Well, welcome back and I'm SO SO SO SORRY for making you wait! This chapter is one that, in my opinion, is the most highly anticipated chapter so far besides the finale. And I want to say:
YOOHOO! WE FINALLY HAVE OVER 100 REVIEWS!
Also, I would like to give a special thanks to Return to Neverland for being my co-creator for this story and check out her story "The Secret Lies with Charlotte!"
Now, ENJOY!
P.S. You might not like what will happen to Charlotte at the beginning of this chapter!
Previously...
"We're staying overnight at the beach! SLUMBER BEACH PARTYYYYYYYY!" Alaine sang in excitement.
In response, Charlotte accidentally did a spit-tank with the orange juice she was drinking...and all went all over Alaine's face, unfortunately.
"WHAT?!"
...
"MOTHER!" Karen screeched. She hated this punishment for years and the fact that Laguna did this to her while she is pregnant was flabbergasted.
"A hundred years and I still got it. Now listen Karen, and listen good. You are going to tell me where Charlotte is or so help me, I will have Jonathan come and put you in the pool and we all could wait hours for the ice to thaw.
Now, what will it be?" Laguna asked menacingly.
...
She grabbed her wallet and pulled out a $5 bill. She was about hand it to him when a hand stopped her.
"Sorry, but my girlfriend's already had something to eat, haven't you?" a voice asked from behind her.
Charlotte froze. She knew that voice anywhere.
She turned around slowly and her brown eyes met a bluish-purple color.
Jason.
Presently...
Charlotte's POV
Can a girl ever catch a break?
Today, I missed my training to have a day with some friends. And it turned out great!
Now I have to deal with him, that jerk-face, out of all people. Hell, I could have settled for Riley!
I quickly jerked away from Jason's perverted grasp and started walking away. I didn't need this, not today, of all days, and I didn't need him!
Suddenly, I tripped and almost fell to the ground. Almost.
I felt a pair of hands catch me and pull me back up.
Once I got back on my feet, I turned to the person who caught me and said "Thanks for catching me like that but I-"
I stopped in mid-sentence when I realized who I was talking to was Jason's little brother, Jose.
"Long time, no see...Charlotte," he said menacingly. I felt a pair of hands wrap around my waist and pull me into something...or someone.
I pulled my head and looked to see who was holding me. It was another one of Jason's cronies, Marick.
"Hello Gorgeous," he said to me.
Don't call me Gorgeous...I was tempted to say, but bite my tongue as I struggled to get out of his grasps.
"Don't bother. He has a strong grip on you," a voice said. I looked to my right to see Devin smirking at me.
"Oh, why don't you all go to hell! You guys are practically in your early 20's and I'm still 17! This is sexual assault!" I exclaimed, still trying to get out of Marick's grasp. I pushed against him, shoved him, and even stepped on his toes, yet he still wasn't budging!
"Bold talk for a small girl," said another voice. I looked to my left and saw Jonas, smirking at me as well.
"Bold talk for an idiot like you!" I exclaimed. I smiled to myself when I saw Jonas glaring at me.
Maybe I could provoke them all to the point Marick can let me go.
"Well, I highly doubt that," Jason said. The guys crowded into a circle and surrounded me.
"So, I guess a 'Welcome Back' would seem good. Two months earlier, this is nearly the anniversary of the day we first met. But it seems that we won't have time for that," he said, "so, there's no one to save you now. No over-sized bodyguard or some mangy mutt. You are completely alone. What are you going to do now?"
I smirked at him. I didn't come alone, but I won't allow anyone to fight my battles for me either.
"Easy. This!"
I raised my right foot as high as I can and slammed it hard on Marick's big toe.
Immediately, Marick let me go and went for his bruised toe.
"Yeee-OOOW!" he screeched as he started to rub his toe.
This gave me an escape before any of them grabbed me.
I ran between him and Jose and shot off like a rocket.
"Don't just stand there! GET HER!" I heard Jason yell from behind me. I picked up my pace as I heard multiple footsteps right behind me. I ran in different directions into the crowd and managed to get them confused.
I searched my surroundings to look for any of my friends but it seemed that they were nowhere to be found. It was like they didn't want to be it didn't help that the food court was crowded either!
I looked around once more, still running for my life until I found Damon standing next to a chili stand devouring a chili hotdog.
I stopped for a moment, just one moment, and yelled "DAMON!" as I waved both of my hands over at him.
I saw him look up from his hotdog and smile at me, but his eyes bugged out and widened.
I frowned at his expression and started to walk towards him until I felt someone cover my mouth from behind and something wrap around my legs. I started trying to wiggle and squirm out of their grasp, but they wouldn't let go!
