Capsized (Metaphorically): A THQ Fanfic

CHAPTER 3: Not a Morning Person, to Put it Lightly

That night, Dashlie tossed and turned as the ship rocked back and forth. She drifted in and out of slumber, her dreams almost feverish and incomprehensible, though whenever she woke up, she remembered none of it. Finally, after being shaken awake once more for the thousandth time that night, Dashlie decided enough was enough and she would just wake up and get ready for the day.

Checking her phone, the woman discovered it was five in the morning, which she sighed at and decided that was early enough to get up. Stumbling to the bathroom and clutching onto dressers and walls as the ship rocked back and forth, Dashlie found her way to the bathroom. She rubbed the bags under her eyes, still feeling groggy. Her skin felt chapped and dry, only adding to her unpleasant night.

Finally, after struggling with opening the bathroom door, she slid it open and entered the bathroom. Running a hand through her hair, she sighed once more and turned on the light. Something caught her eye in the mirror and she did a double take. The woman jumped back and screamed, ramming into the shower door as the monster in the mirror copied her. Dashlie slid onto the floor, the cold tiles stinging her skin. She struggled to keep calm as she shook, her hands running up to rub her eyes once again. She was still waking up, that was all. That thought quelled her sudden fears, and she lowered her hands and blinked.

Yes, she was still waking up, that was it. And with her weird dreams last night, it was only expected that they would somehow melt into reality when she first woke up. However, when the woman pulled back her hands and looked down at them as her vision cleared, she felt her heart drop into the pit of her stomach. Her pulse quickened and she spread her fingers out, a pink webbing attaching each finger to the other. She started hyperventilating, pulling back the hem of her nightgown and discovering the same thing with her toes.

Now only shaking more than before, Dashlie slowly raised herself up to face the mirror once more. She blinked several times, begging that she was still dreaming and would wake up at any second or that she was still delirious with the lack of sleep. However, no matter how much she shook her head, rubbed her eyes, or pinched herself, the inhuman reflection would not disappear.

In front of her stood something that looked like her, but something was not right. Her ears had been turned to webbed fins, her skin was spotted with pink scales along her cheeks, chest, and limbs. Her eyes, once a pretty blue, were now a pinkish-red. When she opened her mouth in shock, she observed her teeth were sharp and pointy, and her tongue was strangely forked. Dashlie's hair, once only dyed silver over her natural black hair, was now just straight up silver.

Dashlie took a step back, her brain still struggling to process what the hell was going on. She quickly exited the bathroom and turned on the light in her room, finding her phone and thinking of someone to contact. Finally, she decided on Don, knowing he answered her texts no matter what time of day it was.

Half-Pint Gremlin

Me
DON!!!!! GET HERE ASAP!!!

Dashlie watched her phone, growing tense as she wondered if Don would even see her text. However, a few seconds later, her message was marked as read, and she felt her hopes rise as she saw the three dots bounce on Don's end as he texted her back.

Half-Pint Gremlin

Half-Pint Gremlin
why???
b*tch whats wrong??????
Me
I'M NOT DYING IN CASE YOU WERE WONDERING
BUT IT CERTAINLY FEELS THAT WAY
SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT
PLEASE JUST HURRY

Dashlie's messages were left on read, but a minute later, there was a soft, hurried knock on her door. Quickly, Dashlie shuffled to the door that connected her room to Duni's room and opened it, and Don quickly entered. "Why'd you text me?? What's wrong—" the young man cut himself off as the door closed and his eyes landed on Dashlie, his face expressing his shock. No words escaped his open mouth as he took a step back into her room.