Dark Waters

Chapter 2

EDITED

(Avalon's POV)

So here's the thing. I have never told anyone my secret. Not a single soul. I can tell that people are beginning to become suspicious. The way I act around water. How I get 'over dramatic' when water is spilled on me. (That one's because I have to run off to hide, so I seem really upset, usually running to the bathroom.) 

The ones who are the most suspicious are definitely my two best friends; Jade and Kaitlyn. They know me better than anyone, therefore they can see right through my lies and excuses. I can tell they get really irritated when I make up excuse after excuse, but what am I supposed to do?

Since we live in Florida, they're always going to the beach. Every time they go, they invite me to come with. And every time, I have to make up some lame excuse to not go. I'm pretty sure it hurts their feelings, but I don't know what else to do. 

Truth is, I love the beach. I love swimming. It's in my nature. But obviously, I can't go with them. *Cough, tail, cough.*

I have actually come pretty close to telling them multiple times. Yet each time, I decided not to. It's not that I don't trust them, I do. Completely. I guess that I'm just afraid of what will happen. I don't know what their reactions would be to me telling them I'm a mythical creature. 

And I'm also afraid that if I do tell them, they will either be scared of me or not believe me. I could show them my tail, but I'm not sure how or where I could do it safely. The beaches are always overly crowded, and it would be too much of a risk to show them there. That's part of being a Domestic; you're always on edge, looking for any mishaps that might occur. You can never let your guard down. 

And I definitely couldn't do it at my house, my parents would freak out. They made me promise to keep it a secret at all costs. But they don't realize how much it's costing me not to tell them. 

I may not have told them yet, but that doesn't mean that they haven't come close to finding out on their own. Funnily enough, Kaitlyn almost saw my tail the very day we met. 

-SPLASHBACK-

It was freshman year, the first day of school. Considering it was the middle of August, it was rather warm. That, and we live in Florida. It was scorching outside. 

This meant that I couldn't cover myself up to the point of water having no chance whatsoever of making contact with my skin. No, I would die of heat exhaustion. Therefore I, like everybody else, wore shorts and a tee shirt. I didn't realize the mistake I was making until it was too late.

I lived fairly close to the high school, so I could walk to school. As I approached the building, I noticed something hazardous. Just in front of the front doors stood a fountain. In all of its beautiful glory there it stood, spraying water a few feet around its perimeter. 

I best avoid that... I thought to myself. Keeping a safe distance away from the fountain, I entered the school.

Walking to my first period class, I dared glance at the signs marking the hallways, taking my eyes off the stampede of teenagers surrounding me. Big mistake,  I think now.

Having my luck, in the few seconds I had taken to look around, somebody had bumped into me. They hadn't been paying attention to what they were doing, and that resulted in me getting knocked over. 

But that's not all of it. They had been carrying some sort of drink, and it spilled all over me when they knocked me down. 

10, 9. I quickly got up, ignoring the person's apology. 8, 7. I frantically searched for a bathroom. 6, 5. I found one, darting through the crowd. 2, 1. I made it, running in.