Chapter 9: Face to Face

(10 minutes earlier...)

Lava rested on the car window looking lost in his own thoughts. his driver makes a U-turn to follow another road because of the hectic traffic on the other road. Lava suddenly recognized the familiar figure standing stranded on the road. He lowered down the car window to see who it was, he recognized her to be Erica who was standing there looking as if she had seen a ghost.

" Stop the car!" He shouted why reaching for his umbrella underneath his chair.

" But sir..."

" I say stop the car!!" He shouted again scaring his driver who quickly stopped the car halfway causing other drivers to sound their horn annoyingly. 

He quickly ran to Erica placing the umbrella above her head to stop the rain from pouring on her. He walked behind her until he was facing the lady who looks like a stranded cat inside the rain.

"L... lava" she called blankly 

" Come inside the car with me, I will drop you off" he said holding her hand. Erica didn't say any word as she followed him behind to the car.

(Mk party)

"Sweety!" Mk shouted in joy when he had seen Oma walk into his house .

Oma quickly gave him a warm hug also kissed his cheek.

" You made it, it was already 6pm and I kept wondering where you might be " he said

" Sorry Love, I was getting this " she said raising the wrapped gift up for him to see " Happy birthday" she said to him

" Thanks babe" he said taking the gift from her

" Happy birthday Mk" Lilian said

" Thanks dear" he said really thrilled

" Let's party, you are going to love it" he said to Oma who giggled and jumped up in excitement.

(Back at Lava's car)

" So you don't want to go home?" Lava asked Erica who was leaning on the chair with her body covered with lava's suit jacket.

" Anywhere is good but not home, no one is probably around right now " she answered gently

"Okay, you are coming home with me then" lava said

" I don't think it is a good idea Mr. lava, Mr. Hansel won't like it" the driver quickly said

" She is fucking sick and needs company, do you suggest I go to the hotel with her? It's probably a decent idea, right?" Lava questioned him

" Hospital sounds fine" the driver said as lava gave him a death stare

" It's just a little sickness that needs rest and sound sleep to recover, my dad won't know about this except someone tells him" He angrily said glaring at his driver from the front mirror

"Okay sir, but I will go in first to make sure Mr. Hansel is not downstairs" the driver said

" Good" he said. When he looked down his chair, he saw his wallet beneath it. " Oh my goodness, this was here all these time" he happily said picking it up.

Erica smiled briefly why pretending she was asleep, she had dropped the wallet there when she had came in. 

" It's a good thing you are here, I wouldn't have seen her stranded in the rain if I had u with me" she heard lava say quietly to his wallet.

( Riveria)

Amanda quickly swims to the princess when she had come inside her room

" Your highness, how was your hangout with the two handsome princes ?" She curiously asked

" Not bad" she replied lying down as she was so stressed out " The two princes will be staying here for five more days" she added

" That's fun, so who do you like the most your highness?" Amanda asked again

" The both of them are okay, I observed them both quietly during our conversation" she answered

" So what did you get to know about them?" Amanda asked really curious about the whole discussion

" Prince Obi is softhearted, Definitely the kind of merman that would choose the happiness of the whole world over his own happiness; Then prince Luca is tough, just like the warrior he is... I think he is someone who would fight for what he wants " Princess Adunni said nodding her head

" That's interesting, so they are opposite of each other "Amanda said

" Yes, it's left for me to know who my mother chooses " Princess Adunni told her.

* * *

(Mr. Hansel's mansion)

" How are you feeling now?" Lava asked Erica who lay on the bed covered up in a blanket

" Am okay" she responded

" So you really don't want to eat? Are you afraid that I will drug your food and do something?" He asked her smiling

" I would know if you put something on my food, I just don't feel like eating" she responded

" This makes me want to know more about you, you seem to be a lover of the sea; Is that your study?" He curiously asked

" I am not a student like you and I just don't love the sea creatures, I live with them" she said making eye contact with him.

Lava was quite for a moment

" That's a good joke" he said laughing which made Erica laugh too. She was actually laughing that lava had no idea he was talking to a siren.

" If you were a student, you would be studying marine biology seeing the fact you asked about an aquarium at a fundraiser" he said laughing.

