#basically the little mermaid meets kate and leopold and enchanted

[freddiefredfive]

A Part of Your World

Chapter 1: Help Me Say Goodbye

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An extraordinarily handsome merman entering his mid 50’s, King Triton of Atlantis has ruled over his kingdom for 30 years. His once light blue tail now aged beautifully into a royal blue, symbolizing his maturity and wisdom. His wavy chocolate-colored hair and beard followed suit as it transitioned to form a beautiful arrangement of gray and dark brown around his face. Since he was a youngling, Triton was always full of vibrant energy and curiosity. He couldn't help but wear his heart on his sleeve, getting him in trouble a few times. Luckily, as he grew older, he learned how to properly communicate his emotions and hold them in situations where they were inappropriate to express. Over time, young Triton grew to be a noble lion of a man. His broad chest echoed the firmness in his voice but also became a shelter of security for those who needed him most. These attributes came in handy when Triton met his wife as a young prince.

Since he was first appointed into his position after his father's death, he wanted his kingdom to be not only a fair place where all merpeople and sea creatures had equal rights… but also his domain safe. He happily reigned with his wife for 15 years, producing several beautiful daughters, each developing a sense of intelligence and integrity after their parents. Sadly, Triton's life turned for the worst after the death of his wife. Since then, Triton closed off Atlantis from other possible worlds the day she died to prevent future tragedies.

Atlantis still was a prestige melting pot where all sea creatures who inhabited there could live together in freedom. Its bright and clean walls sheltered the kingdom from whatever harm may approach it. With the resources found underwater, along with the help of some merpeople who developed skills of sorcery, Triton still brought about enlightenment to his kingdom. He encouraged using science and magic to cooperate to make Atlantis efficient and environmentally friendly. He only frowned upon prejudice, unnecessarily excessive use of the sea's natural resources, and contact with the human world. Everyone in the kingdom loved Triton, despite the small minority who called him a hypocrite because he did not want to open Atlantis' doors to allow all merpeople to explore the human world. At the end of the day, most of Atlantis agreed that Triton did well at keeping his kingdom safe and content. The citizens of Atlantis were unaware that while King Triton never reserved any compassion towards his kingdom, he secretly closed his heart to any means of finding love ever again. The loss of his Queen left a hole in his heart that remained for 15 years afterward. Many of his family and friends tried to help him out of his emotional rut with little success.

Still, none were as persistent as Sebastian, his Royal Advisor, and Head Sorcerer. A kind and timid merman 10 years Triton's senior, Sebastian was not only dedicated to using his magic for the good of Atlantis. He practically grew up with Triton. Despite being older than Triton, he was protected by the young prince against his bullies. Sebastian used his intellect to learn the art of sorcery. He worked under Triton's father just for a few years before and watched Triton grow into his role as a ruler, becoming fast friends with him. Sebastian always admired Triton's open-minded and curious attitude and compassion for standing up for what was right. However, he could tell that Triton was slowly hollowing from the inside out after the Queen's death. He feared losing his friend altogether if he didn't take action. When others decided to leave Triton alone, Sebastion persisted. He would use his magic to throw the fanciest parties and send flyers everywhere, but especially to the homes of eligible merwomen. Sebastian would even put on a concert in the middle of the venue and invite the merwomen who were good enough for the king to come show off their talents. Sadly, no matter how beautiful the parties (or the merwomen) were, Triton would barely talk to anyone. Of course, he would be courteous, welcoming everyone to the party. Once the charade was over, Triton usually sat on his throne all night, looking unamused. It would barely be an hour before Triton would quietly exit the party.

This evening seemed to be not so different.

Triton was in his chambers, looking in the mirror, using a sea urchin to brush through his hair and beard. He sighed at the sight of himself, pondering how Sebastian could not let go of his ambition. He could see the age in his eyes and hair. Even if Triton was willing to look for a new love, based on how the previous balls went, many were not interested in getting to know who he was. He hated to think of it, but many guests used their body language to express their overwhelming desire to gain wealth and power by marrying Triton. When these interactions would occur, Triton would apologize and walk away. However, many recurring guests have remained annoyingly persistent in winning his affection. Triton could never bring himself to yell at Sebastian. Still, his frustration towards him grew every time he was set up to pretend to be happy at these parties.

