The Last Mermaid.

{V} A Beautiful New World.

            “There!”, Raphael said quickly as a mole popped out and Vanessa quickly hit the machine mole. She was giggling each time one popped out, tying her best to hit them since they were all quickly popping out and back in.

            When they all stopped coming out, she knew the game was over and only seven tickets came out. She frowned, “I suck.”, she said since came out with about twenty in one game.

            “Well I came here a lot with my friends, so I had a lot of practice.”, he said. He then looked at her closely and she blushed.

            “What?”, she manage to say since her throat was getting thick with nervousness

            “I’m just,”, he said, pausing. “Trying to figure everything out still, with what happen you. And you look…different.”.

            Vanessa mouth formed a small ‘O’ and she looked away, “I’m still the same the girl.”, she said.

            “I didn’t say that though.”, he said. “I said you look different—I mean, you just seem—weird of me, but glowing."

            Vanessa blushed more, keep believe someone else notice and it was Raphael of all people. She so badly wanting to say ‘thanks’, but she just to shy to even say that, so she held her hand up that had tickets in it, “Let’s go pick out our prizes.”, she said, walking around him and went over to where the prizes were.

            She only had about forty-seven tickets, so all she could really get was a small butterfly toy and some plastic wrist bands while Raphael had about ninety.

            “Hmm, give me that blown up SpongeBob.”, he said, pointing at it up on the wall and looked at her, making her chuckle at the choice of prize. He still had ten more tickets he could use, so he looked in the glass case of small prize, “And that necklace right there.”, he said.

            He was given that SpongeBob pool toy and she saw the necklace he was holding, which seem so familiar to her. It was a blue fish tail. “For you.”, he said. “My way of saying sorry I out staged you today.”, he chuckled.

            Vanessa was staring at the necklace, her stomach turning as she remember what happening to her. “Coasta Sirenas legend.”, she said, frowning as she reached up and touched the tail.

            “What about it?”, he ask, frowning now to.

            She snapped herself away from the necklace, “Nothing.”, she said. Not wanting to be rude, she looked back at him and did her best fake smile she could, “Thanks, it’s real…nice. Nice of you to give it to me.”, she said as he walked out of the arcade.

            He nodded, putting his hands in his short pockets, “Yeah, but hey, I have to get to work. See you around?”, he asked and thought about it, wondering if that was such a good idea right now with what happening.

            “Sure.”, she said though and nodded. He turned the other way and stood there for a few moments before turning to face the ocean. A soft breeze came and she wondered if this would be a good idea, but she began making her way towards the end of the dock.

            She had put the necklace on as she made her way and wondered if Adalyn would still be there. She was a few feet away when she saw her back, a few inches away from the water.

            “I’m here.”, Vanessa said, but she was sure she heard her coming.

            “You have to stay away from him, Vanessa.”, she said and Vanessa eyebrows came together in confused as she sat down next to her.