Mermaid without a tail {open}

[Macey Emerald Smith]

Macey pulled on her "Finding Nemo" tee shirt, a staple of her wardrobe, over her swimsuit, and put her shorts on as well.

She was planning to go swimming, but for once she didn't go to the beach. Her feet, white flip flops in place, took her to the Sports Centre & Gym, making the loud sounds they always made. Her goggles were hung around her neck, and she smiled at the thought of the water. She felt like it had been too long, too long to be away from the water.

When Macey reached the swimming pool, she was automatically hit by the comforting smell of chlorine. It was nothing compared to the ocean, but it still made her feel better. She sat her bag off to the side, stripping and tossing her outer clothes on top. Her goggles were instantly pulled on, her shoes off, and she was ready.

She dove in, and felt...alive. The water rejuvenated her, made her wish that she could breathe underwater all the time. She was tempted to shift, but decided she wouldn't. All of her senses felt like a live wire, and the bubbles swirled around her were like a blanket on a cold day.

The air in her lungs was running out, and she was forced to come up to the surface. Her hair was sticking to her back, sopping wet, but she felt more comfortable with it that way than dry. She took some much needed air into her lungs, relishing in it while wishing that it wasn't necessary. As soon as she got some air, she was instantly under again, kicking her legs as she moved swiftly through the water.

She was going to do some laps next, she felt like she needed some exercise, but right now, she was just focusing on the great feeling she got from the water. It was like she belonged, and she knew it would always be her true home.

The swimming lanes were taunting her, but she wasn't ready for them, though she probably never would be if she got her way.

She moved towards the general area of them, above the water now, but her process was slow, like usually when she tried to walk through the water. She abandoned that, and went back to actual swimming. It was faster that way, and much more fun.

She reached on of the lanes, and swam for about ten minutes, alternating between the breast stroke and freestyle, her two favorites.

Macey didn't tire from that though, she had too much stamina for her own good sometimes, so she got out of the pool, thinking about what she could do.

Her eyes caught the diving board, and she rushed to it, an idea in her head. She reached the top of it, ready to jump, but then she thought, Why a cannonball? She looked down, and after determining that the water was deep enough, she edged her way back to the start of the board.

To herself, she said, "Watch and you'll see, someday I'll be part of your world!"

She ran carefully while saying that, and on "world," she dove into the water, her arms arched a little bit, and as she hit the water, she knew that it was a good dive.

~~

Normal
Talking
Someone else talking

Count: 521!
Tag: Open!
Clothes: Here!
Music: "Part of Your World" from "The Little Mermaid"
Notes: None...

Made and coded by Essy for Rachel. Permission given to edit the ooc stuffs~

[/size]

[elizabethalexander]

Elizabeth rarely made promises she could not keep, and today she promised her six-year-old granddaughter that they would go swimming. Admittedly, she was in no mood to strap the child’s safety seat into the backseat of her silver Prius and drive fifteen minutes away to the Academy, but they did not own a pool and a promise was a promise.

The aging woman struggled to install her granddaughter’s safety seat and had to enlist her husband’s help when he offered it. She complained that there were too many highway laws and that things were easier when their children were still children. He nodded his head in agreement, cupped the back of her neck with his hand, and kissed her forehead gently. She gazed at him lovingly until he announced that the safety seat was installed and that they could leave whenever they were ready. She nodded her head and stepped aside so he could get out of the cramped and messy backseat.

The two went inside, and Elizabeth made sure she packed everything she and her granddaughter would need to go swimming. She almost forgot to pack towels, but Michael quickly reminded her just as she was walking out the door. After double-checking the contents of her bag, she gave her husband a quick kiss on the mouth and went out to her car. Her granddaughter sat anxiously in the back, swinging her legs so that the heels of her feet hit against the seat. Elizabeth looked in the rearview mirror at her as she put a pair of sunglasses over her regular glasses. A small smile passed over the woman’s face as she pulled out of the driveway and sped down the highway, even though Michael asked her to drive safely and go the speed limit. If he knew her as well as she thought he did, he would know that she was not going to drive the speed limit unless a police officer was around. Elizabeth was a speed demon on the road, and sometimes a reckless driver, but she was always careful.

