Follow+Along

The unedited, unfolding version of [|@manyvoices]: Each group of student collaborators constitute one chapter in the story.


 * Part I.**

chapter one. In the depths of New York City, on top of the Empire State Building, a creature rested. That creature was me. As I feel my life slipping away from me, I can barely remember a time when I was happy. I remember my friends and family. Like a dream. I feel like I'm totaly lost. It's like I'm in a scary movie. I can't even see because it's so foggy. What am I going to do? Where can I go? Maybe I'll slowly creep away tonight, while the city sleeps, and make my way back to the depths of the ocean. A place I call home. As I start down, I can still see movement in the city. So I creep lightly through dark alleys so nobody can see me. Suddenly, I see a light turn on in a window. My eyes lock with a young woman holding a baby. She screams and I start to run.

chapter two. Around boats and crates I run, keeping in the shadows. Away from the busy city and bright lights. I dive in, and I know who I am at last. My name is Auqamarine and you probably guessed it already but... I'm a mermaid... I wasn't always though. I was in my room. I looked out the window to see the light of the lighthouse. It was beautiful. When I looked at it directly it blinded me. I could see the bright beautiful moon shiny in the sky like there was nothing to worry about but as the sun rose up there were bad memories. Memories of my family, when we were all together... until fishermen came and snatched them away from me. It was about 5 years ago. That moment sent shivers running up my spine. It was that moment when I heard foot steps coming up the stairs. My heart was pounding. Slowly trembling, I turned around to see who it could be, but I stopped, I couldn't help it but I started running again.

chapter 3. As I was running I thought who it could be. It might have been those fisherman again trying to snatch me. I slowly stopped running to catch my breath, as I slow down I hear a voice. A voice I haven't heard in a long time. It was a voice that brought back so much. The fury, the pain and the memory of those first days when I was alone, so very alone. This mysterious voice belonged to a man I knew far too well. This was the man who had robbed me of everything I treasured, my family.

chapter 4. The family who I lived for; longed for. Who I had been cruelly torn away from. I cried for days knowing that the people who I cherished the most were gone forever. I'd sit on my rock in the ocean. My tail jumped through the waves as I dreamed of my family as my tears blended into the rushing water. Part 1 draws to a conclusion... stay tuned for the continuation.

chapter 5. I slipped and fell on the pavement. The world blacked out... When I saw the world again, I also felt very slimy. The slime was starting to harden, I could feel it keeping me stuck to the ground. I tried to get up, but fell suddenly. "What will I do?" Now its really starting to harden! Soon I could die; I need help. Maybe someone could hear me, and help me. Anyone? Then all of a sudden I heard footsteps coming closer, closer. I tried to look up to see who it was, but the slime was too hard. As the footsteps drew nearer, the hairs on the back of my slender neck rose. I saw a stain of rouge on the ground near my head. "Blast it, that is defiantly NOT a fish!" The voice sounded young. There was an ear shattering crack, and the hardened slime turned to dust. I pulled my head up with the strength left in my body. I tried to open my eyes but I could only see a few faint lights glowing in the distance, I think. I couldn't tell where I was, and I could hardly see anything. I started to see a very large sillouette coming towards me. I couldn't tell what it was. The "thing" had a long, dark, tattered cloak on. I was so frightened, I suddenly fainted. When I awoke, I got on my feet and there was somebody having a campfire. I asked who he was. He said his name was Bob Flynton. Wasn't Bob Flynton the human who came to the fair several years ago...on his...mission? "There is not an exit," said Bob. "What do I do now?" I thought to myself. I looked around the campsite, there was a fence around the campsite. I could always try to talk to this guy. I wasn't sure if he was dangerous though. His long-ago mission had left us all knowing the evils that he wrought upon the fish. "Have you robbed any fish lately?" I asked him, scared of his grisly beard. He might have trouble waiting for me in his bag. "Why are you keeping me here? I demand to know why!" I said with a slight shake in my voice. He looked at me and merely said, "For reasons which I can not tell you. But you WILL find out shortly," said Bob. "But why-" I said, but Bob had just hit me over the head. I felt cold. not once in my life had i felt as cold as I had now. Numbing my limbs freezing my blood. I awoke to see ice. My Sarcophagus.