Immediately, I felt my body being hoisted into the air, but only enough to not get noticed, and came face to face with Marick and Devin.
"You know, it comes in handy to wear two belts," Devin said a little to tauntingly. I just glared at him.
They carried me away and I looked back at Damon, only to see that he was nowhere to be found.
I only hoped that he went to get help.
Marick and Devin carried me to an empty women's restroom and I noticed a metal chain across the entrance with a "CAUTION!" sign hanging on it. But, with me hoisted in the air, they just stepped over the chain.
When they got in, I saw Jason and the rest of his gang practically giving me their sickest smiles. Marick uncovered my mouth, but I just glared at him.
"Well, that was fast," Jason said, "did anyone see you?"
Marick shook his head. "Nah, we were in and out of there. Though she was trying to catch someone's attention, they probably missed her."
"Good," Jason said, then rubbed his hands together, "now let's get this show on the road. Devin, unbind her."
Devin nodded and reached down to take off the belt.
Once I felt my legs get freed, I didn't hesitate as I raised my leg and kicked Devin square in the nose!
I saw him fall to the ground with his hands covering his nose. I think I saw a little blood squirt as well.
Mermaid: 1
Bad Guys: 0
I felt Marick pull my arms behind my back and held them tightly. I watched as Devin got up with a bloody nose.
"You son-of-a-" he started.
"Sorry, I'm not a guy, I don't have kids, and I'm not a dog," I finished for him. He glared at me so hard that if looks could kill, I'd already been dead.
He was breathing hard and in pants. His brown eyes looked like he was out for blood and looked downright hungry, like an animal that spent days chasing after its prey and had grown savage.
He turned to Jason and said, "I know we had a deal, but I'm sorry man."
Then, he turned back to me and in an instant, I felt his fist collide with my stomach and I felt my breath and my lights get knocked out of me.
Sure, in Atlanta, I had been beaten up a few times, but I have never taken a punch to my guts. And God did it hurt! It was like being hit by a 6-pound sledgehammer!
I grunted and doubled over in pain until I felt something collide with my chin hard, and my body, along with my head, shot straight up off the ground. It was then that I moaned in pain. I heard Devin chuckled.
Oh, he was enjoying this.
After that, I was repeatedly felt my conscience slipping as he continued to punch me in the stomach and kneaded me in the face.
Come on, come on, come on Charlotte! You're a mermaid for Pete's sake! Use your powers! I thought to myself but it wasn't working. I could use my powers on these idiots but how can I when I keep losing my breaths and the verge of losing my full consciousness?
After one last punch, Marick finally let me go. I slid to the cold, tile floor with my hand clutching over my stomach.
Damn, it hurt!
I started to catch my breath by breathing into my nose and out through my mouth. I repeated this at least five times until I felt a strong hand grab me by the neck and lift me to my feet. I looked up to see it was Jason, smirking at me.
"Well, now you know what happens when you misbehave. You know, normally I would have said no. But this is like our third time encountering each other. Did you need to have someone rescuing you every time?" he asked me.
When I didn't answer, he dragged me and threw me headfirst into the wall at the end of the restroom. I hissed at the new in the back of my head.
I started to slide down the wall until Jason came up to me and held me into place.
I lifted my head slightly and dropped it. I could hardly catch my breath, much less concentrate on my powers.
I felt my left arm get pinned to the wall above my head and the same thing to my right arm. Then, I felt Jason's hand leave my throat and felt both of his hands trailing both sides of my body.
Uhh, this will end badly for me.
"HEY! Didn't your mothers teach you that touching girls that are younger than you is illegal!"
Like an adrenaline rush, me, including everyone else, looked at the restroom entrance and saw Damon. My eyes widened in fear.
What the Hell! I wanted him to go get help, like the police or something. Not play hero!
Then, Jason chuckled. "And who are you supposed to be?"
"Easy. I'm the guy who's going to kick your butt! And what did you do to Charlotte?!" Damon demanded. He glared at Jason and his gang with hatred but looked at me with panic and worry.
Jason just shrugged.
"Easy. She just got punished for fighting back," he simply said. I knew he could about my wellbeing at the moment.
I saw Damon taking a few deep breaths and said "Well, if your done 'punishing' her, me, my sister, and the rest of her friends are worried about Charlotte, so..."
Then, he tried to run towards me.
But Jason gave Marick and Devin some invisible signal and, before I could warn him, the two grabbed Damon and pulled him to the ground.
"What the Hell!" Damon exclaimed, then calmed down, "listen, you don't have to do this. You guy can walk away now and I can promise that I and Charlotte won't speak of this to anyone, even the police. Just stop."
Jason nodded. "Yeah, that would be a good idea, but this virgin right here, assuming she is one, has given us trouble the last two times we met. And this time, we plan to do this meeting ..."
