Chapter 9: Chapter 8

Hiiiii! I kinda did this at last minute since one of my old friend was graduating. \^u^/ So I'll be editing this later, so sorry it feels off. This is a crucial chapter to the story so I hope it doesn't feel like an information dumping ground.

ALSO I created a tumblr blog for you readers!! I'll be posting sneak peak, art works, Q&A and character profiles. My tumblr username is @yourandielexxis. Follow me! Or not. Whatever. I don't care. *Whispers* Seriously. Follow me there. ^V^

Anyway, thanks for all the support! Enjoy the story and don't forget to comment and vote!

___________________________________________________________

Whoa.

I felt like I stepped into another world.

The hotel lobby took my breath away.

My eyes drifted to the tall ceiling that was stunning itself. Intricate mosaic of sea glass spread in elegant patterns across the large lobby. Opposite from the entrance – that Bodhi and I just came through – was a wall made entirely of glass, showcasing San Diego's ocean and it's impossible blueness. The floor of white tiles had thousands of broken faucet of sea glass embedded and it sparkled as it caught light.

"It's something, isn't it?" Bodhi giggled at my expression.

I nodded slowly, speechless. I've never seen anything like it.

Bodhi walked past me towards the elevator off at the side and I shuffled after her. She skipped by some high class women with their posh dress suits in Bodhi's grunge fashion with her head held high. One of the old lady tsked on Bodhi's choice of jean shorts. Bodhi nodded to her with a watt full smile. "Evening."

The lady's soften. "Evening, Darling."

Nobody can resist Bodhi it seems. She just radiated sunshine.

A young looking bellhop who was loading a suitcase into a trolley for a couple. His eyes widened when he saw Bodhi. Panic stricken, he dodged – or tried to – behind the stack of suitcases on the trolley.

"Nick!"

Nick sighed in defeat. "Evening, Miss."

She went up to him as the couple Nick was helping left. Bodhi slapped Nick's shoulder and he grunted. "Is my mini fridge restocked?"

"Y–Yes, Miss." Nick stammered. "It is."

Bodhi grinned. "You're the man, Nick." She begun to leave, but paused. Bodhi turned to Nick. "Can you send up your finest wine?"

I turned to her and hissed, "It is eleven in the morning."

Bodhi waved her hand away. "Pft. Time is nothing but man made."

I sighed as I stare upward, wondering what she was going to do next.

Nick sighed. "Shiraz, again?"

Bodhi grinned. "You got it." She sashayed away and I stammered. Nick gave me a pitiful shake of his head. I grimaced back at him in understanding and trailed after Bodhi into a luxurious elevator. I stepped into a pristen, marble elevator. Music twinkled around us that Bodhi unconsciously begun swaying to. The door closed and it was just us.

I sighed. "What did you do to poor Nick?"

She twisted her head with a gaping mouth. "I didn't do anything!" She looked ahead, biting her lips. "I only ordered in...and I may or may not have had pants on when I opened the door..." She began to study the elevator buttons intensely.

I stared at her. "Why didn't you have your pants on?"

She exhaled exasperatedly. "I'm not used to wearing pants!" She waved her hands over her new legs. "Obviously."

I had a feeling that wasn't the only thing that Bodhi did to Nick...

I narrowed my eyes at her. "What time?"

"What?"

"What time did you order food in?"

"Uhmmm.... It was late."

I nodded. "I see now." I shrugged. "I like to have a midnight snack too."

"AWWWW!" Bodhi squealed. "You know me so well." She gushed as she hugged me around my torso. I stiffened. I don't do hugs. Bodhi continued. "I knew Gale would choose well." She was so petite that it felt like I was getting a hug from a squirrel.

I rolled my eyes as I attempted to pry her off. "I don't know what you mean by Gale choosing –" I stopped.

The elevator door opens and another elderly couple stepped in. They stinked of money and upper class. The woman cleared her throat when she saw Bodhi clinging to me. The elevator door closed, sealing us in.

I pried Bodhi off without making a scene. She patted my back and sighed as she withdrew. The elevator stopped and the couple stepped off, muttering get a room.

My face heats as I stared dagger at Bodhi. She ignored me and grinned as she watched the numbers above the elevator door change.

We made it to the top floor.

No... She couldn't possibly be staying in a penthouse...

I followed her off the elevator and down a hallway made with floor to ceiling view of the beach. Despite my fear of the sea, I couldn't deny that it looked stunning.

Beautiful...

But deadly.

I jerked my head away from the view and followed Bodhi down.

Only three large doors appeared in this hallway. Bodhi went to the far left one and swiped a keycard on the slider above the knob.

Bodhi opens the door and –

Chaos.

Pants, socks and shoes were strewn everywhere.

And shoes.

So. Many. Shoes.

I stared in horror as I went in as Bodhi closed the door and went to the kitchen, ignorant of the disarray.

"Why – " I inhaled in disbelief. "–do you have so many shoes?"

Bodhi guzzled down a cup of water. "Ah." She patted her tummy. She smiled at her collection of shoes that would make any celebrity jealous. "I never own shoes before and I didn't know how many I needed." She pouted. "And they were all so cute." She offered a glass to me, "Water?"

