Scales & Tales - The Tales of Mystic High - Book 1

Chapter 1

Aquamarine looked around worriedly at her room. There were clothes thrown across her room, little clams and seashells littering the floor and shelves, and posters of different kinds of musicians of drawings that Atlantic had drawn for her throughout the various years, a suitcase placed promptly in the middle of her bed She was about to go off to a high school that was supposed to be the best in the whole world, a school called Mystic High.

She thought the name was stupid. She thought the school was stupid. She didn't want to go away from home, living in some dorm that was more than just a few days away from the ocean she'd grown to love. But since her cousin needed to go there, something about the school's great special needs program, she had to go with him.

"Aquamarine!" Mrs. Mlyn's voice rang throughout the halls, echoing against the walls into her room. "Do you need help packing?"

"No,"Aquamarine responded bluntly. She had shown much hate to this school, much to her aunt and uncle's obliviousness. She shuffled through her clothes, packing them and getting her various toiletries and keepsakes, including her clam necklace she'd had her whole life.

After some time, when she was satisfied for the time being, she went into Atlantic's room. She knew how his motor control was, so she thought packing for him might be a problem. "Atlantic?" She knocked softly on his door.

"Yeah, sis?" Atlantic hummed, opening the door. He referred to her as his sister a lot, despite the fact they were cousins. Aquamarine knew, of course, she'd been taught when she was little of what had happened to her parents. But still, Aquamarine and Atlantic were as close to siblings you could get without being siblings.

"Do you need some help packing?" She asked thoughtfully.

Atlantic hummed. He looked into his room, then back at Aquamarine again into his room, Aquamarine. Room, Aquamarine. Room, Aquamarine. This repeated for a few times, before Atlantic nodded his head. "Yeah, that'd probably be a good idea."

Aquamarine shuffled into Atlantic's room, to see that he was in the middle of folding his clothes, although she noticed it seemed to be wrinkled, which triggered her to act fast.

"... Can I show you a fun way I fold my clothes?" Aquamarine offered. "It's quick and efficient, too!"

Atlantic blinked. He thought for a second or so, and nodded. "Yeah! That'd be cool!"

Aquamarine laid one of Atlantic's striped shirts on the smooth floor. "Alright. So you want to lay the shirt on a flat surface."

Atlantic had grabbed a shirt, and was mimicking Aquamarine. "Flat surface..." He whispered to himself.

"Then you grab right between the collar and the sleeve on the left side with your left hand," Aquamarine continued, doing as she spoke.

Atlantic copied. "Got it."

"Then you grabbed the collar on that side with your right hand, crossing your arms," As Atlantic copied her, she said, "Then you pick the shirt up, uncross your arms, and you just lay it in a certain way like this..." Aquamarine folded the shirt, waving it in the air and doing some movements. She eventually laid the shirt down, showing a smoothly folded shirt.

Atlantic did his best, but he ended up with a decently folded shirt, but kept glancing at Aquamarine's shirt. "Did I do it wrong? Mine looks wrinkled."

"Nah, it's always like that when you first do it. You'll get it. Trust me," Aquamarine said, standing up. "Do you want me to help fold your other clothes?"

"Yeah!" Atlantic nodded. They both got started folding various clothing, putting it into Atlantic's suitcase, and making jokes and small talk as they did so. Eventually, the two heard Mr. Mlyn stuck his head in the door.

"I see you two have made lots of progress, good! I was thinking that since you're leaving tomorrow, we could go out for dinner?"

"Yes!" Atlantic insisted immediately, a broad smile still planted on his face. "Can we go to Fish N' Chips? I love that place!"

"Are you sure?" Mr. Mlyn hummed with a raised eyebrow. "That place isn't exactly what comes to my mind when I think of 'going out'. It's more like fast food."

"Uncle, it's okay," Aquamarine immediately insisted. "We can go there. It makes us happy, doesn't it?

"I... I suppose. Alright, you two. Be ready in ten minutes,"Mr. Mlyn said with a hesitant smile.

"Got it,"Aquamarine agreed with a firm nod. She turned to Atlantic. "I'll see you then."

"Yes you will!"Atlantic said with a cheeky grin, putting his hands on his hips.

Aquamarine chuckled lightly. "Yeah, I guess I will,"She exited her cousin's room, heading back to her own room to get changed into something more presentable than her pajamas.

Aquamarine had decided on a pastel blue top with shoulder cut-outs, scales covering the top of the shirt. She also had a teal-ish blue skirt. She hummed, examining her outfit in her mirror, shells decorated the edges.

"Aquamarine!" Came a voice – which Aquamarine quickly recognized as Atlantic – through the walls, which Aquamarine had quickly despised for being so thin.

"Yeah?" Aquamarine called back, putting her hair into pigtails. "What is it?"

"Are you almost done?" Atlantic whined through the doors. "I'm hungry!"

"One second, lemme just..." Aquamarine adjusted her left pigtail, before fluffing her hair up, scrunching it between her hands. "Alright! I'm ready."

"Mom! Dad!" Aquamarine heard Atlantic's voice get fainter and fainter as he moved away from Aquamarine's room and towards the front door.

Aquamarine smiled lightly at her cousin's obvious excitement in his voice, walking out of her room. Atlantic was in his normal sweatshirt, Mrs. Mlyn helping Atlantic with the braces on his legs.

"Aquamarine," Mrs. Mlyn stated, gathering her niece's attention.

"Yeah?" Aquamarine hummed, making sure she had all of her necessities.

"You know how to put Atlantic's braces on, right? At Mystic High he'll need someone else to put them on since he can't, and I can't be there."

"Yeah, I know how. I could probably ask a teacher to show me if I forget, anyway," Aquamarine informed with a small nod.

"Good," Mrs. Mlyn hummed, checking that the braces were in place. "Are we ready now?"

"I am," Aquamarine agreed.

"I am too!" Atlantic added cheerfully.

"Well... Then let's go!" Mr. Mlyn smiled.