Chapter 1 - Return to Motunui

Fourteen years later

Anna Baker sat in the passenger cabin of the jumbo jet, her eyes watching the sunset out of the window next to her. Finally an adult and her own woman, Anna wanted to treat herself to a nice, peaceful vacation. And what better place than her favourite place from her childhood? She never knew why she remembered Motunui Island so fondly: maybe it was the food, or the music. But whatever the reason, she had never forgotten the two weeks her family had spent there all those years ago.

As she rested herself for the long flight ahead, a young woman with very long blonde hair sat by her. "Do you mind if I sit here?" she asked.

Anna lifted her sunglasses up and raised an eyebrow. "No, not at all. It's a free seat."

The young woman sighed. "Thank you. Something went wrong when I tried to get on board: they said they had a record of me buying my ticket, but apparently, there was a glitch in the system and now someone else had my seat. I've been trying to find an open seat for a while now."

"Hey, it's no problem," Anna replied.

"I'm Rapunzel, by the way, Rapunzel Moore."

"Anna Baker," Anna introduced herself. "You've got a weird name."

"Blame my mother," Rapunzel remarked. She placed her bag in the overhead compartment. "So, you travelling alone?"

"Oh, yeah," Anna said. "My folks are going through a tough divorce, so I wanted to be out of their mind for a while."

"Oh, that must suck," Rapunzel said. "Why are they getting divorced?"

Anna sighed. "When I left for college, my parents didn't take too well to the empty nest," she explained. "Dad said that they kinda stopped talking to each other after a while because there just wasn't anything to say. They started to realize that they knew almost nothing about each other. They felt like they were strangers. And...now they've decided to get a divorce." She sighed again. "At least they waited until I finished freshman year."

"Damn, that sounds kinda harsh," Rapunzel admitted.

"Yeah, it's hell at home right now," Anna replied.

"And you're gonna solve this by going to Motunui Island?"

"Yep," Anna confirmed. "I went there when I was a kid. Great place."

"I'm going because my girlfriend recently moved there," Rapunzel said. "We haven't seen each other in a few months; we're kind of an online relationship thing, but we meet up when we can. But now that she has this place on Motunui, I'm going to live with her."

"That's so cute," Anna remarked. "What's her name?"

"Her name's Cassandra," she said. "But everyone calls her Cass."

"Nice name," Anna replied. "How long have you been with her?"

Rapunzel shrugged. "A little under a year, I think. I'm not good with dates."

"So... I take it she's probably not from around here," Anna remarked.

"Nope. She's from London, actually. She was born in the US, but she was raised in the UK. Also, she's crazy rich."

"Sounds like Lara Croft to me," Anna commented.

"Actually, you're not that far off," Rapunzel remarked. "She's really into history and archaeology, and she's always taking me out to do these crazy things: hiking, ziplining, scuba diving, the works."

"Sounds like fun," Anna admitted. "I'm not exactly much in terms of activity, or relationships."

"No boyfriend or girlfriend?"

"Never got around to finding one," Anna stated.

"Aww, I'd hate for you to be lonely," Rapunzel said. "I don't think Cass would mind you staying with us."

"Nah, I got a place booked at the resort anyway," Anna told her.

"All right," Rapunzel replied with a shrug. "But you're welcome to stop by and say hi if you want."

"Thanks," Anna said. "I appreciate it. It's always good to make new friends."

"And Anna...maybe this trip will be the one where you find your soulmate."

Anna laughed. "I don't believe in that mumbo-jumbo."

"Come on, it's romantic!" Rapunzel insisted. "A beautiful island resort, amazing evenings under the stars; it sounds like sensual heaven to me."

Anna laughed. "As if anyone would be interested in a dork like me."

"Someone will be," Rapunzel replied. "My mom always told me that everyone has a soulmate in this world, someone who would complete them as a person."

"Well, I'm already complete as a person," Anna remarked.

"And that's perfectly fine," Rapunzel went on. "I'm not saying you have to have a significant other to be a complete person. I'm just saying that it helps. Think of it like this: you're already a strong, beautiful flower. A significant other would be the rain that helps to keep you strong."

Anna nodded. "I get what you're saying, Rapunzel. I just don't really know if I even have a soulmate, let alone where I'm gonna find him. Or her."

"Would all passengers please fasten their seatbelts for takeoff," the PA announcer then stated.

Anna and Rapunzel fastened their seatbelts. "How long of a flight is this again?" Anna asked.

The blonde shrugged. "Hell if I know."

Anna sighed. "Well, here's hoping it's a long one."

xXx

The next morning, Anna's plane landed at Motunui International Airport, gently taxiing onto the runway. As the plane moved towards the terminal, Anna stared out of the window, seeing the island hadn't changed much from when she had come here all those years ago.

