Stories by TrainerKelly

PLEASE NOTE: This is a ROUGH DRAFT. It is the VERY FIRST DRAFT OF THE STORY. YOU are the very first person to read it – I haven’t even read it in its entirety yet!

You WILL come across numerous issues including:

• spelling mistakes;
• grammar issues;
• weak sentence structure;
• repeated words;
• unnecessary words;
• missing words;
• lack of details/descriptions;
• confusing details/descriptions;

Critiques/criticisms, while appreciated, most likely will be discarded at this stage! Thank you.

Additional Note: Doodles, Sketches, and Artwork may be added over time. These are not the story illustrations! They do feature characters and places within the story, however.

---

His consciousness seemed to press against his brow as he stirred awake. His muscles seemed to creak like rusty as he started to slowly move around his limbs, gettin a feel for them once again. Cool air brushed against his exposed skin. A symphony of whirring murmurs sung all around him. He wondered to himself how long he had been out, sitting up on the hard bed beneath his body. His face briefly scrunched just before he opened his eyes. 

The light that quickly filled his vision transformed into a large warehouse filled with numerous electronic machines along the walls. He shifted his body to let his legs dangle over the bed. Just as he turned, a voice said, “oh, he’s awake.” 

He narrowed his eyes at the two people in front of him – one an older gentleman with a slightly hunched back and a large head, the other a rather androgynous person who looked no more than 15 years old. The older man had turned to face him fully, while the younger person turned enough to see a bit more than what they would’ve just looking over their shoulder. 

He looked down at himself, a scowl on his face, as he ran his fingers over the large stiches down his chest and all the way to the bottom of his stomach. He couldn’t exactly pinpoint why, but something about his blue skin made him feel slightly uneasy. 

“What do you remember?” asked the older man. His voice was kind, almost like what you would expect from a loving grandfather. 

He looked up, glaring at the man. “What do you mean ‘what do you remember’?”

“Anything really,” said the older man, walking towards him. “Name, hobbies, what you last did or ate. Anything, really.” 

He leaned back, using his arms to support him. His musles ached pretty badly, but he chose to ignore it. He was awake, after all – they would have to stop being so tight at some point. He swung one leg over the other, gently pulling the small white towel that covered his crotch. “What kind of ridiclious question is that? My name is Clyde.” 

The older man and the young person exchanged looks. Smiles rose on their faces. The younger person turned to the computer in front of them and began to clack away at the keyboard. 

“What else?” 

“Before I answer that, who are you?” 

“I am Dr. Gladier,” said the older man. He then extended his arm out to the younger person. “And this is Dr. Hadley. He helps me here in this lab.” 

Clyde looked at both doctors back and forth. “What would I be doing in a labortory with two doctors?” 

Dr. Gladier’s smile extended further. “Well, why do you think?” 

Clyde opened his mouth to speak. He managed to say “ah”, before pausing. He closed his mouth and turned his head away from the doctors. He began to run through his memories…only to find out, he had none. He grabbed his head and looked down towards the concrete floor, shocked. 

“I…I do not remember anything!” 

“Nothing else?” inquired Dr. Gladier. He frowned for a brief moment before smiling. He turned to Dr. Hadley. “It’s amazing he remembered his name.” 

“Heh, heh, amazing indeed.” 

“Is remembering my name so funny?” snapped Clyde.

Dr. Gladier put up a reassuring hand. “Not at all. You are the first dolly to remember anything more than how to speak.” 

Clyde’s tongue started to roll around in his mouth and saliva started to coat it. Clyde swallowed before glaring at Dr. Gladier. “Dolly? What is that supposed to mean? And remembering? I…I must remember more…” 

“Do you remember anything else?” 

Clyde’s tongue squirmed. “Tea…”

“Tea?”

“Yes, I want tea.” 

“Do you like tea?” 

Clyde’s eye lit up as his preference came flooding back to him. “I love tea. I love all kinds of tea. It does not matter what kind of tea it is, for I love and drink them all. I could use some peppermint tea at the moment, however.” 

Dr. Glaider clapped and turned to Hadley. “Did you hear that! Tea!” 

“Heh, heh, yes! Let me tell Victorina to get, heh, him some peppermint tea then,  heh heh!” 

“Very good, very good.” 

Clyde rolled his head back to leer at Dr. Gladier. “Why did you call me a dolly?” 

“Ah yes, about that. You see, Clyde, you had been dead.” 

*** 

Clyde sipped his peppermint tea as Dr Gladier explained what the heck a dolly is and what he meant by that Clyde “had” been dead. 

“I’ve always been so saddened by the young people who have lost their lives to tragic deaths and have wanted to do something about it. I began running experiments back on my home planet, but alas, I became misunderstood and driven out from there and to here. I am quite foruntate that taking refuge in this place turned out to lead me to find my missing ingredients for a full revival.

I was able to build this lab and continue. It took many tries, but I finally had managed to give young person a second chance at life. However, I had not been prepared for the kind of second chance my experiment would lead me to – the first dolly could not even speak. She appeared to have the mind of an infant.

All hope had not been lost, as Dr. Hadley had been able to find a specialist to bring the young woman to where she needed to be in life in a small amount of time. I knew for my next dolly, however, I had not wanted to go through such a thing once more. After tweaking the revival formula, we proceeded once more and revived a young man. We were successful in bringing back his memory of acting his age, however, he could remember nothing else.” 

Clyde lowered the peppermint tea from his lips. “Which number dolly am I?” 

“You are number three. We tweaked the formula cautiously when deciding to revive you, hoping that you would retain more of your memory. It appears that we have been both successful and a bit too cautious. You only remembered two things about yourself from your previous lfe, after all.” 

Clyde gazed down into his tea, lookng at his reflection in the tinted water. His right eye was missing and instead, there was a giant hole. He had stitches on both sides of his mouth running all the way up to under his ears. His eyebrows were also made of stitches. His single dark blue eye turned to Dr. Gladier. 

“Why do you call us ‘dollys’? Are we not people?” 

Dr. Gladier laughed. “Of course you are people. I have called you ‘dollys’ because of the amount of stitching required for each and every one of you! I have chosen to focus on those who had a most unfornuate deaths. Many are mutilated in some form, including yourself.” 

Clyde could suddenly feel a pit in his stomach. He begun to feel cold as Dr. Gladier continued on. “The only stitches from cuts I made was your chest and stomach. As for the rest, your body came that way. I stitched it right back up – it is not right to leave someone in such a condition. I also fixed your eye socket that is missing an eye – it’s an inverted black half-sphere. I had not been sure if you would want a glass eye of some sort, so I left the option up to you.” 

“Well,” exsaperated Clyde. He looked up from his peppermint tea. “I am not quite sure what to make of all of this. I do not know if I should thank you for this second chance at life or condemn you for it.” 

Dr. Gladier’s smile twisted. “Whichever one you end up chosing is fine.” 

Clyde began to sip his tea again. 

I’m dead. Or rather, I was dead. I wasn’t just dead either – I had been mutilated in some way. What kind of life had I previously been living? A creeping tension began to work up his arms as he continued to gulp down the tea that didn’t seem to work very well on his nerves. I don’t think I want to know. 

“You must be cold,” said Dr. Gladier. 

Clyde lowered his tea. “No, I’m quite warm thanks to the tea.” 

Dr. Glaider chuckled. “You have been sitting naked for a long time.” He extended his hand towards Clyde. “That tea isn’t going to keep you warm forever, you know? Let’s get you into some clothes.” 