"You look more astonishing than ever before, your highness," Sebastion beamed as he used his light green tail to swim up behind Triton.

"Don't tell me YOU now have plans to court me," Triton jokes, giving his friend a small smile.

"What? Oh, N-no," Sebastian stumbled on his words as he usually did, "I mean, not that you're not handsome, I am just not interested. I-I meant that you would look handsome for the party! Oh-- not that you don't look handsome in any other situation. "

"Sebastian, it's alright," Triton smiled as he lightly placed his hand on Sebastian's shoulder, "I know what you meant. I was just trying to lighten the mood... and I find it amusing that after all these years, I still have to remind you that you can still call me Triton. "

"Are you excited about the ball tonight?" Sebastian asked innocently.

"Well... To be frank, Sebastian, no," Triton sighed, turning back to the mirror to tidy up his scales. "While you coordinate some of the most lavish venues in Atlantis, I am not looking forward to re-addressing some of these guests and their obvious intentions."

“I-if you don’t mind me speaking freely, your highness,” Sebastian said as he slowly approached Triton, “I fear you judge everyone at these parties too severely. I wonder what would happen if you stopped to look inside yourself.”

“You do not wonder, Sebastian, you merely ask to state your opinion,” Triton smirked, knowing exactly what Sebastian was trying to say.

"I have been worried about you for so many years,” Sebastian squeaked, “You take care of everyone around you, but the glint of sadness in your eyes shows me that you are not as jovial as you try to portray yourself to be. Triton, you are a good king. You deserve to allow love to return to your life... I’m sure that’s what Athena would have wanted. It’s what everyone in Atlantis wants!”

“Seems disrespectful to assume the desires of a Queen that has since passed,” Triton grumbled audibly as he desperately tried to hold his frustration.

“...And who knows! You might find someone special," Sebastian said, trying to encourage a feeling of hope in Triton. "You could find THE one..."

"Queen Athena WAS the one," Triton quickly cut off Sebastian, frightening his advisor with an unexpected growl in his voice. "From the moment we met as younglings, I knew she was the one I needed to marry. I had her as my wife for 15 years... the best years of my life... and I lost her due to my negligence. I don't need another because no one compares to her."

Triton saw Sebastian's face grow red in embarrassment and he immediately regretted his action.

"I am deeply sorry, Sebastian," Triton said, softening his voice and placing both hands on Sebastian's shoulder to emphasize his sincerity. "I am grateful for making these efforts toward my happiness. I am so fortunate to call you my friend and advisor... But you should know I've accepted that I'll never find anyone like Athena. The whole kingdom should do the same. Still... since you worked so hard to arrange this venue, I will do my best to enjoy this night.”

Sebastian looked down at himself, feeling ashamed that he had put Triton through so much without even considering his feelings.

“I... I apologize for imposing this upon you for so long. I just hope you one day find something that makes you feel as bright as a pearl again. You know, you can always talk to me about these things.”

“I know. Thank you, Sebastian...” Triton replied, pulling his friend in for a hug.

Once Triton let go, Sebastian left the room. Triton was alone again. He stared into the mirror, feeling the tightness in his chest build up as his sorrow conjured up an image of Athena in the glass. Images of their shared life unfolded before him: how they played together as children, studied together growing up, finally fell in love, married, and ruled together as king and queen. Triton could feel himself reliving these memories, though he knew in the back of his mind that this was all a facade. His heart began to break as he started to sing.

“You were once my one companion. You were all that mattered.

You were once a friend and lover.... Then my world was shattered.

Wishing you were somehow here again. Wishing you were somehow near

Sometimes it seemed, if I just dreamed somehow you would be here.

Wishing I could hear your voice again... Knowing that I never would

Dreaming of you won't help me to do all that you dreamed I could.

Passing shells and sculpted mermaids... Cold and monumental seem, for you.

The wrong companions. You were warm and gentle.

Too many years fighting back tears... Why can't the past just die?”

Triton let tears pool in his eyes for the first time in a while. When a huge tragedy happened, it was harder than he thought to be the strong king everyone knew him to be. He could feel his voice shaking as he finally placed his crown on his head. Triton continued to watch the memories of his wife fade away from the mirror, returning the reality.

