Black Crescent Bay

a monster lurking

A/N:

Howdy, slaybos. How's it hanging? Crooked and thicc, me thinks. Also duly note that this chapter took me forever and a year to write. I don't know what was so difficult about it. Maybe the fact that I still haven't planned anything out? And I'm just freeballing through time and space literally as we speak?

I hope y'all don't hate it too much <333
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I decided to stop going crazy. I mean. None of this could be real. And if it was, what could that mean for me? He pulled a Jacob Black on my Rênesamen? We imprinted on each other? We were bound to spend the rest of our lives together and, eventually, I would actually want to? That he was what? A merman? And he'd made me a mermaid to leave me with NO choice but to spend forever with him?

How romantic. Forcing my hand like that.

I sought him out after my classes. Waverly and Heath cheered me on for even going to our lectures, but I couldn't hear them or Madame Karpe grilling me about showing up on time again tonight. As if I hadn't the night before. I didn't bother responding to her.

Well, I did...

But saying, "Do yourself a favor and remind your lead." Didn't exactly win me any favors. She didn't even respond.

Well, she did...

But saying, "Excuse me? What was that, Ms. Kestrel? You will work on your tone before the next time you address me." Also didn't exactly win me any favors.

I did come to the conclusion that I could never address her ever again under these cruel stipulations she'd set.

I tried to find Féilim's house again. Or his apartment. I couldn't even remember which it was. It was only days ago now. No more than a week. I couldn't remember that now either.

Had it really only been a day? Was it just this morning that I sprouted a mermaid tail?

Well, regardless, it wasn't as if I could go back to the docks. Not when my entire theater class was about to be there, not including the lead, of course. Going there would just be stupid planning.

If he was a monster lurking in the water, then they'd all see he was a monster lurking in the water. And if I got wet, then I'd be a monster lurking in the water too. I'd lose my future career in theater fashion for sure.

My phone rang in my pocket as I was exiting the double door entry to the Arts Building.

"What?"

Waverly giggled, "I forgot to tell you!"

People shoved past me and tripped over the eyesore I was still lugging around at my feet. It's the least they deserve.

I sighed, disappointedly, knowing my plans to seek out the creature of the black lagoon would be put on hold,  "What?"

"Okayyyyyy, so, don't be mad. But we actually need YOU to be the one to print out our essays in Math."

My mouth fell open, "Essay? In MATH? What kind of school is this?"

I could practically hear her braiding the ends of her hair and twirling them around her finger, "The worst. At least now you can see why the transfer rate is over 50%, anywho, Heath can't pay the two-dollar printing charge, and I've actually been detained."

"Wait, what?" My head whipped around as I slushed my way through the humidity to the school library and bookshop.

"Yeah, they said they'd let me out in time for 'History of Hollowfaye' tomorrow. That reminds me--"

She was caught off by an automated voice saying, "One. Minute. Remaining."

"Can you hear me?" She didn't let me respond, "You should finish typing up the presentation for that, as well, while you're at it. Don't forget. Our topic was 'The Pointing Fish', ya know, the constellation that guided the first settlers here–"

"I know, I know, but how'd you get arrested?"

She sighed, "Oh, you know, just loitering. Are you aware that standing around is criminalized here? Oh wait--" her voice sounded far away for a second, "Hi, honey! They're just arresting all us today, huh? Haven't seen you for awhile? How's Trumpkin?" She hung up without another word to me.

I slid my phone back into my pocket just as the automated voice said I'd been charged 15 bucks for the interaction. An old withered man held the library door open for me, and I slipped in.

It was pious work, and I was a martyr. Writing essays for math was for saints, and I was the farthest thing from it.

Not to mention, I was fucking tired.

Okay?

I was exhausted.

Days had passed since I slept last. And at that point, I was above begging for sleep. I was begging for the peaceful oblivion of death. At least then that Fishstick couldn't reach me.

I printed the essays that were half-assed and would barely earn us a C- and then I printed the script of our presentation. It took me that long to realize we'd already written the essays in math and that I'd printed a blank page as the presentation. I hadn't even typed anything. Instead I'd rewritten essays that had already been bastardized into existence.

See! See what I mean!

I WAS WORN TO A GODDAMN FRAZZLE!

So for that fucking beast to approach me then was a mistake on HIS part, and I shouldn't be held accountable for the injuries I inflicted.

As I was drifting from the printer and back to the computers with a dreadful melancholy and frustration in my heart, I saw him between two bookshelves. He was sitting on the ground, rifling with stacks of scattered books around him like the little rat he was.

"You!" I shouted.

His head snapped up just as someone across the room screeched, "THIS IS A LIBRARY! SHUT THE EVERLOVING FUCK UP!"

I stormed over to him, kicking over the stacks and throwing the essays at him. A book smacked him in the face and bloodied his nose. A stray sheet of paper nicked his cheek.

His blood... It was silvery like moonlight. That little fucking sea rodent.

"You. You little turtle-faced, slimy-clawed, sticky-scaled murderous, conniving, slow-running, toe-sucking, foot-manhandling SKINK!" I pointed a finger two centimeters from his flushed face, "Fess up to your crimes before I tie you around the tallest limb of the tallest tree and leave you there to sundry until there's nothing left of you but a piece of crispy viper jerky!"

He raised his eyebrows, "Still not sleeping I take it?"

"Or bathing, thanks to you."

His mouth snapped closed. The only thing that could be heard was my angry breathing. It was like my lungs were trying to pull all the walls down. It was ghastly.

"Let's go somewhere. Somewhere private. I'll explain everything to you."

I crossed my arms and snorted, "If you try to kill me again, I'll murder you."

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A/N:

OMG guys. Their sexual tension is palpable!!!!!! You're welcome!!!!

xoxo,

handmaidenofvenus
venus_in_fleurs