Chapter 2

Jade

Water? Why am I wet? This is not at all what I expected to be at the bottom of that alley.
And even weirder: why can I breathe? And where are my feet, what is that down there? A FIN?
I'm a flippin mermaid? What the hell?

Where am I? What is this? Where are my friends? Demara? Jenaka? Annie?

I swam around in a panic, of course forgetting all my swimming lessons and basically drowning, if I wasn't able to breathe. Everywhere I turned was darkness, it was like I was alone in here? Oh my god, maybe when I made it to the ground I landed in a tank and as my punishment for trespassing they're making me be the new "animal" at the marina, and so they dressed me up like a mermaid.

Ok, maybe a little over the top, but it's a possibility.

But wait, what is that I see coming toward me? Maybe its one of their pokers to wake the animals when they open the marine every morning so the people can see them awake? Couldn't I sue them for cruelty like that? But then again in the hangover they almost tazered the one guy to death and didn't get in trouble for it...

Why does the pokey thing have a light at the end of it? Unless those aren't lights? They're eyes; oh my god there's other fish in here! Get them away! Eels! There are eels in here! And they're coming toward me, shoo, shoo, go away.

"Hello," the said circling me.

I squealed to myself scrunching up as tight as I could so they wouldn't touch me.

"We know you want something," was it strange that they spoke in a chorus? Was it strange that they spoke at all?
Was all of this strange? YES!

"And we know how to get it for you," they continued.

"You do?" I asked actually concentrating. "You know how to get me out of here?"

"We know someone who can change you back to human."

"Who? Where can I find them?" I asked loosening my body so I wasn't in a ball anymore. I fluttered around in the water, happier.

"Come with us, we'll take you to her," they winked at each other, there was something fishy about this, but I was willing to do just about anything to go home.

They lead me through the darkness for a long time. No one was around, not even any other fish; we must have been in the very deep depths of the water. I had fallen a really long time to make it down here; I wonder what happened to the others? Did the same thing happen to them?

"Here she is," they stopped in front of a cave. Light was coming out of it, and I could hear someone was humming inside.

The eels snickered again and followed behind me as I entered cautiously.

"Those poor unfortunate souls!" she cried throwing her hands in the air, and throwing something in a large cauldron. Whatever she had thrown in had made the cauldron explode and a big puff of red smoke came out of it. Apparently that was supposed to happen because she seemed quite pleased with herself.

"Jade! There you are!" she cried out again laughing, all of her eight tentacles flew up in the air.
I think she was an octopus? At least she had the body of one, but the head of a person.

"I've been waiting for you."

"You have?"

"Of course, she smiled pouring something else in the cauldron making another puff of smoke explode out of it. This time a face appeared in the smoke.

"Who's that?" I wondered almost mesmerized by him.

He was on a ship playing a flute and running around dancing with his sheepdog, his black hair flying around constantly getting in his face. He was the most handsome guy I had ever seen in my life, I must have him.

"Prince David," she said and the smoke was gone. No, I wanted more of him, add something again so I can see him.

"Prince David?" I asked. He wasn't a man of the sea, he rode on it, not under it, there was no way I could ever really meet him, not if I stay looking like this.

"So, how can I help you?" she asked snapping me out of my daze, for a moment I had forgotten why I was here in the first place.

"I want..." what did I want? Did I want to go home, or did I want to meet Prince David?

"To go home?" she asked dropping an ingredient in making a picture of my house appear, all my friends standing outside smiling. "Or Prince David?" another drop and a picture of David appeared next to the other, he was sitting on the edge of the ship looking out at the sea as if looking for something.

I opened my mouth to speak, but no words came out. I wanted to go home, so badly, this place terrified me, I want to crawl up in my bed and hide. But there was something pulling me toward this guy whom I had never met, and had only briefly seen a picture of.

"How about I make you an offer?" she suggested. I raised an eyebrow wondering where this was going. "You can go home right now, no questions asked, no tricks or anything.

"Or... You can stay, and I will turn you human and you can go on land and meet the prince, and in the end I will send you home."

"What's the trick if I stay?" I asked knowing there had to be something.

"You have to get him to kiss you in three days," she said. Sounds simple enough, I've had it done in less than that. "But I want something in return."

"What?" I asked.

Her tone changed, and the words seemed to echo off the walls, as they closed in on me, "Your voice."

"My voice?" I asked holding my neck.

