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Feferi lay on her bed, examining the faded stick-on stars that were desperately attempting to glow in the still bright dusk lighting that was shining through her window. All the girls have rooms on the West side of the Altria Center, and since Feferi was the first to arrive at the house, she claimed the largest room at the end of the hall. This meant that she always had more light than anyone else in the house right before nighttime. The foot of her bed was adjacent to her mirror and the magenta door, with her cousin’s bed on the other side of the large bedroom. Pictures collected over the years were covering the door and the edges of her mirror. Her desk faced the window that opened to the backyard of their house, right next to Meenah’s bed. A squat dresser sat below the window, covered in trinkets from both girls, but they were mostly Feferi’s knickknacks.
Her cousin’s bed was covered in clothes and jewelry. The rings, necklaces, and earrings never seemed to move from the bed, but Meenah was wearing some form of jewelry at all times. Feferi’s bed wasn’t neat, but it was tidier than the mountains of clothing on Meenah’s side of the room. The canopy of her bed created a thin shield between the two sides. Her sheets were in a perpetual state of wrinkled, sometimes with some clothing or jewelry on top, but not enough to lose anything within the pile. The room fan blew her hair into her face and she pulled it away.
She rolled onto her side to look over at the empty fish tank next to her bed. It used to have one inhabitant, a small octopus that she found on the beach. She fed it small crabs and fish for a full week before the caretakers found out and forced her to release it. They said that it had to be gone within a day, or they would bring the both of them to the shore to say their goodbyes before it was released.
Her other empty habitat, a medium bird cage, sat in the corner adjacent to the door. Two lovebirds held residence there until Meenah came to live with her. When her cousin came into the room, she set her bags on the bed, examined the room, then said, “My name is Meenah, and you’re the fairy, right?” Feferi frowned. “Feferi. My name is Feferi.” She didn’t think she would like this arrangement one bit. No matter, she would stay positive through this. “Feferi. Fe-fer-i. Okay, now I’ve got it,” she paused to examine the room, and her eyes rested on the birdcage. “So when are you getting rid of those birds?”
Feferi sighed, distancing herself from the memory of her birds being released without her consent or presence. She resumed staring at the ceiling above her bed. All she wanted was a pet for goodness sakes. Then, through her door, she heard some voices from the hallway. “Well why do you want to see her?” a female voice questioned. “I don’t believe that is any of your business! Now if you will excuse me, I need to get past you!” another stuffier and distinctly male voice answered.
Feferi sat up. Boys weren’t supposed to be in the girl’s hallway, not after the raiding incident anyway. “I think I’ll be the judge of that!” the first voice taunted. “Terezi, let me through! I have to give something to her!” A slight accent was showing through in his voice. Feferi realized who it was and her mouth turned down in an ever so slight frown. She groaned inwardly and laid back down on her bed. “Oh are you trying to win her over?” Terezi laughed. “Leave me alone!” he commanded. Sounds of a scuffle sounded through the door, then quickly ended. “Feferi and Eridan sitting in a tree!” Terezi teased. Another voice joined the conversation, “K-I-L-L-I-N-G!” “Vriska!” Terezi groaned, followed by a laugh.
“Terezi Pyrope, let me through!” he pleaded. “Not until I see what you’ve got!” “No!” “Just give up the goods, stripy!” The boy huffed quite vocally. “Vriska, this is none of your business!” She let out a quick laugh. “Well I was going to make you another plan, but I guess arguing outside my door doesn’t count as an annoyance in your book.” Feferi pulled a pillow over her face. Vriska and her silly plans. There was a reason that the boys weren’t supposed to be in this hall and it was because of one of those plans. “Terezi started it!” “Oh yeah, real mature, blame it on a girl wanting a little privacy in her own hallway,” Vriska chided. You could practically hear the steam come out of his ears. “For your information, I have to give this to Feferi before it dies, so if you will excuse me,” he grunted. “Not until you show us what it is!” Terezi said.
“So help me Terezi I will send Gamzee over here if you keep this up!” he threatened. “You wouldn’t,” she scoffed. “Gamzee could you come here a minute?” he shouted. *slam* Someone’s door had just been thrown open. “If you all don’t play nice, I am sending Kankri over here so he can tell you why you are all triggering me!” Someone had released the Porrim. Seconds later, there was scuffling of feet and two doors slamming shut. Even if he had only been here a short while, everyone knew not to be roped into one of Kankri’s lectures.