With an obvious level of skill and experience, Elizabeth turned sharply into the narrow entryway of the staff parking lot and part in her usual spot. She dug through the glove compartment for her parking pass, which she needed to have replaced, and hung it from her rearview mirror. She unbuckled and turned in her seat to stare at the little brunette girl. “Are you ready to go, Bumblebee?” The little girl giggled and nodded her head fervently; she had been ready to go three days ago when the arrangements were made. The aged woman reached across the console between the two front seats and unbuckled her granddaughter from her safety seat. “Get your flippy-floppies on so we can go.” She grabbed the little girl’s flip-flops from the floor of the backseat and tickled the girl’s toes. The curly-haired girl let out a squeal of delight and took the flip-flops from her grandmother, putting them on the wrong feet. Elizabeth smiled gently and switched the girl’s shoes for her, not bothering to say anything. She reached around her seat and grabbed the bag with all their things; she then unlocked her door and threw it open. Her granddaughter climbed out of her safety seat and waited for her grandmother to open the back door, which had a child safety lock so that it could only be opened from the outside.

Elizabeth took her granddaughter’s hand and walked down the sidewalk towards the gymnasium and recreational area. The little girl remained a few steps ahead of her, her excitement rising as they grew nearer to the pool. When they reached the building, Elizabeth dug through the bag and swiped her card. The machine beeped, and the door unlocked. She grasped the handle and pulled it open. The little girl hurried inside but was disappointed when she saw, not the pool, but a large gymnasium. Elizabeth reached for her hand and looked at the expression on her face. “Don’t worry. The pool is in another room, just over there.” She pointed in the direction of the door that read ‘POOL’. The little girl nodded her head and began running across the gym towards the door. Elizabeth took off after her, having trouble in her old age to keep up with the little girl. She finally managed to reach her and scooped her into her arms. “You little menace,” she said playfully, blowing a raspberry on the girl’s cheek, which made her squeal in delight.

The pair reached the room containing the pool, and Elizabeth put her granddaughter on the floor. She was about to instruct her to wait, but the little girl took off her shoes and ran towards the ramp leading into the pool. “Sarah,” she said firmly. The little girl stopped, already knee-deep in water, and looked at her grandmother. She whined about wanting to swim, but Elizabeth explained that she needed to take off her clothes and put her water wings on. The little girl nodded and did as her grandmother instructed; she waited impatiently as her grandmother discreetly undressed near the bleachers and set their stuff on the floor in plain sight. Elizabeth lifted her granddaughter onto her hip and carried her down the ramp and into the water.

She set Sarah down in the water and guided her into deeper parts of the pool. The little girl moved her arms and kicked her legs as her grandmother had taught her the last time they came to the pool. Elizabeth stayed near the edge as she moved along the length of the pool, into the eight-foot, eleven-foot, and then the thirteen-foot section. The little girl began splashing her grandmother, which caused the woman’s glasses to get foggy from the difference in the temperature of the air and water. She ignored the blurriness of her glasses and kicked her legs so she could stay afloat. Hopefully, the girl would not try to rough house with her in the water; the last thing Elizabeth need was to lose her glasses in the thirteen-foot section of the pool.

A sudden string of sung words and a loud splash consumed the silence in the poolroom. The aged woman gazed in the direction of the sound and realized that they were not alone. A small smile graced the older woman’s lips as she watched the girl surface after diving into the water; Sarah’s eyes were wide in amazement. She turned to look at her grandmother and, in an excited tone of voice, suggested that they dive off the diving board and into the water. Elizabeth wanted nothing more than to make her granddaughter’s day, but Sarah could not swim, and Elizabeth did not want to risk her granddaughter’s life diving in the water, even with water wings. The little girl pouted for all of five seconds before paddling towards the blonde girl. Elizabeth kept her distance but followed slowly behind in case her granddaughter somehow managed to slip out of her water wings and go beneath the water.

“Are you a mermaid?” the little girl asked. She recognized the song the blonde had sung from a Disney movie her grandmother bought her a few years previously. It was her favorite movie. Elizabeth heard her granddaughter’s question and smiled gently. She appreciated children with active imaginations; it reminded her of her youth, when things were simpler and she could believe in anything. She was curious to know how the teenage girl would respond to her granddaughter’s question.

