Disclaimer: I do not own any of the original The Little Mermaid or The Little Mermaid II characters. I do, however own characters of my own creation such as Christella.

Ok darlings, I had a creative break to think on my story and experience life experiences to influence my story. ;)

Hopefully the little twists I've envisaged shall add a bit of zing.

Last Time:

Only Mariya heard the clicking that lasted only for a moment. She smiled and knew that Derek was definitely hers.

Chapter 16:

I was jolted back to reality by the loud bell ringing. I looked nonchalantly at the map and timetable. I hastily grabbed two notebooks, two text books (Letters and Calligraphy and A Collection of Merish Mythology) and a collection of pens. I swam through the maze-like corridors. Many other navy-tailed merteens raced through the corridors chatting casually about their holidays.

I found the classroom easily enough, floating outside with the others in my class. I observing them quietly and all were mermaids. There was a general hum of chatter and it was obvious that some were friends from previous years. I looked up as all babble faded. The mermaids in front of me parted as a ferocious looking sea sprite who raised an imperious eyebrow at me when I made no indication of moving. I smiled sweetly at her in a moment of boldness that, at the moment, was slightly uncharacteristic of me.

She had two legs long webbed feet and webbed hands. Her skin had the slightest tinge of green, as did her brownish hair which was restrained in strange braid that reached down to the back of her knees. She smiled revealing a set of sharp bright white teeth. "I am Draphomii," she said in a strange, sweet lilting accent that did not suit her appearance. I opened my mouth to tell her my name but she cut in. "And of course you are the Princess. Princess Christella." I nodded and she again bared her wicked teeth.

"You're the Princess?" asked one of the mergirls who had observed this whole exchange. Suddenly all the girls were staring at me, many open-mouthed. "Yes, I am" I managed to say without a stammer. They observed me closely from my messy ponytail to my broken heart necklace and the single plain gold bangle on my wrist. Most of them wore huge amounts of jewellery and had elaborate hair styles reminiscent of Melody's.

I felt a jolt as I realised this, and remembered she was gone. Guilt spread through me as it all rushed back. I had been so self absorbed, so sorry for myself. But Melody… Thinking about Melody seemed to have allowed everything else to get free. Derek, my mother, my father, the ransom! I slowed my decent into inner turmoil, forcing myself to get back to reality.

The chattering girls had stopped their incessant racket and were looking at the merlady before them. She was incredibly thin and wispy. Her white blonde hair was scraped into a messy bun and tied with a cream shawl identical to one that was draped around her shoulders. Her tail was a washed out blue and her veins showed up alarmingly on her pale skin, but her most distinctive feature were her incredibly large eyes.

In her thin face they look larger than they probably were and they were bright violet which was very startling compared to the rest of her colourless body. Her age was impossible to guess and she looked both young and old at the same time. She was beautiful in a haunting way.

"Girls," she whispered, "I am Miss Bulbé, your Writing teacher. Please go in." She appeared rather wistful when she said that, but I had a feeling she wasn't a scatterbrained as she seemed.

I sat almost automatically beside Draphomii, who sat in the back corner. The girl who had been so excited about my royalty sat at my other side. Two more mergirls almost identical to her sat down the row. "I'm Mia," she said to me, "And these are my sisters, Tia and Lia."

"Uh huh," I answered slowly. The only way I could tell them apart were by the starfish necklaces they wore. Mia wore one of a pale pink, Tia's was pastel blue and Lia's was a creamy yellow. Miss Bulbé quietly for the attention of the class, out of pity we all obeyed. She seemed impossible small and fragile from the back of the class.

"Now girls, welcome back to Finworthy Academy. I hope…" Her little spiel was abruptly cut off when the door crashed open to reveal Mariya. She flounced to the back corner opposite Draphomii's beside Lia and as an afterthought said, "Oh, sorry I'm late."