Then the intruder finally knocked on Feferi’s door. “Feferi? It’s Eridan.” Eridan had been growing more and more possessive and honestly it was starting to grate on her nerves. She had been avoiding him for a while as best she could, but there was no way to avoid it now. “Please let me in. I have a present.” At least she’d get a nice gift out of this however it went. Sighing, she pulled herself up from her bed and slowly walked over to her door, dragging her feet through her throw rug. She opened the door and looked at those huge glasses. “Hi Eridaaaaaaaa-!” she hardly noticed when her voice went up a full octave. Cupped in his hands was a clear plastic bag. Inside the bag was a small black goldfish with huge bulging eyes. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Vriska’s door slowly opening, and a small telescope being pushed through... “Quick, come in!” she said, pulling at his elbow. “What?!” he said, only half protesting. Feferi heard Vriska curse from the other side of the blue door, as she closed her own door.
“Where did you get it?” she giggled, pulling the bag out of his hands. “I made a special request with the caretakers, and they said if I could find one online then they would order it...” “He’s so cute!” She held the bag close to her face. “He doesn’t look very happy in that bag,” she commented. Eridan rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Well he got a little shaken up while I was hiding him from Terezi...” Feferi’s eyebrows shot up. “Oh! I’d better put him in a proper tank,” she said, quickly turning and dashing to her bedside table. “Here you go little guy!” she cooed as she poured the contents of the bag into the tank. She had been maintaining it for a while now, determined to sneak in a smaller critter so she could have another pet. This time she didn’t have to hide her new friend.
“Eridan!” she squealed again. He flinched. “What?” he stuttered out, trying to maintain his limited impressiveness. “Thank you so much!” The two of them started when the hallway bell rang out. “Room time!” one of the caregivers hollered. Feferi glanced at the clock. “It’s ten thirty...” Eridan pulled himself away from the bed. “I guess I’ll be going now...” “Wait!” Feferi stopped him. “You have to help me name him first!” “But they said...” “Just say it was my fault,” Feferi dismissed his worries. “What should I name him?” She asked again. “Merlin,” Eridan replied automatically. “Eridan, your hamster and my fish can’t have the same name!” Feferi rolled her eyes with a laugh. “He isn’t named Merlin!” he protested. She gave him a look. “Well it isn’t his first name!” he corrected. “Oh really?” Feferi asked sarcastically. “His name is Albus Merlin the Third!” Eridan shouted indignantly. “You have to name him Merlin,” he insisted. She gave him a look. He shot one right back. She giggled, and then her laughter bubbled over. He wasn’t sure why they were laughing, but he mustered a tight chuckle. Feferi’s laughter had always been contagious for Eridan.
Slowly, their laughter faded, and they were left with a deafening silence. Eridan realigned his glasses, pushing them up with his thumb under the left lens. Feferi studied his face. He had striking greyish blue eyes that were so dark it looked as though thousands of ships had disappeared in the murky water. Very few people noticed his eyes. They were almost always hidden behind his thick glasses, and no one saw the need to look past them. He caught her staring and didn’t stop himself from staring back. Feferi’s eyes were a bright blue-green that complimented her wavy brown hair. They were vibrant and full of life, exactly like a colorful reef. If eyes were oceans, then hers would be densely populated with the most brilliantly colored fish in the world. Eridan cleared his throat, and the moment was gone.
“I guess you should go now... They’re going to come and pull you out by your stripes in a minute,” Feferi teased, pulling at the end of his signature scarf. “Don’t give those trolls any ideas,” he deadpanned. Feferi let a small grin slip past her guard. “Get going, stripy.” He bristled, but she was already pushing him towards the door. “Thank you for Merlin,” she smiled. He turned the door knob and a certain pair of tenants toppled through Feferi’s doorway. Terezi, who had been completely blindsided by the opening door, sat up and scowled at the cup in her hand. “You chipped my glass!” Vriska pulled her blonde hair out of her eyes and looked up. “So who’s Merlin?” “His hamster,” Feferi replied, delivering a kick to the top of Vriska’s head. “Ow! Hey!”