I waved my arms when I stood in the center of her suite. "So you brought the whole store?"

She frowned as she set my glass down on what seemed to be kitchen counters. "I think you are exaggerating."

I threw my hands at the kitchen counters that was cluttered with high heels. "Bodhi, you have shoes on the kitchen counters and in the sink." I squinted my eyes at the flash of red in the microwave. "And why is there a pair of Louboutin in the microwave?"

"Wha –" Bodhi turned and open the microwave. "Oh there they were!" She takes them out and cuddled the pair of shoes to her face. She cooed. "It's so pretty."

I rubbed my temples.

I sympathized with Nick now.

I shook my head. "I have a question and it's been bothering me."

She stopped inhaling her shoes. "What is it?"

"Did you rob a bank?"

"Don't be ridiculous."

I sighed in relief.

She continued. "It's too much work. An ATM makes more sense."

I stopped. Say what now?

She cackled. "Oh goodness, you're so easy." She rolled her eyes. "I'm not stupid." She waved her head to the living room – or what seems to be a living room since shoes also covered that space. "I'll show you."

Bodhi waved her hand on the coffee table that was in front of the long, white couch. The only place that wasn't covered in shoes. The coffee table, however, was strewn with dvds. I spotted some well-known titles; the Notebook, Titanic , My Girl. I even spotted some kdramas like Kill me, Heal me and Goblin.

All films that made me ugly cry.

"The pearls." I exclaimed.

She nodded. "I don't think I ever cried so much in my life." She shook her head. "You humans are depressing creatures." She sniffled. "Romantic, but masochistic bunches."

I laughed at the truth of it. "Ain't that the truth." I crossed my arms. "I'm sure you mers have depressing and sappy stories."

She twisted her lips. "Yeah, but not like this –" She picked up Titanic. "I still don't understand why Rose let him go–"

I raised my hand. "Do not speak her name to my face."

She nodded. "You're right. She shall not be spoken." She dropped the movie on the table.

Bodhi moved the shoes from the couch to the floor among others and patted the space next to her as she sat on the blue coach.

I sat.

She stared at me with her eyes narrowed. "You know, this the first time I talked to a human this long." She nodded, as if thinking to herself. "If you're gonna help, might as well know the true story of why the mers are in the aquarium."

I stiffened. True story?

Bodhi continued. "If you are to know, you should probably sit for this."

A knock echoed.

"Perfect timing." Bodhi got up and went to the door.

Nick stood on the other side, wheeling in the wine cart. He opened the wine bottle, prepared to pour us a glass.

Bodhi waved him away. "Just leave the bottle. I got it from here." She handed him a wad of cash.

Nick gaped at the amount of cash. "I – Is that all, Miss Bodhi?"

Bodhi smirked as she walked Nick out. "Yes, Sir Nick."

"You ladies have a lovely evening." He left as Bodhi closed the door. She pushed her shoes out of the way to make path as she wheeled the wine cart over to the couch I was sitting.

I shifted uncomfortably. "I can't drink, Bodhi."

She frowned. "Why not?"

"I'm not twenty-one."

"So?"

"It's law that you cannot drink if you're younger than twenty-one."

"But the italians drinks wine at sixteen." She sighed. "Human's laws are so complicated." She shrugged. "Fine, suit yourself." She sat next to me. "What I'm about to tell you... you're gonna need it."

My heart raced and my palms begun to sweat. What was she going to tell me? A big, huge secret about the mer?

Bodhi watched me, her humor long gone. She took a deep breath. "What if I told you that humans and mers aren't the only intelligent beings that lives among each other? What if I told you that there are races more ancient than the human race? Beings that have witnessed the birth of humanity and watched them over for millennia.That all the mysterious sightings, unknown phenomena and all the unanswered questions was because of.. Us."

Was I breathing? Was the world tilting? I grabbed the bottle of wine and took a gulp. I coughed as I eased in the burn. "Who is – " I turned to her. " – Us?"

"The race that live just as long as the mers has many names – gods, angels, demons, saints, aliens even – but a name stuck and it's one we call them. The Fays."

"Fairies?"

"They're nothing like your human's story of fairies. They're not sparkly, small and kind." She inhaled. "They're far from kind and far from small. They're strong and powerful beings that've walked the earth since the beginning just as the mers." Bodhi gazed out the window to the sea. "Fays and mers have warred against each other since the dawn of time."

I raised the bottle for another gulp and set it on the table.

They were fairies.

They were mers.

What is life?

Bodhi snapped her fingers in front me and I jerked to her. "Huh?"

She smirked. "Do I need to slap you again?"

I muttered. "Not yet." I sighed as I braced myself for more shocks. "I'm fine now."

"Ok. I'll try to make this shorter and less overwhelming." She patted my shoulder with a smirked. "The worst part is over."

I snorted. "I somehow doubt that."

She ignored me and asked. "Are you aware of Midsummer Night's Dream?"

I nodded. Finally some familiarity. "I know Shakespeare."

