Chapter Four: Your Princess is in Another Castle568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHIWlyeyBbF
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Torpedo Man, Mr. Ketchup, and Lightning Bug sealed the hole behind us, leaving me to awkwardly stand next to the trio. With the addition of Torpedo Man, the previously arduous process was completed in mere seconds. I had to find a way to get out of the dome that did not involve the magically adept method they used here, adding to the problem of a growing list of uncertainties to actually escaping. The trio bumped their forearms to one another in what I expected was a greeting, like shaking hands or bumping fists, with smacks of their fishy skin. Mr. Ketchup thumped Torpedo Man on the back, and the latter shook a clawed finger at the guard for hitting hard enough to . Lightning Bug threw his arms around both of his peer's shoulders and they lapsed into something I assumed was private, their heads bent and mouths moving. Obviously, these three were friends. Even I could pick out the friends from birth vibe despite never having a lifelong buddy.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV017XUuLQc
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Lightning Bug was the one who remembered I was still there after a few minutes of the group catching up and elbowed Torpedo Man. They spoke with one another in a language I couldn't grasp. It was low and filled with a soup of chopped words stirred with contrasting brief slurs. To the ear, the sentences they spoke were entrancing, but I knew it would be irritating to memorize the slight differences in structure. I should know. I've tried taking on Japanese, and I can actually get the rudimentary hang of it despite all of the beautiful yet deadly kanji. In fact, that night was supposed to be study time for the test the next day. So much for my straight A status (sans math.) 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6YrjT4dvdO
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Torpedo Man padded over to me, his bare feet slapping on the same cobbled stone that composed the archway. He took ahold of my hand for the hundredth time and led me once again into the unknown, which just so happened to be the guardhouse, Mr. Ketchup and Lightning Bug not too far behind us. Holy Toaster, were these people made of gold? Geeze, the guardhouse was decorated with blue tinted tapestries of scenes depicting great whales, sharks, giant squid, and distant castles boarded by intricate, weaved designs with a Greek and Egyptian flare. There were throw rugs with a spongy texture under my sandals, an assorted set of seashells composing the wall's grouting, an elaborate chandelier with large white bulbs set in a blue metal coral mold, and an entire screened wall. Yeah, an actual plasma television is what I'm talking about. The screen was split into different shaped sections showing alternate angles of the metropolis. I immediately picked out our guardhouse. Okay, yeah, good to know for plan: get the heck outta dodge.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM1MZpzxNTK
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We sat at the solid table streaked with brown and turquoise. Torpedo Man pulled out a seat for me, and I was so grateful for the chance to just sit still, I sat with a gusto that may have taken out my tailbone. The guards sat at their respective spots. It would seem that Mr. Ketchup was in the middle of eating some sort of food that might have been fish or seaweed before Torpedo Man and myself arrived. My stomach tightened. My last meal had been early that morning; a Starbucks cinnamon dolce latte and an everything bagel. I burned through the bagel thanks to the adrenaline I used jumping in front of Flynn leaving nothing left to fuel the journey down. Torpedo Man was to my left. He rested his elbows in the table, his fins sticking from his arms and touching his sides, and set his chin upon his folded fingers. He stared at me like I was the jewel of a crown. Or like I was a savior. A key piece. Oh no. Oh no, no, no.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYpWgg9iPuf
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"Atanakshi, doyouten?" Torpedo Man asked. I was surprised that his voice wasn't the deep baritone I'd expected. No, his voice was soft. Elegant. Like he'd come back from Ancient Athens and delivered to me a speech Aristotle himself would be proud of. He said, like, only two words and I was dumbstruck. 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmSQYcFSrP0
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"I don't speak your language, buddy," I answered. The three fish men exchanged expressions I couldn't read, and I was having about enough of this nonsense. Why should they be the ones confused? I'd tell them what's for. "Let me guess, you," I pointed at Torpedo Man and his frills fluttered, "are some type of prince. You've been sent on an important mission to retrieve someone. Some one who can achieve a prophecy, right?" I waited. No one answered, but their faces were becoming pale. I assumed that they did not understand a word I said, and went off digging my grave some more. "You, Torpedo Man, are the firstborn of two sons. I'd eat my sandals if you don't have a younger brother who is trying to get out your perfect shadow. Or I could be wrong. You might be the second child who outshines the first. I can't see any scenario that has you the vengeful type, but you for sure have a brother."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyL3GNqgAF4
