I’ll never know the truth of what happened with my aunt getting custody of me. I was an only child. Both of my parents passed away before I was six years old. So, I was an orphan. I had no grandparents, nor any other living relatives to take me in. My dad left me a huge inheritance and a mansion to make my home. However, when my aunt and her spawns moved in, it turned into your next Cinderella story. I saw the will a few years ago. Everything is mine, one day.

  Dwelling on something never changing, I decided I would read more while snacking and then figure everything out. The waves were splashing on my face, so I didn’t pull the books out of the bag. Instead, I grabbed my juice out of my bag, another blueberry snickerdoodle cookie, and ate another snack. It was at that point; I was aware I was floating. I do not know why I didn’t realize it before. I guess I hit my head on the fall. My legs weren't moving as I tried to swim to shore. I looked down and my feet were now fish tails or leg fins. Sea legs? There was a correct name for it. I would learn, I guess. My upper body was scaly and disgusting. The thought disgusted me. I was part fish, part woman. Are mermaids as hideous as I am? Could I be a mermaid? Isn’t that what they call the female floating with sea legs? There were more questions than answers for me. There were theories, but no foundations. I wasn’t sure if this was a dream.

  Still floating, I continued to eat my snacks and try to understand if this was a dream or if this was reality. Everything around me was vibrant and pleasing to the eyes. I had to be dreaming. I finished my snack and worked out how to use my new sea legs. Throwing my bag over my shoulder and doing my version of a dolphin kick to get through the water to the land to see if I could walk on land again.

  I swam for hours, and the water was never ending. This was feeling more like Neverland, and I was ready to wake-up. It scared me to put my face underwater, because I didn’t want to turn into a complete fish, but my skin was getting scaly and I felt like I would dry out and rot. So, in one deep dive, I went underwater as far as I could and I swam as fast as I could towards what I thought was land. Once I came out of the water, I shot into the air, claiming my new form and adjusting to this new life. Even if it wasn’t forever, I would take advantage of this break from reality.

  I made it to land. As I tried to come out of the water, I felt the decaying feeling of my skin again. I felt like I was rotting from the inside. The water was too much for me to leave. I couldn’t walk. It irritated my scales after about thirty minutes of being out of the water. The second my leg fins were out of the water, they burned.

  The water reflected off my face. I was hideous. I wasn’t looking at who I woke up to this morning. My hair wasn’t red anymore. It was a black and wild color. My natural hair and natural beauty were gone.

  Since I couldn’t leave the water, I figured I’d swim the shorelines near the sandbars. I hope I can find someone on a boat or something that could help me.

  That’s when the pull grabbed and pulled me closer to him.

  3

  “Hello, can I help you? Are you lost?” The male voice said.

  “My name is Bayou Brooks and I do not know what has happened to me or where I am or what this world is.” I said to him, I was nervous. His aura, his deep blue eyes, and blinding smile instantly mesmerized me, that lit up the sun.

  “My name is Triton. People call me Trit. We are in Neverland, and I work with the Queen Adira of the seven seas. Is there somewhere I can take you, Bayou Brooks?” He replied, but his voice was so beautiful and secretive.

  “I’m not sure I can leave the water, but I have these blueberry snicker-doodles, and fresh apple juice and a few snacks if you’d like to have a part sea- part land picnic with me? Are you hungry?” I rambled and muttered, trying to get everything out without seeming insanely out of touch with reality. The facts: One, he said we were in Neverland. Two, I went down a hole. Does that make me Alice? Three: He’s absolutely mouthwatering, breaks every bone in my body, slaps my mama and calls me Uncle Sam delicious. Four: I read too much. Five: He said Neverland. Does that make him peter pan? I was to be Alice, and he was Peter Pan. Does that mean I fell down the rabbit hole and land in Wonderland? “Now I’m confused,” I said out loud, not realizing my mouth was now echoing my thoughts.

