Ariel

     Ariel is different from my Mermaid story.  Ariel has a different theme, and isn't based off manga.  This is a story I came up with by myself, but I'm not sure if I want to continue it.  Tell me what you think--this is also an online story. 
Summary:
    High-schooler Ariel is a great swimmer and would just give anything to be a mermaid!  Or so she says.  One day Ariel gets her wish—just not in the way she expects it.  She turns into a pretty mermaid who serves a stuck-up queen.  Once she makes a terrible mistake, and is ordered to be killed!  But a boy saves her from her fate. As she works for the queen, she finds good friends—several kind girls and two cute boys.  Both boys are like the one she had met when she was saved.  Could one of them be Ariel’s savior prince?  Also, she also has a special power, and now hunters are after her!  How can she get out of it? Not only that, but somewhere else, a genius witch and her partner have made a 'mistake', blamed on the partner.  This is how Ariel gets her mermaid powers. And then you have the fortune-tellers, cat-girls, witches, and long-lost cousin who doesn't appreciate Ariel at all.  How can Ariel find peace with her love, friends, and escape her seemingly inevitable fate?

    Enjoy the story below.  You can tell that it's different from Mermaid!

Prologue
“What?” 
  Elise couldn’t help staring at her teacher.  “A partner?  Are you insane?  I can’t have a partner.  I only work alone.”  She tried to compose herself and looked down at her notebook, where her messy scribbles, coating page after page after page, looked blankly back at her.  “I mean, I don’t think I could handle a partner.  I’m too busy.  So if you’ll excuse me, Miss Hemmes…”  She dumped the contents of her flask into the sink and gathered up her notebook.  “I will go now.” 
  “I don’t think you understand, Elise,” Miss Hemmes said gently, easing the door shut before Elise could slip out.  “Stella is very good.  She’s hardworking and sweet.” 
  “I don’t need sweet or hardworking,” Elise said tightly.  She turned away so she wouldn’t have to see Miss Hemmes looking sympathetically at her.  Teachers!  Why did they always act like they controlled her life?  She was a genius!  She was already at the gold rank when most students her age were still at none!  She deserved to be able to make decisions on her own.  “I work alone.” 
  “Elise…”  Miss Hemmes looked like she was trying to figure out how to word what she was going to say next so Elise would feel better.  Which Elise wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of having.  “Stella’s moving into your dormitory room in just a few hours.  She’s going to be your partner for a while.  I know you’re solitary, but that only means you have to expose yourself to your surroundings more.” 
  Elise slammed her notebook down on the table, and Miss Hemmes jumped, which made Elise feel a little happier.  “For the last time, I don’t need a partner,” she said through clenched teeth, keeping her voice low and dangerous.  “I don’t care if she’s moving in soon, I will not work with her.  She’ll have to figure out what she can do herself, because I won’t do it.”  She knew she sounded whiny, but that was the brilliance of it.  She could be whiny all she wanted, but she was still a prodigy like no one had ever seen. 
  But no one was going to help her boot her new roommate out, so she would have to do it herself.  Which Elise was fine with. 
  Elise gave her teacher a tiny smile. 

