It was like I was flying.

Well, looking back on it, flying is distinctly more terrifying and hard.

I was shooting through the water with the ease of pointing my toes. I could see much better than I would expected. Everything was lit by a soft blue glow.

And I could FEEL the water around. The currents flowed around me, and I could sense where they had been and where they were going. It was a beautiful feeling. I was exactly where I was supposed to be.

I curved upwards towards the surface, my tail swishing softly. The glimmering surface came up fast, and I put on a burst of speed, a sharp flick of my legs. Rising even faster, I flicked my tail once more right before I reached the surface.

I shot into the air, one, two, three feet up. The breeze was cold on my bare skin. I curved my back and twisted in midair. Suddenly, the water rushed towards me. I put my hands together, and the warm welcome of the water enveloped me.

I shot downwards for a few feet, but immediately turned around and went back to the surface, this time more slowly. I softly broke the surface.

There was quiet applause. "Good job, Lynn, Taylor, Sierra," Ms. Iseri said. I looked around, and sure enough, there was Taylor with a lime green tail and Lynn with a dark purple one.

Ms. Hawthorn looked at us approvingly. "You may swim around for the rest of class." We smiled. Being a mermaid was so fun.

Suddenly, Tess surfaced. She had black stuff running all over her face. And she looked mad.

"Who did it? I dare you to tell me, I just dare you!" she shrieked.

At that moment, Audrey surfaced. Tess turned on her similarly to the way a wolf does when he--she-- finds new prey. "It was YOU wasn't it? You did it, didn't you? Confess!"

Audrey blinked. "Um, a) I didn't do anything, b) what did you think I did, and c) why is there black stuff all over your face?"

"Liar!" Tess seethed. "You switched my water-proof mascara for normal mascara, didn't you?"

There was a small moment of silence. Then Audrey burst into hysterics.

"Oh my goodness," she gasped, her front half collapsing into the ground. "I don't know who that was, but they got you good!" she laughed even harder.

Tess started yelling her again, Audrey still laughing her head off. I watched with an air of bemusement.

Just then, Sophie and Talia surfaced next to me. They surveyed the scene.

"What on earth is going on this time?" Talia sighed.

"Tess thinks that Audrey switched her waterproof mascara for normal and Audrey thinks it's hilarious but she claims she had nothing to do with it."

"Figures," Talia muttered, swimming over to Taylor.

I looked over at Sophie. She was smiling, barely enough that I noticed. It was a very secretive smile. "Point for Team Audrey," she whispered.

Something clicked.

"YOU switched her mascara?" I asked in disbelief. She nodded slightly. "She was being mean to you. And you're my friend." She suddenly looked terrified, and a little worried. "Right?"

For a moment, I was shocked speechless. Then I recovered. "Of COURSE you're my friend!" I exclaimed. "How could you think anything else?"

She ducked her head shyly. "Thanks."

That night, we told Audrey the real mascara culprit. She didn't believe me at first, but when she verified, Audrey grinned. And then she smiled. And then she laughed. And laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

That night I laughed so hard I cried.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The image in the mirror was moving along swiftly, walking. Everything was red. The carpet, the walls, the ceiling. And then a man, dressed all in red, came into view. The image stopped moving. And then, a voice spoke.

"How much longer?"

The red man bowed, and responded with the barest hint of a tremble in his voice. "Three days. Madam." He bowed again.

The image moved to look out the window. Fingers crept out onto the windowsill. They drummed quietly. "Make it one. I grow impatient."

"Yes of course ma'am."

And then I realized with a chill; I heard heard the voice before.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Hey, how come we haven't done fairy yet?" Audrey asked me and Sophie as we waited outside for Ms. Hawthorn.

I frowned. "I don't follow you."

"Well, we started with warrior, because it's the closest to human, right? Then we were GOING to do mermaid, because it was the next closest. Well, fairy should be the next closest after that. But we did the horse ones. Why?"

I furrowed my brow. "Huh, that is weird."

"Alrighty class," Ms. Catalona said as she strode onto the field, followed closely by Ms. Hawthorn. "Today I'm going to teach you how to be a phoenix."

"Right," Audrey muttered. "You're going to 'teach' us."

"Ok, so who knows what emotions are connected to phoenixes?" Ms. Catalona asked, looking around.

Taylor looked uncomfortable. I got the feeling that she knew, but didn't want to say. She did give answers all the time. That could be why she wasn't doing it now.

Ms. Catalona looked around. "You," she said pointing to Lee, whom Audrey had begun to refer to as "the blonde shadow of Tess Varela". Lee looked terrified. "Why don't you tell us?"

Lee was completely frozen. Her eyes were as wide as plates. "Hope," she squeaked out finally. Ms. Catalona smiled. "Good job. Phoenixes are connected to feelings of majesty, beauty, and hope. They are marvelous creatures, and my personal favorite." She smiled. "That's why I'm teaching this lesson.

"Becoming a phoenix is easiest for self-confident people. You have to believe in yourself, you have to truly know that you could be a ruler, a a Queen--a phoenix. They are royal creatures, powerful, majestic, strong. And they fill you with the hope that things will get better. You will get through this. Because you believe in yourself. Go."

"Ms. Catalona should teach all of our lessons," Audrey whispered. "That was a half decent job of explaining."

I nodded, and then bent my head to concentrate. I was the mighty phoenix, the very symbol of hope.

I was majestic. Strong. Beautiful.

Yet even as I thought those words, I didn't believe them. Me, Sierra Claget, a symbol of strength? Beauty? Hope? There was no way I was good enough for this.

How was I supposed to become a phoenix if they represented everything I could never be?

"Sierra," Audrey said, breaking me out of my thoughts, "I see that look on your face. You don't believe in yourself. Well stop right there. You are the nicest person here ok? How many of the rest of us would have put up with your crazy brother for what, six years? I would've punched him in the face! But you dealt with him, and became friends with someone as crazy as me. No one has ever wanted to be my friend before. No one. Ever. So if you're over there thinking you aren't good enough to be a phoenix, you are wrong. You're the best person here."

I stood, speechless. And then a cool hand slipped into mine. I looked. It was Sophie. She nodded at me, her eyes shining. A warm hand grasped my other. I looked at Audrey. She nodded.

And at that moment, I remembered what it was like to be that powerful, to feel that grand, that beautiful.

I could see it. Everything. I felt the power coursing through me unlike any I've felt before. It wasn't human power, but power forgotten by our world. I spread my arms and the power burst out like a wave of light. I rose into the air, a brilliant whirl of beauty, power, and hope.

It surged through me. I was majestic. I was beautiful. I danced with power. And I sang of hope. Hope that would never die, hope that sang bright of tomorrow.

And then my hands heated up where they held the two beside me, and we rose into the air, spinning.

For we had all remembered what it was like to have true friends.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you guys for being patient! I know it was long and I'm really, really, sorry. It won't happen again. Probably.

Until next time,

~Paint_splatt