Jason made a gesture to Devin, who curled his hand up into a fist and landed a punch to Damon's stomach.
Like me, he had the wind knocked out of him. But unlike me, he never got a chance to catch a breath because Devin kept sending blows into him.
My eyes widen in horror as I watch Damon get hurt... because of ...me.
God, why didn't I just say no and not joined Jason and his goons for lunch that day?!
My mind was so worried about Damon that I didn't feel Jason's hand get through my pant's zipper and...inside my underwear.
...
Just in time for Devin to punch Damon in the nose and blood to come out.
Instantly, the fear and exhaustion left me and I was refilled with anger and energy.
It was one thing to feel someone up and harass their friends.
...
But it was another to touch my crotch and beat my friend to a bloody pulp!
I looked around and realized my advantage now: I was in a restroom.
Restrooms had water in the toilets and sinks and I was a mermaid with the power to control and expand water.
BOY did these guys pick a bad place to bring me... a really bad place.
I looked to my left and, passed Jonas, I saw the sinks and to my luck, they had handles.
With all my concentration, I turned my left hand towards the sinks and with a twist of my hand, one of the sinks started to run water out of it.
This got Jason's attention and he pulled his hand from out of my pants. Thank God!
Jason turned his head towards the running sink and said "Devin, turn that thing off!"
My eyes shifted to Damon. His bloody nose was running and, to my horror, a bit of blood was coming out of his mouth.
Devin dropped his fist and turned to Jason. "Why can't you do it?"
"Because I said so!" Jason snapped. As he turned back to me, I saw Devin groan and went to turn off the water.
Only it wouldn't stop running.
Devin kept turning the handles, but under my control, he couldn't.
"Jason, it won't work," he said, still trying to turn the water off. Jason snapped his head at him.
"What do you mean it won't turn off? Turn the handles stupid!"
"I mean, no matter what I do, the damn water won't stop!" Devin exclaimed.
"Well then, ignore it! We've got better things to do!" Jason told him.
But before Devin could walk away, I turned my hand again, causing the next sink to run. Devin went to turn that one-off, but since it was also under my control, it wouldn't stop.
And then I continued.
One by one, water started to running from each sink, and, for poor Devin, he still couldn't turn them off. Soon enough, all the sinks were running unstoppable.
"What the hell is going on here?!" Jason exclaimed. As he tried to molest me, he kept getting distracted and he hated it.
Then, he walked away from me and towards Devin.
Next, as fast as I could blink, he landed a sucker punch on Devin's face, causing him to fall head-first into the floor. Serves him right!
"I asked you to do one thing. One simple little thing, and you can't even do that!" Jason yelled, "if you want something done, you've got to do it yourself!". Then, he started turning the handles to turn the water off.
I looked towards Damon, who despite how bloody he looked, was relieved to breathe. I had figured that the sinks would distract Devin long enough to stop, but now, I had other plans.
I looked towards my right and saw the restroom stalls.
I felt a devilish smile forming on my face.
"Hey! What are you smiling about?" Jose asked me. I forgot that he was holding my right arm.
"Oooooh...nothing!" I chimed in a sing-song voice.
Just as I said that, I twisted my right hand at an open stall and with my powers, made the toilet flush and continued.
This also got Jason's attention. He walked away from Devin and went to the flushing toilet.
"What is going on here?" he asked himself. And then, with a twist of my hand, I caused water to rush out the toilet and completely exploded and doused him from head to toe.
He came out soaking wet and was pulling out wet tissue paper from his mouth.
Oh, the toilet I chose was clogged up. Oh, Happy Day!
"Dude, what happened to you?" Jose asked his brother.
But before he could reply, I summoned all the toilets to flush mode.
I watched as Jason and Devin entered all the stalls to see all the toilets flushing.
"Dude, I think we should leave," Devin suggested. By the looks of it, he was starting to lose his anger and was now starting to freak out. Huh, serves him right!
Jason looked at him in ridicule.
"Are you serious?! I haven't gotten what I wanted yet!" he exclaimed.
"Oh come on! You felt the girl in between her legs! I think you got something alright!" Devin countered.
At some point, I stopped listening and looked back at Damon. I never looked closely, but I now noticed that his bottom lip was busted, his cheek was bruised, and his right eye was turning black. A black eye.
Time to kick it up a notch!
I twisted my hand towards the sinks and, with a little practice from my two new powers, I caused the water to explode all over Jason, Devin, Marick, and Damon. It was a sight!
Next, I twisted my left hand and used my powers to make the toilets overflow. I got my job done when I heard a sickening sound from the stalls and the water started pouring out of the floor at a quick speed.