Feferi leaned over the other girls. “Now get out of my room,” she said. There was an aggressive spark in her eye. Terezi had already scrambled to her feet, and she pulled at the corner of Vriska’s shirt. “Vriska...” she warned. Vriska smirked at Feferi. Then she grabbed Terezi’s arm and pulled herself up. “I don’t know what your problem with me is, Peixes,” she paused and tilted her head back, her glasses flashing in the dim light, “but whatever it is, you can let it go.” She reached to pat Feferi’s shoulder, thought better of it, and turned to Terezi, “Goodnight Pyrope,” she said, and nodded at Eridan, “Ampora.” She opened her door, “And you too Feferi.” Then she stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
No one spoke. Then Terezi broke the silence, “Well, I guess I have to turn in too. Night!” she said, and hurried into her room. “Are you girls always so dramatic?” Eridan said incredulously. He ran a hand through his chocolate brown hair. The part he had dyed purple was starting to grow out and would be dyed yet again by the end of the week. “Only if certain people are snooping outside my room!” she shouted over her shoulder at the troublesome duo’s doors as they walked down to the end of the hall. At the stairs, she turned about-face to look at Eridan. “Goodnight Eridan,” Feferi smiled. “Goodnight Feferi,” he replied automatically. He didn’t move. She glanced over his shoulder to see if Vriska was up to any shenanigans. Nothing was there. Glancing down the hall, she gave him a quick peck on the cheek then rushed into her room. Sometimes she was happily surprised by that boy, and this definitely was one of those times.
~*~*~*~
Feferi leaned her head against the door and let out a happy sigh. “You kids are adorable.” Feferi’s eyes flew open. Meenah, her cousin, was lounging on the other bed with a bag of saltines. There were crumbs scattered everywhere. “When did you even come in?” “Obviously not early enough; I don’t know why you’re blushing so much,” Meenah teased. Feferi’s hand flew to her face. “It couldn’t have been that scandalous!” her cousin laughed. “I should give you a leash,” Feferi said, quirking one eyebrow. She walked over to her cousin’s bed and took a handful of saltines. “Get your own!” Meenah protested, slapping her arm. Feferi sat down on her bed. “I’m serious. I’ll have Sollux wire an alarm system into your brain and you won’t be able to sneak up on me anymore,” Feferi mused. “I doubt it,” Meenah said, chomping away. Feferi huffed then lay down on her bed. “Why do you sneak up on me anyway?” She looked over at her cousin. “Because after Aranea, you have the best reactions,” Meenah chuckled. Feferi groaned and rolled so she was facing the wall and away from her cousin.
After a few more saltines, Meenah decided she still wanted to talk. “Want to go swimming tomorrow?” “What?” Feferi looked over her shoulder. “Well I don’t have any plans, and I haven’t been to this beach yet.” “Really? I love this beach!” Feferi gushed. “Well you sure do have plenty to choose from,” Meenah commented. “Humph.” The silence descended again. “I like your new fish,” Meenah said. “I thought you hated pets.” Feferi was a bit confused. “I just don’t like birds.” “Oh.” The unfamiliarity between the two was palpable. Neither of them knew how to act around the other. Even if one has known about a relative for years and even spoken a few times, they are still as familiar as a stranger.
Finally, mercifully, the bell broke the silence. It was eleven, right on the dot. “Lights out!” one of the caregivers hollered. All but one of the caregivers were men, and this time it sounded like the one that loved to bake. And set himself on fire. The house’s tenants were never told the caregiver’s actual names, so they gave them nicknames, which they usually responded to. They rotated positions biweekly, half of them went to the science center, and the remainder went to the Altria House. From what the group could tell, the order was randomized. The groupings varied, but the one constant was the woman; she came on the 8th and the 18th of every month, nothing more, nothing less.
Whenever she looked at the kids, it seemed as though she were peering through a microscope at her most prized discovery. The look could be classified as loving, but very restricted and calculating. She seemed to hold the belief that children were ticking time bombs that she could diffuse if she had the proper equipment, but there was nothing suitable in the lab. Feferi liked her as much as any of the others, but she was still an oddball. She was a bit like Dr. Scratch, whom she knew the same amount, or maybe even less than that icy woman.