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"And you two," I moved to Mr. Ketchup and Lightning Bug. "You're like me. The side characters. You'd provide help, give comic relief, or become a suitable rival. You could do all three for all I care. Maybe you feel as I do as you watch the main characters go off on adventures, saving the world, and falling in love." Maybe I was exhausted from the journey here, hungry, or just letting the situation get to me, but I was fueled by sudden anger. Flynnwas supposed to be in this place. Her butt should have been in this rather hard seat. She was the one who had to fulfill whatever destiny I had a role in helping her through. If I hadn't gone and jumped, I would not have been there. I hated knowing that these spectacular sights weren't meant for me. I should have been content with my history books, classes at Flagler, and my normal, mundane life. Why did the supernatural have to haunt me? Why did I want more when I shouldn't?568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn6ZW8LSERo
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"Come on, spit it out. I don't care that I won't understand you. Just, ugh!" I slammed my fist on the table, shaking the meat of my palm when pain shook through the bones of my hand. Yeowch! "Am I right?" I whispered.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf9WY9bDdbL
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"Umm, miss?"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Od2Iz13EU
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"Yes?" I hissed, completely passing over the fact that Torpedo Man had spoken English.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi2rEs5ZRsm
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"I'm terribly sorry, but we are able to use your speech."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4DVzVBGZqk
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"Whatever!" Dang, I was devolving into teenager mode. 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLFCzS1sLbr
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"Well," Torpedo Man said in the type of voice one would use when faced with an individual trying to jump off of the St. Louis Arch, "You are not too far from your claims."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp4gZq6xnf8
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"Haha!" I crossed my arms. "Then I think I'm gonna take a go at your real name! Hmn, you live in underwater…(Marine? Sunset. Algae. No, think regal.) Aqua! You're name is Aqua!" Of course his name would not be Aqua. That predictability was pushing the envelope too much, but I think I had gone just a bit, umm, crazy. Humans just weren't meant to be this deep beneath the sea level. 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡquTTBxUQ3w
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"You are correct," Torpedo Man gasped in wonder. He smiled a boyish smile, his bright green eyes sparkling. "Simply amazing."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiMT5ZkXnfw
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"I'm not that…" I gulped. "Anyway, your name wasn't really supposed to be Aqua. I was grasping at straws, man."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPdUqkzHozb
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"This is true. My full name, in all actuality, is, Aquathalia Bucchitus. Aqua is what others have shortened it to." He shrugged.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlus3kZ30I4
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His ridiculous name didn't impress me. I've heard plenty of them, thinking back on Dandris's boyfriend, the Vampiric Lord of the East. Trust me, Torpedo Man's name was nothing compared to the syllables the vampire stick together like legos. 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcMdX5lQ2Be
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"Looks like you got the right kid, kid," Mr. Ketchup smirked. "Who else would be so on point about what's going on, she even got your name, other than the lost princess?" Hmn, what a seductively sly drawl dripping out from Mr. Ketchup's brick red lips. I shuddered despite myself. 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX6ucmu3JCl
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"How eerily disturbing," Lightning Bug murmured in a bookish tone, brushing a finger to his chin. He leaned over the table to take better stock of what was before him. "You there. Are you really aware of your importance? We were told the lost princess would need guidance when re-entering our world. You do not seem all that perplexed." He tapped a claw on the table to punctuate his points. 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNYmgo7ZVBX
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Oh. Oh boy. My stomach dropped to my toes. Crap, how dense could I be? My simmering rage melted like it had been butter on a searing pan, cooling until it evaporated, leaving a burnt crust. My shoulders slumped. They had understood e-v-e-r-y word of my tirade. 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvmyH8Gg6Om
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"They were good guesses," I mumbled. Had I shown my hand already? I was hoping to adopt the clueless damsel act to slowly earn their trust and learn more of my situation. Now that I had stupidly revealed that I could make some accurate educated guesses, could I still pull that bit off? I needed them to think me meek, mousy, and clueless. Not that they would have gotten that from Flynn in the first place. But she was the main character. She would have no choice but to follow the pull of the story and marry the prince and defeat an evil warlord or something. I was different. I wanted out. 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIoBk6RuMzB
