Hey! So, this is the new chapter and I wanted to try something new! And guess what:
IT'S MY BIRTHDAY THIS MONTH! As per the announcement, feel free to write me anything up to the 29TH!
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Previously...
"So, let me get this straight: Marana is controlling Charlotte!?" Karen exclaimed.
...
"...No, she's not controlling Charlotte. She is Charlotte! Kind of like those movies and TV shows Brendan likes to watch where the humans are taken over by some kind of dark spirit. A demonic possession, if you will. They have no idea they were possessed until either they die or the spirit leaves them. Other times, it's like watching through a TV screen. The humans see the actions their body is committing, but they can't do anything about it. And from what I've figured out, Marana has taken Charlotte's body as a host."
...
"No!" Brendan jumped up, surprising everyone, " I won't take that! I-I-I need to apologize to her! If I hadn't said those things to her, then maybe-"
But his grandmother shut him down, knowing where his train of thought was going. Laguna grasped both his shoulders and made him look directly at her.
"Brendan, there couldn't have been anything you could have done to prevent this. We all knew that Marana could have waited a hundred years to wait for the right moment to get to her," Laguna said seriously.
"But-" Brendan started.
"No buts, Brendan! The girl already has enough skeletons in the closet that-"
And suddenly, it struck her like lightning. And it emitted a light strong enough to see the answers right in front of her.
...
"Think of what Riley and Miss Williams have told us. Everything Charlotte has refused to fight against, Marana is acting on her desires. One Charlotte would rather keep in a small, dark place in her head than act on. You see, it wasn't until I realized that Charlotte has been wearing a mask in front of us the entire time. Granted, we knew it was there. But behind it was a girl so sad and miserable, she couldn't be allowed to be seen. So Charlotte put up a front. One that could be held in day by day," Laguna explained, "Her experience in Queensland, Australia left her heartbroken in more ways than one can describe. More ways that I didn't understand until now. She lost her self-confidence, her ability to trust others with her feelings, her ability to fall in love, and her sense of security. In Australia, she was rejected multiple times, unwanted, humiliated, and just plain-right denounced from the world her grandmother left behind. But she, as if she wasn't broken enough, in Atlanta, Georgia, that's where she was really, and nearly, lost to the world."
...
Jonathan looked up at his mother in law. "So how do we bring her back?"
...
Judging by the last time she spoke with "Charlotte", she doubted Marana was going to let her body go without a fight. Especially now that she was figured out. And she knew Marana would know that she was too.
...
"Alright, so Operation: Save Charlotte is a Go, but here's the thing," Brendan pointed out, "if Marana has taken over Charlotte's body, where is the real Charlotte?"
...
"Well, of course, we have to celebrate this moment!" Cleo exclaimed excitingly before whispering in my ear, "After all, you're one of us...Charlotte."
...
Everything was going according to plan.
October 23rd, 2009, Friday Afternoon...
Annette's POV
Have you ever wondered where you could've gone wrong? As a parent?
Like how your child could become cruel, calculate stranger? How did that even happen?
Perhaps it was my fault. I should have known something was wrong ever since we left Georgia. No, further than that. Perhaps to Queensland.
It all started one night...
Flashback...
Queensland, Australia, Midnight, one year ago...
I couldn't sleep tonight. Normally, if I had trouble sleeping or cooking would calm me down, but it seemed like I just couldn't get out of bed to head to the kitchen nor the bathroom.
And that's when I heard it. The sound of the front door opening and closing. I almost grabbed my phone and called the police until I realized that Charlotte wasn't home. Maybe it was her...
And what was she doing outside in the middle of the night?!
Forcing myself up, I wrapped my robe around me as I got off the bed and walk out of my room. As I entered the hallway, I saw the light come on from the living room and mentally prepared myself to give Charlotte a stern talking about being out all night.
So, the moment I walked into the living room, I opened my mouth to reprimand my daughter.
"Charlotte Watsford! Do you know what time it is? It's half-past noon! Where the hell have you been?"
And the moment I noticed her clothes, I just knew something was wrong.
For starters, she was soaking wet from head to toe and she had the most broken expression I had ever seen on her face. And I've thought I've seen it when she came crying after Lewis broke up with her.
Her eyes seemed lifeless, empty almost. As if something ripped the light out of her very eyes and left a hollow space instead. Her facial expression looked as if she'd been crying but no tears shed. And...