TAG: Macey
WORDS: 1.258
LISTENING TO: Mon Homme - Celine Dion
CLOTHES: Ellie's attire
NOTES: ELIZABETH | SARAH // Don't worry - Macey won't have to talk to Sarah the entire time. I just needed a reason for them to communicate, at all.
MADE BY: Amber

[Macey Emerald Smith]

The dive was perfect, the water bending to Macey's will, bubbles surrounding her as she came up. Her goggles had thankfully stayed on her face, not that she wouldn't have minded going down deep to find them, and she smiled underwater, enjoying the feeling of doing what she loved.

When she broke the surface, Macey automatically took a big gulp of air, cursing that she didn't have gills. They would make things so much better, and she could stay in the water longer. She was treading water, getting ready to move back to the lanes again, but then she heard a voice.

“Are you a mermaid?” a little girl asked, and, slightly startled, Macey turned around and saw that she wasn't the only one in the pool like she thought. She internally frowned, keeping her real facial expression blank. She was vain, not too vain, but, yes, Macey was vain. As soon as she saw the two other people, her thoughts automatically jumped to how horrible her hair looked when it was wet. She tried to brush those thoughts aside, and smiled at the little girl's question.

She took a gulp of air, and went under, doing the breast stroke to reach them. She may have been showing off, just a little. Her arm movements were perfect, and her legs moved in perfect rhythm; the stroke was absolutely perfect, no flaws at all, and the thought made Macey happy.

She saw the pair underwater, and stopped when she reached the end where they were, the shallow end because of the girl's water wings, and walked the rest of the way to them. It would have been weird swimming in that shallow of water. Macey had always liked shallow water though, it was part of her turtle, she guessed.

Her arm raised automatically to brush her hair behind her ears, and she smiled again at the little girl. The question was adorable, and made Macey happy. Mermaids were the best, even when you were seventeen like Macey.

“I wish I was,” she replied to the girl's question, only a slight smile on her face this time. Because she really did wish that, but being able to shift was the second best thing, if not better. “Do you like the Little Mermaid?” she added, her voice automatically going to little kid mode, a little perkier than normal, but she wasn't treating her like a baby or anything.

She really did think the girl was adorable, she even reminded her of Macey when she was little, just brunette instead of blonde. And Macey had never needed water wings, she was a gifted swimmer from the start, but that was beside the point.

She hummed the beginning of “Part of Your World,” took off her goggles, and turned to the older woman, extending her arm, trying to be polite, and said, “I'm Macey.”

~~

Normal
Talking
Someone else talking

Count: 484
Tag: Elizabeth
Clothes: Here.
Music: No music, just listening to Food Network.
Notes: Eh, not my best post, not my worst. :/

Made and coded by Essy for Rachel. Permission given to edit the ooc stuffs~

[/size]

[elizabethalexander]

Elizabeth began to wonder if it was possible to shift into a mermaid as opposed to another creature of the sea. Such an option had never come to the woman’s mind, but now she was genuinely curious to know whether it was possible. If it were possible, she was almost certain that her granddaughter would shift into a mermaid. Sarah loved The Little Mermaid more than any other movie she had ever seen; she especially loved Ariel’s purple seashell top and flowing red hair. The little girl had dressed as Ariel for Halloween the previous year; her parents even bought her a red wig to wear, but she took it off in the middle of her trick-or-treating venture because it was itchy. Such an idea seemed almost preposterous; there was no such thing as mermaids.

The little girl paddled rapidly in an attempt to get closer to the teenager. Elizabeth followed closely behind her to make sure her rapid arm movements did not send her teetering forwards into the water, leaving her in a difficult position to resurface without help. The teenager began to communicate with the little girl, and the sight made the older woman smile in delight. It was so rare to find a teenager with enough patience to talk to a six-year-old. Sarah was intelligent for her age, and she enjoyed learning new things. She was like her mother and asked many questions. Her parents raised her to be inquisitive and polite, but Elizabeth babysat often and gave her spin on parenting, which consisted of allowing a child to be a child—and not a robot programmed to follow orders. Order was nice, but Elizabeth liked a little bit of chaos in the mix, too.

