Opal Waters | ✔

Chapter 28

The bus pulled away from the side of the road, lurching forward as I tried my best to keep steady against the bumpy vehicle. The older man sat halfway through the bus, closer to the driver. His eyes watching me as I must have looked like a dramatic teenager.

He smiled, but I turned to look away once again. His eyes still boring holes into my skin as he did so. I shook my head, I just wanted people to leave me alone but for some reason they just couldn't. He rises from his seat, holding tightly to the chairs around him as he wobbles his way towards me, swaying with every bump the bus hits.

It took a few moments but eventually he was sitting in the chair directly across from me, as the other passengers watch carefully. He was drawing too much attention. My brain started counting every person on the bus.

One... two...four...seven....nine people, there were nine other people on the bus beside the two of us. This wasn't good! The more they payed attention the more information they would have to go to the police if they were asked. I did my best to calm myself down, reminding myself that this was the reason you take the bus, there is no way to track who has been on and off and where they did so.

My chances were good, that no one would remember me, but something about my hair would set the for a loop. I quickly tucked it into my hood on my jacket. The less they knew about me the better. The older man turned to look at me, his face even wrinklier up close. The stench of fish even stronger now, but oddly it was comforting, reminding me of where I was going and what I would need to do when I was down there.

The ocean was my new home, and as I wait for him to speak; cause at this point I was sure he was going to, I put my story back together in hopes that him and the blonde believed it.

"You are out awfully early, where are you going?" His voice reminded me of a Santa Claus character in a movie, his hair, and the stubble the was on the edge of his chin couldn't possibly help. I glared at him, trying my best to keep my face soft and not showing too much emotion, but his question was a little uncalled for.

"Where are you going?" I questioned, throwing it back at him. I wished I'd had more things, things like headphones and music, then I would be able to cut him out, but living at the commune we didn't get things like that, unless we bought them ourselves. I was never allowed to leave and buy them for myself.

"To work, I work at the docks," He smiled, leaning his head against the window as he took in the rest of the bus. Everyone was still staring and part of me was happy about it, but the other half wished they would mind their own business.

"How is that?" I ask. My heart racing as she seemed a little too interested in talking, but what made it worse, is that is the exact bus stop I was going to get off at. I knew it was close to the water, it was safely far enough out of town, and actually the furthest location the bus would drive to.

"Well, it's pretty fishy sometimes," He winked, laughing at his own joke. I would guess his age was probably around his middle fifties, but he looked to be much older than that.

"I can imagine," I mumbled, my eyes dancing over his jacket. At first the tan had looked like it was a nice jacket, a very well dressed jacket, but the closer I got and the more I could see I realized there were stains all over it, tiny patches of brown and red. It must be from the fish. My heart starting racing again in my chest, I was talking to a fish murderer, and though he didn't know about me, the idea of still being this close to someone who killed creatures like me was devastating.

My palms were growing sweaty at this point, and I wished for the necklace that would keep me from transforming. But i'd lost it, and I hadn't waited until I could get a new one. Mentally cursing myself I wished I would have waited. Realizing as I got further away from the school there were a lot of things I should have done differently.

"So where are you going?" He questions, his eyes dancing over every detail of my body. I tried my best to hide my bag behind my back. The more he looked at it the more he would be able to identify it when I threw it away.

"To work," I muttered, my heart racing. Would he buy it? Were there places to work around the dock that wasn't at the dock? Maybe this could work in my advantage he would take me under his wing, and show me the ropes and I would be able to sneak away, without a trace from there. Slip into the water, pretend that I fell in and they would assumed I drowned. They would spend so much time searching for my body that they wouldn't have time to search for me. Then, when the mermaids came after me, I would be long gone.

My mind dances around the new idea, my new escape plan. I felt brilliant for coming up with it so quickly.

"Where do you work?" The old man seemed like he was judging me, like my story was that of a fraud. If only he knew what the rest of his day was going to entail.

"Yes, I'm new to the docks and I'm going to need some help finding my way around," He smiled, his eyes still cocked to the side in question. But eventually he sunk back into his chair and nodded.

"Well okay then,"