I watched as Jason and Devin tried to stop the water from coming out of the sinks while Marick had dropped Damon to the wet floor and was trying to figure out what was going on with the toilets. I couldn't help it and made the water explode out of the toilet and hit him in the face like a water cannon!
Getting scared now, I saw Jonas and Jose release me and ran out of the restroom as fast as a cheetah. I took the time to turn off all the sinks and flushing toilets.
Hah! The look on Jose's face was priceless!
I zipped up my pants, looked down at the floor, and noticed the water that was flowing around my boots. Water...
Crap! I forgot the one disadvantage of being a mermaid :
One drop of water and I sprout a tail!
I had to get me and Damon out of here before water sprayed me and everyone saw me in my tail...and I don't even want to think of what Jason would do if he saw me.
I started to walk towards Damon, who was face-flat on the floor until I found myself face to face with Jason and his remaining goons. All of them were soaking wet and their clothes were completely drenched from the blasts I sent them.
If the atmosphere wasn't so tense, I would have laughed in their faces!
Out of all three of them, Jason was the maddest. His face was pure red, if that was even possible, his hands were clenched into fists and his eyes just stood there, glaring holes into my body.
Part of me had almost suspected that he knew I was the one that caused the entire restroom to be on the verge of flooding, but the look in his eyes was completely, utterly...empty.
I stepped back and put my hands behind my back if they tried something, and judging by the way they acted, they would.
Jason started towards me and, before I could blast him, he grabbed my face forcefully and kissed me! KISSED ME! I swear, his lips tasted like a nuclear waste that was ready to explode and turn into toxic waste!
THAT WAS THE LAST STRAW!
I kicked Jason in his baby maker and shoved him away from me as far as I could. When he was a good distance from me, I summoned the water from all over - the sinks, the toilets, and the floor - to my will and in one direct hit, Jason and the others were literally blasted out of the restroom and out into the crowd! I could hear them screaming like little girls as they ran away.
"Mmmmmm..." I heard a moan. I looked down at Damon to see that he was passed out on the floor. He must have fallen unconscious as soon as Marick let him go, not that I blame him. He shouldn't have had to go through that.
I started walking towards him until I slipped and fell onto the wet, cold floor. I forgot that the sinks and toilets were still shooting water onto the floor.
And 20 seconds later, I sprouted my tail.
I quickly looked back at Damon's sleeping form. His head was slightly moving from left to right and continued to moan quietly. I had to dry myself off fast, and maybe the entire restroom before he woke up.
I put my hand over my tail and closed it into a ball and did the same thing to my other hand as I directed it towards the floor. Then, I watched as my tail and the room went up in steam as the water quickly evaporated into the air and dried me off.
One of my favorite parts of being a mermaid with heat powers!
After a few minutes, I got my legs back and the floor was dry to the bone, along with the sinks and toilets. I got back up and quickly ran to his side.
"Damon, Damon wake up!" I shouted as I shook him on his side, "please Damon, wake up. You don't want them to come back, do you?"
Honestly, I doubt that the gang would even return for another round of water blasts.
When he wasn't waking up, I did the most optional thing to do.
I raised my hand over his face and smacked him across his cheek as hard as I could!
In an instant, Damon's eyes popped wide open as he sat up straight and looked at me in shock.
"Did you just slap me?" he asked as he cradled his cheek.
"Well, how else was I supposed to wake you up?" I asked. "Because I didn't think just dousing water on you would've worked."
He opened his mouth to say something back, but nothing came out.
"Alright, you win. But who were those guys and where did they go?" he asked. Thankfully, I could answer that.
"Well, some woman had heard the commotion in here and walked in. Seeing what was going on, she quickly ran out and went to get the cops. So, they let us go and ran to the hills like the cowards they were!" I stated. I laughed internally as I thought of the blast.
Damon nodded. "Alright, but who were they?"
I sighed. "To me, there a bunch of guys who have been after me since...well, for a while. This was as close as they've gotten so far. Now answer this for me: Why didn't you go get help? It would be far better for BOTH of us if you did that!"
"And if I was too late? Charlotte, look at yourself in the mirror and tell me if what could have happened if I hadn't come in when I did," Damon said as we both got back on our feet.
I walked towards the mirrors and looked at the aftermath Jason and Devin left on me.
I had a noticeable handprint around my neck, my chin was all bruised up but nothing a little ointment couldn't do, and then I noticed how pale yet red-faced I looked.
Maybe Damon was right.
Maybe something could have happened.
3rd POV
As soon as Charlotte and Damon got out of the restroom, they wasted no time looking for the girls. But it wasn't long when they found them huddled up at the water fountain.
All the girls were in shock, especially Dominique and Alaine when they saw how battered they were.