chapter 6. Sheer fear began to rise up in me. I started banging and shouting, hoping for someone to hear me; as I fought to keep the panic in me down. I stopped, there is no hope. I began to feel pain in my tail fin and suddenly the scales rolled off, revealing human legs, I felt free but confused, only a moment ago I was half fish, now being human raises new questions about my past, there was nothing to do as I closed my eyes. I woke up this morning, feeling all alone in this world. However, I feel weird and dirty after this transformation.There's no point living. i had to start somewhere i am now one of them, i had to start living my life not knowing what this cruel world had in store for me. no can hear me am I a loner god i need help i think i need therapy help me please.... I complain too much...maybe if I stop complaining....things will change for me....maybe a more interesting twist to my lame story... So I started looking through the paper finding a job... Aha! A real estate agent... nah too boring! And then I look again, And I found it... A Marine biologist! That way I can figure out how to turn back into a mermaid, hopefully they give that kind of class. As I walk to the office, I bumped into a super hot young man. He was a pearl diver at the new marina named Aquaman and he showed me the way to the Marine biologist's office. As we walked he told me about how much he loved pearl diving. Suddenly a man came out of the bushes. It was... bum bum buummmmm!!! Anti-Aqua man!! Aqua mans arch rival. It was him, I didn't even have to look twice, it was a face that had been burned into my mind, all the memories surfaced, I hit the ground running. It was anti-aquaman ! The man that was responsible for the disapearance of my family! I thought that I had lost him long ago. But then he shot out this laser beam thing which was going to destroy the aqua-world as we know it!

chapter 7. Suddenly aquaman pulls out a mirror and deflects the laser beam and hits anti-aquaman and knocks him out.We tie him up and find a document! The document contained pictures off my family. I was shocked i thought i had lost them forever but i was wrong. I was shocked but suddenly a shiver ran down my spine i have to find my family before its too late... I decided to start my search in the diving department. I opened the door with a shudder, to my horror there were scaly creatures inside. i SCREAMED they were dark red and scaley thay had large claws and misterious black eyes thay looked like dragons then i noticed thay were... giant pythons lurking in the depts of the darkness geting closer and closer until they atacked then one of the giant pythons grabed my leg and I was draged from the unidentified documents that nobody has ever seen before and the python cut bit me one more time but i was able to get away.I walked outside then i screemed HELP ME im being attacked, my leg was bleeding. help call an ambulance please! I woke up in the hospital and i did not no where i was i screamed as some thing approched me quickly. AHRRRRR what was the noies i thought to myself. was it a MONSTERor aTRESPASSER. Oh no what are we going to do call the police hurry then i mean it No! we will sort it out our selfs i said to myself. I walked round the corner and shot a laser beam i had took then i saw what i had done! What was i going to i needed to get more help so i went into the street and looked for help but there was nobody around i had to think I needed to find more help and fast but there was nobody around so i had to think of another plan before it's to late. the monster had wolf claws and vampire teeth and one eye it's name was phonopeos and someone broken door of the haunted mansion the person I felt dead. I tried to scream but i couldn't. I felt something sliding up my leg what could it be? it felt extreamly slimy. IT WAS A SNAKE!

chapter 8. It was hissing words of death, "Rasmos. Andros. Senthrais." Clutching the documents I panicked and yelled, "HELP!" But no words came out. It darted its long, slender tongue and pierced its sharp yellow fangs into my flesh. The pain was unbearable. I felt dead inside. All the pain was running up my spine. I knew that my nightmare was not over!! I yelled for help as best I could, feeling my spirits fading. I closed my eyes. There was no way to escape. Then I heard footsteps. I thought that was help, but I was nervous too. Was it a bad guy? I looked back and saw a doctor. The doctor picked me up and carried me to his lab. In his lab, he started to do experiments on me. I was so excited. After the experiment, I looked at my leg. It was cut! I was so angry, so I took out a laser beam. But I couldn't shoot. There was no energy. Suddenly I saw strange syringes. I asked the doctor what they were for, but he did not answer. I felt very scared. I screamed again. Suddenly the doctor came and took me to a bed. Strangely, a rope came out and tied me up. I felt very nervous. The doctor took me somewhere, but I don't know where. I felt very strange. The doctor locked the door and ran out. When I pushed the door with my body it didn't open. So I shouted "Help me!" I think nobody heard my shout. So I felt like dying. Actually, I thought I would die. But then I breathed very fresh air. So I thought I could escape this place! I looked for an open window. I saw sunshine in the corner. I walked to it. There was an open window. I wanted to open it more but I couldn't because I was pretty tired. I looked for another exit. I saw nothing, nothing at all.The sun had set. The room was dark. I was scared. I heard, "You will suffer." Then I noticed a table in the corner. On it was a document which I picked up. It contained the whereabouts of my family. The door burst open. I spun around, finding the doctor standing there, brandishing a knife in his hand. He sneered. "You have a choice....." "Give me the document and I will set you free. Otherwise I shall kill you. Make your choice now. I give you 5 seconds. 5. 4. 3. 2. 1!!!"

chapter 9. "Wait!" I scream. "First tell me who you are and why I am here." "I am Dr. Bob Flynton. I worked with your parents in a lab for years." Dr. Flynton continued. "Your parents have a gene that can transform humans into mermaids. Together we created you. We kept you in a lab. Your parents wanted you to be free so they tried to get you away from the lab. I couldn't let that happen!I could make millions on your DNA. So I locked your parents in a secret location. And now, hand over those documents if you want to see your parents again." I knew he lied. He would never let me see my parents. So, very slyly, I snatched the pages out of the folder and handed the empty folder to Dr. Flynton. Then, as he turned to the computer, I threw my empty laser gun at his head. He fell to the ground and I limped quickly out of the building. I hid in an alley and looked at the papers. My parents were still alive and in a secret room in the Empire State Building. I was going back. Back in NYC, I reread the papers to find that I need to go to the top floor of the building and find the hidden door behind the painting. I had to lean on the painting to make it turn. Behind the painting was a slide that took me to the basement. There I opened the door and.. All I found was Phonopeos,the monster guarding another room. I could hear my parents yelling for help from behind the door. What could I do?

