Surviving Little Mermaid

Chapter 4: The meeting with Umi

The clock ticked slowly, in sync with Natalie's movement as she tossed and turned on her bed, wondering about whatever reasons Umi may have for wanting to meet with her. Maybe she overheard what the oracle was? That couldn't have been possible, it's not like they were just inside a room with a thin door separating them, it was a whole other space! Created by God!

Natalie just couldn't wrap her mind around the whole situation. The only option left was to meet with Umi.

As the clock struck twelve, a figure snuck into Natalie's room. Thin, spindly limbs emerging from an irregular shaped orb, if anyone saw it right now they would have recognized it as Mamook, the evil spirit undersea. Moving swiftly around the room, it quickly found the bed where the youngest princess was supposed to be resting in. It approached the bed, a silver knife in its hand, gleaming brightly with danger.

Slowly, the figure inched closer and closer to the bumps, ready to strike down in an instance.

A soft thud as the knife pierced through the silky fabric. It pulled open the covers, only to find itself staring at a bunch of pillows, and the princess was nowhere to be seen.

A man looking at the whole situation through a crystal ball chuckled softly. He's too late once again... No worries, he'll get her one day.

He snapped his fingers and the mysterious figure dissolved into a thin mist, leaving no trace of an intruder but a barely noticeable tear in the sheets.

"This child..."

Meanwhile, Natalie was on her way to Umi's room. She had passed by many carvings of the current empress, her arrogance and dignity etched in stone. Underneath the carving was her name, Linotti, in beautiful letters. It was kind of admirable how the menfolks only had one name and never worried about the family name and everything. Maybe she could ask God someday, if there was ever conflict arising due to two people sharing the same name, but right now, she had more important things to be worrying about.

Natalie expected many things, that Umi would be plotting to kill her, that she'd be found wandering in the hallways late at night and be questioned, or even seeing something that she shouldn't.

But she never expected to be lost, in a part of the palace where guards are forbidden to enter at night.

Standing face to face with a wall, Natalie sighed.

"I would've sworn that this was where the room is supposed to be." Natalie muttered under her breath, after coming back to this wall for the fifth time in a row.

Every single time she retraced her steps, from start to finish, she would always end up at this same wall, despite following the instructions to get to the third princess's room.

This stupid book that God gave must've been a fake! Embarrassed that she had wasted a whole night on this, she threw the book on the floor angrily, which made a bigger noise than she expected.

"BAM!!!"

A door creaked open on her right. Natalie turned and saw Umi, dressed in her white nightgown, rubbing her eyes. It was obvious from her tone that she had just woken up from her sleep.

"Who's there?" Umi mumbled, her voice soft like a chewy rice cake.

She looked up and saw Natalie, standing in front of a wall, her face flushed red.

"Sora!" She went up and took Natalie's hand. "Are you alright?"

"Umi." She wanted to ask about the wrong map and room, but there were more important questions. "What did you mean when you mentioned something about me staying alive?"

Maybe Umi was on her side, maybe she wasn't. Either way, with no one she can really trust right now, it does not really matter which choice she make.

For all she knows, this could be a trap, laid by the other royal princess to eliminate other potential candidates for the crown; or this was just a secret meeting between two sisters who shared an unbreakable bond. The worst case scenario between these two scenarios was death and interrogation, something she did not really mind.

At least that way, she would be able to go back to her world soon, and perhaps that person is still waiting for her, sitting on the edge of the bed with a cup of coffee in hand...

"The high priest was the one who asked me to pass this message to you." Umi answered Natalie's question, and interrupted her train of thought.

"The high priest?" This seems like it has something to do with God... Which would be the first time that God actually did something and proved that the oracle was not just a fever dream.

"Yes, he is in this roo..." Before Umi finished her sentence, the clock struck three times, indicating that the night was halfway gone and stopping her mid sentence. "I'm sorry, looks like the high priest will not be able to meet with you tonight."

"It's alright." Natalie smiled a little. She barely got through the relationships between the royal family and was not ready to blow her cover by talking to a high priest just yet.

"Guess I'll be leaving now. I'll see you tomorrow?"

"Perhaps. Now go, go before the palace guards come back."

Oh crap, the guards. Is the life of a princess this troublesome?

Natalie swam back hurriedly, just in time before the guards patrolled at the Umi's room.

After seeing her sister leave, Umi returned to the room she had been in.

"Aww, dear Umi, you know it's not that late," A playful voice rang from the shadow.

As if they didn't see Umi's warm smile disappear from her face, the person went on. "Even if it is late, you know the guards won't do anything to her."

"I know." Umi replied. "But she shouldn't know that. Not yet."