“I never thought I would actually get to work with you.” 
  Elise heaved a sigh and tried to ignore the bright voice of her roomie.  Stella, in all her cheerful pretty blondeness, had indeed moved in just two hours earlier—which was making Elise irritated and cranky, since she was used to working in dead silence.  “Stella, please, will you shut up,” she ground out, managing to hang onto her temper by her fingernails. 
  “Oh, sorry!” Stella put her hand to her mouth and bit her lip, her voice apologetic.  “Am I bothering you?” 
  “No, but you’re bothering my crow.”  Elise smoothed the dark feathers on her bird’s head, and the crow, still on its perch, made a musical fluttering noise.  Elise smiled as she remembered what everyone said.  Even the aboveworld people, the ones not living in Atlantis, had all agreed that crows made the most horrible croaking noises.  So Elise had decided to change that, and after a bit of hodgepodge magic, her crow’s singing was more beautiful than the girls’ in the queen’s castle.  And it served her well. 
  Stella tipped her head to one side.  “He’s beautiful.” 
  “She,” Elise corrected, feeling a warm glow of pride at Stella’s praise.  “Her name is Evelynecho.” 
  “Eh-vuh-lenna-ko?” 
  “I wanted to name her Evelyn, but she echoed everything I said.  Evelynecho is Evelyn and Echo put together.”  Mentally, Elise rolled her eyes.  The most dimwitted witches could’ve figured that out, but here she was, a genius, and she just had to be teamed up with such a dim light bulb. 
  “Oh.”  Stella looked disappointed for a minute, then launched into a barrage of questions.  “Are you really the famous Elise?  Is this actually the Kingdom of Spades?  I’ve never been here before, except for when we took a field trip here.  Did you know I’m from the Kingdom of Hearts?  Have you ever been there?  It’s a lot different than here.  Everything here is snowy gray, like silk, and shadows on shadows.  It’s amazing.  Over there, everything’s all pale, fresh, and colorful, mostly in pinks or reds.  Crimson is probably the color I see most.  Or scarlet.” 
  “Hm,” Elise said vaguely, tuning out Stella’s chattering voice.  She studied the papers in her lap—a complex diagram of white chess pieces and a long explanation about how the Withontherium Theorem worked.  She remembered taking these notes, and presently she put them back on her bedside table and opened up a progress report on her Telekinect. 
  Math 17: A. 
  Science 19: A. 
  History 17: A. 
  Integrated Language Arts 16: A. 
  Spells 11: A. 
  Potions 14: A. 
  Major Minor Course 8: A. 
  Crash Course Cooking 16: A. 
  Physical Fitness Status: A. 
  Elise smiled.  She’d known she would get perfect grades.  She always did, and if she didn’t, then either her standards were obnoxiously high or she had an illness.  She’s never gotten anything below an A before, and she didn’t plan to. 
  Stella unclipped an earring from one of her long, pointed ears that peeked through her hair.  “When are we going to start working together?” 
  “Never,” Elise muttered under her breath, shutting her Telekinect off and slipping it under her bed.  She raised her voice a little higher.  “If you want, we can do some practice in a few minutes.  You know, just so we can get familiar with each other’s style.” 
  “Sure!”  Stella looked thrilled. “Let’s go now!” 
  Elise smirked as Stella threw the door open and skipped down the hall.  That little witch was a fool.  Elise was going to be able to get rid of her right then and there, and then Elise would have her normal life back. 
