While the cool breeze lingered in the still air and most of Mermaid Beach slept in their beds and the town buzzed with the famous nightlife of the Gold Coast, particularly in the night clubs with people partying and keeping the police and paramedics busy with their antics, Ben was back at home, wearing his school leavers' hoodie and his Broncos shorts and sitting in a deck chair near the pool.
He was listening to the song Her Voice on his phone from The Little Mermaid musical that he, Cody and Mia saw on their trip to New York a few years ago and he was staring out into the ocean as the words warbled into his ears,
Somewhere, there is a girl who's like a shimmer of the wind upon the water, somewhere there is a girl who's like a glimmer of the sunlight on the sea.
Somewhere, there is a girl who's like a swell of endless music, somewhere she is singing and her song is meant for me!
And it's her voice, it's sweet as angels sighing and it's her voice, it's as warm as summer's sky.
And that sound; it haunts my dreams! And spins me around, until it seems I'm flying..
'Her voice,' Ben whispered, as his mystery girl and her voice appeared in his mind again and he found himself thinking about her as the song had got through to his pining heart.
It had driven him crazy that he could still hear her beautiful voice singing to him in yet hadn't been able to find her and he tried to imagine what she had looked like on the day she rescued him but his view had been hazy, considering he had only just regained consciousness but he could see her eyes looking at him lovingly, blue as the ocean..
Just like Lily's were and not for the first time, Ben was feeling very conflicted about his love for Lily and finding his mysterious girl.
'Oh, what do I do now?' Ben said, to no one in particular and sighed heavily as he slumped against his chair.
If only there was someone whom he could talk to but his friends would be in town partying and getting drunk and no doubt would be dusty in the morning or at home asleep in bed, Melinda was still out and his father was on the other side of the ditch, twelve hundred miles and two hours away, even though he was coming home in the morning.
However, he soon found a very sympathetic and furry ear as Ruby walked over to him and jumped on his lap, knowing that he needed some cheering up as she saw the distant and mopey look on his face and he smiled at his beloved companion as he hugged her close and nuzzled against her fur.
'Oh, Ruby,' Ben said, 'I'm a total mess right now. I love Lily with all my heart and I was about to kiss her at the rock pools tonight before we fell into the water and got soaked.
I know that Mum had wanted me to find my true love and I believe I have but I can't stop thinking about that voice, it just keeps haunting me and it's making me so confused!'
Ruby whimpered sympathetically and gently nuzzled against Ben, just as the sound of a car driving into the garage, doors opening and closing and lights being turned on inside could be heard and he turned around to see the welcome sight of Melinda looking at him, smiling.
'Oh, are you still up, Ben?' she said, but in a cheery manner, 'sorry that I was a bit late coming home but you know what it's like when Flick and I get together, chatting long into the night, drinking Baileys and playing card games..
Anyway, how are you, love? Did you and Lily have a nice night together?' Melinda said, sitting down on the chair next to Ben.
'Yes, we did, Melinda, we went out to grab a bite to eat at Hungry Jacks, had a couple of drinks at Little Havana and you've should've seen Lily dance!
She was amazing and stole the show as some people saw us and she took me to the rock pools afterwards, where Mum and I used to go and we were about to kiss when we slipped on the rocks and fell into the water.'
Ben tried to be cheerful and upbeat as he talked, but his voice wavered and Melinda knew instantly that something was bothering him.
He was like a son to her and it made her heart ache to see him look sad and pining for someone he loved, like he was when she met him for the first time, having just lost his mother and was missing her terribly and she could sense that he needed her now.
'Ben,' Melinda said, gently as she put her arm around him, 'is there something wrong? It's great that you and Lily had a wonderful night together but you sounded like your mind was somewhere else.
Were you thinking about her again, your mystery girl, the one who saved you from drowning? It is, isn't it, Ben? It's better that you tell me, you know that you can trust me, love, I've known and taken care of you for thirteen years now.' Melinda said.
