Chapter Twenty-One

It was completely dark again and with the darkness all around me, it felt suffocating. I was floating and could feel the cold water pressing against my body. Turning around, I could see the woman from before, her blonde hair floating around her. She seemed to be waiting.

"My beautiful daughter." She smiled as I moved closer to her.

"Who are you?" I echoed.

"Alice." She studied me as if I should know. "Your mother." As I got closer, I could see her tail. It was purple and green.

"Where are you?"

"The land of Paradise." She pointed behind me. "There is a portal in a cave at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, but you can't leave without the trident of Poseidon. I am not strong enough to retrieve it."

"How can I help?"

"You have to grow in strength. You have to fight those in the trench and the guardian of Poseidon's Trident." She explained. "You are too weak now. You have to recover." She began to fade, like a picture tossed into a fire.

"I have to go, my sweet girl." She smiled.

"Wait!"

"I love you." She disappeared into the darkness.

*~~*~~*~~*

I snapped awake, my body jerking. I was laying on my bed, covered in a blanket and an arm around me. I rolled over slightly to see Jason. He was sound asleep so I moved his arm steadily and got up. When my feet touched the wooden floor of my room, a chill shot up my spine. Everything spun like a carousel, making me take a deep breath to steady my vision. I glanced back at Jason who looked so peaceful as he slept. It was cute to see.

"Mmm." He shifted, reaching out and feeling the empty space in front of him. He opened his eyes, looking at me standing by the bed. "Good morning." I laid back down, facing him and looking into his green eyes. He put his arm back over my side, the warmth from his body radiating to me.

"Did I wake you?" I murmured.

"No, but your aunt is coming." He pulled me closer. I listened carefully, hearing footsteps stop at my doorway.

"They're so cute. I hate to wake them up." Whispered my aunt.

"They need to graduate." Replied my uncle. My aunt responded with a sigh.

"Alright. Up, up, up!" Cold water stung my skin, making me hiss and pull the blanket over me. "I know a lot has happened, but you still have school." Jason tried to jump up, but ended up falling and taking the blanket with him. I peered over the bed at him to see his shocked expression.

"I see why you hate the spray bottle." He huffed, his hair all over the place. I sat up and looked to my aunt and uncle.

"Come on. Lets go." She waved the spray bottle. They both walked away and I stood, steadying myself against the wall. My head throbbed painfully.

"Are you alright?" Jason walked over to me, looking into my eyes as I looked up at him.

"It's just a headache." I moved from the wall and grabbed fresh clothes. After placing them in my bathroom, I turned the shower on and undressed. I slid the glass door closed when I got in. The water felt nice against my bare skin, but even though I enjoyed it, I only took ten minutes to shower. I wrapped myself in a towel and stepped out of the shower. When I looked up at the mirror, I saw a black spider slightly bigger than a quarter. I gasped. "J-Jason!"

"Yeah?"

"Come here please! There's a spider!" I backed up against the wall, holding onto the towel around me. The bathroom door opened and Jason looked at me. He looked around then rubbed his head. I pointed to the mirror up by the lights and he looked.

"That's a big spider." He left for a moment then returned with a plastic cup. He promptly caught the spider and left again. After giving the bathroom a good look, I got changed. I pulled on white shorts and a crop top that had a heart on it. Jason met me back in my room where I brushed my hair.

"Okay, sit." I pointed to my bed.

"You're not brushing my hair." He shook his head, adjusting his belt.

"Jason." I looked at him with a serious expression. He sighed, sitting on the edge of my bed. I stood in front of him, starting to brush his hair. It was oily but dry and very knotted. It took at least five minutes before I got the brush through it smoothly. "Okay, now we have to go."

"After you spent all the time we had nearly ripping my hair out." He rolled his eyes sarcastically as I slid my shoes on.

"Like I said before. If you brushed your hair regularly, it wouldn't be so painful and hard." We left, walking to school.