I sat in the shower, hugging what used to be my knees against my chest.
Unfortunately, being in the shower made me become a Siren. So, that explains why I am sitting in the shower, hugging where my tail bent, letting the water wash over me.
I closed my eyes with a sigh of contentment. I wished there was someplace where I could comfortably become a Siren and just spend hours underwater.
I'd finished washing my hair and body, and I now reached up to turn off the water. My hand rested on the tap a moment longer once I'd turned off the water.
Shifting my body and trying not to let my six-foot-long tail drip water on the floor, I grabbed the towel folded on the floor and wrapped it around my shoulders. I began drying my hair, maneuvering around the finlike ears I developed in water, then dried my body off.
Once I was completely dry, the sail-like fins on the tip of my tail shrivelled up and vanished, then the tail split down the middle and became my legs. The scales were the last things to go.
I shakily got up on my newly-reformed legs, stepping out of the tub. I wiped up the water I'd accidentally left on the floor before changing into the clean clothes and staring at my reflection.
I hastily brushed my black hair, making sure my bangs fell over my Aberrant eye. As I did so, I recalled the eyepatch in the drawer to my right that I rarely used.
I'd usually managed to hide my eye in public very well, but I typically wore the eyepatch in addition to my bangs if I didn't feel like the bangs would be enough.
I headed downstairs to where Distance and Shark sat on the couch watching some low-budget film involving sharks, severe weather and a big city. I glanced at the tv just as some protagonist chopped a flying shark open with a chainsaw.
"Interesting show?"
I asked.
Distance shrugged and muttered,
"Pretty low budget. It's shit but I can't stop watching it. It's like a car wreck."
I agreed, but it was still a pretty funny movie for all its flaws.
Distance glanced at me and said,
"I was tempted to look through your sketchbook, but mom said I should ask. So can I look?"
I bent down, grabbing my sketchbook from where it lay on the floor, and shrugged. I handed it to him at that moment.
"Sure. I'm glad you asked me first though."
"Thanks."
I sat beside him, resting my feet on the coffee table, and watched the incredibly cheesy movie. I heard papers rustling against each other as Distance flipped through my art. Shark watched over his shoulder with curiosity written in her eyes.
After a while, Distance handed the book back to me and murmured,
"You're really good. You should get yourself a career in art someday."
"You think so? Thanks! There's a lot of stuff I wanna do..."
I responded awkwardly.
I didn't think it was all that great compared to some other artists' work I'd seen on the Internet. Well, whatever. If someone liked my art, that was good enough for me.
I was about to thank Distance again, but I remembered the groceries and glanced at Shark with wide eyes.
"Damn! I forgot the groceries! I'll go right now!"
I exclaimed, jumping to my feet.
"Ok, be safe."
Shark called absentmindedly.
I headed to the door, strapped on my boots, and hurried outside. I jogged to the site where I'd found Distance being attacked, and continued on my way out of the alley when I saw that the unconscious kids had left. As I walked across the Albertson's parking lot, I smiled, knowing that my victims weren't too badly injured and that Distance was fine as well.
It took me about five minutes to go in, get eggs, fruit and milk, pay for it all, and start the journey home.
I continued on my way towards the alley to skip past the construction again and paused when I saw the same group of people who'd been beating up Distance earlier today. However, this time they were not in the alley, and were throwing a pair of middle-school girls around as passersby didn't bat an eye. They didn't see me at the moment.
What is this, some sort of anime plot?
The group was chanting insulting slurs at tge
I slowly laid my groceries down and let out a sigh of annoyance while deciding what to do. After a moment, I just decided to whisper. I'd stalk right up behind them and whisper in the biggest guy's ear.
Yet after comparing my 5'3" height to his 6-foot-something height, I decided it would be more logical just to shout because I had no hope of reaching his ear unless I revealed my wings. That would be stupid since they'd know I was part Faerie.
Unlike fairy tale illustrations and princess stories, Faeries are actually the same size as humans with bird wings, not thin gossamer wings.
Anyways, I shouted,
"DIDNT I TELL YOU FUCKERS TO GET THE HELL OUTTA HERE?!"
The group stiffened in unison and turned to see me.
"Shit!!"
A guy with pink hair cried, ready to run away.
However, the brunet leader guy narrowed his eyes.
"I'm having my doubts about you being fully human now, shrimp. I've never seen a human move so fast."
He growled.
