The Prison of Deviants

Chapter 19: Theo's Fall

"Hey, Knut! You can control fire too?"

"Oh, hey there, Miss Sinclaire! Uhm, yeah, I can..."

He scratches the back of his head somewhat timidly. I have never witnessed his shy side before. This is interesting.

"Amazing! So, you're not really a dual elemental, but a triple one?"

"Yeah. Sorry that I didn't tell you before, but I don't really fancy talking about it. It's considered anomalous, as I've said once." He shrugs. "No deviant can own three elements. I guess it's because my mother was an infected human, just like in my brother's case."

"Well, you definitely are stronger than all the other deviants, then. I think it is better that way."

He talks like it's a bad thing, when, in fact, it's a huge advantage. If he can control all three elements, it makes him kind of omnipotent.

"Heh, apart from my brother, you're the only one to think so." He scratches his head again. His cheeks flush. "Thank you, Miss Sinclaire."

"Just call me Theo," I reply. "I always refer to you as Knut, after all."

"Haha, alright..."

"Hey, Theo, are you coming?"

Annabelle is waiting for me. Her three merpeople friends are by her side. I guess I can't linger here any longer, even if I'd love to spend some more time with Knut.

"Well, I guess you have to go? It's your first time hunting, isn't it?" Knut smiles. "See you later, Miss_ I mean Theo."

We both laugh. I wave a hand at him and run to Annabelle and her friends. We exit through the gate.

"Well, what were you talking about? Spill it, lucky girl!" Annabelle hits me on the shoulder in a sisterly manner.

"Ugh, come on! I just said hi!"

"Aww, you're blushing!" 

Annabelle laughs. I do indeed feel my cheeks burn, and it makes me all the more embarrassed. 

"So, Theo, these are my friends: Rachel, whom you've already seen once, Justina, and Rachel's boyfriend, Rio - a dolphin deviant."

I recognize Justina - she's that mermaid who's always been tagging along with Rachel. Rio too was present at the merpeople party. He has long grey-to-blue hair and deep turquoise eyes, like a typical dolphin merman.

"Nice to meet you all. I'm Theo Sinclaire."

I shake their hands.

"Nice to meet you too, Theo," Rio replies.

"Well, let's go whale-hunting!" Annabelle cries.

We head to the south and walk through the woods. Annabelle and the merpeople are telling one another some inside jokes which I cannot comprehend. Soon, however, they silence down - we reach the southern edge of the island. 

We emerge from the woods in an open meadow on a high cliff. Below us is the ocean. The waves are crashing against the stony cliff and the reefs. Now I understand why Honorée didn't escape from here - it's quite a dangerous area. All the prisoners who cannot fly or swim will have a hard time crossing the barrier from this side. Unfortunately for me, even if I'm a raven deviant, I still don't have wings, so I'm unable to fly. As for swimming, I was never good at it. Why did I ever think I'd manage to cross the water all the way up to the barrier, or even worse - go whale-hunting?

"Whoever's the last one is the loser!"

Rachel whoops and jumps right off. We hear a splash of water - she's dived in. Soon after, she emerges, already in her mermaid form, with the dazzling orange fish-tail.

"Well, come on in!"

She waves a hand at us. Annabelle begins to take the prison clothes off, while Rio plunges right in. Once he touches the water, his feet turn into a grey dolphin-tail. Even a grey fin emerges on his back. He jumps out and begins to perform various tricks in the water. Truly such a show-off...

"I'll be faster than you!" Justina jumps off.

"Oh, no, you won't!"

Annabelle doesn't fall behind. I watch them make a huge splash as they both land into the water simultaneously. Justina has a sparkling tail of a goldfish. Goldfish merpeople are rare. She truly is beautiful.

"Come on, Theo! You're the last one!" 

Annabelle cries to me from down below. A bat-vampire and so good at swimming? I guess, having been a human once, has its privileges... If I too had agreed to my mom to attend the swimming classes back in my childhood, this whole thing wouldn't have seemed so scary now. I craved freedom so hard that I totally forgot I never enjoyed the seaside, even when dad would take us on beach trips. My brother used to swim so adroitly, while I couldn't manage to stay in the water even for only fifteen minutes. I can swim, of course, but I'm far from perfect.

"What are you waiting for?"

They seem to grow impatient. I guess I should've never accompanied them... I take some steps back.

"I... I don't know. I can't..."

"Come on! Whales won't be waiting forever!" 

Annabelle's grown angry, just as I expected. She probably considers me a nuisance. Why did I ever ask to accompany them if I can't even jump into the water? - That's what she must be thinking right now.

I am still hesitant - those waves are crashing against the reefs so hard... If I jump and land wrongly, I'll die. Then, of course, as Annabelle's said, she won't be at fault.

"Oh? Having problems, are we?"

I freeze - Derek's behind me. When did he even get here?

"Huh? No, I'm alright." I frown. "My friends are down there. I'll manage."

"Really?" His blue eyes sparkle in a menacing way. I retreat and halt at the edge of the cliff - below me, there's an abyss. "They're waiting for you, I gather... Let me give you a little hand!"

He pushes me off the cliff. I scream.

"Goodness, she's falling right into the reefs!"

"She'll die!"

I hear Rio's and Annabelle's cries. I guess I'm indeed going to land wrongly. I didn't even jump of my own free will. Of course, I'd lack precision.

So, this is how it's going to end?

Theo Sinclaire. Eighteen. Raven deviant. Died in the prison of deviants, pushed off a cliff by a gruesome shark she had rejected.

How pathetic...