“Wishing you were somehow here again. Knowing we must say goodbye.

Try to forgive, teach me to live, give me the strength to try!

No more memories... No more silent tears... No more gazing across the wasted years.

Help me say... Goodbye...”

The ball kicked off with a beautiful concert conducted by Sebastian. Like the predecessors, many merwomen of high status displayed their talents, boring Triton to tears. At this point, Triton was rather willing to watch a sea snail crawl across the entire ocean floor than this.

(Illustration by @gmache)

He only perked up when his seven daughters performed. Sebastian always roped them in to sing the finale of the concerts, and seeing them smile and shine like their mother always brought Triton a sense of pride. The girls always sang the same introduction song, introducing themselves to the audience. Each one appeared to the beat of the song, dancing and singing with flawless perfection. A large grin appeared on Triton’s face as he heard his daughters sing.

“Oh, we are the daughters of Triton, great father who loves us and named us well:

Aquata! Andrina! Arista! Attina! Adella! Alana!

And then there is the youngest in her musical debut!

A seventh little sister, we’re presenting her to you!

To sing a song Sebastian wrote, her voice is like a bell.

She’s our sister Ari–”

The six sisters moved out of the way to reveal a space where the youngest sister, Ariel, was supposed to be... but she wasn't there! Triton rose from his throne to see where she was. Suddenly, a hand was placed on his shoulder, and Triton turned to be ambushed with a tight hug from Ariel. The surprise shocked Triton but left him thoroughly impressed as Ariel continued singing her line, “ARIEL!” She took her father’s large hands and began slow dancing with him, singing the most beautiful, almost siren-like melody to finish the piece.

The room erupted with thunderous applause, but Triton's hearty laugh echoed louder throughout the halls.

A figure in a smaller chair quietly applauded with an uninterested flair. It was Prince Bradford, Triton’s younger brother. Only a few years younger than Triton, Bradford had short dark hair that matched the color of his goatee. His deep red, almost blood-colored, tail signified a sense of high status… and also aggression. Since they were kids, Bradford was always jealous of Triton. While Bradford grew to be equally as big (but a little bit more fitter) than his brother, Triton was always seen as the bigger, stronger, handsomer brother in his eyes. When Triton got the girl of his dreams, Bradford barely found luck. When Triton became king, Bradford hated being an adult prince. He enjoyed being appointed to head of the Atlantis army but Triton always held the final word since he was king. When little Bradford felt especially jealous, he would intimidate Sebastian, to which he would get into fights with Triton over it. He still continues to intimidate Sebastian to this day but Triton knows better than to fight unless Sebastian is in real danger. Otherwise, Triton would encourage him to stand up to Bradford himself. Sebastian was very aware of Bradford’s jealousy due to his empath-like sensitivity. He’s also been aware of Sebastian’s many failed attempts to overthrow Triton. Sadly, Bradford would threaten Sebastian to harm him if he tattled. As Bradford slouched back in his seat at the party, his strong desire to get rid of his brother was stronger than ever. At this point, he wasn’t chasing after love or approval… All he wanted was power.

As the night continued, Triton returned to his throne after forcing himself to dance with a few bachelorettes of higher status that had performed earlier that evening. These merwomen would fawn over him, over-complimenting him, making it quite easily known to Triton that they wanted something from him. He couldn’t bring himself to turn these merwomen away harshly, so he would give them all the same monologue.

“Madam… You dance like an angel-fish, but I must attend to my daughters. A father’s job is never truly finished. Good evening…”

Then he would go off and check in on his girls, preferring to spend his time being in their company and listening to their interests. Each daughter held a piece of their mother that brought Triton a bittersweet smile to his face. Once his daughters were sent away to bed, Triton was alone again and would spend the last portion of his hour at the party sitting on this throne. On this particular evening, his youngest could barely stay asleep.

As Triton sat, lost in his thoughts, he became startled again by Ariel’s touch. Once he regained composure, he pulled Ariel into his arms.

“Ariel, darling, shouldn’t you be in bed?” Triton asked in a fatherly tone.