"Oh my god! What happened?! Did Damon molest you or something?" Alaine asked as she rushed over towards Charlotte, completely leaving Damon hanging.
"Hey! I'll have you know that I'm the perfect gentleman! And I'll leave that to Charlotte to explain," he said, looking at Charlotte.
Charlotte glared at him accusingly and looked at Alaine. "No, he was fine. We both had a run-in with a couple of bad guys and it...well we got away with a few bruises! Nothing to worry about!"
Alaine scoffed. "A few bruises? Nothing to worry about? You both need medical attention!"
Then, she turned to the group. "Did anyone bring a first aid kit?"
"I did, but it's in my bag...which is in my basket with the other bikes," a girl said sheepishly.
"Well, let's go. We are on a schedule and I for one don't like a change in them. So come on!" Alaine said as she grabbed Charlotte's hand and led everyone to the mall entrance.
When they got there, Charlotte got a good amount of ointment and makeup around her neck and her chin while Dominique fixed up her brother and put on eye patch over his black eye.
"Mom is going to kill you when you get home later," Dominique said to her brother.
"Ah, don't worry! I'll just use some of mom's makeup in her room to cover it up," Damon said.
His sister raised an eyebrow. "Do you even know how to even put on makeup?"
Damon smiled in a cocky way. "Yeah, all I have to do is find the right skin tone, use a brush, and delicately brush it around my eyes like it says to do in your magazines!"
He smiled triumphantly until he realized that he just blew his secret.
"Damn you, Minnie!" he exclaimed. All the girls laughed as Dominique smacked him upside the head with a "Don't call me that!" banter.
Alaine laughed and looked at Charlotte, who was laughing pretty hard when she noticed something.
It never occurred to her, but Charlotte's laughs were different at times. When the two are alone, Charlotte usually gave out small laughs unless it's something really funny. But now, in a group, she was more vocal about it.
Maybe she should schedule more outings like this more often.
"Hey Charlotte," Alaine said, getting her friend's attention, "who attacked you and Damon exactly?"
Charlotte looked at her skeptically. But before she could reply, there was a loud screech coming from the mall entrance as two police cars parked in front of the mall.
"YOU LITTLE BITCH!"
Everyone turned around to see Jason and his goons being taken out of the mall by police officers with handcuffs linking their hands behind their backs. Once Jason saw Charlotte and spat curses at her way as he struggled against the police officer holding him.
"THIS ISN'T OVER! I'M GOING TO FIND YOU, HUNT YOU DOWN, AND I'M GOING TO KILL YOU! AND I'LL MAKE SURE OF IT!" he yelled.
Jason then managed to get away from the police officer and came charging towards Charlotte.
Feeling the panic in her chest, and not wanting to use her powers this time, Charlotte quickly ran to Thomas's side and unleashed him. She watched as her dog made a run towards Jason, who he remembered really well, and leaped upon him, causing Jason to fall headfirst to the ground in the process. Next, after growling at him in a threatening manner, he calmly got off of his as the officer forced Jason to his feet and placed him into one of the police cars with the others.
Everyone watched as the cars sped off and Thomas walked towards Charlotte's side.
Charlotte knelt and rubbed his right ears. Thomas leaned into it.
"You are such a good boy! Did you know that?" she asked.
WOOF!
"I thought so."
After getting over the incident and locking Thomas back onto the bike, Damon went home and the group hit the road.
It was fair to admit that the ride was long and slightly tiring, but it was worth it. Nearly 5 hours of it.
Charlotte got a good look at the parts of California that she hadn't seen in the 3 months she had lived in Cali, but then again, she had gained her tail and new powers, so she didn't much sight-seeing unless she was in Paradise.
Occasionally, the group took breaks and stretched out their legs and arms for about 5 minutes, but as soon as they ended, the girls hit the road.
Finally, they arrived at the beach, Westward Beach. It wasn't as crowded as Paradise, but everyone could easily pick out a space to lay down on.
"Welcome to Westward beach!" Alaine as everyone parked their bikes and gathered their things.
"I thought we were going to Pirate's Cove?" Charlotte asked as she slung her book bag on and picked up her guitar case. Alaine put on her bag and decided to carry the two sleeping bags.
"We are! You see that cliff over there?" Alaine pointed out. In her direction was a rocky cliff with boulders at the bottom. Charlotte's eyes caught the waves hitting most of the rocks.
"Yeah..." Charlotte trailed.
"Well, on the other side of that cliff is a secluded beach. THAT, my dear girl, is Pirate's Cove. It's just an 8-9 minute walk over there, plus we get free privacy! Cool huh?" Alaine asked excitedly. Charlotte spied the waves at the bottom of the cliffs hitting the boulders harshly.
