Sink or Swim - Luca x Alberto

June 20th Can't Come Fast Enough

"I'll miss you too, signorina."

It feels really nice hugging her. It reminds me of when I hug my mom.

I can't wait to do that again.

After a few moments, we pull away. I take a few steps backward, not wanting to leave her or her classroom. "You'll be here next school year, right? For me to visit and stuff?"

"Of course! I've got a few years left in me," she jokes, smiling with her perfect, not-old teeth.

I return the grin, and bounce up like my body's suddenly been shot with energy. "Okay, awesome! See ya then, signora Florentino!" And with that, I head for the door. I know that if I let myself stop, I'll spend the next fifteen minutes struggling to exit. So instead I just sort of run out.

But it's not so easy once I stare back at the door; at signora Florentino continuing her packing. So many memories were made in that classroom... and so many were made in the others. I spent nine months at this school learning about the world. Learning how amazing it is to be a sea monster and a human at the same time. Most kids hate the thought of school, for whatever reason... but I feel blessed that I don't think that way.

... Urrgh, I'm going to miss this place so bad!

Oh, well. At least I'll be back to this same school in September. And I'll be in....

... Oh no.

High school. Scuola superiore.

I look in front of me again, eyes wide. I bet my face is super pale right now.

Luckily, I forget about it in a matter of seconds, and continue my happy walk all the way down the hall. There's no time to be sad, Luca; in seven days, you'll be going home!

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And with that starts my very first Luca story! There is still more to the chapter, but I wanted to interrupt during the time skip and tell you guys how excited I am to write this. Luca (and Alberto, and Giulia, and Massimo, and... yeah, you get the point) has recently stolen my heart, and Luberto is currently the oxygen I breathe. It's been a minute since I've written a public story, so forgive me if I'm rusty. Make sure to stick around so you can experience all the exciting, fluffy, and emotional scenes!

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"Kids, I've got to say: watching you two grow this year was just the strawberry on the panna cotta!" Martina gushes, her fingers extending out and gripping the wheel again as she drives us down the road to Genova Beach. That's where the ocean is. Genova is right on the coast of Italy, but sadly we don't live close enough to the ocean to visit it often. Today, though, Martina (umm... did I mention that's Giulia's mom's name?) decided to take us on a small road trip to the beach. She said that I needed some "sea monster time", and not just when I take a bath or stick my hand in a fish bowl or something. She's always looking out for me, just as much as she does Giulia, which makes me happy. It helped me feel at home right away. It also kinda helps that she talks a lot. "I mean, Luca, I didn't really get to see you grow, since I met you last year, but still! I'm just so proud. I...." She reaches for the handkerchief in her pocket, and pats her eyes with it. "Signore, pietà, I'm getting emotional."

"Oh, no need to cry, mamma," Giulia says gently, reaching out and touching her shoulder. "If it helps, I still have some baby teeth. See?"

She uses her finger to stretch her lip out. Curiosity getting the best of me, I peer into her mouth. Sure enough, she's still got two flat baby teeth. What are those flat ones called again? Moles, I think?

"Wow! Do you think the tooth fairy will give you extra for that?"

"Oh, jeez, Luca, the tooth fairy isn't real!" Giulia rolls her eyes, then holds her saliva-contaminated finger out at me.

"Hahah, ewww! Giulia!"

"Kids, quiet yourselves. You'll disturb the port workers," Martina tells us. We look out the window and see the dockworkers loading up cargo ships. I doubt we'll disturb them, since they're being loud enough to blast our ears off. As if she'd read my mind, Martina rolls up the window with a sigh. "I can hardly imagine a job like that. Thank goodness the beach is much quieter."

And it is. Once we drive down the last road to the beach, the air becomes calm and peaceful. In the sky, some seagulls caw. I learned a lot about birds in school, but I've always known about seagulls (or as I had called them before: "flying white fish"). I used to watch them fly above me while sitting on my rock. I lean out the car window to get a better look at them, plus the beach itself—so much so that Giulia has to tug me back in.

As Martina stops the car, Giulia reaches into her backpack—the green one that was originally Massimo's, but is now covered with dust, paint marks, and those tiny spiky things that come from bushes. I already know what she's going to get before she pulls it out: sand castle tools. I snicker. She really likes making sand castles. Personally, I'm more of a water guy.

Once we're out, she immediately runs to the coastline, and I jog pathetically behind her. Running never has and probably never will be my strong suit, even if I was a quick learner at walking and biking.

"Luca, help me build a raging sand castle," Giulia urges, scooping up some sand and dropping it in her bucket. "We can make people for it, and a moat, and pretend it gets destroyed by a cannon at the end."

"Uhh... Giulia?" I look down at my feet, half-buried in the sand. "I'm actually going to swim first. If you don't mind." I turn to Martina, who is setting up a chair for herself nearby. "Signora De Rossi, may I swim in the water for a little bit?"

She stares ahead at the ocean. Like my own mother with land, she worries about me being on my own in the sea. The last time I was able to actually do the change was back in March, when signora Florentino took us on a field trip to a different beach. And even then, I couldn't really go off on my own. So, naturally, I really miss it. "I suppose, sweetie. Yeah, that's fine. But please be careful, okay? I'll keep a close watch."

I nod in agreement, and run up to a large rock. I hear Giulia shout behind me, "Hurry back, little mermaid!"

The rock is shaped like a small cliff, and it's poked out far enough so that I'll land in deep water. Once I'm at the top, I can feel the gentle wind around me, as the smell of the ocean I missed so much is welcomed in by my nose. In this moment I feel homesick, but not in a negative way. It's comforting, actually. Turning my head up, I let my face take in the sun's rays (I close my eyes this time). The world really is beautiful.

The water is kinda far below, but I know what to do."Silenzio, Bruno," I whisper to myself. Then I think of Alberto. Then I smile.

And then I jump in.

The water hits me, and once I feel my "sea hair" pop out, I open my eyes. Of course, it's nothing like at home. There's no hidden caves, no fish farms... I doubt there's even any sea monsters in this area. Feeling confident there isn't, I start to coast through the water, letting my stomach face the surface so I can look up at the sky.

This feels so nice. I missed this.

I let the current take me, feeling the water through my fingers like it's hair. So calm, so quiet. So serene. No one is here to bother me, to interrupt my thoughts.

But I do wish there was one specific person here.

Closing my eyes, I let my mind wander like my body.

Just one week, Luca.

Just one week.

Then you'll see him.

I'll be seeing everyone: my family, and Massimo, and Machiavelli... and maybe even his kittens. I'll see the townspeople and the sea monster ladies. I'll see Ciccio and Guido. I'll probably even see stupid Ercole.

But the only person I keep thinking about is Alberto.

And I know exactly why.

I open my eyes again.

June 20th can't come fast enough.

It really, really can't.