“I know, Father,” Ariel sighed, “I just couldn’t sleep. While you were busy talking to my sisters, I wanted to tell you something…”

“Was it about your performance?” Triton asked, raising an inquiring brow.

“Yes, Father…” Ariel sighed, “Me coming up behind you during my part wasn’t on purpose. I was late to the performance. I went exploring and I just lost track of time.”

Triton’s heartbeat began to pick up at the thought of his youngest girl going out alone into the ocean.

“Ariel… Where did you go?” He asked more sternly.

“Well, I found this near our home and I wanted to see where it came from…” Ariel replied anxiously, handing Triton a plastic fork.

Neither of them had any idea what a fork was. Mermaid utensils were made up of fish bones and rocks. In Triton’s mind, this strange and spiky object looked like it could have been from the human world, which made his anxiety rise even faster.

“What on Neptune was this?!” He asked.

“I don’t know…,” Ariel replied, “I asked my friend, Scuttle, what it was and he said it was a… a dinglehopper! I think he said that you can use it to untangle your hair. He said that…”

“Ariel, did you go to the shore?!” Triton raised his voice in shock.

“Y-yes, Father…” Ariel replied as tears pooled in her eyes.

“All because of this strange little contraption? Don’t you know that this could be a threat? Humans are dangerous creatures that destroy everything they touch! We cannot lose more of our kind to them.”

“I know… I was just curious… I’m really sorry,” Ariel choked on some tears, ready to sob.

Triton softened the look in his eyes, as he could see that Ariel felt guilty enough and didn’t need much reprimanding. He simply pulled her into a big bear hug, tickling her forehead with his beard as he gave her soft kisses.

“It’s alright, Ariel,” he cooed, “I’m sorry for raising my voice at you. Just don’t ever go there again. It’s too dangerous. I can’t bear to lose you…”

“But, Father…” Ariel tried to interject.

“And do try to be more punctual in the future,” Triton continued, “Come, I’ll bring you to bed.”

Once Triton kissed his sleepy Ariel goodnight, he quietly exited her bedroom and swam off in a hurry to find Bradford and Sebastian. With him, he took the “dinglehopper” with him, swimming off with furious strokes. Once he gathered both mermen from the dancehall, he took them to his chambers to talk to them.

“Ariel found THIS near our walls,” Triton informed the two with a touch of frustration in his voice, “The humans are getting too close for comfort and we need to see their intentions. Tomorrow, we need to set out on an excursion to the shores.”

“Brother, must you forget your own law to not approach the human world, nor interact with the humans?” Bradford asked, maintaining his composure.

“My own daughter might have been hurt by this contraption,” Triton replied, “She claimed that it’s for hair maintenance but what if she found a more harmful object left by the humans?”

“B-but what if we get hurt?” Sebastian added.

“Dear Sebastian, you’re the Royal Sorcerer!” Triton exclaimed, “You’re one of the most important members of this group. You need to come.”

“…And what am I?” Bradford mumbled under his breath.

“Brother, we need your intelligence too,” Triton said, pulling Bradford close to him, “We need to go to protect our kingdom!”

“Triton, you are not above your own law!” Bradford argued as he wriggled free from Triton’s grasp. “As your brother and co-advisor, this is foolish!”

Triton’s face grew stern and he slowly approached his brother.

“Bradford, I do not wish to address you in this manner but I am now speaking to you as your king. This exploration is to protect Antlantis. As long as humans do not interfere with our lives, we will not have to fight back. We need to retrace the path of this… dinglehopper… and send it back to the humans to let them know that we do not want any part of their world. They can destroy themselves without our help. It’s our duty as the monarchs to protect ALL creatures of the sea. Tomorrow, we will leave at dawn and that’s an order, Bradford… and Sebastian.”

Bradford scowled at Triton as he swam out of the room to place the fork in a safe container. He hated how Triton held his crown over Bradford’s head just to get what he wanted. Sebastian let out a sigh, not looking forward to the trip but understanding Triton’s intentions.

“He can’t talk to us like that,” Bradford growled.

“B-but, it’s for the good of the citizens!” Sebastian squeaked, only to be cut off by Bradford.

