SnowTriton sat typing away on his report on Alfonso Alto while I meditated on the study floor. I heard Trinity breeze into the room in high spirits, “You wanted to talk to me Dad?”
Triton continued his steady taps on the keyboard, “Yes. I’m afraid we are going to have to reschedule our run for this morning dearest. I have to drive Ariel to school.”
Trinity’s mood changed drastically, “Why?”
He must have picked up on the change as well, because I heard the typing stop, “Her car broke down.” “Why can’t she just run…like we were supposed to do?”
I stopped meditating then, saw him sigh and rub his temples, “It’s summer. You know she will dehydrate if she ran in this heat.” “Then she can take a water bucket for all I care!”
“THAT’S ENOUGH!!”
he shouted while jumping out of his chair, and slamming his hands down on the desk. The sound startled me, but Trinity puffed her chest out refusing to back down. “No! Apparently it’s not! It won’t be until you people realize that the little, mermaid ABOMINATION is not worth ANY of our time!”
My hands flew to my mouth as I gasped. The mixture of shock and hurt on Triton’s face was undeniable. He spoke the next words slowly and fiercely, “Trinity Ursula King…you will never say anything like that again. Do you understand? She is your sister.”
She shook her head slowly and raised an eyebrow, “Is she?”
With that she stomped out of the room. Triton slumped into his chair visibly shaken, and I went over to him, “What do you think she meant? What was that even about?”
He stared off at nothing, “I have no idea…”
Ariel“I hardly have anything else to weigh in on the subject except this,”
Athena was saying as her, Rory, and I sat down to breakfast in the kitchen. **“If I were to love a man he would have to come with wisdom and vitality. A man with wisdom would come with age, and someone with too much age is not for me. That leaves the man with vitality which comes with youth, and someone too immature, my dears, well...I am not for him.” “Is it not possible for a man to be both wise and full of vitality all at once?”
Rory asked innocently with her head cocked to the side. Athena gave her this look of incredulity, “Of course it’s not possible. That would mean that there was such a thing as perfection, and furthermore that my true love could exist. True love and perfection don’t exist.”
“Don’t they?”
I said suddenly staring off into space. Snapping out of it, I realized they were staring at me, “Well I just meant that if you really love someone, even their flaws become things you find peace and revel in, because that’s what makes them…well them and you wouldn’t want them any other way. So in a sense I believe it’s possible for that person to reach a state of perfection, at least in the eyes of their lover. And such a love would have to be true love wouldn’t it?”
When they both continued to stare at me with their mouths open, I decided to take my leave. My car was busted so my dad had to drop me off at school, but the whole ride over he seemed on edge. I tried to discern if I had done something wrong, and while he assured me everything was alright, I could tell that the smile he plastered on his face was forced. Shaking it off, I just started to focus on my classes for the day. It had been two years since I graduated from high school, but every time I came to school I still thought of him. Giving myself a not so mental shake as I noticed several people shoot me weird looks, I went to sit down in the classroom. 
“Ariel! Is this seat taken?”
My whole body froze. That voice…it couldn’t be. I slowly looked up, and was sure I felt my heart burst into a field of flowers. Somehow Eric stood there smiling down at me. “E-Eric?”
I heard the squeak in my voice, and was unfortunately reminded of our first interaction in the library. I cleared my throat, “Um, no it’s not taken.” “Great,”
he said sitting down. “I was hoping I’d see you around, but I didn’t think it would be this soon. I also didn’t think we would have a class together. This is going to be awesome.”
Awesome couldn’t even begin to cover it for me. How was this possible? My head was an explosion of questions and daydreams as I completely blotted out the lecture and gazed at his face.
After class we stopped for a moment to chat out in the hall, “Oh man it’s been awhile. That school was pretty demanding. I didn’t even get to come back for holidays like I thought I would. But I finally was able to convince my parents that my heart was here.” “Oh I see,”
I said pensively, but there was another question that was nagging at the back of my head, “Is Palmira going to be at this school as well?”
He frowned and looked down the hall towards a couple arguing, “No. She’s doing her own thing. We broke up during our first semester there. I honestly don’t know why we even… It was like I was under some kind spell.”
He looked back at me then, “A spell which I’m completely
over, and I’m totally
single by the way.”
I noticed he emphasized the words ‘over’ and ‘single’. “Oh ok,”
I laughed nervously and tucked a lock of hair behind my ear.
“Hey Rebecca’s Café is next door. Do you maybe have time to go and hang out for a bit?” “Sure.”
The cafe wasn’t anything fancy, but being right next to the college it was always pumped full of students, needing a snack or a fix of caffeine to get through whatever the day or night brought. Eric got a brownie and a greenleafapalooza, while I just got a peppermint tea. We found a table toward the outskirts of the place, and fell easily into a conversation about ancient civilizations and adventures. It was honestly like he had never left. After a while his phone rang:
Eric: “Hello?”
