I’ve heard her pray a million times before and this wasn’t it. This women would be on her knees for hours urging God to bless our home our union and our future kids that were a mere thought at that time. The point is she prayed a lot so I knew what that sounded like. However as I picked up the phone it was clear she was having a real conversation and she was talking to someone she knew intimately.

What really got me all in a twist was the fact that she was referring to him as God, Yahweh and El Shaddai. Now talking to God isn’t an alien concept. Actually having a conversation rather than prayer is quite common too. The issue was why on earth or heaven was she talking to him on the phone?? The phone in the kitchen of all places. Okay that’s not too relevant. What is that matter at hand is my darling wife has the big man’s direct number.

I was part shocked, part concerned and part reassured. Not only was she not having an affair she was thanking him for me, our marriage and our children. Unfortunately I never heard any response from the other side, yet somehow it was the greatest conversation I’ve ever had the pleasure of stumbling across.

How did it end you ask? I don’t know I left them to it. I might give him a call myself one of these days.

“Claire, I swear I’m ok.”

“I know, Pen, but this is a big change.”

Penny puts her phone on speaker as she rummages through some labeled boxes.

“It’s always been us three sisters.”

“It’ll be ok. I’m not that far.”

Huffing out an annoyed sigh, she sets yet another box aside that had various hair accessories she didn’t even know she owned. “Hey do you know where my utensils are? I’ve gone through all the boxes that say kitchen.”

“I don’t know. By the end, Eleanor and I were just throwing stuff in boxes where they would fit.” She could practically hear her sister’s shrug through the phone.

“Ok, I’ll find them eventually,” she dismisses. It’s not that pressing. She can always use plastic utensils until she finds the metal ones.

“I’m coming up tomorrow morning to help unpack.”

“Thanks, love you.”

“Love you.”

As she scans the many containes and the nice box lettering, she mentally reminds herself to thank Claire tomorrow for labeling the boxes. She has the neatest, nicest writing she’s ever seen. Penny’s writing is pretty unreadable. Chicken scratch, some might say.

Her sister’s phone call may seem like hovering, but Penny doesn’t get annoyed. She has seen Penny struggle with her identity and not being where she felt others were at.

Moving out is the first step to hopefully help her feel more confident.

Initially, it scared the crap out of her to not live with her sisters. But she knows it is what she needs. It was time.

Thankfully, this amazing house went up for sale. It was even within budget! Too good to pass up.

Her first mission is getting her jewelry supplies laid out in her new office. Her business is her life, so it must be the first thing to be organized.

The rest can wait.

She knows exactly which boxes hold her jewelry stuff because she wouldn’t let anyone else pack them. It makes her nervous when others touch her materials, so she resorted to organizing that herself.

The wooden desk that came with the house stands so pretty and delicate. The carvings are impeccable with roses and other flowers etched into it. Penny was really lucky that the owner sold the house with a lot of the furniture. Apparently an older man died and his children wanted someone else to get use from the house and furniture.

Sorting through her supplies, she assesses where each box of beads should go and her tools. Also the display stuff should go somewhere else. This room may get too dark for that.

buzzzzzzz

Penny startles as it was completely silent before her phone buzzed.

Swiping across her screen, she greets the person on the other end, “Hey Reina!”

“How’s my bestie’s house looking like? I want to be able to spend a lot of time over there!” Reina teases.

Surveying the room she’s in, she winces, “It’s looking….rough. Boxes are just kinda around, not a lot but enough to bother me. But I’ll get a lot done tomorrow.”

She fiddles with the key pendant around her neck as she hears a laugh come from Reina. “We need to go out soon and drag you away from that desk!”

“Yes, maybe next week when I get more settled,” Penny responds, already looking forward to the break. She doesn’t give herself that much time off, so it would be nice to see her friend.

“Of course! I gotta go, but I’ll see you soon!” With that, she clicks off before Penny can even say goodbye.

Now back to her unpacking. Glancing at the three whole boxes of stuff still to go with her jewelry things, she groans.

This will take a while

OoOoO

It took a while.

But her jewelry materials are all unpacked.

She sighs with relief. If she does nothing else today, at least her business could run. Maybe she’ll make a ring. Where did she put her ring mandrel? Drawer on the right, she thinks.

Checking the time, her eyes almost bulge from her head. She spent hours doing that. Where did the time go? It felt like a second ago she had more hours in the day.

Flopping onto the ground, she feels the lonliness creep in. She isn’t used to that feeling.

Maybe she should get a dog or a cat.

Her phone also is dying so she has to drag herself up and go get her charger.

Tripping over her flute case that she hasn’t opened in years, she manages to find her electronics box.

Where was her charging plug. Ugh. She’ll have to use her portable charger.

