[img=http://www.marcusstromberg.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/swimming-pool-lanes-625x364.jpg] ~Present Day~ Recreational Center~ Monterey, California She bent down on the platform, bending her knees and pulling back as she has been taught. Her competitors line up next to her, each doing the same thing, but with less form than her. There’s a small beep and then she sets. She takes a deep breath in and looks down at the locket dangle from her neck. The gun goes off and she dives into the water. Her strokes going fast, she reaches the end of the pool before any of her competitors and twists to push off to go back. The water splashes in her ears, drowning out almost all of the crowd’s cheering and she takes a deep breath to one side. She reaches the end again before her competitors and flips around to go for another lap. She has yet to get tired whatsoever. Her competitors are slowing down, but she isn’t. She never will. She has even tried before, but she hasn’t been able to get tired in the water. She pushes off the end for her final push and makes it back, a good twenty seconds ahead of her rivals. She touches the end wall and pulls her head up, looking around. Her friends cheer her on from the sidelines and she smiles, lifting up her goggles. The others finally finish and she is able to hope out of the water and walk over to them. They don’t give her a hug because she’s wet. “You did great, River!” her friends tell her, as they do every time. “I wasn’t even close!” She grins before looking down at her bag, which suddenly buzzes. She picks it up and grabs her phone. It’s a text from her father. [i]Meet me at the aquarium. You’re working tonight, remember?[/i] River sighs and tells her friends that she has to go. She pulls on a pair of loose black basketball shorts and hurries out the door. She passes by the basketball court, where she sees a young man working with some of the orphaned boys from the adoption home down the street… ----- [img=http://bigbackground.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/basketball-court-backgrounds.jpg] ~Present Day~ Rec Center~ Monterey, California “Alright, good job, John!” he says with excitement as the new little boy begins to dribble perfectly. “Now keep it steady like that and—” The boy stumbles over his own two feet and falls to the ground. He begins to cry, sitting on the ground. He sighs and runs over to the poor lad. He helps him up and he kneels down in front of him. “John, you were doing great!” he says. “Peter, I’m never going to get it!” the little boy says, his lower lip trembling. Peter places a hand on the little boy’s shoulder, sighing. John was new to Peter’s little group and had a lot to learn before he could be with the big boys. “Look, I was never good at basketball either. I would trip and fall and throw the ball where there was no one there. Darn, I even dribbled it too high, almost too where it would go over my head!” This gets a little giggle. “But you know what I would do if I ever trip and fell?” The boy shakes his head, wide eyed. “I would get up, laugh at myself, brush myself off, and try again.” He grabs the ball and hands it to the little boy. “Now do you want to sit and cry, or try again?” “Try again!” the boy says with a great big smile on his face. He grabs the ball and dribbles it away from Peter. Peter smiles. He loves working at the rec with these little boys. On the inside, he wishes, though that he was still a young boy again, playing and having no responsibilities like these boys. He sighs and gets back to work. ----- [img=http://www.fulldesktop.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/jolly%20roger%20wallpaper-qXJR.jpg] ~Present Day~ The Jolly Roger~ Neverland He slams his good hand down on the table, nearly toppling the scrying bowl. Those pesky fairies were always getting in his way. He needed to get rid of them at some time but he couldn't figure out a way. There was one that was always in his hair, but he could never find her once she disrupted his plans. He sighs as a crewman knocks on his door. "Captain we found another trove of pixie dust. Would you like us to bring it in?" "No, I have a fresh batch here," he says. The crewman dips his head and Captain Hooke rolls his eyes. He turns back to the scrying bowl that is filled with the picture of Neverland. He grins. This is his kingdom and no one can take it from him ever. ----- [img=http://images.nationalgeographic.com/wpf/media-live/photos/000/138/overrides/save-the-ocean-tips_13821_600x450.jpg] She pets the top of her eel’s head as she looks into the bubbling pot. She waves her hand over it and a merman comes up, but it isn't Triton. She waves her hand again and this time the image disappears. She throws herself off of her throne and swims toward the edge of her cave. Her long black tentacles then grip the sea floor as she walks toward the moaning and groaning seaweed near the entrance to her cave. She slams her fist against a wall and yells, “Shut up!” The force of the hit trembles the cave and immediately, the souls shut up. She wanders through them, smiling at how many she has. Almost all of the merfolk that stayed behind in Atlantica are at her feet right now. All, except a few. She wanders through and yells, “Where is Aquata, daughter of Triton?!” The souls stay silent. She smiles again, but this is not a nice smile. It is filled with venom and spite. “You remember the punishment for staying silent, do you not?” A small voice comes up. “Over here, Ursula.” She turns in the direction of the voice and she sees a small seaweed next to one with a ring around the top of it. She grins and swims over to the ring seaweed. The eyes turn away from her. “Are you going to tell me where your father is now that I have captured your sisters?” she asks. “Remember the deal. You tell me where he is, and I’ll let you go free.” The seaweed shakes and responds with a no and Ursula growls. “Then you will stay here as my prisoner forever!” She turns away from the souls and swims angrily back over to her pot. She waves her hand over it again and this time it comes to a small island, but no sign of the king still and she growls again. She waves her hand again. [i]I will find you Triton. Even if it’s the last thing I do.[/i]