These past months has kept me busy for numerous reasons:

Black History Month

Schoolwork and projects...

and the death of my dog, Tiger.

And when I say death, I mean MURDER! ON PURPOSE! On February 15, my dog went missing. My mom and I searched throughout our neighborhood and the local dog pound. But on February 20th, we found out the truth: Tiger is dead. And I saw his body in a bag myself.

That night he went missing, we heard a vicious fight between two dogs. And now, we firmly believe that Tiger was murdered that night.

If anything, Tiger is my motivation for this chapter as I had created Thomas based on him, indirectly.

R.I.P

Tiger Austin Davis

October 2009- February 15, 2018...

(A moment of silence)

However, on March 7th, me and my mom adopted a beautiful American Pitbull Terrier who I proudly named...

Martin Luther King Jr.- Austin!

ENJOY!

Thomas's POV (written in 3rd person and before Annette leaves)

He didn't like a lot of things.

He didn't like his old owner.

He didn't like being underfed.

And he most certainly didn't like strangers where he could practically smell the malintent from miles away.

Nevertheless, there were things he did like.

He liked that it took one good person to fix his life.

He liked that he got delicious food scraps (something he looks forward to when it's dinner time.)

He liked fresh walks throughout the neighborhood.

He liked his owner's circle of friends.

And above all, he liked to protect his owner altogether.

So there was nothing he loved and hated all together:

First off, he loved his owner, for a feeling of gratitude and friendship. Even though she resembled a fish most of the time, he loved her.

Secondly, he hated the monster masquerading in her skin.

"This is ABC7 advised, reporting live from Los Angeles, this is Blake Jones reporting," the TV station reported from the living room. I lifted my head to the couch and barked as my owner's mother came rushing in, "This is Blake Jones here, and as you can see, we are experiencing heavy rain and thunderclouds. So it is extremely advised that you stay inside your homes tonight and keep on watch as the State is issuing a Level 3 storm warning. Please stay up to date until further notice."

"What!?" Annette rushed in, a phone to her shoulder as she was changing out of her work shoes and still in her uniform. "No, I can't just leave my house! My daughter's recital is in...like 30 minutes. Look, I don't know if she's already performed or if I missed it or...Well fine then, if two can play it, I will quit! Yes, I see that storm warning and that's all the more reason to get to her..."

He growled at the thought of her going out there, especially since that he could hear the pounding of the rain against the roof and the harsh winds thrashing outside the house.

Immediately, he started barking at Annette, blocking the front door as she made her way towards it.

WOOF!

WOOF!

WOOF!

She groaned. "Look, Thomas, I don't have time for this! I need to meet Charlotte in...now 20 minutes. So can you please move?"

Normally Thomas wouldn't have mind as he was tried to be as respectful as he could be. But his owner's mother had no idea what type of danger she would be heading towards if he let her through.

WOOF!

WOOF!

WOOF!

WOOF!

WOOF!

WOOF!

For the next few minutes, Annette tried to sidestep him or bribe him with treats to stop his behavior. But eventually, she resigned to the last resort.

Grabbing her keys, she bolted to the screen door and into the backyard, locking said screen from the other side.

Growling, Thomas banged and threw himself against the screen as he heard a car engine start in the driveway and began pulling out. Realizing it quickly, Thomas carefully pressed this paw against the latch and pushed it up, causing it to unlock.

Then, he walked to the other side the latch and, on his hind legs, pushed the screen door open, where he was quickly hit with harsh winds and rain pellets.

Rushing into the backyard, he saw that Annette forgot to lock the gate and bolted out onto the streets.

He just hoped he could make it in time.

Laguna's POV

It was a wonder how well Marana played her part in retaining a young schoolgirl. Though I knew Marana was doing Hell on Charlotte's human life, most likely so that she had nothing to be attached to, she was as good as an actress as they come.

But I felt a surge in my chest. When Ms. Williams performed, I felt a strong pulse rush through me.

Being as old as I am, I could tell when a spell or curse was broken. Or was at least close to being broken.

I do not doubt in my mind that, somewhere in Charlotte's mind, Alaine's apology reached out to her and must have made an important impact. The one thing I always adored in this land was how fierce and strong a bond between friends could be.

Ironically, I found it funny about the situation in Australia. I learned from Charlotte, indirectly, that someone told those girls there could only be 3 mermaids. I honestly suspect it must have been the remaining member of the group Charlotte's grandmother was a part of.

And honestly, how stupid was that woman to even said that!? I had ranted about this before, but Karen told me not all part-time mermaids -if there were anymore- was aware the "real deals" existed. Perhaps, fifty years ago, had the group known that the strength in numbers didn't have to be just 3, then those girls may have had better luck accepting Charlotte and she would have avoided going off the bender as she had.