Except she used it already when moving the boxes into the house. Good thing she is always prepared.

She pulls out her stupid portable charger that weighs a ton. This one has a separate cord which is why she doesn’t use it very often. Why would they make them like that anyway?

Finally she gives her phone some life support.

Sinking into the leather couch, also left behind by the owner, she fully relaxes.

From the long day, her eyes become heavy, and they slowly begin to shut.

Just as she drifts off to dreamland, a creak startles her.

Was that her door?

That sounded a lot like her door.

Her heart is pounding, fear burning in her veins. Someone is in her house.

Over the sound of her heart, she could hear hushed voices. “Let’s just get the money.”

Scrambling off the couch as quietly as she can, she grabs her phone by the portable charger and silently makes her way into the office.

What money? She’s nowhere near rich.

Well if they were looking for cash, they would check her bedroom first. Hopefully.

“I thought you said no one lives here,” she hears someone hiss.

“Someone must have bought the house.”

Ok, time to call the police. Looking down at her hand, she almost groans. If she wasn’t in a terrifying situation, she would off herself. She feels like a stupid character in a horror movie.

In her grasp is only the phone charger with the cord dangling with no phone attached. It must have not been plugged in all the way. Her phone is still in the living room.

Shit.

The charger feels cool against her sweaty palms. Her panic is rising. They’ll check this room soon.

Defending herself is her only choice.

She carefully opens the drawer with her ring mandrel and takes that in one hand. It is heavy, heavy enough to be a weapon if needed. And it was needed.

Footsteps are getting closer. She can’t tell how many people there are. At least two.

Standing directly to the left of the door, she holds up the ring mandrel, ready to strike. In her other hand is the cord with her phone charger. If she whips it around, it could hurt. Maybe incapacitate.

As the steps get closer and the doorknob turns, Penny holds her breath.

It opens.

——— (If you’ve never seen a ring mandrel, it is something to help jewelry makers size rings. It also looks like a big baton like instrument and is very heavy. I want a horror movie where a character kills or gets killed by one. Is that too morbid to ask? 👀)

“You want her gone?” A woman on the other line said. “No.” My husband said. “Then what? Why would you call me? We’re not having an affair if that’s what you want.” The woman said. “Hang on, you would be willing to kill her but not have an affair?” My husband asked. “What can I say. Marriage vows are sacred.” The woman said, “Anyway, what did you want me for?” “Well, my wife loves murder mystery. It’s her birthday coming up and I was thinking you could plan a murder mystery surprise party.” My husband asked. “Oh. Yeah sure.” The woman said. “Okay. Thanks. That’s great.” My husband said. “Wait, why did you call an assassin to plan a surprise party?” The woman asked. “Well an assassin would know how to kill and how to get away with it. Also, your mum says you used to be a party planner so.” My husband said. “Yeah I was. Okay. I can do that. When?” The woman asked. “This Saturday.” My husband said. “Okay. I can do that.” The woman said. I put the phone down. I didn’t think I’d ever have a surprise party. I was so happy.

“Why did you do that?” Ronan whispered.

“I needed some way to pay you back.” She replied.

Her father placed a hand on Ronan’s shoulder. He turned to face him.

“You make my daughter happy.” Her father said. “You two deserve to be with each other.” Her father snapped his fingers and placed his trident on Ronan’s tail.

A flash of light burst from the touch and when it disappeared, Ronan’s tail had become legs. And feet. And toes.

Neptune laughed happily. Ronan pulled himself up on to the island more and managed to stand up. Neptune looked up at him. He held his hand down and pulled her up too. She almost fell, but Ronan caught her and pulled her close to him.

“I love you, Neptune.” He smiled.

“I love you too, Ronan.” She smiled back.

He pulled her lips closer to his and Neptune didn’t pull back. She leaned into it and never wanted the feeling of kissing him to end.

——————

“Ronan, could you please get Jennifer and Maybell out of bed?” Neptune called to him.

“Sure, love.” He replied, stepping from their bedroom and gently kissing her on the cheek before running swiftly up the stairs.

Tiny giggles sounded above her as the girls were chased from their rooms by a laughing Ronan.

“Hi, mom!” Maybell and Jennifer exclaimed.

“Good morning, my beautiful children!” Neptune turned from her cereal.

Ronan walks over to her. “This is why I married you.” He pulled her close and kissed her.

“Eww!” Maybell and Jennifer exclaimed behind them.

Ronan pulled away and turned to them. “You’re going to do that with your husbands one day.” He whispered.

“No, we won’t!” They laughed. “Boys have cooties!”

Ronan glanced at Neptune with confusion. “Do you know what these cooties are?”

Neptune tilted her head, thinking. “I’m pretty sure they’re made up.” She replied.

“They are not!” Maybell retorted hotly.