"While Shakespeare is a friend of the fays, the story is made up but some elements is true."

Time for more wine. I took another gulp. "Continue." I croaked.

"The Fays has to two warring sides as well – the seelie and the unseelie court."

I nodded, remembering. "The seelie are supposedly the good fairies and the unseelie are the bad fearins."

Bodhi twisted her lips. "I don't believe in good and bad fays, all fays are... mischievous." She shook her head. "But the unseelie fays are much more worse." Bodhi poured herself a glass and chugged down in one gulp. "The seelie and the unseelie have a leader court that rules over two weaker courts – The seelie has a Light Court that rules over the Summer and Spring Court and the Unseelie has the Dark Court that rules over the Winter and Autumn Court."

I blinked.

Bodhi poked me. "You with me?"

I take another sip and my head buzzed. "Yeah, I'm here."

Bodhi took the bottle away from me. "Let me have this. I think you got enough." She continued. "Anyway, just as the mers controls the seas, the fays controls the season and the elements. The Light Court is responsible for bringing light, happiness and love on earth just as the Dark Court is responsible for shadows, famine and violence. The Dark Court will do anything to bring the Light Court down – even asking the fay's enemy for alliance – the mers." Bodhi leaned back and sipped her wine glass. "But of course, the king of the sea refused. In retaliation, the dark fays begun kidnapping mers and built an aquarium here to stuff them in."

I stilled.

The humans didn't do it?

My chest lessen. My guilt that I hadn't realized that I had diminished. But my stomach roiled.

Dark fays sounds much worse than humans.

Dark Court is responsible for shadows, famine and violence. That's what Bodhi said. What does this mean? Does this mean the mers will never be set free? Why isn't other mers in the sea aware of this? If so, why aren't they doing anything?

"Why aren't the other mers doing anything?" I asked. "Why is it just you?"

Bodhi stood up and went to the window to stare at the sea. "The dark fays casted a powerful glamour over city, thus, anyone leaving the city – their memories and evidence of the mers is completely erased."

"Erased? What about phones?" I asked.

"Erased. Gone. Poof." Bodhi moved her hand with a flair. "This prevents word getting to the sea king, Neptune."

"Neptune?" I stood up and went to stand next to her. "As in god Poseidon?"

"Exactly as that."

I stared at the sea, home to millions of mers. "Memories... " I trailed off. "As in anyone leaving the city? Like humans driving over city limit and instantly forgetting that mers exist?"

Bodhi nodded. "Precisely." She turned to me. "In the world of fay and mers, we have laws. One of them is that we must keep our existence a secret. The dark fays aren't stupid, they know if they exposed the mers, they would not only exposed themselves but they could get killed if they broke the law."

I shook my head. "Killed by who?"

"The old ones." Bodhi said. "Old gods."

I rubbed my head. I felt a headache coming in. "I don't understand the memories thing...I mean – people know they're mers in the aquarium. I even talked about it with my parents and they never been."

"That's because they haven't drove over the city limit. They live here."

I stopped. "What about you?" I pointed out. "You crossed over from the sea? How do you still remember?"

"As powerful glamours can be, it's never perfect. I had spent weeks searching for a hole in their glamour." She furrowed her eyebrows in frustration. "And I can't go in the aquarium without exposing myself to the dark fays. There's also a glamour around the aquarium as well."

"Another one?"

"A complex one. This one also erases human's memories and photos of them seeing the mers, but it doesn't erase the fact that the aquarium with mers exist. So they go back and the whole thing repeats."

"Seriously?" I eyes bugged. "Are you saying that humans buys the tickets, see the mers and takes pics – they go home and they forget they were ever there?"

Bodhi nodded. "And they go back, thinking it's the first time seeing the mers again. That's how the dark fays make businesses while not breaking any laws, since the dark fays aren't really exposing the mers and only this city are aware of their existence but not really seeing them while the rest of the world doesn't even know mers exist. " She shook her head in awe, "If my people weren't captive, I'd say thats pretty damn clever."

I leaned against the glass. "Oh my god." My breathing came out my heavy while my tipsy brain processed this.

Wait a minute.

"Why do I remember going to the aquarium?"

Bodhi grinned, humor finally flooding back in. She knew when to be serious and to focus.

She bounced on her toes and poked my chest. "That's why you were chosen by the mers at the aquarium.You are immune from the dark fays power." She pointed at the necklace. "Gale had sensed me that I was near but he knew I couldn't go in. So giving you the necklace was a way of telling me that you were to help me free them."

If Gale had given me the necklace, I wouldn't have accepted and probably read in to it too much. But I accepted without hesitation when Nixie gave me the necklace. Gale knew this much. Wait... did Tristen know this as well? Was he behind all this? My chest tightened. What if that was the only reason that Tristen and the other mers befriended me...

Because I was immune? My stomach roiled.

What if it was all planned and I was just a tool to be used to free all the mers?

––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Want to get sneak peek of upcoming chapters, character profiles and more – follow Glass Prison's insta: andie_s.e and tumbler: yourandielexxis

Don't forget to vote, show your love!

<3