Archives Falls

EE: Part Three

Pacifica stared at the boy. She couldn't really think of anything to do or say, which just left her staring.

"So, this is my date, Paz!" Wendy said, gesturing to the boy, then standing next to him with a smile.

After a few seconds of awkward staring, Pacifica forced a smile, though she knew it wasn't genuine, and she didn't know how well that was hidden. "Hello, um, may I ask your name?"

"O-Ordinary, I mean, it's, its Oran," the boy, Oran, said. Though she swore she heard him say something else before that, even if she couldn't quite make it out.

"Oh, hello Oran, it's nice to meet you," Pacifica said.

Oran looked nothing like she had ever seen, sure, he was a little cute, but everything about him seemed strange. His skin seemed unnaturally shiny, and his hair looked strangely glossy. He also has this look to him like he was about to fly off the floor any minute.

"Isn't he great, Pacifica?" Wendy asked, grabbing onto his arm and linking her own arm with his.

Pacifica looked at Oran again, who looked as stiff as a board. She couldn't agree with her sister on this one. There was something too off about him, something too, too abnormal to be true. But now was not the best time to say that, especially in front of him.

"U-Uh, yeah, he's great, where did you meet him?" Pacifica asked.

"I met him by the lake," Wendy replied. "After you went to put up signs I decided to stop by the lake and I saw him sitting on the edge of the dock, looking down into the water. I wondered what he was looking at, so I went over and asked him and saw he was looking at fish. I told him I like fish, and he likes fish, so I saw there was totally a connection between us!"

Both liking fish isn't exactly the connection I would choose to pick a date, but I guess it's a start, Pacifica thought.

Oran began to smile, even more stiffly than he had been standing. "Yes. Fish are nice, one day I'd like to swim down and see one."

There was something odd about his voice too, it was almost weirdly sing song like. Like he was constantly about to start singing any second, and singing a poem of those sappy love ballads, specifically.

"That's awesome, I'd love to as well! I love swimming, but there's not lakes to swim in my town so I never get to see fish instead of those ones you dive for. " Wendy exclaimed. "Well, Oran and I are going to go hang out for a little while, see you later, sis! Shall we go, Oran?"

Oran smiled again, opening the door for Wendy, and she chuckled a before exiting.

That was when she noticed something else about Oran. On the back of his elbow, he had something that almost looked like a group of scales on his arm, which had a light turquoise colour, like the kind of scales you would see on a sea creature.

"Wait, Oran?" Pacifica said, just before Oran closer the door.

Oran looked back at her. "Y-Yes?"

"What's that on your elbow?" Pacifica asked.

He looked at his elbow, quickly patting something down before looking up at her again with a strange smile. "Oh! It was just a piece of cloth or something," he giggled nervously at the end, and it only made her feel more unsure. "S-Sorry about that."

"Oh," Pacifica replied. "Well, have fun on your date with Wendy, and be nice to her."

"T-Thanks!" Oran said, smiling and closing the door behind him.

Pacifica quickly dropped the smile. Starting to pace back and forth, what was wrong with that boy? She knew there was something, she could sense it. But she couldn't figure out what exactly it was.