“Then can you tell me what cooties means?” Neptune asked.

“It means, umm…” Maybell trailed off.

Neptune snickered. Ronan did too. The whole family did. When they had finished, Neptune looked at the time.

“Ronan, it’s time!” She exclaimed. Pointing at the clock.

“It is! Come on, girls!” He led them out the back door while Neptune finished her breakfast and washed the bowl out.

She opened the door again and stepped outside with them. Ronan grabbed her hand once she reached him. The two girls were kneeling on the edge of beach. A body was sitting up from the water in front of them, blocked by their bodies.

Neptune and Ronan walked up behind them and the person looked up at them. His face was full of wrinkles.

“Hello, my daughter.” His scratchy voice said.

“Hi, dad.” Neptune replied. “Kids, say hi to your grandpa.”

“Hi, grandpa!” The girls exclaimed.

Neptune noticed one of her girls legs becoming a tail as the water lapped at it. She quickly and carefully pulled her back so it stopped.

Ronan turned her to face him. “They need to know at some point.” He whispered.

“Yeah, but know is not that time.” Neptune whispered back.

“Come on, Neptune, lighten up!” Her father said up to her. “These girls deserve to know!” He let the water splash over his legs and the girls watched as they became a tail.

“Woah!” Jennifer exclaimed.

She and Maybell went closer to the water and let it do the same. Their legs also turned into tails. They glanced at each other with complete excitement.

Ronan stepped forward and sat by the girls to turn his legs into a tail as well.

Neptune watched them all proudly. Though she couldn’t do that anymore, she could at least watch them do it.

Maybell and Jennifer turned themselves over and stared up at her. “It’s your turn, mommy!” Maybell shouted happily.

“I’m sorry, my dears. But I can’t do that anymore.” She crouched in front of them.

“But you can try, right mommy?” Maybell started to tear up.

Neptune sighed. “I suppose I can try.”

She walked over to her girl’s other side and sat deep enough in the water so it covered her legs completely. Nothing happened.

“See, girls?” She pointed at her legs.

“Awwww!” The girls moaned.

Suddenly Ronan was on Neptune’s side. He was staring at her legs.

“It’s actually working.” He breathed.

“What?”

She leaned herself to stare where he was staring. Sure enough, scales were forming on her skin.

Maybell and Jennifer crawled to look at the spot. They both gasped. Neptune’s father also crawled to look.

The scales continued to form on her legs until they covered them completely and made a tail.

Once they were finished spreading, Neptune crawled more into the ocean until she could swim without touching. Her father and Ronan followed her. The girls hesitated.

“Come on!” Ronan called to them. “You can swim now!”

The girls glanced at each other before going deeper than pushing of and swimming over to the trio.

“We did it, Maybell!” Jennifer exclaimed.

“You girls sure did.” Neptune breathed happily. “Now why don’t we go visit the castle.” She turned to her father.

“I don’t see why not.” He replied, diving down with Ronan in tow.

Neptune stayed above until her girls swam after them. “I truly got a happily ever after.” She sighed, staring up at the sky.

“Neptune! You coming?” Ronan called up to her.

Neptune looked down and leaped out of the water before going back into it and joining him.

This is also a spin-off of my world in my head. Thanks for the comments on my previous writing! It made me feel a lot better knowing I’m not alone. — — — I have to call Sylvia, my best friend, to tell her the drama from school today. We are so close, like sisters, with the same humor and personality, even though we’ve only know each other for 10 months. It feels like our souls have known each other since before the universe was created.

I pick up the phone and dial her number, but I recognize the voice in my ear before I can finish punching it in. Nick, one of the people who lives in the house along with me, Sylvia, Clay, and George. We’re acquaintances/friends.

I don’t mean to eavesdrop, but it’s always exciting to hear what others are saying when you aren’t around, even if it’s not about you. So I decide to listen for a few moments.

But soon I hear the name of my boyfriend, Clay, and this gets my attention.

“Clay is so much better, you know? Like he deserves more than Bre. She’s so much of a child.” He pauses, and the other person speaks.

“I know! She thinks she’s so great. I can’t even believe they’re together.” Bre recognizes it as George.

She always liked him least, but at least she was always nice to him. She didn’t go around talking trash about her, to his face or behind his back!

“I told him that. He’s going to break up with her pretty soon. He’ll be home soon, so you should call Bre right before, so you’ll be on the phone with her when he arrives.”

“Do you have a camera? To see their reactions? It’s going to be so entertaining.”

“Yeah, I’ll send it to you. I’m gonna laugh so hard. Bye.”

“Bye.”

The phone beeps three times, and I slowly brings it down from my ear. I’m frozen, my grip on the phone causing my knuckles to turn white.

