Chapter 12: Wendy

                                    

                                          
I get up the next morning fully awake and ready to go. I have a plan for the day, and I'm going to accomplish it. I get myself ready quickly and join Peter outside. I make note of the fact that Tink is nowhere in sight this morning. That's different. Nice, but unexpected. 
"Ready to go?" Peter grins when he sees me. 
I nod and put on an excited expression. "Let's go." He leads me to the lagoon. Chatting happily about nothing remotely important and bouncing with every step. He is clearly hyperactive, but I have to act like it doesn't bother me because he's my best bet to getting my ultimate goal. His hyperactive aura grates at my nerves, however. And now there isn't even a buffer. 
He stops abruptly and dramatically gestures. "The lagoon, m'lady." He bows slightly, almost to exaggerate the gesture. 
I roll my eyes and step up next to him. The sun glints off the crystal clear water in a breathtaking view. The sound of splashing and musical laughter floats to me on the rolling waves. 
I follow Peter as he makes his way down to the water, hopping from rock to rock. When we reach the waters edge I see the source of the laughter. About half a dozen beautiful mermaids are spread out around the cove. Each has a tail of iridescent scales that sparkles in the sunlight. Some of them have long hair, others have short hair. Each one has a different skin tone. But each one is stunning in their own right. A few are still at least partially in the water, their upper bodies propped up on rocks. Others are lounging on the rocks. They're all laughing and gossiping, doing each other's hair and possibly even applying makeup. This seems a little silly to me. Wouldn't the water mess up their hair and makeup? It seems completely redundant. 
"Good morning girls!" Peter announces our presence. Every one of their heads snaps towards the two of us as his declaration of our presence. 
"Peter!" A dark haired, olive skinned, green eyed mermaid with a navy blue tail and purple top calls. Sitting up and waving her hand enthusiastically in greeting. 
Peter floats over to perch on a rock closer to most of the mermaids. "Hello ladies, what're you up to today?" If I didn't know better I would think he was flirting with them. Is it possible to flirt and not know? If so, that's probably what he's doing. He seems completely oblivious to the attention he gains from them.
They all giggle flirtatiously. A red headed mermaid with a purple tail and a teal top swims closer to him and speaks for the group. "We were just talking. But now that you're here, maybe you could tell us a story." The tone in her voice at the suggestion makes it sound more like he's begging him than offering a mere suggestion. 
"That's your idea of fun?" I question quietly. So far, I'm not seeing what Tink was so concerned about. They seem almost exactly what mermaids have been described like in fairytales. Down to just about every detail. I'm supposed to believe these creatures are dangerous? 
I guess they heard me though, because every single one of them turns at the sound of my voice and fixes me with a stare. "Who is that?!" Once of the mermaids shrieks. 
"That's Wendy." Peter answers her happily. Once again oblivious to the rising tension between all of the others in the lagoon. 
"She's so plain!" 
"Why is she here?!" 
"Does she know she looks like that?" 
They all start shouting and shrieking insults about me and the way I look. My eyes widen and I suddenly feel slightly like prey as they all surge towards me in the water in unison. "We'll fix you plain little girl." One cackles, giving me an eery grin that makes my skin crawl. I want to back away, but I also don't want to look like prey. So I stand my ground. 
One snatches my ankle and yanks me into the water with them. I scream in surprise just before I'm pulled below the cold water. I kick at the hand holding me and try to go for the surface. I only get  a small desperate gasp of air when my head breaks the surface before more hands are on me pushing me under again. 
I fight against the hands on me and bodies around me. It suddenly occurs to me, this is what Tink meant. This is what she was warning me about. A hot surge of anger builds in me at the thought that the little fairy might have been right about this. My pride refuses to acknowledge this and admit I was wrong and someone else might have been right. 
I'm not done here though. And these vane scaly brats aren't going to stop me. Nothing is going to stop me. A fury awakens in me and I fight against everything holding me under the water. It is a flurry of limbs and water for several moments. Finally I push them all away enough to break the surface of the water again. I take a deep breath then continue my struggle until I've pulled myself up onto some rocks and far enough away from the waters edge to be out of reach. My chest heaves, my eyes alight with anger. I glare at all the faces of the mermaids in front of me. Are there more now than when we arrived? 
"What is wrong with all of you?!" I scream at the faces of the beautiful but vicious creatures in front of me. Peter is laughing joyously at the events. How is this funny? I almost died. 
"Come back here little girl, don't you like the water?" One of them asks sweetly, reaching a hand out to me. I kick her hand and scramble further away. 
Peter stops laughing and looks at us. "Aw, come on. They didn't mean any harm. They were just playing, right girls?" 
They all nod and smile up at him happily. A few even swim back to him and they all start splashing each other, trying to get him to join them in the water. 
I shake my head in disgust. "This is not fun! You stay away from me!" 
"Aw, I don't think the plain girl  likes us very much." One of them giggles. 
Another shakes her head in mock sadness. "I don't think so either." 
"Oh well. She'll never be as pretty as us." 
I shriek at their words. They laugh and turn their backs to me and continue their splashing and banter, trying to get Peter to tell them a story or to join them in the water. I huff in annoyance that I can't just storm back to camp because I don't know the way well enough and sit down on my rock watching. 
Those creatures have no idea what they have started. I'll adjust my plans so that some way, I can get them back for this.