Once upon a time there was a boy and he lived in big castle far, far away. His name was Lucius, and he didn't like it at all. He imagined that Lucius was a name that would make others mock him. On the bright side, no one ever did mock him, on the dark side, there was never anyone there to mock him. He was alone, without friends or enemies, and he would've given anything to have either. He often wished that his father would marry again, to a woman with children so that he might have siblings. Though, as the saying goes, one must be careful what they wish for. When Lucius was eleven, his longing for a brother or sister was met. His father married a tall, stern woman who had seven children, the oldest being a cruel fifteen year old boy, and the youngest a small female child. Then, he knew with certainty that his wishing had been a terrible mistake.
* * *
"Lucius! Lucius, you sit down right now." Mrs. Canterbury shouted at him. Lucius sat down quietly.
"Yes, Mrs." He looked at her with fear in his eyes. Mathew, his eldest brother, snickered. Mrs. Canterbury stood at the front of the room, pointing to the numbers on the board. The class resumed as if nothing had happened and the children sat silently. They focused on the droning of Mrs. Canterbury's voice and attempted to learn the terribly boring lessons she taught.
"One day I'm going to marry a beautiful prince and I'll never have to use math or science!" Mary announced to everyone when school was over. She smiled her toothless grin at them all.
"Me too!!!!" Gertrude cried out.
"What about you, Lucius? You gonna get yourself a beautiful prince too?"Mathew laughed cruelly, shoving Lucius to the ground. The other kids laughed and called him names.
"Nasty boy! Nasty boy! Lucius is a nasty boy!" The names weren't original, nor we they of much substance, but they hurt Lucius none the less. Tears ran down his face as he fell down into the dry dirt. He flung foul words and insults at Mathew as though they were rocks. In Lucius's fit of anger he tackled Mathew and pinned him to the ground. Lucius beat on Mathew with heavy fists until Mathew was bleeding all over. Christina, the oldest other than Mathew, pried Lucius off and restrained him. Lucius's shouts turned into sobs and he pushed away from her. He ran as far as he could, away from the kids, the castle, and the school. He ran to ocean without a second thought. He fell down on the sandy beach and cried. He cried for hours and hours, until the sun set and the moon rose. Little did he know there was another boy quietly watching him cry.
"Why are you crying?" The boy whispered softly. Lucius's head jerked up and he caught sight of him.
"Who are you?" Lucius said, wiping his nose on his shirtsleeve.
"My name is Victor. What's yours?" The boy smiled kindly.
"I'm Lucius. Why are you so far in the water and why aren't you wearing a shirt?"
"Well, I can't come on land. I have a tail, see?" Victor laughed and made a big splash in the water.
"You got me wet!" Lucius exclaimed. "If I swim out to you, may I touch your tail?"
"Of course you can! I've never actually met a human." Victor laughed again and swam as close as he could to the shore. Lucius took off his shoes and unbuttoned his shirt. He ran into the water.
"Watch out I'm coming in!" He shouted gleefully.
"Who's not wearing a shirt now?" Victor teased.
"We're both not!" Lucius proclaimed and dived into the water. He had forgotten all but his new found friend. He swam out to Victor and gasped. "Your tail is gorgeous!" He cried out, reaching out tentatively to touch the scales on Victor's tail. They were swirling with different shades of purple, as well as some blues and deep reds. The fins at the end curved out like the bottom of a dress and the bright moon light reflected off the scales making them glow. "You are beautiful."
