Adventure Awaits in Neverland

Chapter 1: The Never Ending Nightmare

I shot up wide awake screaming while beads of sweat dripped down my face. God, why do I have to keep reliving that memory? My friend propped up on her elbows next to me, looking at me with a very groggy expression.

"Luna, this is the fourth time this week that you woke up screaming. Will you please just go back to bed?"

"I'm sorry Kathleen, I just, I have to get out of here."

I got up from the bed and stumbled quietly towards my bedroom door as my friend, Kathleen, stuffed her face back in the pillow, only to fall back asleep in a matter of seconds. As soon as I got outside, I raced towards the beach that was just behind my house. When I got to the edge of the waters, I slipped off my night gown and placed it on the sand. I then ran into the water and when I was in far enough, I dived in under the waves. Once underwater, sparkles began to form around my legs and then they turned into a tail. Yup, I'm a mermaid.

I didn't find out I was a mermaid until two years ago, actually. Well, a week after my mom died to be more specific. My parents weren't mermaids but apparently my grandma was, so I guess it skipped a generation. It's actually pretty great! The only downside is having to keep it from my dad, who knows what he'd do if he found out I was one. Probably filet me. So I just kind of keep it to myself, kind of like my own personal secret. Another thing, whenever I take a dip, I have to take off my clothes, otherwise they rip and I can never wear them again, it's a complete bummer, which explains why I took off my nightgown to swim. But being a mermaid definitely has an upside and helps me in so many ways.

I always swam around for a few hours whenever I had that reoccuring memory of the last moment with my mom. Swimming always relaxed me in a way that nothing else could, I guess it allowed me time to think and clear my thoughts. The ocean felt more like home than it did living with my father. It is always a living hell with him. He drinks all the time and then I become a human punching bag, fun right? He still blames me about my mom, too: a slap everyday to be reminded actually.

The only good thing is that my friend Kathleen has been staying with us for the past week because her father is searching for some new land, yeah, like that's easy to find anymore. So my dad eased up with the hitting becasue he didn't want other people to know the man that he truly is. What sucks is that apparently Kathleen's dad comes home tomorrow so that means Kathleen will have to go back home and I'll have to go back to tendering to my father's every wish. Woo.

By the time I got back inside my room in our house, it was just the brink of dawn. I crawled back in bed, only to be woken up about ten minutes later by my dad storming into the room. He took a fist of my nightgown, picked me up, and then threw me down to the ground. I landed on the hard cobblestones with a loud thump, waking up Kathleen. My dad then started kicking me repeatedly in the stomach even though Kathleen was watching in complete horror of everything that was happening.

"You piece of shit, you went down to the beach again without my permission, didn't you?!" He screamed.

He firmly grasped my hair and pulled me to my feet. He kept hitting my face over and over again with all of his strength, to the point where my left eye was swollen shut. My cheeks blackened as each strike of his fist made contact with it.

Spitting out blood, I pushed him away and managed to get out, "Kathleen, I think it's time for you to leave."

She ran out of there as fast as she could, giving me a sympathetic look as she passed.

"You're a horrible daughter! If you just listened to me, you would never deserve this type of punishment." Another whack across the face.

Blood trickled down my lip, "Well, if you were a loving father and didn't make me feel worthless, then I wouldn't have the need to get away and go to the beach, now would I?"