Rapunzel stirred from sleep, snorting a little. "Uhh… Are we here?"

"Yeah we are, sleepyhead," Anna stated. "God, those peanuts must've had a sedative in them. You were out like a light."

Rapunzel rubbed her eyes. "Altitude makes me sleepy."

"Not me, I've been up all night," Anna remarked. "Or all day, if that's how it works."

"Do you not sleep at all?"

"No, I sleep all the time. But when I tried to this time, I had this really strange dream, and then I just couldn't get back to sleep."

"Oh, it's probably the cabin pressure," Rapunzel said. "It always gives you weird dreams."

Anna nodded. "Yeah, you're probably right." She tried to remember the dream she had the night before, but she could only remember two things. The first was water, still and slightly salty. And the second was the most beautiful pair of cool blue eyes that she had ever seen.

"So weird..." she silently said to herself.

Rapunzel then got up and reached for her bag as the other passengers got off the plane. "I think we could both use some fresh air."

Anna nodded and picked up her backpack from on the floor between her legs. "I think you might be right."

As they walked to the stairs off the plane, Rapunzel felt the warm air through the walls. "Wow, this place is really hot."

"It's one of the hottest places in the world," Anna stated. "According to Wikipedia, at least."

"Really?"

"Yeah, this place is like right on the equator or something," Anna explained. She stretched her arms, inhaling the salty air through her nostrils. "Ahh, I love the smell of the ocean."

"Me too," Rapunzel agreed. "I grew up on a beach."

The two girls walked into the terminal, seeing various people getting to and from their flights, most of them being tourists on their vacations. Anna couldn't help chuckling at a few of them, wearing gaudy Hawaiian shirts and cargo shorts with cameras hanging around their necks.

"What are you sniggering at?" Rapunzel smirked.

"I forgot how gaudy the shirts were here," Anna stated. "It's gotten a lot busier since I was a kid."

"Well, now that there's more industry here, more people are interested in living here full-time," Rapunzel said as they walked through the terminal. "Cass moved here because she got a job at a tech company based here." She then looked at her watch. "Ah, crap; I'm supposed to go meet Cass. She said she'd be waiting in the Starbucks here."

Anna giggled. "You go on and meet your girlfriend. It was nice meeting you, Punzie."

"You too!" Rapunzel agreed. "Can I have your number? In case I wanna text you later."

"Sure." Anna took out a pen and an old napkin from her purse, scribbling down her number and handing it to Rapunzel.

Rapunzel rolled her eyes. "You could just show me your phone, you know."

"Nah, my family's a bit old-fashioned," Anna said with a smile.

Rapunzel shrugged. "Whatever. Have it your way."

After she typed the number into her phone, she looked at Anna. "Well, I guess I'll see you around, then."

"Take care, Rapunzel," Anna bid her farewell.

As Rapunzel walked away, Anna headed to the front gate of the airport, standing at the meet and greet stand. She quickly checked her phone, having noted down the details of her particular vacation. She was to be picked up at this stop by a valet who would drive her to the resort.

She looked around. There were a lot of cars here, but she knew that her driver would probably be holding up a sign with her name on it.

Just then, a car pulled up next to her, a silver coloured hatchback with the logo of the resort on its door. A man got out of the car, wearing quite a casual uniform with shaggy blonde hair.

Anna squinted. The man seemed a bit familiar to her. "Kristoff…?"

The man turned to see her. "Anna? Anna Baker?"

"Oh my God, Kristoff Bjorgman?!" Anna ran up and threw her arms around him. "It's been forever!"

Kristoff hugged her back, smiling. "Well, I wasn't expecting this. I mean, I knew I was picking up an Anna Baker, but I didn't know it'd be you."

Anna sighed, feeling warm in her old friend's embrace. She and Kristoff had been best friends back in high school; he had often helped her with her homework and was a loyal companion to her.

"What are you doing all the way out here?" she asked him. "I thought you were a country boy."

"I am," Kristoff replied. "But you'd be surprised how crowded the job market can get."

"So you took a job as a valet," Anna said. "For an island resort. In the South Pacific."

"It actually pays quite well," Kristoff informed her, walking to the side of the car and opening the door. "Care to get in, m'lady?"

Anna giggled. Kristoff always liked to play that Anna was a princess and he was some sort of butler to her. "Kristoff, I'm eighteen. You don't need to keep doing that with me."

"It's nostalgic," Kristoff remarked.

Anna rolled her eyes. "God, and I thought I was a dork."