“Yes,” the little girl stated cutely as she gave several fervent nods of her head. She grinned toothily and continued to paddle her arms slowly even though her water wings helped her stay afloat. “Nanny gave me it a long time ago. It’s my favoritest.” Elizabeth felt the need to correct her granddaughter’s grammar, but she knew that the girl was only six and had plenty of time to learn about the English language. Besides, it was adorable hearing her speak incorrectly; so, instead of correcting her, Elizabeth grinned without opening her mouth and chuckled in the back of her throat. She extended her arm and gently played with the tips of her granddaughter’s dampened hair. Her curls were no more than wave, but she still looked as cute as she did with her vibrant curled hair.

When the blonde girl directed her attention towards the vocal instructor, Elizabeth’s eyes widened from behind her rectangular glasses. The overhead lights reflected in her eyes, making them an obvious shade of dark blue. The girl had introduced herself as Macey and Elizabeth, unsure of what to say, started with a simple “um” and let a long pause linger afterwards. Her granddaughter tilted her head back and hit it gently against her grandmother’s chest to get her attention. Elizabeth looked down at her and ran a hand through the little girl’s hair. She looked back at the blonde girl.

“Sorry,” she stated with a laugh hidden behind the one-word response. “I’m Ellie, but I’m sure the headmaster would appreciate if you called me Mrs. Alexander. You know, formalities.” The woman shrugged her shoulders. She did not care what her students called her as long as they remained polite and respectful and did not tell anyone. “And this is my granddaughter, Sarah.” The woman patted the top of the girl’s head playfully.

“Nanny, she wants you to shake her hand.”

Elizabeth looked at the young girl and realized that she did have an arm extended. The aging woman grasped the teenager’s hand gently and shook it a single time before releasing it. “Sorry,” she said again. “I’m not used to shaking hands. Students never want to shake hands.” The woman lifted a hand and ran it coolly through her graying hair. She bent her upper body over slightly and looked at her granddaughter. “Hey, love bug, if you get thirsty, I brought juice boxes, okay? And Granddaddy put a surprise in my purse for you. Just let me know, alright?” The little girl nodded and paddled slowly away from her grandmother. She remained close enough that Elizabeth could get to her if necessary, but she gave the two older females their space. Elizabeth looked at the teenager again and shook her head, thinking a single word: Kids… She offered a friendly smile to the girl and stepped further into the water so that she was no longer hip-deep, but waist-deep.

“It’s so hot outside,” she stated. “I’m surprised more people aren’t here.” The woman thought for a moment. “But I guess they’re at the beach. Why didn’t you go to the beach? Trying to avoid people or…?” Her voice drifted off, but the smile remained painted on her face. She seemed to glow with the sunlight from outside, she was so happy and cheerful, so full of life.

TAG: Macey
WORDS: 842
LISTENING TO: Don't Release Me- Gloria Estefan
CLOTHES: Ellie's attire
NOTES: ELIZABETH | SARAH // If you ever have trouble replying to any of my posts, just send me a personal message and ask me to add stuff. :]
MADE BY: Amber

[Macey Emerald Smith]

Macey grinned at the little girl's response. She really was adorable, but Macey found the need to correct her grammar, she didn't, because she knew that she had talked like that when she was little, too.

The woman introduced herself as Mrs. Alexander, and Macey blushed, feeling awkward. For such an intelligent person, Macey had trouble with common sense. She wasn't normally that forward, asking to shake people's hands like that. She couldn't believe that she didn't even guess that this woman was a teacher. Macey's face felt entirely red, and she wished she had control over when she would blush, it would make things so much easier.

She shook her head a little bit, only slightly to clear her head, but it wasn't noticeable to anybody who wasn't paying strict attention to her actions. Macey raised her hand to her face again, and realized that she still had her goggles on. Taking them off, she tucked her hair behind her ears again, and put the goggles around her neck like a necklace. Then she wondered if she had rings around her eyes because of it.

“It’s so hot outside,” Mrs. Alexander said, bringing Macey out of her thoughts a little, as she moved her hands under the water, relaxing at the feeling as it went around her fingers. “I’m surprised more people aren’t here. But I guess they’re at the beach. Why didn’t you go to the beach? Trying to avoid people or…?”

Macey locked her eyes with the teacher, and smiled slightly. She had always admired teachers, at how smart they were, and this one was common sense smart, too. Her eyes flitted over to the woman's granddaughter, and she smiled slightly again, then turned her attention back to the woman's question.