Feferi seemed to be lost in thought. Meenah decided to break her out of it. Slowly, she set down the saltines on her night stand. She gingerly placed her foot on the ground, setting her weight onto it. Feferi didn’t notice as her cousin made her way across the room, stopping just a foot away from her cousin who was still facing the wall. She cupped her hands over her mouth. “Feferi?” she said quietly. Feferi jerked out of her train of thought. “Yeah?” she said as she turned towards where she thought her cousin was. “Bah!” Meenah shouted, throwing herself forward. Feferi’s eyes grew huge and she shrieked. She shot right up and managed to bump her head on the wall.
“Meenah!” she scolded, “What was that for?” Meenah was in stitches. “It seemed like you needed a goodnight fright!” she teased. “Meenah!” Feferi groaned. “Goodnight little miss fairy,” Meenah ribbed, and sauntered back to her side of the room. “Goodnight Meenah,” Feferi groaned, pulling the cord of the last light in the room. She didn’t turn her back to the wall this time. Instead, she dangled her hand in the fish bowl. Merlin swam about her fingers. A stream of bubbles floated to the surface and quietly popped. “Goodnight Merlin,” Feferi whispered. She didn’t move her hand, and Merlin didn’t seem to mind other than the occasional nibble on her fingertips. She slowly drifted off to sleep.
~*~*~*~
Meenah woke up in a cold sweat. Something was not right in this room. Sitting up in bed, she slowly scanned the room. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. The door was just how it had been when she fell asleep, and the same could be said of the windows. She glanced over at her alarm clock. It read 4:13. She had only been asleep for five hours, and that was only half of what her summer sleeping schedule usually entailed. What had woken her up? She looked over at her cousin. She had barely moved from the position she had fallen asleep in. Her hair was thrown over her face, her legs were piled on top of one another, and her hand was still in the occupied fishbowl. Could Feferi have been the thing that had woken her up? Meenah took a longer look. She zeroed in on her younger cousin’s breathing. It was too slow. Each breath seemed to take more and more effort for Feferi. Nothing was in her face except her hair, so that couldn’t be it. What was wrong?
Meenah scanned her cousin again. Then her eyes snapped onto her hand. “No...” she breathed. “I thought this was over with...” It was too early! No way could that be happening. Quickly, she raced to the bed. It was just as she had thought. “Right now Feferi? We didn’t think this was even supposed to happen to your group!” Feferi had barely moved herself, but her body had other ideas. When her hand splayed just so, you could see the webbing that had spread itself in between each digit. The same was true for her other hand as well, though not as drastic as the hand that had been in the tank for hours. Then Meenah was struck by a sickening idea. Throwing caution into the wind, she pulled away the hair covering Feferi’s neck. Four broad slits had pulled themselves across her pretty little neck. Slowly, Meenah touched one of the slices. Her eyes grew wide and quickly she pulled her hand away. Those slits were gills.
“No, no, no!” Meenah griped to herself. She stopped. She collected herself. Determination spread across her face, and she turned back to Feferi. “Wake up Feferi! Now!” she commanded, shaking her cousin. One of those bright blue eyes peeked through her groggy eyelid. “Meenah?” Feferi asked, turning to look at the clock. “It’s four in the morning. Whatever it is, it can wait till breakfast.” She turned away from her cousin. Meenah whipped Feferi’s shoulder back so quickly that her cousin’s eyes popped open. “Does this,” she held up Feferi’s hand, “look like it can wait,” she hissed. Feferi’s eyes bulged. As if in slow motion, her mouth opened and she drew in the beginnings of a scream. Meenah latched her free hand over Feferi’s mouth so that no sound could escape. “What do you think you’re doing? If anyone else sees this, they will turn on you so fast your grandkids will have whiplash.” Meenah’s grip on Feferi’s wrist was like a vice. She took a breath. “You know that beach trip I was talking about earlier?” Feferi nodded. “Looks like we need to go now!” With that, Meenah launched Feferi out of her bed, through the doorway, and into the hall.