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"Guesses? Babe, you practically outlined this kingdom's entire history," Mr Ketchup purred. Okay, I needed a new name for this fish man. I was at odds with this sexy purring nonsense and then thinking of a common condiment squirted on some hash browns. Actually, can fish purr? Can people?568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFYV23GqWPw
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"No, not really," Lightning Bug chimed in. "She barely touched the creation of-"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8l5Uv5aadN
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"Can it, Tenji. I said practically. No where did I say literally. As much of a smart ass you are, you still can't handle the intricacies of English." Mr. Ketchup smacked Lightning Bug on the back like he had done with Torpedo Man earlier.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeXcEwiB221
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"Oof!" Lightning Bug pushed the big fish man off of him. "And you can never catch the subtleties of sarcasm no matter the language," he said sourly. 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Ugg2MzXia
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"Huh? You're the one who's so deadpan I couldn't catch of a whiff of what you call sarcasm!" Mr. Ketchup got to his feet, his fist tightened, casting a seething glare at Lightning Bug that would have left kittens and little kids huddled in a corner with fright.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCUtBSRTJ2
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"I'd expect as much, seeing as you seem to be lacking a nose," Lightning Bug smirked up at the other guard, holding his ground with an eerily smooth demeanor.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmZ0DcYJIYF
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"Don't you bring my nose into this!" Mr. Ketchup stomped his foot, clearly on defense now. The guards lapsed back into their original language as their verbal squabble mounted into what amounted to bidding orator word vomit. I bit my lip. Lightning Bug gave as good as he got. Mr. Ketchup was the one with slits for a nose.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVaXKAS68sK
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"Do not worry. They may fight like their lives depend on it, but their love is solid," Torpedo Man whispered to me. Maybe he saw the shock clear as glass on my expression and had to chime in just in case I feared for their or my safety. I watched the two duke it out through curdled phrases, and beneath their frustrated, grouchy barks, I saw the pulse of affection stream between the two. Yes, I wasn't sure how I missed it before, but Mr. Ketchup and Lightning Bug were definitely an item. I smiled despite myself. 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLa9NM83es3
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With that issue settled, I had to get back to business. 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtoHonZvvgL
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"Earlier, I just threw out some random guesses," I told Torpedo Man. He scooted his chair closer to me, and I felt his odd heat brush my side. He'd have to back off if he was planning on getting any closer. The fish guy was in prime punching territory. "I've had some friends go through similar situations, but I have no clue on what the particulars are here. Could you…explain them, please?" Must be polite. Must keep my cool.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡubaWDy67OI
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"Certainly. Anything I can do for the lost princess would be my pleasure."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡup6JXTgeAZ
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First, he would have to not say the word "pleasure" ever again. My spine almost popped out from my back from how hard it tingled. Second, these three thought I was a lost princess. That meant Flynn was exactly what I assumed she was. Score a point for me. A bitter point, however. I was clinging to the hope that I had been wrong about everything. That I could go back to living in St. Augustine with Flynn and goofing off like we used to. Although those days had just ended this afternoon, they felt so far away already. Like a dream you can't quite grab from a hazy, sleep drugged morning. My innards squeezed when Torpedo Man softly shook his head in decline.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ6WRA35iXm
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"May I have your name? We are at unequal footing. I am unable to guess names so adeptly like you, miss," he gingerly asked.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIdOZd34Xbh
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"Emily May Smith." There was no need to give Flynn's name. I didn't want them thinking they got the wrong person. I had to be the princess they wanted, at least for a little while. If, no, when I escaped, they would be coming after me, not Flynn. I had to protect her, and at that point, I didn't know if this obsession with shielding her from this insane scheme was due to my Helper senses or because I just wanted to. Maybe both?568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSWhgurdS6Z