***

Victorina had brought in a set of black scrubs with two large, rectangular pockets towards the bottom of the top. Clyde slipped on the soft cotton fabric pretty quickly and stood on the cold, concrete floor with bare feet. The rest of him warmed up quickly. He patted the loose shirt lightly as Victorina, Dr. Hadley, and Dr. Glaldier looked on with delight. 

Victorina stuck up her nose. “I knew black would be perfect on you! It goes well with your pink hair and blue skin.” 

“Heh, heh, nice job, Victorina.” 

Victorina puffed out her chest and placed her right hand over it. “Of course!” 

Dr. Hadley flashed her a toothy smile. “Heh heh, I’m surprised it wasn’t, heh, more apple-themed!” 

Victorina glared at Hadley. “Shut up, ya old brat! I have good colour sense, you know! Who do you think planted all those luscious plants out in front of the building?” Victorina puffed her chest out once more. “Oh yes, that was me.” 

“Now, now, I don’t think Clyde wants to hear banter between the two of you,” said Dr. Gladier, putting his hand up to silence both of them.  

Dr. Hadley shot Victorina one more tooth grin and Victorina one more harsh glare before they both turned thier attention completely to Clyde. 

Clyde had a lot of questions, watching the interactions. Something seemed oddly casual between Victorina and Hadley, but he couldn’t tell why – they certainly looked nothing alike. He placed that question of to side as he redirected his attention to the comfy scrubs he was wearing. “I do like these myself. They are quite comfortable. Thank you for taking your time to pick them out for me, Victorina.” 

Victorina blushed and waved her hand. “Oh, you.” 

“Heh, heh, don’t say that to her! It’ll go to her head!” 

Victorina suddenly leapt at Hadley. “OH! THAT’S IT, YOU BRAT!” 

Dr. Hadley let out a giant laugh as he slid out the way in his rolling computer chair from Victorina’s leap. Victorina quickly caught her footing and begun to chase him around. Clyde’s eyes went wide and shifted, exchanging looks with Dr. Gladier. 

“You look like you are curious about their relationship.” 

“Quite.” 

“I’ll explain it on the way to the room you’ll be staying in.” 

Clyde’s ears perked up. “Oh? There is a room for me to sleep other than this one?” 

“Would you really want to sleep in here overnight?” 

“I suppose not.” 

“I thought so. Come.” 

Dr. Gladier motioned to Clyde. Clyde followed, leaving Victorina and Dr. Hadley behind. 

*** 

“You have just reawakened from Death’s cold embrace. To ensure that you are in good health, you must stay in this facility in the meantime so that I may monitor you for any complications,” explained Dr. Gladier as they walked down a short hallway. The finally stopped in front of a door on the left and wallked through. 

The room was decent-sized and appeared to be a cross between a hotel room and a hopsital. Numerous pieces of medical equipment were strategtically placed around the room to check vitals and repair minor issues at a moments notice. The rest of the room was rounded out with a well-made bed, couch, nightstand, and lamp. Mounted on the wall was a high-definition TV. Below the TV was a set of drawers and cabinet with a coffee brewing machine on top of it. In the left-hand corner of the room was a small bathroom with a stand-in shower, sink, and toilet. The bathroom was painted a pastel green, while the bedroom itself was a pastel indigo colour. 

“This is your sleeping quarters for the next month.” 

Clyde looked over the room. “Impressive for being a room to monitor my health. What will I be doing after a month?” 

Dr. Gladier clasped his hands together. “I will be working on getting you a permnant residency and occupation while you are here. Once a month has passed, you will move to your new home and start your new occupation.” 

“Sounds quite alright,” said Clyde, sitting down on the bed. He turned his attention back to Dr. Gladier. “And what would my occupation be?”

“During this month, we shall be running a series of test to determine what would be best for you.” 

Clyde cracked a smile. “I shall look forward to it.”

Clyde cast his gaze down to the floor. His smile slowly faded as he looked at the slightly worn tile. He listed to his mind for memories to come flooding back to him, but nothing other than longing curiousity surfaced. What had I been doing in my past life? 

After a moment, Dr. Gladier broke through the heavy silence. “Are you still curious about Dr. Hadley and Victorina’s relationship?” 

Clyde perked up. “Yes, I still am. Something appears off to me about them, but I cannot put my finger on it.” 

Dr. Gladier lifted up his finger. “Ah, the first thing you must understand is that looks can be decieving – especially when it comes to vampires. Dr. Hadley and Victorina have been a team for a very long time now. Dr. Hadley once told me he chose Victorina to be under his care simply because of her extensive knowledge of Vampires, Plant, and Fungi.” 

“Oh? How long?” 

“Several hundred years.” 

*** 

The machines in the room were nearly silent. The loudest machines looeked the clunkiest and oldest. Clyde laid in bed, staring up at the ceiling. No light was on in the room whatsoever, although light from the hallway peeked underneath the crack under the door. This did not bother Clyde one bit. In a way, it helped him to know that he was alive and that he could see. 

His mind was blank. Echoes of the conversations of the day floated in and out of his consciusness. He didn’t pay much mind to them whatsoever, as he knew his mind was just filtering them. He was more interested in seeing if anything from his previous life would resurface. 

My name is Clyde. And I like tea. 

And just like earlier in the day, that was all he could remember.

He flipped over to his left-hand side and dozed off in time to the quietly whirring machines.

***END*** 

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PLEASE NOTE: This is a ROUGH DRAFT. It is the VERY FIRST DRAFT OF THE STORY. YOU are the very first person to read it – I haven’t even read it in its entirety yet!

You WILL come across numerous issues including:

• spelling mistakes;
• grammar issues;
• weak sentence structure;
• repeated words;
• unnecessary words;
• missing words;
• lack of details/descriptions;
• confusing details/descriptions;

Critiques/criticisms, while appreciated, most likely will be discarded at this stage! Thank you.

Additional Note: Doodles, Sketches, and Artwork may be added over time. These are not the story illustrations! They do feature characters and places within the story, however.

---

Violet behind the curtain of the stage, inspecting her violin one more time. Well-polished, well-tuned…everything was in place. And of course it was – this was Violet after all. The violin prodigy! If Foreligis had been more connected, she would be better know – but it was fine. At least her home, the large city-village of Aurum, had enough space for her…supposed. 

She turned to the mirror that stood beside her, posing with her violin. Her purple hair rained down her shoulders and she gently brushed it away to brush it off from one of her many precious violins. Excitement almost immeditately bubbled up through her stomach and into her heart. Soon it was circulating into her system, transforming from nervous-excitement to pure energy. She lowered her violin and her bow, smiling widely in the mirror in front of her – she was ready to perform. 

“…um’s prodigy, VIOLET BAUM!” 

Applause thundered so loudly, the whole stage shook underneath Violet’s feet. This served only to cause her steps to lighten even more as she placed her violin on her shoulder and began to play intensely for every person in Aurum, even if they weren’t attending. She stepped out in almost a skip, quickly silencing the outdoor concert hall. She swung her body in time to the music, dancing along with the sound she produced with just herself, the bow, and the violin. 

She stepped along the stage, allowing the flow of her dancing to energize her very core. The audience began to clap again, adding an additional layer behind her. She giggled to herself, remember the brief thought she used to have when she was just a young child – the very annoyance at the clapping before she was done and how distracting it once seemed that they would be clapping along with her music. But now they’re a part of my performance.