  “That sounds different and I’m onboard. However, I’m allergic to apples and blueberries make me act weird. But I love snickerdoodles, so I will eat one with you.”

  The beautiful man took a bite of the cookie I gave him, and a letter appeared out of nowhere.

  A curse placed upon you,

  He is a beauty; you are a beast.

  To break this curse, he must love you for you - every ugly little piece.

  Once you are loved, and your mate approves,

  your legs will return and be able to use.

  Until that day, you have until the full moon.

  If he doesn’t love you for who you are,

  Your fins and scales will turn into scars.

  Your beauty will not return, the beast will remain you.

  Bibbity Bobbity Boo!

  The letter vanished. The boy remained. My goddess, he was so beautiful! The electric charges around him were so beautiful. I could breathe around him, but he took my breath away. I wonder what he thinks when he looks at me.

  “When is the full moon?” I asked, trying to make conversation, but also to see how long I had to make this man fall in love with me before I turned into a vigorously ugly being.

  “The full moon is in three weeks. Are you able to roam on land under the full moon?” He asked in what I swore was a flirty tone. Everything I took advantage of before slipping down this tunnel to insanity, I wanted now. I wanted to walk in the forest with this man. I wanted to taste and try traditional and random foods I originally turned my nose at. And I wanted it with him.

  “Why? Do you have somewhere you’d like to show me?” I matched his tone. I would love to take him to the east side of our forest and show him the waterfalls and the springs. The water filtered itself and it helped make some of the most amazing coffee and tea.

  “I have tons of places I’d love to show you, Bayou Brooks.” His eyes were excited. He had a crooked smile, and a dimple on his right cheek making him even more alluring. The way the sun reflected and helped his hair glow was something I’ve never seen before. Mesmerizing.

  “You can call me Brooks, if you’d like.” I squeaked. I want to say I sounded like a mouse, but I would lie. It was more like a rusted door. I was beyond thirsty.

  “I like your name. It’s suitable for a mermaid.” He smiled. The first genuine smile I’d experienced since I lost my parents.

  “But I’m in the ocean, not in the swampland of Louisiana or Florida.” I sternly informed him. Facts were facts, and we were not in Kansas anymore, Toto.

  “You’re right, you’re in Neverland. Which is way, way better!” He jumped up, spreading his arms open and showcased the surrounding areas as if I won a lottery ticket and the most amazing prize. That wasn’t the case, and the greatest prize would be him—And I was stuck in the water. False advertisement, I declared to myself.

  I knew I had three weeks to make this man love me. Could he be what’s holding me back from walking on land again and staying a mermaid? If not him, who? If it wasn’t him, it had to be someone. He was beautiful, so it had to mean since I saw the spell activated with him, he had to love me for me and all my ugliness. This would be great. I’m sure he was royalty or something.

  “What part of the queen’s court are you?” I asked, not sure what else to say.

  “I’m part of the guards. We had word the new queen would come in to visit. The queen from the land of a thousand desires and the queen of the north and south would visit and sit down to discuss any discrepancies that might have happened when the evil witch escaped our realm and wreaked havoc on everyone.”

  Evil witch? I know an evil witch. She’s the demon that put this curse on me. I seethed to myself. I wonder if they are the same. “What’s the difference between Wonderland and Neverland?” I asked curiously.

  “Wonderland is the land. The island side of the realm. Neverland is the sea, because it’s never-ending.” He explained, pointing here and there, showing what he was showing.

  “What is above and below?” I asked, wanting it to seem like I was joking, but I didn’t know.

  “That’s heaven and hell.” He said with a snip.

  Looking into his eyes, I swear I have lived a thousand lives. They were the grayest blue and there wasn’t a cloud in sight. I saw the laugh lines around his eyes. Stunning. Beautiful. He already captivated every bit of my senses, but now I was even more keen on knowing everything I needed to know. I wanted to know about him, his life growing up. His favorite memories, his worst. I wanted it all. I felt an urge to sing to bring him. What would that do? Is this why Kane and Rian were calling me Siren? I thought to myself.