“SINCE WHEN TRITON HAS CARED ABOUT THE CITIZENS?!” Bradford spat, “Triton encourages magic and science to work together to create technological advances but only within these walls. If Triton listened to me for once, we could use our technology and power to take over the world. He hates the humans so much for killing his wife, so why doesn’t he get rid of them?! I swear, Sebastian, tomorrow will be the beginning of Atlantis’ downfall at the hand of our ‘beloved’ king.”

To be continued…

Like what you read? Here’s Chapter 2! C’mon, you can do it! I believe in you!

[freddiefredfive]

A Part of Your World

King Triton / “The Little Mermaid” AU

Illustrated by @gmache

Tags: Slow Burn, Fan-Casting, Alfred Molina as King Triton, Age Difference, Environmental Issues, Unexpected Love, A Fish Out of Water Story (pun totally intended), Magic, New Found Hope/Love

TW: Mentions of a deceased spouse, past relationship abuse, sexism

Synopsis and Cast of Characters:

Chapters:

Each chapter will be posted every 2 weeks! Stay tuned.

Chapter 1:

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

[freddiefredfive]

A Part of Your World

Chapter 2: Forget the Fairy Tales

Read the previous chapters and give the story kudos on AO3!

The last thing you would call Cordelia Easton is oblivious. Now entering her early 30’s, there has not been a single day where Cordelia wasn't actively thinking about protecting the environment. Her parents were oceanographers who met while studying abroad in Barbados. They incorporated that passion for ocean life into Cordelia and her little sister Aurora from birth. When the girls were little, the Easton family started their mornings by greeting the sunrise at the beach. They’d even occasionally see some baby turtles crawling their way to the shore to start their lives in the mysterious waves of the ocean. Of course, Cordelia had made several scuba diving trips throughout her life, but she felt frustrated that she couldn’t see more of this beautiful other world. Despite that, she wanted to protect its hidden beauty until her dying breath. It was a promise she made to both of her parents, and she kept it by starting Sea Savers, a nonprofit that works to protect the ocean.

Despite her beautifully plush body and dark blond hair that fell a little past her shoulder with streaks of golden blonde, she quietly resented her looks because it always seemed to attract the wrong kind of guys. Since her focus was always on her organization, she didn’t exactly have the greatest track record. Most of the guys she dated or chose to let them have their way with her rarely didn’t care about her personal passions. Since Cordelia often workedsite on sight at the shores of Fort Washington Park, she always wore baggier, comfy clothes. Especially in the springtimeetting, Cordelia never left her house without a warm beanie and sweater. Whether she liked to admit it to herself or not, the other reason whe dressed this way is also to avoid unwanted attention from creeps on the street. After being burned one too many times, Cordelia chose to keep her distance from any fires.

Cordelia had bigger problems ahead of her now that she was facing Rubin Worthington, the head of Worthington's Waste Disposal Company.

“I don’t understand why you feel like you HAVE to dump all this crap in the ocean?” Cordelia asked Rubin over the phone, “You and I both know that this is not going to solve the problem at all.”

“Sweetheart…” Ruben tried to reply flirtingly, a trick he often tried to use when he didn’t get his way, only to be cut off by Cordelia saying, “Uh— You will ABSOLUTELY NOT call me that.”

“Ms. Easton,” Ruben groaned reluctantly, “My company gets rid of garbage from all five boroughs. We gather a lot of waste and our landfills simply can’t hold anymore.”

“A good portion of that waste could be recycled or repurposed,” Cordelia replied, “You could hire thousands of new people to go through that garbage and sort it. It would not only help your company but also help the city in so many different ways.”

“And send more of MY money down the drain?” Ruben scoffed, “Please…”

Cordelia could practically hear Ruben roll his eyes from behind the phone. As she sat in her office space that she shared with her sister Aurora, Cordelia thought about how she fought hard against many landfill companies in the past. However, none were as uncooperative as Mr. Worthington was. After a solid three months going back-and-forth with Mr. Worthington, pleading with him to find a new solution rid of his waste, Cordelia realized that missed approach was going nowhere.

“Mr. Worthington, you leave me no choice,” she sternly said, “I’m going to file a complaint against you.”

“Darling, please…” Ruben pleaded, “Don’t tell me that you’re actually thinking of suing ME?”