Yeah, it would be if I planned on exposing my tail to everyone, Charlotte thought, and I don't.
What Alaine said was easier said than done. The whole point of being a mermaid is to keep it a secret. And the reason mermaids can't touch water is to avoid sprouting a tail! Sure her boots help keep the water from coming onto her unlike sneakers, but there's no way she'll be able to climb the boulders with her stuff, especially if they're wet.
"So that's where we're staying tonight?" Charlotte asked skeptically.
Alaine nodded. "Yep," she said, then looked at the others, "and by the looks of it, everyone's ready. So...let's head out girls!"
Following Alaine's lead, everyone started walking towards the beach. Charlotte internally groaned as she unlocked Thomas from her bike and put his leash on him before following behind the group.
Charlotte decided to walk behind the others, occasionally nodding and making small comments. she had a good idea of how she was going to avoid getting wet and which powers to use.
When they got to the boulders, Alaine wasted no time jumping through the water to get to the secluded beach. One by one, each girl did their best to dodge the waves but unfortunately got soaked.
Well, not Charlotte.
When the last girl had gone across, Charlotte looked around to make sure no one was then worked her magic. No pun intended.
She put down her guitar case and raised her hand towards the water in a claw-like gesture. She twisted it a few times and watched as the waves started to respond by becoming less aggressive and then, with one more twist, the waves stopped beating against the boulders and were now calm as it went up and down the sand.
Next, she widened her hand in a cupping gesture and slowly raised it in the direction of the water. It slowly started to form a hard pathway, hard enough to walk on.
Grinning to herself, she dropped her hand and picked up her guitar case again and, with Thomas by her side, carefully stepped onto the path.
At first, she started walking on a slow pace, but when she felt the wind blew hard and noticed that the waves were starting to pick up, she picked up her pace until she finally made it to the other she got off the pathway, Charlotte turned around to see it turn back into saltwater.
Looks like her new powers can come in handy.
When Charlotte reached the others, they had already changed into their swimwear and were already splashing and playing around in the water.
On the sandy part of the beach, the girls had already settled down and rolled out their sleeping bags and had made them form a big circle. It surprised her to see that Alaine had unrolled both of their sleeping bags and found her laying on her bag, sunbathing.
"I hope you are wearing sunscreen because it would be a shame if you burned up, " Charlotte said as she walked towards Alaine. Knowing Thomas wouldn't run away, she took off his leash placed her guitar case down, and took off her book bag as she sat down beside her friend.
Alaine made a face. "Girl, this tan can make anyone feel and look good. So what took you so long? Everyone unpacked already."
Charlotte gave a fake shrug. "I decided to wait it out since I didn't want to get wet."
"Wet? You don't even have a drop of water on you except for the bottom of your boots!" Alaine exclaimed.
"Anyways," Charlotte continued, changing the subject, "how come you're not out in the water with the others?"
"I sort of prefer pool water. I know it's stupid, but every time I try to go swimming at the beach, my skin gets a little tingle and I start to feel a pull in my guts. Don't get me wrong! I love the beach, but when I feel that way, I stay away from the water. At the local pools, I don't feel that way," Alaine explained.
This was new information for Charlotte. Being a mermaid herself at the moment, she was getting all types of feels to go jump into the water. But she learned to keep it at bay.
"Well, I don't know about saltwater, but the pull you feel from the ocean could probably be a good thing. It means that you're at peace and home. You shouldn't be afraid of it. Instead, you should embrace it. I mean, aren't you a good swimmer?" Charlotte asked.
"Are you kidding me? I put the Dolphin Kick technique to shame! I mean, I'm a really good swimmer, but I'd rather help the environment if I had the choice," Alaine said. Charlotte noticed how her eyes lit up as she spoke.
"Hmm, maybe I'll get to see you swim one day," Charlotte said with a smile
"Maybe."
After 3 hours of fun and games, a few of the girls had gathered some rocks, leaves, and sticks to build a fire.
And Charlotte may or may not have used her powers to start it.
Now, it was sunset and everyone was sitting around the campfire, eating s'mores that one of the girls brought along and were laughing and joking with each other.
"I'm telling you, he wet his pants that night and didn't even realize it until he came down for breakfast the next day!" Dominique cracked as she was telling embarrassing stories about her brother.
By now, all the girls' sides hurt because of how hard they were laughing.
"Alright, alright. Let's settle down now, we're all getting tired and soon we all need to get some sleep," Alaine said to calm everyone down. it worked and all of them laid down on their sleeping bags.
One of the girls noticed that Charlotte was drawing something in her journal and said: "Hey, what's ya drawing?"
Charlotte looked up in surprise. Instead of saying anything, she revealed her drawings to the others. It was a sunset with a face on it. She had hardly painted in a while, so to be able to draw gave her a little comfort.