We promised. We promised. We loved each other. We were connected. We adored each other. We admired each other. We cared for each other. We loved each other. We promised. And he broke it. Just like everybody else.

I’ve been left by everyone in my life, but I thought he was different. Not like my mother, my father, my brother and sister, every friend but Sylvia. He was different. But I guess not.

I have to see him. I need him to tell me to my face those things I heard on the phone. And I need to know why. This isn’t him. I can’t believe it. I won’t believe it.

I walk down the stairs, not brisk but not lallygagging, and I sit on the couch as I await his arrival.

After a few minutes, the door clicks and swings open, revealing the most beautiful man on the earth.

His fluffy dirty blonde hair that curls on the ends, almost covering his eyes. Deep emerald green eyes that shine like the Sun. His smile that lights up the world, beautiful and bright. How do I still love him after this?

He walks towards me after setting down the few grocery bags on the floor in the hallway. He opens his arms to embrace me in a huge hug like we always do, but I step back, crossing my arms and staring at him.

His smile immediately drops, as does his arms.

“Baby, what’s wrong? Are you sad? Did I do something? What do you need?” His voice is gentle and caring, but I try not to believe it now that I know the truth.

“I heard Nick called you today. And you had something to tell me.” My voice is steady and sharp, my eyes glaring and full of fire.

“No, Nick didn’t call me. Why? What was I going to tell you?” He pauses to think. “You know I love you. Do I need to tell you more?”

I scoff and roll my eyes. “Seriously? Playing dumb?” I let myself get emotional now instead of being interrogative and mean. “You used me! I can’t believe you! You promised! You promised.” My voice drops towards the end to very quiet, like the little girl who’s lost hope in the world hidden deep inside me.

“Bre! I promise I would never do that! I love you! I don’t know what Nick said, but it’s not true! Please, I love you! I love you for who you are.” His voice cracks and a tear slides down his cheek.

Both our eyes are red and glossy, but I can’t let this go. I hate to see him cry, but he deserves it. Why is he lying? He thinks he can do whatever he wants.

“You don’t love me. Don’t even pretend. I thought I knew you.” I shake my head at him. “I trusted you. I gave you my heart but…” My voice shakes from the crying, and I can’t talk any more.

“Bre, please.” He begs. I can hear the hurt in his voice, how desperate he is. “Bre, I need you. I need you. I love you, so much. I would never do anything to hurt you. You know this! Why are you saying these things? What happened? We can figure this out together. Don’t leave me, please, don’t leave me.” He chokes out a sob. “I love you.”

Tears spill out, hot across my face. I bury it in my hands, but I take them off when I hear the wooden floor creak.

“No.” I say sternly and harshly, backing away from him as he walks towards me, ready to hug me. “No. You don’t get to do this and then pretend we’re still together, cause we’re not. I can’t believe I trusted you.”

“Who is that?” Neptune asked cautiously.

Hesitantly, Ronan grabbed her hand again. Neptune pulled away and hurt flashed over his face.

“He’s my brother.” Ronan whispered, gently lifting his hand to put a stray hair behind her ear.

Neptune backed away from him. “You never told me you had a brother.”

“Seriously, what are you doing in there, Ronan? You told me to cover the entrance to this place with debris when she was in there not you.” The voice said.

“Quiet!” Neptune screamed at it.

“Oh, she is in there.” It whispered.

Ronan turned away from the wall and stared at Neptune.

“You told me you loved me! Was that a lie too?” Neptune demanded.

Ronan sighed. “I wish it wasn’t.”

Neptune growled at him. “Why are you doing this?”

“The queen wants to use you as a ransom against the king.” Ronan replied simply. “To get what she wants.”

“You referred to her as the queen, which means you being her son was a lie too?”

“Yes.” There wasn’t a single hint of regret in his voice.

“What does your queen want anyway?”

“The trident.”

Neptune gulped, imagining what things this queen would do with her father’s trident.

“And why does she want it exactly?”

“Why else? To rule the ocean. Your family has ruled it for too long. It’s a new families turn.”

Without warning, Ronan swam quickly at Neptune and forced her to the bottom of the cave. He held her there while his brother opened the entrance back up. He entered and the queen followed in after him.

“Good job, Ronan. Now bring her here.”

Ronan grabbed her tail and arm and dragged her over to her.

The queen then took her from him and placed some tight ropes over her so she couldn’t swim away. “Now take her to the center of the cave and leave her there. The king should come soon.”

Ronan grabbed a rope close to her throat and dragged into the center of the room where he made her sit. Then he returned to the queen. Neptune leaned closer to hear their conversation.

“I can’t do this anymore!” Ronan whispered angrily. “Your lies are hurting everyone!”

The queen raised her hand and made a shooing motion. “Do you want to rule the ocean or not?”

