Within the darkness, I had a dream. I was eating in a buffet. There were meats, seafood, and a bunch of vegetables. I was happy; I could eat as much as I wanted. But in the corner of my eyes, I saw something sinister. It was a seaweed. It looked at me. Menacingly. Then it got closer. And closer. And as it did, its sinister laugh grew louder. It was mocking me, laughing at me, as if I was inferior to it.
Then when it was close enough, it leaped for my face like a bullet.
"SEAWEED!" I bellowed as I shot up from the bed.
I labored for breath. I was drenched in sweat. My eyes darted frantically for anything dangerous but found nothing. Then, I sighed in relief when I absorbed the familiar view of my hotel room.
I was sore all over and there was a sharp pain that shot up from my jaw to my head. When did I come back to my room? I tried to recall anything but all of it was blurry.
I instinctively reached for my phone on the nightstand.
11:20 PM. And there was also a recent text from mom.
[You finally got some peaceful sleep so we didn't wake you up. We'll be having some drinks at the restaurant patio. Come join us if you wake up early enough.]
Peaceful sleep... I guess that's one way to describe how my day just disappeared. My stomach growled, complaining that dinner was far overdue.
"Fine, fine, let's go downstairs," I said to the gurgling beast.
Our hotel was thirty stories tall. Located near the beach and complete with luxurious amenities, it was a famous place where even celebrities go to. I for one didn't have money to splurge in a place like this. But when my dad won a week-long stay through some raffle, we all jumped at the opportunity to live like royalty.
Still nursing my headache, I entered the elevator to descend to the ground floor where the restaurant was. Then just as the doors were about to close, a giant green hand wedged itself between them.
"Phew, we made it."
"Good thing too. These damn elevators are so slow."
The voices were gruff and deep. And as the doors opened, they revealed their owners. They had green skin, tusks that protruded from their mouths, and toned muscular build underneath their tight-fitted suits. They were Orcs. The one who stopped the elevator was bald and had a cheerful demeanor while the other wore a mohawk and a natural scowl.
As elevator etiquette suggested, I flashed them an awkward smile as I made room for them to enter. They nodded as equally awkward in return. The hotel accommodated all races so there was more than enough room in the elevator, but it was still claustrophobic when these eight-feet giants stood beside me.
The trip to the first floor was quiet and suffocating. Fortunately, we didn't get any stops so we got to the bottom floor quickly. And as soon as the metal coffin opened its doors, we immediately went our separate ways.
I bee-lined for the hotel restaurant and began the search for my parents. It wasn't difficult to find them since my mom's bright green hair stood out along with my dad's insistence on being shirtless all the time.
"Hey my boy! Glad to have you join us!" my dad waved at me from across the restaurant.
"Oh! Come join us! We just ordered a couple of bottles!" my mom chimed in.
My parents already went through over a dozen bottles and there were plenty of food on the table. I wanted none of them though so I asked a nearby waiter for a seafood platter.
"Did you have a good nap?" my mom asked as she poured me a glass of wine.
"I was meaning to ask about that," I said as I took my seat in front of the glass. "I don't remember anything from before I woke up. Did I sleep at some random place and you two carried me to my room?"
They both shook their heads.
"We came to check if you were in your room and we found you snoring," my dad said. "We thought your finally gave up so we just let you sleep."
So even my parents didn't know what I was up to. The last thing I remembered was when I was headed to the cove. Then after that, nothing. Maybe they were right. Maybe I was just really tired and my body finally gave in.
I turned towards the beachfront and enjoyed the gentle breeze that blew past me. The patio was elevated to about ten feet off the ground so the patrons can enjoy a nice view of the sea. And since it's nighttime, the beach was littered with all sorts of bright lights and shimmering patterns. We've been staying here for a few nights now but only now was I able to appreciate this view.
"Come on, quit worrying so much," my dad patted my back and poured me a shot of vodka. "You're on vacation so you can let loose as much as you want."
He was right. I finally managed to get my much-deserved vacation and I've done nothing but brood and worry these past few days.
Taking his advice to heart, I downed the vodka in one go and let the alcohol do its work.
"There we go!" my dad pumped his fists and poured me another glass. "Fun Andrew's finally awakening."
"Hey. That's insinuating that I'm no fun at all," I retorted.
"Oh, honey. It's cute that you'd think that you're any fun," my mom chimed in.
I downed another shot. Fine! I've been straight-laced for as long as I remembered and where did that land me? Here, in Mexico, drinking with my parents.
I slammed my shot glass. "Another one!" I said and my dad obliged.
As my dad poured me another one, my ears twitched from a sudden cacophony of voices. Since most foot traffic went though the walkway below us, it was normal to have some form of commotion. But the fuss tonight was beyond just mere foot traffic. People were gathering like bee to honey.
"Is there some event?" I asked.
My parents looked over the edge and shrugged.
"I don't know. Maybe there's a celebrity," my mom said.
"Oh? Let's get an autograph then!" my dad gleefully suggested.
Well, whatever it is, I guess it'd be nice to have some entertainment while I eat.
Then right on cue, the waiter brought me the most delectable seafood platter. I eagerly took my fork and devoured one of the shrimps.
Delicious! It was buttery and filled with flavor.
"Say, Andrew," my mom called out to me. "Why's there a girl holding up your name on a signboard?"
I raised an eyebrow. "What?" I exclaimed and craned my neck over the edge to see what she was talking about.
And there she was. With a spotlight trained on her, she held up a large signboard that had my name in bold letters. She was a poker-faced girl who wore her hair in a ponytail along with a grey jersey to complete her athletic look. The crowd murmured around her, undoubtedly curious about the person whose name was on her sign board.
