Alright, I might have messed up some reviews. How? I deleted my foreword chapter (essentially chapter 1) and decided to put it back. Shouldn't be any harm, right? Well, now I'm noticing some of my reviews are under different chapters now, skipping ahead one they were written for, for lack of better explaining. For example, reviews for chapter 47 are now under chapter 48. I may not be able to fix this, so just bear with me! Or humor me by adding reviews to help the mix-up.

I'm always happy to get more! HAHAHA!

ENJOY!

Heading to the Marina...

Laguna's POV

I've never been one to believe in miracles. Or count my blessings. Or that there were such things as Luck.

But what I did believe in was the power of free will. Second chances.

But if I contemplated it, an idea of what a miracle looked like has various forms from my various (failed) attempts. It was usually in the form of saving Ane'lie as one of her many lives, defeating Marana or perhaps, a moment of peace since I took that oath!

And yet, here I was, with Jonathan, sitting on a public bus with Charlotte's dog and a bus driver who knows Ane'lie...

As I sat beside my son-in-law, who was anxiously looking out the window and into the stormy weather, I questioned if I'd gone mad! I was soaked to my skin, the bus heater giving me a blanket of warmth that was a sharp contrast to the cold weather that was unnaturally brewing outside.

I can not possibly believe this is our only hope.

"So, I'm on the late shift, right? Yeah, I was pulling one of my last few stops tonight when the storm starts. At first, it seemed like nothing. I've seen storms come and go before. But by the last stop, the last person took one step outside and nearly got flushed away by the storm! After that, it was almost as if the Great Flood was on its way and we were sitting ducks since there was no Ark to get on and don't get me started on the winds!" Phil explained. "So after that, I drove the remaining passengers to the nearest station and let them out, warning them to get to some shelter if they could. Normally, I'd hightail myself out with them, but I decided that the best I could do with a bus was rescue any other stragglers caught out in the storm, such as yourselves. Well, technically, it's protocol, but still my choice!

But there I was driving up the dark road, the only source of light coming from my headlights, lightning, and the lights from within this bus on my side when, out of nowhere, I nearly crash when I swerved to the side! And because of THAT, the damn emergency airbag exploded in my face! Once I got it down, I looked out of the windshield to see what I nearly hit and dammit! That mutt is standing right there, in the middle of the street, drenched to the bone! I swear if I wasn't wondering why Charlotte left him out like that, I would have turned on my engine and ran right over him!

But seriously, I don't get what he was doing running around. I know I hadn't seen his owner in months, but I know he's more of a bodyguard to her than a pet!"

My eyes shifted to the dog sitting beside me, upright on his hind legs, mouth open like he wasn't even sorry for his dangerous entrance!

"He must have broken out," Jonathan suggested.

Phil nodded. "Yeah, I thought so too. I might've been understanding if this storm was already coming in and he was let out to beat the storm, but I know that isn't the case and there would be no way in Hell Charlotte would have left him behind. So my next thought was that he was trying to track her down. He probably knows the neighborhood as well as she does by now."

He's right about that. For all I understood between Charlotte and her dog, she had rescued him from homelessness and he's done nothing but stay by her side. Even coming to her rescue whenever she was stuck in her tail, sniffing her out if he was nearby.

Now that I think about it, I outta slap myself! I've lived all this time on land and forget how sensitive animals are to the supernatural! If anyone would have known about Marana's current occupation in Charlotte's body, it would be the loyal pet that stands by her!

"Now," Phil started, bringing me out of my musing, "If I had any decent sanity left in me, I should have hightailed it by now. Yet, here I am, driving far beyond my bounds for two people who know my former passenger, in this godforsaken weather leaving me to ask myself one question: Why are you two heading to some boat near the ocean, the last place anyone wants to be in a hurricane!?"

At this, Jonathan and I stared at each other reluctantly. At this point, regardless of the bus driver would be in the know or not, it would be a long story to tell...

At Point Dume Beach...

Marana's POV

Upon passing the sign and arriving at my destination, I quickly ditched the car, in the parking lot slipped off the shoes I wore and continued onward from there on the beach. The fierce, chilly winds combined with the claps of thunder made the terror unleashed all the more satisfying at my disposal. Angry flashes of lightning flared frequently across the night sky and the rushing rain sprayed deliciously across Ane'lie's skin as I continued my rather hastened walk to the cliffs.