“I do, but these lies you’re spewing are too much. I love her, mother, and I will not stand for your lies any longer.”

Neptune stopped leaning and turned away from them. Out of the corner of her eye though, she saw Ronan heading towards her. Behind him, the queen has another burst of energy.

“Neptune, I-“

“I heard, Ronan. There’s no need to explain.” She interrupted.

He swam to sit beside her. “I’m sorry we- I mean I did this to you.”

“It’s not your fault.” Neptune sighed, turning to him. “Really, it’s-“

“Let her go!” Her father’s voice surprised her and she looked up at him.

The queen swam to stand in between her and her father. “Not so fast.” She growled. “Trident, first.”

Her father glanced from it to Neptune multiple times before giving a sigh. “No.”

Ronan moved so that he was behind Neptune and started to pull her ropes apart. “Hold still.”

Once the last rope was removed, she immediately swam as fast as she could over to her father.

The queen saw her and spun around furiously. “Ronan!”

Ronan watched his mother with angry eyes. “I did what I had to do.”

The queen swam up to him and grabbed his wrist. “You’re going to get it this time.” She pulled him with her out of the cave.

“Ronan!” Neptune shouted after them. “We have to save him, dad!”

Her father sighed and hugged her. “If you say so.”

They swiftly followed the queen and once an island showed up in the distance, Neptune knew what the queen was going to do.

“No!” She shouted after them, desperately swimming much faster. Eventually, she swam ahead of them and stopped so the queen couldn’t go any further.

“Move out of the way. I need to teach this traitor of a son a lesson.” The queen fumed.

Neptune glanced at Ronan and he glanced at her with a desperate look in his eyes.

“Neptune, it’s not worth it.” He sighed.

“But she’s going to turn you human!” Neptune growled. “How is that not worth stopping her?”

The queen started to laugh as she swam forward and pushed Neptune out of the way. Then she hauled Ronan forward so he was halfway out of the water.

Neptune started to swim forward again, but her father stopped her. Tears rolled down her face as she struggled out of her father’s grip. The queen backed away a little and held her hand out with two pearls in it. Then she grabbed one with her other hand and breathed on it a little. It started to shine brighter than a blast of light burst from it. Ronan closed his eyes, accepting his fate. But before it hit him, Neptune freed herself from her father’s grip and swam in front of it. She held out her arms and closed her eyes. The blast hit her chest, blasting her backwards. Ronan barely managed to swim out of the way.

Neptune blinked open her eyes. She sat up and saw Ronan, the queen, and her father all staring at her bottom half.

She looked to where they were looking and gasped. Instead of a tail, there was legs. And feet. And toes.

“You fool!” The queen suddenly shouted. “This was meant for him!” She pointed at her son.

Neptune shied away from her. Ronan snapped out of his trance and moved to the spot between his mother and her.

“Leave.” He growled at her.

“Wha-“ the queen started.

“I said leave.” He growled again.

The queen fumed, but turned around and swam away.

Then Ronan turned himself to face Neptune. He took her hand in his and whispered…

“Who?” The queen demanded.

The boy glanced at Neptune again and back to the queen. “The king.” His response had a slight growl in it somewhere. Neptune couldn’t figure out where.

The queen angrily spun around and swam up to Neptune. “You brought him here, didn’t you?”

“Mom-“ Ronan started.

“Didn’t you?” The queen interrupted.

Neptune shrunk. “Your Majesty, I never even knew this place existed.” Once Neptune finished, she knew what she had said, but it had slipped out.

“Excuse me?” The queen leaned in closer to Neptune. “What did I tell you not to call me?”

Neptune held her ground. “To be fair, you never really gave me anything else to call you.”

The queen growled. Ronan suddenly grabbed Neptune’s waist and pulled her down. Above them, the queen turned a bright red. Then she screamed. Energy was released from her immediately.

Ronan forced Neptune to look at him. “You shouldn’t have said that.” He whispered.

Neptune pushed herself away from him. “I can say whatever I want.” She snapped.

A loud booming voice came from the entrance to the room and a large man was swimming there, holding the doors open.

“Why did you take my daughter?” The man shouted at the fuming queen.

“I didn’t take anyone anywhere!” The queen shouted back.

Neptune instinctively reached for Ronan and made him hold her. Above them, the queen and king were still fuming at each other. Then the king looked down at them.

“Hey, get off my daughter!” The king swam down and ripped the two away from each other.

The queen furiously swam down too. “Don’t touch my son like that!” She growled at the king.

The two held their daughter and son close to each other, glaring. Neptune and Ronan stared at each other with mixed feelings. The king eventually gave in.

“Come on, Neptune. We’re leaving.” The king grabbed her wrist and pulled her away, through the doors, and out into the tunnel.