CREEEEAK

Violet’s gut pinched at the sound of creaking from around her. Tension hugged her upper arms, but she kept on playing anyway. It’s nothing, ignore it. She told herself, mentally pushing herself back into the music. She took a few steps towards the back of the stage, walking backwards to amp up a powerful, speedy performance. The crowd cheered, yelped, and clapped. She began to spin around and around, swinging her head.

CREEEEEAK CREEEEEEEEEEEEAK CREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAK

The stage and its surroundings moaned once more. Violet’s gut pinched and twisted again. Although her face was smiling, internally, she was starting to get really angry. Her ears moved from the music to the unharmonious creaks of the stage. How dare you! she spat in her head as she continued to smile and play on the outside, hoping underneath no one was going to notice her anger. You’re messing up my rhythm! 

CREEEEEEEEEEEEEAK CREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAK CREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAK

Up from her stomach shot up a single word to her head: DANGER. 

CREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAK

And what did she do? Attempt to push it down – she was at the best part in the song! 

CREEEEEEEEAK CREAK CREEEEEAK CREAK CREAK CREAAAAAK CREAK

She began to slam her foot to the ground to each note that she played, banging her head in the air as she did so. The audience clapped along. Her notes became hire and she turned around, looking up at the ceiling with her up body, leaning her head back. Normally, she’d look briefly at the audience, but that obnoxious creeeeeeaking caught her attention instead. 

Her eyes watched as the creaking metal above her swayed violently. 

Her gut shouted to her DANGER, DANGER, DANGER! 

Her eyes widened, watching everything become unhindged and then…

CRAAAAAAAAAAAAASH! 

Screams came from behind Violet, but she couldn’t see where – on top of her was metal and wood. And in her. 

PLEASE NOTE: This is a ROUGH DRAFT. It is the VERY FIRST DRAFT OF THE STORY. YOU are the very first person to read it – I haven’t even read it in its entirety yet!

You WILL come across numerous issues including:

• spelling mistakes;
• grammar issues;
• weak sentence structure;
• repeated words;
• unnecessary words;
• missing words;
• lack of details/descriptions;
• confusing details/descriptions;

Critiques/criticisms, while appreciated, most likely will be discarded at this stage! Thank you.

Additional Note: Doodles, Sketches, and Artwork may be added over time. These are not the story illustrations! They do feature characters and places within the story, however.

---

Midnight Star sat on the rock bench, leaned back against the warm stone. All around her seaweed of numerous shades of green swayed in the gentle ocean current, almost hypnotizing her to relax with their rhythm. Some of the leaves gentle brushed her from behind, tickling her shoulders over the fabric of her crop-top. Although her gaze was softened and her body calm, she moved to touch a long piece of seaweed that was draped over her shoulder. She held it in her hands, her fingers running over the varied surface of the green plant. The texture was like a bunch of cracks, similar to the stone bench she sat on, but much more uniform. 

Each time she ran her fingers over the seaweed, feeling every single detail, she further relaxed. Her breathing slowed and her consciousness seemed to sink deeper and deeper into the depths of her being. And her eyes weren’t even closed! But oh, did they want to close. The silence of the seaweed garden, the ocean currents moving like underwater wind, and the beauty of the small details all around relaxed her deeper with each passing moment. A peaceful smile slowly spread across her face as her shoulders fell. She slipped down from her seat – just enough to still feel fully supported and comfortable. 

Time stopped as her eyes flickered closed. 

Then YANK! 

Midnight Star jolted awake and jumped up, whipping around, seeing a boy around her age snickering at her. Midnight Star snarled at the shark merman in front of her, “NEN!”

Nen laughed. “You better wake up, otherwise some fishermen is going to think he lost his rope!” 

Midnight Star slapped his hand away as Nen tried to reach for her hair once more. Her mouth spread across in a straight line and she closed her eyes. “Nen, do you think that is funny AGAIN?” She then turned a bit, folding her arms, pouting, “And I wasn’t sleeping.” 

Nen grabbed one of her pigtail braids. “Every time,” he replied. He laughed again. “It really IS like a rope – do you see how big and long this braid is?” 

Midnight Star snatched it back. “I really don’t like when you do that…” 

“What? Touch your hair or call it a rope?” 

“Both.” 

The blue-gray shark merman swam up from behind the bench and lowered himself down onto it. He leaned back, one arm resting across the backboard. His other hand was halfway in the air as he spoke. “But have you looked at it though?” 

“…” Midnight Star pursed her lips. “All I see is questionable genes.” 

“I know, I know,” Nen threw his head back. “You wear them in braids to hide the fact you’re the only one in your family with straight hair.” 

Midnight Star took one of her braids in her own hand, gently stroking it. From her heart to stomach seemed to be swirling with nausea, she couldn’t help it either – every single time she sees her hair, she questions it. Brown and straight – was she really a member of the royal family? She lightly tugged on the braid.

“Rope hair.” 

Anger rose up from her stomach and spat out of her mouth. “If I’m rope hair, then you’re a curve-boy!” 

Nen flinched. Midnight Star, cheeks flushed from her anger, watched him hug his body and eyes glaze over. Nen, indeed, did have curves. He curved higher up than the average male. Something about his overall physic was much more androgynous and feminine than anything else about him. 

Nen’s eyes shifted around for a moment. Midnight Star watched him carefully. He’s about to do som–

With a twist smile and mischievous furrowed brows, Nen sprung up from the stone bench and yanked the blue star hair clip from her hair. 

Midnight Star gasped as a few lose pieces of hair swayed in front of her like a miniature seaweed garden. “NEN!” she gasped. 

Nen stuck out his tongue. “Come and get it, if you want it so bad!” 

Midnight Star grumbled. She lunged forward to grab the clip, but Nen gracefully moved out of the way. “Give it back! Ugh! I hate when you do this!” 

Nen’s only response to was to laugh. 

Midnight Star and Nen kept going around in a circle, zigzagging each and every way. Midnight Star grabbed and grabbed and grabbed, but Nen always managed to get the clip out of her grasps. Her stomach turned and the tightness of panic overwhelmed her chest. “I don’t want you to break it!” 

“I’m not going to break it. If it breaks, it’s YOUR fault!” 

“No, it’s your fault because if you didn’t take it, it would have been safely holding my hair back!” 

Nen laughed, swiping it away from Midnight Star once more. 

Midnight Star stopped and looked up, watching Nen bump into a gorgeous woman with mystical air about her. The half-swordfish merwoman looked down at Nen, unamused. 

“There you are,” she said. 

“M-mom!” exclaimed Nen, startled. He quickly turned around and looked at her nervously. 

Nen’s mother’s eyes darted to the clip in Nen’s hand, promptly swiping it. She rubbed it with the cloth of her arm band, cleaning off any grim that had been stuck to it. She then swam over to Midnight Star and presented it with both hands. “Princess Midnight Star, I am sorry that my son keeps doing these things to you.” 

Midnight Star leaned slightly over, seeing Nen’s nervous wide-eyes. His bottom lip was quivering. “He called my hair a rope again,” said Midnight Star, flatly. 

Midnight Star bowed her head in thanks as she took the hair clip from Nen’s mother’s hands. “Thank you, Lady Medeba.” 

“The pleasure is mine, Princess Midnight Star,” Lady Medeba replied, curtesying. Her attentiveness was soon shifted to annoyance as she turned to Nen with a forced smile. 

Lady Medeba yanked Nen by his upper arm fin. 