"I didn't know you could draw," Dominique said. "What else can you do? Sing?"
Alaine snorted. "Sing? She practically my archnemesis in the choir!"
Charlotte blushed. She didn't like all the attention.
"Sorry Alaine, but I prefer the terms "friendly rivalry" to describe it," Charlotte corrected. Alaine stuck her tongue out at her.
"Very mature Al."
Ria spotted Charlotte's guitar and suggested "Well Charlotte, why don't you play something for us? Are you as good as Alaine gloats about?"
She didn't know how, But Charlotte could tell that Ria was trying to make her feel uncomfortable on purpose. Being around Rikki so long gave her those vibes.
"Um sure, I mean if you want me to..." Charlotte trailed as she put her journal down and took her guitar out of the case. Then, she looked through her journal and found a song that she wrote while she was bored one day.
With her guitar in hand, she started playing the chords and began to sing.
Maybe I'm grey
Maybe I'm blue
lately, I don't know what to do
Don't be afraid of knowing me
Of seeing what your eyes can t see
What I am thinking
What's inside, I've got nothing to hide
Undress my heart
Let it go naked
I'm not ashamed
I'm not gone fake it
I will reveal
Everything I feel
What you to see every part
Of my naked heart
Maybe there's time
Maybe there's none
Maybe you should wait until I'm done
How can we lose
It's our fate
Uncover me before it's too late
What are you thinking
What's inside, I've got nothing to hide
Unchain my mind
Release my soul
Undo the hurt
Make my whole
I'm no the one to stop you
Once you start
Everyone looked up at her in surprise. Everyone, except for Alaine, didn't expect Charlotte to be that good.
"Well?" Charlotte asked expectantly. Everyone was staring at her with their mouths open and it was starting to freak her out a little.
Recovering from her shock, Ria scowled and didn't talk for the remainder of the night.
For the next 3 hours, the girls constantly danced and sang along to songs they had requested Charlotte to play. It was actual, real fun for Charlotte since the volleyball game, but it was going to be a full moon soon and if she was going to find that moon pool, she had to do it alone, except Thomas.
By 10 o'clock, the fun finally stopped and everyone was tucked away in their sleeping bags, snoozing away, except for Charlotte and the two were in their own little world as they quietly talked to each other while the others slept.
"You know, you never told me how you met Tessa and Willow. I mean, you're so sweet and they...are not so much. How were you even friends with them?" Charlotte asked Alaine. She glanced at Thomas, who was snoozing away, but she knew she'd have to wake him up early.
"Girl, I don't even know. We met on our first day of high school. We met on our first day of high school. We were pretty much freshmen entering the 'Belly of the Beast'. I met Tessa when I got lost while looking for my 1st period. She saw me and, since we had that class together, she helped me out. Then, at lunch, she introduced me to Willow. From what they told me, they've been friends since they were in diapers," Alaine explained, "and they took me under their wings. We would have sleepovers together, go shopping, talk to cute boys, the whole thing!
I honestly don't know what changed.
Then, they have the nerve to tell me that the real reason they dropped me was to see if I'd stay 'loyal' to them. They pretty much tried to see if I'd find new friends after hurting me and still return to them! And to be honest, I'm glad I have you. You wouldn't hurt someone you cared about."
Charlotte highly doubts that. "You don't mean that."
Alaine nodded. "I do. Maybe you feel that way because those girls broke something in your head or something, but you don't hurt the people you care about."
"You don't get it! I pretty much made their lives a living hell. Especially one of them, who I did and sad many unforgivable things too, bullied them and harassed them. Trust me, I'm not like what you think I am," Charlotte confessed.
Alaine looked at her for a moment then grabbed her hand.
"Well, if I know any better, you are completely different from the girl you're telling me about. Because I know one thing for sure: If you weren't put on this earth to save the world or anything else, you were born to be someone's best friend. My best friend.
To be honest, if you truly were like that last year, then they must have done something to push you. No bad guy is created out of nowhere. Someone had to hurt to make you hurt and sometimes the way to stop that hurt is to ask for forgiveness," Alaine said.
Charlotte was surprised that Alaine considered her as her "best friend" and pondered on what she said.
"Will you forgive Willow and Tessa for what they did?" she asked.
Alaine nodded. "Maybe not now, because the pain still hurts, but I will eventually. Maybe the next time you see those girls, you can forgive each other for whatever happened, whether it's over being like them or just plain dating an ex-boyfriend."
Charlotte chuckled and smiled at Alaine. If only she knew that it wasn't that simple...
After a few minutes, Alaine finally went to sleep.
Now it was time for Charlotte to put her plan into action.
