Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ The Crimson Knights ❯ The Mermaid's Tale ( Prologue )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Disclaimer: There is no disclaimer! These characters are all mine! I made them up! They belong to me! I own them! However, just to be on the safe side, if I am encroaching on some unknown copyrights or if I happen to mention songs, movies or any other pop culture references that I do not own, I humbly apologize.

On with it then!



Part 1 - The Mermaid's Tale

Prologue

"Why does everything bad happen in January?"

The short, red haired girl sighed, and pulled her mobile phone from the back pocket of her jeans. The tall, dark haired boy standing next to her glanced over at her.

"What do you mean?"

The girl finished typing up her text message, and pressed send, then turned to her friend.

"What do I mean? Are you serious? Of all people, Simon, I would have thought you'd feel the same way. The holidays finish at the end of January, meaning school starts back again, the days start to get colder which means less pool time, and the worst reason of all...!"

Simon smirked to himself, the stretched and looked up at the brilliant blue sky.

"Please enlighten me, Mac. What, pray-tell, is the worst reason of all?"

Mac stared at Simon, aghast at his stupidity.

"The homework! My god, man, the homework! I get little enough time to myself as it is, but the homework and the assignments! Especially now! I'm starting tenth grade! Tenth grade!"

Simon rubbed his eyes and grimaced.

"I'd like to add something else to that list, if I may?"

Mac glanced over at him, momentarily sidetracked from her rant.

"Huh? What?"

Simon grinned and patted Mac on the head.

"You. You get extremely annoying in January. You'd think that after living in the same house as you for fifteen years I'd be used to it by now, but somehow, every year, you manage to out-do yourself. Congratulations, Michaela Kingsley - you are officially the most annoying thing about January."

Mac's face started to turn red, and her fists clenched at her sides.

"Why, you... you... you...!"

Simon smiled contentedly and leaned back against the wall, soaking in the last hot rays of the afternoon light. Before Mac could think up a proper retort, her phone alerted her to a text message coming through. She shaded the screen with one hand and read the reply.

"Callista say's she's on her way, but where are the other two?"

As if in response to her question, two more shadows crept up along the footpath to join theirs, stretching out longer as the sun began to sink.

"Oy, Mac... Have you shrunk over this summer holiday?" Arjay slung an arm around her shoulders and leaned against the wall beside her. His brown skin seemed to have deepened another shade after the summer holiday, and his white teeth flashed as he grinned at her and Simon.

"Steady, Arj," Arjay's twin sister, Arjana, slumped beside Simon, her long black hair hanging in a braid down her back.

"Who know's what she'll do to you for a smart-ass comment like that."

Mac scowled at both of them, then smiled.

"I missed you guys so much. How was your trip?"

Arjana sighed and closed her eyes.

"It's not worth mentioning. How was your break, Mac - eventful?"

Mac smiled, and scratched her head, looking up at the sky.

"Why, Jana, I have no idea what you're talking about!"

A slight breeze ruffled the long black skirt Arjana was wearing, and blew some pollen onto the collar of Mac's black shirt. She sneezed and began searching her pockets for a tissue. A hand suddenly appeared before her, offering up a blue lace handkerchief.

"Here."

A vision of beauty stood before her. A tall girl with long blonde wavy hair, and cornflour blue eyes.

"Thanks Callie."

Mac blew her nose hard, and went to hand the handkerchief back. Callista retracted her hand quickly, and smiled sweetly.

"That's alright. You keep it, Mac."

Simon stood up, straightening his shirt, and checked his watch.

"Well, I guess we're all here. Do you want to head in, Mac?"

Mac stared down the street a few more seconds, as if expecting someone else to appear, then turned and smiled at her friends.

"Ok, I guess we should head in. Thanks for coming today, you guys. I know I can always count on you."

She turned and looked at the iron gates before her, and took a deep breath before pushing them open. The 'Parkwood Cemetery' gates creaked loudly as they swung inward, allowing the small group entry before swinging closed behind them. Mac's steps faltered slightly as she walked down the cracked path between the two grassed fields. Callista grabbed hold of her left hand and held on tightly as they walked toward the large monument in the centre of the graveyard. Arjay, Simon and Arjana walked a few steps behind, their shadows becoming ever more pronounced as the sun dropped lower. Mac and Callista reached the monument first, and Mac dropped Callista's hand to touch the cold stone letters on the tablet in front of her:

KINGSLEY

Callista moved back to stand with the others, and Mac sat on the bench in front of the memorial.

"Hey Chris. Hey Alex. I missed you guys a lot this past year. I realized a lot of stuff last year too... I think I might know a bit more about what you guys were going through before you, umm... you know... died."

She almost whispered this last word, and her head dropped forward, letting her long red hair cover her face.