I looked out to the distance at any sight of life and was met with the rather-distanced sounds of sirens, punding alarms, screams and panic were music to my ears as I smirked to myself once at my recent accomplishments. The storm clouds seemed to share my sadistic glee as it increased the ferocity of its powers of vengeance and anger, sending lightning bolts onto the unsuspecting land dwellers, increasing more fright and panic amongst their own! I bit back my laughter at this.

Humanity may have gotten smarter over the many, many years since I last surfaced, but they always fall by the same weaknesses: Power, Jealousy, and the Fear of things beyond their control.

A normal night of festivities turned major hurricane? My best work yet.

It was no surprise that Laguna couldn't stop me in time. Tonight was MINE! Everything fell in my favor. So what if I couldn't kill a hundred or so people in one night? To be honest, I'd been doing mass sacrifices for so long, it'd had become a habit. Yes, there is, without a doubt, power in Death. And yes, that power would further fuel my storm, especially on one of the most spiritual nights of the year, but there are always more.

More souls to collect.

And everyone is ripe for the picking.

It didn't matter if I failed in the beginning. There's more to come. I'm just getting started and everyone will feel my wrath.

I stepped onto the steps of a rusted, metal stairway. I didn't have to do anything but flick my wrist as the water floated off the steps as I walked down, bead by bead until it was floating around me in a blanket of minuscule helixes covering and absorbing me from the tropical storm heading this way. I gazed into the ocean as it roared mightly, it waves growing more viciously within one after the next. What was left behind with each step, my bare feet kissed the chilled yet welcoming embrace of the saltwater soaking into my soles until I continued onto my path.

I debated on checking on my sister but decided against it. It was bad enough that she could feel me near but after her initial visit with her late grandmother, I found myself working overtime to ensure she didn't continue in the train of thought that would wake her up. I did not doubt that Ms. Williams did enough of a job that Ane'lie recognized her. So thus I pulled out the big guns: I pulled out the so-called Love Card from her former flame. I recognized a few things from the memories of my little spies following those pretenders around, and how they managed to keep the adults around them ignorant I'll never understand, so reenacting small moments they had and shifting pieces around so she'd be apart of them wasn't too hard. Sealed away or not, Ane'lie would get the best.

And then, I found myself here. Not too far from my right, sat a secluded beach that was underwater due to the crashing waves. I smiled to myself, recalling the presence of my dear sister and Williams when they found the pool. It took me a long time and years to cultivate that cave, stealing from many sea caves and other moon pools to get the powers required. I knew what I was doing was under pure speculation, crafting such a thing that developed long before my kind even graced the seas. But I had my work cut out for me, and when I used a certain southern enchantment song to lure my sister to this coast, waiting for her enter my cave I created just for her, watching from a distance as she stood at the edge of my pool and dived right in...

All my hard work paid off when she transformed. Luckily, Laguna and her family had done the grunt work for me. All I had to do was finish what I started. From all the times she had spaced out, the night I gave her back that tail was when I knew I had a hold on her- a thin hold, but one nonetheless. The picture I saved was placed right where I knew she could get it in one of her trances. And when she was falling apart, I had all the tools I needed to have her consent.

My plan worked full-proof and these moments were its born fruit. My only regret is that I didn't work twice this hard to gain the trust of the other girls in the past as I am now.

Mankind's treatment of women had always led to some downfall when you want them to act like submissives. No wonder some of my kind showed compassion when female land dwellers were thrown off ships and left to die in the past. And leave it to my sister to be so easily misled by the time I got to her. There were times those storms were even payback!

I didn't blink an enormous wave crashed against the edge of the cliff where I stood and washed down on me. I welcomed it. I welcomed the storm clouds as the pained towards the center of the ocean. I welcomed the winds that followed my every command. I welcomed the fear and devastation that awaited the insects I was forced to walk upon.

I leaned Ane'lie's body ahead, spread my arms wide as if to embrace the wonderful dangers of the deep seas with open arms. I closed my eyes and fell into place with my spirit in preparations for my descent.

And then...

I jumped off.

Back on the Bus...