I almost thought there was a stranger in front of her, not her daughter.
She turned to me. "Oh, it's that late? I'm sorry, Mom. I was at a friend's house and I took a walk on the beach. I guess time just slipped away from me."
I almost said something back, but didn't. I knew that was a blatant lie right then and there. But it was late and we were both probably tired.
"Just go put on some dry clothes and go to bed. We'll talk about this in the morning," I said tiredly.
She just nodded and walked towards her bedroom that gave her the full view of the ocean and that island, Mako island, it was.
I went back to bed too. I would deal with this tomorrow.
But shortly as I was drifting off into unconsciousness, I was startled by an ear-piercing sound of someone wailing in pain. I had almost got up to see who it was when I realized who was crying.
It was Charlotte.
Flashback ends...
After that, I felt as if I was living with a stranger. She lived-well, more like existed- as if she didn't have any will to live. She rarely laughed and if she did, it was because I made her and it was forced.
She barely smiled anymore. It's was only the forced smiles I saw.
And then, she stopped painting. I rarely saw her with a sketchpad or a painting easel in hand. I never saw a splash of paint on her, any wet paintbrushes coming out of her room. Her room was spotless. With how organized she usually was, it was constantly cluttered with new art projects.
I should have known something was wrong. The moment I heard her cry that night, I should have gone to see if she was okay, to comfort her at most.
After we moved, I assumed a change in scenery would be best.
I'll admit, I partially blamed her pain on Lewis McCartney and Miss Cleo Sertori. I'm ashamed to admit it, but I just knew my daughter would have her heart broken by him. Yes, he seemed like a nice fellow, and maybe in another life, it would have worked out. But I saw the eyes he gave Cleo often and vice versa, and when I heard from her father of their relationship, I just knew this wasn't going to end well for Charlotte.
Does that make me a bad mother? To know how badly my child would get hurt and not protect her?
If I had intervened in some way, would my daughter not be acting as if she had her soul ripped out?
Huh, my Charlotte believed she wasn't the perfect daughter, but perhaps she had a horrible mother.
My mind goes back to Andrea Williams and I shake my head.
No, that woman isn't and shouldn't even be considered a mother. I suspected the day Alaine came to stay with us that she had home problems, but I guess I refused to piece the puzzles together until she raised a hand to Charlotte.
I had grown to adore Alaine and hearing this...this 360-personality she pulled on Charlotte was as hard to believe.
Heck, I'd rather believe my daughter could sprout a tail than that!
I had a feeling in my bones that her mother forced her to turn against her best friend. She just had to. That woman seemed like trouble from the moment I opened my front door to her face. She lived to break her daughter.
Perhaps that's the world we live in: In a world where single mothers either fail to protect their child or show them the most brutal actions of reality.
But just as I had thought of bringing Charlotte to Georgia would have been the best thing for her, I made a mistake.
And I was almost too late.
Flashback...
Atlanta, Georgia, eight-nine months ago...
"Charlotte, Sweetie, I'm home!" I exclaimed as I came in through the front door of the house. My feet were killing me and I was ready to pass out, but I couldn't drop dead just yet.
As I sat my bag down, removed my toque Blanche from my head, and took off my shoes, I noticed that Charlotte hadn't replied.
"Charlotte?" I called out again. But still no answer.
"I swear, that girl..." I muttered as I walked towards her bedroom.
After seeing how unhappy Charlotte was in Australia, I was allowed to work here in the States after a recommendation was given to me by a client. I almost didn't take it until Charlotte convinced me to. But the light in Charlotte's eyes didn't seem to come back even after the move.
The job was in Atlanta, Georgia and I was uncomfortable about moving halfway through Charlotte's Junior Year in high school. Nevertheless, out of the continent. Luckily, I enrolled her into Druid Hills High School and she seemed to be doing well there.
Though I'm still angry at the boy who dared make Charlotte walk home covered in mud! Why can't she just tell me who it is so I can file a report? Or at least tell his parents what he'd done! My daughter deserved that at least!
But as a mother, I noticed how the light still hadn't returned to my daughter's eyes. If anything, it seemed more like they had darkened since we've been here. I've asked her if anything was wrong, but she would wave her hand in dismissal and claim to be fine.
But I'm not that clueless: I saw the bruising she was sporting on the side of her abdomen. That itself led to an argument I'd rather not remember.
