The girls at Underworld were kept busy. Meg didn't get a chance to talk to Ariel again 'till a couple nights later. When Meg had break between clients, she made her way to the back alley where Ariel often hung out. Ariel was leaning against the wall and staring down at her D-Comm screen.

Direct Communicators had replaced cell phones a couple years ago. All calls were now videos and everything was done with verbal commands. D-Comms came in different styles; watches/bracelets, sunglasses with ear pieces, keychains, tablets the size of cellphones...

Ariel had a tablet and as far as Meg could see the screen was blank. Ariel didn't seem to notice her approach, she just continued to stare at the empty screen.

"What's going on?" Meg asked.

Ariel looked up at her. Her red hair was a mess, but her makeup was still perfect. "Nothing."

Meg nodded at her D-Comm. "Waiting for a call?"

"No. I was thinking about making one."

"So... Why haven't you?"

Ariel sighed and lowered the D-Comm to her side. "I don't think he wants to talk to me." She leaned her head back against the wall. "Actually, I know he doesn't."

"Who?"

"Eric." Her voice was dreamy, but with a touch of sadness.

Meg gave her a playful smile. "Is Eric your boyfriend?"

Ariel almost laughed, but held it back. "I wish."

Meg thought Ariel would continue, but she didn't. "What's the story with Eric?"

Ariel kept her eyes forward, locked on the wall across the alley from them. "It's actually the story of why I'm here. I used to live with my father and sisters in a town kinda far from here. My dad is crazy protective of me and never let me go very far alone. But one day my friends, Rapunzel and Belle, and I decided we were sick of being stuck in the boring small town and wanted to go on an adventure. So I borrowed my dad's car and we just started driving. After a while we ended up here. None of us had ever been to the city before and were kind of excited. I met Eric on the docks. He owns a boat. We started talking and I totally fell for him. I thought he liked me, too. But I didn't get a chance to find out for sure. The police showed up saying my dad had reported the car stolen and we were forced to go back home. I got into a huge fight with my dad that night and he grounded me. I was so angry at him for what he did, that I ran away. I took all the money I had and came back here to find Eric. I don't know what I was thinking; perhaps that I could just show up out of the blue and he'd want to be with me and it would just work itself out and solve everything."

"So, what happened?" Meg asked.

Ariel took a deep breath and slowly let it out. "I found Eric, but he wasn't exactly happy to see me. It turns out he has a girlfriend and he was just being polite when we met."

"I'm sorry, Ariel."

Ariel nodded. "I didn't think I could go back home after what happened with my dad before I left, so I stayed here. I spent all of my money at the Inn while I tried to find a job. But I had no luck and eventually had to leave the Inn when I ran out of money. That's how I ended up here."

"You can go home, Ariel. Your dad is probably more worried than angry at this point."

Now Ariel looked at Meg. "I don't know if I want to go back. If I go home, then I'm gonna be stuck in that small town forever."

"It's better than having sex for money."

Ariel frowned. "Neither are ideal, but at least I'm a step closer here. Going home would be, like, three steps backwards."

"Sinners!" The sudden angry voice startled Meg and Ariel.

The girls turned to see an older man standing a few yards away from them. He was tall and skinny with white hair and a big nose. He was wearing a cheap suit and clutching a thick, black book. His eyes roamed over Meg and Ariel's bodies. Ariel was clearly uncomfortable.

Meg cleared her throat. "Excuse me?"

"Soliciting sex for money is a sin," the man said.

"Then why are you here?" Meg asked. "Any man who comes to Underworld is looking for exactly what we're selling."

The man's face became angry. "I was just taking a short cut down this alley. But I came across two demon temptresses trying to lure in men."

"We were just talking," Ariel said meekly. "We weren't trying to lure anyone."

The man stuck his nose up in the air. "God will punish you for your sins."

"What do you know of God?" Meg demanded. Every once in a while some religious nut would find out about them and try to "save" the girls by throwing their God at them.

"I am a minister," he replied. "And I will see to it that this place is shut down."

With that the man stormed passed the girls and continued on his way. Meg rolled her eyes.

"He seemed serious," Ariel muttered.

Meg shook her head. "People like that are all talk."

Ariel glanced in the direction the man had gone. "If Underworld closes, I don't have anywhere else to go."

Meg put a comforting hand on Ariel's shoulder. "It's going to be all right. But, worst case scenario, you can still go home. Running away is never the answer, Ariel, and eventually you're gonna have to face your dad."

Ariel stared at her. "You ran away from home."

"To help my family. I didn't tell them where I was going to spare them the humiliation. I'm not running away from my problem; I'm trying to fix it."