Hey guys I'm super tired so forgive me if I make a few mistakes more than usual.
Opening night was awesome! The crowd loved us. Anyway, vote,comment, and enjoy!
ChoclateyClaire 🍫

We swum for two days in a jovial mood with wisecracks galore. Eleckra and Marco were getting more and more serious. Out on patrol I found something that would break our little bubble, a mercouple.

I swiftly teleported back to the other to find them celebrating. "What's the occasion?" I quipped, momentarily forgetting about what I had seen.

"Marco heaskedmeoutandIsaidyesandnowwe'redating!" Eleckra squealed incoherently. 

"Slow down, she speaks mer not dolphin." Marco reminded her jestingly.

" We're officially dating!" She slowed down and told me. 

"I hate to break the mood but we've got company up ahead." I told them regretfully, as I broke out of the rush of excitement that had taken us over.

" How many? What kind of mer?" Kenrita demanded with her eyes aflame. I could've stared at that face all day but I shook myself out of it and told her.

 "Young, seemingly unarmed and just citizens."I reported. 

"Who could they be?" Eleckra piped in.

" I think we should approach them as fellow pilgrims and see how they respond." Marco decided, Kenrita nodded and added.

" Welcome them to our camp but by no means trust them. And remember we're pilgrims, so act like it. " There was general assent from the group.

After about an hour we caught up to them and they introduced themselves,

" I'm Jocasta and this is my boyfriend  Sabas." The pale brunette introduced herself and hr companion.

"I'm Miara, this is Eleckra, that's Marco,and that's Kenrita. Where are you guys headed to?" I asked.

" We are headed to Zephrylle to serve Zereste. We are so excited. " Sabas spoke as if he were in a trance. 

"Really?So are we! You can join our pilgrimage if you would like." Rita replied zealously.

"Overselling it a bit aren't you?" I sassed Kenrita telepathically. 

"Trust me I can handle this." She reploed and I grouchily complied.

We sat through dinner with them and it seemed to go on forever. They kept droning on about how the couldn't wait to serve Zereste and how this was such an honour for them. It was if they weren't the only ones controlling what they were doing and saying. As soon as we finished eating I excused myself for bed and fell into an uneasy sleep.

Camp was as cheerful as ever when I woke up but I couldn't shake my sense of apprehension. We packed up camp and set off. "Have you ever burnt down anything you didn't mean to?" I asked Kenrita,  who had an affinity for fire,as a way to distract myself from my foreboding feeling.

" If I had a dollar for every time I did that." She chuckled." Yeah, the best time was when I was at my grandma's before I'd had training on how to control my powers. My sister,cousins, and I were playing gang up chasey outside. I hid in the sea grass play cabin my grandpa had woven. Everyone one was It but me and my nerves were on edge from all the waiting. My sister was hiding in the sea grass and I could hear her but the sounds were coming from all directions. All of a sudden she jumped out behind me and she scared the living day lights out of me. I set the whole cubby house on fire and I was just sitting in-"She trailed off laughing but we weren't paying any attention to her, we were staring at what was below us. Our former jovial mood gone in an instant.

From the top of the trench we could see the smoldering,blackened ruins of a town. You could smell the burnt flesh and only the stone houses had survived. There was no way anyone could have survived this. My mind flashed back to the Council meeting and the priestess who sent word through her dolphin because she'd been killed. This must have been her town.

"What happened here? "Marco asked in shock. 

"They didn't submit. They had a wonderful opportunity to serve Zereste and they threw it all away." Sabas chanted and Jocasta nodded in approval. As we swum past the ruins it settled my resolve. We were going to free Zephrylle before it could suffer a similar fate to the lost town below us.