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"Emily May Smith," Torpedo Man tested the letters. I recalled Adrienne saying my name just like that. Like it was a precious bird cupped in her palms she yearned to heal. But when Torpedo Man said it, breathed it, something was different. I couldn't pinpoint what was off, and I didn't want to. "As you already are aware, I am Aqua. Youngest prince of--" Don't say Atlantis. Do not say Atlantis. I swear if we go into that much of a YA cliché I would have rather drowned. Please, Torpedo Man, I beg of you. "--Subterranea." Thank you. Still unoriginal, yet thirty times better than Atlantis, thank you.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgg5KCeZMGE
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"Those two still amidst in conflict over there are Tenji Anaja and Nika Droustil. Though they are respectively five and six years older than I, they are nothing less than brothers and teachers to me," Torpedo Man explained in an even tenor. I gave Mr. Ketchup the once over. Him? A teacher? Excuse me, the man sticking his thin pink tongue out at Lightning Bug? The red fish man must have sensed my incredulity and ceased his bickering with the other guard.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpxPvcosQaW
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"Aqua gets his eloquent bullshit from Papa Tenji. No way I'd be making him all pompous and mightier than thou. I taught him how to fight. Real shit that he'll actually use." Mr. Ketchup sat back down to continue to eat the abandoned and still unnamed food. He scooped some up and dropped the glop right into his mouth. Lightning Bug tsked, leaving their argument behind for the time being. 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuTBStltVxX
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"Nika, Aqua speaks like he does because he wants to be a genuine and communicative Marnan Being. Unlike someone I know of," Lightning Bug cooly glanced the opposite direction to focus on the moving wall screen. Mr. Ketchup's lips twitched and yet he let that certain barb go. 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqqm1vP1FK1
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"Umm, well thank you for the introductions. This still doesn't really explain why I'm here. Why you forcibly took me from my family and home." Out of everything in that info drop, I still did not exactly understand why I was there. Because that issue really did have to be addressed. Why did conspiracies like this one always start with a kidnapping? Better yet, why did the kidnapee just go along with it? Sure, there's a period of attempting to escape, but then he or she falls for somebody or gets indebted to a oddball creature, making the main character shackled to the climax of the story whether he or she wanted to be or not. I would be different because I was a Helper. There'd be no sweet feelings here casting me away from my normalcy! 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCWrL1ijPb3
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"I truly am sorry for such manhandling." To his credit, Torpedo Man did look chagrined. His shoulders were slumped, dark lips drawn down, and the light in his slit pupils was gone. The prince attempted to twiddle his thumbs, but with his webbing in the way, he more of twiddled his claws. He had the role of kicked puppy down to the T, which was why my Helper senses were telling me to be extra careful. Torpedo Man, this Aqua, was up to something. "But such forceful means were necessary."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzRIkyDoqTI
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"Why? You could have asked my permission before you did a grab and go." I folded my arms and began to tap my toes on the floor. Now Mr. Ketchup and Lightning Bug were grim faced. They did everything in their power not to make eye contact and I realized then that I was sweating. I never sweated, not even when I ran the mile in high school, unskilled at sports as I was. My jaw clenched, and I settled for digging my nails into my skin to keep alert. I hit something fragile on Torpedo Man, and his friends' reaction to my nestling was unsettling.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHBKA8ZdBbF
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"My mother and my father would rather be the ones to fully explain your importance to the Marnan race, but I am able to divulge this; you are the lost princess of Atlantis. We need you terribly, so terribly that I had to skip over proper social protocol. I could not risk your escape nor letting your protecter become aware of our presence." From one moment Torpedo Man was a sweet, kind umm, Marnan (even though he did force me into a dark underwater hole,) and the next, man oh man. The next he wore the essence of a ferocious shark. His whole body was bunched up. Muscles, fins, and even his jewelry was shaking. I really thought the Jaws theme song was going to stutter to a start in the background, that's how menacing he became. 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuD4SygppHl
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1. Now I really, really shouldn't say I was not the girl they had been searching for. Not If they were so desperate that they were willing to add kidnapping into their repertoire. 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIN7IXzK0Zr