When I got to her bedroom door, I knocked three times.
KNOCK!
KNOCK!
KNOCK!
"Charlotte?" I called, before knocking again, "Charlotte? Sweetie, open the door."
Still no answer.
I could feel my heartbeat starting to beat faster and I was now getting worried.
Normally, I respected my daughter's privacy, but not answering my calls was beginning to make me panic a little. Grabbing the knob, I turned it, surprising to find the door unlocked before walking in.
Once I entered her room, I looked around. Just like in Queensland, her room was unusually spotless, but I took into account that some of Charlotte's art supplies were out.
So maybe she was starting to pick it up again.
Turning towards her bed, I felt relief wash over me as I saw Charlotte tucked under the covers.
So that's why she didn't answer me: She was taking a nap.
With a smile on my face, I almost walked out of the room until I noticed the time on her clock.
6:30 PM.
I knew I got home late, but she couldn't have been asleep for that long, could she?
I walked over to the bed and started to gently shake her.
"Charlotte," I called.
No answer.
"Charlotte, wake up," I called again, a little louder.
Still no answer.
I started to panic again as I started shaking her again, more roughly this time.
"Charlotte, this isn't funny! Wake up!" I exclaimed. By now, I was using two hands to shake her and she still wasn't arising from her slumber.
The panic started turning into fear and my heartbeat escalated into a faster tempo.
"Charlotte! Charlotte!" I screamed. I could feel my body shaking all over in fear. This wasn't natural. My daughter wasn't even a deep sleeper even in her drowsiest state.
Before I realized what I was doing, I turned Charlotte over onto her back and felt for the pulse on her neck.
My heart stopped.
My eyes widened.
My mouth gaped.
I couldn't feel one.
"CHARLOTTE!"
Flashback ends...
I was startled out of my...memories when I heard the front door being slammed shut. And I didn't have to know who it was.
"Mother, I'm home."
Right beside me, I heard Thomas growl before making a beeline to the stranger who I called my daughter now.
When she came into view, I noticed the slightly dark eyeliner around her eyes and the clothes she was wearing.
Charlotte had on a tight-fitting, black dress where her...assets were making an obvious appearance, along with dark leggings and black sneakers. Her wrists were full of black and gray bracelets and the same as for the long necklaces along her neck. Her hair was still sporting bangs, but she had it pinned so it looked liked a bob-cut.
I almost wouldn't believe that this was Charlotte.
She was glaring at Thomas, as she'd been for the past two weeks, and I was nearly off-guard when she pushed him away roughly. It was almost as if she hated him.
But her glare lessened when she looked up and saw me.
"You didn't answer when I came in," she said, walking towards the kitchen.
"Oh! Sorry. I was thinking about something," I stated. Some things I'd much rather forget but much needed to remember.
"What? We aren't moving again, are we?"
I looked up at her to see her drinking a bottle of water out of a straw. She's been asking me a lot about that lately.
"No, and I don't even plan on it. Why do you even ask that these days? I thought you liked it here?" I asked.
She gave me an eye roll, which I would have reprimanded her for that if I didn't feel a nagging in the back of my head that was warning me not too. But that always got me. Why would I have any reason to fear my child?
"I don't know, I mean, California is great. Maybe all this sun is getting to me, but I just...maybe we should take a vacation," Charlotte suggested.
"Where? You were never one travel, and getting you to Queensland was tough enough," I said. Though actually, it was easier when I told her that her grandmother came from the Gold Coast. I didn't understand why, but she's always had this...connection to my mother.
They were closer than she was with me.
"I was thinking the Islands or maybe somewhere up north, like Niagara Falls," she said. This surprised me.
"Niagara Falls?" I asked.
She nodded. "Yeah, we need to spend some quality time together. You know, just the two of us."
She smiled before walking away from me. I smiled back at her as she walked out of the room.
I broke my grin though. I knew this wasn't my daughter.
At the Coves' Residence...
In the Grotto...
3rd POV
Everything had fallen into place yet fallen apart.
Ever since Laguna's announcement and the discovery of Marana's possession over Charlotte, the family worked tirelessly to find out:
A. How it was even possible.
B. How to reverse it and save Charlotte before Marana could do even more damage.
The Coves have been working their asses off trying to figure out everything. Karen and Brendan took it to heart how Charlotte's inner demons allowed Marana to control her, but Laguna believes that even Charlotte might have had a few restrictions before letting Marana in. The main problem was finding out what it is.
