I walk into school later in the day, feeling the best I've felt for a long time. My early morning swim greatly relieved my sore legs and feet. They still feel numb but at least the pain from yesterday has subsided.
But as I slip into my seat in the lecture theatre, my longing for the water returns and I find myself daydreaming again, envisioning the wonderous waves blanketing my body comfort and protection. In fact, I would not call it dreaming at all. It's more like my physical person is in a different place to my inner person. Although my physical person is in this lecture theatre, my inner person is at the lake, bathing in pure pleasure and serenity, singing aloud my eternal melody. Yet, the dreaming does not last long, perhaps a few seconds at a time and everytime I return to planet Earth, I feel self-conscious, unsure as to whether I was actually singing aloud but as I glance around it appears that I wasn't. Then, I notice a pair of eyes on me. I turn to my left and watch as a pair of dark brown eyes gaze back at me quizzically, the eyebrows huntched creating a frown. His name was Dante Tyson. A guy that I knew of but didn't know. I quickly look back down to my notepad and pretend to write something. I look back a fe seconds later to check he wasn't still looking. But he was. Those beautifully crafted eyes were still gazing in my direction. I felt very uneasy but turned away again and tried to ignore him for the rest of the lecture.
When lecture ended, I said goodbye to my friends and made my way out of the lecture theatre and into the university reception. Then I heard my name. I turned and there stood Dante, his hands in his pockets, his blonde hair in his eyes.
I gave him a daring look and he spoke: "I'm having a little get-together friday night. It'll just be a few people from uni. You're welcome to come. It'll be at Isaacs, the pub at the waterfront, at seven."
I nodded and thanked him and he quickly left. I stared after him, wondering why an awfully popular, handsome guy was even bothering to speak to a lonely and cursed girl like me, let alone invite me out.
Friday came around quickly and at exactly seven I met Dante, alongside his friends in Isaacs. For the occasion I wore a silver halterneck dress with matching silver kitten heels and my favourite silver locket necklace, handed down from my great grandmother. I let my hair fall down my back in beach waves, the front half of my hair secured at the back by a silver butterfly hair grasp.
Dante shot me a smile. "Glad you could make it, Andie." His smile was contagious. Even though I didn't feel happy or particularly bothered to go out partying I smiled back. I would rather be at my lake soothing my weary legs but I rarely socialise with humans and considered this a psychological experiment. He gave me a once-over and grinned. "You look beautiful." His friends exchanged glances and nudged each other. Humans are really fascinating.
"You look good too and thanks for inviting me." I replied, holding his gaze.
"Do you want a drink?" He still smiled as he flicked his blonde fringe from his eyes. He continued: "It's on me." He winked and I gave in, my heart skipping beats.
"Sure. Surprise me." He went to the bar and returned with two glasses full of some sort of alcoholic beverage, a radioactive blue colour. It didn't look appealing at all but I thanked him nonetheless and took a swig, forcing it down my throat.
Four or five refills later we still sat outside in the summer air, laughing and talking about nothing in particular. The sun grazed the horizon, propelling harmonic pinks, oranges, blues and purples into the sky.
"Ahh, the sunset is beautiful." Dante turned to me. We gazed into each others eyes for what seemed like forever. But I pulled my eyes away first, knowing that I shouldn't get involved with Dante. Knowing that it wouldn't work.
"I'm afraid I'll have to be going now." I stood up. The smile, for the first time this evening, dropped from Dante's face. He stood up and grasped my hand tightly in his. His eyes not leaving mine.
"Why? Please stay."
I couldn't say no to those beautiful eyes but I knew that after the sun went down, after the moon rose, the influence of the tides would be too powerful for me to overcome. I would even be capable of killing without conscious thought.
"I'm sorry, Dante. I have to be back before nightfall." I tried to look innocent as if my parents were overprotective and I had to obey their rules, except that is far from the truth.
Dante looked devastated. All this sudden attention from him had actually surprised me. He was always surrounded by crowds of human females that loved attention from him. So, why was he attracted to me all of a sudden? I put this down to human hormones and shrugged it off.
"But, Andie, we're going to Tristan's family yacht soon. It would be great if you could stick around a while."
I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Dante. My 'rents are super strict. I gotta be getting home."
"Well, maybe I could drop you back home?" He held out his car keys and I bit my lip in temptation. I gazed out at the sun that was rapidly falling behind the horizon. It would soon be dark.
