Ariel's phone pinged and she rolled over, eyes closed as she searched blindly for it beneath her pillow. She half expected it to be her daily message from Lainie.

For the last three days Lainie had messaged her every morning to see how she was and to try and pry information out of her. Ariel had promised to tell her what had happened, but she didn't want to text it. It sounded ridiculous enough in person, saying it through a text message would make it sound even more insane.

Her fingers finally found it, tangled in her pillowcase and she pressed a button, squinting as the screen lit up – Paige.

Nope. She shoved it back into her pillowcase. That was the third message from Paige in two days. The girl could seriously not take a hint. She started to snuggle back in, hoping to get a few more hours sleep –

Thump.

Shooting up, she blearily looked over her shoulder. The top half of Emily's body was in a heap on the floor, tears streaming silently down her face as her tail was slowly starting to slide off the bed.

"Bugger it." Ariel quickly climbed off her bed, getting tangled in the covers and dropping heavily onto the floor, jarring her knee. Cursing loudly, she fought the blankets off and grabbed Emily, heaving her a little roughly back onto the bed. "What happened?"

She sniffed loudly. "It's stupid. I was thinking about stuff at home and then I started crying and poof! Hello tail."

"Well then you need to stop crying," she reasoned.

"I know!" She snapped and Ariel's eyes widened. "It's not exactly like I can turn it off you know."

"Geez, you get an attitude when you cry," Ariel muttered. She patted her shoulder awkwardly. "You want to talk about it?" When Emily hesitated, Ariel understood. "Do you want me to get Autumn?"

They had made up three days ago, but Ariel could tell that she was still being reserved around her. Probably waiting for 'bitch Ariel' to make another appearance. Ariel had been doing her best to watch how she acted and what she said around them but every now and then something sharp would slip out and she would watch the wariness flash in their eyes.

Fortunately she had developed a foolproof strategy to minimize those outbursts. Every time Kestral or Lucas would enter the room, she simply left it. Yesterday she had been playing cards with Samson, Michael, Emily and Autumn. In the middle of a promising hand, Lucas had walked in to join them. Ariel had quietly excused herself, faking a phone call and promising to come back once it was finished. Instead, she had grabbed the book she was reading and slipped outside, heading to the bluebell field to read.

As Emily opened her mouth to reply, a short knock sounded at the door. Her eyes widened as the Doc's voice filtered through. "Ariel? Emily? Are you girls okay? We heard some commotion –"

Ariel had seen the panic building in Emily's expression. It intensified as the door handle twisted and before Ariel could even process what she was doing, she found herself flying off the bed and shoving the door closed, leaning her body into it.

"Girls?" His voice came through louder, more concerned. "What's going on?"

Quickly roughing up her hair, Ariel spun around and opened the door a fraction. "Morning, Doc."

"Good morning, Ariel," he replied impatiently. "Would you mind telling me what all the crashing is about at seven thirty in the morning?"

"Nothing," she sighed. "I tripped getting out of bed, that's all."

"That explains one thump, what about the other?"

"I tripped again on my blankets as I was getting up. Then I spent about thirty seconds rubbing my knee and cursing sheets everywhere."

"And Emily –"

"Is getting dressed." She interrupted, ogling her eyes. "I can see you want a detailed play by play Doc, but surely our dressing routine doesn't interest you?"

His cheeks flushed slightly and he took a step back. "No it doesn't. I'll see you both at breakfast – and try to keep your tripping to a minimum at this time of morning in the future."

"Sure," she muttered, closing the door. She waited, ear to the door and didn't step back until she heard his footsteps descending the staircase. She turned back around. Emily's tears had slowed. Her cheeks were wet, her face pale as she watched Ariel move back over to her, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"You're really good at lying," she whispered.

Ariel shrugged. "I was always taught that the best lies have a hint of truth in them. I used to be horrible at it until a couple of years ago."

"Thanks," Emily whispered. "I don't want the Doc to know. He'll just force me to over analyse it and then there'll be more tests –"

"It's okay," Ariel patted her tail. "I totally get where you are coming from. I don't think I've ever run so much as I have in this last two weeks. If I have to get on that treadmill one more time this week, it's going to experience a very sudden, unfortunate accident."

Emily smiled. "At least you're getting fit. The Doc only wants to take my scales. Apparently they have magic in them or something and he can use them to perform tests."

"That doesn't sound so bad. I thought you told me once that when your tail disappears, you often shed a few scales or something."

She sighed. "Yeah I do, but apparently you need more than five or six to perform tests. Also I think Amelia uses them as well for tracking the sea witch."