So far, Karen and Jonathan were dual-sharing Spirit/Demonic Possession, Brendan was researching Exorcisms from different cultures (and water-based ones if it helped), and Laguna was going through every mermaid spell and incantation, even going as for as using grimoire from an old friend to see if it'll help.
"Well, maybe this is what Marana wanted: To be on land," Jonathan suggested reluctantly. He was never one for conspiracy theories, but he was willing to dwell in any of it helped.
"If that's the case, why didn't she just use magic and grow legs of her own?" Karen asked from behind a computer.
"Mom, don't jinx us!" Brendan warned. He was a proud believer in that kind of thing.
Laguna rolled her eyes. She'd call this a discussion on superstition, but who was she to talk?
"I highly doubt that was just what she wanted. For starters, before I lost my visions, and my time alive, Marana still found the reincarnations from miles away. Heck, I'm still trying to figure out the connection between her and the Dust Bowl in the Midwest during the 1930s! She's smart, smarter than I allowed myself to know and look at what happened," Laguna said disheartened.
Karen looked up from the screen and gave her mother a look of sympathy. She knew her mother blamed herself as well for what happened, but as much as it would help, you can't just change the past.
"This is not your fault and you know it. I believe many factors could have led this to happen and we just didn't catch it in time," Karen stated.
"Time? You'd think I'd have enough of it with how long I've been around, but it seems that it always passes away when I look around," Laguna sighed.
"You can't be serious? You're not giving up are you?" Jonathan asked.
"Well, what am I supposed to do? In a way, I'm completely blind-sighted and Marana has Charlotte where she wants her. Or, in a different case, how she wants her. I can't just keep watch over Charlotte's body 24/7!" Laguna exclaimed, "I need to know what's going on in her life. Maybe I could find out where it started or how Marana possessed her?!"
Then, a lightbulb sparked in Karen's head.
"You know what?" Karen said, catching everyone's attention, "I think we need someone on the inside. Someone who's around her enough to tell us what's going on."
"Espionage, huh? I like it, but just one problem: Marana has possibly, if my math is right, been around for more than two weeks. That's enough time to alienate everyone Charlotte cares about and vice versa. She's not stupid," Brendan explained.
"But," Laguna interrupted, "she does have to keep up with the appearance that she is Charlotte. Besides, we have to take into account that there has to be someone trying to get through to Charlotte, or at least trying through Marana at least."
Suddenly, Jonathan's head snapped up, causing him to rise out of the chair quickly, startling everyone.
"What the-?!" Brendan shrieked.
"Don't you dare!" Karen intercepted.
Ignoring that, he spoke, "I think I know who we need to speak to!"
Laguna got up too. "Well then, care to share with the class?"
"Do you remember Byrnes and that girl you spoke to?"
"Yes, how could I-" Laguna started before her eyes widened in realization, "Jonathan, you're a genius!"
"So, I've been told."
"Hello?" Brendan called, attracted the two adults' attention, "Care to explain what you're talking about?"
Honestly, unlike him and his mother, Jonathan and his grandmother always had this non-communicated language only they could understand. And it was ridiculous too.
Jonathan sighed and explained, "You're friend Riley and the girl, Alaine, came directly to us when "Charlotte's" behavior had gotten out of hand. Think about it, out of all the people that know Charlotte, it would only make sense that those who truly know her would be trying to get through to her."
"And it's quite easy to contact them. Though Mr. Byrnes wouldn't be so happy about it, I could ask him to get in contact with Miss Williams long enough so we could gather them and convince them to help us 'breakthrough' to 'Charlotte' and possibly get an inside look into what Marana has been doing! This way, we would at least be able to decipher how the possession started, find or possibly break the connection between them and, with much faith, be able to get in contact with the real Charlotte," Laguna concluded excitingly.
And who could blame her? This was possibly the biggest lead the family needed to finish the puzzle!
"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Brendan exclaimed, making a Time-Out gesture with his hands, "You guys are talking about bringing the guy who's been falling madly in love with Charlotte since she got here, and her ex-best friend, who may or may not be the starting catalyst for all this in the first place, into our little - okay, BIG- situation with an evil sea-witch? Am I the only one who sees the flaws in this plan or am I just slow? And after this, you gonna bring them into the fold too?"
For the first time, everyone was silent at Brendan's logic. In a way, or few, he did have a point.