~*~*~*~
“Meenah,” Feferi breathed as she was dragged down the hallway. Meenah ignored her. “Meenah,” Feferi said a bit louder. She motioned for her to be quiet. “Meenah!” Feferi stamped her foot when they reached the end of the hallway. “Be quiet!” Meenah snapped. Feferi flinched. Then a slight frown replaced her surprise. “Meenah what’s happening?!” she pleaded. Meenah met her cousin’s eyes and saw what she had been expecting. Sparks of fear had settled into her eyes. Any anger directed towards her older cousin was being fueled by pure panic. “We don’t have time to talk right now! Especially not here!” Meenah explained through clenched teeth. “I don’t know how long you’re going to be like this,” she held up her cousin’s webbed hands for emphasis, “and you need water, now!” Feferi stared at her hand, still not believing what she was seeing.
Confirming that Feferi wasn’t going to blow any whistles, Meenah released her death grip. “Okay?” Feferi stared off to places unknown. “Feferi.” She slowly turned her head. “What do we need to do?” Feferi managed a weak smile. She would be okay. “We need to cover you neck and your hands,” Meenah explained, “but no one has anything to cover because of this heat...” “What about a scarf?” Meenah scoffed at the thought. “Why would anyone in their right mind wear a scarf in the middle of summer?” “He thinks it makes him look good,” Feferi laughed, momentarily forgetting her predicament. Meenah raised an eyebrow. “Come on,” Feferi gestured over her shoulder.
The two girls walked through the dimly lit bathroom. An overworked nightlight lit the Jack-n-Jill style room that both the boys and girls used. There were two other bathrooms downstairs, but they were only allowed in one of them. The one they were permitted to use didn’t have a shower. The girls’ side and boys’ side were always battling over which side could use the shower first. Feferi stopped in front of the mirror. Her reflection wasn’t quite how she remembered. Her face... It wasn’t wrong, but it certainly wasn’t right either. She couldn’t put her finger on it, but something other than her hand and neck were different. She pulled her fingers along the gills that had formed along her neck. The three slender slits fluttered, searching for another source of air. “Watch it,” Meenah warned. Feferi took a sharp breath. Then she choked. Caught by surprise, she quickly latched onto the sink to keep from falling over.
~*~*~*~
Meenah had been watching her cousin look at herself in the mirror. The transformation was amazing. Feferi seemed mesmerized by the mirror, examining her face, her hands, and the... gills. Even Mituna’s powers weren’t this far out there. Whatever they had was different than Meenah’s group. Feferi was touching those slits on her neck. Whenever Meenah’s friends messed with their powers, no matter how small, it ended badly. “Watch it,” she said. Suddenly, Feferi wobbled and grabbed the lip of the sink. Meenah rushed up and caught her. “I said watch it, you nitwit.”
Feferi grabbed the sink again and pulled herself to her feet. “I’m sorry, I just,” Feferi shrugged. “I would say I told you so, but you have some bigger problems right now... Where is that scarf?” Meenah was back to business, which was unlike her. I must be worse off than I realized, Feferi thought. “Come on. His room is on the end.” They were halfway down the hall by the time Meenah realized what that meant. “You mean Cronus?!” she screeched. Feferi turned. “You’re the one that said to be quiet!” Feferi scolded. “But, but, but, Cronus!” Meenah repeated herself. Feferi rolled her eyes. Whatever had happened between those two had not left a good taste in Meenah’s mouth. Hopefully not literally. “I mean Eridan!” Feferi laughed. “Oh. Right,” Meenah blushed. That wasn’t like her at all. Feferi decided to ignore it.
Finally, they were at the door. Feferi shook the doorknob. It was locked. Then she reached up to knock on the mute purple door, but Meenah stopped her. She pointed at the knob. Feferi shook her head. Rolling her eyes, Meenah shouldered her aside and pulled something out of her pocket. Feferi couldn’t see around Meenah, but seconds later she heard a click. “What…?” Meenah breathed. The door swung open. “Oh good the strippers have arrived!” an overzealous voice chuckled. Cronus pulled Meenah into his arms and dipped her back. “You’re late,” he said, breathing on her face. Then he squealed when Meenah stomped on his ankle. “That hurt,” he moaned. His tone was full of insincerity. Meenah started to pull her arm back to send her fist through his tan face, and Feferi cleared her throat. “Ahem.” Meenah let her arm fall. Instead she scowled at Cronus and pushed him at his bed.