She looked familiar...
She then replaced the sign board with another one that had a different message.
[Please take responsibility for what happened this afternoon.]
The crowd gasped. And so did I, sending some of the food into my lungs.
My parents whipped their head towards me. "What the hell did you do Andrew..." both of them said in unison. Their eyes, filled with judgement.
After a painful coughing fit, I racked my brain on whatever she could mean. This afternoon? I couldn't remember what happened! Try as I might, I just couldn't scrounge up the memory.
That was until the dish on a waiter's tray caught my eyes. It was a tray filled with nothing but seaweed.
Seaweed.
My mind fixated on the green, slimy, ocean plant. Why?
Then, as if to answer my question, my mind opened and all suppressed memories flooded in. The sandcastle. The mermen. The seaweed. I remembered it all!
"YOU'RE THE GODDAMN SEAWEED GIRL!" I yelled at the top of my lungs.
My sudden outburst turned everyone's heads toward me, including the girl's. Upon seeing me, the girl's eyes sparkled and she hurriedly switched to her next board. However, she fumbled when suddenly, a large shadow dashed across the sand and leapt towards where I was.
My instincts immediately blared in my head and I was barely able to hold up my hand to catch a large axe using a compressed vortex of air.
"So, you were the one huh?" the voice was animalistic, more of a growl than speech.
As the lights illuminated the figure, they revealed a very handsome face of a nine-foot Orc. He had no shirt and his pants were ripped. His muscles bulged as he pressed forward. He was a creature of absolute strength.
"Kyaaaa!" my mom shouted.
I immediately turned to her. Was she hurt? Then, as my eyes saw the excitement in her face, all my concern deflated.
"Look, honey, it's Rico!" she said while excitedly tapping my dad. "You know, Rico from 'La Muerte'!"
My dad snapped his fingers in realization. "Right! He's the main guy on your favorite telenovela right?"
Wait, Rico? Telenovela?
I turned to my attacker again and sighed.
Why was he here? Rico Delgado, also known as "The Bruiser" within the Supernatural Police Department. In public, he posed as a well-respected actor. But in reality, he was one of the most brutal General of the Rodriguez Cartel.
"Why're you attacking me?" I asked him.
His face twitched into a grimace.
"Why you ask?" he said, his face suddenly shrouded in shadow. "It's because you took Maria from me!"
When he faced me again, his eyes were filled with tears.
Ah... not tears. It was blood... He was crying blood.
For what reason, I didn't know. But, I at least wanted to answer his accusation in the only way I could.
"WHO THE HELL'S MARIA?" I shouted.
Meanwhile, in the corner of my eye, the girl held up another sign.
[I'm Maria]
What the hell?
To add fuel to the flame, my parents approached us with a marker and paper in hand.
"Could we have an autograph please?" my dad asked bashfully.
My eyes narrowed in disgust. Why's he acting like a shy schoolgirl?
"I'm sorry Sir," suddenly, the malice-filled Rico turned saintly as he addressed my dad. "As you can see, I'm currently occupied. Please return at a better time."
My dad pouted and walked away. I guess it was too much to expect them for help.
Rico started putting more strength in his axe again. He was aiming to really kill me!
As I scanned my surroundings, it seemed that everyone was still thinking that this was some sort of publicity stunt. I guess that was the power of celebrities. I could start a fight here, but everyone would be in danger.
On the sands below, Maria swapped her boards again.
[Marry me, Andrew Roberts]
"This is hardly the time for a marriage proposal, Maria!" I yelled.
While my eyes were on her, two figures appeared by her side. They were the orcs from the elevator! I didn't realize earlier because we never made eye contact, but they were also Generals of the Rodriguez cartel. The mohawk was Mateo Santiago, a.k.a. "The Ripper" and the cheery one was Alejandro Lopez, a.k.a. "The Accountant".
"Hey, Rico. You should calm down," Alejandro called out to Rico in monotone.
"Yeah, what he said," Mateo followed up with a somehow weaker remark.
Then all of a sudden, Rico coughed. Red liquid splattered onto my shirt.
"M-m-marry?" he stammered, blood dripping from his mouth.
How'd you even see what she wrote?
[Marry me, PLEASE!]
This girl's persistent!
"I WON'T ALLOW IT!" Rico suddenly yelled.
While I was distracted, he threw all caution to the wind and tensed up his entire body. Red aura also started to emanat from him. Do I have no choice but to send him flying? It'd be easy to put a cyclone under his feet and end this. But doing that would put a target on my family's back. Plus, the department won't let me go with just a slap on the wrist if I caused one of their high-target organizations to hunker down because I injured their General.
"Uh-oh, Rico's lost it," Alejandro scratched his head.
Meanwhile, Mateo somehow found some popcorn and eagerly watched the new development.
Fuck! Are they just letting Rico unleash his ultimate move here? It sank a destroyer! It'll level the entire hotel!
Rico's body continued to tense up and with every passing second, the pressure he was exerting on me steadily became more unbearable.
The onlookers, still thinking that this was all an act, cheered.
I had no choice!
Using my free hand, I drew the necessary runes in the air to create a cyclone under his feet. But before I could finish the incantation, another figure appeared.
"Aren't you in quite the pickle hijo?" he said and with one tap on Rico's shoulders, he crumpled like a puppet with its strings cut. His aura and strength disappeared completely.
I collapsed from exhaustion. And while I nursed my cramped hand I looked up at my rescuer. As the clouds parted, the moon revealed his face. It was Chakob Rodriguez, the Drug Lord of the Rodriguez Cartel. The Orc we've been hunting for many years.
He held out his hand and gave me a gentle smile.
"Say, Andrew Roberts. Would you please marry my daughter?"