“Ow! Mom…” 

Lady Medeba’s forced smile never faded. A vein clearly popped out from her forehead. “My son, please stop harassing the Princess. I fear the engagement will be called off otherwise.” 

“What? No way!” objected Nen. “She knows I’m just joking around!” 

Lady Medeba turned to Princess Midnight Star. “Do you know he’s just joking around?” 

Midnight Star frowned. It doesn’t feel like it. 

Lady Medeba whipped her head back forward. “I’m going to take that as a ‘no’.” 

Nen attempted to protest, but no words came out from his mouth. Lady Medeba pulled him towards the garden exit. “Come, I need you to help me with something.” 

Nen slapped his mother hand on his fin, repeatedly saying, “Mom, that hurts, let go!” 

Lady Medeba, unmoved, turned her head to Midnight Star. “Oh, yes! I almost forgot – Princess, the King and Queen are looking for you.” 

Midnight Star looked confused. “Thank you,” she said to Lady Medeba. 

“See you for lessons,” replied Lady Medeba, dragging Nen away – moving her hand from his fin to his wrist. 

Midnight Star giggled, watching Nen shake off his mother’s hand and the two of them laughing. She could barely make out Nen nagging her for yanking on his fin again. Their voices faded off and once again the seaweed garden was full of silence. 

Midnight Star began to lull off where she floated. A jolt ran through her and her eyes popped open. “My parents!” she gasped, scurrying off towards the castle. I wonder what’s wrong? Did I get in trouble for something? I don’t think I did anything wrong…

***

Midnight Star sighed with relief as she swam out of the courtroom. I’m not in trouble…good. She laughed to herself. Of course I’m not in trouble, I didn’t do anything wrong, right? I don’t think I ever did…

“You look like you’re overthinking again.” 

Midnight Star looked up fom the ground she had been looking at, seeing Nen smirking at her. He leaned against the door frame, his blue-gray hair swaying in the ocean currents that ran through the castle. Midnight Star blushed. “Yeah, I guess I am…” 

“Come on, let’s head to class.” 

Nen extended his hand to Midnight Star and she took it. The two swam together down the hallways to the other side of the castle, where the study was located. 

“What did your parents want anyway?” asked Nen. 

“Oh, um…I thought I was going to get in trouble, but it turned out to be about Glitter Light’s graduation.” 

Nen chuckled. “Why would you get in trouble?” 

Midnight Star shrugged. She placed a hand over her beating her. “I don’t know. Maybe I forgot about something? I don’t always have the best memory…” She slightly trembled. 

Nen’s hand tightened around her’s. “I think everyone knows you need reminders, so I don’t think that’s a problem.” 

Midnight Star felt a stab in her stomach. Oh, I suck. No one should have to remind me…what’s wrong with me? 

There was a moment of silence as Midnight Star ran through her head. I have straight, brown hair. I can barely remember things. I don’t really have any majour duties. I get to marry the Official Court Witch’s son. I mean, that’s definitely not the worst and I love Nen and all, but aaaaaaaah, do my parents have any confidence in me? I’m such a disappointment…

“Um…what was it about Glitter Light’s graduation?” 

Midnight Star jumped as her line of thought broke. “Oh! Um…it was…it was about food. They were asking me if I had any special request for dinner during the celebration. It’s a small celebration and it’s not for me, so I don’t know why they’re asking me.” 

Nen laughed. “They should be asking Glitter Light!” 

“Right?!” exclaimed Midnight Star. She laughed too. “I thought the same thing! Why ask me? It’s her celebration!” 

The two laughed for a moment more before Midnight Star changed the subject. “Lady Medeba wanted you too, right?” 

Nen nodded. “Uh-huh,” he grumbled. 

“Uh-oh, what did she make you do?” 

Nen suddenly stopped and turned to Midnight Star, grabbing both of her hands. Midnight Star’s eyes widened and she glanced around, seeing the servants in the castle pass-by with only the slightest of glances. Oh no, they’re all staring at us. Wait…that’s okay. That’s fine. We’re engaged, it’s normal. It’s normal. “Um…” What is he doing? Why did we stop? Wait, what’s he doing with my other hand?? Oh, he’s just taking it…but why? 

“Mom chewed me out for making fun of you again,” replied Nen. His eyes darted to the side and he slightly blushed. Midnight Star held her breath, unsure where he was going with his actions. Nen tightened his grip on Midnight Star’s hands. “She’s really worried that one day I’ll take it too far and the engagement will get called off.” 

“No!” yelped Midnight Star. Nen jumped. She took one of her hands back and covered her mouth. “Ah! Sorry! I didn’t mean to make you jump. I just, um, know that’s not going to happen. I don’t think you could even take it that far. And even if you did, I don’t think that would happen.” 

A warm smile spread across Nen’s face. His eyes gazed at her lovingly. “You don’t think it would?” 

“No.” I don’t think my parents love me all that much to call it off…NO, wait! I’m fine with this arrangement, right? Midnight Star shut her eyes really tight. Yes, I am. I think…AH! I DON’T KNOW.

“Mid-Star?” 

“Ah, sorry.” 

“You don’t need to apologize…are you okay?” 

“Yeah, sorry…I mean…ah sorry! Err, um….” Midnight Star let out a sigh. She gave Nen an awkward smile. “I think I relaxed too much today because my head is freaking out.” 

Midnight Star flinched as Nen took her on both sides of her head. “I wish my head was freaking out! My mom had me rearrange her ENTIRE bottle collection in 20 minutes by size, shape, coloured, and design.” 

Midnight Star’s face scrunch and she stuck out her tongue.  “Ew, that sounds AWFUL.” 

One of Nen’s hands fell to Midnight Star’s shoulder, while her put the other on his head. “I was so bored and all I want to do is sleep, but then I had to come pick you up. Mom knew I had class today and she’s teaching!” He balled the fist that had been on his head in the air. “It’s her fault if I can’t think because she gave me something so boring to do!” 

Midnight Star giggled. At the same time, she became increasingly nervous. “Nen, we should probably get going…lessons are going to start soon.” 

“Ah, yeah, we probably should.” 

Midnight Star began to swim once more, but was yanked back by Nen. “Um, Nen…”

“Sorry.” 

“…huh?” 

“Um, I’m sorry for earlier. And any time before that. I’m really just playing around, but you didn’t really take it that way, right? Your hair is like how I feel about my body.” 

Midnight Star held up both of her hands. She felt her upper back and chest tighten and her stomach flipped. “Oh no! Oh, no, no, no! You don’t need to apologize! You really don’t! I don’t need an apology…you don’t need to apologize!” 

“But I hurt you, right?” Nen looked into Midnight Star’s eyes.

Midnight Star swallowed, staring back at him. Her heart winced. No words came out of her mouth. Only in the depths of her being could she even admit that yes, he did. But her mind’s response quickly shut her down: you obviously deserve it. 

Midnight Star cast her gaze back down. THe only thing to bring it back up was Nen gently taking ahold of one of her braids. She trembled a slight bit, nervous about what he was doing. His gaze was still soft and loving, no different from when she had been touching the seaweed.

“Nen, what are you doing?” she asked, holding her breath.

“…” He continued to gentle stroke her hair. His cheeks slightly flushed. “I…wish you would wear your hair down. They really do look like giant ropes.” 