"It's so nice of you to join us Mariya!" exclaimed Miss Bulbé without the slightest hint of sarcasm in her voice or face. "Now girls! Let's get started shall we! Now, in this class you learn not only lettering, but the etiquette involved in writing a letter and such…"

I tuned out to what she was saying and glanced over and Draphomii. She was glaring daggers at Mariya who was calmly filing her perfectly manicured nails. She glanced up briefly to smile sweetly at me then let her smile fade before glancing mockingly at Draphomii with a single raised eyebrow.

I tried hard to pay attention to poor Miss Bulbé, but found it rather hard with Draphomii death staring Mariya and Mia chatting at me endlessly about some really hot merguy she met in the Bahamas. Finally it ended and I followed the stream of mergirls out with a sigh of relief. I got out the map a plotted the course to my next class, Mythology.

ooOoo

Melody looked up at Jarah stealthily through her eyelashes. She had her back turned to her and was shouting at some hapless mermaid for burning something. Melody gently put the knife down that she had be using to chop up sea cucumber and slipped out into the nearest corridor.

She swam as swiftly and as silently as she could and came to the kitchen gardens. There was no way to get out, as a ceiling was formed by stone and coral bars. She closely examined the garden for a way out.

"Yes!" Melody exclaimed in triumph under her breath. Almost invisible under a veil of climbing seaweed was a door. Melody turned the handle and to her relief it was not locked. She slipped through and carefully closed the door behind her. She found herself behind a thick wall of seaweed.

Melody peered out from behind it carefully. It was a beautiful garden, but much to Melody's annoyance it had a ceiling of bars. As Melody, still behind the seaweed, contemplated what to do next a mermaid and a merman swam into the garden. She could not see the merman properly from where she was but recognised the girl who had let her in on that day when she had come to see him… She racked her memory for her name… Rhiannon! It all seemed so long ago. She could almost hear his voice ringing in her ears.

Melody paused; Ray's voice was not in her imagination. He was the merman in the garden! Her heart beat so fast she was sure it would explode. Melody felt like jumping out from behind the seaweed and shouting "I'm here!" But something held her back and she listened.

Ray began to speak. "I can't believe it took me so long to realise Rhiannon… I'm just so glad that you…" "Shhh…" Rhiannon soothed him, "It's all alright my darling." Melody felt that something was definitely not all alright. She glanced out from behind the sea weed and watched in horror as Ray took Rhiannon is his arms and kissed her passionately, as if all he had ever wanted and desired was all poured into that one kiss. She felt a giant lump form in her throat and unsuccessfully tried to suppress a choked sob.

Rhiannon looked in the general direction of where she was hiding and eyes narrowed slightly. "Come my love," she whispered to Ray, before taking his hand and beginning to lead him towards the door. Melody burst out from behind the seaweed and time seemed to slow. Ray's eyes met Melody's. He frowned and Melody saw him mouth her name in one question that contained so many more. And then he was gone, the door shut. Melody rushed to it and slumped to the floor on the discovery that it was locked.

ooOoo

They both woke late that morning. Ariel nestled into him, absorbing the feeling of the warmth from his chest and the steady rhythm of his heart. "We must leave my darling," Eric said as he woke, slowly sliding his arms around her. "I know," she whispered back, placing a soft and lingering kiss on his lips. She sat up gradually, sighing a little as Eric released her. She thought back to the words at the very bottom of the ransom scroll that only Eric had noticed.

At the Festival of the Highest Tide when the moon is at its peak, we will make the exchange of daughter for father in the Square of Peace. If you do not meet our terms, you will never see your daughter as long as you live. -- Dark Crier

Ariel sighed again. At the Festival everyone wore a mask, as was law. No weapon was carried in the Square of Peace, and to create violence there was exile. The Festival was in a week exactly. This Dark Crier was clever, Ariel thought. And in that moment she had the feeling she was missing something crucial. She muttered a curse under her breath as she realised it was Chrissie's first day of school. She rubbed her temples with her fingers. It was time for her to return to the sea, and something in her heart told her she was never going to leave it again.

Ooooo! Drama. Please please please review! I'll give you more cyber cookies! gasp :P