“You can never see that boy again.” The king turned to her once they were out in the ocean again.

“Why? He saved me earlier!” Neptune held out her hand and showed her father the pearl she had been holding the whole time. “I found this and got distracted. He had pushed me out of the way in time before a human cage got me.”

The king took a few forced deep breaths. Neptune took the opportunity of his eyes being closed to pull her hand away with the pearl and swim right back into the tunnel. The king used his trident to stop her, putting around her some heavy gold chains.

“Hey!” She struggled to get out of them.

“I’m sorry, Neptune. But you caused my to do this.” He dragged Neptune out of the tunnel and held his hand out to her. “The pearl?” He asked.

“I dropped it.” Neptune lied.

Her father sighed and put his open hand on her chains instead and pulled her back to the castle. Once they reached a tall tower, Neptune’s room, he opened the window and undid her chains before pushing her inside and locking the window.

“Hey!” Neptune banged against the glass after him.

Then she remembered the door. Quickly, she swam to it and turned the knob. But it stopped. Neptune pushed herself away from it and lay on her bed.

“Why does my dad do this?” She whispered to herself, placing her hands over her face.

Suddenly, a loud banging made her turn to her door. Who she saw there made her immediately swim to it.

“Ronan! You came for me!” Neptune exclaimed.

He continued hitting the glass Im until it eventually broke and tiny shards of glass flew toward her. She shooed them away and swam out to him.

“Thank you.” She said.

“Don’t mention it.” Ronan replied, but this time his face got a little red and he winked.

The door to Neptune’s room flew open and her father went inside. Luckily, Ronan had managed to get himself and Neptune out of sight.

“Neptune!” He shouted.

Ronan suddenly grabbed Neptune’s hand and pulled her away from the castle. Unfortunately, her dad saw her tail flash in the corner of his eye and secretly followed them.

Ronan heard him following them and pulled Neptune into a small hole. He put himself in front of her as her father swam by, not noticing them. Neptune growled at the sight of him.

“We can-“ Ronan placed a finger over her mouth to stop her.

Her father turned around and went passed them again without noticing. After he disappeared from sight, Ronan swam out of the hole and out into the ocean going the opposite way. Neptune followed him.

They reached the tunnel and swam inside. The huge cave at the end still enchanted Neptune when she went inside.

“This way. I have something to show you.” Ronan led Neptune to a small cave.

They swam into it and Ronan paused right inside the entrance. Neptune gasped in more wonder. Pearls, gold, and a few diamonds lined the walls.

“Do you like it?” He asked, swimming completely inside.

Neptune followed him. “I love it.” She replied.

Ronan stopped her in the middle of the room, taking her hands in his. “Neptune, I have something to tell you.”

Neptune turned toward him. “Yes?”

“When we met, I didn’t think I would fall for you. But now when I look back on that, I know how stupid that was of me to think.” Ronan pulled Neptune closer to him. “I love you, Neptune.”

Neptune smiled, gasped, and cried all at the same time. “I love you too, Ronan.”

They started to move their lips closer to each others, but a loud cracking sound stopped them.

They immediately pulled away from each other and swam to the entrance of the cave. Debris covered it.

“Who did this?” He shouted outside.

“What are you doing in there?” A voice shouted back.

Ronan looked back at Neptune.

Not the prompt :)

“You don’t understand me, dad!” Neptune screamed at him.

“I do, Neptune! You’re the one who doesn’t understand!” He snapped back.

Neptune growled turned around before swimming furiously through the water flowing from the entrance of the castle.

She stopped once a dock came into view. She stared at it until something shiny glinted below her. She looked down and saw a tiny pearl. She swam down to it and picked it up.

The tiny pearl glistened in Neptune’s hand. She rolled in over in her hand multiple times.

Something flashed in the corner of her vision. She looked towards it and saw nothing.

Then something sounded behind her and she spun around to face it. There was still nothing.

“Who’s there?” Neptune shouted out.

Before she could scream, someone pulled her away from the area. As soon as it had, a cage came down.

“Man! The mermaid got away!” A human exclaimed from the dock.

The merman released Neptune and she dusted her tail off. “I could have done that myself, you know.”

“Right.” The merman looked Neptune in the eyes.

Neptune growled. “What’s your name anyway?”

“Ronan.” He started to swim away.

“Well, Ronan, are you going to ask me mine?” Neptune followed him.

“I already know how you are. Everyone knows who you are. You are Neptune, daughter of the king of the sea.” Ronan continued swimming.

“How do you…?” Neptune swam faster to get ahead of him. “Why did you help me?”

Ronan swam around her. “Because you were too busy looking at that pearl.”

Neptune stopped and turned to him. She held out her hand and rolled the pearl around again.

