|| lost and found ||

[connoisseur]

in her life-changing events; she gets lost, found, and tossed around. Really - she enjoyed where she was at in the first place, lost.
Aerwyna loved it on the small island, she was comforted by the friendly creatures and weather. then it felt like her life was
tumbling downhill - but for others it was actually starting to look up. Aerwyna gets lost after a ship wreckage, only to be found
10 years later. Join her on her crazy, wild journey.

rules/warnings ;

- comments are welcome. critiques can be sent by pm, please don't post critiques here!
- please don't spam the thread.
- if there's a poll - please take part in it! ( not mandatory! )
- enjoy, thanks for reading/visiting!

[connoisseur]

It's 2006, and little six year old Aerwyna is on a cruise with her mother, father, and older brother. It's a pretty enjoyable cruise, and it'd been only two days in that Aerwyna decided it was the best cruise she'd ever been on. Even though it was her first, and very last cruise.

Everything goes tumbling down when the ship starts to sway, faster than usual. The room she's staying in with her family starts to be shaken; things start falling off the desks, the lights flickering. The commutation system beeps off, and a frantic voice informs everyone that the ship was sinking. Nobody said why, though.

Aerwyna is rushed out of her room, her mother and father pushing her along. Her father follows close behind, along with other panicking crowds. But it's too late. The extra boats are taken, leaving many others behind on the sinking ship. Her mother and father start to lose it, but Aerwyna is focused on something else. A delicate, yet soft voice was singing to her. She ran towards the railing, peering over the edge, in search of the voice's owner. But it seems as if she's the only one that can hear the voice. People were screaming, running, and yelling behind her.

"Jump, Aerwyna. Friend of the sea, jump," the voice called out, soothing her, trying to persude her to jump over. The voice ringed throughout Aerwyna's head, and she became mesmerized by the voice. She climbed over the railing, her eyes looking down at the water.

"Aerwyna, no! Don't!" Her brother, Ryan, called out behind her. But he was too late.

"I'll protect you," the voice called out, "Jump." Aerwyna was falling; she had jumped. She was too late to process what was happening when she hit the water. A pair of hands grabbed her, Aerwyna passing out.

[connoisseur]

( 10 years later )

I woke up with a jolt, my breathing frantic. I rubbed my forehead, and let out a exasperated sigh. Lately, memories have been visiting my dreams. I gazed into the distance, the sun light leaking through the palm leaves. Guessing by the shadows it was casting, it seems to be early in the morning. Rubbing my eyes, I let out a loud yawn. I always wake up around this time. Waking up around this time seems to be the most useful; I get alot done faster.

Mui twitched beside me, still asleep along with his other little pixie friends. I smiled down at them. Lately, more and more pixies visit, which is making me kind of curious. How come more and more kept coming? My smile faded, but I ignored the thought, getting off my bed. I had alot to do today, and I shouldn't be delaying.

I grabbed the home made basket, which I had myself, truthfully. It's lasted for awhile now, hopefully it will last forever. Making baskets are difficult. The wooden floor creaked underneath my feet as I walked towards the door.

"Where are you -" Mui yawned, rubbing his eyes, "going?" His wings twitched as he started hovering above his friends. Slowly, one by one they awoke. Some of them already started to sing, making me fully awake. I smiled thankfully.

"I'm going to start morning chores," I answered, pulling my messy, long hair into a bun so I wouldn't trip. I know, I should really cut my hair, but I haven't cut it since.. I came here. My hair carries my memory. The other sea creatures call me Rapunzel. I always laughed it off, but I truly adored my hair. Sometimes, the pixies would decorate it with flowers and style it. But today, I didn't feel like taking the day off. I was running low on food.

"Then we'll help you!" Mui spoke excitedly, flying over to my shoulder and sitting down. He seemed so eager and happy to help, so I let out a sigh of defeat.

"Fine, fine," his eyes went wide, "But promise to not wander off?" Pixies always wandered away, and sometimes would get lost. Not to mention Aura is bully to pixies. The name of Aura made me angry, and I felt like punching somebody. My fist clenched, but one of the pixie's starting to sing, making me relax.

"Yeah!" Mui answered, nodding his head with a happy smile. I nodded, and walked outside, Mui still resting on my shoulders. Pixies followed behind, and closed the door to the house.

Carrying the basket on my side, I walked barefeet on the sand. I used to have shoes - 10 years ago. I grew out of them. Although, I'm used to walking on my barefeet. Plus, the feeling of sun-warmed sand was a nice to feel. Mui hummed a pixie song beside me, and the other pixies stopped occasionally to pick up seashells or flowers.