She climbed into the back of the car and Kristoff got in as well, starting the car up. As they drove away from the airport, he asked her, "So what brings you here?"

"I'm on vacation, duh," Anna responded.

"Yeah, but why?" Kristoff asked.

"Just to get away from everything. My parents are getting a divorce, and I didn't wanna get caught in that crossfire."

"Ah, I get that," Kristoff acknowledged. "But it's pretty far to get away from some shit at home."

"I know, but I have memories of this place, very good ones. You remember how I used to go on about it?"

"Yep. In fact, it was you telling me about this island that got me to look into getting a job here in the first place." Kristoff smiled. "I think I made a good decision there."

Anna nodded. "Yeah, you did."

"So how long are you here for?" Kristoff inquired.

"Two weeks. I wanted it to be three, but I couldn't afford it."

"Well, one of the perks of working for the resort is that they give me a free apartment to stay in," Kristoff said. "So if you wanna stay longer, just say the word." He winked.

Anna giggled. "You're the second person who's offered me a place here."

"Oh?" he asked. "Who was the first?"

"A girl I met on the flight here. Her name's Rapunzel."

"Isn't that a fairy tale?"

Anna shrugged. "Don't ask me."

The car eventually arrived at the Cravalho Beach Resort, where Anna had booked her stay. The resort was a large hotel by a beach, with various vacation condos just by the beach that were designed to resemble the huts in which the island's natives had lived long ago.

"I remember the hotel being smaller," Anna remarked.

"There's been a lot of changes over the years," Kristoff explained.

At that moment a young Polynesian woman with dark brown hair and wearing a beautiful red dress with white flower patterns walked over to her. "Good morning, Miss Baker. I'm Moana Waialiki, director of the Cravalho Resort. I'm here to escort you to your condo."

"Oh, thank you," Anna said gratefully.

"I see you and Mr Bjorgman know each other," Moana remarked.

"Oh yeah, we go waaay back," Anna stated.

"Well, I'll leave y'all to it," Kristoff said. "Good seeing you again, Anna."

"See you around Kristoff!" Anna said her goodbyes as Kristoff drove off.

Moana then smiled at Anna. "If you'll follow me, I'll take you straight down to your condo."

"Thanks," Anna replied. "God, I've been itching to put my feet up ever since I got here."

"Well, you'll soon have your chance." The woman smiled, then started to walk down a small, paved pathway from the front of the hotel down to the beach.

As Anna followed behind her, she took a moment to remember how all those years ago she was on this very beach, playing around in that crystal clear water. Being here, Anna felt like she was four years old again, waiting for her parents so that she could go swimming in the ocean.

Moana led Anna down the beach to her condo, unlocking the door and taking her inside. "The room has everything you need: TV, Wi-fi, fridge, and so on. Also, you see that little path right there?" She pointed out the back door, where a small sidewalk let in between some bushes. "For you, that's the closest path to the beach. Speaking of which, there's one very important rule here at the resort." She looked Anna in the eye and said in a stern voice, "The beach is off-limits after sunset."

"Why?" Anna wondered. "I mean, does nobody do any of those romantic moonlight walks around here?"

"Because there's a lot of...wildlife that hangs out on the beach at night. And we don't want the guests harming them, or vice versa."

"Wildlife?" Anna's eyes widened.

Moana nodded. "Sea turtles, wild birds, that sort of thing. We try to keep our impact on nature to an absolute minimum here."

"Oh... I was kinda hoping you had like some sort of killer shark."

"No, no, nothing like that," Moana told her. "Why on Earth would you think that?"

Anna smiled sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "I…might have watched Jaws on the flight here."

Moana sighed. "Look, just don't go on the beach at night, okay? It's the only mandatory rule we have here, so I expect you to follow it."

"Okay, okay, fine," Anna said. "I'll stay off the beach."

"Thank you," Moana said walking towards the door. "If you require any more help, just go to the hotel and ask at the front desk." She closed the door behind her and left her in peace.

Anna groaned. "Stupid rules. It's like being at summer camp all over again."

Anna's phone then vibrated, telling her she had a notification. "Now what?"

She looked at her phone's screen, seeing the words "Rapunzel Moore wants to be your friend on Messenger" in the notifications tab.

Anna smiled, swiping to open the app. "That's a pleasant surprise," she said to herself.

She soon sat down on a chair, accepting Rapunzel's request and sending her a message.

Anna: Hi.

Rapunzel: Hey. Is this the Anna that I met on the flight? If not, whoops, the wrong number.

Anna: No, it's the right Anna.

Rapunzel: Oh thank God, I was worried there for a sec. Did you get to your resort okay?

Anna: Yeah, I'm here. And I'm fine, don't worry. Did you meet up with that girl of yours?

