Chapter 5

"I won't."

"Danny did you hear that?" "Danny, wake up."

"What is it?"

"There's a noise we should leave."

"What you are hearing is cars going over."

She is not the heavy sleeping type.

"Ummm."

I laid back down the ground is cold but the air around us is warm. That noise earlier scares me. I move closer to Danny. So close that we were almost touching.

"You alright?"

I can feel her breathing down my back.

"Penelope what's wrong?"

"Everything, I am scared."

I flipped over on my side.

"Would you feel better if I held your hand?"

"Yes."

He gently held my hand.

"Penelope, my fingers are losing oxygen."

"I am so sorry."

I couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"The way you freaked out my hand losing oxygen."

I laughed so hard that I fell from my side potion onto Penelope and our lips touched.

"I am sorry I didn't mean to."

Her face was frozen with shock.

"I never had one of those before, what do you call it?"

"Kissing." "It's when you kiss someone you love as a partner."

"Oh I thought you kissed them on the cheek."

"You do with your family members like your parents or siblings but when you're in love with a guy or a girl that you are not related to you kiss them on the lips."

"Oh I get it, it's like a romance book or movie when their lips touch I call that lip locking but kissing sounds better."

"Can we kiss again?"

"I would love to but I need to know is kissing me just to try it or do you love me like I love you?"

"Wait, you love me?" "I knew that I had feelings for you because every time I see you I get shy and nervous but most of all I love who you are so yes I love you."

I pulled her close and kissed her. This kiss was our true first kiss, no accident this time. But something isn't right. She tastes like cream. I didn't think a kiss should taste like cream.

"Pen?"

"Danny, when did you get whipped cream in your mouth?"

"Gulp." "How did you do that?"

That caught me off guard but it was so cool.

"I did that?" "Well I did think of whipped cream when kissing you because the kiss we shared reminds me of sweet things."

"Did you do anything with your arms?"

"Yes my hands moved like twinkling stars."

"We have to figure out how to control your powers before you do something really but by accident."

"I know that's why I have been trying."

"What?" "So did you do that on purpose?"

"No but I wish I had." "Do you know how cool that would have been?"

"Yes, that would have been cool." "Let's get you under control."

It took a couple moments but she can finally control her magic.

"Thank you so much now I know how to use my powers."

Wow now I can without hurting anyone.

"I know what I can do I can make us some beds so that we won't have to sleep on the ground."

I made some beds with my magic.

"Wow it worked." "I didn't think that they would look so good."

"I have been trying to figure out how to get a bed here for years and here you are and now I have beds in the cave." "Thank you."

"My pleasure I didn't really want to sleep on the hard ground again if we stayed here some other time."

***

"That little brat found a way to get it off now it's not working and now we won't be able to find her because we have no more bait."

"Lilly I got an Idea what if we turned ourselves into mermaids and called for help she will come and we will have ourselves mermaids."

"That's a great plan, good job flower now we will have the mermaids for sure this time."

(Singing)

We need help. We have lost our way. Please someone help us.

"Danny." "Danny."

He is deep in slumber land. It sounded like mermaids needed our help.

"I will be right back."

I kissed his lips. I walked to the hole once in the water. I got my tail. I swam for a while following the music then I spotted them.

"Hello."

"Hello, do you know the way to the mermaid town?" "My name is flower and this is Lilly."

"Yes I know the way." "What part of the ocean are you two from?"

"We're from here but we forgot which way to go."

Hang on, those names sound familiar. Oh no they are the witches that killed my mother.

"Show me your true form or I will do it myself."

I got my hands ready.

"What are you talking about?" "We are mermaids just like you."

"Yes we are not witches."

"Well then you wouldn't mind me changing you both to your true forms if you are mermaids you will stay mermaids."

"There's no way you can do that if you aren't a witch."

"That's the one thing you don't know about me, my mother was a witch and my father a mermaid so I have as much power as the both of you do."

"That's not possible."

"Oh yea?"

(Singing)

Take these two and turn them back into their true forms.

"No!!"

"Now what to do with you two?" "I know."

(Singing)

I sentence you both to lose your powers and become fish for the rest of your lives.

"Now you both look amazing." "Good bye and good luck."

***

"Penelope what happened?" "I was so worried about you, are you alright?"