But she had, and those girls, though inadvertently, led Marana straight to her.

All because they didn't know better.

Shaking my head, I refocused my mind off that topic and back on the performance in front of me while Jonathan kept an eye on Charlotte's mother.

Much to my not-so-surprise, Marana was doing a good job at playing the schoolgirl, but I knew for a fact that the only reason she's even making Charlotte seem terrible was that she was trying to break all her attachments to the land. Friends, loves, family- not always in that order, but those main three.

After watching one more girl leave the stage, I knew that soon enough it would be Marana's turn and knew it would be time to start my Plan B.

Three more acts before Marana comes on, and as much as I would hope that she'd wake up by that time, the likeliness of that would be as if there was a Deux de machine- a godsent miracle.

Charlotte's POV

"Are you sure you're ok?" Lewis asked as we finished cleaning up the dinner we had.

And to be honest, I wasn't. After saying that name, Alaine, it just felt right and bothered me immensely how one name could push me through an emotional rollercoaster in just one song.

But Lewis, God Bless Him, seemed a little concerned and did most of the talking for the rest of the evening. So when it was time to head to the moon pool, he at least gave me a generous distraction.

"Lewis, you ask me one more time, but my answer will stay the same: I. Am. Fine. Now hurry up before the girls think we're snogging!" I snapped.

He jumped at my tone, causing me to regret my actions until he laughed. No offense.

"Snogging?" he asked hilariously, "Is that the best you can come up with?"

I laughed with him, now realizing exactly what I just said. "I'm so sorry about that. It was the first thing that popped into my mind."

"So, do you want to? he asked.

"Want to what?"

"Want to snog?" he asked casually, trying to keep a straight face but the corners of his mouth keep moving upward.

At this, I burst out laughing so hard that I had to wrap my arms around my waist to stop the pain on my intestines and felt tears falling down my face.

"R-really?" I heaved, "I-is that the best y-you can c-come up with!?"

I still ended up laughing my was off and though I could hear Lewis snickering, I could tell that he was serious.

"God, and you once again reaffirm why I'm in love with you," I said, once I calmed down."Snogging came come if you behave."

He just smiled and shook his head again.

And, also, once again, he avoided the "L" word. Was it just that hard to say?

Sighing in contempt, I just walked passed him and headed in the direction of the cave. I heard Lewis walk up behind me.

"Wait! Charlotte!" he called before stopping me, "What's wrong?"

I looked up at him. "What's wrong? I'll tell you what's wrong! What's wrong is that you still haven't told me that you loved me!"

"Char, is that why you're upset?" he asked, his tone lightning at the source of the problem.

"What do you think!? Look, I get it. We didn't exactly start smooth sailing, but that doesn't excuse the fact that we've been through a lot, together and apart!" I exclaimed. "But that doesn't excuse the fact that I have told you that I loved you more times than I could count! At first, I thought maybe you just weren't sure how to say it, because you had to work out if you ever wanted to be with me. Then, I figured that you just couldn't say it in words, so you let your actions dictate it for you. Now, I am completely convinced that I just wasted my time because you don't feel the same way!

And I don't appreciate my feelings being non-recipient."

Seeing the gobsmacked look on his face, I shook my head and walked away. Leaving him to deal with his issues and me wondering if we just broke up.

Marana's POV

I gritted my teeth in anger.

Just as I thought: Williams' song did start waking her up. Or, at least, wake up the side of her that has self-worth.

Part of keeping Ane'lie in the past is that she never sought out self-control. And by Alaine's intervention, the part of my sister's current personality is starting to synch in with the mindscape...

And I can't have that!

Charlotte's POV

"CHARLOTTE WATSFORD!"

I halt in my steps and look behind me. And nearly felt guilty.

Lewis had a desperate look writing all over his face. His body was stiff, eyes were filled with remorse and guilt, and his lips were moving incoherently in a way that I couldn't read them.

"Charlotte, look at me," he stated.

I kept my head downing shame.

"Charlotte..." he repeated.

Nothing came out.

Hearing his footsteps come closer to me, I felt Lewis's hands grasp my face and lift my head. I looked directly into his blue eyes and was taken back by how strong the emotion was.

"I am so sorry I made you feel that way," Lewis apologized. "It wasn't my intention to hurt you or make you feel like I didn't don't feel more for you than I did with Cleo. Yes, it was a combination of your two points, but the main reason I couldn't say it was because...It was because I wanted to wait until the perfect time to tell you. Yeah, I know that's a sucky excuse coming from me but I felt that you deserved better than for it to be thrown out on a whim."

I felt tears running down my face. He was right: That is a sucky excuse, but at least he had well intentions.