"Right." She looked at Emily's tail, admiring the blue scales. "Does it hurt, to have them removed?"

"No," she shook her head. "It feels like I'm being gently pinched. But just because it doesn't hurt doesn't mean I like him doing it."

"Fair enough." Emily's tears had stopped and Ariel passed her a box of tissues. "Here. I'll go and get Autumn –"

"No, it's okay." Emily grabbed her arm. "She's probably asleep, I don't want to wake her."

Ariel hesitated, her back starting to strain from half standing, half sitting. "Do you want me to go...?"

"I don't think so. I know it probably seems pathetic, but would you stay with me until my legs come back?"

"Sure." Ariel figured she wanted her on door duty. "I'll keep an eye on the door until – "

"I don't want you to stay for that," Emily sniffed, smiling tentatively. "I just need a distraction so I don't go mad waiting for my legs to return to normal."

"Oh! Well I can do that." She sat back down. "Wipe your face. You look like you went overboard with toner –" she winced. "Sorry. Maybe I should just let you do all the talking."

Emily laughed, rubbing her face with a tissue. "It's okay. I know you've been trying to watch what you say. Sometimes your lips clench and it's like we can see you mentally telling yourself not to say what you were about to say."

"Wow, so I've been looking like a moron," Ariel muttered. "Fantastic."

"Not really. It's kind of sweet that you're trying so hard." She touched her face, assessing for any wet patches and grabbed another tissue. "Why are you avoiding Lucas?"

"Thought that would have been pretty obvious," Ariel stated.

"I get that you guys don't along," she dabbed her eyes. "But you are making it hard for him to apologise to you."

Ariel stared at her like she'd grown two heads. "He is trying to apologise to me? Are you sure you know what that word means?"

Emily's eyes rolled. "Yes I do. I also know that he still feels bad about something he said to you last week. Autumn said something about it. He's been trying to find a way to talk to you but you keep disappearing."

"Well that was part of our agreement." Emily's brow furrowed and Ariel explained about their deal to avoid each other in the future. "I'm simply holding up my end of the bargain. I don't need his apology, anyway. Knowing our luck, we'll just end up arguing again and saying something nastier to each other."

"Maybe you should just let him apologise but keep your mouth shut. Like you've been doing this week? Sometimes an apology isn't wanted, but is needed, you know?"

"I doubt I'll be able to keep my mouth shut," she grumbled. "You might have to stand next to me and stomp on my foot or something if you see my mouth opening."

"I can do that," she glanced at her tail with annoyance. "As long as this stupid thing disappears - !"

She gasped, her body jolting and Ariel watched as the scales folded in on them selves, the tail separating until two pale legs remained.

"Right, looks like I have no choice now." Her eyes drifted to the cup of water sitting by her own bed, wondering if she should chuck it on Emily to get out of the apology talk and jumped as Emily slapped her arm.

"Don't even think about it."

"I wasn't..." she grinned. "Alright maybe a little." She stood up and grabbed her towel. "I'm going to take a shower."

Emily threw a blanket back over her legs, scales clattering to the floor. "Okay. Thanks for before, Ariel."

Ariel picked one up. It's edges felt sharp but the surface felt smooth on her palm. "No worries. What are you going to do with these ones? Won't the Doc get curious if you give them to him randomly?"

"I'll just keep them until I have a bath next and chuck them in with the others that are left behind." Ariel started giving the scale to Emily but she pushed it back. "You can keep it. Harness it's magic or something."

Ariel laughed. Placing it on her bedside table, she reached over and grabbed her chest, holding it up. "I think I have all the magic I can handle right here, thanks."

After showering, Ariel sat on the floor of the bathroom and opened her chest. Her heart lay on the cushion, glinting in the dull overhead light. Her fingers slowly reached out, stopping just shy of it's smooth surface.

She wanted to touch it. Nothing could begin to describe just how badly she wanted to run her finger across its clear surface. Memories of pain flooded her brain, holding her fingers back. It had been unbearable, and she didn't want to experience anything like that again. Her fingers moved back, brushing along her wrist where she could once feel her pulse, her nails digging in as she bit her lip in frustration. It had become a drug; this need to feel her pulse, to know it was still there and not just a figment of her imagination. After not feeling it for over a week, the cravings were beginning to eat at her.

Just do it. If there is pain, it has to be worth it. Before she could chicken out again, she shoved her hand forward and wrapped her fingers around the cool glass. Her body jolted and she felt her heart beating frantically, her nerves at touching it causing it to beat like a jungle drum.