"I promise I'll do my best to make you proud this year. And I'll try and visit more often too, I swear. I've got to go visit her now, so I'll talk to you guys later, alright? Chris, you were the best big brother I ever could have asked for. Alex, I was so glad when you came to live with us, you were just like another brother too. I Love you guys."

Mac stood up, her hair still hanging in her face, and walked around to the other side of the monument, where there was only one name carved:

ELIZABETH LAURA KINGSLEY

Mac ran her fingers lovingly over the name, and a tear escaped from her eye, rolling softly down her cheek.

"Hi Mum..."

Simon looked away, and saw a shadow lurking near the cemetery entrance. He tapped Arjay on the shoulder, and motioned toward the gate. Arjay nodded, and Simon walked back toward the entrance. A tall, slim boy with shaggy brown hair waited for him at the entrance, shuffling and looking generally uncomfortable.

"Hi Si..."

Simon cut him off.

"Great timing, David. You disappear during the last week of school, you don't contact her for the entire holiday break, and now you show up while she's visiting her dead family. What kind of boyfriend are you?"

David's brown eyes flashed angrily, and he grabbed Simon's arm.

"Hey! I had my reasons! And I'm not dating her! But that's not why I'm here..."

David let go of Simon's arm, and started shuffling again.

"So... how is she?"

Simon sighed, and crossed his arms.

"She's fine. And I suppose the time you took away was spent productively?"

David's eyes sparked again, then died down.

"Extremely."

Simon looked up sharply at him.

"And so then... does that mean you've found a way to break your curse?"

David closed his eyes, and leaned against the rapidly cooling wall.

"Not yet - but my father says we've made some great progress."

Simon sighed again, and started to walk away, but David caught his arm again.

"Hey! What about you and the group? Was the break... busy?"

Simon leaned on the wall beside him, stretching his wide shoulders.

"Not overly. The twin's were abroad, Callista floated in and out as usual, so most night's it was just Mac and I - Alone. Together. In the Dark."

David's eyes narrowed, and he turned quickly, punching the wall where Simon's head had been only second before. A decent, fist sized dent had appeared in the sandstone. Simon blinked, then looked back at David.

"If I wasn't any quicker, you really could have damaged me then."

David looked at his hand, watching a thin rivulet of blood travel from his knuckles down the back of his hand.

"Sorry... My control hasn't gotten any better. That's why, this year... I probably won't be able to see her so much..."

Simon's forehead creased in anger.

"So you came to tell me that you can't see Mac anymore..."

David's head hung forward, and he nodded in reply.

"Coward."

David chuckled, his head still down.

"I deserved that."

Simon turned, and started to head back in through the gate.

"Just get out of here before she sees you."

David turned and began to walk hurriedly down the street, then turned back.

"Hey, Simon! I'm not the only one who should be worried about a family curse. What about her? Doesn't she turn sixteen this year? Isn't the mortality rate rather high amongst the Kingsley family teens?"

Simon turned back to answer.

"I am very aware of the family history - I've been around for enough generations to understand the risks. But Mac is different. She's stronger. The blood which flows within her veins is the strongest I've sensed in almost two hundred years. Mac has nothing to worry about. Now hurry up and go..."

David continued to walk away.

"Oh, and David!"

He turned back to look at Simon questioningly.

"For goodness sake, be careful when you're patrolling. Mac would kill me if anything happened to you."

David grinned and turned, running away from the setting sun. The gate creaked behind Simon, and the remaining four joined him on the footpath. Mac wrapped her arms around Simon and snuggled into his back.

"I guess this means you're finished visiting?"

Mac nodded silently into his back. Simon knew he would find two patches of tears on his shirt when he got home, but that Mac would deny crying. He smiled, then pulled her up onto his back to carry her home.

"Simon? Should we take over for tonight?"

Arjay and Arjana, along with Callista, stood in the deepening shadows ouside the cemetery. Simon nodded, and he began to head off back towards the Kingsley House, carrying his precious cargo on his back.

"I promise you, Michaela Kingsley, that you shall definitely live through your sixteenth birthday, and that you shall become one of the most great and powerful heroes of this age. I'll stake my life on that fact."

Mac shuffled on his back, and started breathing heavily. Simon sighed deeply, and re-assessed his grip.

"Until that time, just rest easy, Lady Kingsley."

The breathing turned to snores.

"I can't believe she fell asleep..."

************************************

End of the first prologue! w00t!

Damn, I'm really into writing these long, multi-chapter capers these days - sorry it takes so long to update though! The whole things in my head though, it will come eventually! Reviews always help, they let me know which stories you lot are actually interested in! (I really should update InuYasha, Full Metal Panic and Fruits Basket... d'oh!) Any-hoo, enjoy!

Because I can't draw, I was hanging out at eLouai dollmaker and made some character dolls up so you'd know what they looked like, hehehe :)

http://s112.photobucket.com/albums/n164/foxfire79/Crimson%20Kni ghts%20Story%20Characters/

Foxfire out!