“I am suing you for Marine Pollution…” Cordelia replied coldly, “And if you refer to me as anything BUT Ms. Easton, I’ll sue you for sexual harassment too.”

“I’m sure that if we talk face-to-face, you’ll see my perspective more clearly.”

“Mr. Worthington,” Cordelia sighed, “We have been talking about this for over three months and you still don't seem to get that your actions are hurting millions of creatures who live below and above the ocean. It’s like I’ve been talking to a wall.”

“Look, I’ve seen that video where they had to pull a straw out of that giant sea turtle’s nose. Everyone has. But we can’t just stop and change everything overnight just because one or two animals got hurt. They were going to get hurt in the wild anyway, so why should I bother?”

Those words felt like a knife in the chest to Cordelia.

“Mr. Worthington, that’s just terrible of you to say,” Cordelia said, unintentionally leaving her heart out on her sleeve.

“I’m just being honest with you,” Ruben replied blankly. He heard the sadness in Cordelia’s voice and decided this was a good time to try asking her out again.

“Aw, I hope I haven’t disappointed you too much,” he cooed as sweetly as he could, but it sounded like nails on a chalkboard to Cordelia. “Let’s meet up for dinner and talk it out first, okay? My treat.”

It was a long pause before Cordelia made her response. She took a minute to swallow some tears, something she had been quite an expert at over the years.

Cordelia then quietly cleared her throat and sternly said, “…I’ll see you in front of the New York City Council, Mr. Worthington.”

“…. So, it’s a date then?” Ruben asked, continuing to shoot his shot before being quickly hung up on by Cordelia.

“Bastard…” Cordelia grumbled under her breath.

Aurora knocked on her office door and quietly entered the room. She was a few years younger than her more serious sister but she was slightly taller than her and almost painfully naïve. Aurora couldn’t help herself truthfully. She was a free spirit but just as passionate about preserving the environment as much as Cordelia was.

Aurora entered Cordelia‘s office wearing a sweater dress with stockings stuffed in her boots, and her long, dark brown hair in a cute half ponytail. After hearing Cordelia’s argument with Ruben from behind the door, she smiled awkwardly.

“Hey, Didi,” she greeted quietly, “How did it go?”

“Not great,” Cordelia sighed, taking her round glasses off to rub the stress from her face, “Mr. Worthington‘s not budging so I’m going to complain about him to the New York City Council.”

“Oooh! Are we going on strike?!” Aurora asked, excitedly bouncing on her feet, “We’ve never been on strike before! Mom and dad used to do it all the time when they were our age.“

Cordelia smirked and rolled her eyes before putting her glasses back on. Even though Aurora’s constant overwhelming enthusiasm got on her nerves sometimes, Cordelia did appreciate that her little sister was always by her side.

“Sort of,” She replied, “We first need evidence by the next council hearing to make any statements against Mr. Worthington’s company… but we do need lots of support from other people for a better chance at finally kicking him off the beaches.”

“Why don’t we call Sabrina?” Aurora replied, “If she’s free, we can meet her up for lunch and talk about what to do.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Cordelia smiled, “I’ll call her now.

“Plus, I’m STARVING,” Aurora continued to ramble, as she often did, “and I heard Starbucks still has those yummy warm egg sandwiches! You know who I saw last week at Starbucks? Oh, gosh, what’s that guy's name? You used to have a crush on him… That Doc Ock guy, right? I recognized his face but I think he’s doing a play where he had to shave his head. I almost didn’t recognize him! He looked busy reading a book but I still ran up to him and told him ‘Hey! My sister absolutely LOVES you!’…”

Cordelia blushed red at the mention of Doc Ock and how her sister embarrassed her in front of Alfred Molina… without her being there at all!

She quickly escorted her sister out of the room, “Ooookay… Heh-heh… Let me call Sabrina now.”

“But then he just kinda looked a little scared when I came up to him so I just walked away but like he was a giant, so why would he be so scared of a little thing like me…?!”

Cordelia quickly shut the door behind her and side again, feeling second hand embarrassment from her sister. When she collected herself, she finally picked up the phone to call Sea Saver’s environmental lawyer and personal representative, Sabrina O’Reily.