“Oh,” Macey replied, stalling her answer a little. She didn't exactly know why she wasn't at the beach, so she decided to tell the truth. “Well, I'm not sure if I'm trying to avoid people, I just haven't met anyone yet. I'm new here, even though I'm a senior. And I saw my long lost sister at the beach a while back, and that didn't go too well, so I guess I don't want to have a repeat of that.” She shrugged, that was pretty truthful, but it wasn't completely right. So she added, “I felt like I needed some exercise, too, but as amazing as the ocean is, there aren't any lanes for laps.”

Macey dunked her head under the water, it was starting to feel stringy from the chlorine, and felt better once it was soaking wet.

“Do you mind me asking what classes you teach?” Macey asked, curious. She wasn't sure if she would have any of her classes, but it was always good to know what teachers taught.

~~

Normal
Talking
Someone else talking

Count: 472.
Tag: Elizabeth
Clothes: Here.
Music: Listening to the TV.
Notes: OK, thanks! It's fine though, your posts are really good!

Made and coded by Essy for Rachel. Permission given to edit the ooc stuffs~

[/size]

[elizabethalexander]

Elizabeth watched as her granddaughter played alone in the water. She seemed to have made up a game in her mind, which consisted of her leaning forwards to dip her face into the water. She would then proceed to blow a mass of bubbles, come up for air and giggle silently to herself. The woman smiled gently as her granddaughter played the game alone and inwardly wished that she had offered to babysit her other grandchildren; at least the little girl would have someone her age to play with. Of course, Elizabeth would not have been able to keep up with all her grandchildren; there were too many young children to keep a watchful eye on, and she was only one person. The woman sighed to herself and tilted her head back so her hair became wet with water. She ran her hands over the top of her head to make sure her hair was not in her face, and to make sure water did not get on her glasses; she looked back at the young blonde girl and offered a cheerful smile.

She should have known that the student standing near her in the water was new. She had never seen her around the school before, nor had she been in any of the instructor’s classes. Maybe she, like Elizabeth, was a late bloomer. Her first transformation from human to animal took place a few weeks after she turned sixteen. She was about to start her sophomore year in high school when she discovered that she, like the rest of her family, was able to shift from human to animal. She was embarrassed to admit that she was sixteen when she ‘reached puberty,’ but she would admit it if she felt it was necessary. “Do you like it here so far?” she questioned, tilted her head inquisitively to the side.

The girl’s eyes met hers, and Elizabeth listened in silence as the teenager explained the reasons as to why she was at the pool instead of the beach. She admitted that she was knew, mentioned that she had a long lost sister and confessed to wanting exercise in the comfort of the pool. The older woman nodded her head and tucked her wet hair behind her ears. She was not wearing earrings today because of her venture to the pool, but it was obvious by the holes in her ears that she had once piercing in each. “The beach can be a bit of a workout, too,” the woman stated with a laugh. “Especially if you have a group of munchkins with you.” She glanced at Sarah, who was still playing happily by herself near the wall of the pool. Elizabeth kept her eyes on the little girl for several moments before looking at Macey. “The last time I went to the beach, I decided to take the boogie board out. Fighting those waves made my abdomen hurt so bad the next morning.” Despite her age, Elizabeth still enjoyed having a good time, and she was the first to admit it. Being sixty-one was no different than being thirty-one for her; she still acted like a child at times, and she had more energy than people a third of her age.

Elizabeth slowly dipped her upper body into the cool water and carefully removed her legs from under her body and crossed them as if she were sitting Indian-style on the floor. She floated strategically by moving her arms and looked at the young girl standing before her. She had posed a simple question, one which Elizabeth was more than happy to answer. A broad smile appeared on her face as she shook her head. “No, not at all. I don’t mind.” She uncrossed her legs and placed her feet flat on the floor of the pool. She ran her hands over her freckled shoulders and pulled all her hair over one shoulder to wring it out. “I’m the vocal instructor,” she explained as she twisted the water out of her hair and back into the pool. “And I’m in charge of choir practice, and—my glasses are getting foggy…” She sighed and wiped the inside of her glasses off with her fingers. It seemed like a childish thing to do, but she was in a pool of water, which meant that she was limited on the ways to go about cleaning the fog off her glasses. “Sorry,” she apologized. “I hate being half blind. Having to wear glasses all the time is so bothersome, but contacts bother my eyes and I’m kind of scared to get Lasik in case something goes wrong.” She shook her head. “Sorry,” she said again. “What’s your major?”

