“Once upon a time…” Dally started, using a tone that most would use on a five year old, “There was a peaceful, little island much like this one. It was a tiny island, sure, but everyone knew and liked one another.
“One day a new family arrived on the island hoping to settle down there. The parents had a young daughter with long, red hair that you could spot from anywhere. Even though the village people thought the little girl’s hair was a little odd, they welcomed the family non-the-less. Ever since the family had moved to the island the tropical weather because extremely bipolar: from thundering storms one day to complete sunshine the next. Though this did make simple living quite a chore for the peaceful island people, they did not panic.
“They all noticed that the little girl with the red hair made friends quickly and easily and was as sweet as could be, so they disregarded any negative thoughts they previously held about her until one day when all of the children she played with went missing. Their families went crazy looking for them and they found the children two days later in a sea cave. All of them had drowned.”
Rebecca gasped, her eyes widened in surprise. Dally smiled, obviously please with her reaction.
“Though they were devastated, the families merely thought they had drowned while playing at the beach. The little red haired girl seemed unaffected by the tragedy because, when the next day rolled around, she was surrounded by all new friends. The island children seemed spooked by the tragedy, but the little girl didn’t seem to mind.
“Now, these parents did keep an eye on their children, but the moment they averted their eyes, even for a split second, all of the children were missing except for the red haired girl. The frightened parents searched everywhere, even the cave where the other children were found, but came up with nothing. It wasn’t until two days later when two fishermen had pulled up a heavy load to find it filled with the missing child. They had all drowned once again…
“Fear stricken, no parent would let their child play with the social, red haired girl. She was shunned and left alone, disliked for the rest of her life. This made the girl very sad. Even when she grew up into an adult, she was very sad.
“One day she had disappeared off the island along with her family’s boat. The town’s people celebrated and rejoiced at her removal, feeling as if it were a burden lifted from their shoulders. But their happiness was short lived for, when the next morning came, a freak hurricane hit the small island blowing away the peaceful people’s homes and jobs, and everything else in their little village. The hurricane went on for what seemed to be an eternity, only to end when a mega tsunami swallowed the island whole, sinking it to the deepest part of the ocean… The end.”
Rebecca stared at the young man, her eye twitching in irritation. “And…this is why no one likes Ami?”
Dally gave her a single nod in response, his purple eyes still serious.
“That is completely ridiculous!” Rebecca shouted, setting her mug of coffee down and getting to her feet. She glared at Dally who still looked at her emotionlessly. She was so tired of his tough guy act that she couldn’t stand it anymore. She walked up to Dally, her hands on her hips, as she glowered at him. “I cannot believe the whole village-the whole world, actually!-bought all of that garbage! You should be ashamed of yourself for spreading such horrible rumors about an innocent little girl! Don’t you know that your son and my Ami are best friends? Why isn’t Ritsuka dead if this is all true?!”
“It isn’t a rumor; this is all true. And Ritsuka and that red haired girl will not be friends for long…” Dally promised, an evil smirk painted on his face. ~~~
YOU ARE READING
M.A.R.
FantasyAmi has always been shunned ever since she could remember for no reason she knows of. She's lost her parents in this prejudice world as a result. It's a great thing that she has best friend Ritsuka, foster mother Rebecca, and that weird merman that...
