🏁 Tetrology Of The Sea - Book 1: From The Sea 🪼🔨💻 💞 🔮

Nine

A couple of years went by and Travis was now in middle school. He hoped to turn over a new leaf and get a lot of friends in his new school. He wouldn't be in such close contact with Aylin and Shana anymore, even though he'd have to ride the bus, and he could branch out a little to the other kids from different schools. At least he had hoped that would have happened to him.
Instead, during the summer Ruth had decided he needed braces and an unfortunate and totally his fault event required him that he get glasses. He didn't believe Ruth when she said that looking at the sun will damage your eyesight... So now he was going into middle school looking like a complete dork. That and the fact that he was still a little chubby.
He sighed and moved his backpack around his back to shift the weight. He waited for the bus by himself when a car stopped in front of him. The window rolled down and Aylin grinned at him like a jack-o-lantern.
"Well, well, looks like chubby-boy has to wait for the bus. Me and Shana are gonna be able to get a ride there since the middle school is on the way to Dad's work. We don't have to ride the bus like a nerd now..."
Travis ignored Aylin as he laughed and pulled himself back into the car. What did it matter if he rode the bus or not? Just as they pulled off, the bus came to a stop and he walked on, sitting in the front seat and pulling out a book. He didn't want anyone to see him reading it so he hunched over as he read it.

*********************

As Travis entered into the school, he looked around and smiled at the new atmosphere. This was going to be a great year for him.
"Travis?" he heard behind him.
He turned and saw Shana looking at him, her binder in both her hands as she held it at her legs.
"I'm sorry that Aylin is being so mean to you."
"I don't blame him..." he said with a smile. "I look like a dork so what can he do?"
"Not say mean things to you." She said with a slightly angry look. "Do you really think it's because he can't help himself that he makes fun of you? He does it because you let him."
"Well, Shana, it's not like you actually help out and defend me or something." Travis said with a look.
Shana looked away, not denying the fact. She sighed and looked up at him, her green eyes looking at him sadly.
"I know and I'm sorry... I should keep him at bay but... For some reason he really doesn't like you and he doesn't like me talking to you. If he sees me, he'll beat you up so just... just don't talk to me, okay?"
"Whatever."
"You look nice in glasses though. I just wanted to tell you that."
She left quickly and Travis made a face. He knew that he didn't look good in glasses and wasn't very happy that she was taking advantage of his low self esteem to throw that at him. He'd developed a crush on her from afar but he would never let her know about it. She was too busy trying to keep her brother from beating him to a pulp to notice him really and she was a cheerleader now. She had other friends that didn't think he was good to hang around since he was dorky.

*****************

Travis ate lunch by himself and, thinking he was safe and by himself, he took out his book and began to read. He wasn't expecting anyone to be where he was and was happy to get some time to not be briefed about school and such when his book was snatched from his hands.
"Harlequin novels? What are you, gay?" Aylin said with a laugh as he thumbed through the pages. "You just can't stop being weird, can you? Drawing mermaids, talking to fish –or rather, saying you talk to fish-, and now you're reading girly books? If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were a girl."
Aylin tore the book up in front of Travis and he blanched at the pages falling to the ground. Aylin laughed in his face when Travis saw red and the next thing he knew, his fist had made contact with Aylin's face.