"And if you are unable to get him to kiss you within the three days you will become mine..." she laughed an evil menacing laugh. There was something seriously wrong with this lady, but sadly she is the only one who is going to get me out of here.

"Yours as in I can't ever go home?" I clarified. She nodded her head.

Oh god, this had to be some kind of nightmare, I was probably lying on the ground unconscious from the fall.

"Only three days?" I clarified again, and again she nodded. I gulped, it was a hard task, but I had done it before. And plus I didn't even have to do it, if I didn't want to; I could take the easy way out.

"So what will it be: home or princey?"

Annie

Since when is there a forest at the bottom of an alley?

Wait, this isn't the alley, it couldn't possibly be, there is no way this play is completely forested, with only a cottage for as far as I can see.
But where could I be then? Guess there's only one way to find out.

I headed toward the cottage hoping that someone lived there and it wasn't abandoned.
"Hello?" I asked knocking on the door.

"Annie, great there you are, I've been looking for you everywhere. We need you to go pick strawberries for the pie," whoever it was that answered the door turned me around and pushed me back toward the trees.

"Strawberries?" I asked confused looking at the basket she shoved in my hand.

"Yes silly the little red fruits in the bushes," she told me.

"Who are you?" I asked.

She just laughed, "What a joke. You've got your head in the cloud, don't you girly. I'm one of your aunts, don't you remember us? Your other two aunts are inside if you don't remember them too?" she laughed again.

"Oh right," I said still having no clue who these people were, and a little worried about how they knew who I was.
I turned and followed her finger to the strawberry bushes. They couldn't have been far, I think I passed them on my way to the cottage.

Why couldn't they want a cherry pie, I passed a billion cherry trees on my way.

Are you kidding me? When I found the stupid strawberry bushes all the strawberries had been eaten by squirrels. I knew I hated squirrels for a reason.

I groaned loudly, now what was I supposed to do?

"You know there's another bush on the other side of the river?" someone said startling me.

"Oh my god!" I screamed jumping ten feet in the air.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you," he apologized. He sat in the water half naked, hopefully not more naked than that. A fish swam by his and he went to go catch it and missed.

"Great, thanks," I said looking over to the other side of the river, examining the large distance. This pie better be good. Who makes strawberry pie anyways?

"Wait a second," he stopped me. "I'll help you find them," he offered swimming up to the edge of the water and started walking out toward me.

"No, it's alright I think I can find it, I wouldn't want to impose," I said shyly. The closer he got the sweatier my palms got.

"No imposition, I know where they see and you don't, it'll save you some time, plus I have to dry off before I get home, so you'll be entertaining me while I wait to dry. Really I should be worrying about imposing on you," he rationalized.

"Well we'll call it even them," I said.

"Come on then," he said leading the way.

"So you live around here?"

"In a cottage a little further into the forest," I told him. "And you?"

"No, I live in town."

"You come here often?"

"Just to swim... And pick strawberries with pretty girls."

"You help other girls than me then," I supposed.

"Nope," he said.

"Here, let me help you, that way you only have to stay here a few minutes before running away," he said taking the basket from my hand and started picking.

"I wasn't thinking of running away," I told him slowly picking along beside him.

"OK, well you just seem a little stiff," he noted.

"Well I'm alone in a forest with a guy I don't know... How loose do you think I should be," I explained.

"Touché."

"So you come here to swim often?" I wondered.

"It's a nice place to clear my head, people don't tend to come through here," he said eyeing me.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to," I apologized.

"No worries, it was a treat today, seeing someone pretty around here, compared to my usual squirrels."

"Well I'm glad I ran into you rather than a bear."

"Yes, a bear would have definitely eaten all your strawberries," he laughed. "Here, try one," he held one up to my mouth.

Mmm, it was actually good. I don't know if it was good because of the taste or, because I was being fed it by a hot guy.

Where ever I am I am in no hurry to get home. If I could stay here for a little while I wouldn't be upset at all. Eat strawberries may be my new favourite thing... Ever.

"There you go," he said handing me the full basket. "All done."

"Thank you," I batted my eyes accidently, and then blushed when I realized what I did. We both giggled.

"No problem, I should get going before my father sends out the royal brigade looking for me," he said drying off the rest of his hair with his towel.

"So, will you be back anytime soon?" I wondered.

"I will most definitely be back tomorrow. Same time, same place, with a strawberry waiting for you," he promised smiling.

"I can't wait," I told him turning around and going on my way. I looked over my shoulder to get one last look at him, but he was already gone.