Rapunzel: Oh yeah, we're at her place now. It's amazing and so big! How's your place?

Anna: It's pretty decent, Has a stupid rule about not swimming at night.

Rapunzel: Oh, yeah, I heard about that. Cass told me there's a rumour about some kind of weird sea creature that comes out at night, and that's why they have that rule.

Anna: The lady who runs the resort said something similar. Sounds a bit fishy to me.

Rapunzel: LOL

Anna: Doesn't matter, though. I don't wanna get kicked out of this place.

Rapunzel: Come on, it might be something cool. Aren't you at least a bit curious?

Anna thought for a moment. Rapunzel was right. There was something about this that had piqued her curiosity.

Anna: Fine. I'll go out tomorrow night and take a look.

Rapunzel: Why not tonight?

Anna: Because screw you, I'm lazy.

Rapunzel: I think you're chicken CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK

Anna: Don't make me come over there!

Rapunzel: CLUCK CLUCK CLUCK

Anna: Fine, fine, I'll go out tonight. Jesus H. Christ.

Rapunzel: Don't forget to take a selfie with the sea monster. Cass will be just green with envy.

Anna: And risk the sea monster drowning my phone? No thanks.

Rapunzel: CLUCK CLUCK

Anna: Woman, I will shove a live chicken up your ass if you don't knock that shit off.

Rapunzel: :P

Anna: Fine, I'll take the selfie. But if I get kicked out of this place, I'm coming to live with you and I'm forcing you to do all of my laundry.

Rapunzel: Sounds fair.

Anna then closed her phone. "Ten bucks says there's no sea monster anyway."

xXx

That night, Anna crept out of her condo onto the darkened beach. She was wearing a green swim bra and pants, something that should have been cold for her to wear, but the beach was strangely still warm, even at night. The full moon hung in the sky above her.

Anna skipped over to the water's edge, sitting on the beach and letting the waves tickle her feet. "Hah, this'll be a piece of cake," Anna told herself. "No one else is here but me."

As she looked over, she saw what looked like a small rocky inlet. There was something about it that felt strangely familiar to her, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what it was.

She gently crept across the beach to the rocks, sitting in the cool, salty water. "I feel like I've been here before..." she said to herself.

As she got closer to the rocks, a soft sound began to fill the air. It sounded like...singing. It was a beautiful melody, filling the moonlit scene with a sense of serenity. Whatever it was, Anna loved it, even if she couldn't understand what the words were. They appeared to be in Greek, or some other foreign tongue.

Anna crept towards the inlet, hoping that whatever was singing wasn't the sea monster Rapunzel had mentioned. She climbed up over the rocks and was greeted by an astonishing sight: a young woman with pale skin, only a few years older than herself, laying in the water and gazing up at the moon. Her wet platinum blonde hair was tied back in a long French braid, and she wore a pale blue top that matched her eyes. A small purple seashell hung from a black cord around her neck, and there was a pink flower in her hair. But where the woman's legs should have been, there was instead a blue fish tail.

Anna's eyes widened. "My God..." she whispered. "A mermaid. A real mermaid."

As Anna listened to the mermaid's song, she recognized a single word among the lyrics: her own name.

"Is she...is she singing about...me?" Anna murmured.

The woman's eyes widened and she looked over at Anna, gasping in surprise.

"Oh shit," Anna swore. She gulped and moved closer to the woman. "Ummm, hi?"

The mermaid immediately dove into the water and started to swim away.

"Hey!" Anna exclaimed. "Wait!" Anna dove into the water after her.

Anna looked down into the ocean below, seeing no sign of the other woman. As she swam deeper and deeper, her eyes began to feel heavy. The pressure was getting too much for her. As darkness started to eat at the corners of her vision, she felt something pull her arm and drag her out of the water onto the beach.

Anna coughed up some water and patted her chest. "Oh boy…" she groaned. "I'm never doing that again." Anna looked to her side and her eyes widened. "Oh my gosh."

The mermaid was laying on the sand beside her, gazing at her with wide eyes. Anna looked into the mermaid's eyes, not daring to speak. Those eyes...they were the same ones she had seen in her dream. Those same beautiful, clear, cool blue eyes.

The mermaid stroked Anna's cheek with her hand.

"Anna…" she said softly. "It's really you."

xXx

Author's note: IT'S ELSIEEEE! Now, you might be wondering why Anna is surprised to see her, but all will be explained. As for the other bits, Cass and Punzie were obviously gonna be there, since I've been wanting to have them as a couple in one of these big fics for a while. (Sorry, Merida, maybe next time.) As for Moana, I hope I portrayed her quite well.

See you next time!