chapter between 9 & 10. As Anti-Aqua man chased me, i heard footsteps in the distance. My brother nudged me as I opened my eyes reavealing the real world. "Wake up twirp, your late for school!" he said as he threw my binder at me. I jumped out of bed, releived that it was only a terrible nightmare and headed out the door to school. As I arrived at school my principle greeted me with a hearty hello. For once was glad to be out of my bed and in school. Arriving in my classroom, I sat down and started to write a note to my best friend David. " Dude, meet me in the locker room after lunch." I wrote and passed it to David. Mr. Warjii caught me passing the note to David. "Mr. Smith, to the principles office. "

chapter 10.

Phonopeos lurched towards my shivering body. I jumped out of the way, hoping something or someone would come to help me. Sweat was dripping from my shaking body. Saliva slipped through Phonopeos fangs. The cries of desperation from my parents gave me a little bit of strength, but it wasn't enough, as I sped around it, Phonopeos grabbed me with it's massive hairy claws. "Aughh!" I screamed "Let go!" as I squirm, it slowly pulled me up and opened its gigantic jaws. As i was being dropped into its slimy gullet, I opened my legs and stopped its jaws from snapping closed! I panicked, thinking to myself "What should I do?" My legs begin to shake because I can barley hold its jaws open any more. But then I thought to my self, "I can't admit defeat!" suddenly I jumped as high as I could! Phonopeos jaws snapped, and missed. Boom! I slammed onto the floor. Weakly I rose to my knees. I had to save my parents but I was too scared. Smoke was rising from Phonopeos' ears. He turned to stare at me, his face pinched together like a pickle. I could tell he would lunge at me any second! Suddenly, a beam of light shone through the darkness, heading directly into Phonopeos' eyes. Blinded, it hollered and screamed with the ugliest face I've ever seen. I thought it was my best chance to escape, so I ran directly to the exit where I came in. I was so ashamed of deserting my parents. Suddenly, the light vanishes as quickly as it came. I hear a roar of anger from Phonopeos. He stomped his foot so hard the whole place began to collapse. Phonopeos had this very fierce and stiff look on his face. I risked this moment to rescue my family. I jumped as high as I could and I landed next to the door where my family was. "Now would be my chance to rescue them," I thought.I slowly reached for the doorknob. Behind me, Phonopeos roared. I stopped with my arm frozen straight in front of me. I was scared to lookover my shoulder. The building was shaking like mad. I heard a scream. "This is my chance." I turned the door knob quickly, and gasp! My family was gone! I wondered if that flash of light took away my parents..."Where could they be?"I thought. Suddenly, everything was dark and smoky.

chapter 11.

I scanned the room quickly. I have to find them and get home, I thought. On the right a door swung silently, that's the only possibility.... Inside the door was an elevator. I quickly jumped in and pressed the down arrow. I was scared as I plummeted down in the shaking elevator... I felt as if I would never find them! Bang! The elevator landed in the basement. " Mom, Dad? It's me," I said, but all i could hear was a... moan. I look at the walls and I see a mysterious black dot. I press it and the walls start to shake. They open: there reveals my parents. I see them tied up so I quickly untie them. There's no time for uniting. The building will fall any second. We sprint to the elevator to o go up. The building shakes once again. "It broke!" GET OUT! The building begins to fall, they jump out the window and land in a pile of broken pieces of the building,you weren't badly hurt just a coulple of scrapes. I have to quickley call the hospital,you dial the number... 911, but the batteries die. Behind me I hear Bob Flynton limping towards me. "You and your parents belong to me now." he roars. I run to the pick something off the ground. I coundn't tell exactly what it was at that moment, but I coudn't waste anymore time! I threw the object at Bob. It hit him square in his chest and we heard a scream. Then we saw a fin, Bob was transforming into a mermaid-man. Bob screams. He was now a mermaid. He had a strange looking fin because of his limping leg and he was very angry. "AH!" he screams in pain. My parents and I stared at the transformed Bob. His new fin looked green with a slight tinge of yellow. "We have to go!" yelled my dad. The street we are on is filled with dark passages. We're well hidden. "STOP", I shout. "Why did you experiment on me in the first place?!?" Bob forced us to do it. I thought I could fix it later when we had time. But we have been trapped for 5 years. Thanks to you were reunited, mom said with a tear. We walk over to the sandy beach, sit down, and watch the sun set over the rippling sea. Finally, a family again.

THE END!