I can tell she has been using her powers and she looks so weak.

"I." "I."

I feel so light headed. Everything went black.

***

"Mia dinner is ready."

"Coming."

I swam down stairs.

"Mother, father, when's the next time Penelope will come over?"

"Sigh." "When she is ready." "She needs time to heal first before she can forgive your mother and myself." "It might take a while but I know she will come back." "She knows that she is loved, wanted, and always welcome to stay here with us for as long as she needs."

"I really just miss her."

"I know." "We all miss her."

I swam into my parents' embrace. Why can't she just forgive them already. I really miss her. I felt tears run down my face.

***

"Penelope please wake up."

"What happened?"

My head hurts. I sat up.

"Wow, lay back down, just take it easy." "You fainted when you came back." "Where did you go anyway?"

I remember last night. Why would I do something like that? I started to cry. I think I am broken.

"Why are you crying?" "What happened?"

"Danny, I used my magic badly. I am sorry." "I should have come back but I didn't, I did bad."

I cried harder.

"What did you do?"

This can't be good. Well no bad thing is good.

I took away the witch's powers and then turned them into fish.

I couldn't help but laugh.

"What's so funny?"

"I am sorry but what you did was a good thing and brave thing you did." "you saved all the mermaids from them."

I pulled her close. I can feel her heart beating and her shaky breathing as she cried. She finally stopped crying or ran out of tears I am not sure.

"You are sweet, nice, and many more things but you have to know if you didn't stop them from coming to us we would all be goners." "Thank you for saving all of us."

"You don't have to thank me but I am not really positive that doing things to them like I did was the right thing to do."

"Is that why you are upset?" "I wouldn't worry about it, they are really mean witches, remember all the things they did to you?"

"That's the thing though we never really gave any of them a chance." "So how do we know what they are really like?" "We just judge them by the way they look and what they are called." "I did a terrible thing last night due to hatred and sadness." "Now I am in a spot where I will not be again." "I am going to make things right."

"Penelope, wait I won't let you." "What if they hurt you?" Or worse."

"Well then at least I tried to make a difference." "It's the right thing to do."

"Sigh." "You're right." "I have been trying to mend things with my parents too."

"What's holding you back?"

"Myself." "I am scared of the future that waits ahead."

"Please, I already know what you have been through, I remember." "But there are many things I wish I hadn't done." "I wish I would have done more and said more to my real mother but now she is gone so you better go to your parents before it's too late."

"I understand but I do really think undoing the spell is too risky." "At least let me come with you so I can bring you back after you faint and that's another thing you are using way too much power for that spell it can't be good for your health."

"You can come but please don't be mean."

***

"Flower the idea would have worked but we forgot one thing."

"What's that?"

"We shouldn't have said anything about witches."

"No really, how do you think we got in this mess?"

"Hello Lilly and flowers."

"What do you want?" "You have done enough already."

"I don't want to do anything to you." "I want to give back everything I took and to turn you back into yourselves." "I am sorry for what I have done." "I did it out of anger and I shouldn't have but you did take my mother from me but that is why I am here to undo what I have done." "Before I do, I want to know if I were to walk in your shoes for a day, what would it be like?"

"I don't know." "Why are you asking?"

"I have realized that you and all the others like you are not as bad as others take you for like my mother." "I understand why you had to kill my mother because she broke rules." "I might not know what rules she broke but I know she did." "I also don't want to remember any of that, I just want to remember all the good times we had together." "What I really want to know right now is how you feel."

I looked at the flower, her eyes filled with tears, hope, and sadness.

"Thank you for coming back to us and explaining everything." "We are so much more than what others think of us." "Thank you for coming back and not taking advantage of what others say about us." "We are still people that want to have our own lives, we have families that care about us just like humans and mermaids."

"Let's get you both back to your true forms."

(Singing)

Change these two back to their true forms, give them their powers back, return them to their true selves.

"Sigh."

"Penelope."

I caught her as she fainted.

"What happened to her?"

"She is just weak, she used too much of her power as you know she is not fully witch sorry I mean like you two so when she uses her powers she gets weak I have to take her home and I hope you both get home safely."

"Thank you and you take care of Penelope." "She is lucky to have you and you are lucky to have her." "Come flower, let's go back home."

"Goodbye young man take care."