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2. Atlantis! I knew that was coming, I just knew it. I felt so bad for Flynn, the lost princess of the Atlantis. She would have done the biggest face palm of the century if she was there. One packed with punch enough to knock her out of her seat.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS9hH4stTww
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"I'm a lost princess?" I cautiously ventured. Meek, calm, kind, polite. Don't lose your head. I threw in the eyelash batting to sweeten my act. What? It always worked for Flynn, right?568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡatOlWHWQLt
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"There's the confusion," Mr. Ketchup whispered to Lightning Bug loud enough for the entire room to still hear. Lightning Bug gave a worn sigh. 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW1c1Ob8Ebi
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"Yes. Mother and Father will build upon the intricacies later," Torpedo Man had gone back to being the shining prince, and with the the air had gone from charged to stagnant. I knew his niceties were only a façade now. I couldn't let my defenses down. "The short end of the situation is, the mother that you have grown with on the Main Land is not your true mother. She is the advisor of the last Atlantic King. He sent you away to be raised with her."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoFtawk7Jvt
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I suppressed my gurgled response. Hey, I knew like any other learned person in YA novels that parent's in a scenario are always a mess. Like I've mentioned before, they are either dead, there's only one, someone is living with their aunt or uncle, or there's the lovely switch-a-roo. Poor Flynn's mom, the one who doted on her so much, pleading with her to stay out of the ocean, was actually her father's advisor? I was drowning in a whole new sense. This big reveal was what really drove the nail into the coffin, so to speak. I wasn't Flynn, but if the better informed me couldn't handle Torpedo Man and his info purge, then this would have been heaping dose worse for her. I was leagues under the ocean, my fourth best friend turned out to be a lost princess, her mother wasn't her mother, and I had taken Flynn's place to visit Torpedo Man's mommy and father dearest. I felt sick.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRQiQZCmXr4
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Maybe the last Atlantic King could still be alive to brighten everyone's day? Pretty please?568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFVO1V9JmHz
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"Aqua, don't scare the poor girl," Lightning Bug admonished Torpedo Man. He had misinterpreted my Atlas-carrying-the-world-weight with plain wimpy fear. Good. "Miss Emily has been brought here against her will, has learned that her parental figure was deceiving her, and now she must face the certain knowledge that there will be more bad news to come. Allow her a few moments to recover." Ah, now that was how it was done. I was feeling better already. Lighting Bug's backup felt like I had taken a huge gulp of healing peppermint latte.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiIQpsSVcVS
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"I know, Tenji, I know." Torpedo Man scrubbed a webbed hand over his forehead, brushing the now messy dark green strands of hair away and behind his pointed ears. There was a cool draft of wind coming from somewhere. I had to come to terms that the Marnan peoples had air conditioning. 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9p2SXX7tbW
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"There's a fine line between being nice and forcing the girl to get the concept that we need her and her alone. She can't leave. We'd all die if she did," Mr. Ketchup growled at the other guard. Lightning Bug straightened and glared at the red fish man. Mr. Ketchup ignored him and directed his next words to me. "I have to be straight with ya, kid. The royals want to be the ones to break the bad news? Whatever. Before we take you to the castle, you have to know one thing, babe. If you try to escape: We. Will. Catch. You." He did the universal sign for decapitation. The black claws added the his desired affect. 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsJPSS2tkhg
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I gulped and nodded, hoping that they weren't able to read minds or something. Belatedly, I saw the weapons strewn against the wall behind Mr. Ketchup. There were the traditional spears and swords, all reflecting the light of the pale globes above, and there were also the more sinful looking machine guns with black metal jackets. Alright, I know that they needed me (no, I mean Flynn) so if I still attempted to escape, they wouldn’t really use those weapons on me, right?568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXC9gST10fh
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"I'm glad we've come to an understanding," Mr. Ketchup chuckled. Lightning Bug smacked the guard's forearm. "Ow! Tenji, I had to!" The red guard hissed.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡprJE6JjzD7
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"You have no grace."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKvzSjPANSV
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"I'm trying to threaten. There's no grace in threatening someone."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1OMbpt0pBf
