TrinityThe next week was a flurry of desperate searches until late at night, and frantic phone calls to practically everyone in and out of town. The quads spoke in hushed tones to each other all the time. Meanwhile, Tristian kept a smile plastered on his face trying to be a beacon of moral support for everyone, but I knew him well enough to know that he was dying inside. Ariel was his idol, and he was simply lost without her. But father was a whole other case entirely. Placing his head in his hands, he looked completely defeated, “I don’t know what we could have possibly missed! I feared something like this would happen. I never wanted our family to suffer such a fate. Now look at what has happened!”
My mother threw her arms around his shoulders, “Honey please! You must continue to have hope. She is incredibly smart and resourceful. Not to mention she has your strength. She will be just fine, I’m sure.”
Turning to Sebastian she inquired looking hopeful, “Did you call them?” “I did, but it appears that wherever Ariel is even those… ‘tactics’ are void.”
He said casting a glance at the quads. In response they looked down at the table with sad faces. Oblivious of the interaction, mother’s shoulders just slumped in response to the news, “Oh I see…” “But they did say that they will be arriving here shortly, to see if anything else can be done to recover her.”
She perked up and smiled, “That will be very helpful.”
Who were they talking about?! We didn’t need more people to come here. No, what we needed is for everyone to just move on and forget about Ariel. When I saw father sulking off to his study, I took the opportunity to plant some dark seeds. 
“Father?”
He looked at me with weary eyes, “Yes Trinity?” “I feel it is incumbent upon me to relay something that we may have overlooked,”
at my words, a look of hope for her brightened his face that sickened me, and I instantly sought to crush it, “The fact is, Ariel is an adventurous girl. Is it not possible that she is simply off living her dream of exploring the world?”
A mask of tormented confusion then clouded his features and he turned his back to me. Believing my work done, I smiled and moved to retreat from the room. Calling over my shoulder, “I’ll leave you to your thoughts father.”
But just as I was about to reach for the door handle, his voice washed over me like ice water, “No…she wouldn’t do that.”
I had to make him believe it. “But father, were you not against her dangerous explorations. She probably felt the only way she’d have a chance at being free is if she ran away.”
He shook his head fiercely, “Not like this. She would never leave her family to worry like this. Besides it was only at first that I stood against her, but now even though I am fearful, she knows I would never stand in the way of her dreams.”
When did they reconcile over that?! He finally looked at me with hard eyes, “I’m sure something happened to her, and I won’t rest until my little girl is safe.” B
efore I could think of a retort, he had already stalked out of the room. Rage filling me, I broke a window before I could stop myself. I had to get out of here.
ArielThe past week had been the longest of my entire life. Despite countless attempts to make contact with anyone, it appeared I truly was banished. Everytime I tried to go on land I was yanked right back into the ocean. If ever I saw a diver or passing boat, there was like magical barrier blocking me from interacting with them. It was impossible. So I often just drifted, letting the ocean take me, but being a glutton for punishment I swam back home every night. This night I passed by a familiar island, it reminded me of when I saved Eric. Of course thinking of him just made my heart ache, but the song welled up once more:
I don't know when
I don't know how
But I know something's starting right now
Watch and you'll see
Someday I'll be
Part of your world
I could hardly get the last words out as I began sobbing uncontrollably.
Eric “And to think it’s already been a week and they are still going on and on about poor Ariel! If I could get my hands around her neck, I’d…”
Trinity continued to rant about something I no longer cared about hearing. I didn’t care about anything these days. My job was simple she told me. Act normal, continue being a lifeguard, smile, when they come to question you about Ariel say you know nothing. That was easy, because I really didn’t. Who was this Ariel that everyone kept going on about? More importantly why was I here again? Oh that’s right, the ranting one called me here, but why did I have to obey…? A sharp pain filled my head and left quickly. What was I thinking? Oh right, the ocean is beautiful tonight. But as I was gazing out at it, I began to hear a voice, a song. Why was it so familiar…?
… I know something's starting right now
Watch and you'll see
Someday I'll be
Part of your world
It was like a fog had suddenly been cleared in my mind. Ariel! I wanted to shout her name, but with memories of her came the realization of my own situation. I tuned back into Trinity’s rant, “…I mean honestly I think I’m prettier than her. She might be smarter, but that’s only because…”
Tuning out again I focused on the blue talisman around her neck. Previously she had mentioned to me that it was what she used to bind the spell that banished Ariel. If I could just get my hands on it, “You’re right.”
She looked at my sudden outburst with surprise, but I continued on not wanting to lose my momentum, “You are prettier than her.”
I reached out to brush her cheek with one hand. She blushed and looked down with nervous excitement, which actually made me feel a little bad for her because part of me thought she just wanted attention. But I had to save Ariel, so quickly with my other hand I reached up and snatched the necklace off her neck, breaking it as fast as I could. Running to the water’s edge, I screamed out, “ARIEL!”
ArielI felt it. It was like invisible shackles had just been broken, and somehow I knew that I had been freed from the spell. But how…? “ARIEL!”
Eric! Swimming as fast as I could toward where I heard his voice, my heart racing, I got there just in time to see Trinity about to blast him with a spell. “Stop!”
I screamed. Sauntering towards me, her eyes dark and ominous, she snarled, “I never wanted to see your face again. But this ungrateful trickster got the better of me. Me!”
Looking half mad she said, “Well we can’t have that can we?”
And with that she turned Eric into a golden statute. “Noo!”
I cried. “Well if he doesn’t want to be my pet, he can just be my trophy. Now what to do with you? Obviously banishing you doesn’t work, because they continue to look for you tirelessly. So shall we bring them a body?”
As she moved slowly towards me, I’ve never felt so much fear in my life. Thankfully, four people appeared before me, “Don’t even think about it.”
Much to my surprise and to Trinity’s, the quads stood, wands at the ready, prepared to take her on. “You have magic?”
she said almost in a whisper. Then, I suppose realizing the threat, she suddenly made a distraction and disappeared with Eric’s statue in tow. “Oh no. We have to get him back!”
Aurora gave me a fierce hug, “Don’t worry. We’ll do everything we can.”
The rest of the quads nodded in agreement. I looked at them with tears in my eyes, “Thank you. If you hadn’t come when you did…”
Rea chimed up, “Let’s not even think about that. Besides we should get back to the house, because I have a feeling that’s where she went.”
TrinitySo that was the power I felt that day! Sebastian must have been helping them keep their powers masked from me, but why? Have they been on to me this whole time? That’s not possible! More importantly, what should I do now? I’m quite certain that if it were only two of them I could easily overpower them, but with the four of them I would need double the power… I suddenly stopped pacing and stared into the mirror. “It’s a good thing there’s two of me then.”
I said with a smile. I walked to his room humming to myself. Tristian stood looking out the window, no doubt thinking about his dear Ariel. Though I knew he didn’t practice his magic as much as I did, I had to admit even I admired his power, and I would take every last drop. He turned to look at me finally noticing my presence and smiled, the fool, “Oh Trinity. Did you need something?”
Yes twin, I did.