The shore's rhyme echoed in my mind when the water feet my feet. I shivered, but kept walking. A splash loudly occured, causing me to turn around. I silently groaned at the sight of Aura. What does she want now? All she does is torment the pixies and try to annoy me. The pixies and Mui hid behind me, not liking the sight of Aura either. Her tail was still in the water, but she was resting on shore, staring at me blankly.

"What now, Aura?" I asked, not revealing any emotions. If you show anger, fear, or stress she will feed off of it and continue to pick on you. I learned that a long time ago. Her red tail flicked in the water, showing that was quite irritated. It seems like she was just born an angry person. She held her blank expression.

"Land dweller," she spat, "Land traitor." My face twisted into a confused stare, but I didn't angry. She barely called me that, and usually stuck with things like, 'rag doll,' or things like that. I last time I heard her call me that was a few years ago. Her blank expression turned furious, and she crossed her arms. Beside her, another splash was heard, and Sophie appeared from the waves. She looked worried.

"You know that boat we told you about like, two days ago?" She breathed, sounding panicked. Yes, I do remember. Sophie came to rush and told me that there was a huge boat, and was just floating around the old wreckage. I had told her not to worry, that alot of ships like those tend to look at the aftermath of the wreckage. I don't get it. Why are humans so interested in the past? Sometimes people don't learn from it. I nodded at Sophie, my confused face turning to serious. The pixies behind me seemed to settle down at the sight of Sophie.

"Well - they're coming closer - in this direction," Sophie rushed, running a hand through her silky wet hair. My stomach plummeted, and the pixies grew restless. Aura growled, and pointed her bony figure at me. I wanted to snap it, but Mui catched on and hummed a tune in my ear, making my shoulders less tense.

"It's all your fault," She sneered, "Land traitor." If Mui hadn't been humming the tune, I would've reached out, and smacked her across the face. Instead, I stared at her for a few seconds before turning back to Sophie who was glaring at Aura. Placing the basket down, the pixies picked it up and trailed off, completing the chore for me, I suppose. It must've been Mui who had told them to, since he's the leader of their tribe. Mui knew that I was a serious person, and that I wouldn't have time for chores today. I'm thankful they're kind enough to help. Focusing on more important matter, I stepped closer to Sophie, and sat down so we were properly facing each other.

"Can you draw how big it was?" I asked, giving her a sharp stick, and glancing at the sand. She nodded, her hand shaking while drawing. Aura continued to watch me, sending glares like daggers. I ignored her, watching Sophie draw on the sand. My eyes widened at the sight of what she drew. It was huge, just like the one I remembered not too long ago.

"Isn't - Isn't that the one that was here like - 3 years ago?" She stuttered, the stick flying out of hand. I gave the drawing a final glance, and rubbed my forehead. Yes. It was. Three years ago, I had seen it. I was 13 at the time, and had seen it before that also. It appears every three years, but it never reached this far. From what I know of, humans call it a 'search boat.' It's purpose is to seek out anything lost, or left behind. I nodded my head, and bit my lip. Mui watched me with worry.

"I say we just give the humans what they want," Aura suggested, her grin widened, "Her." She lifted her finger at me once again. I clutched my fists, growing angry but not saying a word. She was probably right. If it wasn't for me, they boat probably wouldn't be here again. I'm putting my friends in danger. If the other humans were to find my friends and the other sea creatures, things wouldn't turn out so well. I thought about quite alot, but never made a decision. Should I go - for the safety of my friends, but leaving and abandoning them in the process? Or should I stay - comfort my friends and pray that the boat wouldn't end up here? They both seemed not promising either way.

Why would the humans want me, still? It's been ten years, and even I had moved on. Chilling memories would haunt me still, but I never let it bother me. My parents - ex parents - were long gone. They hadn't survived, and it was quite disturbing how I found out. I'm still wondering about Ryan - my brother. Is he still alive? Is he out there, looking for me? Was he on the boat? Maybe he was the one who was continuing the search?

Sophie hushed Aura, causing Aura to roll her eyes, and cross her eyes. I thought for a moment. I can't just sit and wait - I must plan something out. But I need to do something first. Urgh. The mood that I woke up was now gone. It went from cheerful to stressful. Humans bring worry. It's natural. I stood up, dusting off my white sundress.

"I'm going to tell Vortex. I'll be back," I said after a moment of silence, "Don't move from here." Aura scoffed, but stayed put beside Sohpie. No matter how stuck up Aura is, I know she has feelings of her own, and was probably feeling scared herself. Her pride is too high to show that, though. Sophie nodded, distracting herself by playing with her curly hair.

