CLEO'S CHAMBER
Cleo paced furiously, her brows furrowed and her fists clenched tight. The room was dimly lit, and the water around her shivered with her frustration. She raised her hands, trying to force the water to boil but it barely bubbled.
"Ugh !" she snapped. "Why won't you listen to me ?" She clenched her fists again, her breath shaky. "All I wanted to do was help… but of course, nothing ever works out the way I want it to !" With a flick of her wrist, she formed sharp, thin blades out of water, spinning, gleaming knives and launched them toward the coral walls. Splat ! Splat ! Splat ! They sank into the soft reef like darts.
"I could've made a difference too !" she roared, her voice echoing off the cold stone. She stared at her shaking palms, her eyes stinging with tears she refused to let fall. "What are my powers ? Why am I like this ?" she screamed at the empty room, her voice cracking with raw pain. She grabbed a nearby pearl vase and hurled it against the wall, watching it shatter into a thousand useless pieces.
"Am I just a mistake ? Why can't I control anything ? Show me !" She thrashed through the water, her movements jagged and wild. "What is my purpose if I can't even move the tide ?"
Knock knock.
Cleo spun around, her eyes blazing. A young guard peeked in, carefully. "P-Princess Cleo ?"
Before he could say another word, she surged forward, grabbing him by his armor and slamming him against the wall. "What do you want ?!" she snarled, her face inches from his. The sheer heat of her anger seemed to make the water vibrate.
The poor guard's eyes widened in fear, but he managed a shaky bow while pinned. "T-The King… he requests that you join the royal family for breakfast… t-tomorrow morning…"
Cleo scowled, her chest heaving as she glared at the terrified boy. She slowly let him go, her fingers trailing off his cold metal plate. The guard quickly floated backward out of the room like a scared crab and zipped down the hallway. Cleo exhaled sharply. "…Fine," she muttered. She looked around at her wrecked room, the shattered vase, the scarred walls and felt a hollow ache in her chest. Then she curled up in bed, her back to the coral window and let her thoughts drift into sleep.
****
The Next Day
CLARA'S CHAMBER
The sunshine outside Clara's window glowed brighter as morning light poured into her room. The doors slid open and in swam Oceana, flanked by two younger maids. All three of them stopped and gasped at the sight. Pillows were floating. Tables were overturned. The water shimmered with left over heat.
One corner even had a half-melted ice sculpture that used to be a chair. It was really messy, more like someone was trying to steal and looking for something. Bits of shredded seaweed and overturned chests lay scattered across the floor.
Oceana's eye twitched as she took in the disaster. "What in the seven seas happened here ?!" she bellowed, her face turning a deep shade of red. "Clara ! Explain this mess right now !"
Clara was already up and floating by the window, looking like a guilty dolphin. Seeing Oceana about to explode, she quickly wiggled her fingers, concentrating hard. In seconds, she formed a huge, shimmering flower made of seafoam and pearls. It sparkled beautifully in the morning light.
"For you, my sweet Oceana," Clara chirped, offering it with an innocent smile to try and stop the older octopus from yelling. "A gift for the most beautiful octopus in the palace !"
Oceana blinked, her mouth hanging open mid-sentence as she took the glowing flower. Before she could find her voice again to scold her, Clara quickly zoomed out of the room. The young maids were also stunned at the mess they have to clean and now Clara ran away.
Mini and Pebs poked their heads out from behind a seashell shelf. "Do we tell her what really happened ?" Mini whispered.
"Nope," Pebs said, popping a bubble. "Let's leave."
They giggled and swam out after Clara, mocking her dramatic waterballs throwing from the night before, leaving the maids to deal with the chaos.
****
CLEO'S CHAMBER
Clara floated into the room with her three sisters, bubbly Ariel, sweet Shelly and the smart, curious Kelly. They found Cleo sitting at the edge of her bed, looking exhausted. Her hair was a mess and there were dark circles under her eyes.
"Cleo !" Clara called, beaming. "We're here to fetch you !"
Ariel swam closer, her face full of concern. "Cleo, are you okay ? You look like you didn't sleep at all."
Shelly noticed something and gasped. "Oh no, Cleo ! You're hurt ! Look at your elbows." She pointed to the raw, red scrapes where Cleo had hit the wall during her tantrum the night before. "Did you fall ? Are you in pain ?"
Cleo turned, her eyes cold as always. She pulled her arms back, hiding the wounds. "I'm fine," she said, her voice like ice.
Clara stepped forward, her hands glowing with a soft, healing light. "Wait, Cleo. Let me help. I can heal those wounds in a second. It won't even hurt, I promise."
Cleo stood up abruptly, her gaze cutting through Clara. "I said I'm fine. Don't touch me." She pushed past Clara's outstretched hands, her movements stiff and cold. "I don't need your pity or your magic." she added, looking at the group. She crossed her arms and walked past them without another word.
The others sighed and followed, the heavy silence following them down the hall. "She's in a mood again," Shelly whispered, looking down at the floor.
"What else is new ?" Ariel muttered, shaking her head.
"We can try to cheer her guys, come on let's go" Clara said hugging Kelly and they all swam out of the room, heading toward the royal dining hall.