'You got me, Melinda,' Ben said, managing a small smile, 'I was thinking about her again. I never told you this, but I read Mum's letters and she said that all she ever wanted for me was to find the girl of my dreams.'
'Ah, she would say something like that, she was always a hopeless romantic,' Melinda said, smiling,
'But if I could say something that may sound strange coming from me, as your father would say it if he was here and not on the other side of the Tasman, far better than any dream girl is one of flesh and blood, one warm and caring.
One who loves you just as much as you love her and who is right in front of you.' Melinda said, pointing towards the window which still had its lights on and a silhouette of Ben's silent beauty.
She gave Ben a small hug as she walked back inside and he looked up at the window to see Lily still up and pacing in her room, yet again brushing her hair with that fork and he couldn't help but smile.
Would she ever learn that forks were for eating with and not for brushing hair?
He chuckled to himself as he picked up his phone again, with Ruby still on his lap and looked at all the pictures that he had taken of them together on their outings around town and Dreamworld and smiled as he saw how happy they looked, clearly enjoying each other's company.
But his smile soon turned into a frown as he stared at his phone, seeing the song he had listened to before appear on the screen and thought about what Melinda had said to him and began questioning what he really believed.
Maybe Dad and his friends had been right all along and Ben could practically hear them saying 'We told you so' in his head. Maybe she really was nothing more than a dream, a deluded fantasy he had while feeling the effects of being hit by flying debris.
After all, he only fell in love with her because of her voice, the only thing about her that was familiar to him and she was a siren that had captured his heart by luring him in with her beautiful voice and sent him on a wild goose chase around the Gold Coast, looking for her.
'I guess Dad and the guys were right, maybe I did imagine this girl. I believed that she was real until I was blue in the face, but it's obvious that she's nothing more than a siren and that's all she'll ever be!' Ben said, practically spitting out the last sentence.
But if I was to find her, as impossible as it may be, I'll have a girl who I only fell in love with because of her voice and I'll lose Lily, the only girl I ever had genuine feelings for!' he then said, nearly in tears and hugged Ruby close to him.
Lily… The girl who didn't say a single word, but whom he had fallen in love with not because of her beauty but her personality, charm, kindness, her childlike naivety of how the world worked and she shared the pain of losing a beloved parent with him.
She had captured his heart simply by speaking to him with her eyes and was of flesh and blood, like Melinda had said.
She was like an open book and she went through life with her heart on her sleeve, no matter what unpleasant thing stood in front of her, never took a single moment for granted and was happy, cheerful and kind to anyone she met, even if they didn't reciprocate it.
And Ruby, Melinda and Mia adored her, even those complete strangers that had seen them around town did and had thought that they were a couple and she was everything that his mother said that she would be.
Ben looked up to the sky and silently thanked his mother, somehow sensing her joy that he realised that his true love had been with him all along, like she had said as he went back inside to go to bed, certain that nothing would ever come between him and Lily again.
However, a beautifully eerie and very familiar voice rang around the horizon and Ruby could sense it as her ears perked up and she whined worriedly without knowing why, but she had a feeling that something was wrong.
Ben turned around and heard the beautiful melody, one that he recognised instantly and he couldn't believe it. Her voice…he had found it at last, but he thought that it was too good to be true and convinced himself that he was imagining things.
But the voice was enticing him to come closer and as if he was possessed by some unseen force, he hurriedly walked near the beach, ignoring Ruby's persistent whining and whimpering and gasped in amazement at what he saw.
Down on the beach, a young woman was walking beside the waterline, the familiar and beautiful voice ringing out in the air, clear as a bell and singing out to Ben to come to her and he walked nearer.
It was too dark to see her, as he squinted to get a closer look, but he could make out her long, wavy sandy hair and dark teal dress but not the swirls of light that were coming from the necklace that she wore as she kept singing.
Like a crocodile in the water, they snaked their way through the air and towards Ben as he stared at them, entranced by their hypnotic glow.