Midnight Star could feel the fire of anger start to rise up from her stomach. She yanked her braids back and took in the biggest gulp of water she could. “Just ignore them,” she snapped unwillingly. Wait, was I too mean? But he just apologized and he said that. He..he wasn’t serious, was he? She threw the pigtail behind her. “Let’s…let’s just get to class!” Her anger made its way up to her eyes and began to push out as tears. She went to swim off once more, but Nen stopped her once again. 

“Crap,” mumbled. Nen. “Ugh, I’m not good at this, am I?” 

Midnight Star avoided looking him in the eyes.

“How do I…hmm…” 

Midnight Star cautiously turned to Nen, looking at his face. His cheeks were slightly flushed. Her gut twisted with anticipation. 

“I really…like your hair. It’s different and unique.” 

Midnight Star flushed herself, looking at Nen slightly covering his face. She looked around in a panic, relieved to see no one in the hallway at the moment. “N-nen! We’re in the middle of the hallway!” 

“What, I can’t compliment you?” 

“You can, but…this is the hallway? What if someone hears us?” 

“Does that matter?” 

“Um…I just don’t like it.” 

Nen grabbed one of Midnight Star’s hands and held it, keeping his other hand on his face, partially covering his mouth. “I just wanted to tell you I want to see you wear your hair down because I like it.” 

Midnight Star shook. “T-thank you, b-but I’ll still be wearing my braids.” She looked down.

Nen nodded. “I figured as much…” 

Midnight Star tightened her grip around Nen’s hand, who appeared to be startled by the action. Midnight Star took in a gulp of water and nodded. “Nen, I don’t feel confident enough to wear my hair down.” She pulled him off to the side of the hallway and leaned into his ear. “I used to hear all the time people question if my dad is really my dad because of my hair. I’m the only one who looks different.” I don’t want to have to go through that all over again…

Nen frowned. He nodded. “I know.” He then gave her a soft smile. “Hopefully one day, that will change.” 

Midnight Star cast her gaze down to the ground. I doubt it. 

Nen gentle pulled her. “Hey, let’s get to class before mom comes and finds us!” 

Midnight Star nodded and let herself be guided down the halls by Nen. 

The hand being held by Nen’s felt calm, but the rest of her body was tense and tight. A fear stirred up in her core – I am no good. 

PLEASE NOTE: This is a ROUGH DRAFT. It is the VERY FIRST DRAFT OF THE STORY. YOU are the very first person to read it – I haven’t even read it in its entirety yet!

You WILL come across numerous issues including:

• spelling mistakes;
• grammar issues;
• weak sentence structure;
• repeated words;
• unnecessary words;
• missing words;
• lack of details/descriptions;
• confusing details/descriptions;

Critiques/criticisms, while appreciated, most likely will be discarded at this stage! Thank you.

Additional Note: Doodles, Sketches, and Artwork may be added over time. These are not the story illustrations! They do feature characters and places within the story, however.

---

Brent  shot up from his bed. He felt as if he were buzzing. He slipped out and opened his curtians. The rising sun greeted him with its gentle, warm glow and the night sky seemed to wave good-bye. He opened up the windows and took in the fresh air. The last bit of grogginess he was experienced washed away with the breeze that brushed his face as it poured in through the window and flooded his room. 

Brent quickly got dressed and left, rushing down the corridor. He walked into the servants quarters and looked at the servants schedule one more time with nervous anticipation, only to be grinning up to his ears.

Listed on the schedule for the late afternoon was Brent assisting Angelica with her ball gown. I cannot believe it is still here. I cannot belive it did not change. 

Brent couldn’t fathom how he was fortunate to have been assigned such an important duty. It didn’t even bother him with the fact that he wasn’t going to be the only one – Bedelia and Natalia were both going to be there too. Okay, sure, he didn’t really like the idea of Bedelia being there, but just the fact he was even going to be within the vicintiy to assist with Angelica getting ready for the ball was more than enough. This was exactly why he needed to get the choker done today. He tapped his pocket, checking to make sure it was still in there.

Brent quickly skimmed over the rest of his schedule – he was to first help set up the ballroom with the final touches for tonight’s ball, then the kitchen for additional ballroom preparations. From there, he was to report to the dressing room and be on stand-by beside Princess Angelica’s newest dress that was to arrive later today. 

Brent began to tremble. He could not wait to get the day started. 

***

Brent stared up at the dress that had been wheeled in not too long ago. He could only imagine what Angelica would like wearing it, with its boned top and skirt made of layers upon layers of tulle. And what he could imagine, he knew she would be absolutely beautiful, even if she continued to look miserable at the ball. 

He pulled a small book out of his pocket and leaned against the wall. The book’s cover appeared to be well-loved with its rough edges and fading ink. The binding appeared to be curling, but the book held together surprisingly well. It was simply tilted “Air Magic Notes”. Brent had no idea if he had any genuine magic power – although in all honesty, he suspected he did – but the book was interesting to him. It was written by King Aerlden, before he was king – back when he was just a simple court mage. The notes were brief and to the point, but detailed enough for Brent to follow along. A part of him longed to try them for himself, but fear of him causing harm stopped him. 

I wonder how much of the ability described in here is a natural gift or due to hard work? Brent looked at his own hand. He wjggled his fingers, as if trying to warm them up somehow. A faint blue glow began to surround his hand. His stomach clenched, noticing the faint outline. 

“Brent, bring the dress, now!” 

Brent jumped, whipping his head towards the door. He stuffed the book back into his pocket and ran behind the dress. “Yes, ma’am!” he replied, watching Bedelia promptly turning her back to him. Brent’s heart pounded as he pushed the dress out the door. 

Brent stumbled forward as Bedelia swiped the dress from him and whealed it behind the partition. 

“Natalia, get back here!” yelled Bedelia. 

Natalia and Brent exchanged smiles before Natalia raised her hand. “Yes, Ms. Bedelia!” 

Just before Natalia slipped behind the curtain, she said, “The princess requested her baby pink folding fan with the dark pink sparkles. I need you to grab it!” She winked and disappeared behind the paritition. 

Brent mumbled “yes” under his breath as he turned his attention briefly to the curtain. Although he couldn’t see anything in detail, he could still see the outline of Angelica’s body. He watched the sihollhoute of her bathrobe drop to the floor and her standing with nothing on, surrounding by both Bedelia and Natalia on either side. He smirk spread across his face, which quickly softened as his heartbeat dropped. I can’t even see how she fully looks, but I can tell she is just so beautiful. He watched Bedelia and Natalia quickly dress Angelica just like a doll.

Brent suddenly felt jolted. He looked around, only to remember there was no clock in the room. Her fan! He ran out of the room, down the corridor, going one floor up to Angelica’s bedroom. He quickly, but quietly opened her door and slipped right in. He held his breath, feeling as if he was doing something he wasn’t supposed to be doing. He walked over to her armoire and opened the double doors. He turned his head to his right, scanning the long row of folded fans hanging off from it on hooks. He spotted the requested fan, grabbed it, shut the armoire, and slipped back out of the room. 

Brent’s eyes met with Angelica’s as he entered back into the room. He couldn’t even breath a word. His face lit up as he watched her’s do the same. Angelica skipped up to him, exclaiming, “Oh, Brent, you brought my fan!” 

Brent presented the fan to Angelica. “Yes, of course Princess Angelica, anything you desire, I will do my best to fulfill your request,”

Brent shivered ever so slightly as Angelica brushed her fingers against his hand as she was taking the fan out of it. They looked at each other right in the eyes: Brent’s was just screaming about how beautiful Angelica looked. Angelica’s seemed to be asking him what he thought about her. 