"I'm half Dreamwalker but I don't have purple eyes. I just have the ability to control fire and the mobility of a Dreamwalker."
I lied. I didn't even know how the hell to use any of my own abilities, let alone elemental ones.
"Then fight me and we'll see how well you fight when you don't have the element of surprise."
He sneered.
I narrowed my eyes and groaned,
"This is a pain in the ass. I've got places to go, unlike you."
His eyes sparked with annoyance and he prepared to throw a punch at me from a running start.
The moment I sensed his weight shifting, indicating that he was going to break into a run, I calculated his route from his gaze and his body language. The way he was running would make it seem like he was coming from the front, but his eyes betrayed that he was going to feint to my left and break my ribs with his fist.
I waited until he started to turn, then I sidestepped to the left to stop directly in front of him with a withering glare. To me, he seemed to move in slow motion, as all humans were slower than the other races when they fought. I smiled at the surprise on his face when I moved to block his path and felt a quick rush of adrenaline. It must've been unsettling, seeing your enemy smiling at you as calmly as if they were chatting with you.
He blocked as if he expected that I was going to punch him, but I instead shifted my weight to the back and brought my right knee up into his jaw. Some teeth broke and fell on the ground. I stood back upright, narrowing my eyes and watching as he collapse to his knees, clutching his mouth.
"You want another try?"
I asked with a slight condescending tone.
He spat out blood from his missing and broken teeth, clenching his fists.
"Fucking animal!!"
He shouted as the group ran off.
I stared after them a moment, then I glanced at the two girls.
"Are either of you hurt?"
I asked without moving, so as not to startle them.
They jumped at my voice, then the young blue-haired girl nodded.
"No, we'll be fine. Th-thanks."
I shrugged, turning to grab my groceries. As I picked them up, the one with dark brown hair smiled at me.
"Thanks so much!"
I returned the smile as they turned and hurried off. After that, I headed for home. A vague headache plagued me as I thought more about my fight.
-----------------------
The door creaked open and then shut as Memory returned. I heard him kick off his boots, then heard his sock-feet scuffing on the hardwood floor.
I saw him enter the kitchen from where I was seated in the living room, watching as he laid the grocery bags on the kitchen table. As he began to put the groceries away, I sighed. From his slightly altered nerve impulse frequency, I could deduct that he was in pain. Another ability of mine as a Dreamwalker. Detecting nerve impulses.
"You're headachy."
I called.
He didn't even hesitate as he laughed,
"Yeah. I've got a bit of one since I broke up that same group."
I gritted my teeth. Every time he fought, it pissed me off.
Not because he was stronger than me, but because I didn't want him to get possessed again.
"You know how I feel about you fighting...mom and I both hate it when you do."
I muttered, angry tones in my voice.
Memory glanced back at me, his face still cheerful.
"I know. I can't use my powers anyways!"
He laughed.
I stood bolt upright, glaring as I stalked towards him. I jabbed my index finger into his chest and snapped,
"I don't give a shit whether or not you can use your fancy little powers. I'm worried about--"
I broke off before giving away the fact that he had been possessed by Shale. I backed off and narrowed my eyes with an angry sigh.
"Just...be more careful. I don't want you racking up a bloody huge hospital bill."
I finished.
He looked at me like he was going to pry further, but then shrugged and smiled at me.
"Ok. Anyways, it's kinda hard to forget that I have to be careful. This is a constant reminder that my existence is a crime, remember?"
He murmured, pulling his white bangs away from his right eye and revealing his Aberrant eye.
I stared at the eye for a moment. Jet-black with an emerald green ring around his red iris. His pupil was shaped like the number eight. I shrugged.
"I see. Well, you seem to be smarter than I thought. That's good."
I said with a smirk.
"You're quite a ray of sunshine, aren't you?"
"It's a gift."
I retorted, using his own retort from earlier today.
As he let out a small peal of laughter, the digital clock in the wall ticked to six o'clock. An 8-bit version of a tolling bell rang six times.
I glanced at it before meeting Memory's eyes and stretching my arms high above my head.
"Well, I've got some stupid math homework to do."
I yawned.
He smiled and asked,
"Can I help?"
I paused to stare at him for a second. I remembered that it wasn't actually homework that I needed to do.
You see, Memory is part Undead. That's pretty obvious, right? Well, I mentioned in the prologue that they like human flesh. Memory's only one-eighth Undead, so he doesn't need to eat people, thank God. However, he's more like a vampire. A very stupid vampire. As in, he kinda needs to drink blood every couple weeks to stay healthy...sort of like how vegans need protein pills to stay alive.
