Hidden Messages [Klance AU]

6: Legends Aren't Always True

The glass bottle lay quietly on Lance's desk. He couldn't stop thinking about it.

No matter what he did, what he tried to distract himself with, he couldn't bring himself to not look at it. He'd already written about a dozen letters in response to the original. He'd even chosen a final one— which he planned to return to the beach when he got the chance.

The reason Lance had so much free time: when he'd gotten back from his... adventure, his parents made him stay in his room for two movements(weeks) straight as a punishment, only to come out for meals. Luckily enough, they actually didn't know that he'd gone to the land because he'd made a deal with Veronica that in order for her not to tell them, he would do all her chores for the next six phoebs(months). If his parents had known, his punishment would surely be much longer than two movements.

Lance sighed and picked up the letter once again. He'd put a seal around it so that it was waterproof and the paper wouldn't disintegrate from the water. The mer lay down on the bed and read the letter for what seemed like the millionth time.

Soon, after who knows how long, the letter dropped from Lance's hands. He stared at the ceiling, his eyes wide. After reading the letter over and over again, the mer had finally come to a realization. For a while he'd felt as though he didn't quite belong, like he needed to find the place where he did but just didn't know where to look. Now it was as if... as if the land was calling him somehow. The letter he'd found had to mean something— didn't it? Whoever wrote it needed help, and it seemed Lance had to be the one to help them. Based on the letter, it seemed as though they hadn't told anyone about their problems.

Lance swam out of his room as fast as he could. He stopped when he reached the kitchen, and peeked around the corner. His parents were there; his mother working on something on her computer(a light blue screen illuminated from a slim metal bar), and his father preparing a fish for dinner. Lance cautiously swam into the room and made a quiet chirp sound to let his parents know he was there. They both looked up.

"Lance? ¿Que haces afuera de tu cuarto?" His mother asked. Lance took a deep breath and sighed. His heart began beating faster from the anticipation.

"I think..." He started, unsure how to word his request. "I think I want to go to the land for a while." His parents' eyes widened.

"What makes you think you can go to the land?!"

"W- wait!" Lance exclaimed. "Please, let me explain." His father sighed and walked over in front of his son.

"Bien, explica."

"Okay. I've felt... different for a while. Like I don't quite fit in with everyone else. I've been in a bad place." Lance's parents exchanged looks. The mer's eyebrows furrowed and his tongue brushed against his fangs. "I know you know! And I don't care!" Lance yelled. Tears formed in his eyes and floated up to the roof.

"I just want to get a chance to not feel so..." Lance groaned and sunk to the ground, hitting his head against the wall in the process. His parents didn't say anything, both unsure about what to say.

"You want to... get a chance to not feel that way?" Rosalina enquired, finally breaking the silence. She stepped forward and put a hand on Lance's shoulder. Lance nodded lightly.

"There's nowhere here for me to do that," He half-whispered.

"Entonces... ¿donde necesitas ir..?" His mother asked, hesitant, though she already knew what the answer would be. Lance mumbled something inaudible.

"Lance..." His father whispered, moving to Rosalina's side.

"The land," Lance whispered more clearly. "Please. There's something there for me. I can feel it." The mer looked up at his parents. Their faces were unreadable.