Sabrina knew Cordelia and Aurora’s parents since she was a teenager. The ginger headed lawyer approaching her early 40s was once a fierce environmental activist, like Cordelia. She met the Easton’s in the 90’s during a rally against adding additional power plants near a wildlife sanctuary in Connecticut and she took under their wing as their unofficial first daughter. Sabrina loved Cordelia and Aurora like a big sister and helped them build Sea Savers from the ground up while she was finishing law school. Being more of a good balance of both Cordelia and Aurora’s personalities, Sabrina was very serious about her job but knew when to loosen up and have fun every once in a while.

After Cordelia explained the situation to Sabrina, the three women met up during Sabrina’s lunch break at Starbucks to discuss the plan of action.

“Wow, this guy seems like a total asshole,” Sabrina scoffed, “Mr. Worthington does have one of the biggest waste disposal companies in the city. Winning against him would be a massive victory, not just for Sea Savers, but for many other organizations like it. People will start taking us more seriously, for once...”

“Heck yeah!” Aurora cheered, “So, how do we get more support like Didi said?”

“Well, I know a guy who produces commercials. If we find evidence that Worthington’s Waste is still dumping garbage straight into the ocean, then we can film a commercial on the site and air it for the entire tri-state area to see! Hopefully it can rally up support from other groups.”

“That’s genius!” Cordelia laughed, excited to see the look on Ruben’s face when this commercial came out, “I’ll do a little investigating at the beaches later today when no one’s around.”

“Alright, I gotta go back to my office,” Sabrina nodded and stood up from her stool, “If you see anything, take lots of pictures and send them straight to me.”

Cordelia and Aurora said their goodbyes to Sabrina and stayed at the restaurant for a little while longer.

“God, I haven’t been this jazzed about something since I dumped Brett,” Cordelia said to herself as she took a sip of her coffee. She didn’t think Aurora heard her but she did.

“How have you been since then?” Aurora asked innocently.

“Huh? Oh, it’s been great,” Cordelia chuckled, “I should’ve left him a long time ago.”

“I didn’t mean to be nosy, but it happened so sudden,” Aurora replied, “You’re my sister. You can always talk to me.”

“Yeah I know,” Cordelia sighed, “but we’ve been having problems for a while and I didn’t feel comfortable sharing it with anyone. I'm sorry I left you in the dark for a long time.”

“So, what happened?” Aurora asked, placing a kind hand on her sister's shoulder.

“Well, Brett wasn’t exactly the ‘prince’ I originally thought he was,” Cordelia replied, “I’ve always been such a nerd and I thought he was cool because he produced music… but at the end of the day, he really didn’t have much direction with his music. I ended up having to take care of him more often than he took care of me. There just wasn’t any balance between us. As much as I love what I do, I tried to change so much about me when I was with Brett. For a while, I felt like I was living two separate lives… And then whenever I tried to show him my interests, Brett would barely pay attention or even try to care. He made me feel like he kept me around for sex alone and it made me feel sick. I put up with this fake persona for three years and I just couldn’t take it anymore.”

“Wow… I’m really proud of you for walking away, Didi,” Aurora smiled, “So now when you’re with the next guy, you’re gonna make sure he loves you for who YOU are!”

“God, I don’t even want to THINK about the next guy,” Cordelia groaned, “Listen, Aurora, I know you’re just trying to be hopeful for my sake but there comes a time in everybody’s life when they realize that this fairytale bullshit kind of love just doesn’t exist. It’s not like the movies where you turn the corner and magically the man of your dreams is going to swoop you up and carry you off into this beautiful life full of open communication and meaningful sex. It just doesn’t work like that in the real world.”

“Oh...” Aurora said, lowering her head in disappointment.

“Hey, look, I’m sorry,” Cordelia reached out to hug her sister, “I didn’t mean to make you upset. I’ve just been through a lot of crap and I don’t want to see you get hurt like I’ve been. You always look out for me and that’s what makes you the best sister I could ever ask for. I want to do the same for you.”

“I understand,” Aurora said, hugging Cordelia back, “You deserve the best kind of love there is, Didi. Never forget that.”

“You too,” Cordelia smiled, still not wanting to think about love but wanted to comfort Aurora. She figured that even if she was a loser at love, at least she could be happy watching her baby sister live the life she secretly wanted for herself.