Her eyes closed as she felt her shoulders relax, tension she didn't know she was carrying seeping out of her muscles. She took a deep breath and listened to her heartbeat, everything drifting away and leaving her in a state of peace.

" - what do you mean they've disappeared?"

Ariel 's eyes opened. Annoyed by the voices outside, she closed them again, trying to find that peace once more but the voices weren't finished.

"A few scales are missing from Emily's file and phials of Michael's blood have disappeared from the fridge in the office. Doc's voice filtered in.

Stuff was missing? Unable to concentrate, Ariel quietly closed the lid and slid along the floor until she reached the door. Placing her ear against the wood, she tried to listen in.

"Amelia hasn't taken them and forgotten to tell you?" Zeke's voice was soft and she pressed her ear harder against the door.

"No, Amelia wouldn't do that." Footsteps moved closer to the bathroom door and her body tensed as she held her breath. "I don't want to point any fingers just yet, but try to keep your eyes open, Zeke. I'd like to figure out who it is before any more things go missing. I'd also like you to do a check on all the locks, especially those for the office..."

The footsteps moved away with the voices and she counted to ten before slowly opening the door. They had been standing by the window; she could see the Doc's coffee mug still steaming on the windowsill.

Someone was stealing pieces of them? Emily had said her scales held magic in them. She wondered if Michael's blood held some form of magic. She still wasn't sure what his curse entailed, only that it made him super angry which nobody wanted.

She was spooked that someone might have been inside, learning about them and taking bits of them. She turned back to her heart and scooted back, twisting the key and clenching the chest tightly against her rib cage. If someone was taking stuff, she was going to have to be more vigilant of her heart.

One mild panic attack later, she made her way downstairs for breakfast. A pot of coffee was brewing on the stove and she poured herself a cup. Reaching into the fridge, she nearly fell into it as something small and strong ran into her from behind.

"What the hell? Ben?"

Ben shoved passed her, putting himself between her and the fridge. He motioned anxiously for her to be quiet and she frowned. No one got between her and her morning coffee.

"Ben!"

She spun around, instinctively closing the fridge door slightly at Peyton's voice. Ben grabbed her jumper and she bit her lip to keep from laughing.

Peyton looked about, clearly annoyed. "Have you seen Ben?"

"Ben?" Ariel replied innocently.

"Yes, Ben!" She snapped. "The only little boy who lives here?"

"Oh, him! He's in the fridge."

Ben hit her leg. She stumbled forward and quickly repositioned herself.

"Ha ha," Peyton said tartly. She flicked her hair back. "If you see him, tell him he needs to come upstairs for his maths lesson." She was about to leave before she stopped in the doorway and turned back. "By the way, Emily is the one who turns into a mermaid, right?"

"Emily?" She asked blankly again.

"Ugh! Never mind." She flounced out of the kitchen the door swinging behind her.

Ben shoved Ariel away, a stupid grin consuming his tiny face. "You're evil."

She placed her hand on his head, moving him away from the fridge. "No, I'm coffee deprived." She grabbed the milk, dunking a generous amount into her cup on the bench. "Go and grab your books."

"Okay!" He slipped out and ran to the door. Once he had assessed that the way was clear he took off.

Sighing, she took a sip of her coffee, moving back to her shoulder bag she'd left on the table. She'd taken to carrying the chest in the bag. It was easier and she felt more secure hanging onto the bag than the chest. If she was going to keep teaching Ben, she should talk to the Grimm's about getting some sort of discount for her treatment. She wasn't even sure how much her father was paying for this.

She was making a mental note to ask Emily and Autumn if they knew how much their parents were paying when Ben came running back in, his books slipping out of his arms.

"Got them," he whispered excitedly. "Peyton was talking to Emily and Autumn so I was able to slip by. Can we do it outside again?"

The weather was still cool this time of morning and she looked down at her jumper. She was going to need something warmer. Looking at Ben, so was he. "If we are taking this class outside we're both going to need warmer clothes."

"No we won't, it's not that cold you know? You're just weak."

"I'm not weak, I'm cold blooded."

"What does that mean?"

"Ask Samson –" she winced. "Actually don't do that. Don't mention it to him. Ever. Come on," she took his books and dragged him out the door towards the stairs. "You're putting on a warmer jacket and I definitely need a warmer one."

"But –"

"No buts. If you want me to teach you, you put the other jacket on. If you were to get hypothermia your mother would kill me and I don't need that added drama right now," she muttered.

"Fine." He stomped up the first step and froze when they both heard a raised voice coming from the floor above. "It's Peyton! I can't go up there, she'll make me learn from her!"

Ariel sighed. "Where do you keep your jackets?"