  She followed Stella down the corridor and into her private lab.  Elise closed the door behind them and leaned against the wall, then casually took out a pack of Atlantis-brand gum and removed one piece—a long, thin twist of mint-green covered in sweet white powder.  She didn’t bother to offer Stella any, and they got to work.  Elise knew Stella created magical powers and sent them off, and she also knew it was a delicate job.  If her arm faltered, then Stella would send the gift of magic to some random person far, far away.  Elise didn’t care who.  It didn’t matter.  As long as she could have her peace and quiet back. 
  Stella stared at the table for a minute, quiet for once, and then she began to piece together a magic spirit with her fingers.  Soft wisps of amber started to spiral through the air like smoke, curling in tendrils around them, filling the air with the scents of rosemary and maple.  Glowing balls of orange appeared wherever she moved her hands. 
  Elise had to admit she was impressed.  Not many witches could make a magic spirit so easily.  Perhaps Stella was smarter than she seemed.  Of course, that didn’t mean anything, seeing as Elise was planning to get rid of this girl anyway. 
  Stella gently caressed the orange flicker, gently shifting her hands the way a potter would do to form clay, her fingers flickering occasionally.  The orange light dissolved into a transparent wisp of a fairy-like spirit, kneeling on Stella palm.  Stella raised her palm to her lips and prepared to blow lightly on the spirit, sending it to renew any magic lost in Atlantis. 
  Right now.  Elise seized the moment to startle her partner and blew a big bubble, waiting for the right time.  As Stella gently released a breath, Elise popped her bubble loudly, making Stella jump.  The spirit spiraled away, melting into the air on its way to an unknown character. 
  Stella’s mouth fell open.  “Elise! You startled me!  Now that magic is going to go to some poor aboveworld person!” 
  “Oh, I’m sorry,” Elise said, inwardly smiling, though her voice and face showed only worry.  “But was that really my fault?  You should be careful with those little spirits, Stella.  You’ve made a big mistake, and that can’t be fixed.  Now you’ve made an impact on the entire world!” 
  Stella’s face was horrified.  Elise felt proud that she had done that with a piece of gum.  “Oh, no,” Stella whispered.  “I didn’t mean to—I thought—” 
  “You’re deceitful and horrible and treacherous,” Elise snapped, though inside she was practically glowing like the spirit Stella had released.  “I can’t believe you did that! You’re a danger to this world!  Look what you’ve done!  I don’t care if you’re my partner!  I can’t forgive you!” 
  Elise ran out of the room, sprinting down the hall and slamming the dormitory door shut.  She clicked the lock into place and flopped on her bed, caught up in her acting, even with a tear glimmering in the corner of her eye. 
  Then she started laughing. 
  “It—that was sooooooo funny!” she giggled, holding her stomach to stop the laughter overcoming her.  More tears came to her eyes, and she just let the flow as she laughed and laughed and laughed, practically snorting.  “Ha!  Now Stella can’t be my partner anymore!  I’ve given her good reason to disband!  That was great!” 
  Evelynecho laughed with her, and Elise couldn’t help but cackle the way she saw witches did in movies.  “A-ha-ha-ha-ha!  Ha-ha-ha…That was funny!” 
  She sat up, grinning.  “Okay, Evelynecho.  Stella’s going, going, gone and we can get back to our old life!” 