When she looked back up, Ronan was waiting for her by a rock cave. “You coming?” He pointed inside.

Neptune swam closer to it. “You live in there?”

“Yeah…? Is that a problem?” Ronan asked.

Neptune looked up to her castle which was barely visible through the ocean. “But it’s so far away from the castle! You’re a mermaid, you should be living closer to it!”

Ronan sighed. “Didn’t your father ever tell you of how some mermaids left to start their own empire?”

“No, he didn’t.” Neptune sighed. “He never tells me anything anymore.”

Ronan swam inside the hole and Neptune followed him. Eventually, some light shone through the end of the tunnel.

Ronan continued to swim and Neptune still followed. The small tunnel opened up into a huge cavern.

“Welcome.” Ronan whispered to her. “To my home.”

Neptune looked around at it all with wonder. She had never seen anything like this before. Mermaids swam everywhere. Some were purchasing pearls from small stands on the outskirts of the cavern while others were emerging from their homes with sleepy eyes and slurred hellos.

“It’s beautiful.” Neptune whispered back, still staring.

“Hey, Ronan! Who’s this pretty mermaid you got with you?” The voice snapped Neptune out of her wonder.

A boy, with dark black hair and blue eyes, was before them. He was watching Neptune carefully, then looked up at her head.

“Woah!” He quickly spun around. “Everyone! A princess is here!”

Ronan growled. Neptune shrunk as a ton of mermaids swam eagerly up to her. Before long, she was swarmed with questions.

“Are you really a princess?”

“What’s your name? It’s Neptune, right?”

“Can I meet your dad?”

“Quiet! Give the girl some space!” Ronan shouted to them all.

Everyone got quiet and returned to what they were originally doing. Neptune returned to her normal posture.

“Thanks.” Neptune whispered in Ronan’s ear.

“Don’t mention it.” Ronan turned away.

“But, are you the boss here? They all listened to you easily.” Neptune asked.

“I guess you could say that. I’m the son of the queen here.” Ronan replied.

“Really? Can I meet her?”

“If you want to. She doesn’t take very kindly to strangers, and you’re a princess…”

“I don’t care. If there is a queen here, I want to meet her.”

Ronan sighed, but swam toward some large doors. “I would like to see my mother.” He told the guards.

They both swam and grabbed the handles, pulling the doors back so the two could enter. Neptune followed Ronan in.

“Who’s there?” The loud voice came from the largest throne Neptune had ever seen.

It sat at the back of the room and a bunch of pearls surrounded the edges of the room, sparkling brilliantly in the sunlight that was shimmering in from a hole in the ceiling.

“It’s me mother. And I have someone I wanted you to meet.”

“It better not be another stranger.” The voice said back.

Ronan turned around and flashed Neptune a ‘I told you so’ look. Then turned back to his mother. “It’s actually the princess, Neptune.” He told her.

“Oh!” The voice laughed. “Bring her over!”

Ronan turned to smile at Neptune and swam over to his mother. Neptune followed, the crown on her head suddenly weighing heavy.

Once they reached the queen, Ronan and Neptune bowed.

“There is no need for that.” The queen sounded confused. “You are my son and you are a princess. Bowing isn’t necessary to me.”

Ronan and Neptune looked back up and glanced at each other.

“Anyway,” the queen continued. “What brings you here, Princess Neptune?”

“Your son saved me from a human’s cage today. After, he took me here.” Neptune replied.

“Ah, yes! That’s sounds exactly like something my son would do!” The queen exclaimed. “And that is why he is going to be king of this place soon.”

Right as the queen finished speaking, the huge doors swung open and the black haired boy from earlier swam inside. He was breathing hard. Ronan and Neptune turned around and the queen swam to the boy.

“What is going on?” The queen asked him softly.

The boy caught his breath and stared straight at Neptune. Neptune gasped.

“Someone wants to speak with you, Your Majesty.” The boy whispered to the queen urgently.

In the quaint little town of Meadowcroft, it was a cool autumn evening in the year 1955. The leaves rustled in the breeze as the sun began it's descent beyond the horizon, casting long shadows across the narrow streets.

Our main character, Amelia, had just returned home from a long day at work. She carefully hung up her coat and discarded her hat on the hallway stand before entering the living room. With a gentle click, she picked up the landline telephone from its ornate holder, thinking it was finally time to catch up with her partner, Michael.

However, as Amelia held the receiver to her ear, a wave of confusion washed over her. Instead of the familiar dial tone that she expected, she could hear a muffled conversation coming through the line. She strained her ears, still trying to make sense of what she was hearing.

The room was aglow with the soft golden light of a single lamp, casting long shadows across the vintage floral wallpaper. On the mahogany coffee table, a porcelain teacup sat untouched, cold steam rising from its delicate rim.