Walking away, my head pounded. I had to tell Vortex. He's very protective and would get angry if I wouldn't tell him. I continued up the stone path, guessing where he was today. Vortex wakes up earlier than me, and always goes off somewhere on the island. Sometimes he'll hang out with me for a whole day, but wouldn't show up the next. He really makes me worry, even though he's strong enough to protect himself. I know alot about Vortex - he met when I showed up here. He had helped me.

I padded along the cold stone pathway, wondering where he could be this time. He wasn't hard to miss - his bright electric blue hair always was a give away. Almost everything about him was blue. His eyes were a wild piercing blue. For a strange reason, he also had blue strips on his cheeks, that wouldn't go away. Said he was born with it. Not only to mention that, but his tail was also a very striking blue. It was oddly attractive.

Eventually, palm trees started to clear, and the water hole was visible. I would get drinking water from here, and use it to bathe. No, not like that. I'm smart enough to not bathe in it. It was refreshing, and it never ran out. Alot of pixies would gather here, along with other sea creatures.

Not even surprised, sitting on one of the makeshift benches ( a flat rock ), was Vortex. He was staring absentmindedly at the water, his eyes glistening. I squinted at him, trying to get a better look at his face. Was he - was he blushing? I giggled, catching his attention. His eyes snapped at me, making him blush more. He avoided eye contact. Aww. Even though he was a very shy person, he can get cold and furious. It's like he has different personalities.

"Wha?" Vortex asked, still staring at the water. I gulped.

"The boat is back," this seemed to catch his attention, "and it's coming closer." His eyes went cold, and I shivered. It was a bit discomforting, but I didn't comment. Instead, I played with the dirt on the floor with my feet. Vortex seemed to noticed, because he stood up, walking towards me and wrapped his arms around me. His hugs were always warm and comforting. He rested his head on my shoulder, even though he was way too tall for that.

"We'll have to check it out," he whispered, causing me to shiver. Placing his hands on my shoulders, and stared at me with a concerned expression. I nodded, and he held onto my arm, making me follow him back towards the beach. I looked up at him. He's towering over me, even though as kids I was taller than him. His eyebrows were narrowed, his lips tight. This was Vortex's serious face, and it was a bit scary. Too serious, if you ask me. He caught me staring at him, and I immediately looked away.

We reached the beach, and Sophie and Aura were still there. Aura looked bored, and Sophie still looked panicked. Aura perked up at the sight of Vortex, making me sigh. It's obvious she had a crush on him, I've known that for the longest time. Vortex seemed to know too, but never said anything about it. Sophie bit her nails, glancing at Vortex and back at me.

"We're going to the boat," He stated, "Show us." Sophie was about to say something when Aura cut her off. "Well then! Come on!" This almost made me roll my eyes. Her personality changes everytime Vortex is around. Vortex threw off his shirt, making Aura stare. He ignored her, dragging me into the sea. I kept on my sea dress, since I didn't mind if it got wet.

Vortex was still holding onto my arm when we shifted into our other forms. His electric blue tail was visible from below, and was sway from side to side. I looked down at my own tail, the scales reflecting from the sun and glimmering at the surface. Shades of purple shone, casting a purple shadow under the water. From the most mermaids I've met, their tails seem to match their tails. That's if they shifted normally. If they shifted late, their hair wouldn't change color to match their tails. My hair was the same color as my tail, and I was surprised my hair turned purple at the age of 10.

Aura surfaced beside us, making me look up. Vortex was watching me, making Aura glare at me, but swam forward. Vortex tugged me along, but I followed close beside. Sophie was behind me sticking close. Everyone seemed to be nervous as we edged further and further away from the island. I started to grow anxious and more nervous everytime I left the island. It was home.

"There," Aura halted, pointing at the boat. We were at a good distance, hidden behind a rock. Only we could see them, they couldn't see us. Even though Aura was snotty, she was smart. I examined the boat. There wasn't any doubt; it was the same one that appeared every three years. I only knew how to read a few words that were printed on the side. I was the only one who knew how to read on the island. Well, in the English language, I mean.

Something was different about the boat, this time though. The others noticed it also. Instead of the old words, that normally would say, 'Exploration Exquisite,' it read, something different. I started to shake, and used the rock as support. Vortex let go of my arm, and place his hand on my shoulder.

"What does it say?" He asked in a calm voice. I slowly looked up at him, and looked into his eyes.

"Rescue the Lost," I answered, my voice cracking.

ah i finally finished the first chapter!
but i didnt proof read, so im working on that now. hopefully there isn't too much errors.

[connoisseur]

character visuals!
( if you were viusalling a different character, just ignore this. this is how i see them :0 )

> vortex
> aura
> sophie
> aerwyna
> mui ( human form )

( side note ; these aren't the ONLY characters. these are the ones so far *wink wink* )