"Lewis, as much as I know it could get me in trouble, I wear my heart on my sleeve for a reason. Do I love romantic gestures? Definitely. But holding out on me like that just drove me crazy. I know I should have talked to you about this earlier, but I didn't want to ruin anything," I expressed, finally lifting the weight off my shoulders.

"Don't. I understand. I should have half expected this after the first time you told me you loved me," he stated, "I wanted to tell you then, but it still didn't feel right."

"You're not going to tell me you love me now because I want you too, right?" I asked jokingly, wiping the remaining tears from my face.

Lewis wiped my cheek with his thumb. "Nope. But you will hear it from me. That I promise you."

And with am that promise, he sealed it with a kiss.

3rd POV

Unbeknownst to those inside the school, a thunderstorm was arising, especially from the beach of Paradise Cove. Wave levels were dangerously rising, increasing within the hours and bolts of lightning pierced the skies in violent light spectrums. Thunder boomed throughout the atmosphere, carried through the winds like a monster's roar could be heard from miles away.

On the streets of Valencia, rain pellets crashed upon the concrete with ferocity, cascading from the darkness and running own the streets like rushing rivers. The storm winds picked up, causing trees to whip around and vehicles to move to the point of tipping over.

Residences specifically locked themselves indoor, insisted by the weather report, but not knowing the situation had just gotten much more dangerous than they could ever imagine.

The weatherman said to expect Level 3 storm levels, but what he, and the rest of Humanity, didn't know that this site wasn't coming with any warnings, nor was it under any level that they could withstand.

In the theatre of Valencia High School, dark clouds parted in the skies. Above the audience, the window panels gave a magnificent view as the Full Moon emerged in a radiant light.

Marana's POV

I didn't have to see it to feel it.

The full moon's power.

It was seductive. The magic coursing through my sister's veins grew potent as the moonlight entered the theatre and over the land people that filled it up.

And then, my sister was called up.

"And with a round of applause, we welcome to the stage our last act of the night, Ms. Charlotte Watsford," Ms. Anelies announced on the microphone.

Grinning, I walked past all the other imbeciles in my way and got onto the stage. Like Ms. Anelies described, it was a full house and, unsurprisingly, a lot of the students were here to attend the dance.

Feeling a massive jolt inside me, I slowly looked up and faced the Full Moon head-on.

Almost instantaneously, the jolt turning into powerful courses if crashing waves hitting each other in powerful yet deadly beatings. The power flowed into the rushing current of a whirlpool through my veins.

It felt powerful.

I felt powerful.

As I looked up upon the crowd, if possible, I could have felt pity about the poor unfortunate souls that wouldn't leave her tonight.

And then, as my Abyss eyes met Pacific blue, I could practically feel the intensity of her glare against me. I inwardly smirked as she gave me one more heated look before turning away and headed towards the exit.

But she's too late.

It has begun.

Laguna's POV

The moment I heard Charlotte's name called up, me and Jonathan were up in an instant and heading in two different directions.

I was heading to the entrance while Jonathan was heading to get Annette out of here.

The backup plan was simple: Turn on the fire alarm, causing - admittingly- a little chaos, but enough time to stop Marana just before she sang.

The only flaw would be whether or not this alarm had sprinklers attached or not. If so, I can only trust that I caught Marana off guard long enough that whatever she's doing to avoid transformation in public, causing her to go run and hide and I could get everyone out of here.

But the only problem is that surprising Marana was a surprise in itself.

As I hurried my way to the exits, I felt a gaze upon me and turned around to meet Marana's true eyes staring down with me. I glared back.

It didn't take a genius to see that she was now under the influence of the Full Moon.

She's gone too far and to think just how easy it must have seemed for Charlotte to let that witch take control of her is something I will never forgive myself for.

Taking my eyes off her, I practically ran for the exit and pushed the door open...

Only, it didn't.

Trying again, I pushed on the metal handles again, only to find resistance on the other side. I pushed and pulled both ways, jiggling the handles but just getting frustrated before slamming my hands against the doors.

"There a problem?"

I turned to see Jonathan, thankfully, and Annette at his side, looking equally frustrated yet concerned. I didn't doubt that just getting her to come with him was a struggle in itself.

"Describe the problem," I stated sarcastically. "The doors are locked.

"What?" He asked, moving from Annette's side and tried pushing against the doors as well.

"That's impossible," he said, "It shouldn't even be able to lock and I saw the music teacher with the keys on her."

"Well, they are now," I stated, "Is it the same way on the other side?"

He nodded. "I checked right before I got her. I assumed you'd have better luck."

Damn that witch to the abyss where she belongs!

We're locked in. This must have been what Marana meant by "Enjoy the show".

"First off, what the hell is going on? And why did you drag me here?" Annette whispered harshly. For a minute, I could see where Charlotte got her anger.