"That would be great."
Dante pulled up outside my house in the countryside. He put the handbrake on and turned to me.
"Thanks for the lift. I'll see you monday?" I said, wanting to leave as quickly as possible. I knew what was going through his mind, his motives radiated off him. Normally thoughts were a whirlwind of confusion but his weren't. They were organised, flowing in order.
He grabbed my hand, to stop me from leaving.
"I need to ask you something." He gave me a stern look that revealed a different side of him. He continued: "Sometimes I go to the lake, y'know the one through the woods behind your house? I sit by it just to clear my mind sometimes. But a couple nights ago I was down there and-- I saw something. It was like a huge fish but it wasn't a fish. It had a head and arms. You wouldn't know anything about it would you?"
I held my breath. I felt as though I'd been stabbed through the heart a thousand times. Does he mean to say that he saw me? Did he recognise that it was me? How the hell could I tell Dante the truth? I bit my lip.
"You're kidding, right?" I forced a laugh and elbowed him in a jokey way.
He laughed too. "Yeah, I know it sounds totally weird but I'm serious."
"Dante darling," I mimicked a mothers voice. "Half-human, half-aquatic creatures don't exist." I said sarcastically and he punched me softly on the arm. We both laughed.
"C'mon I was being serious. I saw it with my very eyes. It was amazing though. It had long white hair, pale skin, completely white eyes and, like, greeney blue scales. And it was singing the most beautiful song in another language. I think-- It sounded like Latin. And while I was listening, I started to feel dizzy, kinda sleepy. But I didn't fall asleep. I think I blacked out, kind of. Next thing I knew I was standing close to the waters edge and the creature was gone..."
We were silent for a few long seconds as he continued to gaze at me. But th look he gave me was quite a knowing look. Does he suspect me? He must do! Why else would he be telling me this?
"Why are you telling me this?" I forced myself to ask, dreading the answer.
He shurgged casually. "Hmph. 'Just wondered if you'd seen anything." He sighed. "I might go back there for a few nights. I might see it again." My heart stopped. If he goes back, I can't swim! I can't live!
"No!" I said before I could stop myself. Dante gave me a strange look. "I mean... What's the point? You were probably just seeing things. It was dark. Your mind was playing tricks on you."
"Yeah... maybe so. But if I go back and see it again, it'll prove that I was right and maybe I can find some answers." But he didn't see through it, instead his eyes continued to pierce right through me as if he were searching me for answers.
"I don't think it's such a great idea. What if the thing attacks you? Please, Dante, don't go."
He paused, staring deep into my eyes. "Why are you trying so hard to stop me going?" He asked slowly, suspiciously.
"I'm just worried about you." I mumbled, looking away. I was always a bad liar.
"Andie, is there something you're not telling me?" He touched my arm with his strong, warm hands. He didn't wince at all against the cold of my skin but his eyes did show recognition that something was very wrong. I refused to look him in the eyes. "What's going on? You know about this thing don't you? Otherwise, why would you be telling me to be careful and not get hurt? I wasn't hallucinating was I? This creature really does exist. I knew I was right--"
"Dante!" I finally turned to him, fire in my eyes. "Please, just don't try to understand something beyond comprehension. You'll end up putting your life at risk."
"Satisfy my curiosity, then! What did I see?" We're now shouting at each other even though we are mere centimeters apart.
"You have no right to know. Not only that, knowing would put you at danger."
"Try me. I'm willing to risk it!" I sighed, shaking my head, on the verge of tears. Dante realised this and pulled me into a hug. "I'm sorry. It's none of my business."
I shook my head. "It's not that. If I tell you the truth, you could die. It's that serious. I can't put you at danger. It's not worth it, Dante."
And with that, I got out of the car. As soon as I did so, my skin bathed in the moonlight of the full moon and turned a glistening pale white, as did my hair and my eyes, in a flash of lightning. My facial structure contourted back to it's natural form, narrowing my chin, slanting my eyes and eyebrows upwards, pointing the top of my ears and forming my cranial ridges on my forehead. I turned to Dante who was leaning over the gearstick and handbreak in what I made out to be a mix of shock, fright, awe and sympathy. He remained as still and as silent as a statue, his eyes wide in disbelief. It saddened me that it had to be this way. I did not intend to tell any human my most precious secret, let alone show them my natural form. But in this instance, I had no choice. I could not hide from the moonlight. I cannot not hide the person I am within.
