Shimmer Tail

Chapter Four

          ~CHAPTER FOUR~

The room Jeanette was led into was much smaller than the throne room, but just as luxurious. It had two cushioned chairs laced in sparkly gold. Marjorie sat down in one of them, and Jeanette in the other. Marjorie smiled softly at Jeanette.

“It began with your grandparents,” Marjorie began in her soft, tinkling voice. “Your grandfather’s name was Marten, and he fell in love with one very special Chipette. Her name was Madeline. He left the sea to be with her. As a result, your father was born, and then your mother gave birth to you and your sisters. As you can see, the mer-magic has passed into your blood, and was Awakened by the comb you discovered.”

Marjorie paused and let Jeanette take this information in. After a while the mer-Chipette looked up at the mermaid.

“Does this mean my sisters are mermaids too?”

“Yes. However, you are the only one who has had her powers Awakened. And Marten’s genes were passed down mostly into you, so your magic is much stronger than theirs. However, I fear life on land may be difficult now…” Marjorie trailed off, and looked away. Jeanette stared at her in confusion.

“What do you mean, ‘difficult’?”

“Well…your grandfather had always needed plenty of water to keep his body stable on land. And merfolk have many dangers on land…pool water, for instance. It is a great poison to us like it is to fish. There is also the danger of dehydration. A mer-person going too long without water will eventually shrivel. It would be incredibly hard to avoid all these hazards and keep this a secret.”

“Why keep it a secret?”

“Child, many people in these times know nothing of the mer population. Scientists would hunt us throughout the sea, and nowhere would be safe. Our only protection is secrecy. If our magic were to fall into the wrong hands…” Marjorie trailed off again, biting her lip. Jeanette stared into her lap and thought about the words spoken to her. If all this were to be kept a secret, how could she live on land? She asked this of Marjorie, and the queen sighed.

“I’m afraid you can’t live on land anymore, Jeanette.”

o0o

Jeanette sat on a clamshell stool in front of a mirrored vanity. She stared straight ahead, and winced as Annalise ran a comb through her hair. The pink-haired mermaid tugged at Jeanette’s brunette tangles with a look of determination. Jeanette finally spoke to her.

“Annalise…what am I going to do? Marjorie says I can’t live on land anymore…”

“Oh, don’t worry! Everything can be taken care of. You can live in a room with a beautiful view. The rays put on a wonderful show in the mornings!”

“I-I’m sure they’re very nice, but h-how will I see my family and friends?” Jeanette sniffled. “I-I’ll never see Ms. Miller again, or Brittany and Eleanor, or Dave, or Alvin, or Theodore…or S-Simon…” Jeanette said the last part quietly. Though it wasn’t visible underwater, she was weeping. Annalise stopped combing, and spun Jeanette around to face her.

“Ooh, who’s Simon? He sounds like a love interest…” Jeanette blushed in spite of herself.

“No…he’s my best f-friend…and now I w-won’t get to see him, or anyone else again…” Jeanette began to sob into her hands. Annalise put the comb down and pulled Jeanette into a hug. Jeanette allowed herself to be comforted. Annalise rubbed Jeanette’s back gently.

“I’m sure you can see them time to time, if they come back to the sea.” Jeanette sniffed as she thought about this.

“Y-you remind me of my sisters…you’re so bright and bubbly like Eleanor…and you’re so fashionable, like Brittany.” Jeanette gestured to the beautiful red scarf Annalise was wearing. It matched her tail, but didn’t make it look like too much pink. Annalise smiled at this compliment, and unconsciously patted her hair.

“You really think so? Just wait ‘till your makeover’s done. You’re gonna be STUNNING!”

o0o

“Aaand...look!”

Jeanette opened her eyes and gasped at the mermaid staring at her from the mirror. Her brunette hair was glossy and wavy, floating gently instead of her usual bun. A silken scarf adorned it, tying it out of her face. The smoky eye shadow made her green eyes pop. She pressed her hands together in delight.

“Oh, Annalise…I-I look AMAZING!” she exclaimed in an un-conceited way. Annalise beamed at her handiwork. Then she grabbed Jeanette’s hand and led her to the door.

“Come on. You must be hungry, and dinner’s about to start!”

o0o

Sherri glared into the crystal ball on her pedestal. It showed Jeanette being led to the dining hall by Annalise. Angrily, she swiped at a nearby shelf. Its contents fell to the sea floor, shattering and sending bits of goodness-knows-what everywhere.

“That good-for-nothing rodent!” she seethed, her sharp green eyes glinting. “She’s going to pay for this. They’ll all pay for what they did to me! And I’ll start with her. But how…?” Sherri placed a hand on her hip and frowned deeply. “Drowning her didn’t work. She had already been Awakened…but her sisters haven’t.” Sherri smiled evilly as she plotted her revenge.