(DISCONTINUED, INCOMPLETE)
A happily ever after can mean many things. For Ashlin Crest, it means marrying the prince of her dreams and escaping the step-family that has mistreated her for years.
She is only one step away from it when her legs t...
Ash could no longer deny it - she was hopelessly lost.
When her pursuit of the pirate ship had begun, she had only been using her arms. They had not gotten her very far as the waves gradually pushed her back. As time wore on, she realized that being under water helped her go faster. At least an hour in, she was able to kick her tail with increasing proficiency.
The speed hadn't been enough. The pirate ship only got farther and farther away. It had been a while since she had seen so much as a small spot in the distance.
The sun was beginning to turn the sky a light pink, a color too bright for the situation. She had been swimming from around midnight to dawn. That was at least six hours. It hurt and left her so frustratingly tense. If her body stopped working, she wouldn't be surprised.
But she couldn't stop. Ash had to find the pirate ship somehow. If it escaped her, she stood no chance of helping Callum.
Ignoring the screams of her body, she pushed on.
The sun continued to rise higher in the sky. It seemed to be the only thing moving, everything else around her remaining the same, all while her body grew weaker and weaker. As if reality had frozen her in this single, despairing moment. The thing she needed to change wouldn't. That blasted pirate ship wouldn't appear in her line of sight.
Tears pricked her eyes, blurring her vision. They built up until she couldn't see clearly. Ash blinked to try to rid herself of the annoyance, then started. Only moments before she had been above water. When her eyes opened again, she was a few feet below the surface. It left her feeling weightless. Relaxed. And the water was so very warm, like an inviting embrace.
The pirate ship was getting away. She needed to continue on. If she didn't, there was no way she could find them - to find Callum. Refusing to listen to her, her eyes slide shut. Darkness settled around her, broken only by the outline of a silver wolf skull.
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Ding-dong.
The deep bellow of a clock bell resounded in the hazy place Ash drifted in. She squeezed her eyes shut. It was unnaturally loud, yet it sounded dulled.
Ding-dong.
Her lower half began to burn. It was a very familiar feeling, but she couldn't place where. Her mind was still too foggy. The memory felt so close, but she couldn't grab it. Regardless, she kept trying. It was only when her eyes snapped open the memories from the garden rushed back.
Ash screamed, but it wasn't because of the pain. It wasn't nearly as severe as the first time. Instead the scream was from surprise; she was about ten feet over the water, a fading purple aura around her. The energy vanished, and she fell back into the ocean.
Out of habit, she tried to inhale. Her eyes widened when it felt like she just drank water. Ash kicked up. Unlike before, she didn't shoot up quickly - because her fish tail was no longer a fish tail. Her legs had returned.