Ruby barked and growled loudly at the strange person, which was loud enough to wake the neighbours, in spite of not being able to see due to the darkness and fog, which was unusual since she had always regarded everyone she met, even total strangers as friends but she knew for sure that she DID NOT LIKE this person and she was letting Ben know it.
Only Ben didn't shush her, like he usually did when she was being too loud, in fact he didn't say anything at all as he was too distracted by the woman as the lights seeped into his head.
Unaware of what was happening to him, Ben felt his senses slipping away and the reflection of the golden light shone in his eyes as they slid out of focus and his mind went black.
Gotcha, the woman thought to herself as she saw the boy now in a helpless trance, now you will forget all about that little mermaid.
Ruby whined loudly, desperately worried about her beloved companion and ran back to the house, helpless to save him and hoped that somehow, something or someone would bring Ben back.
The next morning was Lily's last day as a human and it began with all of the Gold Coast and social media buzzing with excitement and some disbelief about the news that Ben Steele, son of their beloved celebrity couple, Phil and Lara, was engaged and it had spread like wildfire.
Soon, there were many tweets on Twitter and many Facebook posts as well as gossip from the streets, bus stops and cafes, which a certain scatter-brained seagull happened to hear while flying around and she could barely contain her excitement as she flew towards Bellagio Lodge, eager to be the first to congratulate her dear friend.
'Lily! Lily, wake up, I've got something to tell you!' Sandy squawked as she flew towards her bedroom window, realising too late that it was closed and she landed face first on the glass in a comical manner.
'Darn windows,' she said, shaking her head, 'you'd think that they would leave them open in a climate like this,' before dusting her feathers off and squawking Lily's name over and over, eager to share her news and was oblivious to the angry shouts of the neighbours.
Inside, the commotion was loud enough to wake Lily and Senna and the former mermaid threw the covers off her bed as she dashed over to the window and let Sandy in as she flew on her bed and Lily looked at her in a confused manner.
'I just heard the news!' Sandy said, taking her hand with her wings and shaking it up and down repeatedly, 'and let me be the first to say, congratulations, sweetie! You did it!'
'What are you squawking about at this time of morning, you idiot?' Senna said, grumpily.
'Like you two already didn't know! Didn't you hear the gossip?' Sandy said, teasingly, ruffling Senna's hair (or rather head, since Senna didn't actually have hair),
'The whole town's tweeting about their local heartthrob getting hitched this afternoon! It's all they've been talking about!'
Instead of the cheers and excited applause that Sandy had expected, Lily and Senna stared at the seagull blankly.
'You silly dingbats, Ben's getting MARRIED! And his blushing bride-to-be is none other than our dear Princess Lily Ariel Clamarius of Aquaria!' Sandy said.
She then hummed the wedding march as she grabbed Lily's bed sheet and put it on her head like a veil and gave her a bouquet of dried flowers that had been on the vanity, while Lily smiled, although she hadn't quite registered the unexpected yet exciting news.
'And doesn't she look radiant on her special day of days!' Sandy said, while astonishment quickly spread across Lily's face and Senna rolled her eyes at the ridiculous sight of Lily in her pyjamas with a sheet on her head.
'I just want to wish you luck, Lily, if there is anyone more deserving of a wedding fit for Aquarian and Australian royalty, it's you,' Sandy said, hugging Lily with her wing before flying out the window,
'I'll catch you later, I wouldn't miss it for the world!' she squawked as she flew away and a huge smile soon appeared on Lily's face, as the news finally started to sink in.
If Ben was planning to marry her, that must have meant that he had fallen in love with her and when they had exchanged rings and vows, then he had to….
Not wanting to waste another minute, Lily quickly threw off the sheet on her hair, hastily brushed her hair using nothing than her fingers and rushed out of the room, still in her pyjamas, with her heart beating crazily and dreaming about running into Ben's arms and holding him close, as they leaned towards each other for their long-awaited kiss…
Her daydream was soon interrupted as she was soon met by Ruby, who was running frantically up the staircase towards her and Lily barely avoided tripping over her before she frowned at seeing the dog in such a state as she was whining like crazy and no amount of petting and hugging from Lily could calm her down.
