A Castle Made Of Dreams

chapter nineteen

MERMAIDS HAD A laughter that sounded like the chime of bells. Their voices all held delicate tunes despite the mock that laced it. Some held their hands to their chests while others slapped at their tails, giggling at Wallace's unfortunate predicament.

"Oh, would you look at that!" One of them crooned, her peach-colored scales catching the moonlight when it moved. "A little bird has come to play."

Her sisters all laughed at her words, red lips parted and fingers poised daintily near their lips, portraying the act of a fair maiden. Their tails splashed against the water a few times, flipping droplets of water up into the air and onto Wallace, pouring over his hair anew.

"How pitiful." One sighed, her head bobbing under the water a distance away onto to appear right in front of Wallace a second later. Her fair hands reached out, grasping both Wallace's cheeks as he struggled to pull away. "Are you perhaps lost? Do you need our assistance?"

The first mermaid that spoke dove under the water before surfacing right by Wallace's side, placing both her hands on Wallace's shoulder, bosom pressed against his upper arm.

"A word of warning, though, little bird. Our help comes at a price and it can be costly," she warned.

Every second, a new mermaid appeared by Wallace's side once they realized that he was of no harm whatsoever. He was an unarmed young man in a pool of deadly sirens. If it came down to it, one mermaid was enough to drown him. In the water, there was none other that rivaled their strength when the battle was one on one.

They tugged at his hands, pulled at his legs, chirped by his ear. All of which created strong ripples and waves in the lagoon they were in. Wallace choked in mouthfuls of water after mouthfuls, struggling to even catch a breath before finally, one of the mermaids had enough and yanked him completely under.

Dipping under, Wallace blew out a stream of bubbles in surprise, his voice muffled as he immediately pressed his lips shut in fear of water entering his lungs. The mermaids swiftly followed suit, all diving under, dancing around his drowning figure, hands either pulling or pressing him further down.

"He looks delicious," a mermaid commented, her eyes sparkling with anticipation.

"Delightful!" Another chirped. "I'm having his legs!"

It was only when their voices sounded perfectly crystal clear beneath the water surface had Wallace remembered that he didn't need to hold his breath. He tested the theory, sneaking a quick short breath in, relieved to find that it was oxygen that entered his lungs, not water. At once, he released the breath he held, watching as a swirl of bubbles enveloped his face. Then, he took in a deep breath, finding instant relief in his lungs.

As if his skin had turned scorchingly hot, the mermaids quickly withdrew their hands and hissed. Some screamed while others swam as far away as they could, all wearing the same image of astonishment.

"He has been kissed!"

"Who?! Who is the imbecile that kissed him?"

"We cannot touch a marked human," the first mermaid lamented. "He has been claimed."

"Which of you did it?"

At once, accusing fingers were pointed at each other, all throwing insults, their voices no longer pleasing to the ear for they had turned venomous. Their voices were shrill, tones inhumane, actions vile and cruel with no mercy as they pushed and jabbed at fellow sisters.

In the midst of the confusion, Wallace felt a single hand on his wrist and he immediately turned to pull away. However, he was met with a familiar face, her long hair swirling around her cheeks, eyes glittering brightly in a pleasant surprise. She was the only mermaid that had retained her cool, unbothered by the chaos above their heads.

Wallace recognized her as the mermaid that he and Paige saved from the pirates when he had first arrived in Neverland. She looked well, a healthy pink glow on her cheeks. There were, however, scattered scars that tainted her skin. Wallace wondered if they were from when she was a hostage of the pirates.

"Quickly," she urged, tugging gently at his hand before gesturing to a small underwater cave behind her, one that Wallace hadn't even noticed before. "Before they realize you're gone."

Wallace cast a quick, final glance at the twelve mermaids that were battling out near the surface of the water, then back at the mermaid whose life he had saved. Then, without further hesitations, he kicked his legs and allowed himself to be dragged by her through the small entrance and out of the other mermaids' sights.

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