TAG: Macey
WORDS: 785
LISTENING TO: Love Makes the World - Carole King
CLOTHES: Ellie's attire
NOTES: ELIZABETH | SARAH // Sorry if the post seems lagging in quality; it was a little rushed since I'm starving and have dinner cooking, lol.
MADE BY: Amber

[Macey Emerald Smith]

Macey nodded when the teacher asked if she liked the school so far. “Yeah, it's great,” she said absentmindedly. "Being so close to the beach is amazing.”

She chuckled a little when Mrs. Alexander mentioned boogie boarding. The term had always made Macey laugh, but she'd never tried it herself. She wasn't much into surfing and the like, swimming was enough for her usually. Macey continued to run her hand through the water, loving the feeling like always, and hoped the woman wouldn't think she was being disrespectful for doing it. You never could tell with some people. An aquatic shift would understand, but it all depended on the person.

“Oh, the vocal instructor?” she asked, honestly curious. “That's really cool. I won't be in any of your classes, unfortunately, though,” she added with a slight rueful smile. Yes, she did like to sing, but science and math were her callings.

The woman cleaned her glasses and complained about them a little, and Macey was thankful that she'd never had to wear them. They'd just be a nuisance when she swam, and that wouldn't go over well at all. Macey didn't even like wearing goggles usually, anything more than that and she would probably go crazy.

“My major's aquatic engineering,” she replied to the woman's question. She loved telling people her major, and finding out theirs in return. There weren't too many aquatic engineering majors, just one other if she was correct, and Macey liked to stand out, liked to be noticed.

Macey started to float, lying on her back, and was immediately happy at the feeling of her wet hair resting by her shoulders, free and tickling her like seaweed. “Your granddaughter's adorable, just so you know, but I'm sure you already do,” she said with a smile, glad that she was in the water, she felt so alive, felt so at home. For the millionth time that day she wished she could breathe underwater all the time.

She wasn't sure if she was being rude by floating like that, so she straightened herself, standing up yet again, and went back to moving her hand under the water. She looked up at woman, and her eyes caught the clouds in the window behind them.

“Do you see those clouds, too?” gesturing with her other hand at the window behind them. With a frown, she added, “Weird. I hadn't noticed them before.”

~~

Normal
Talking
Someone else talking

Count: 410.
Tag: Elizabeth.
Clothes: Click!
Music: No music, just listening to "The Bachlorette"
Notes: My muse is dead >.<

Made and coded by Essy for Rachel. Permission given to edit the ooc stuffs~

[/size]

[elizabethalexander]

Elizabeth liked knowing how students settled in upon their arrival to Shifter Academy. It was a process, having to move from one’s home to an unfamiliar place, and the vocal instructor knew and understood the feeling of homesickness well. Her parents moved to Hawaii, and onto the same island as the Academy, but she still lived on campus with the remainder of the students throughout the year. Sure, she could see her family at holidays and sometimes on weekends, but that did not stop the aching feeling she had inside her all those times she was away from them. She learned over time that she was family oriented and that without her family, she struggled to be dependent. After she married and started a family with her husband, she began to lose her dependency on her family—because she had people who were dependent on her. The transformation was strange and unusual to her, but she realized that it was for the better. Of course, she would be lost without her family, but no longer did she have to be around them to realize her happiness. The fact that four of her children had left and started lives of their owned helped her realize that; empty nest syndrome was slowly kicking in and soon there would be no one there but her and her husband.

The woman’s eyes were focused on her six-year-old granddaughter until the teenage girl spoke and said that she had settled in just fine. The woman offered yet another friendly smile and nodded her head, pleased. “I’m glad you like it,” she stated simply, lifting a hand to shove her mess of hair from her face. “And yeah, it is. And it’s always pretty warm here, so you don’t have to worry about not being able to go to the beach.” Elizabeth had never seen a cold day since her arrival to Hawaii. There were a few cool days, when the temperature dropped down to sixty or so, but none of the days had ever been unbearably cold. She cleared her throat and reached a hand up to scratch her right eye from under her glasses. It had begun to twitch at random, and the feeling annoyed her to no end. She sighed quietly through her nose once the twitching stopped and dropped her hand back into the water. She glanced in her granddaughter’s direction again. She was still playing her solitary game, and she seemed happy. Elizabeth wished she could remember a time when she felt carefree and unworried. She wished she could remember a time when things like death or injury never scared her; she wished she could remember the time when she was fearless.

