no care at all. Strider glanced at the two boys, unsure of what to do. It wasn't until she saw Allen's hand slowly change into a paw when she reached out to grasp his hand and pull him away from Juan.

"I don't want any fighting anymore… please…" pleaded Strider. "I know I should've told you that I told Allen, but really, Juan, I'm sure he won't tell."

Juan turned his attention towards Strider, her hand still holding Allen's wrist to prevent him from moving. He sighed and ran his fingers through his curly brown hair, looking down on the ground then back up at Strider. He had no idea why he had asked her to come with him to venture out into the jungle to take a look at the Ambassador. She was known as the loner of the group, always keeping to herself. But Juan desperately needed to talk and spend time with someone. Maybe Strider wouldn't be too bad.

"Alright," said Juan, nodding at Strider. "But this stays between us…"

"Do we count too?" said Connor, stepping out from behind the bushes. Trailing behind him was a black panther, her eyes glancing between the two groups and showing excitement.

"How long have the two of you been standing there?" asked Juan sternly.

Allen looked upon the pair and smirked. "Cat, you'd think that you're never in your human form. You like being a prowler too much."

"Ain't nothing wrong with that," smiled Connor, smiling. "Being a prowler can be fun!"

"Sometimes," added Juan.

"Aw, come on, Juan, why do you always got to be like this?" asked Cat, now in her human form. Her auburn hair was tucked behind her ears and her blue eyes glittered with excitement. No doubt Cat loved to be part of a fight. It was one of those things that made her a true prowler. The fact that she was loyal and caring towards the group and never stepped down from a good fight made her one of Francis' favorites, although she never came to admit that.

"Juan's just a little grumpy today," teased Strider, pinching Juan's cheek.

"Don't do that."

"So what is it today?" asked Connor teasingly. "No food? No sleep? Can't shift? Too much grass for your taste?"

In a flash, Juan shifted to his dog form, still keeping his physical features with his chocolate brown coat and dark brown eyes, as he pounced on Connor, causing the two of them to fall on the ground.

"Not another fight…" muttered Sage, stepping out of the shadows. "We've had enough of that already circling around. Juan, will you please get off of Connor?"

"Yes, please spare me the image…" said Francis, smirking as he ran his fingers through his light brown hair.

Growling, Juan hesitantly stepped off of Connor, and stood next to Strider.

"Don't worry, Sage," muttered Connor, standing up and wiping the dust off his pants. "We weren't fighting. Just having a bit of fun."

"Knowing you all too well, why don't I believe that?" asked Sage, raising her eyebrow.

" 'Cause you know you love us," teased Connor, wiggling his eyebrows at Sage.

"Hey," countered Jack. "You got to know that just because you got a tan and all those muscles that you can't win all the ladies on this island, alright?"

"Of course, I can't," smiled Connor. "Not without my winning smile!"

"Maybe we should just send him off to the natives and make him their town pet," said Allen.

"Alright, enough of this talk about Connor…" said Francis, glancing at Connor. "We have things to discuss."

"Discuss? What is there to discuss? We just had a discussion this morning! What else is there to discuss?" muttered Cat.

"Look, I--."

"Yeah, Francis, what else is there to say?" asked Strider inquisitively.

"Since y'all are so damn impatient, I'll just save the explanation and leave it to you in one sentence: We're going to have to associate with the mermaids, seeing as how we need each other, and there's nothing you can change about it."

"But, Francis you haven't even talked to the mer--."

"There's nothing you can change about it," said Francis sternly once more to emphasize the situation.

"Geez," whispered Ink. "It's even worse than our meetings…"

~*~

"I'm stuck here… stuck on this itty bitty island…" muttered Mark as he trudged down the beach, waiting for his other companions to come.

"Geez, Mark, you've been a real grouch lately," said Corie, coming up from beside him.

"Aren't you supposed to be with Kyriel right now? Y'know, with the whole spirit situation and everything…"

Corie rolled her eyes and waved her hand. "I just wanted to let you know that the equipment's been set up, or at least the ones that I've found from the sinking. There wasn't much, but at least we have enough tapes and videos to use for as long as we're staying here."

"Are you sure it still works?" asked Mark, raising his eyebrow at Corie. "I wouldn't want to hand a story to them that's--."

"Don't worry about it. Of course it will," smiled Corie. "Now as for getting home…"

"That's something I'd like to do."

"There's going to be a boat waiting for the two of us that's going to come a week from now… it won't be big and the only passengers it's taking are the two of us."

"And the others?"

"Not a word. They don't know a thing."

"So… a week from now?"

"Then another week after that, we'll be the most famous and rich reporters the world will ever know," nodded Corie, as she smiled mischievously and gazed out into the ocean.

~*~

Shout-outs

Azn-kimmi: wow, seems like forever when i think of songfest. lol, but anyways, we won! yeah! ooh, you're in this one! *points* see?

Justduck: Ooh, hahah, i never thought of it that way! If you think about it... i haven't even watched the little mermaid in such a long time! :P Aw, thanks for the compliment. ^^ But i still have some characters to introduce... although everybody's already introduced in this chapter. Hope you liked this chapter!

KyrielF: "Brad was didn't hurt you! He was helping you! AAH! I DIDN'T SAY THAT!" Hahaha, at least I'm not telling you anything about this ff this time, yeah? Hahah, yeah, good job Ersh. ^^

Inquisitive: Thanks! ^^

Cerridwen4: Yes! *pumps fist into the air* real men wear pink! ha! lol. Yeah, I kinda had a little trouble making up the story, but that's okay! It all worked out. ^^ heheh. see ya on AIM.

Matchin' Laces: Heheh, thanks! Yeah, your first appearance! You'll slowly be appearing more and more in some of the chapters, so we'll see more of you!

FrenchyGoil: Actually, it was part author's block and me being busy that kept me from writing this ff. But at least I found time, right? ^^ Hahah, yeah, and you get Mush again! Mermaid transformations? I already had an idea in my head... but the Peter Pan movie kind of helped me to think of what I actually wanted them to be, so I guess, kind of.

geometrygal: Awww... *hugs* I wuff you! Hahaha, and when you're in it, it'll be EVEN better! *winks*

klover: yeah, technology can be a pain sometimes. but you have overcome it! (okay, that was bad grammar...) :P

Socks Myers: Ack, sorry for the late update! After this chapter, the next chaps should get there much faster than usual. Aww, well, I know how you feel about that guy... grr... lol. But we'll live. *wink*

electricxrain: Ooh, awesome! I really like that movie! *gasp* It's one of my favorites! Now if I can only teleport there and watch it with you...