Something had to be seriously wrong for Ruby to act like this and she growled under her breath as she ran down the stairs and Lily wondered what was going on before the voices from the foyer gave her the explanation she needed.
'Well, this is something that I wasn't expecting to come home to,' Phil's voice echoed around the foyer, not particularly happy and it wasn't just because the Broncos had failed to make the quarter-finals in the Nines and he and the team had to come home early.
He had barely been back in the country, having just got off an early morning flight from Auckland, when he had been bombarded with the news that his son had gotten engaged.
Thinking it was some sort of malicious prank or bad joke, Phil had hurriedly got home only to find that it was indeed true and Lily peered out from the railings and saw Ben, dressed in another of his designer shirts, which was a pale blue and dark blue jeans, with Phil and Melinda and a girl with the looks of a phantom from her past.
'But, I have to admit that you were right all along, Ben, your mystery girl does in fact exist. I'm so sorry that I doubted you and she is lovely.' Phil said, as the girl gave him a sickly sweet smile as Ben pulled her close to him.
'Thank you, Steely, at least I can talk,' the girl said and Phil and Melinda chuckled slightly. Ruby, however, was barking and growling louder than ever, but it was so frustrating for her to be a dog and not being able to communicate with her humans.
'Ruby, quiet down!' Phil said, but the dog kept barking, 'Ben, make your dog stop barking!' he then said, but Ben stayed where he was and Lily was wishing that she could growl like Ruby did.
'Not like her to make a fuss about nothing,' Melinda said, but the girl was getting fed up with the stupid dog.
'Shut up, you yappy little rat!' she hissed and discreetly kicked Ruby so that no one would see and the dog was sent yelping out of the room, which went unnoticed by Ben as he stood still, not moving a single muscle.
Ducking beneath the railings so that she wouldn't be seen, with Senna appearing by her side, Lily got a closer look at the girl and studied her carefully.
Her hair was a light sandy colour, like Violet's, and it fell down to her waist in soft waves, her eyes were a dark teal colour, which was rather unusual but to anyone, they looked a dark blue and she was wearing a dark teal dress to match her eyes and it hugged her waist perfectly.
'Congratulations, my dear and we are delighted to be adding another member to the Steele family.' Phil said, shaking the girl's hand.
'Oh, please, it's Carly,' the girl said, giggling.
'We wish to be married as soon as possible,' Ben said, firmly, which took his father by surprise.
'Oh, yes, Ben, but marriage isn't something to be taken lightly, you know.' Phil said, 'not to mention that weddings take a lot to time to plan and didn't you say on your birthday that you didn't even want to get married yet, that you wanted to be free, get a job, go to uni and all?'
'This afternoon, Dad,' Ben insisted again, with the firmness that was so out of character for him and he was looking at his father and housekeeper like they were annoying mozzies buzzing around him.
'The wedding yacht departs at sunset,' he said.
'Well, if that's what you want, Ben,' Phil said, sighing heavily, as he was finding the idea completely ludicrous but Ben's mind was made up, or rather someone made it up for him.
With tears streaming from her eyes and her heart breaking into a thousand pieces like shattered glass, Lily, not wanting to hear another word, spun on her heel and ran into her room, collapsed onto her still unmade bed and sobbed her heart out.
Back downstairs, 'Carly' gave a triumphant smirk as she looked up and touched her necklace which glowed sinisterly.
Several hours later, with the sun starting to set, Lily stood alone at the harbour, watching, with tear-stained cheeks and a very broken heart, the wedding yacht carrying her true love, his soon-to-be bride, his friends and the Steeles' close social circle, pulling away and cruising lazily across the ocean from her..forever.
She then slid down on one of the wooden pillars of the pier and hugged her knees close to her chest, weighed down by the heaviness of her heart and saw the yacht fading into the distance.