They'd have enough on their plate as it is with finding out Charlotte's past and how to help her move on with it. And then, it was trying to help her balance her human life with her mermaid life. And now with Marana parading around California as Charlotte didn't help a lick at all.
Was bringing in two human lives even worth it?
Jonathan was the one to break the silence.
"Whether we do or not is..." he started, looking disgruntled, "...As much much as I'd like to...It's just...well..."
In complete honesty, Karen's husband didn't even want to bring them in. So deceiving them for a minute still seemed like the right to do than drag them into this world he lived in.
But what his wife said next surprised the hell out of them:
"Only Charlotte has the final say in that."
Everyone looked to her as if she'd been the one controlled by Marana.
And she knew what they were thinking.
"What? You know it has to come down to it! Charlotte is nearly a grown woman. She has all the right to get the final say in who and who does not know her secret! We helped her get as far as she could after everything she's been through. We owe her at least this: Two people from the outside brought into her world."
Brendan looked like he wanted to applaud his mother for her statement, Jonathan was taking everything in his entire being to not argue against her, and Laguna remained silent.
"Alright, Tomorrow afternoon, Jon and Brendan can go convince Mr. Byrnes to step into 'Charlotte's' life. And hopefully, he'll set his pride aside enough to get through to Alaine as well. If we're going to do this, we need their full-on cooperation. Understood?" Laguna commanded.
Jonathan nodded while Brendan went stiff and did a mock-salute. "MA'AM YES MA'AM!"
The two women rolled their eyes while Jonathan whacked his step-son on the back of the head.
"Could you two go upstairs and fetch us something to drink, and some pillows too? My back is feeling stiff," Karen said. She even laid down, exposing her 9-month pregnant belly to everyone.
She was due any day now and her unborn daughter was kicking up a storm!
And with that, Jonathan grabbed the scruff of the back of Brendan's shirt and marched out of the Grotto. The moment they heard a loud SLAM, signaling their absence, Laguna gave her daughter a look, one that said a lot more than it means.
Karen stared back blankly.
"You're looking disgruntled," Karen stated dismissively.
Laguna gave her a look. "Karen, I've given birth to you, fed you, changed you, loved you, helped you fit into this world as best as I could with your status, and everything in-between. I know you like the palm of my hand."
"Meaning?"
"You emphasized that only two people would get brought into our world by Charlotte's choice. You weren't implying the two humans we were talking about were the ones to know."
Now it was Karen's turn to give her mother "The Look". "I think we BOTH know who the guilty 3rd Party is. Hell, we've been arguing about it for months now!"
"No," Laguna said sternly. She knew exactly who they were talking about.
"Mother, Marana put a magical veil over her door as she deliberately sent a creature to attack her daughter, who now sports 3 SCARS on her back after the incident. And take in her biological involvement, Annette Watsford has enough rights to be brought into the fold. Hell, you didn't even consider looking towards her to be the Inside Woman too. And that adds in the fact that she's practically living with Marana just puts down the final nail!" Karen exclaimed.
More than once, she and her mother quarreled over Charlotte's mother and her right to know. As time went on, it just becomes more clear that the said woman needed to be brought into her daughter's world and for the better. As much as the Coves have helped, Charlotte needs support all around and she's losing patience that she can't be fully honest with her mother. Like Karen said before, many things could have factored in creating Marana's control over Charlotte. And her mother knowing...maybe the next best thing the young women have felt since becoming a mermaid, in general. They've argued enough as it is over the part-time mermaids (that still plague Charlotte's soul) and how they've handled keeping their secrets from their families!
(And on a side note, the two are still angry about how the girls blatantly used their powers to destroy that dinner! Laguna's opinion on them compared to Charlotte about part-time mermaids is now very biased compared to before!)
"By the Higher Powers that are the very reason mermaids exist, don't you think Annette would have known well enough that the person in front of her, claiming to be her child, is an imposter!?" Karen cried out.
There was a moment of pause between them. Granted they've talked- okay fought- about this for months, and even Laguna was willing to admit she had a point. But living in a world that's constantly changing, comparing telling a mother that the Supernatural exists is highly, and debatingly, different between telling a mother that you like the same gender or want to be publicly outed as another gender.
But now, adding in the current events, Laguna might have to fold.
"You're right. Annette would know, because..." Laguna trailed, "A mother knows her child."