"This is who I am."
But as I slip into my seat in the lecture theatre, my longing for the water returns and I find myself daydreaming again, envisioning the wonderous waves blanketing my body comfort and protection. In fact, I would not call it dreaming at all. It's more like my physical person is in a different place to my inner person. Although my physical person is in this lecture theatre, my inner person is at the lake, bathing in pure pleasure and serenity, singing aloud my eternal melody. Yet, the dreaming does not last long, perhaps a few seconds at a time and everytime I return to planet Earth, I feel self-conscious, unsure as to whether I was actually singing aloud but as I glance around it appears that I wasn't. Then, I notice a pair of eyes on me. I turn to my left and watch as a pair of dark brown eyes gaze back at me quizzically, the eyebrows huntched creating a frown. His name was Dante Tyson. A guy that I knew of but didn't know. I quickly look back down to my notepad and pretend to write something. I look back a fe seconds later to check he wasn't still looking. But he was. Those beautifully crafted eyes were still gazing in my direction. I felt very uneasy but turned away again and tried to ignore him for the rest of the lecture.
When lecture ended, I said goodbye to my friends and made my way out of the lecture theatre and into the university reception. Then I heard my name. I turned and there stood Dante, his hands in his pockets, his blonde hair in his eyes.
I gave him a daring look and he spoke: "I'm having a little get-together friday night. It'll just be a few people from uni. You're welcome to come. It'll be at Isaacs, the pub at the waterfront, at seven."
I nodded and thanked him and he quickly left. I stared after him, wondering why an awfully popular, handsome guy was even bothering to speak to a lonely and cursed girl like me, let alone invite me out.
Friday came around quickly and at exactly seven I met Dante, alongside his friends in Isaacs. For the occasion I wore a silver halterneck dress with matching silver kitten heels and my favourite silver locket necklace, handed down from my great grandmother. I let my hair fall down my back in beach waves, the front half of my hair secured at the back by a silver butterfly hair grasp.
Dante shot me a smile. "Glad you could make it, Andie." His smile was contagious. Even though I didn't feel happy or particularly bothered to go out partying I smiled back. I would rather be at my lake soothing my weary legs but I rarely socialise with humans and considered this a psychological experiment. He gave me a once-over and grinned. "You look beautiful." His friends exchanged glances and nudged each other. Humans are really fascinating.
"You look good too and thanks for inviting me." I replied, holding his gaze.
"Do you want a drink?" He still smiled as he flicked his blonde fringe from his eyes. He continued: "It's on me." He winked and I gave in, my heart skipping beats.
"Sure. Surprise me." He went to the bar and returned with two glasses full of some sort of alcoholic beverage, a radioactive blue colour. It didn't look appealing at all but I thanked him nonetheless and took a swig, forcing it down my throat.
Four or five refills later we still sat outside in the summer air, laughing and talking about nothing in particular. The sun grazed the horizon, propelling harmonic pinks, oranges, blues and purples into the sky.
"Ahh, the sunset is beautiful." Dante turned to me. We gazed into each others eyes for what seemed like forever. But I pulled my eyes away first, knowing that I shouldn't get involved with Dante. Knowing that it wouldn't work.
"I'm afraid I'll have to be going now." I stood up. The smile, for the first time this evening, dropped from Dante's face. He stood up and grasped my hand tightly in his. His eyes not leaving mine.
"Why? Please stay."
I couldn't say no to those beautiful eyes but I knew that after the sun went down, after the moon rose, the influence of the tides would be too powerful for me to overcome. I would even be capable of killing without conscious thought.
"I'm sorry, Dante. I have to be back before nightfall." I tried to look innocent as if my parents were overprotective and I had to obey their rules, except that is far from the truth.
Dante looked devastated. All this sudden attention from him had actually surprised me. He was always surrounded by crowds of human females that loved attention from him. So, why was he attracted to me all of a sudden? I put this down to human hormones and shrugged it off.
"But, Andie, we're going to Tristan's family yacht soon. It would be great if you could stick around a while."
I shook my head. "I'm sorry, Dante. My 'rents are super strict. I gotta be getting home."
"Well, maybe I could drop you back home?" He held out his car keys and I bit my lip in temptation. I gazed out at the sun that was rapidly falling behind the horizon. It would soon be dark.
"That would be great."