" Yes" she responded although she didn't know anything about what that was "So let me know about you" she said

" Y...yes, am actually going to be 22years old by the ending of this year, I didn't go into school early, I first had a private tutor when i was four as it was the best option according to my dad before my biological mum talked him out of it" he said calmly

" It must be good to have someone who cares about you" she said

" I wish I had to say yes for my dad but he is a workaholic and would choose business over me. But for my biological mum; she has to drop by sometimes to see me, make sure I eat, ask me if I made new friends at school and so on, when she died while I was eight years old .... I....it was unbearable " he said getting all emotional.

Erica regretted asking about his mum when the unwanted feelings started forming inside of her, she is the type that doesn't feel remorse for people or pity them, she doesn't even know her parents and doesn't even care to know. she can live up to three thousand years at the sea and still not want to be cared for.

" Sorry for been too emotional" Lava apologized 

" It's okay, it must be really sad loosing someone, but why is your dad cold towards you?" She asked not actually bothered by whatever he was going to say, she is trying to get more information about the sea.

" Because he is heartless, it hurts that am the only one that has to see it and bear with him. His mother cheated on his dad and got a divorce taking half of his dad properties, ever since then he built his wall so high for everyone around him and channeled his anger into work at a very young age shutting everyone out of his Life, it was unlucky for my mum" Lava said totally pissed.

" That's sad" Erica said laughing

" Sorry for telling you this, but... It actually felt good saying it out, it has been bottled up inside of me for a very long time" he said causing Erica to giggle hard. 

" You look beautiful when you laugh" he said gently.

When Erica looked back at him, he looked away

" You should sleep on the bed, I. I... I will sleep on the cushion" he said nervously why getting up. 

Erica quickly grabbed him on his hand and pushed him back to the bed. When their face was close enough, Lava kissed him silently and then withdraws his lips immediately

" S... sorry" he softly said but Erica kisses him back sloppily and Lava gave in too as they put their hands around each other.

" This is how kissing feels like, the perfect way to lead humas astray" she thought to herself. 

***

Oma kept tumbling on the bed during her sleeping hours, Lilian was just there snoring herself out why she is just there thinking about Erica. She wasn't thinking of the multiple kisses she had received from Mk while they were alone or the fact that Lilian got really drunk that she almost got arrested by the police. She was worried that Erica a perfect stranger is out there wearing her foster mum's dress. Nothing bothers her more than that.

***

(Back at Riveria)

Princess Adunni was almost done training herself like she has always done secretly outside the palace, she wasn't supposed to be out by that time but yesterday's big event that lasted till night really stressed her out. She had dressed like a mere mermaid in other to leave the kingdom as always.

When she was about to sneak back, she was forced to hide when she sighted the queen coming from an unknown angle and heading towards the hidden passage she always made use of to escape from the palace.

" She knows about the hidden passage under the sea too? Why would she be sneaking out?" She asked herself as a lot of things ran through her minds.

She watched the queen leave through the hidden passage heading back to the kingdom.

" I have to find out what she is up to" Princess Adunni said,

She quickly followed the queen secretly.

***

Erica crawled Out of the bed yawning, she silently tiptoed downstairs in other to vanish from the big mansion before been seen by anyone. On her way downstairs, she was stopped halfway by a masculine voice

" Who are you?" Came Mr. Hansel voice.

Erica quickly stopped and looked at the man who wasn't pleased to meet her

Erica stood there looking at him face to face without saying a word to the man he had considered an enemy to the siren world.

" Don't you speak? what are you doing at my mansion?" He asked again why swirling his wine glass.

" D... dad, she is a marine biologist, I called her here" came lava's voice from the stairs. he had heard their voices from the room.

" A marine biologist coming out of your room huh?" Mr. Hansel asked

" Yes" Lava responded in a jiffy

(Back at the hidden passage)

Princess Adunni was surprised to see four merguards guiding the forbidden dungeon that have been left behind for almost 10years because of its dangers. There was once a giant shark had attacked the sirens from inside of it and it was a lair for their enemies , she only heard of it but had never seen it.

" What is the queen hiding here?" She curiously asked looking at the dungeon covered in grass that was facing her down the deep water.