"What took you so long?" my aunt asked.

"Animals ate the one bush so I had to go around the lake to get to the other bush," I explained.

"Well they are very lovely strawberries," my other aunt commented taking the basket from the first aunt.

"What is all this stuff for anyways?" I asked walking in and seeing a counter top full of baked goods- cake, cup cakes, muffins, pies...

"For your birthday silly, why do you think we had you get the strawberries?" my second aunt laughed.

"Yeah, and then tomorrow you get to go home and meet your prince," my third aunt said as she mixed something.

"Mae!" the other two shouted.

"What?" I asked sitting down next to the counter stealing icing from the cake.

"It was supposed to be a surprise. Tomorrow we're taking you home, to see your parents. And the man you're going to marry," my first aunt explained.

"Tomorrow?" that's when I'm supposed to meet the mystery boy.

I can't marry some guy I don't know; I want to marry the guy in the bushes.

"Isn't it exciting?" they asked gathering around me giving my a giant hug.

"Yeah...very exciting."

Demara

A big house and a well, this can only call for one thing: a song.

"I'm wishing, I'm wishing..."

"We pretend that airplanes in the night sky are like shooting stars, I could really use a wish right now, wish right now."

Wow way to sing the wrong song... Completely.

"Uh, that's not the same song," I said to the strange boy who was standing at the top of the wall separating the house next to mine and his.

"Sorry, it's on the radio," he apologized. "I heard the word wishing..." he said and hopped over the wall and joined me beside the well.

"But I believe all my wishes just came true," he said taking my hand and kissing it. "Flattery to make up for ruining a perfectly good Snow White moment," I huffed.

"Well is it working?" he wondered.

"A little I suppose," I shrugged.

"May I get you a drink?" he offered directing his comment to the well.

"I suppose."

He smirked and began pulling the bucket up, filled with refreshing water that I was in much need of after all the running away from the security guards.

Whoever this not was he seems like quite the gentleman, definitely prince potential. But of course i've only known him a matter of minutes, and i'm judging this off of him pulling water out of the well for me. I would really like to get to know him more, so that I had something else to base his gentlemanness off of.

"Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?" the queen asked the oval mirror that hung on her bedroom wall as she brushed her long flowing jet black hair.

"Demara White," the magic mirror answered.

"Demara White?" she questioned it. "Her?" she clenched her teeth as she looked out the window onto the courtyard.

"Yes, ma'am, Demara White," the mirror repeated as the queen spotted Demara by the well talking to some strange boy that belonged to one of the neighbours.

"Kingsley," the queen called.

"Yes, ma'am?" Kingsley answered running to her side.

"I need you to do something," she informed him.

"Anything your Highness," he bowed.

"I need you to get rid of Demara White," she instructed.

"Demara? But she-" he protested.

"Do not argue!" the queen shouted. "Or you'll be next!"

"Yes ma'am," he apologized bowing and backing away quietly.

"Miss Demara?" Kingsley interrupted Demara's conversation with the boy so that he could fulfill the queen's wish. It was his job after all, no matter what she wished.

"Yes?" she asked as if she didn't recognize him.

"The queen requested that you come help me in the forest," he lied.

"Yes, of course," she said politely.

She trailed behind him quietly, only speaking as they entered the forest, "What are we doing?" she wondered. "Cutting wood," he answered picking up an axe that he had left out here yesterday when he had actually been cutting wood.

They walked very far into the wood, so far that they wouldn't be easily found in a hurry, and so far that no one could hear her screams.

Suddenly Kingsley stopped in his tracks, turning around and startling Demara. "Mara, I need you to do something, no questions asked," he demanded.

"What?" she asked, afraid of the urgency in his voice.

"I want you to run!"

"Run? Why?"

"I said no questions asked," he reminded her.

"I know, but I'm confused," she shook her head.

"Because I'd have to kill you otherwise!" he shouted thrusting the axe over his head and started chasing after her.

Demara screamed and began running, twice in one day she's run for her life, without even a sip of water.

"Run, Mara, just keep running, as far away as possible!" Kingsley continued shouting after he had stopped chasing her.

And I did, I ran and ran until I couldn't possibly run anymore, and then I ran some more. Anything to get out of this nightmare.

I could really use a wish right now.

Jenaka

"Jenaka, Jenaka, come quickly!" someone called behind me as I walked down the street reading my favourite book which I had just gotten from the book store down the street. The strange man who owned the store just gave it to me because it was my favourite; it was very sweet of him.