From the shadows I noticed under his eyes, it was about time for me to force him to drink blood. My own blood, actually. A good thing about this was that I knew I didn't have any serious blood disorders or anything either due to the fact that Memory wasn't dead after drinking my blood. Yay me, I guess.
The little shit seemed to notice that I was thinking about this and quickly said,
"Oh wow, look at the TIME! I think I've got a World of Warcraft tournament to get to-"
He was cut off as I grabbed his scarf and stopped him.
"You know, I might've believed that excuse...except for the fact that I'm not as stupid as you and you haven't played WOW in four months."
I muttered.
He stopped and let out an exasperated noise.
"Can you wait another hour or something?"
He asked me.
"Nah son."
He seemed to give in to my icy personality and followed me into the kitchen as I let go of his scarf.
I started by washing my hands, then pulled a small plastic cup out of the cupboard and reached into a drawer. Withdrawing a filleting knife, I held my hand over the cup. After a few moments, I ran the knife across the palm of my hand and bit down hard on the inside of my lip. I squeezed my hand to make the blood run faster.
What, did you think I'd let him bite me? Fuck no, I didn't want his spit in my blood. That shit's nasty, and this is NOT some stupid sparkly vampire movie. I mean, the vampire doesn't get sick, but a realistic portrayal of those movie would have the bite victim having a perpetually infected, gross wound. That's a huge nope for me.
ANYWAYS, a few moments passed and I shook off my hand over the sink. Memory watched me wash and bandage my hand from his place at the table, being a useless dink as expected. Why did I love him again? Oh yeah, his personality...BUT I DID NOT ASK FOR FEELINGS.
Once my hand had been dealt with, grabbed the half-full cup of my blood and brought it to Memory. He took it without the hesitation he'd showed when I first met him, downing it in a few swallows.
When he finished it, I took the cup and washed it in the sink by hand. Mom doesn't like the fact that blood would be flying around the dishwasher in the water, so I'm not allowed to put it in there.
As I finished washing the cup, Memory walked over to the fridge and grabbed a carton of orange juice, pouring himself a glass and chugging it just as fast as he'd done with my blood.
"What, is my blood sour?"
I asked him with a hint of annoyance in my voice.
He shook his head, wiping his mouth.
"No, it's great like it always is, I just..."
He trailed off, his lips twisting in faint disgust.
I sensed confusion from him. Words that he was trying to sort out in his head sent a message to me, informing me of his hesitation.
"What?!"
I snapped.
He paused, then responded,
"I don't like this need to drink blood. I mean, couldn't I, like, substitute it with something else instead of making you hurt yourself every couple weeks?"
I put the cup back in the cupboard and grumbled,
"You aren't 'making' me do anything. You should know by now that you can't 'make me' do anything."
"But-"
"Shut up. You're this damn good fighter and stick up for me all the time. Consider my blood payment for your help."
I snapped, whipping around and glaring at him.
He paused, then he smiled and stood back upright.
"All right, if you put it like that..."
He sighed.
The sky had begun to grow rosy and golden beams of light shone through the windows to illuminate the whole house with a cozy light source. Memory had glanced out the window as well, stretching his arms high above him.
"Really nice evening, huh?"
He asked me playfully.
"I guess."
I grumbled despite admiring how his olive skin was tinted a slightly warmer colour.
It was at that moment that Memory let out a faint grunt, bringing his hand up to the right side of his head with a grimace. I glanced at him with vague concern.
"Need some Advil?"
I asked him calmly, even though I was indeed worried.
He forced himself to nod. I turned to the clear Tupperware bin above the fridge where we kept the medicine, reaching up and hunting around for the plastic container. Once I found it, I opened it up and shook a single red tablet into my hand.
I dropped it into Memory's palm as he took a quick gulp of water directly from the tap. Once he swallowed it, he smiled at me.
"Thanks, bro."
"You're annoying."
I snorted.
Instead of laughing as he always did, he rumpled up my messy blonde hair. I narrowed my eyes, gritting my teeth
I brought my elbow back into Memory's guts, prompting a cough from him as he backed away with a laugh.
"Ok....ok chill. I'm going to bed now, since I'm not feeling great. I'll stop if you don't hit me again."
He wheezed.
I glared at him.
"Fine."
