swim || remus lupin

poolside

"Syd, grab me another white claw, will you?"

"Alright!" I called over to the wavy-haired blonde. I reached into the cooler and pulled out an extra can as I made my way back through the sliding doors and into the hot summer sun. I slipped the drink into the hands of the girl beside me and took my seat in the lawn chair by the pool.

"Nellie, are you coming in?" A second girl called from the sparkling water. Her dark brown hair and tan skin shining in the sun.

"In a bit, Leils," Nell responded, taking a sip of her drink. "I wanna sit with Syd for a minute," she smiled at me.

Eleanor Vance was my best friend in all of America. We met in the first grade when I first moved to Pennsylvania with my grandparents and Theo, and the three of us had been inseparable ever since. Along the way, we picked up Leila Laturn, a sunny brunette with two moms and a serious shopping addiction. Leila brought her best friend, Olympia Fournier, who had golden ringlets of hair and a knack for painting. Nellie was the troublemaker, I was her partner in crime, and Leila and Olympia fell neatly in line as our supporting characters.

On most summer afternoons, the four of us could be found at my place, with me lounging by the pool and the other three taking shifts between tanning beside me and enjoying the refreshing water.

"So, have you responded to that fancy English boarding school yet?" Nell asked. I shrugged. "What? Why not?"

"Why would I want to move halfway across the world for my senior year just because some old person sent me a letter?" She rolled her eyes.

"Uhh because of the British boys?" I laughed. "Besides, isn't that where your parents went?" I nodded. "At least think about it."

"Think about what?" My brother stepped out into the sun, screwing the cap back onto his plastic water bottle.

"Nothing," I replied quickly.

"Hey Theo!" Leila shouted from the pool earning her a wave.

"What do you mean nothing?" He questioned. Nellie rolled her eyes.

"That boarding school that reached out to her, she still hasn't responded," Theo's eyes darkened.

"I thought you said you weren't going," I eyed him shakily and didn't respond. "Well? Are you going or aren't you?" He pressed, raising his voice enough to gain the attention of the two girls who were splashing in the pool.

"I haven't decided yet," he scoffed.

"What, looking like that whore mother of yours wasn't enough? Now you want to go live like her too?" He spat at me.

"Mother of ours," I corrected.

"Woah chill," Nellie cautioned. "Why shouldn't she want to go find out more about your mom?"

"That bitch was no mom of mine," Theo coughed. "And maybe she's right, Syd, maybe you should go be with your kind. You already fit in well seeing what a lying and manipulative slut you are," he seethed.

"What's he talking about?" Olympia asked, rising from the pool and grabbing her towel.

"Theo, stop," I pleaded.

"Stop? How long are you planning to keep up this facade?" He turned to the other three girls. "I'll bet none of you know a single true thing about my sister."

"He's lying. You do know me, I promise," I cried. "Theo, can't we just deal with this later?" I rose from my chair and tried to steer him back inside. He ripped free from my touch immediately.

"No, we're ending this now," he stated. "You guys want to know who she really is?" I shook my head and backed away from him.

"Theo, please, don't do this."

"Why do you think she never swims?"

"She has Aquagenic Urticaria," Nellie explained. Theo laughed loudly.

"Or so she's told you."

"What?" The three girls looked to me for answers. I couldn't bring myself to meet their gazes.

"That's the thing about my dear sister," Theo said. "She's a deceitful, dangerous, manipulative, whore," he listed, inching towards me with each word. "And I'll prove it," he declared with a dark smile as he grabbed my arm.

"Please," I uttered, barely above a whisper. But it was too late. He had uncapped his water bottle and the shivering liquid ran down my left arm, seeping into my pores. I cried out in pain as the semicircular scales ripped through my skin to reveal themselves. My three best friends backed away. Theo smirked.

"You see? She's been deluding you the whole time," Theo instigated. "She's a grotesque creature, just like her mother."

"What are you, some kind of sea freak?" Olympia asked, clutching Leila's left arm. Panic coursed through my veins.

"A mermaid," I explained. "I'm sorry, I wanted to tell you but-"

"Stop," Leila interrupted, eyeing me up and down suspiciously. "Theo's right, if you weren't dangerous you would have told us."

"He does know you the best out of all of us," Olympia noted. My mouth fell open but no sound came out.

"Nellie?" I implored, turning to the blonde who had yet to comment. She met my eyes for the first time. Hers, green as a brush of sage, scanned my face briefly before falling back to my arm, which was coated in red blood from the small slices. She pressed her lips into a thin line.

"We should go," and they did. A single tear rolled down my face before slipping off of my chin and onto my chest, sprouting it's own set of scales.

"That's how everyone at this fancy prep school of yours will react too," Theo promised, dropping the plastic bottle to the ground. "That's how everyone reacts when they find out they've been friends with a monster." His words echoed in my mind and ricocheted through my soul. And he was right.

"Sydney, Sydney, Sydney.." he repeated fadingly as he walked away.

"Sydney."

"Syd!" I shook awake.

"Remus?" His silhouette leaned over me in the dark. "What time is it?" I mumbled, rubbing my eyes.

"Can I talk to you?"

________

Hehe short one today but this should cover most of the questions you guys have been asking about the water stuff.

Sidenote: I made a few minor changes to "her buoy" just for consistency purposes. You won't have to reread if you've been caught up but some of the things she said to Remus regarding this day didn't directly correlate so I wanted to cover any holes :)

Also.. 3k VIEWS IN ONLY A WEEK bye i'm in love w all of you thank you so much <33333