around her was quiet, as calm as her body was in turmoil. She never should have stepped into the water. She forced herself to her unsteady feet, wrapping the towel modestly around her. Every move she made felt like she was moving through molasses, even though the air against her skin felt light as a feather. Her muscles were bruised and beaten. It was a feeling she was all too familiar with.
Alice’s tail was gone, but she knew it was there lurking, waiting to emerge, waiting make her life worse than it already was. She walked through the sleeping town. She felt like a stranger. The night didn't seem like night anymore, she could see through the darkness. The bar was closed and quiet, the town was sleeping, no one noticed the girl in a towel forcing herself through the streets at night.
She made it home by early morning, finally. She crept as quietly into the house as she could, feeling more exhausted than she had in a long time. She tiptoed across the wooden floor and into her room; the sky was lightening out the tiny window above her bed. She tossed the towel into a corner and peeled off her wet and ruined bra. She forced herself to put on her pajamas, if only to feel the comforting warmth of the cotton against her skin. The next thing she knew, she was falling into the bed, dragging the covers over her , winding herself in them like a cocoon as her head hit the pillow.
It almost felt as if she were there again down in the ocean with the blankets so tightly wrapped around her, it was comforting and it was vile at the same time but Alice couldn’t care less. As she slipped into sleep she could hear her father stirring, which would make it at least five o’clock in the morning. The waves of sleep pulled her down into their depths.
Chapter 6
Day One
It was so dark and so cold. The water from above poured down on Alice’s face. She looked to the side and saw her grandmother’s face and the fear in her eyes. Bright green eyes, just like Alice’s. Suddenly it wasn’t her grandmother she was looking at, it was herself. She was floating in the water, she was safe. The dark monster from the shadows was there. He was beating at the glass. He was trying to get to her to take his knife and plunge it there in her side, right below her ribcage. She looked down. The scar wasn’t there anymore…but a tail was.
He was stabbing at the glass – or was it ice? – separating them with a knife. She couldn’t even be sure she was in that parking garage anymore. For once, Alice was completely confused instead of terrified. This is a dream, isn’t it? she wondered to herself. Out of the shadows another figure walked, naked and beautiful.
She walked with an exotic swing to her hips. Her hair was long and black, and her eyes were so dark they might as well have been black, too. Alice wanted to scream at her, “No! He’ll hurt you: you’re naked!” Not a word escaped her mouth, and the woman kept walking forward. There was a hairnet woven into her hair: sea grass and pearls. The woman was small, but her body was strong. Looking back at Alice, she lifted her finger to her lips. Shhhh. Alice heard the sound purr around her in the waters of the ocean, held back only by that thin layer of glass. Suddenly, a chink flew out and the ocean began to drain slowly into the dark parking garage as Brassila advanced on the monster.
His eyes were red as he tried to get at Alice. Behind him, Brassila reached up into her hair to retrieve a blade from hair cascading tresses. It shone in the darkness as the hairnet slipped soundlessly into the water pooling at her bare feet.
Brassila wrapped her arms around the unsuspecting monster and Alice watched him struggle against her. Brassila slid the blade across his throat and blood poured into the water. The woman let go of his body
Alice’s tail was gone, but she knew it was there lurking, waiting to emerge, waiting make her life worse than it already was. She walked through the sleeping town. She felt like a stranger. The night didn't seem like night anymore, she could see through the darkness. The bar was closed and quiet, the town was sleeping, no one noticed the girl in a towel forcing herself through the streets at night.
She made it home by early morning, finally. She crept as quietly into the house as she could, feeling more exhausted than she had in a long time. She tiptoed across the wooden floor and into her room; the sky was lightening out the tiny window above her bed. She tossed the towel into a corner and peeled off her wet and ruined bra. She forced herself to put on her pajamas, if only to feel the comforting warmth of the cotton against her skin. The next thing she knew, she was falling into the bed, dragging the covers over her , winding herself in them like a cocoon as her head hit the pillow.
It almost felt as if she were there again down in the ocean with the blankets so tightly wrapped around her, it was comforting and it was vile at the same time but Alice couldn’t care less. As she slipped into sleep she could hear her father stirring, which would make it at least five o’clock in the morning. The waves of sleep pulled her down into their depths.
Chapter 6
Day One
It was so dark and so cold. The water from above poured down on Alice’s face. She looked to the side and saw her grandmother’s face and the fear in her eyes. Bright green eyes, just like Alice’s. Suddenly it wasn’t her grandmother she was looking at, it was herself. She was floating in the water, she was safe. The dark monster from the shadows was there. He was beating at the glass. He was trying to get to her to take his knife and plunge it there in her side, right below her ribcage. She looked down. The scar wasn’t there anymore…but a tail was.
He was stabbing at the glass – or was it ice? – separating them with a knife. She couldn’t even be sure she was in that parking garage anymore. For once, Alice was completely confused instead of terrified. This is a dream, isn’t it? she wondered to herself. Out of the shadows another figure walked, naked and beautiful.
She walked with an exotic swing to her hips. Her hair was long and black, and her eyes were so dark they might as well have been black, too. Alice wanted to scream at her, “No! He’ll hurt you: you’re naked!” Not a word escaped her mouth, and the woman kept walking forward. There was a hairnet woven into her hair: sea grass and pearls. The woman was small, but her body was strong. Looking back at Alice, she lifted her finger to her lips. Shhhh. Alice heard the sound purr around her in the waters of the ocean, held back only by that thin layer of glass. Suddenly, a chink flew out and the ocean began to drain slowly into the dark parking garage as Brassila advanced on the monster.
His eyes were red as he tried to get at Alice. Behind him, Brassila reached up into her hair to retrieve a blade from hair cascading tresses. It shone in the darkness as the hairnet slipped soundlessly into the water pooling at her bare feet.
Brassila wrapped her arms around the unsuspecting monster and Alice watched him struggle against her. Brassila slid the blade across his throat and blood poured into the water. The woman let go of his body
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