Amelia realized with a start that it was Michael's voice she could hear on the other end of the line, engaged in a conversation with someone she didn't recognize. She felt a knot forming in her stomach, a mixture of concern and curiosity mingling within her.

The telephone cord stretched taut as Amelia paced the room, her heart pounding in her chest. In this era of limited privacy, the concept of eavesdropping hung heavily in the air. Amelia could almost envision the invisible threads of information traveling through the copper wires, carrying those whispered words across the town.

With cautious steps, she moved toward the nearby armchair and eased into its plush cushions. The static crackles and faint voices on the line grew clearer, revealing a conversation veiled in mystery. Amelia's mind raced, grappling with the possibilities of what she might uncover.

She strained to listen intently, dissecting each word as if it held the key to unraveling the secrets that held her partner captive in this hidden conversation. The room seemed to hold its breath, as if aware of the delicate dance unfolding between love and intrigue.

Amelia's palms grew damp and her grip on the phone tightened. She felt a mix of doubt and betrayal seeping into her thoughts, clouding the once-clear horizon of her relationship. Uncertainty gnawed at her, tearing away at the trust she had built with Michael over the years.

Fingers clenched against the polished wooden arm of the chair, Amelia debated whether to confront Michael or continue playing the part of the unknowing spectator. Terrible secrets swirled in her mind alongside nostalgic tunes of the era, as if echoing the inner conflict that plagued her.

As the pitter-patter of raindrops started outside, Amelia made her decision, determined to confront the truth head-on. She took a deep breath, steadying herself before gently placing the receiver back onto its cradle. In that fleeting moment, she realized that not all was as it seemed, and that sometimes, the echoes of a bygone era could reveal the most unexpected of discoveries.

Amelia's heart raced as she listened to Michael's hushed whispers coming from the landline phone. The conversation was cryptic and filled with tension. Feeling a mixture of curiosity and concern, she quietly tiptoed closer to get a better hearing. But just as she reached the edge of the hallway, the floor creaked beneath her feet, and the conversation abruptly stopped.

Startled, Amelia quickly retreated to the living room, trying to compose herself. Conflicted with emotions, she wracked her brain, wondering who Michael could be speaking with and why he was being so secretive. Doubts flooded her mind, and she fought the urge to jump to conclusions.

After a few minutes, Amelia took a deep breath and decided to confront Michael about the mysterious phone call. As she entered the bright kitchen, Michael turned around, his expression a mixture of surprise and guilt.

"Amelia," he started, "I didn't expect you home so soon. Is something wrong?"

Her face flushed with a combination of anger and confusion, Amelia replied, "Michael, I overheard your conversation. Who were you talking to? Why were you acting so secretively?"

Michael's eyes met hers, and she saw a flicker of concern and regret. "Amelia, I'm sorry you overheard that. I wasn't trying to keep anything from you. The truth is, I was talking to someone from my past—a long-lost friend."

Amelia's eyebrows furrowed, unsure of how to react. "Why would you keep this friend a secret? And why did you sound so guarded?"

Michael approached her and gently held her hands, his voice filled with sincerity. "This friend, Amelia, they were going through a difficult time, one that they weren't ready to share with others. They reached out to me seeking support, but didn't want anyone else to know. I was respecting their wish for privacy."

Her anger slowly subsided as Amelia began to understand. Her initial assumptions of betrayal started to fade away, replaced by empathy for both Michael and his mysterious friend. She took a moment to collect her thoughts before responding.

"I appreciate your honesty, Michael, but I was caught off guard by the secrecy. In the future, can we promise to communicate openly about these things? Trust is important to me, and I want to trust you completely."

Michael nodded, remorse etched on his face. "You're right, Amelia. I should have been more transparent. I'm truly sorry for causing you any distress. From now on, I promise to be open and honest with you, no matter the situation."

Amelia could see the sincerity in his eyes, and her heart softened. As they embraced, a sense of relief enveloped them both. They realized that even in a moment of misunderstanding, their relationship had grown stronger by facing the challenges head-on.

Bitch I trusted you, I never thought twice, Stuck with you when you weren’t nice, Or even right, So what’d you go and do? Ghost me without a care, Glad you got me out of your hair? The least you could’ve been was fair.

It’s selfish and sick Can’t forget what you did, Suck my dick, sis.

I gave up so much so you would never hurt, And you threw me away like I’m trash. I couldn’t even guess what I did to make you this mad. You stole the only thing I had, And ran my mental straight into the dirt. But as mad, And as sad, And as bad As I feel. I’d forgive you instantly so we could heal, But that would say require you to be real.

You treat me so badly and I feel so small, Like to you I’m not important at all, Even though I’ve been the one you could always call.