Alex was gone. I searched everywhere for him. I needed an explanation for what happened on the night of 'The Summoning'. His face was clear as day. He was a human. So, why was he on the list of faces? Why was he with her? He had to be in trouble. Yet, somehow I had this sick sense he was okay. That couldn't be. 'She' was with him. There was nothing good about her. Her aura stunk of evil.
Alex's friends had not seen him since he left after the game they shared. He was not at the apartment he and Sophie shared. In fact, all his stuff was gone. It was as if he never lived there at all. Sophie had been so busy with the survey and updating databases, I thought it was best to not share the information just yet. She loved Alex. The thought of Alex moving out while she wasn't there would hurt her. I couldn't cause her harm. Little Miss Mermaid joined me in the kitchen. "Morning," she grumbled. I added more"I feel odd," I whined, fixing my couplings.Sophiedecided that it would be better if we all dressed formally for the business meeting. She was playing the role of my executive assistant. Therefore, she bought everything to play the part. She had spent two hours to know everything about the man we were meeting.He owned a few hotels along the coast. The building I was thinking of buying was one of the first he has ever owned. However, he wanted to expand and improve the hotel like his others, but its location prevented him from doing so. Therefore, he lost more than he gained. People were willing to book his other hotels and not that one. In the long run, he moved the hotel to another location. I made the offer to check out the old building before he could decide what to do with it.Sophie helped me with my tie. The thing was like a rope, hanging me. I wondered how Dad lived in these things."Oh, stop whining,
The hotel wasn't that bad. Everything was still intact since the owner was using it up to the minute the other hotel opened. A hundred and ten rooms, a gift shop, an indoor and outdoor pool area, a private beach, a gym, a daycare area, a teenage lounge or gaming room, an outdoor and indoor bar area, a restaurant, and a spa area. I could say this place was the right fit for the merfolks. Most of the rooms were large enough to transform into apartments.The indoor pool could be used for transformations while the outdoor one could be used for enjoyment. I was thinking we could change the gift shop, teenage lounge, the daycare area, and the indoor bar into apartment areas. However, Sophie suggested it was best to leave as is. The gift shop could be turned into a mini-mart. It would allow employment. And, for those new merfolks, shopping where they lived would make life easier for them.The teenage lounge would remain the same. I could add a few more gam
The hotel wasn't that bad. Everything was still intact since the owner was using it up to the minute the other hotel opened. A hundred and ten rooms, a gift shop, an indoor and outdoor pool area, a private beach, a gym, a daycare area, a teenage lounge or gaming room, an outdoor and indoor bar area, a restaurant, and a spa area. I could say this place was the right fit for the merfolks. Most of the rooms were large enough to transform into apartments.The indoor pool could be used for transformations while the outdoor one could be used for enjoyment. I was thinking we could change the gift shop, teenage lounge, the daycare area, and the indoor bar into apartment areas. However, Sophie suggested it was best to leave as is. The gift shop could be turned into a mini-mart. It would allow employment. And, for those new merfolks, shopping where they lived would make life easier for them.The teenage lounge would remain the same. I could add a few more gam
Was I dreaming?No, it was not possible. In my dreams, I was the third party in the scene, a mere spectator. Right now my eyes were open. I was the one experiencing this.I squeezed my eyelids closed and blinked them open. Yeah, Sophie was still in my room.She staggered to my bed. As if her feet couldn't hold her up, she flipped face down on the mattress. A deep groan vibrated the bed.Sophie flipped on her side. "I'm so hot. Prince, I…"The whine trailed off as she curled on the bed. She rubbed her thigh together. Small, pedicured toes curled. Another moan left her.I threw off the duvet and drew closer to her. "Sophie, what's wrong?"A groan was her response.I checked her body, trying to detect the source of her pain. No wounds came in sight. She leaned into every touch. It was not until she laid with lips parted and eyes closed, enjoying
'We shouldn't be friends anymore.'Sophie agreed. She didn't even put up a fight. Were we that disposable to her?The thought shattered my heart. I struggled to breathe through the pain in my chest.I gritted my teeth. "It's for the best."Then why did it hurt so bad? This was my idea. I should be the one composed and aloof. Unaffected by the situation. However, like always Sophie managed to turn it on me.Damn her!Sophie's footsteps disappeared. The soft click of the bathroom door snapped louder than it should. I wobbled out of the bedroom. My feet wanted to give way under me. The need to break something shook my body. When the door closed, there was no sound. My intention was to leave. Regardless, my body and my mind fought an intense war.I was stuck at the door. My palm refused to release the doorknob. I wanted to march back into the room, to demand Sophie's attentio
You!"What the hell are you looking at?" I scowled.Little Miss Mermaid gapped. I hissed my teeth and pushed past her. Who cared if the mermaid saw or heard anything? This was none of her business.I skipped down the stairs and found the pool. Laps in the pool would help to calm me. It only brought back another memory.************Flashback**************Fifteen laps in two minutes.Damn! I was still too slow.Alex and I visited the old man in the world found at our secret cave. He challenged me to do thirty or more laps in a pool in less than a minute. At the time, I thought it was a piece of cake. Cocky and too confident, I boast about my speed. Me and my big mouth. When it was time to put my money where my mouth was, my average speed didn't come close to the requirement.I cursed and reset my timer.There was no way the old man was goi
Sophie.I trodded through a long path of darkness. The words 'We're done. We shouldn't be friends anymore,' kept flickering in silver along the way. Sophie's laugh in all its age transformations flashed in the dark with images along the side of the path. Sophie when we first met. Sophie, two years later. Each stage of her development in all its glory.Those disappeared and the path grew dark again. The silence drew me to the edge of insanity. Weeping pierced through the silence.I came to a stop in front of a film of Soph crying. She was an adult. The last time Soph cried was when we were sixteen. After that day, she changed. She got stronger, vindictive, and manipulative. In this film, she looked weak. A sad little girl.Liquid trickled down my skin. I touched my nose. It was blood. I was bleeding. My nose, ears, and tear ducts leaked the crimson substance. My mouth pooled with blood. I spat it out in the darkness.
Weakness.Though I didn't understand what Mom and Shelly were discussing on the phone, the strength of my body declined. My movements were somewhat sluggish. My powers, on the other hand, were still intact. Most of all, I was sad. Depressed, even.I couldn't remember anything of last night other than my argument with Soph. Everything else was a blur. The memory evoked in my sleep kept replaying in my head. Soph and I were sixteen. I lost control and she didn't run. Still, every time it played in my head, I got more depressed.This could only mean one thing. Soph was finally letting go. She wasn't going to pursue me like every other time we argued. This was what I wanted. Yet, my whole being refused to acknowledge that Soph would leave me. She was the most stubborn person I knew. She got what she wanted and she has made it clear she wanted our friendship.I remained in bed for half the day. A rarity in my family. Mer