Insula Somnium, Isle of Dreams.

Chapter 11

Genevieve pulled me across the beach, almost running. She turned off, to the short path, and knocked on Evelot's door.

"So you don't just burst in?" I asked.

"Oh no, she'll do unspeakable things if we just walk in." Genevieve said. I started imagining all of the "unspeakable" things she was talking about, but I think we were thinking of completely different things. The door swung open.

"Do you know what time it is?" Evelot snapped at us. Her blond hair was sticking out in every direction, and her big brown eyes looked tired.

"mermaids sleep?" Was the first thing I thought of.

"Of course we do you asshole, and it's the fucking crack of dawn!"

"Children shouldn't be cursing." I said. Her facial expression suggested that she was killing me a million times in her head.

"I swear to God human, call me a child one more time and you will regret the day your pitiful fleshy human body washed up on this island." She said darkly. I stepped back.

"Evelot," Genevieve piped up, trying to distract Evelot before she did anything, "The locket I was telling you about, well, I know what it does."

"I don't care, tell me later." She said, yawning. She was turning to walk back inside.

"It works on mermaids." She said. Evelot froze in the doorway.  She turned her head around.

"What?" That was our ticket. Evelot invited us in, and Genevieve explained how we found it. I couldn't help it, I was grinning. I had kissed Genevieve again. I had made out with her. She had made out with me. 

"That is quite interesting." Evelot said, examining the locket with a spark in her eyes, "I remember when every type of magic worked on mermaids. Boy were those the times. But now, not so much. I wonder how old this must be for it to have the old magic in it."

"What happened so that magic doesn't work on mermaids anymore?" I asked.

"It's an old tale. There were once male mermaids too, and they all lived happily and whatnot." Genevieve explained.

"Yep, I had me a handsome young male myself." Evelot said.

"But then a witch one day appeared on our islands. Her name was Mersila, and she detested merfolk. She said that we were unholy and a curse to the earth. She tried to get rid of all merfolk, men and women alike, to rid the earth of the things she so despised.

But her spell backfired, and instead killed all the males, and altered out bodies. We could no longer use much magic." 

"She ruined us." Evelot said, her eyes alight with fury, "She killed our loved one's and took away the only other thing dear to us."

"Evelot, it's okay, remember where you are." Genevieve whispered calmly to her. Evelot took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.

"Human, enough questions. It's not even time for me to wake up yet and you're already ruining my day. Go away, I need to speak with Genevieve alone."

"What am I supposed to do?" I asked.

"Wait outside like the little dog you are." She said angrily, pointing outside. I wanted to object, but a sharp look from Genevieve sent me out the door. I decided instead of just waiting on the porch like an idiot, I was gonna walk along the beach.

As I started walking down the small pathway to the beach, I was suddenly yanked sideways, and I was turned around to stare straight into the eyes of Ariel. Her brown hair was tied behind her back in a ponytail.

"I thought people of your age don't do ponytails." I blurted. She grabbed a fist-full of my shirt, and pushed me against the tree. She was so strong, I couldn't break free.

"We adapt." She spat at me.

"What do you want Ariel," I said., trying to sound cool, when in my head I was freaking out.

"Humans like you belong in cages, not around pretty girls like us." 

"Don't flatter yourself," I said. She was beautiful, but I wat not attracted to her. Maybe it was the razor sharp teeth that were slowly getting longer that was the turn off.

"I want to devour your flesh so badly." She said, her voice sounding distorted.

"Genevieve won't let you," I said. Sweat bristled along my forehead. I was scared.

"Genevieve, huh? Don't you mean Taylor? Or has the little human found a girlfriend?" She taunted, "That's cute."

"Shut up." 

"I keep telling her it'll never work out with humans. Vampires really are the best suitors. I mean, after all, they kill humans like we do, and they're immortal."

"Vampires?" I asked, "You date vampires? That's so sad. Every teenage girl fantasizes about vampires. But sparkling in the sun really shouldn't be a turn on." 

"I'm not talking about your race's foolish interpretation about vampires you idiot. I'm talking about real ones. The one's who burn in the sun."

"So you don't like Twilight hate?" I chocked out, as she started squeezing my neck.

"Ariel stop!" I heard Genevieve shout. Suddenly Ariel was pushed off me. a blur of movement passed by my eyes, before everything went dark.

I woke up to the sight of a pretty mermaid with long black curly hair. She had blue eyes. I recognized her as the mermaid who tried to eat me.

"You're not going to try to eat me again are you?" I asked. She looked at me, saw I was awake.

"No," She said, in what sounded like a Russian accent, "I won't." She spoke to someone I couldn't see in what was definitely Russian. I tried to see who she was talking to, but when I tried to move a wave of dizziness passed over me. She stood up, and started walking away. A young girl replaced her. She looked to be about sixteen or seventeen, with long brown hair. She had brown eyes, and big cheeks. She looked sort of familiar, although I couldn't place my finger on it. It was only when she spoke with a Russian accent that I got it.

Anastasia! Anastasia Romanov! The missing Russian princess!" I exclaimed incredulously.

"Shush," She said harshly, "We do not talk of such things here."

"But don't you ever miss Russia, and your family?"

"They all dead." She said, her accent still thick, after all these years. "I have no one there. And that Bliad who took my place, I'm glad that she died. Anna Anderson, I spit on her."

"How did you become a mermaid?" I asked. 

"I barely escaped attack on my family, I was saved by a mermaid. She was sent to help me. My father's friend was a mermaid, you see, and she saved me. I was on the brink of death, and she turned me. Now I'm here."  She soaked a cloth, and started wiping my face.

"Have not seen live human in long time. Normally, I see them for two seconds, and then they're dead." She gave a small smile.

"I'm sorry." I said. It was then that the events came back to me.

"Is Genevieve alright?" I asked her. She gave a big laugh.

"Of course she's alright. She's mermaid. She's immortal."

"Is there any way that a mermaid could die? An Achilles heel?" I asked. She paused.

"There is one way." She said warily.

"What is it?" I asked.

"Magic. Strong magic; magic like that cannot be made anymore." She said.

"Oh," I said. magic that cannot be made anymore Her words echoed in my head. Magic that can't be made anymore, only, somewhere, somehow, it can.

Author's note~

Just in case you wanted to know, bliad, as Anastasia said, is a Russian slang term, and means whore. Hope you liked my chapter!