3rd POV

"So lemme get this straight: Charlotte's a mermaid. Twice over? She had it, and then she lost it, and now she has it again?"

"Yes."

"And she's a reborn one that usually dies killing people, including herself?"

"A very blunt way of putting it, but yes."

"And TWICE, I brought her close enough to this magic pool where I WATCHED her leave and become a mermaid afterward!?"

"Yes. But not your fault."

"And now Charlotte isn't Charlotte at the moment, but an evil witch pretending to be her?"

"Yes."

"And this, the storm of the century I'm driving you through is all her doing, will most likely kill thousands of people as we speak?!"

"If we don't get to her in time? Yes," Jonathan finishes, unnerved yet feels satisfying pleased that this stopped man stopped his inane questioning.

"That's it! This is my fault! I just couldn't have dropped her off at a movie theatre that day, but NO! Phil Jenkins just had to play the Devil's Advocate and send her headfirst towards Hell!" Phil despaired, struggling to drive in the torrential weather with his mind now blown.

Now questioning the misuse of the term, Laguna tried to soothe him, "If it's any consolation, Mar-"

"No!" Phil stopped right there. "I don't want its name. Just stick to the 'Witch' for me, ok?"

Shrugging in indifference, she nodded. "Alright. If it helps, the 'Witch' could have gotten to her no matter where she was. It was just...Timing, that's all."

"I don't care how you see it! The poor girl was depressed and became a living puppet because no one could help her! One way or another, that's on me if she isn't herself again by the end of this night!" he stated.

"Well, you know what, Mr. Jenkins? Regardless of the circumstances, I'm glad you agreed to drive us to the rest of our family. But considering what we've told you-"

"Told me what?" he interrupted, feigning innocence. "Listen, I'm all being the mode of transportation for a rescue mission and all, and if everything goes well, Charlotte will NEVER pay a bus fare from me as long as she lives, but after this: I. DON'T. KNOW. NOTHING! You can keep your magic, your fancy tails- no pun intended- and all those doohickies that come with it. No siree, after this, I'm just your ignorant bus driver whose happy with all the things his mama brought him into this world with and I'm gonna stay that way!"

"Oh, thank God!" Jonathan praised, happy to avoid a hurdle while they could. "Then we'll consider this an act of good faith. To be honest, I'm surprised you believe us in the first place."

"Now listen here," Phil explained, "there are only a few things I believe in. The first is God. Second is Heaven and Hell because...C'mon! Good and bad can't exist without each other and we all go somewhere for the Ultimate Great Review when we die! The third is cryptids, especially the Loch Ness Monster. There's no doubt about it that something is lurking in that loch. And last of all...Aliens. I won't apologize for it. Our solar system is just too big for us to be the only planet with life!"

As the driver continued ranting, Jonathan leaned closer to Laguna and whispered silently, "Well I walked right up to that one, didn't I?"

"I'm a mermaid. Is it that much of a stretch?" she whispered back, keeping her eyes on the bus driver.

"Point taken."

"And while the first and second should be combined into one category," Phil continued, oblivious to their side conversation. "Here's how I'm hearing it: Obviously, there's a Higher Power at work here. Charlotte, or to be more specific, Charlotte's soul has probably never touch Heaven nor Hell since it got stuck in this so-called cycle. So she's living all these lives, leading so many memories, only to get snuffed before she's lived and it's stuck on repeat. Now, take in mind the periods, including her First, she's been a good girl. She's done what's she's told, whether it's from a human being or the Witch itself. But now, this time, something's off. This one is different from the rest. Why?"

Jonathan spoke up first, "At first, we figured it has something to do with her Ancestry. Unlike her mother, her grandmother was in her place minus everything else. And she willingly gave up her tail. And then Charlotte made some...questionable decisions that would start and lead to the same fate like that."

Phil seems to nod at that answer.

"Now add that into the equation: Her soul has been on repeat, and the same can be said for her loved ones. She's born human, gets turned into a fish and dies. And then she's born again and dies. Human, fish, human, fish, born, dies, born, dies...essentially Life and Death. No afterlife whatsoever. But let's assume her family life was this: They were born humans with not a single drop of the magic blood in 'em, yet they get her and suffer. Now ain't that somethin'. Yet this time, she gets a human mother with a magic grandma (and I don't care if she gave it up! Once you touch magic, you can't wash it off!) with a history of the very thing her Fate's tied with. She learns this, becomes it earlier than planned, she gets selfish and has to be removed of it to get her head out her ass. Now, she's feeling guilty and it hurts her. Did the crime, has to pay the time. So, she learns and realizes she needs to be happy with what she's got and now we got the present time.