"Jenaka, you have to come quickly, it's your father!" I had no idea who this person was, or what they were talking about, my father died five years ago.

"What's wrong? What happened? Where is he?" I asked in a panic. I must be in this strange alternate world for a reason, and this must be it. I have to meet my father; maybe I went back in time, to when he was alive. This must have been the town he was in; it seems like his kind of town...very French. He was French; his name was Pierre after all.

"He's up over the hill at the Beastly's castle," she said in a fright.

"The Beastly's?" I asked. "Who are they?"

"They are the most powerful family in town, or at least they were before that terribly thing happened, their son Ryan was a rude little boy and he got some curse put on him... And now he is even worse than before. If I were you I would be very worried about your father," she warned.

"Well then I think I should get up there," I said in a panic.

"Hello? Daddy?" I called walking into the big gigantic house.

"Nej?" I stopped when I saw him, standing there alone in a room off to the side of the front hallway.

It was him, actually him, this wasn't just some dream I was having, it was real. My father was the only person in the whole world who ever called me Nej.

"Daddy? There you are, we have to get you out of here," I said running in the room toward him giving him a huge hug through the bars behind which he was being held captive. "How did you get in here?" I asked rattling the bars trying to open them.

"Nej, you must go, he'll be back soon! Don't get stuck here too!" he said grabbing my hands in a panic. "Ryan Beastly! He's evil, there is not a sympathetic none in his body, and he won't let you go!"

"He's the one who put you in here? Why?"

"I have no idea. I was driving and I slid on the ice outside his house right into his front lawn. Next thing I knew he picked me up and threw me down here," he explained.

"That's terrible, we must call the police on him," I said.

"Yes, go do that. As far away from here as you can!"

"Daddy, I'm not leaving you here. I can not lose you again," I steadied him. "I'll just use my..." I reached in my pocket for my cell phone only to find a handful of emptiness. "Damn, it must have dropped out of my pocket as we were falling. We'll just have to get you put first and call later."

We tested all the bars, pushing them back and forth for any loose ones, but had no such luck. "What about the hinges?" father suggested. "Grab my tool box, he put it just over there," he pointed his old worn out fingers behind me to his red paint chipped tool box.

I searched around until I spotted a wrench wedged in the back, "Ah hah!" I said pulling it out. "Here," I handed it to him and he began untwisting the hinges of the iron barred door.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" a big booming voice shouted coming from eight behind me. I could feel his wet stinky breath on my neck making my hairs stand up. "Who are you?" he bellowed grabbing my shoulders and throwing me back against the wall.

"Don't hurt her!" Father shouted as the beast stood over me, only darkness in his eyes.

"NO MORE TALKING!" the beast yanked open my father's cell and pulled him out, dragging him down the hall behind him.

"Where are you taking him?" I demanded running behind them.

"A place where he won't make noise anymore," he said jaw clenched only talking out of the side of his mouth.

"What are you doing this? Will you please just let him go?" I pleaded catching up to him and running beside him.

"Why would I do that?" he asked not a flinch of emotion at the almost years in my eyes and the crack in my voice.

I thought for a moment, why would someone so evil, so heartless let their prisoner go? Then an idea popped in my head:
"Exchange him for me!"

He scoffed.

"No, I have a good reason, I'm young, and I'll live longer, more time to torture. I can be entertaining longer, if need be. I can cook, clean. I read a lot, so I'm almost as smart as he is. And I'm really quiet!"

"You don't really seem it," he argued with my last point.

"I can be," I assured him.

"No Nej! Run!" my father argued from the ground.

"What kind of name is Nej?" the beast scoffed again, turning a corner and hitting my father against the wall.

"It's a nickname, only my father calls me it. My name is Jenaka," I explained.

"Jenaka?" I nodded. "Strange."

"So, what do you say? Me, in exchange for my father?" I offered again.

The beast turned around and walked back toward the front doors without a word. "Take him back to his car and make sure he never returns," the beast spoke to a suit of armpit that stood by the door like a guard.

I almost laughed at him for talking to an inanimate object, but then like magic it moved. How could that be, was someone inside?

The armor took my father and proceeded to drag him outside.

"Nej! Nej!" my father called reaching out for me, as he continued to be dragged away.

"Father!" I ran toward him, almost out the door before it was slammed in my face.

I say down on the floor sobbing, my father was gone again from me.

"Get up," he said pulling me up. "Let's god, so I can show you your new permanent room."