After lunch, Cordelia went off to the Fort Washington beaches to pick up some garbage left on the shores and to see if Ruben’s trucks were still around. As she was walking around, Cordelia‘s mind was in a dark place. Memories of her ex making her feel insignificant through his negligence. She started collecting hits of garbage in a giant plastic bag, throwing them in the bag as a way to get some of her anger out. Not only was she mad at Brian for making her feel this way, she was also mad at herself for letting him abuse her for so long. She thought she was smarter than that but she wanted love so badly back then, she’d give up her own sanity.

As Cordelia was approaching the further side of the beach, she smelled smoke from a distance, making her cough in disgust. She quickly pulled out her phone and began to follow the scent. Cordelia noticed two large trucks in the distance making lots of clanking noises and as she got close to it, she saw “Worthington’s Waste Removal” on the side of them. Cordelia was shocked but not too shocked. She turned on her camera and videotaped the two trucks dumping piles and piles of garbage directly into the ocean before driving away.

Soon, the sound of the waves comforted Cordelia like they always did throughout her whole life. Oh whenever she felt frustrated or upset, she would always come down to the shore and let its beautiful sounds guide her through meditation. Her dad taught her how to listen to the ocean because it often held so many answers if she slowed down from the hustle and bustle of everyday life to listen to it. As soon as she moved to the city and discovered this beach, Cordelia continued her family tradition of starting every morning on the shore. It was the Easton way to not only greet the morning sun but also use it as an opportunity to connect to the world that we are all so lucky to be in. She would let the sand massage her tired feet and hands. The cool breeze would blow through her hair, letting its fingers untangle her hair and wrap its arms around her for a comforting hug. As she would listen to the waves, she could swear she heard it sing to her, but she quickly brushed it off. Those same feelings came back to her as she continued to clean up the beach.

“Oh man, Ruben, you’re really making this easy for me…” Cordelia chuckled, “When the world sees you messing with nature, you’re screwed INDEFINITELY!”

As she began to walk away, she almost stepped in a little ditch but quickly caught herself. When she took a step back, she realized that there were about a dozen newly hatched baby sea turtles that were emerging from that little ditch.

“Oh my God!” Cordelia gasped, unable to hide her true colors when seeing cute little baby sea turtles, “Hey little guys! Welcome to the world!”

As Cordelia looked further into the ditch, she noticed that there was garbage surrounding them, making it almost impossible for them to crawl out and into the ocean. Her face began to grow red in anger, suspecting that this was also Ruben‘s fault.

“Son of a bitch…” Cordelia growled, “Oh I swear you’re gonna pay for this!”

Cordelia quickly dropped her phone and garbage bag to clean out the ditch. One by one, she scooped up each baby turtle and brought them closer to the shore. As she watched the baby turtles crawl into the ocean, she scanned the air for seagulls and other animals that would often prey upon them. The coast was clear for most of the baby sea turtles but she began to see a few seagulls begin circling above her head, ready to snatch up the last few babies. Cordelia didn’t always want to interfere with nature’s processes but she couldn’t bear to see the last few babies getting eaten. She quickly scooped up the last few babies and walked into the ocean, letting them swim on their own as soon as they touched the water.

(Illustration by @gmache)

Watching the baby sea turtles swim off to the depths of the ocean brought a sense of fulfilling joy to Cordelia. She could feel tears running down her face but she chose to ignore it, realizing that this was the ocean's answer to her frustrations towards herself. Cordelia knew deep down that she was a caring person and that staying true to herself was how she was going to get the life she deserved. She still wasn’t sure when or where the right person was for her was going to show up but she didn’t need to be in such a rush to find him. She took a deep breath as she let the cool water engulf her in pure tranquility, reminding her that things will soon fall into place.

As Cordelia turned two get out of the ocean, she felt a strong tide suddenly pulled her into the ocean. She tried to fight back with all of her might but soon lost her footing and fell into the water. Before she got the chance to swim back up into the surface, she inhaled too much water and could feel herself being suffocated. Cordelia felt her eyes grow heavy as she began to sink down into the ocean until they finally closed shut.

To be continued…