Chapter One
  I clambered out of the pool, breathless.  “Gosh, I’m soaked!  You’re a rough player!” 
  “You just wait for the next round,” Lilian teased, as she pulled herself out too, dripping wet like me.  “Ahh…the sun feels nice.  Maybe I’ll tan, ‘cause I really need one.” 
  “You do not!” I said.  “You’re nice and tanned.  I’m the ivory one.  Maybe I’m albino.” 
  “Ah, Ariel…” 
  We had to settle with both of us stretching out on our pool towels, the sun shining high in the sky.  Birds wheeled overhead, not the puny little things you see in parks, but Lilian’s pet raptors that she somehow managed to keep under control.  Lilian spread her caramel ringlets out in a circle around her head and sighed in contentment. 
  “Say, Ariel, did you ever wish you were magical?” Lilian asked, sounding a little hesitant.  “I mean, not that that could ever happen, but what if you could?” 
  “Of course I’d want to be magical,” I replied automatically with my eyes closed against the bright sun, flinging my arms out and stifling a yawn.  “I’d love to be a mermaid, you know, just be able to swim aaaaall day, my hair floating around my head, the cool water wrapping me up.  Oh, my imagery is getting good, huh?  But yeah, to be a mermaid?  That’s like…my dream.” 
  Lilian made a noise that sounded kind of like “As if.” 
  “What?” I asked. 
  “Oh, nothing,” she said quickly.  She rolled over so she could see me, her face bright as usual.  The sun warmed her perfect skin, and I couldn’t help but feel jealous of her tan. Lilian’s face took on an intent look.  “Yeah, it would be cool to be a mermaid.  But would you like it better if you were a witch?” 
  “A witch?” I asked, wrinkling my nose.  “Like, one of those green warty ladies that ride on broomsticks?  No thanks, I’d rather go with mermaid.”
  Lilian rolled her eyes.  “No, not like those ‘green warty ladies’.  More like those witches in Harry Potter.  Y’know, have magical spells, be pretty, be able to live a good life without much homework…” 
  “Harry Potter had homework,” I pointed out. 
  “Forget about Harry Potter.  I’m going on about my dream world.” 
  “Oh.” 
  “Did you ever wish that you were magically witchy?” Lilian went on with a look of reverie on her face.  “You could go to a school where no one hated you but the popular witches; you had plenty of friends; you could live in one of four kingdoms, like a deck of cards, spades, hearts, diamonds, clovers…” 
  I smiled dreamily.  “You sound like you’ve been there before.” 
  Lilian smiled back.  “Because I have.”  She made a kidding face.  “Sorry, no.  It would be nice to, though.” 
  Now it’s time to cut the drama and tell you what’s going on.  Lilian is my best friend.  She’s also my half-sister, because I’m an orphan.  Lilian’s family took me in, but I don’t see them enough except to think that they don’t look anything like Lilian and are surprisingly young.  You see, the awesomest part of Triton High School is that it’s a lot like college.  We have dorm rooms, and we don’t have to go home every day if it’s a long drive.  Lilian’s home is about three hours away from here, so we don’t go home often.  Maybe just for Christmas and Easter break. 
  Lilian whistled. One of her birds, a gorgeous glossy one as dark as a roasted coffee bean, spiraled down and landed on Lilian’s outstretched finger.  The hawk’s eyes were different from the others. Her eyes were soulful, dark, and deep.  “This is Calliope,” Lilian told me.
  “Mmm.” I stroked Calliope and she tilted her head to one side, nuzzling her beak into my hair. “Ah, that tickles.” 
  “Anyway, since it’s spring break, we don’t have any school tomorrow, and I don’t feel like going home just yet,” Lilian announced.  She sat up, and Calliope took off, rocketing upward and then leveling out to glide parallel to the horizon line.  “Do you want to just hang out here for the rest of the break?”
  “Sure, it’s not like I have a choice if you’re not going back,” I said. 
  “Right-o,” Lilian said cheerfully. 
  “That’s not a good thing,” I added irritably. 
  Lilian stretched her arms over her head and yawned.  “Hey, I’m feeling bored today. How about going to the new bookstore in town?”
  I sat up, my wet hair flinging droplets of water everywhere.  Lilian squealed as water peppered her face. “Sorry!” I exclaimed, laughing, even though my face was pink. “I was just surprised. There’s a new bookstore in town? Sure, let’s go right now!”
  With a grouchy sigh, Lilian folded her arms beneath her head. “Take it easy, Ariel.  Nadeshiko won’t like it if you go rampaging in.” 
  “Huh?” I stared at Lilian as Calliope landed near me, holding a cricket in her beak.  I shuddered as Calliope swallowed it benignly. “Oh, that’s disgusting, Calliope.”  I turned back to Lilian.  “Who’s Nadeshiko? Isn’t that a Japanese name? Like, a flower or something?”
  “She’s my friend,” Lilian explained, as Calliope flew off to join the other hawks.  “She’s the one who runs the new bookstore.  She isn’t Japanese, but she is from Japanese descent, so she has the same sort of personality. You know, really smart, kind and quiet, a little bit zen. So she won’t appreciate if you start zipping around, tearing armloads of books off the shelves.” 
  “Okay, even I’m not that crazy about reading,” I protested. “I don’t even like reading that much. As long as nonfiction exists, I will have a grudge against reading.” 
  “Only because of that day when you dropped your science and math textbooks on your foot,” Lilian pointed out.  She propped herself up on one elbow as I reclined back onto my towel.  “Anyway, that has nothing to do with what we were talking about.  And you do like reading. Plus, you’re guaranteed to love Nadeshiko’s bookstore.” 
  I raised my eyebrow.  “Really? Why? I bet you a dollar that I won’t.” 
  “Well, because all of her books are fictional,” Lilian said with a grin. 
  “I’m taking that bet back,” I said hastily.
​