“Where’s that scarf?” Meenah grumbled. Feferi scanned the room. Her hands were buried underneath her arms and her shoulders were hunched up in a feeble attempt to hide her neck from Cronus. She had a feeling that she shouldn’t let anyone else see her like this, and it wasn’t just Meenah’s warning that fueled this hunch. Her eyes finally landed on Eridan. She was caught between shouting and laughing. “Well?” Meenah asked, still not having taken her eyes of off Cronus. She left very little trust, if any, in his care. “He’s wearing it,” Feferi announced. “What?” Meenah’s head spun to look at the other bed. It was just like Feferi had said. The thin sheet was pulled up to his chin, and if one looked closely, you could see the edges of a striped scarf poking out from under the covers. Meenah let loose a short chain of very colorful language. “Why does karma hate me?” she muttered.
Feferi walked over to Eridan’s bed, and tried to tug the covers down. “Careful,” Cronus warned cheekily, “Us artists are very light sleepers.” “You’re as much of an artist as I am a singer,” Meenah sneered. That wasn’t completely true. Cronus was an accomplished composer and lyricist (according to his online fans), but Meenah didn’t care. Gingerly, Feferi pulled the sheet down. Eridan’s fingers were curled tightly around the end of the sheet. She pulled a bit harder. It was difficult with her hands in their current state. “Meenah can you do it?” Feferi needed that scarf, and she couldn’t get it without waking up her friend. “Oh come on,” Meenah stormed over to the bed. She yanked the sheets all the way past his waist. Feferi held her breath. Eridan rolled onto his side and hugged the pillow to his chest, moaning quietly. The air rushed out of her lungs. He hadn’t woken up. “I guess that doesn’t apply to an Ampora having a bad dream,” Meenah grinned triumphantly.
“Good luck getting it off of him,” Cronus replied. Meenah looked back at the sleeping boy. The scarf was wound over itself over and over again, tightly covering his entire neck along with his shoulders. Meenah swore. “Whoa there, you don’t want to make me get the soap do you?” Cronus teased. “Shut up you greasy little weasel. Feferi hold up his head. You need that scarf.” Feferi paled. “Do I really need it that badly?” Meenah’s glare was answer enough. Feferi lifted up his head. That nightmare must have been a curse for Eridan, but it was a blessing for them. Meenah unwound the scarf from around his neck. Finally, they had their prize.
Feferi wrapped the striped fabric around her neck. “This was a ridiculous plan,” Meenah realized aloud. “You’re just now thinking that?” Cronus snorted. “A nighttime raid to get a scarf from your not-quite boyfriend for who knows what reason,” he described the situation. Feferi’s face was suddenly colored crimson. She didn’t deny his little insert, but she certainly wasn’t going to confirm anything either. “So,” he continued, “gills huh?” Meenah slapped him. “It’s not my fault you Piexeses have a thing for water! I’m not a complete idiot!” Meenah huffed. “A thing for... water?” Feferi questioned. “Don’t worry about it,” Meenah tried to usher the thought away.
“What do you mean Cronus?” Feferi turned to the other person who seemed to know more than he let on. “I’m not spilling the beans again,” he answered, throwing his hands up and slouching back onto his bed. “You already did!” He raised his eyebrows. “Sorry Fef.” “Let’s go before it gets any worse,” Meenah said. “I want to know!” Meenah gave her a surprisingly tired look. “Later.” Feferi looked at her cousin quizzically. She seemed entirely exhausted. “Okay,” Feferi relented.
Meenah pulled herself up from the edge of Cronus’ bed. “Let’s go.” They left the room, with Cronus shutting the door behind them. They walked in silence down the boys’ hallway and then turned and went down the stairs to the first floor. They grabbed their shoes and stopped at the front door. “How are you going to get past the security system?” Feferi asked. “Here’s a tip,” Meenah said, wrapping her finger with the end of the scarf, “Always have escape routes.” She punched the three digit code into the panel. *beep beep beep* It sounded like someone diffusing a bomb. Meenah opened the door. “When did it start raining?” Feferi wondered aloud. “I guess it was while we were in their room… I don’t think this is going to be good for you.” Meenah shrugged her worry off. She pushed forward into the heavy rain. “Follow me.”