All this put together, what does that picture tell you?" he asked.

They just sat there in silence, not getting it.

Phil rolled his eyes. "Oh, for Pete's sake, Divine Intervention! If her granny hadn't been in the position to dabble in magic and happily gave it up, then Charlotte would've been living the same story just as she's unknowingly done before! Granny becomes part of this secret race, right in her teen years, the most formative years of her life, I might add! Considering the type of times the 60s were she needed to think about her future. And she did. Despite what her friends felt, she loved her tail but she chose to never let that influence her life. And what about Family? Why should they be affected by her Secret? So, she gave it up and moved on with her life!

Years later, it turns out she's happy being human, that her future family would be normal and experience the same, ignorant fate everyone else has! Myths are myths and it stays that way. She turns her past into children's stories and bonds with her grandkid and said grandkid finds out much later her stories were true and tries (and fails) to emulate her. That one difference changed the game! Grandma had to be a fish and inspire her to set off these chains of events!

My idea is that the good Lord is on Charlotte's side. He knew her fate, that unless something changed, everything would repeat itself, so he starts his Great Plan early and just happens to correctly pick whose family she'd eventually be born to and decided that her soon-to-be grandmother should have fun with a little taste of what her one-day granddaughter would have. Then, he puts said grandmother through a series of tests to show her that magic ain't what it's cracked up to be. You know the saying, '"To gain somethin', you gotta lose something"'. And it works! She realizes rather quickly that it doesn't have to be this way, so she gives it up. And the good Lord's happy because, and he's counting on this, even if she takes her magic days to the graves, she won't see the harm of telling her grandkid, the soul he's trying to help, her tales, which stay stuck on her until...basically, everything happens. And now here we go, trying to save her, and you're trying to help, and you're also telling me that to save her, she must save herself first. Break the glass ceiling. Shatter the mirror. Fight for dominance.

Don't you see: This storm represents Charlotte's struggle to be good or bad. It's Judgement Day. Or more specifically, Charlotte's Judgement Day. This storm is an embodiment of all the sins her soul has carried over, and her grandmother's choices actions plus her own has provided the girl with all the tools she needed. The Living she judges are the lives at risk. The Dead, in speaking, is her past lives that she'll have to confront. And the judgment itself is whether or not she succumbs to her sins or chooses to rise above is just the way God intended it to be. He gave her room to forge a new path, so now she just needs to prove she's willing to use her provided tools and talents to make that path!"

...

...

...

The aftermath of Phil's passionate religious explanation was met with immediate stillness. Both passengers didn't know how to answer that, or even really what to say until Jonathan leaned into Laguna's ear.

"It's official: He's a nutjob. We need to get off this bus," Jonathan whispered critically in a deadpan expression.

"I don't know," Laguna pondered. He snapped his head towards her, incredulous.

"He's calling Charlotte, Jesus. How does that not ring any warning bells!?" he silently whispered incredulously. Laguna turned to him with a sharp expression on her face.

"Hey, I may have lived a long time, but not that long ago that I know what happened with Jesus Christ and what's true and what's not!" she chastised. "Everyone is entitled to their beliefs and if he's seeing parallels with the Bible and our situation, we are not to judge! Besides, let him have this since he wants to remain ignorant afterward...And this is coming from the man who wants to baptize his daughter!"

Jonathan scoffed. "Hey, in my youth, just because I'm not religious doesn't mean I don't acknowledge certain things happening at strangely convenient times. Like the odds of this bus coming to our time of need! If there is an Upstairs, baptizing my daughter just gives me a hint of relief that she can get there better! And don't tell me you believe in this nonsense!?

"I have read the Holy Bible at some point, yes. But whether or not I believe it, books always hold some truth. And if some of the stuff he's saying is some level of the truth... Tonight's being Judgment Day isn't a major understatement," Laguna declared.