"They hang on a hook at the top of the stairs on our floor," he whispered.

"Bloody hell." Leaving him at the base of the stairs, she made her way up, hoping the Grimm's wouldn't mind her going up to their floor to get his jacket. As she approached the first floor, she could hear Emily's voice.

"Please no, I really don't want to do it."

She froze. Silently, she crept up three more steps and stopped. Gone was the confidence Ariel had heard that morning. Emily was back to being timid, retreating into her shell. That annoyed Ariel more than anything.

"Come on!" Peyton pleaded. "It won't be forever, your legs come back right? What's the big deal?"

"Peyton," Autumn's soft voice intruded. "She doesn't want to. You must understand that asking something like this is extremely inconsiderate."

"I just don't see why!" Ben had seen that Ariel had stopped at the top of the stairs and snuck up to see why. She felt him press in behind her and she placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's not like I'm going to show her face in the photo! I just want a picture of the tail."

Unable to stay in the shadows any longer. Ariel stepped up the remaining stairs pushing Ben to stay put. They were all standing outside her bedroom door. Autumn and Emily had their backs to her. Peyton stood in front of them, holding a fancy looking camera in one hand and a glass of water in the other.

Putting two and two together, Ariel saw red and immediately stepped forward, placing herself between Peyton and Emily. "Do we have a problem here?"

"Ariel –" Emily started.

"There's no problem," Peyton insisted. "I'm only asking a small favour."

Ariel felt Autumn's hand gently touch her arm. "She wants to take a picture of Emily's tail for her photography class," she explained quietly.

Ariel carefully removed Autumn's hand. "I figured that. I also believe I heard Emily say no." She glared at Peyton. "What about that two letter word don't you understand?"

"It's just one picture!" She cried, exasperated. "I need something unique to present to my teacher and this will get me top marks for sure!"

"Do you even hear yourself?" Ariel snapped. "You're trying to make her do something that makes her feel awful and is the reason she is here getting treatment. Don't even think you can use her like you use Lucas."

Peyton glared. "What on earth are you on about?"

"I heard you on the phone," Ariel stated, stepping forward. Peyton flushed. "Telling someone how you thought Lucas was pathetic, but you enjoyed the attention. You vain, ignorant –"

Ariel bit her lip. She knew Ben was still nearby and she didn't want him to hear these things. Emily had stepped closer to Ariel, her hand on her arm, trying to pull her back.

"Ariel, it's okay," Emily pressed.

Ariel shook her off. "No, it's not." She spun around to face her. "You can't let people keep walking all over you, Emily. If you don't want to do it, you don't have to do it. If she –" her head jerked angrily towards Peyton "– can't get that through her thick skull then I'll force it in."

Peyton huffed. "How dare you – ugh!"

As she had spoken, the hand holding the glass had tipped towards Ariel and Emily dangerously, spilling slightly at Ariel's feet. Immediately, Ariel shoved Emily away with one hand and with the other, slapped Peyton's hand. The movement caused Peyton to splash herself and she dropped the glass. It smashed and Ariel stepped back, taking Autumn with her.

Peyton bent over, water dripping from her face and hair. Small gasps of indignation continued to escape her lips and Ariel felt smug as she watched her mascara begin to run.

"What the hell?"

Ariel's eyes closed. Bugger it.

Lucas charged up from behind them, making a beeline for Peyton. Ariel stepped away, pressing herself to the wall incase he decided she needed another fast trip downstairs.

"What happened?" He growled. His eyes immediately moved to Ariel. She felt her mouth opening of its own accord, ready to defend her case and get her thrown off the stairs again –

"Ow." The small sound was the only thing that escaped her lips as Emily stepped in front of her, her foot coming down firmly on Ariel's.

"It's not what you think, Lucas." Her quiet voice shook but there was a resolve behind it that had Ariel feeling oddly proud.

"Really?" He sneered, and Emily took a small step back. "Because it looks exactly like what I'm thinking."

Autumn stepped forward, unafraid of Lucas' temper and tried to speak to him gently. "Let us explain..."

As Peyton hovered behind Lucas, Ariel turned and saw Ben still hiding by the stairs. She slid along the wall slowly as Lucas listened to Autumn. Reaching him, she took his hand and led him back downstairs.

"Is Emily okay?" He whispered.

She nodded. "She'll be fine."

Walking back to the kitchen, she grabbed his books and headed out the back door. Ben stuck to her side like glue.

"What about our jackets?" He asked. "You didn't get them."

The air was still cool and but she didn't care so much anymore. "It doesn't matter. The field will be sheltered."

