Vanessa [A Poor Unfortunate Soul]

11. Lessons

"Are you coming?" Called Morgana from the water, with an outstretched hand.

Vanessa debated. What did she have to lose? Her life had gone nowhere until now.

Taking Morgana's hand, they slipped into the water. But they didn't stop, or hover under the water. From the weight of Vanessa's dress it pulled them to the bottom.

Below the bi-level ice chamber, was a lavish throne-like room. No decorations, with the glittering ice reflecting colors, there was no need for any.

Vanessa's tail hit the bottom, and she slumped on the floor with a thud. Beginning to panic, Morgana swam to her side.

"Breathe" Morgana said, stroking Vanessa's left arm to soothe her.

Vanessa let go of her breath, and let the water in through her nose. The first few inhales made her light-headed, and her lungs feel as though they would implode with water. But then, they didn't. And water flew through her lungs as oxygen would.

"I can't move" Vanessa said, her own words surprising her. The dress had immobilized her.

Only using a fingernail, she'd called it her 'due-claw'. Morgana cut a circle around Vanessa's waist, separating the bodice from the skirt. Her 'due-claw' merely grazed Vanessa's skin. It was cold and hard, but didn't cut close enough to leave proof.

Pushing off the floor, from under the dress, Vanessa was free. Letting the water cradle her, it held her still.

"Now, watch me" Morgana said, attempting to keep her tentacles together as she swam. As if to demonstrate what it would be like to swim with fins.

"Can't you just" Vanessa started. "Transform your tentacles into a tail?"

"Well, that's a dumb question" Morgana shot back fast. "And no, I've already tried"

Vanessa had wanted to know more about Morgana's attempted transformation, but she refused to elaborate.

"Who are you?" Vanessa asked, between breaks. "I mean, are you a god? A fairy-godmother?"

Morgana laughed loud.

"No, and no" she said. "I knew your mother"

"I have no mother" Vanessa shot back.

"Who do you suppose birthed you?" Morgana barked. "Certainly not your 'dick for brains' father"

Vanessa had wanted to correct the woman, but she was right.

"That doesn't make her my mother" she protested.

"I'm not arguing that" Morgana said, putting her hands up.

"Who was she?" Vanessa asked, honestly curious.

"A big bitch" she answered simply.

"Was she really that bad?" Vanessa asked.

Morgana paused.

"She wasn't always" she said finally, dropping the subject.

Before too long, Vanessa had the basics down.

"I'd like to try on my own" she said.

"Makes no difference to me" Morgana shrugged.

The water outside the ice cavern was colder still. Quieter. Perhaps almost too quite.

Until the sound of someone struggling for their life, took her attention.

From what she could see, a young merman had stupidly gotten himself stuck between literally a rock and a hard place. He seemed to plead to her, in his own language.

"I'm going to help you" she said, in her's.

The look on his face didn't seem puzzled, as most did here. His was rather understanding, and thankful.

Nearly pulling his arms out of their sockets did nothing.

"How did you ever get yourself into this?" She asked.

"Good question" he answered, to her surprise.

Nothing Vanessa tried worked, until she remembered her new appendage. Taking a good stretch back, she hit the ice with her fins. Which hurt like nothing else, and worked like nothing else. Where she hit, there was now an indent within the ice.

"This is getting us nowhere" he said. "I can't have you hurting yourself, for my stupidity"

Just before giving up, Vanessa began to tingle all over. After that sensation, came a mist exuding from her fingertips. The mist was small, and light purple in color.

"What are you doing?" He asked.

"I'm not" she answered.

The mist shot from her fingers, and straight into the ice. The noise and ice flying was enough to cause someone to got deaf as well as blind. Vanessa was left unscathed. The young merman, Vanessa was unsure of.

"Finnick!" A young mermaid swam in fast, rummaging through the remaining ice.

This mermaid had bright pink hair, with purple undertones. Blue-green at the tail.

"Is he okay?" Vanessa asked, as the mermaid pulled him from the minor disaster.

"I think he will be" she said. "But we need to get him to Atlantica"