"I CAN HEAR YOU TWO!" Phil exclaimed, keeping both eyes and one hand on the wheel to point an accusing finger at them with the other hand. "You have what you believe and I'll have mine. Don't judge!"

"We're not judging!" Laguna promised. "By the way, how long until we get to the marina?"

Phil shrugged. "Depends on what I should look out for. Anyone supposed to meet you there?"

"Yes," Jonathan answered. "My wife and son. They lived closer, so they'll be there."

Laguna tried not to show her surprise. Logically, claiming Brendan as he would gain sympathy and hopefully speed up this ride. However, for whatever reasons he and Brendan's estranged relationship, he never hesitated to be the father the boy needed when it counts.

However, it wasn't long until the landscape changed and Phil pulled up to a building that said Paradise Bound Yacht Charters. Ironically enough, a place that rents boats out just so happens to be the permanent home to a boat that will never be rented out to one family: The Coves (though nobody believes Laguna doesn't have some link to the marina!)

The moment Phil found a decent spot to halt the bus, the moment he opened the door, the rain came pounding in like an assault rifle firing in multiple places, soaking everyone! Undeterred, Thomas didn't even hesitate flying out into the storm! His little feet practically a blur as the dog sped towards the boats.

"If he gets carried away to sea, I hold no responsibility," Phil stated, watching the animal disappear. "Alrighty here, folks, this is where I leave you. I don't know why you need to get on a boat and not anywhere near safety. But I do have one final warning: We make it out alive after this, I don't know anything. You hear?"

Jonathan all but practically gave the driver a thumb up before he jumped off the bus and ran into the downpour. Laguna quickly nodded and muttered a sentiment of gratitude before following. the old mermaid didn't bother looking back as she held out her hands and created a makeshift shield, parting the rain out of her way as she dashed to the yacht.

Laguna had a mission to execute.

The yacht in question belongs to her. As I had a long time to learn how to balance financial needs (without giving away her longevity), one of her now-late children suggested she get one in case she had to go out to see, as a human with witnesses. She never cared for boats, but she's never been more grateful to had invested in one.

Laguna didn't see Jonathan but followed the sounds of a dog barking until she arrived at the boat. It was a 2001 white and blue motorboat with two levels. She climbed up the stern and headed below deck, where she found Thomas pacing about, a panicked grandson and even more troubled son-in-law standing outside a cabin. Following their gazes, she rushed inside to see Karen laying under the covers of the bed, curled up onto her side while holding her stomach. She was sweating buckets and who knew how long her contractions had started.

Laguna didn't even have to ask as she was n stranger to that familiar position in her long existence.

She was in labor.

"Karen!" she started towards her but stopped by a raspy tone taking command of the situation.

"NO!" she yelled. "I'll be fine, Mother. Just start this boat already and get out to sea. Remember our talk about Marana and patterns. Well, if she's already in the ocean by now! Brendan, give Jon the keys so he can start and Mother, you follow him! We can't waste any more time."

Not a moment afterward, she groaned in pain and held her stomach. Doing as his mother said, Brendan gave Jonathan the keys and headed back up to the deck, Laguna following. As much as it hurt her, Karen refocused Laguna's goal as she headed back up to the cockpit, more than thankful to the glass hardtop that narrowly avoided getting drenched in the rain. Jonathan put the key into the ignition. Hearing the strong purring, Jonathan grabbed the helm and told Laguna to hold on tight as he backed the boat out of the docks and soon enough, dove into open waters.

Now, it was only a race to get to the center of the storm before it was too late.

Alright:

1. For anyone wondering why I had them sill everything to someone who is essentially a stranger to them, just put yourself in Laguna and Jon's situation: You're tired, down, you're trying to save the world from an evil entity stuck in your teenage charge's body and seemingly out of luck when this guy comes to the rescue. Well, him and the charge's dog. Turns out he has a history with your charge and is willingly driving you out of bounds, in a terrible storm, to gt to a boat despite that he should be following his instinct and getting as far as he can to safety. Basically at this point, they are out of options and can only do one thing: Tell the truth.

2. And for any religious people reading this, I wrote this MONTHS ago and felt it was too good NOT to keep. I respect all religions, so please don't feel offended or hat this story just because I mentioned religion here.

3. If at some parts you feel are being dragged or half-assed, I take full responsibility. Nothing more.