??: “Hey man, I have to take my mom to the doctor. Do you think you could take my shift?”
Eric: “Right now?”
??: “Yeah. I’m supposed to be there in like thirty minutes.”
Eric: “Alright. I got it covered.”
??: “Thanks dude! I owe you one.”
He hung up, “Sorry about that. I got a job as lifeguard while I’m here, and my coworker Sean, Joel’s older brother, needs me to go in for him right now. I hate to cut this short though, because I was really enjoying the conversation.” “Oh it’s ok. Duty calls right?”
I laughed. “Yep.”
We walked outside and headed back towards the college, “I’ll walk you to your car.”
I stopped, “Oh I actually got a ride. My car is broken.” “Oh well then I’ll drive you home.” “No. No. You need to go to work. I don’t want to hold you up,”
I said waving my hands frantically. “I insist. Come on.”
Not coming up with any better excuses, he ended up taking me home. We listened to a geek rock station, and discovered that it was both our favorite type of music. He opened my door when we got to my house and I smiled nervously, “Thanks for the ride and stuff.” “I really enjoyed today. We should definitely hang out again soon. Like real soon. Well I gotta go. See ya!” “See ya.”
I walked right into the house, and fell into the first couch I could find. My head was exploding again into a mess of uncertainties and deluded fantasies. Here he was after all this time, still ‘perfect’ and apparently ‘single’. But wasn’t I kidding myself to think that just because those combination of things had suddenly fallen into place, that it meant we could be together? I mean he did date Palmira. Doesn’t that mean I am clearly not his type? “UGH!!”
I let out a frustrated exclamation as I grabbed my hair and then banged the couch. 
“Whoa there, looks like someone is wound up tight.”
I looked up to see Trinity gawking at me in surprise. “I’m sorry. I was just a little confused,”
I said utterly mortified. “A little? It seemed like you were going to rip your hair out,”
she laughed. Then she gave me a thoughtful look and added, “Tell you what? Why don’t you come to my room, and we’ll talk about it.”
I looked at her warily, “Really? We haven’t been close since we were younger.” “I know. We’ve had our rough patches, but don’t most siblings? If I’m honest I miss those times back then. Don’t you?”
I hadn’t been in Trinity’s room in well…years. It had changed a lot since then. Looking at the cracked mirror on the wall I asked, “What happened here?”
Instead of answering though she plopped down on a couch near the window and patted a spot next to her smiling, “Here. Come and sit down.”
Taking one last glance at the mirror I walked over, “Ok.” “So, tell me what has you so disgruntled.” “Well there’s this guy…”
She nodded, “Ah, Eric.”
Geez...is it that obvious? I suddenly began to wonder if even he knew. That would be embarrassing. “Yeah... The thing is I’ve been in love with him for like…forever, and well he’s back now and not seeing anyone. But I don’t know if or how I should approach the situation romantically I mean, and more importantly if it’s even possible.”
“Hm. I think I know what the problem really is. Even if you could convince yourself that he could love you, you are afraid to get close to him given your biological secret.”
I thought for a moment, “Yes.” “I may be able to help with that.”
My eyes shot open, “How?!”
She suddenly conjured an apple out of thin air and took a bite, “Magic of course. I’m a witch.”
This time I did actually smack myself to make sure I was awake, “When did this happen?”
A troubled look collected on her face and she took my hand in hers, “Honestly, this was the real reason we drifted apart. When I first discovered my magic it frightened me. I just…didn’t want to hurt you.” “Oh Trinity…I had no idea. I’m sorry I didn’t realize. You shouldn’t have had to go through that alone.”
Her face brightened and she just patted my hand, “It’s all in the past. More importantly we have work to do if you are going to capture the heart of Mr. Prince. I should warn you, however, that the spell involves certain stipulations.” “What kind of stipulations?”
She looked away and shrugged her shoulders, “Well nothing out of the ordinary… The spell will repress your mermaid nature temporarily, but it also simply states that you have only three days to experience true love’s kiss with the object of your affection. If you fail to do so by the end of the third day, then you will be banished to the sea forever, which means you’ll never see your love or family again.”
I stood up, “What?! No, there has to be another way. Three days is too short a time!”
“Come now. Is life not full of harsh decisions such as this? And if your love is really true, then surely it will reach his heart. You said it yourself, he is finally available. Now is the time. Nothing would bring me greater joy than to help your poor, unfortunate soul find happiness. After all you are my
sister.”
The way she said sister somehow made me uneasy, but she was right this was my chance, “Ok...I’ll do it.”
She smiled, “When the sun rises tomorrow morning…it begins.”
**“Beatrice: He that hath a beard is more than a youth, and he that hath no beard is less than a man; and he that is more than a youth is not for me; and he that is less than a man, I am not for him.”
-William Shakespeare, Much Ado About Nothing