Dante pulled up outside my house in the countryside. He put the handbrake on and turned to me.
"Thanks for the lift. I'll see you monday?" I said, wanting to leave as quickly as possible. I knew what was going through his mind, his motives radiated off him. Normally thoughts were a whirlwind of confusion but his weren't. They were organised, flowing in order.
He grabbed my hand, to stop me from leaving.
"I need to ask you something." He gave me a stern look that revealed a different side of him. He continued: "Sometimes I go to the lake, y'know the one through the woods behind your house? I sit by it just to clear my mind sometimes. But a couple nights ago I was down there and-- I saw something. It was like a huge fish but it wasn't a fish. It had a head and arms. You wouldn't know anything about it would you?"
I held my breath. I felt as though I'd been stabbed through the heart a thousand times. Does he mean to say that he saw me? Did he recognise that it was me? How the hell could I tell Dante the truth? I bit my lip.
"You're kidding, right?" I forced a laugh and elbowed him in a jokey way.
He laughed too. "Yeah, I know it sounds totally weird but I'm serious."
"Dante darling," I mimicked a mothers voice. "Half-human, half-aquatic creatures don't exist." I said sarcastically and he punched me softly on the arm. We both laughed.
"C'mon I was being serious. I saw it with my very eyes. It was amazing though. It had long white hair, pale skin, completely white eyes and, like, greeney blue scales. And it was singing the most beautiful song in another language. I think-- It sounded like Latin. And while I was listening, I started to feel dizzy, kinda sleepy. But I didn't fall asleep. I think I blacked out, kind of. Next thing I knew I was standing close to the waters edge and the creature was gone..."
We were silent for a few long seconds as he continued to gaze at me. But th look he gave me was quite a knowing look. Does he suspect me? He must do! Why else would he be telling me this?
"Why are you telling me this?" I forced myself to ask, dreading the answer.
He shurgged casually. "Hmph. 'Just wondered if you'd seen anything." He sighed. "I might go back there for a few nights. I might see it again." My heart stopped. If he goes back, I can't swim! I can't live!
"No!" I said before I could stop myself. Dante gave me a strange look. "I mean... What's the point? You were probably just seeing things. It was dark. Your mind was playing tricks on you."
"Yeah... maybe so. But if I go back and see it again, it'll prove that I was right and maybe I can find some answers." But he didn't see through it, instead his eyes continued to pierce right through me as if he were searching me for answers.
"I don't think it's such a great idea. What if the thing attacks you? Please, Dante, don't go."
He paused, staring deep into my eyes. "Why are you trying so hard to stop me going?" He asked slowly, suspiciously.
"I'm just worried about you." I mumbled, looking away. I was always a bad liar.
"Andie, is there something you're not telling me?" He touched my arm with his strong, warm hands. He didn't wince at all against the cold of my skin but his eyes did show recognition that something was very wrong. I refused to look him in the eyes. "What's going on? You know about this thing don't you? Otherwise, why would you be telling me to be careful and not get hurt? I wasn't hallucinating was I? This creature really does exist. I knew I was right--"
"Dante!" I finally turned to him, fire in my eyes. "Please, just don't try to understand something beyond comprehension. You'll end up putting your life at risk."
"Satisfy my curiosity, then! What did I see?" We're now shouting at each other even though we are mere centimeters apart.
"You have no right to know. Not only that, knowing would put you at danger."
"Try me. I'm willing to risk it!" I sighed, shaking my head, on the verge of tears. Dante realised this and pulled me into a hug. "I'm sorry. It's none of my business."
I shook my head. "It's not that. If I tell you the truth, you could die. It's that serious. I can't put you at danger. It's not worth it, Dante."
And with that, I got out of the car. As soon as I did so, my skin bathed in the moonlight of the full moon and turned a glistening pale white, as did my hair and my eyes, in a flash of lightning. My facial structure contourted back to it's natural form, narrowing my chin, slanting my eyes and eyebrows upwards, pointing the top of my ears and forming my cranial ridges on my forehead. I turned to Dante who was leaning over the gearstick and handbreak in what I made out to be a mix of shock, fright, awe and sympathy. He remained as still and as silent as a statue, his eyes wide in disbelief. It saddened me that it had to be this way. I did not intend to tell any human my most precious secret, let alone show them my natural form. But in this instance, I had no choice. I could not hide from the moonlight. I cannot not hide the person I am within.
"This is who I am."