--------------------------
I lay back in my bed, staring at the glowing green plastic stars decorating my ceiling.
Raindrops pattered on the roof with a calming white noise that let me relax. I was fine with rain, but any sudden loud noises like thunder or gunshots made me freeze up. Apparently, I had PTSD where I was permanently afraid of loud noises...you know, because I was shot.
I laid in the darkness, thinking of something to sing.
Finally, I came to a conclusion. I just began to murmur lyrics into the dark.
"I ain't happy, I'm feeling glad, I've got sunshine...in a bag, I'm useless...but not for long, my future...is comin' on...."
I sang softly, closing my eyes and trailing off after I finished those few short lines.
Just before I drifted off, I heard a tiny voice in my head.
"Wake up...from the dream..."
I didn't know what that nonsense was about, but I just sunk into sleep.
Almost immediately, my subconsciousness exploded with dazzling orange flames. A second image of myself faced me, stepping out of the inferno. He was dressed in faded jeans, a light blue t-shirt, and a white hoodie, but his hair was also completely black. It was definitely me, though...I knew that much.
I locked eyes with myself, trying to understand what the hell was going on in my mind. I didn't think the Advil was responsible for this, but I was definitely confused.
As I thought that, the other me opened his mouth and his voice echoed around me.
"This is no hallucination. This is an omen."
"Are you me?"
I asked, dumbfounded.
He paused, shuffling his right foot.
"Well...you're actually me, I suppose. I pretty much died when you were shot."
He replied, then continued,
"Actually, I died long before that, but that's not important."
"Not important? I'd say this is pretty important, man."
I replied.
"Not for this situation, Memory."
He awkwardly said.
"Now's pretty much a good time, Memory!"
I argued, suddenly stricken by how weird it was to be arguing with myself.
He laughed, wedging his hands in the pockets of his pure white hoodie.
"I never thought I'd be stuck in an argument with myself! It's a weird feeling, isn't it? It's weird to me."
I nodded, then he reached out to touch my shoulder and grew serious.
"Now for the reason why I'm speaking with you. I don't have too much time to be here. I've opened the metaphorical 'walls' around your mind, and I'm not the only entity who wants to enter it."
With this statement, I stopped arguing and nodded.
"An Aberrant, walking hand in hand with Shale, will bring destruction to all nations and leave no survivors."
He murmured.
I felt myself shudder, thoughts running through my mind like lightning. I knew who Shale was, obviously, but I hadn't ever been possessed by him. Nor had I ever wanted to walk alongside him.
"That's...that's not me, is it?"
I asked slowly.
As if in response, the flames hissed and grew in size, changing from warm, golden colours to tones of ice-blue. The other me gritted his teeth and spun around.
"Damn it! Get out of here, you shitty demon!"
He snapped at a new figure which strode calmly through the blue hellfire.
He had unruly white hair that almost reached his shoulders, and a bloodstained mask concealing his face. One of the grinning mask's eyes was shaped like a heart, the other in the shape of an eight-ball. This one wore a white trench coat over white shorts, combat boots, and a red muscle shirt. A pair of human teeth dangled from a cord around his neck and everything he wore was stained with blood.
I stumbled back as the figure's maniacal laughter echoed around us, as if dozens of copies of him were laughing in unison.
"What the hell is that?!"
I exclaimed, shock and fear thrilling through me.
"I said stay back!"
The other me shouted at the masked boy.
Shadows extended from behind the masked one, rushing towards us in an obvious act of hostility.
However, instead of being overtaken, a burst of fire, made of every colour imaginable, exploded up in a ring around the other me and I. His form began to fade and he dropped to his knees. The enemy figure was swept up by the ring of rainbow flame and disintegrated, along with his shadow.
"However..."
The other me continued.
"Eight will rise, led by the half-blooded Aberrant, and destroy the darkness threatening to engulf us all."
"Hey, are you feeling all right-"
I began, concerned for the fading boy.
"Haha...never knew that would take so much out of me. I'm gonna disappear for a bit, but I'm not gone. I'm basically just gonna sleep until I regain enough energy to speak with you again."
He laughed.
I reached out to touch him, but he turned his head and murmured,
"Just know that sometimes, you have to embrace the darkness in order to appreciate the light."
He quickly grasped my wrist to shake it, and with that, he vanished. After a moment of shock and awe, I awoke in my bed. The dawn's light cast itself into my room and I let out a groan, laying my right forearm across my eyes.
"What the hell..."