She looked down at her feet, knowing that they would soon turn into fins and her legs would become her tail again and that everything she had done had been for nothing.
She wished that she had her mother and sisters with her now as a tear fell from her cheek, slipped through the gaps of the pier and made a ripple in the waters of her ocean home.
Lily could imagine what her sisters would be saying to her now as she heard their garbled voices in her head,
You saw this coming, didn't you? The cutting remark of Fern in her surly and sour tones, how could you be so stupid?
You had three whole days to get the boy, Bluebell said, needing four is just greedy.
See, I told you that all men were bad news and this is coming from experience! Violet said, you get close to them and they take your heart and break it to pieces!
Oh, Lily, you were smarter than this, Marigold's voice said with disappointment about her little sister's actions, didn't I always tell you to look before you leap?
Now, you've done it, Rose said, you've landed yourself in trouble again and there's no one to bail you out this time.
Senna laid a gentle claw on Lily's ankle but she was too numb to feel it and Aurora bobbed up from the surface and looked sadly at her best friend with tears in her eyes.
Lily then looked at the bracelet on her wrist and ran her fingers through the charms carefully, remembering all the fun times she had with Ben- her Ben, the boy whom she loved with all her heart as they flashed through her mind.
Each memory made her tears fall faster as she buried her face in her knees, sobbing harder than ever for the loss of her true love, unaware of her friends' sympathetic tears.
Sandy's good mood was even stronger than usual as she flew in the sky, her eyes glowing with an ecstatic bliss while she hummed 'The Wedding March' rather off-key with the wedding yacht cruising under her.
'Ah, the smell of true love in the air,' she said happily, as she sniffed the salty ocean breeze. In just a few minutes, her best friend would be married to her one true love; at least she thought it was until she heard a voice ringing out from the yacht…
'What a lovely little bride I'll make! My dear, I'll look divine!' The voice sang.
'Ah, Lily, you don't have to be so modest,' Sandy said, chuckling but then flinched when she heard the voice laugh in an unnerving way.
Sandy wasn't the world's most intelligent bird, but she knew Lily and her voice well enough to know that something was not quite right as she swooped down to the yacht and her beak dropped in shock at what she saw through the window.
A young girl, about Lily's age or older was twirling around the room in an elegant white wedding dress, spraying huge amounts of perfume which made Sandy gag at the overwhelming smell of violets and sandalwood.
'Hmmm, I don't like the looks of this,' Sandy said, frowning while flicking her wings, like she was reading an imaginary programme for a musical,
'Tonight, the role of Lily will be played by a SINSTER looking woman!' she said.
'Things are working out according to my ultimate design,' the girl continued, as she pinned back her wavy sandy hair and threw one of the pins and tossed it into the mirror. The pin hit the fancy rose carvings on the top like a dart hitting the board.
There was only one sea creature that had such an aim like that and Sandy gulped as the mirror wobbled back and forth, accompanied by a pinging sound from the pin.
'Soon, I'll have that little mermaid and the ocean will be mine!' the girl concluded while climbing on the dressing table in an unladylike manner, breaking several objects and tilted the mirror up to reveal the reflection of Sharla, smiling evilly.
'Sharla!' Sandy squawked in horror as the disguised sea witch cackled, 'I've should've known it was her, that bogan! Well, she's not going to get away with this!'
Flapping frantically, the seagull rambled to herself about doing something as she stared flying to the harbour only to hit the window.
'I gotta be more careful where I fly,' she said, 'I could get hurt or lose my memory. Now, what was I doing again?'
'Oh, yes!' Sandy then said, shaking her head, which made her come to her senses as she made a beeline towards the harbour, squawking, 'Lily!'
Oh, Sharla, you thought that you were SO clever, didn't you? And yet, you were outsmarted by a BIRD. Had you not decided to sing about your plan out loud, you might have gotten away with it!
Read and review!
BTW, 'dusty' is a word for hungover, in case you didn't get it.