Just as Angelica finished removing the fan from Brent’s hands, Bedelia stepped in between them. She leered at Brent, who returned it right back to her. Bedelia slightly turned her heads towards Princess Angelica, keeping her angered gaze on Brent. “Princess, there is no time!” 

“You keep saying that! It’ll take no time at all – just watch,” said Angelica. She yanked the tie that was in her hair, allowing her wet hair to settle on her back.

Brent silently snickered watching Bedelia become speechlessly flustered as Angelica walked passed her to the lit vanity. With swift movements, Angelica used her fan and air magic to quickly dry her hair and flair out her her bangs. His smirk grew as Angelica whipped her head back at Bedelia with smugness. “I told you it would not take me all that long.” 

Bedelia clicked her tongue.

Brent laughed internally. 

Brent’s attention briefly turned away from Angelica, who was putting on her tiara, by Natalia who let out a whispery gasp and ran out from behind the partition, holding a pair of heels from behind the partition. 

“I would say my outfit is complete.” 

“Oh, but princess! Your shoes!”

“Thank you, Natalia.” 

Brent watched Angelica lift up the bottom of her dress high enough to expose half her calves. Natalia knelt down and slipped on the princess’s heals. Bedelia walked away from Brent and moved closer to Angelica and Natalia. 

“You are lucky that we have such efficient staff. Now, put on your gloves. We best be going.” 

Angelica slipped on her gloves and turned to Bedelia with her fan. “You and Natalia are dismissed.” 

Natalia stood up and bowed. “Yes, Princess.” 

“Thank you for all your help.”

“You are too kind.” 

Natalia passed by Brent, gave him a smile and a wink, and exited out of the room. Brent couldn’t stop smiling. 

Brent moved closer towards Bedelia and Angelica, entering into their vision fields. 

Angelica raised her head. “I dimissed you as well.” She bore her stare into Bedelia’s eyes.

Bedelia turned her scowling face towards Brent. “You are to head to the kitchen next.” 

Brent’s smile disappeared, his face seeming blank of emotion. “Yes, ma’am.” 

Angelica moved beside Brent, immeditately causing him to relax his body. “Bedelia, I dismissed you, not Brent. I understand that you are head of all servants as appointed by my parents, but I am second to my parents in terms of final say. He is to stay with me until I dismiss him.” 

“Princess Angelica, the cooks need help preparing the feast for tonight.” 

“Brent is to stay with me until I dismiss him.” 

Bedelia paused for a moment, leering at Angelica. Angelica and Brent both leered back.  “…as you wish. But please be aware, I shall bring this up to your parents.”  

Bedelia walked past them and out of the room.

Brent and Angelica stood there in complete silence, listening for the footsteps to completely disappear down the hall. 

“Is she gone?” 

Brent first started walking backwards, but soon pivoted and poked his head out the door. He looked both ways down the corridor, seeing no one in sight. The corridor was so empty, it was as if it was keeping a secret. He pulled himself back inside and flashed a smile at Angelica, still holding on the doorframe. “Yes. No other servants besides from myself in sight.” 

Brent watched the layers of Angelica’s dress bounce up and down as she scurried towards the door. She grabbed his hands and gently pulled him further inside, getting him out of the view of the door. “How do I look?” 

Brent’s gaze softened, looking at her pink multi-layered gown. It had been finished up only a few hours ago in a rush – from Brent’s understanding it was missing a few minor finishing touches, but there was no time left to out them out. The top of her gown appeared to be similar to a corset and pushed her bosoms up and together. Ruffles ran down the seams of the top. Her sleeves exposed her shoulders with longer pieces cascading down that flowed behind when she walked. Spilling out from the bottom was layers upon layers of sparkly tulle, making it hard to distguish one layer from the other. 

Brent grasped Angelica’s hands tighter, pulling them closer to his face. “You are the most beautful lady in all the land as always, Princess. Shame I couldn’t accompany you.” 

Angelica gave him a solemn smile. “Such a shame, indeed.” 

“I’m sure there will be many fine gentlemen to your liking.” 

Brent lowered his & Angelica’s hands. He began to take a step back, physically distancing himself from her. The scowl that appeared on Angelica’s face halted him from doing anymore. “Why are you distancing yourself from me now?” 

Brent forced a big smile on his face. “I’m just concerned about your future.” 

Angelica removed one hand from Brent and place it on her hip, slightly turning away from him. She lowered her head, gazing into his eyes with a succulent pout. “Do I even have to say it?” 

Brent’s toes curled looking back into her eyes and he bit his lip. 

The edges of Angelica’s mouth slightly turned upward. “There are no other gentleman but you.” 

Brent mirrored back Angelica’s smirk. He lifted her hand up to his mouth. “Good thing I’ll still be there when you get bored, ya?” 

Angelica giggled in return. “I might just have to bother you then.” 

Brent kissed her hand. “I welcome it.” 

PLEASE NOTE: This is a ROUGH DRAFT. It is the VERY FIRST DRAFT OF THE STORY. YOU are the very first person to read it – I haven’t even read it in its entirety yet!

You WILL come across numerous issues including:

• spelling mistakes;
• grammar issues;
• weak sentence structure;
• repeated words;
• unnecessary words;
• missing words;
• lack of details/descriptions;
• confusing details/descriptions;

Critiques/criticisms, while appreciated, most likely will be discarded at this stage! Thank you.

Additional Note: Doodles, Sketches, and Artwork may be added over time.

---

Astral Isles – where the stars shine down from the sky both day and night. The stars glistening rays kiss the lusious land with its gently rolling hills, scattered forest, and hundreds of flower-covered meadows. The sand on the beach and its watery companion that surround the isle always are twinkling back to the stars with a silent giggle. 

Spread throughout the land were homes where hardworking people worked and played. You wouldn’t be able to tell from their medivial-style homes that they had many modern devices within. 

Right in the center of Astral Isles – where the North Star shined down – stood a grand castle. It’s light gray stone walls piled high, reaching towards the star above that so kindly graced their prescence. The castle itself seemed to glitter like the stars throughout the day, as the sun’s rays kissed its walls. 

Up on the second floor balcony of the castle (there were technically four floors, but some of the towers easily made it twelve), a young lady stood in a pool of water, completely naked, as the a waterfall poured onto her golden locks from the mouth of a lion statue. Soapy suds glided their way down her wheat-coloured skin and into the water below. As the soap finished washing out of her hair, she turned around and faced the waterfall. She slowly stepped underneath it, allowed it to gently wash over her face. She moved her hands of it, guiding the water to every part of her face. 

“Princess, you mustn’t stay under the water for long.” 

If her eyes had been opened, she would have rolled them. The young lady – a princess – whipped her head into the direction of the voice of the older woman. “I know, I know,” she said. She waved her hand towards the woman as if she was trying to shoo a fly. “My skin will prune if I do. I’ll be out in a second.” 

After one quick wash to the face, she stepped a few steps backwards towards another woman who stood by the steps. The woman held a pink towel out to the princess with both hands, slightly bowing to her as she did. The princess thanked the woman, grabbed the towel, and began to dry off her body. She turned to the woman, only a couple of years older than her, with a smile. The woman bowed her head in acknowledgement to the princess’s position. 

The older woman from earlier, with her graying blonde hair tied up high in a bun and high-collared dress, hissed to the princess. “Hurry, we do not have much time.” 

