"So if I'm part mermaid," I whisper to Garrett, not quite ready to address the queen yet, "can I turn into a mermaid at will?" I didn't believe in Terra Meridian just yet, not until I saw my mermaid tail.
Garrett nodded, and replied, "What makes mermaids and half-mermaids different from all other Meridians is not only their tail, but their ability to see bigger than the big picture. They see the entire picture."
So I concentrated very hard on my legs, and there was a turquoise flash, but my legs stayed my legs. I challenged Garrett with my glare to lie to me. And that was the last straw--I was not a Terra Meridian believer.
"In water, okay?" Garrett put his hands up defensively, and I almost forgot that the queen was there.
"I do not respond well to not being addressed by my niece," the queen told us in a harsh tone. She literally floated from the corner she was "hiding" and took in the scene. "Garrett, you are excused," she said. I stared at her in awe: she was a fairy!
"Garrett, why is the queen a fairy?" I asked, right before he left. He made an I'll tell you later gesture.
The queen heard my question however (the fake queen who was one of the pranksters teasing me), and answered, "You are not a believer, and I could not be more ashamed. However, I will give you the luxury of answering your question. Fairies are a little small thing whom only tiny humans believe in nowadays, but in the kingdom of Terra Meridian they rule, like your Earth's Adolf Hitler or President Franklin Roosevelt. Speaking of them, how are they doing?" the queen asked, and that was the moment I knew this had to be a lame prank Mallory Derby or George Hershey, the two competing pranksters at our school, pulled on me.
"They're dead, so 'Queen' Mallory and 'Garrett' George, please stop this thing," I ordered, glaring.
"My name is not Mallory, and Garrett George, if that's his name, is not present at the moment," the 'queen' replied regally. "My name is Queen Brooke Porter, and I do not know any Mallory in TM."
Then wings, real wings appeared on her back, and then it struck me--how did George and Mallory get Garrett to fly, or make up such a detailed palace in such a short time? Maybe I was hallucinating, but I didn't think so. I never hallucinated, and I would stop by now, and also, I was completely healthy.
"Queen Brooke, may I have a map of Terra Meridian, all of it, please?" I asked, and Queen handed me a map.
I studied it for a second, and then came to these facts: I was neither hallucinating, and this wasn't a trick. Which, if I used logic, meant that Terra Meridian--all of this--had to be a real thing. But this is what the map said:
Just in case you can't read the other side with all the provinces of Terra Meridian here are all 6 provinces:
1. Fairy State (capital)
2. Mermaid Bay
3. Nymph Woods
4. Werewolf Isle
5. Dwarf Provinces
6. United TM
If you are in the queen's castle, named Chestnut Palace because of the Porter family's chestnut-colored hair, then you are in Fairy State. We hope that you enjoy TM in your province!
"Does everyone have a different colored hair then?" I asked, confused at the last part. Queen Brooke nodded.
"Not everyone, but fairies do have a tendency to produce children with brown hair. Most mermaids have blond hair like yours because they spend so much time in the sun, and elves and dwarfs have orange or red hair as a sign of their mischief. Nymphs have hair according to where their life spirit is, and werewolves get naturally dark hair," the queen answered. I inhaled quickly, not knowing how to process this information. I mean, if everything had its own look and own species, then I was like an animal! And it wasn't helping that Brooke called me a mermaid.
"Queen Brooke, don't you think that--" I started, but she wouldn't let me finish my sentence.
"That I should lead you to your dad in Mermaid Bay?" the queen guessed, correctly, if you don't know. Of course you do, because I'd never met my dad and Mermaid Bay was where I belonged! So yeah, duh.
Without my confirmation, (Which was dangerous because, what if she wasn't right?), she snapped her fingers and a bunch of strong soldiers escorted me to a high-tech Cadillac (that was really weird) and one drove me away. I realized that there were no roads, only paved paths that on Earth would be for hikers.
"Mermaid Bay is a wonderful bay with a private beach reserved for mermaids and half-mermaids only so they can catch a wave in private. A mermaid will never be stranded on shore, because there is a half-mermaid lifeguard at all times that can take them back to the water. And underwater is where the real adventure in Mermaid Bay begins, really!" the tour-speaker thingy in the car informed me.
"Here we are!" the soldier who drove me, whom I later learned was named Harrison, exclaimed.
My breath caught as soon as I got out of the royal Cadillac with high-tech features and a sky-high price tag. The turquoise water was shimmering in the sunlight, and a girl with blond hair was shown from the waist up. I was too far away to see her eyes, but they shimmered with youth and joy, everything.
Immediately, and I didn't know how, but I knew what to do. I jumped immediately into the water and willed my tail to come. I didn't know how I did it, again, and everything was too bizarre, but hey, I'm not complaining. My turquoise tail matched the ocean almost exactly, and I didn't even know how I jumped from that high ledge on the cliff to the sea a hundred feet below, but I did. It was just incredible!
I breathed in the water by gathering all the bubbles around me that I made with my splash and created a small bubble of air just big enough for me to breathe in. I tapped the mermaid's tail that I saw earlier and she jumped. I dissolved my bubble of air and went up to meet her (the reason I had to use a bubble was because, no matter what The Little Mermaid tells you, mermaids can't breathe underwater).
"Ohmigosh you scared me!" the mermaid cried when I popped out of the water. Then she gained her composure.
"I can't believe I forgot my manners! Okay, let's start this friendship--or enemy-ship--story from the beginning. Hi, I'm McKenzie Crawford, and I'm a full, pure-bred mermaid. Just saying, as a guide, lavender tails like mine mean it's pure-bred mermaid material," the mermaid smiled. I smiled back.
"Hey Mack, I'm Melody Russell, half-mermaid (so I probably guess turquoise tails means half-bred), and I'm here to meet my dad," I introduced myself. McKenzie's eyes widened really, really wide.
"You mean, like, the Melody Russell, one of the prophesied five?" she asked, gasping. I didn't get it.
"Well, I mean, yeah, except I don't remember any prophesied five? Well, since I'm famous around here, do you know who my dad is and where he is?" I replied, questioning everything even though the first question was more like a statement. I put things in questions whenever I'm confused.
"You don't remember the...oh, the spell, never mind...so yes, I do know your dad!" McKenzie smiled happily. She made a "come on" gesture with her hands and dove into the water.
YOU ARE READING
Forest of Imagination
Fantasy♥♥COMPLETED♥♥ Being out-shadowed by her older sister is one thing. Being out-shadowed by her best friend Paris Hall is another. Welcome to the life and mind of Melody Russell, a future writer and artist! She's ordinary, mostly, until the one day whe...