When the girl admitted that she would not be in any of the woman’s classes, a little light seemed to disappear from her eyes, but only for a moment. She understood that some students would not take her class, but it always saddened her to know that she would not have the privilege to educate some intelligent young people. Tucking her graying hair behind her ear, she nodded her head in understanding. “I’m sure we’ll see each other around campus, though,” she stated with a nod of her head. She was thinking logically and trying to be optimistic; there was a good chance of them seeing each other again, especially if they ran into each other at the pool or on the beach. Elizabeth spent her time equally in both places because of her grandchildren.

The girl’s voice rang in her ears again, this time with a sense of pride. Apparently, she was majoring in aquatic engineering. Unfortunately, Elizabeth knew nothing about the major. Her forte was music and singing, none of which had to do with aquatics. Without hesitation and without shame, the woman tilted her head gently to the side and asked the girl about her major. “I know it has something to do with water, but…what is aquatic engineering, exactly?” The woman was not afraid to ask questions. In fact, she asked questions on a regular basis to make sure she knew and understood things and took no shame in doing so.

The sound of her granddaughter blowing bubbles into the pool water caused the woman to turn her head. She watched as the little girl dipped her face into the water and blew bubbles with her nose and mouth. Elizabeth’s lips curved upwards into a gentle smile as she watched the scene. She had cute grandchildren, and apparently, Macey thought so too, for she had commented on how adorable Sarah was. The aging woman turned her head back to the girl and nodded her head gently. “Yeah, she’s a mess, though,” the woman stated jokingly. The little girl paddled over to them and floated near Elizabeth in silence. After a moment, she wrapped her small arms around her grandmother. “Nanny, I want a juice box. Can I have a juice box? Pretty, pretty please?” The aging woman nodded her head silently before explaining where they were and telling the little girl that she had to sit outside the pool on the benches near their stuff to drink it. The girl nodded in understanding and got out of the pool to drink a juice box and do what her grandmother said.

Elizabeth happened to glance at the window around the same time the teenage girl did. She, too, noticed the clouds lingering outside the school and probably across the entire island. “They’ve been coming and going,” the woman explained with a shrug. She had learned not to get worried over the weather, especially in Hawaii. One day the sun would shine and the next it would be pouring rain. “I think we’re supposed to get some rain. I don’t know… I don’t watch the news.”

TAG: Macey
WORDS: 969
LISTENING TO: Sleep Tight - Celine Dion
CLOTHES: Ellie's attire
NOTES: ELIZABETH | SARAH // Are we role-playing the hurricane in here, or are the clouds just for rain?
MADE BY: Amber

[Macey Emerald Smith]

Macey heard her talking, but she had a hard time taking her eyes off the clouds. Shaking her head, she shrugged and said, “My guess is that they're just the aftermath of a storm. Nothing too serious probably, but I'm not entirely sure. I grew up in California my entire life, so we never really had hurricanes there, just mud slides, so I'm not sure what those clouds mean exactly.” Macey hated not knowing, but she dealt with it today, swallowing the feeling of emptiness that she got because of it down. When she went back to her dorm, she'd have to look up information on hurricanes, now though, just so she could know.

In fact, Macey had never seen a hurricane in her life, never had to face the terror of them, and of course she didn't want to. She'd read about them though, she had read just about anything and everything, so it surprised her that she hadn't been to the school library yet, the thought coming into her head as she started thinking about books. She'd probably end up going tomorrow, now that the idea was in her head, though. Through her thoughts concerning the books, Macey remembered the woman's question about aquatic engineering.

A smile lit up Macey's face, she loved talking about engineering, it was practically her life since she loved math and science both so much. She could probably ramble on and on about it until the end of time, but she wouldn't do that now; a vocal instructor might get bored by the more technical aspects of it, like the formulas, even though they were Macey's favorite parts.