They headed out the back gate, Ariel setting the pace. She forced herself to slow down when Ben stumbled, trying to keep up with her.

"You right?" She reached down to dust the dirt off is jumper.

He nodded, looking at his shoes. "I've never seen Peyton being mean before."

Dammit. He'd obviously stuck around for the whole show. She crouched down, his books sliding to the ground as she tugged her bag back up onto her shoulder. "She wasn't being mean, Ben."

"But you said she'd said horrible things about Lucas –"

"That was just me being angry," she lied. "Peyton wasn't being mean, she was simply being inconsiderate, which is different."

"How?"

"Well, she was doing something, but not realizing it would hurt others. Do you understand?"

"I think so." He met her gaze, his own uncertain. "Are you sure?"

"I'm positive. I'm like the Queen of inconsiderate, so I know what I'm talking about."

"You're not inconsid-sid – you're not that," he stammered. "You're nice."

She laughed. "No, I'm not."

"You are. You help me with maths and you helped Emily before. My mum said you're nice, too."

She started picking up his books. "Trust me; you and your mum are the only ones that think that."

"Dad does –"

"Your dad too, then."

Ping!

Her phone vibrated in her pocket. She hoped it was Lainie this time. "Come on. Let's get some of this work done before the others find us."

"Why would they try to find us?"

"Icky grown up stuff."

His confusion cleared as his nose scrunched. "Okay then."

They continued on to the bluebell field. Ariel turned back a couple of times to look in the direction of the house. She wondered if Autumn had gotten through to Lucas. If anyone had the patience to get through that stubborn head of his, it would be her. It probably didn't help that she'd snuck off. She just didn't want to be there in case it made him more angry or Peyton said something to tick her off again.

The nerve of her, asking Emily that! Everyone always said that Peyton understood what Sherwood was about and was empathetic towards the patients. What a load of crap.

Once they reached the field, Ariel let Ben pick the spot and sat down as he took his books, finding the chapter he was meant to be working on.

"You should turn your phone off," he said flicking pages. "Peyton's always goes off, it's annoying."

"Who's in charge here?" she muttered, reaching into her pocket. She quickly turned the screen on to see who had messaged. Her body stiffened as she read the name.

Dad.

"What's wrong?" Ben asked.

"Nothing," she whispered. "My Dad sent me a text message."

He bent over, peering closely at her face. "If it's nothing then why do you look weird?"

"I always look like this." This was big. Her Dad never messaged her. Hell, he never rang her. The last time he'd rang her was when Gran...

No.

"Ariel?"

Fingers trembling, she hurriedly unlocked her phone, opening the text message. The scar on her chest felt taught. Each breath caused a stabbing pain in her chest –

Ariel, it's your father. I'm messaging to let you know your Grandfather has died. His funeral will be this Sunday. I think it would be for the best if you stayed where you are so I won't be flying you home. Regards.

No!

Her phone slipped through her fingers, landing on a bluebell. The pain in her chest was spreading throughout her body. A wave of heat washed over her as her vision blurred. Inhaling, her breath got caught on a lump in her throat.

"Ariel?" She felt a small hand touch her arm. "What's wrong?"

He sounded scared. She wanted to tell him it was fine, she didn't want him to be scared – but she couldn't.

Nothing was fine.

Everything was wrong.

The light on her phone shifted and she heard Ben slowly whispering the message to him self. As his soft voice murmured, 'Grandfather has died' the pain in her chest exploded.

A small scream burst from her lips as her body collapsed. She clutched at her scar, tears streaming down her face as the pain burned through her body.

"Ariel!" Ben grabbed her shoulder, shaking roughly. "What's wrong? I'm sorry." She could hear the tears in his voice. "Please be okay."

Sobs tore through her body, the pain in her scar continuing to burn. Ben was crying loudly. She wanted to reach out to him, but she couldn't move.

His hand disappeared. "I'm going to go and get my Dad. He'll make it better, I promise, okay?"

She didn't respond. His footsteps disappeared as she continued to sob. The pain wasn't fading. Finally forcing herself to move, blindly, she reached for her bag. Finding a leather strap, she pulled it towards her. Her phone lay near her head and she could still see the lit up screen.

Grandfather has died. The pain flared and she shoved the phone away.

Something was wrong. Fumbling with one hand, she pulled out the chest. Finding her key, she unlocked it roughly, the key grating loudly against the steel lock as they tried to force it open. Gazing inside, everything around her seemed to stop as she stared in disbelief.

A large crack had split across her glass heart.

Hey dudes. Managed to get another up for you guys :D I'm loving all the feedback and support from you all <3 make sure to drop your thoughts below!