The Princess glanced to the woman with slight disdain. She walked behind a changing screen, opened her arms wide to allow the towel she had wrapped around her loosely to fall to her feet. Another woman – older than the first one by the tub, but younger than the naggy one – grabbed a white bathrobe and helped the princess get into it. Once it was all tied up and the princess and the servant nodded in acknowledgement to the process being done, she headed off to re-enter the castle . The nagging older woman followed shortly behind. 

“The guest will be arriving soon and you are not even close to being ready!” 

“Is that not what the dressing room will get us to do?” 

The older woman glared at the princess as they rounded the corner. “Your hair – ” 

“Will be fine,” assured the Princess. “Just get me me a folding fan.” 

Before the woman could say anything more, the princess burst through double doors. The room itself appeared to be long, but small – one side was set up with a large vanity, while the other side had a changing partition and a large mirror. However, in the middle of the wall directly across from the entrance way was the doors to the closet that house mannekins upon mannekins of royal wear specifically for the princess. 

The princess turned to the servant woman that stood a few feet away from the door. “Please get me one of my folding fans.” 

“Yes, right away, princess. Which colour would you like?” 

“Make it the baby pink one with the darker pink sparkle.” 

“As you wish.” 

The older woman huffed. “I cancel that order – I will need her assistance! Princess, you do not have tiime!” 

“Bedelia, do not raise your voice at me.” The princess spun around and held out a finger to the older woman. Bedelia paused for a moment. Her face paled for a brief moment before she groaned. 

“Just get behind the partition.” 

The princess did as she was told. Bedelia followed shortly behind. Before the princess could relax, Bedelia had pulled a hair tie from her apron and yanked the princess’s hair and twisted into a bun. 

“Ouch! Do not be so rough!” cried the princess. 

“Forgive me, Princess Angelica,” said Bedelia without an ounce of regret. “I do not want your sopping wet hair to ruin the dress.” 

“As I said, there is no problem.” 

“You cannot be so relient on magic. I understand that it’s a tradition that you are carrying on, but it has proven to be unreliable over the long run.” 

“Unreliable for who?” Princess Angelica asked, glancing over her shoulder. She could see Bedelia’s eye subtly twitch. 

Without saying a word, Bedelia finished with the princess’s hair and quickly opened the doors to the dressing room. “Brent, bring the dress, now!” she hissed. 

“Yes, ma’am!” responded Brent. The blonde-hair teenage boy with a short goatee grabbed the waste of a mannekin and begun to roll it out. His sunflower-yellow locks of perfectly curled hair bounced as he pushed it down the middle of the closet and into the main changing room. The moment it was out of the closet, Bedelia yanked it from him and pushed it behind the curtain. 

“Natalia, get back here!” Bedelia yelled. 

“Yes, Ms. Bedelia!” replied the servant from earlier who had been standing near the door. 

Natalia turned to Brent. “The princess requested her baby pink folding fan with the dark pink sparkles. I need you to grab it!” She rushed off. 

Brent smirked as he watched the middle sillhouette behind the changing screen go from clothed to unclothed. He let out a quiet sigh and his face relaxed as he watched the middle sillhouette turn around, allowing the other two to put on articles of clothing. Princess Angelica yelping from her corset being pulled too tight brought him back to the reality that he was staring too lovingly at her sillhouette for far too long. He took a deep breath and rushed out of the room and down the corridor. 

The moment Princess Angelica emerged from behind the screen, Brent reappeared back in the room with the requested fan. Princess Angelica’s face lit up as she saw his and the fan. She skipped up to him.

“Oh, Brent, you brought my fan!” 

“Yes, of course Princess Angelica, anything you desire, I will do my best to fulfill your request,” replied Brent, holding out the fan to her with both hands.

Princess Angelica took the fan out of his hands slowly, letting her own brush against his. The two of them stared into each other’s eyes. Their smiles may have been small and humble, but their eyes told a completely different story. 

Bedelia stepped in between them. She bore a spiteful gaze into Brent’s face as she spoke to Princess Angelica over her shoulder. “Princess, there is no time!” 

“You keep saying that,” complained Princess Angelica. “It’ll take no time at all – just watch.” 

The princess yanked the hair tie from her head and let her damp hair fall to her back. She rushed up to the vanity mirror and flicked open the fan. With a fell swoop on the left and on the right side of her body, heated air ran down from the top of her head to the ends. As the heated air was followed with a distinct sizzle, crackle, pop, and then utter silence. Her golden locks returned to their slightly wavy natural state. With a slight curved swoop on both sides of her bangs, they straighted and flared outward. It had taken her less than a minute to do all of this. 

Bedelia stuck up her nose as the princess turned around, A smug look spread across the princess’s face. “I told you it would not take me all that long.” 

Bedelia clicked her tongue. 

PLEASE NOTE: This is a ROUGH DRAFT. It is the VERY FIRST DRAFT OF THE STORY. YOU are the very first person to read it – I haven’t even read it in its entirety yet!

You WILL come across numerous issues including:

• spelling mistakes;
• grammar issues;
• weak sentence structure;
• repeated words;
• unnecessary words;
• missing words;
• lack of details/descriptions;
• confusing details/descriptions;

Critiques/criticisms, while appreciated, most likely will be discarded at this stage! Thank you.

Additional Note: Doodles, Sketches, and Artwork may be added over time.

---

Bubbles gently floated towards the surface as Rose’s bright reddish-pink hair swayed in the ebb & flow of the water. Rose’s relaxed sleeping face complimented the light breaths coming out from her mouth. 

“Mmmm…can…dy…” she mumbled in her sleep. 

She flipped over on the sea moss-covered rock she was sleeping on. Her arms, which had been close to her chest, rolled off to hang off the sides of her rocky bed. 

Slowly, Rose began to float from her rocky bed.

She gasped. Her eyebrows lifted, her eyes still closed. “I’m…zz..fly…ing…wow…zzzz…candy!” 

She rose up through the depths of the ocean and up to the moonlit surface. The waxing gibbous moon and the glittering stars reflected on the ocean’s waves that carried Rose away.

The ocean continued to carry Rose across its surface, carrying her further and further away from where she had been. The moon and stars above soon began to fade into the oncoming dawn. 

***

Mellany closed the door to her beach house behind her. She walked down her steps and onto the sandy beach. Her boots caused the sand to make crunching sounds beneath her as she headed towards the shoreline. 

You could still see the darkness of night up in the sky, but dawn was quickly approaching just beyond the horizon of the ocean. Mellany stopped at the shoreline, faced the orange-coloured sky, and took in a deep breath. The air was just crisp enough to satifsy her. 

Mellany closed her eyes and smiled, listening to the gentle ocean breeze running past her ears and the seagulls calling to each other. She soon turned her face towards the sun, peaking up over the ocean. 

“Good morning, sunshine,” she greeting. 

Now, what to do today… 

Mellany began to walk once again along the shoreline. 

This was a typical morning routine for her – there was something about the cool ocean breeze, the gentle crashing of the waves, and the noisey seagulls all before the sky was fully lit that helped to clear her mind and set up her day. 

She looked out into the ocean as she contemplated her day, awaiting for an idea to drop into her head like it normally did. Sometimes something would happen in the water that would give her mind the exact jolt she needed to come up with a great plan. Sometimes it would be a dolphin jumping up in the far distance, other times, a wave that was a bit bigger than usual. Regardless, it was something that fully woke her up and inspired her through the whole day. 

Mellany halted as something bobbing a short distance away caught the corner of her eye. She curiously looked at it. 

“Hm?” 