​

After a little bit of chatting, we rolled up our towels, stuffed them in our bags, and were headed back to our dorm to put our luggage away so we could walk freely around in town.  Triton High is pretty sweet.  From the outside, it’s a long, white building with marble columns and rows of somewhat trimmed bushes in front, the top of the structure capped with a glass dome.  From the inside…well, it’s different for everyone. 
  Lilian and I made our way inside. Since it was spring break, the school was relatively empty. Almost everyone goes home during spring break. Cabin fever, I guess. But for me, this really is home. A really nice home.  I mean, I’m familiar with it. The tiled walls and the winding staircases. The soft carpet under my feet.  And my room. 
  When I opened the door to our dorm room, I immediately dropped my bag on my bed and plopped down beside it.  Unlike Lilian, who keeps her half of the room perfectly tidy and free of wrinkles and creases of any sorts, I’m pretty lame in terms of housecleaning. I’ve never liked it and probably never will.  So it won’t surprise you when I say that I almost tripped on a few binders on the floor when I crossed to Lilian’s side. 
  “So, are we going?” I said, idly tracing the curlicue pattern on her bedspread.  “Or are you going to start one of your spring cleaning rounds again? It’s almost annual by now.” 
  “Okay, you’re exaggerating on that,” Lilian argued. She stood up off her bed, slipping her purse over her shoulder. “Yes, we’re going. Bring some money. You’ll need it.” 
  I knew this was true because last year, when we went into town to check out the shops, I spent a lot of money. 
  We left the school and caught a taxi into town.  The city’s kind of old-fashioned—no electronic billboards or TV screens—but it has its charm.  Lilian led me into a small shop crammed with bookshelves, with barely enough room to walk.  As soon as we stepped inside, a girl materialized from behind one of the shelves, making me start.  She had long, dark hair that was unsuccessfully tied up in pigtails, and was wearing one of those Japanese dress thingies—what are they called? Yukatas? Or maybe it was a kimono. It really didn’t matter to me. 
  “Hello,” she said cautiously. “Nice to see you again, Lilian.” 
  I looked around the bookstore, interested.  The shop smelled faintly of nutmeg and chives and a whole bunch of other spices that really shouldn’t have gone well together but somehow did. Books of all shapes and sizes packed the shelves full, and even then more books were strewn across the tops of the shelves.  Each book was printed in a handwritten font, the cover bound in leather.  I gingerly picked one up and traced my finger along the gold-stamped words on the front. 20,000 Mermaids Under the Sea. By Nadeshiko Sasaki.  Nadeshiko…this book was written by her.  I opened the cover and turned to the first page.
The sea air was cool and salty. Waves lapped against the shore.  The moon hung full and bright in the sky, illuminating the water below.  Nothing was disturbed. Peaceful, quiet.
I closed the book and hugged it tightly to my chest, closing my eyes, able to picture the scenery. Only after I opened my eyes did I realize Lilian was watching me closely for a reaction. Nadeshiko had drifted among the shelves, gently pulling books from the shelf, and now she came to me with an armful. “Here,” she said softly, “I think you’ll like this one.” 
  I carefully replaced 20,000 Mermaids Under the Sea back on its place on the shelf and accepted the first book from Nadeshiko, studying the cover.  Sea Silk. By Nadeshiko Sasaki. 
  I looked up, meeting her violet eyes.  “This one’s by you, too,” I noted.  “Are all the books in this store yours?” 
  Lilian was holding in a giggle. Nadeshiko tilted her head slightly.  “You…Ariel,” she said, startling me. I hadn’t mentioned my name, had I?  Maybe Lilian had told her earlier?  “You have a gift coming your way. Your wish.”
  “My wish,” I echoed.  I racked my brains for any wishes I’d made.  Let’s see: get perfect grades, look prettier, be smarter, have all the objects I wanted in the world…  “What does that mean, my wish? I have tons of wishes.  Which one?”
  Nadeshiko closed her eyes. “Orange. Bright. Glowing spirit.” Her eyes opened.  “Ariel, I suggest you keep on your guard.  It won’t be good.” 
  “Okay, now you’re creeping me out,” I said, slowly backing away.  I put the book on the shelf and touched Lilian’s hand.  “Are we going now? Please?”
  Nadeshiko bit her nail nervously. “I’m sorry, Ariel. I didn’t mean to scare you. Just stay with Lilian, okay? Stay with her all the time.” 
  “Okay,” I said quickly, and then zipped out of there, pulling Lilian by the hand with me.
​

​

“What do you mean, she creeps you out?” Lilian said, affronted. 
  We were eating a little snack at one of the small delicacy shops in town, smothering scones in clotted cream, drinking tiny cups of tea, and enjoying the sun on our backs as we sat under an umbrella at a table outside. 
  I took a sip of my tea before answering.  “I mean, she’s cool and all, but she’s sort of misty and…sort of…vague, you know what I mean?” I set my teacup down in its porcelain saucer with a tiny clink.  “More like a fortuneteller than a bookstore owner, if you ask me.” 
  “She was just…she’s just…different,” Lilian said, but she sounded a little nervous, as if Nadeshiko had given away some sort of secret while we were wandering about her store.  “Nadeshiko’s always been a little bit more interpretive than the rest of us, ever since childhood.  She’s been kind of…you know…clairvoyant, I guess.  But she’s still sweet.  It’s just that she really likes fantasy, so she was dreaming something up about you, you know?” 
  “I guess,” I said, still unconvinced as I swirled my scone in the cream, creating a layer at least two times the regular width.  “She just didn’t give me the best first impression.” 
  A sort of huff left Lilian’s lips.  “Well then.