When they left the house, the two girls raided the garage and grabbed Feferi’s bike. Meenah settled into the seat and Feferi sat on the handlebars. The rain lowered the already limited visibility to next to nothing. Despite that, Feferi knew exactly where to go. This was where she had her earliest memories, and even with the insane events of the night, she wasn’t going to let them delude her directions. After about ten minutes of furious pedaling, they reached the shore and ditched the bike on the boardwalk.
Feferi stood at the edge of the sand, not touching the ocean, even though it was becoming harder and harder to breathe. “Well?” Meenah asked expectantly. “Do I have to?” Feferi asked quietly. Meenah’s mouth hung open. “Of course you do!” she spluttered, “Why else do you think I helped you get that stupid scarf and rode a bike for forever in the rain?!” “Well if I stand out here for much longer it’ll be like I was in the ocean. I’m soaked,” Feferi reasoned. “You had better get in there, or so help me I will drown you!” Meenah shouted. Feferi’s eyebrows furrowed. “That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Augh!” Meenah exasperatedly threw her hands up above her head. All of a sudden, the water seemed to rise up to meet Feferi. Not quite comprehending what was happening, Feferi screamed and scrambled to get away. The water rushed up the sand and washed over her. She desperately tried to swim away, but the water had filled up all the space around her. The snake-like currents grabbed at her arms and legs and turned her head over heels. Her legs found the sand, and the finely eroded shells poked the bottoms of her feet, her flip flops long gone. Just as she began to regain her bearings, the riptide pulled her legs out from under her and her head went back under. The cold water combined with the piercing rain coaxed the air out of her lungs. Water was pulled into her mouth and she was forced to breathe it in. It filled the space where air was supposed to reside. No matter where she searched, all she found was more water. This is how I’m going to die, she realized, I’m going to drown.
Feferi was sure that her life was over. Then, something snapped into position, and there was air at her disposal. She greedily pulled the air into her lungs and was filled with newfound energy. She kicked her legs, and was pushed to the top of the water. She almost leaped out, but then she saw something that was so far out there it still registered on her strange scale. It was Meenah. Feferi figured that she was waiting for her, but what was odd about the whole spectacle was where she was waiting. She was sitting with her feet and legs in the water; only, she was sitting on top of the water. Feferi paddled up to her, not even noticing how quickly she was moving.
Feferi’s head popped up from under the water. Meenah was dragging her hand back and forth through the water, and it seemed to splash in the same direction. “So is this what he meant by a thing for water?” Meenah started. Then she slumped and turned her head to look at her cousin. “Yeah,” she conceded, looking at the water that seemed to be held in by an invisible tank. Feferi looked closely at her cousin. Even with the pouring rain, she seemed to only be a little damp. “Is that why you’re dry too?” “Hm?” Meenah glanced down. “I wouldn’t call this dry, but yeah I’m trying not to melt.” “What are you a wicked witch?” Feferi joked. Meenah smiled. “If anyone here is a witch, it’s you, grumpy gills.” She shoved her cousin back under the water.
~*~*~*~
The girls didn’t pay any attention to the time as they waited for Feferi to come out of her transformation. Feferi wasn’t sure she would at all, but putting her health on the line was not a risk that Meenah would let her take. She forced her cousin to wait in the pouring rain. Slowly but surely, Feferi was reverting back to normal. She had all kinds of questions, but other than her own powers, Meenah was not letting much information slide past her guard. Meenah explained that their powers, despite their seeming similarities, were nothing alike. She could control and water to a molecular level, but only liquid water. Feferi felt that Meenah wasn’t telling her everything, but in her current state she couldn’t summon enough energy to care. By the time the sun was reaching over the horizon, Feferi was relatively human again.
“Why do you think these haven’t gone away yet?” Feferi held her hand to the gills that were still spread across her neck. “Dunno,” Meenah replied, “You should probably grab that scarf though.” Even though she could have rung it out herself, Meenah had set Eridan’s scarf to dry on some of the rocks that bordered the coastline. It was still soaking wet. “Oh you’re letting me out of the water now?” Feferi laughed. Meenah had been like a watchdog, knocking her back into the water every time she tried to jump over the liquid guardrail onto the sand. “Fat chance,” Meenah smirked. The rain had evaporated into a light drizzle. “Girls?” a voice traveled across the beach.
