I have these aches from lying on that hard coral, and even though memories of a mattress are thin in my mind, the way that it felt is still imprinted on some parts of my brain.
I sigh, even with no people in sight, my mind still tends to wander, and a part of me can't help but hear another song clashing with my own. It's so repetitive, I remember the last time I tried to get close enough to hear it, a hook got caught in my jaw, and now that hurts.
All those stupid surface people want to do is throw lines so they can eat, but they never know what catches in their line.
I sit up on my fins and frown. I wish I could just take a chunk out of them, but I want to draw less attention to myself knowing how they would react. So it's best if I keep myself hidden, even though I've already come too close by traveling to that damned island.
No matter how far I try to swim, that other song always pulls me back. I need to get to the source to really put a stop to it. Every time I even hum the tune, it reminds me of my time on the surface and spending time with that damned Serina, as if that did me any good.
Neither she nor those other friends of mine really did me any good; they were just buying time til we would all go our own separate ways. Leaving me to be the pity as I always am, as they go and do such great work, as if I could compare to an entire Farm Hand or Marine biologist.
I mean, I never really had much of a passion other than for writing and maybe journaling. But even then, after a while, I even started to think that wasn't good enough, and a pen became like my own personal Achilles' heel. I couldn't even look at it the same without feeling sorry for myself. The same was it for my old busted-up computer. Even if I bought a new one still couldn't muster a word down, and even when my friends tried to cheer me up, I still felt like shit.
I lick the edge of my sharp teeth and take a glance out into the vast water, a few eels and fish swimming around, mostly avoiding me since I look like a beaten-up predator. A few scars, but still enough to look threatening, which was enough for me to get by. When I wasn't up for chase, I would usually try to find something from the surface, like a mirror or even a brush for this loose hair of mine.
It becomes a whole different texture when you're out in the ocean for a while, but still, it doesn't hurt to use a surface brush to style it. I thump at the side of my webbed ears. Even though most surface objects don't do much work down here, it's sort of nice to have a reminder of the good moments I had.
Even if some of my old friends seem foggy from memory, their names still pop up from time to time, more often Kaito's and Serina's, since I spent the most time with them. But also a little bit of Korian's, the most irritating for some reason, but each time his name pops up. It reminds me of this ignorant fisherman who likes to settle in my territory.
He's mostly blind with little vision to ulitlize but his stupid hearing is excellent, even better than mine at times. It makes me just want to ruin every catch he brings in and scratch up his boat so he knows to leave this part alone. There are better fish closer to the damn island, yet he is so attracted to my stomping grounds, stupid surface man.
My nose catches sight of a school of flying fish as they glide close to the surface, popping up for air and then crashing back down toward me. It intrigues me, so I quickly jump into action, attempting to blend in as if I were part of their school.
My eyes widen, and my gills open as my mouth catches some in my teeth, chomping down as I even follow them to the surface. My back fins are sticking up as if I were a bird, slightly catching air but mostly hitting the cold foam.
The fish is crunchy, salty, almost like peanuts from the surface, and a part of me can't help but continue to follow their path.
More and more I crunch on, licking the iron from my teeth until the hard metal of something comes banging at my head.
The school finally gets the chance to escape as my whole body coils like a worm in the rain. My head is pounding, and that familiar iron leaks from my pale forehead, vision blurry as my senses go haywire.
The sight of something large and gray is in sight, but my fingers twitch from the pain.
I try to slightly glance up, but my body rejects all forms of sudden movement, and vomit starts to burn the inside of my throat.
Something swims past me, and I attempt to reach out, but it leaves my sight before I can touch it.
"What the hell was that? Did I-did I just run into a fucking boat or something?" Even my teeth hurt, and my vision sees double, that familiar gray object starts to dash toward me.
"Fuck!" I shout, barely dodging out of the way before it circles back this time, getting a nip at that already sore tail of mine.
Another shot of pain runs up my spine, but also a dose of adrenaline as more small objects start to approach me.
I am the prey now, waiting to be chopped into pieces, and that very thought has my spinning brain send me through the water.
Shooting past like an arrow to a bullseye, I sprint, the creature slightly behind me, but I can tell I'm faster, and even though everything hurts, I know I can't stop.