The Mermaid's Daughter

Chapter Four: You call this a school? I call it a freaking five star hotel!

CHAPTER FOUR

"Wakey wakey!" I can just make out the words as someone vigorously shakes my shoulder.

"What?" I mumble as my eyes adjust to the person towering over me.

"You need to go to school!" Massie shouts in my face.

"I do? I thought I was like a prisoner," I groan, rolling over to face the wall.

"You still have to go to school. You said you were 15 right?"

"Yeah."

"So hurry up! You have 10 minutes. I will be waiting outside your room," and with that, she swims out and slams the door shut. I sigh and roll back over, out of the bed. Now, I'm not that kind of person that hates getting up in the morning. I actually don't mind cause I'm used to getting up early every morning to help at the aquarium. But when you are underwater, nearly got eaten by sharks, are missing your family, are never to see your family again, are very tired, are very hungry and just slept in an extremely comfortable bed it is very irritating to be woken up by a fat mermaid shouting in your face.

As I stand up, that's when I realise the tall mirror standing next to the cupboard. The mirror frame is the same shade of blue as the rest of the room. It definitely wasn't there yesterday. I wonder where it came from? I sure hope that King John-a-thon wasn't in my room while I was sleeping... I shrug it off and swim over to the mirror to fix my hair. I obviously don't have a brush with me so all I can do is redo my ponytail and hope that it looks alright.

Once I'm ready I leave the palace with Massie so she can guide me to school.

"You must remember the way because I'm not going to take you to school ever again. You must find your own way home this afternoon and every time after that. You hear me?" Massie instructs.

"Yes," I nod, trying to tattoo the route into my brain.

***

We arrive at the school. I stare blankly up at the building in front of me. It is about 5 storeys high, is bright lime green and has a giant courtyard out the back. You call this a school? I call it a freaking five star hotel! I swiftly spin around to ask Massie a question, just in time to see her disappear behind a building in the distance. Great, just great. I consider turning around and heading back to the palace after her when I hear someone squeal excitedly behind me,

"Oh my goodness! You must be the human that was on the news! I'm Coral, do you wanna be friends!?" The voice is a very eager looking mermaid; around my age. She has a deep purple tail, matching purple clam bra and piercing light blue eyes. Her light brown hair is wavy and is pushed back from her face by two bobby pins; one on each side, decorated in tiny violet clamshells.

"Umm..." I manage.

"Great! I'll take you to class," she grabs my arm and squeals again as she darts off towards the 5 star hotel in front of me. As we glide towards the school I notice light purple streaks in her hair. Gees, this girl really likes purple.

The hallways are jammed with mermaids, mermen, teachers, books and lockers. I get a few strange looks, but not as many as I expected. I guess everyone was watching the news yesterday. We turn into a classroom, already full of students listening to the teacher at the front. As we enter everyone turns in unison to face us. The teacher gives us a deathly glare before continuing speaking and the students turn back to face him. We shuffle into the 2 last seats in the back corner. Coral passes me an exercise book and a pen.

"Thanks," I manage a smile.

"No problem."

***

4 boring teachers and 4 equally boring classes later, the lunch bell finally rings. I slowly shuffle my way through the corridors as others shove past me, hurriedly trying to score a good meal at the cafeteria. I keep going until I eventually reach the doors out to the courtyard. I push them open to reveal a huge area, paved with pastel green tiles, enclosed by a deep green fence and surrounded by kelp, which seem to be mermaids' substitutes for trees. I settle underneath a kelp in the far corner. Everyone else seems to have gone to the caf so I finally get to have some peace and quiet. I close my eyes and rest my head against the cool fence.

"Whatcha doing!?" I wasn't even startled by this sudden voice bursting my eardrums cause I obviously knew who it was - Coral.

"Trying to sleep," I answer, flatly.

"Why? It's like only the middle of the day!" I give her a 'do you even have any idea in the world what I have been through in the past 2 days?' face. She makes an 'oh' face in reply and sits down beside me. We sit there in silence until the end of lunch.

***

The bell rings so I stand up and start heading to class, not bothering to check if Coral is following me. It's not that I don't like her, I think she's really sweet, but I'm just not in the mood for making new friends at the moment.

"So... you live in the palace right?" Coral queries as she catches up to me.

"Yeah."

"Like, with King Johnathan?" I begin to slow my pace,

"Not with him, but in the same place as him, yes."

"Oh boy, I feel sorry for you." I stop moving completely and turn to face her,

"Why?"

"Don't you know!? He decap- umm, actually don't worry," she slowly shuffles away before dashing into a nearby corridor and disappears into the crowd. Well that was weird.

During the last 2 classes Coral was completely silent. I know that I've only known her for less than a day, but from what I can tell about her, something isn't right. By the end of school I can't stand her silence so I make up my mind to go and ask her what's up. I spot her by her deep purple tail easily, waiting at the front gate,

"What's wrong?" She turns abruptly, not expecting me. She sighs,

"Nothing."

"Mmm, okay, sure, sure. Now seriously, what's wrong?" She looks around cautiously then swiftly grabs me by the arm and swims off away from the school and the crowds. Once we're safely out of earshot of anyone else she begins explaining,

"Um...well nobody's supposed to talk about King Johnathan or his family about this matter."

"What matter?" I start to get impatient

"In a nutshell... King Johnathan decapitated his parents."

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Dedicated to @XxNori_CandyxXfor commenting on Chapter One :)

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~ Ellie Potato ❤