Without a moment of hesitation, Meenah dropped the water fence that Feferi was leaning on. Feferi let out a short shout of surprise. “Come on!” Meenah whispered, dragging Feferi to stand next to her on the beach. She grabbed the scarf and slung it around her cousin’s neck. “It’s all wet!” Feferi couldn’t help but point out. “Augh let me do it,” Meenah grabbed the end of the scarf. She closed her eyes, and then all of the water flowed up her arm. “There you are!” Both of the girls looked up to see… “Who are you?” Meenah asked.
“Hello Doctor!” Feferi greeted. “Who is that lady?” Meenah asked. “You haven’t met her yet?” Feferi’s surprise was shown in her voice. “She’s our doctor.” The Asian woman started to make her way down the beach, wielding an umbrella over her head. “What about Dr. Scratch?” “He’s the entire island’s doctor. She’s only the Altria House’s doctor. She’s the head scientist for the island too.” “Girls come up here and get out of the rain. My next visit isn’t until next week!” the doctor shouted down to them. “Come on Meenah!” Feferi began running up the beach. Meenah stayed put until she saw that the scarf was hardly covering her cousin’s gills. “Fix your scarf!” she cursed and ran up the beach after her.
“I’ll drive you home,” the unexpected doctor said. “Nah we have Feferi’s bike,” Meenah shook off her offer. “It wasn’t a suggestion. Get the bike and get in the van.” Meenah frowned. She wasn’t sure how to react to such a commanding woman telling her to get in a van. “Got it!” In the time that Meenah had been scowling at the strange doctor, Feferi had already retrieved her bike. Meenah quirked an eyebrow but said nothing. “You two had the team worried. I don’t usually get calls from them this early in the morning.” An aura of confidence radiated from the woman as she led the two girls to the laboratory van. Meenah didn’t know if that confidence was well placed, but what she did know is that she did not want to find out.
The doctor’s long black hair was tied back in a bun. She was wearing a dark green coat over what appeared to be a tight black tank top. The end of a black skirt poked out from under the long coat. Her shoes were black dress shoes that didn’t have a spot on them. To top it all off, she was wearing a large black hat with a green band around it. Her outfit looked like something an off duty soldier would wear, not a scientist.
“So what’s your name?” Meenah asked. “Call me Dr. Snow,” the woman replied. “Why haven’t I met you yet?” “Why do you think I would have met you?” “What?” Dr. Snow looked at the older girl. “I haven’t been to the house since my last visit on the 18th. There’s no reason I would have met you.” “Oh.” Meenah couldn’t remember the last time she had been completely shut out like that.
They walked in silence for a while after that. The only sounds were the light pitter patter of rain, the waves crashing into the sand, and the bike’s wheels rolling across the uneven boardwalk. Finally, they spotted a bright white van with the ProDer logo stamped on its side with neon green paint.
As they neared the dubious van, Dr. Snow collapsed her umbrella. She knocked on the side of the van. Unintelligible shouting resounded through the van. “I have them. Start it up.” She said through the cracked window. One of the caretakers was sitting in the driver’s seat. “Hello Mr. Doze!” Feferi smiled at him. He gave her a drowsy nod. “You two will ride in the back,” Dr. Snow said as she opened the passenger-side door. Feferi didn’t question the command and walked to the back of the van, carting her bike beside her. Meenah seemed to be preparing a retort, but when she caught the eye of Dr. Snow she thought better of it and followed her cousin.
The interior of the van resembled that of a police car and an ambulance. A large rolling table was wedged between two retro-styled cushioned benches. The passenger compartment was sectioned off from the other side of the van with grey shelves and a thick wall with a wire window. Feferi had already managed to stuff her bike into the cramped space. “Come on Meenah,” she invited. Feferi had known these people all of her life. Meenah was a bit more dubious of their motives; especially right after what had happened at her last home. “Meenah,” Feferi smiled, patting the other half of the bench. There was no good way Meenah could protest being shoved into the back of a van with the only other outside factor complying completely. Sighing, she decided to pull herself into the van. “Go ahead ‘Mr. Doze’,” Dr. Snow seemingly laughed out the name Feferi had assigned to him. He mumbled something groggily under his breath and started up the van. After a rumbling start, they were off. They quietly zoomed back to the Altria House. The two not-quite strangers were taking Meenah and her cousin ‘home’.