Grow Up

Eleven

Another day passed, and Gardenia still walked through the forest. She gazed, staring in awe at such wonderful sights. She wanted to touch so many things, but how Peter mentioned poisonous things, she was afraid to. Yet there were so many beautiful plants that looked intriguing. Like the white flowers with a gold outline. Or the beautiful bright green leaves with neon blue spots on them. Then there were also the bushes with jet black branches and deep red sap leaking from them. Everything was so magical in Neverland. Even the plants.

Follow us, Celestial Flower. Come to us.

Gardenia heard a melodic voice. It was so angelic, so elegant. She couldn't help but follow the new voice. It was another female, too. An actual girl on the island aside from her. It was another intriguing thing on the island. And she followed.

That's right. Come closer... so close...

The odd girl approached a lagoon. Crystal blue water, so clear yet so blue. It was tropical. There she could see the white sand underneath. It looked about knee-deep, but it was much deeper than that. It was deeper than any human could imagine. She stared in awe at it. Then Gardenia heard that same angelic voice and she turned her head to a different part of the water. There, she saw someone, something, staring right at her. It was a female. Her hair and skin were soaked with the ocean water. But her eyes was what really captivated Gardenia.

The eyes on this creature were purple. Such a light, galactic purple. And when she blinked, they changed colors. From creamy purple to a deep magenta. Gardenia couldn't believe her own eyes.

"How did you do that?" She asked, completely hypnotized.

The girl smiled brightly. "Everyone can change their eye color on Neverland... if they're a girl." She responded. Her voice was absolutely beautiful. Gardenia didn't even take notice that she was speaking to a mermaid. "For instance, I can change mine to electric blue. Or bright red. Or even pure white."

Each time she said the colors, she'd blink her eyes and they'd be the color she just said.

"Oh, but I just love your eyes. An eye the color of the ocean, but also an eye of the sand..." She tilted her head, using the same words Peter used.

"How do I change my eye color?" Gardenia spoke, in a total daze. She'd completely forgotten about everything around her.

"Simple," the creature grinned manically. "You just need to come in the water. It's magical, you know. Just like everything else on Neverland."

The wet female stretched out her hand. Gardenia took it, not even second guessing her choices. She was in a trance. She couldn't control anything anymore. The mermaid grabbed her wrist, dragging her slowly into the water. The second Gardenia's skin touched the lagoon's crystal water, two more mermaids swam up, joining the first one.

As Gardenia's body slowly entered the water fully, the coldness of it snapped her out of this strange hypnotic trance. She stared directly into the mermaid's now black eyes.

"What's going on? I need to get out--" But she was cut off. The three mermaids hissed loudly at her, baring their shark-like teeth. Their odd eyes all changed right to jet black.

A huge inhale filled Gardenia's lungs, a shrilling scream coming out. Gardenia squirmed, trying to set herself free. The mermaid now had both her hands holding down the human girl. She tightly squeezed Gardenia's forearms, the other two diving under and grabbed his legs. All three pulled her underneath.

Right when the beautiful creature pulled her all the way under, Gardenia wiggled and squirmed. She tried her hardest to set herself free, but that made the situation worse. The mermaids clawed at her, tearing her skin. Gardenia couldn't hold it in anymore. She screamed before instinctively inhaling. She gulped water, choking. Though she couldn't cough or else she'd take in more water and drown.

A pair of hands swooped in and pulled her right back up. Gardenia gasped for air, coughing up so much water. Her panic was surging through her body; she was hyperventilating. Once again, she was levitating, and only then did she know who it was. The three mermaids sprang back up, irritated that someone took their prey away. However, their eyes widened once they all saw who it was.

"How dare you try to take something that is mine. You pathetic things," he hissed, poison laced in his voice. Gardenia was in a complete panic. She was shaking in Peter's arms, not believing that she fell under a siren's spell. "Off you go! Leave my presence!" He barked, and the girls swam off, tails splashing.