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"Of course there is."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbp6V59301c
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"Then how you would have handled it, smart ass!?"568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡU3nsnQqGcq
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Tenji cleared his throat. He furrowed his brow, brushed away his braided black hair, and set those glowing pinpricks of eyes right on me. The hue of his black pigmentation somehow became even darker, like I was watching a black hole drift over to lazily swallow me whole. Lightning Bug spoke, but he was no longer the friendly library assistant. He was a messenger of death. 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9vA6kOgM0D
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"Follow orders, obey the instructions given to you by our monarchs, and we will treat you with all due respect and kindness. Stray from this path, however, and you have forgone our hospitality to the fullest. Expect harsh repercussions and nothing less, princess." Yeah, the princess part came out like he was saying "filth." 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3Asq2pdZdU
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Torpedo Man, Mr. Ketchup, and myself gaped at Lightning Bug, the one that had seemed the most harmless of the trio. He blinked a few times, unmoved. Whatever he had to to obtain his dangerous glow was gone now. 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMWqJ4zBTAn
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"Guess that was kinda classy. Sorry, man," Mr. Ketchup said. He rubbed the back of his head in defeat. Lightning Bug nodded.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb9UXwbWIe6
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"Naturally. You should have bided your time. I have the threats handled, Nika."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaxoxZxedff
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"All thoughts of threats aside, Miss Emily, I see that the spell I infused onto you has finally worn off," Torpedo Man observed, probably to change the subject. Thank goodness I did not flush at the memory of Torpedo Man kissing me to inflict said spell. Nope, not I. "I find it strange that your natural form did not take root when immersed in our ocean."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0oCuMC4C8R
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"I surmise that she had been in her Land Form for so long, her body is in need of a small…push." Geeze, Lightning Bug, do not give the others ideas. I could only image the type of push he meant, but all I saw was me drowning over and over again to obtain a form I didn't have. Oh boy, and I was going to drown anyway with whatever magic spell Torpedo Man had cast on me now gone when it became time for me to leave. The good news only got better.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRouK2CgMHX
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"We have acclimated enough. I am deeply sorry, Miss Emily, but my parents and brother are awaiting you’re arrival. Honestly, I should have brought you straight to them."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPMR8WKNWu6
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"Thank you anyway," I think I growled. The polite thing was hard to stick to after Lightning Bug's display. "Let's all just meet your parents so they can tell me what's going on." And I can find a way to get out of this ring circus and a good distance from these three Marnan creeps I couldn't trust as far as I could throw them. Spoiler alert, that would be less than one fourth of an inch.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJMFAD4QPIf
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"Then I shall escort you, Miss Emily. Nika, you'll be coming with us. Tenji, please stay here to monitor the guardhouse."568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI5jJsxRTAI
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"Yes, Prince Aqua," the guards piped up in tandem. They stood to place their right fists at the middle of their stomachs in a salute. I hoped that their hearts weren't there. What lame anatomy to have a heart in the stomach, but who was I to say? 568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAskoHJZ4bl
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"Miss Emily, shall we?" Torpedo Man was up and ready. He was holding out his arm for me to grasp. I could only stare at his be-finned arm thinking, wow, they have the same ideal for manners like we do. "Emily?" He repeated. The fish man inclined his head, and I saw that the Marnan did have eyelids. And he was using the trusty half lidded-look-how-hot-I-am expression. On. Me. On me! If he thought that he would stake a claim on me just by a look, he was sorely mistaken! I've already been exposed to Akram's blasting gaze at Adrienne. Heck, even Zeike used it. Not at me. Never at me. And to be clear, Torpedo Man turning the heat up to 10 for me alone was unnerving. I licked my lips.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhfT7zMAvYN
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"Okay then, Torpedo Man, take me to your leaders." I stood and then hooked my arm around his. I would take his little challenge, and I would win.568Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc586NNqbbd
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