*********************

Ruth walked up to the school, embarrassed to have to go there already. She met Fred at the front door and he gave a nod to her.
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Aylin got in a fight... What are you doing here?"
Ruth made a face. "Travis got in a fight too..."
They looked at each other for a moment and then both sighed. They knew that their boys were in the same fight. They made their way into the principal's office and Aylin was sitting with an icepack on his eye, Shana next to him. Travis was in the corner with his arms crossed, his glasses broken and a black eye developing terribly purple. Ruth shot a warning glance to Aylin, who winced, and walked over to Travis.
"Travis-"
"I want to go home." He said softly.
"You'll still have to talk about it." She said.
"I don't care... I just want to go home."
Ruth nodded and they went to the car. As she drove home, Travis looked out the window through his cracked glasses and tried to keep himself from crying. He learned that that could get your man-card taken away and he'd kept it for a while. I'm sure reading romance novels does that too... he said sarcastically in his head. They pulled into the drive way and he immediately opened the door, walking toward the beach.
"Travis... Travis, where are you going?!"
"For a swim!" he screamed. "I want to go for a swim!"
Ruth was taken aback by his outburst as he tromped toward the ocean. She went after him quickly.
"Travis, if you go in the water, especially the salt water-"
"I know what happens when I get in it, Ruth. I'm not stupid!"
"I know that, Travis... What happened?"
"It's all your fault! Why do you have to be so girly?! Why do you have to like all of that stuff and mess me up!?"
"I don't know what you mean."
"I was reading a book and Aylin tore it up in front of me because it was a romance book."
"Well, why were you reading one in the first place?" Ruth said with a frown. "Those are for grown people."
"Like I don't know what a vagina is."
Ruth was a little flabbergasted at that response but Travis tramped more to the ocean.
"Travis, what do you think you'll accomplish by going back to the ocean?"
"I don't know; but there are creatures who don't judge me by what I do or what I look like. Maybe I'll turn back into a real seahorse and get away from you."
"Travis..."
"Ever since I lived with you, I've had nothing but trouble. I know I'm from the sea, from where I don't know, but I'm sure it was better than being a stinking human!"
"Please don't do this to me, Travis." Ruth said, her heart breaking.
"I'm not from your world!" he yelled, ripping off his glasses.
He stomped to the edge of the water and shed all his clothes, wading into the water until he began to feel his legs meld together and then he ducked under. He opened his eyes and everything was clear to him and he saw his legs finish turning, the last of the tail curling under him so he could swim away.

***********************

Ruth went to her knees and began to cry uncontrollably. She'd lost her son, the only thing that made any sense anymore. The only thing she loved more than herself. He was gone and most likely would never come back to her. She rocked on the beach in the sand, holding herself in agony. Storm clouds rumbled over her but she didn't care if she got sick or anything. Death was better than feeling the heartache. Once the raindrops hit her head though, she found it practical to go inside. Even though she didn't think he would, she set out a change of clothes for Travis and a towel just in case he decided that he wanted to come back home to her. She went past her kitchen, not bothering to do anything about it and went to her room and in her bed to go to sleep and cry.

******************

Late that night, the door opened and Travis walked in with the towel wrapped around him. His leg was hurting him and he was cold. He wrapped the towel around him more and then flopped onto the couch, curling up. He found it odd that Ruth wasn't up waiting for him but it just confirmed his suspicions that she was tired of him. No one wants me here anymore and neither does the sea... He snuggled in the warming towel and fell asleep.
When Ruth got up, she automatically went to cry out Travis' name but realized that he was gone now. He hadn't come back in and she sighed, running her fingers through her graying hair. It would be a lot different than before to get used to being alone again... She went downstairs without her slippers or robe, not caring, and made herself some coffee. As the coffee perculated, she remembered how fascinated Travis had been when he watched her pour the water in and the brown water came out. Thinking about it made her start to sniffle and she felt tears run down her face. She quickly wiped her eyes as the coffee finished and she poured herself a cup. She decided to go and sit in the living room instead and rounded the corner when she saw Travis lying on the couch. She gasped, putting her hand on her chest. Ruth wanted to be happy about him being back but she had a feeling that things were not going to be the same now.
Ruth looked him over and noticed that his left ankle had a bad bite on it from something. She went and grabbed the first aid kit to wrap his ankle up. He didn't twitch or anything, which Ruth thought was a good thing. Even though she didn't want to, she couldn't help but move some of his hair from his face in a motherly manner. He only breathed in but he didn't move.
Later that day, he woke up and started to move his leg but found it was bound. He looked at it for a moment, looking around but not seeing much but blur. He sighed, remembering that this form was kind of blind.
"You're up." He heard behind him.
He turned to see Ruth staring at him with a pensive expression. He handed him something and he took it, realizing it was glasses.
"I see you didn't stay in the ocean."
"It wouldn't let me stay." He said curtly. "Apparently, to all the other fish, I made a deal and I wasn't supposed to go back. I'm stuck here for good."
Ruth nodded and slightly pointed. "You had some sort of cut on your ankle so I wrapped it for you."
"Got clipped by a crab..."
Ruth nodded. "There's uh... lunch on the table if you're hungry for human food."
She walked toward the kitchen.
"I'm sorry." Travis said softly and she stopped. "I didn't mean to make you cry."
Ruth just smiled. "I'm just glad you're home."