  “What do these queens look like?” I asked, trying to be cautious and make sure there wasn’t anything that I have done wrong upon their appearance.

  “To be honest, you look identical to the queen of the seven seas, but you’re much smaller and your hair is black, whereas her hair is blood red.” That was interesting. My hair in its natural form is red. And it was until this godforsaken curse brought me here.

  “And the king?” I added. This seemed too good to be true. The typical cliche in a fairytale. Could I have landed myself in my insanely personal story? That would be awesome. I hope they forget the negative details and paint me as a beautiful mermaid. All mermaids should be beautiful, but the cursed mermaid must be a goddess. I am the cursed mermaid. I should be a goddess. My thoughts were distracting me, but I had to know.

  “His hair is red, too.” He laughed and pulled us around with his boat. He took us around and I stayed in the water. “Where the queen is a mermaid, he’s a siren. Their daughter would be a mixture of both a siren and a mermaid, choosing her path once she returned. They had a daughter before they came back from their vacation, but you don’t look like her. They said she had red hair, too!”

  “I wonder if they could be my parents…” I thought out loud. I didn’t expect him to hear me, nor did this day probably go any differently. “My hair is naturally red, too.” I said blankly.

  “That is possible, but I feel like they would have told us if their daughter was visiting. We have no powers around the royalty. That was part of our treaty, and we were going to make sure that it stayed in place. Bayou, what happened to your parents?”

  “A man mistaken my mom for a fish and killed her. My father drowned.”

  “Were your mom and dad skilled swimmers?” He was as intrigued as I was.

  “They would swim and workout all the time. We moved so much that I almost never got enough of the water until I lost both parents to the water.”

  “Wow! That’s sad.” He said in a somber tone to my voice. He meant it.

  “So, what became of the king and queen’s daughter?” I asked.

  “They left here when the Queen was pregnant with their daughter. She returned when the child would have been six years old. Later that year, King returned soon after. They haven’t left again, nor have they traveled outside of our realm.” He explains. His voice was always soft and never what I imagined it to be looking at him, but where I am from, I don’t get to see a lot of beautiful men.

  “Bayou Brooks, is there something you’re not telling me?” He stepped back and tried to sit on a rock close to the water. I want to believe that he was trying to get closer. If he got into the water and stayed, he might shrivel into a prune and fade away. I could not be the reason for his beauty’s demise. Nobody would blame me for his breathtaking beauty being disrupted.

  “Trit, what if I’m their daughter?” I asked, grabbing my locket and pulling it closer to Trit. “This is a picture of my mother and father before they passed away and left me an orphan. Is this them?” I showed the locket to him, and he gasped. “Are you the lost princess, after all?”

  We talked all afternoon. Something drew me to him. Something pulled me to him, like a magnetic attraction or gravitational pull. There is something about this that would make it perfect. This could go wrong. I wanted to remain positive, but I also wanted my legs back.

  Before he got up to leave me, he asked me, “if you are the princess, would you choose to be a mermaid or siren?” He was playing with my hair. I wanted him to come closer.

  4

  “What’s the difference?” I was ignorant about their world, but I wanted to know more.

  “Well, a mermaid before puberty is a woman as you were before you came to our realm. You’re free to make your own choices. Once it’s time for you to find your true mate, you will become a ½ woman/ ½ fish. Whereas with a Siren, you’re a ½ bird/ ½ woman creature. The same applies. Except the Siren song is so seductive. The Sirens used to be known for murder and slaughter, but now they are used for keeping our realm safe. They lead armies. If you were a Siren and Mermaid, you would be ¼ fish and ¼ bird, / ½ woman. It can’t exist, so you would have to choose.”

  “I think I would choose the water over the air. I love birds and singing, but I love swimming and I’m afraid of heights.” We both laughed. It was time for him to head back and I had to find food that was satiable enough for me to survive the night.