I turned to her, ready to calm her down, but before I could, Marana spoke.

3rd POV

"Well, I would just like to say that I am honored to be here and I hope you all have enjoyed yourselves," Marana said, disguising Charlotte's voice with fake genuine.

The crowd laughed a little.

"Well, I'm going to sing an original piece. But pay attention, it can be a little...hypnotic at some points," she finished.

Eyes widening, Laguna quickly pulled out two pairs of earbuds and handed each to Jonathan and Annette. He looked at his mother-in-law in shock.

"Wait! What about you?" he asked.

"Don't worry about me! I know her song by now, so you need to get Annette out of here!" she demanded.

Looking back to Annette, who was now more confused, whispered quickly, "I know you don't understand this, but trust me, hearing this song is the last thing you want to do. But please trust us."

Annette gave Laguna a look of disbelief and quickly looked towards her daughter before putting the buds in.

Once both adults were soundproof from Marana's song, Jonathan quickly whisked Annette away...

But then, Laguna heard the familiar symphony of violins were heard from Charlotte's vocal cords.

The Siren's Voice.

Marana finally began her song:

"Long beyond the oceans

Deep below the seas

Come with me, my love

Forget the land above

Underneath the Full Moon

Thy ending's coming soon

Flowing through the currents

Be held within my arms

Swim along beside me

And stray from salty shores

Into the high seas

Or nothing shall be seen

Charlotte halted in her footsteps as the haunting melody filled her head. It was serene and calm yet it filled her every being to go straight to the ocean and never look back.

With crashing waves and stormy nights

Clouds darkened the marines

Please listen closely, my love

For I shall be thy doom

Laguna looked in horror as every single person in the room stiffened from their normal postures and ever one of their eyes glazed over from Marana's hypnotic tone.

Forsaken all thou knows of

And leave the past behind

Come with me, my love, tonight

Thy Siren's Song, you'll hear..."

There was a stillness in the crowd. The silence was deafening that only the sound of the storm could be heard throughout the theatre. Everyone's eyes were glued to the possessed mermaid on stage.

And they had no idea how much danger they were in.

Jonathan was the only one of the 3 people not affected as he dragged Annette Watsford out the frozen room, finally finding an exit backstage.

Those who were backstage but got a full whiff of the Siren's Voice were frozen like statues. Some stuck in the position they were in prior, to the singing, others stood upright in the direction to the stage. Jonathan shuddered at the still form of Alaine Williams when he passed right by her.

Annette couldn't keep her eyes off her daughter. Something was off tonight, she could feel it in her bones. Though the buds blocked off most of the sound, she felt most of what was coming from Charlotte's voice.

It was eerie and haunting, but it didn't sound like a song. It sounded like a warning.

"No! I can't leave my daughter! I think she's in danger," she voiced, struggling to get out of Jonathan's grip. "Let go of me!"

It took all Jonathan had no to tell this woman the truth, but he'd be doing more harm than good and getting her killed in the process. So, he kept moving, nearly dragging the mother with him to safety.

Back in the auditorium...

Laguna just stood there, staring at Marana once more before deciding it wasn't' worth the hassle and raised her hands towards the bolted doors and immediately started melting it from the other side.

"You're too late."

Marana smirked in victory as Laguna turned to her, fury deeply rooted in her eyes.

"She'll never forgive you for this!" Laguna screeched. "She never has. Not then and certainly not now. Charlotte will wake up for this!"

Marana laughed. "You think I never planned for this. Ane'lie is in a safe place where you can't reach her. She'll never want to come out, even if it kills her."

And with that, a creaking noise was heard throughout the room. It increased and increased until Laguna realized something...

She hasn't heard the storm since Marana sung.

Tremors could be felt against the walls and, before she could react, water burst from the window panels and poured into the theatre at such an impetus that it made Laguna believe that the school was encased with water.

Unless...

Jonathan and Annette finally made it to the school exit in the back of the school.

He figured that if he took the back way, they could circle to the front, get to the car, and signal to Karen the news.

And God was he not looking forward to that call.

Suddenly, they heard a great crash from the direction of the theatre. That was his cue that it's time to go.

"We need to leave!" Jonathan ordered. And as much as Annette wanted to protest and get her daughter, she had a feeling agreeing was her best option.

By the time they got to the exit, Annette halted in her footsteps. Something was off. The doors were creaking as if the pressure was being applied to it. Jonathan heard it too.

"Keep moving," he commanded. Annette stood her place.

"Listen, I'm a fan of the movie Titanic and I'm telling you that this doesn't feel-"

BOOM!

Annette didn't get to finish her sentence because, at that moment, the doors busted open and large amounts of water came storming in from the other side, knocking both of them down and carrying them away.