She took a few more steps forward to get a bit of closer look, stepping into the waves. Her eyes widened and she gasped. 

Mellany turned around, calling into all directions of the shore: “Lifeguard! LIFEGUARD!” 

Mellany stared out into the shoreline void of any human life, besides from herself. 

“…#&@!” 

She grabbed her head. 

There’s no lifeguard at this time in the morning! 

“UUUUUUUUGH!” 

Mellany began to take off her black fingerless gloves. “Welp, I guess it’s something I just gotta do myself.” 

She began to remove the rest of her clothing: her white-midrift jacket with rolled-up short sleeves with black cuffs & collar and two breast pockets, matching white shorts with black cuffs, black socks, and black boots. She was left wearing her black bathing suit that acted as her regular shirt. 

Mellany laid them all down far enough from the ocean waves. 

As soon as her last piece of clothing was removed, she hopped into the water. 

She swam over to the head bobbing just above the water’s surface and wrapped her arm around their waist. She swam back to shore as fast as she could, holding the person tightly. 

Mellany quickly scanned the person. A girl, mostly likely around her age, with bright reddish-pink hair, two necklaces, a belt, and a lacey baby doll that split just under her chest down all with a rose motif and…

…fins and a tail. 

Mellany screamed and promptly dropped the half-human creature. She scurred away on her hands and feet, just as the creature stirred awake. 

“Huh?” the creatured murmured. “…wet…sand…water…foaaaaaam….aaaaaaiiiir…” 

The creature’s eyebrows raised, her eyes flittering open. “Hmmmmmm?” 

“Oh, did a float to the surface again?” the creature mumbled. She pointed to her lips in thought, looking down at the sandy beach. She lifted up her head, finally noticing the bewildered Mellany. 

“Who are you?”

“WHAT ARE YOU?!” 

The creature giggled. “Oh, I’m a mermaid, silly!” she said as she lifted her tail full out of the water. 

Mellany stared at the mermaid. 

“…” 

Then she let out a scream. 

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!” 

The mermaid’s face lit up with delight. “Your name is ‘AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH’? Wow! What a pretty name! it sounds a lot like ‘ah’!” 

Mellany stared at the mermaid once more, this time less bewildered and puzzled. She wasn’t sure if she was supposed to laugh, scream, fight, or what. 

“No,” finally replied Mellany. “I’m Mellany.” She raised an eyebrow. “Who names their kid after screaming?” 

“Ooooh!” the mermaid said, clapping her hands together. “I thought that might have been some weird human thing! Tee hee!” 

“I’m Rose, nice to meet you!” 

Rose, the mermaid, began to crawl towards Mellany. In a panic, Mellany crawled further away. 

“No way,” Mellany rasped. “You CAN’T be real!” 

Rose pulled her head back in surprise, just before giggling again. “Oh, Mellany! You’re so silly. Of course, I’m real! I’m right in front of you.” 

Mellany’s eyes glanced over Rose. “Yeah, I know.” 

She then looked Rose straight in the eye. “You’re not going to drown me, are you?” 

Rose paused for a moment, just before letting out unabashed laughter. 

Her arms buckled and she fell down to the wet sand, grasping her stomach. She began hitting the sand with one of her hands. 

“Drown…DROWNING…drowning someone…DROWNING!!!” 

Tears began to stream down Rose’s face. “Ow! My stomach..my stomach hurts now!”

Mellany tensed up. “That wasn’t supposed to be a joke.” 

After a good moment more of unrestrained laughter, Rose quieted down. She looked up at Mellany from where she laid on the ground, still holding her stomach. 

“Gee-whiz, you humans sure are funny!” She wiped a tear from her eyes. “Nobody does that anymore!” 

Rose paused for a moment.

“Well, almost nobody.” She shrugged. 

Rose took a deep breath, fully regaining her composure. She pushed herself up off the ground, giving Mellany a big, friendly smile. 

“Certainly not me, no siree!” 

Mellany stared at Rose’s glittering eyes intensely.

She finally let out a sigh. She let her tense body relax for a moment, before getting up off the ground. She brushed the sand off from herself. 

“I thought you were someone drowning, so I tried to save you.” 

“Oooh! That explains a lot! I was wondering why I was so close to land! I don’t usually float that far.” 

Mellany began putting the rest of her clothes back on. “You normally float to surface?” 

“Yeah, all the time! I don’t know what it is, but I can’t seem to keep my body heavy enough to keep me down below!” Rose giggled. 

“You’re weird.” 

“Am I?” asked Rose. She paused for a moment. “Well, I guess I am, even by mermaid standards…” 

Mellany yanked her jacket forward, her shoulders raising up with it. “Do you know how to get home from here?” 

Rose looked over her shoulder at the ocean. Her eyes narrowed. “Hmmmm…” She turned back to Mellany. “Yeah, I think so.” 

Mellany forced a smile on her face. “Great. Now, shoo.” 

“Huh?! You want me to leave?!” exclaimed Rose. “But…but I want to know more about you!! Are all humans like this?” 

Mellany held out her hand, turning away from Rose. “I want to go back to denying your existance.” 

Rose became dejected. 

“D-deny me? Isn’t that like me denying a human?” she cried. 

“…you’re a mermaid. I grew up being told mermaids aren’t real. Yet, here you are, in front of me…” 

Rose fell back into the sand, laying on her side. She took the bottom of her shirt, knawing on it. “But I AM real…and I DO exist…why are you humans so weird? Don’t you have stories about us?” 

“Yeah, we do, like fairytales and stuff.” 

“What are ‘fairytales’?” 

“Fictional stories.” 

Rose turned to bury her face in the sand. “Fiction…we are…fiction…” 

Rose began to sob. 

Mellany flinched. She turned her eyes towards Rose’s tail smacking the water between each sob. 

Mellany brought her hand to her chest. Her shoulders lowered. She let out a sigh. 

Mellany took a few steps forward and knelt in front of Rose. She placed one hand on the mermaid’s shoulder. “Hey, I’m sorry…don’t cry.”  

Rose perked up. Mellany quickly retracted her hand. 

Rose sniffled and rubbed her eyes. “You’re forgiven.” 

Mellany and Rose exchanged smiles. 

“Are humans always up this early?”

Mellany shrugged, leaning back to easily talk to Rose. “I dunno. Some are.” 

Rose shifted her own position, using her tail to act like a chair. “Ooooo. What were you doing up so early?” 

“I usually wake up this early. It’s quiet enough for me to think.” 

“Do you have hard time think at other times of the day?” 

Mellany shook her head side to side in thought. “Hmmm..sometimes.”

She stopped nodding her head. “I plan the best in early morning.” 

“What were you planning to do today?” 

Mellany frowned. “I was figuring that out when I saw you.” 

Rose covered her mouth and giggled. “Oh! Oops. Sorry about that.” 

***

He could see the two young woman – one a human with coal-grey hair half-shaved, half fashionably cut that was shorter in the back than in the front with bangs, a neckalce, dark tan skin, and white clothing with accents of black; the other one a mermaid with bright reddish-pink hair that jut barely reached her shoulders , messy as if the wind pulled it into a thousand directions, with cream-coloured skin, fins, a tail, and an overall rose-motif to her clothing & accessories. 

He had been watching from behind the shack since the human pulled the mermaid out from the water. If he had been completely honest, he had arrived early to specifically look for others. It seemed, however, the universe was on his side today. 

He’s lips twisted up and lifted his wand that glinted as the sun hit its tip. 

“Perfect. Targets.”