  “I’m going to go get the Queen. After I guide the boat back to the kingdom's waters, I will get you into it. Once we are there, I will introduce you to the Queen and king. They will know if you’re the princess.” He said with a smile, but his eyes turning down and somber.

  “That sounds amazing, but why did you just go from happy and excited to somber and depressing?” I asked.

  “Because if you’re the princess, then I have no chance to get to know you, and this has been fun.”

  “But I’m a hideous mermaid and you’re on the Royal Court, so wouldn’t that make us on the same level?”

  “Well, if you’re the princess, I will be on the court with you. However,” He halted.

  “Bayou, why are you crying?”

  “Could you ever see yourself married to a hideous beast like me or loving a beast like me? I’m disgusting.”

  “Bayou, what are you even talking about? We just met and believe you might be the princess. That’s big to take in. Yes, I like you and think you’re hilarious, but marriage? This soon? That’s a little…” He looked into my eyes, and I looked at him with tears rolling down my face.

  “Ridiculous. I know. Nobody would ever love a hideous mermaid that has all these scales on her face.” I said, about to turn into the water and become isolated.

  “You have captivated me, Bayou. That’s why I’m still here. I do not believe you are a beast, because there is something more to you and I want to know every part of you.”

  “I’ll be back in the morning. When I come back, we will finish this conversation. I can’t risk the Queen getting mad at me for not having everything ready. I promise I will return to you in the morning.” Trit was enchanting. He might be the siren, I thought to myself.

  Watching him leave until I could no longer see his shadow, I swam deep into the ocean until I was tired. Once I was relaxed again, I found a delightful spot in what I called the Everglades. It had nice water; sweet fish and I found a rock so I could read until I ran out of light. Eventually, I fell asleep and had the most amazing dream. I was wearing a beautiful yellow gown, golden shoes, and a crown. I was at an altar having to choose between life as a siren or life as a mermaid. I chose Siren and turned into a beautiful Raven, but with my head and black hair. Soon, I woke up to Trit, who found me somehow. He had a few apple fritters and a cup of coffee. Oh, how I missed coffee!

  Looking into his beautiful face. I wonder if he would still be this amazing if I was the Siren. “So, weird question, Trit. Let’s say hypothetically, I was a siren and sang, half bird, half woman thing, do you get to pick which bird you become?” He laughed so hard that he fell off his canoe. I swooped down and picked him up, placing him back on the canoe. This is the feeling pulling me from the moment I walked into the forest. It’s been him the entire time.

  “You get to choose your bird. Which would you choose? I’d chose an Owl because they are wise and night creatures. Plus, they have the exorcist thing going on with their necks.” We laughed again.

  “I’d choose a raven. They’re so beautiful, majestic and a flock of ravens is called a conspiracy. I always thought that was funny. I read it in a book, and it’s always stuck to me.” HE didn’t laugh. “Are you a mermaid or a siren?” I asked him to become curious and curiouser.

  “I’m actually a giant, but I’ve learned to stop my growth.” He jumped into the water with me. Once near me, he wrapped his arms around me. I kept us both floating. “Is that okay, Bayou?”

  “It’s very okay, Trit.” I have one question, though.

  “Go ahead, Bayou.”

  “The way you say my name steals my heart and makes it flutter every time.” I pulled away for a second and put him back on the canoe. Clearing my throat before asking the most important question I’d ask in my life.

  “Do you think you would want to kiss me?”

  “Absolutely.”

  5

  He jumped back into the water and wrapped his arms around me. Placing his lips upon mine. His tongue met mine, and he kissed me. With his own free will.

  “When I look at you, I see nothing hideous. You’re a beautiful princess, and I know you will be a great queen when it’s your time.”

  “Kiss me again.” I whimpered, trying not to use my siren song or seduction to lure him. It had to be his own free will.

  And he did. He kissed me, and the world came to us with a big knock into the water. When we both came out of the water, my scales were gone, and my legs were back.

  “Your hair is red, Bayou! You really are the princess!”

 

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