“Well, engineering by definition is the art or science of making practical application of the knowledge of pure sciences, as physics or chemistry, as in the construction of engines, bridges, buildings, mines, ships, and chemical plants--” she paused to pull her hair behind her ears again, and to take a breather, having said all of that in one breath, then continued with, “--so it's basically just that, except dealing more so with water aspects, like boats and such.” Macey felt like a nerd, having memorized the definition of engineering, but she loved what she did, so why shouldn't she have it memorized? Besides, it was always good to be smart, especially in Macey's book; there was no such thing as too much knowledge.

~~

Normal
Talking
Someone else talking

Count: 403, unfortunately.
Tag: Elizabeth, open
Clothes: Here!
Music: N/A
Notes: I have no Macey muse today, sorry.

Made and coded by Essy for Rachel. Permission given to edit the ooc stuffs~

[/size]

[elizabethalexander]

Elizabeth did not watch the news; her husband usually told her what the weather was supposed to be like. As she watched the clouds move slowly outside the window, she tried to remember if her husband had mentioned anything about the weather that morning before she left. Unless her memory failed her, she could not remember him commenting on the weather. She shrugged her shoulders some and looked back at the young girl. “Probably,” she agreed, nodding her head. She never paid attention to the weather; all she knew was that it was colder at the beginning and end of the year than during the middle. She inhaled deeply and exhaled in the same manner; it sounded like a sigh, and it probably was.

The woman looked down at the water and moved her hands just below its surface, almost mimicking the girl’s earlier actions. It seemed to amuse her, especially with the reflective abilities of the water to make her hand look a different size under the water than above it. She lifted her hands from under the water and looked at them; her skin was beginning to wrinkle and prune. She studied the pruned skin at the tips of her fingers before dropping her hands back into the water absentmindedly. She glanced over at her granddaughter, who was sipping happily away at her juice box. She began rummaging through her grandmother’s bag in search of something. Elizabeth tilted her head to the side as she watched her granddaughter. She was about to swim to the edge of the pool so she could ask the little girl what she was looking for, but Sarah pulled a candy bar from some random pocket of the oversized purse and began eating it once she managed to remove the wrapper.

“I don’t know why he does that,” the woman said as she looked back at the girl. “My husband always puts little surprises in my purse whenever I take the grandbabies someplace. I don’t even know how he manages to slip them in there, to be honest with you.” A laugh escaped through her nose as her cheekbones rose high on her face. She looked like a squirrel with nuts in its cheeks whenever she smiled. Her cheekbones were naturally high and smiling only made raise higher on her face. Her husband always said that she resembled a cute squirrel whenever she was pregnant because her face glowed, and her cheeks shined more. She always ignored him, but she knew he was right. She used to like being pregnant; it made her feel pretty even though she was gaining weight from being pregnant.

When Macey began to talk about engineering, the older woman listened intently with her head tilted gently to the side. The girl seemed to know a lot about engineering even though she had only given the definition. Elizabeth should have known what engineering was, but she was never interested in things that required mathematics and science. She preferred the arts—music, theater, art—over anything else, which was probably the reason why she was the vocal instructor and not a science or math teacher.

“Oh,” the woman said with an interested nod of her head. “You must be really smart. I don’t think I could construct buildings or bridges or boats.” Elizabeth knew she could not build such things. She had trouble helping her children construct model volcanoes, so she could only imagine how building a bridge would end. Her husband was the artistic, creative one. He was good with picturing things and making them come to life, even though he was only a photographer. The woman reached up and teased the dry ends of her hair. She noticed she had split ends, but that was the least of her worries. Her hair did not grow as quickly as it used to, so her dream of having the waist-length hair she had thirty years ago was shattered. She sighed to herself; sometimes she wished she could put a stopper to aging.

“Sometimes I think I teach singing because I wouldn’t be good at anything else,” she admitted honestly, but not shamefully. She knew she had other talents, but none that she enjoyed as much as she did singing. “I did a lot of things in high school and when I came to the Academy. I was a cheerleader, swam on the swim team, held a soprano-one seat in the choir, acted as a lead in a few plays, managed to get homecoming queen… I was all over the place—and I was wild. Still am, actually.” She grinned. A sixty-one-year-old admitting that she was wild would scare most people; it scared her to admit such a thing, but at least she was being honest. Elizabeth was energetic and fun loving; it was the only way she knew how to live.

TAG: Macey
WORDS: 811
LISTENING TO: Nothing.
CLOTHES: Ellie's attire
NOTES: ELIZABETH | SARAH // Meh...
MADE BY: Amber