She had pulled her backpack close to her and pulled out her flashlight and slowly crawled out of her sleeping bag. She had a feeling she was going to need it. Then, she started to wake up her dog.
"Thomas...Thomas...THOMAS!" she screamed/whispered.
Thomas's eyes popped open and sat straight up. He knew what she needed.
Charlotte scanned the area to make sure everyone was fast asleep before slowly getting on her feet and walking rocky walls of the beach. Thomas followed her.
He went ahead and started sniffing around. Then, after a few minutes, he halted and stopped sniffing. Charlotte looked around and realized that this was the place where the tunnel opened up in her dreams.
Instantly, there was a huge pull in her guts and she looked up at the night sky.
Before her glory was the full moon, and like in her dreams, it was glowing brightly! Charlotte had to force herself to shield her eyes and turn her head away. It may have been her dream that allowed her to see the light, but in reality, it could make her go blind.
When she was ready, Charlotte opened her eyes and looked in shock as the rocky wall that was once there was now a tunnel. Then, she looked down at Thomas, only to see that he wasn't there and only his footprints in the sand were leading into the tunnel.
"Oh boy," Charlotte said as she turned on her flashlight before walking in.
The light helped as she started walking alone. Part of her was anxious to get this whole ordeal over with. She could practically feel her heart beating out of her chest rapidly. But another part of her felt...calm? Well, she would have to think about that later.
WOOF!
Hearing Thomas bark, Charlotte stopped walking and ran through the tunnel. If something bad happened to him, she would never forgive herself.
When Charlotte finally got to the end of the tunnel, she swore her heart stopped and dropped her flashlight.
She couldn't believe it.
Right in front of Charlotte, as clear as day, was a GIANT, crystal blue pool. And it was bubbling fast.
Everything was the same: the circular rocky walls, the thousand of sparkling blue crystals glowing from within them...and the huge opening in the ceiling with the moon starting to rise over the 100 ft moon pool.
The pull Charlotte had felt earlier was getting bigger and stronger by the minute as she unconsciously started walking towards the pool.
She watched as the bubbles that submerged from the pool increased at a rapid pace. Each step strengthens the pull inside of her, the burning desire to jump in increased.
...
WOOF!
Something snapped in Charlotte's head as her eyes popped open and, missing her step, slipped and fell to the ground.
Ouch!
She sat up and turned to her right to see Thomas standing next to her. And by the look in his eyes, he was relieved.
"What was that for!?" Charlotte exclaimed. Thomas turned his head towards the pool and she looked in his direction and saw why he did it in surprise.
She was 3 steps off from jumping in the pool. And he stopped her just in time.
Bless that dog!
"Wow..." a familiar voice said from behind her. Too familiar...
Charlotte snapped her head around, looked behind her, and got scared for who she saw.
Alaine.
Like lightning, Charlotte quickly got on her feet and ran to Alaine's side with Thomas by her side.
"What are you doing here?!" Charlotte asked frantically. She truly cared about Alaine, but if she jumped into the moon pool and became a mermaid...the thought terrified her.
"Easy. I woke up to find you and Thomas gone and a tunnel suddenly appeared out of, being the curious little bee I am, I got up and came in," Alaine said to her eyes now on the pool," and I don't regret it."
Charlotte recognized the look on Alaine's face. If this moon pool gave off some mesmerizing feel that could affect Alaine as it did her, then Charlotte officially needs to get her out of here.
"Now, why would you want to do that?" a creepy yet familiar voice echoed through the cave. Charlotte felt a shiver run down her spine with the knowledge of who that exact voice belonged to.
Marana.
Charlotte looked back at Alaine, but she didn't seem phased. Her eyes were still glued to the moon pool.
"There's nothing wrong with letting her be like you. You say she doesn't understand the ordeals you went through, right? So let her. I'm sure your time together would go...swimmingly," Marana said.
Charlotte looked back at Alaine, now sure that Marana put her under some type of trance to keep her from hearing them.
Like the dream with her and the girls being friends, it did sound tempting. And easy. Alaine would know the actual truth of what happened and she wouldn't be alone with her secret...
Charlotte stepped out of the way and let Alaine slowly walk past her and started walking towards the moon pool.
Alaine already called her a best friend. And best friends do everything together...maybe it was for the best...
"Yes, let her enter the moon pool..." Marana said.
Once again, Charlotte got lost in a trance and watched as Alaine got closer...
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WWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOFFFFFFFFFFFF!
So, who's loving the Charlotte and Alaine bonding? And let's give Charlotte and Thomas 3 cheers for whipping Jason and his gang's butts!
READ&REVIEW!
Please! It hurts to have a large number of people read this story but only a small part review! I welcome all opinions, just not HATE!