Okay, I know this note is very last minute, but it is only because I was trying to do my best to finish the story. Unfortunately, yet not entirely surprisingly, something came up. Family I had never met before visited my family for about ten days. Between work and entertaining guests, I lost a lot of writing time that I had been counting on. I tried to push to get it out, but forcing it was starting to hurt the story, and I don't want that. What I will do, however, is give you the first half of the story and scheduled the second half for August 14, in 12 days. The second story will come out along with the second half. Probably. Hopefully. Maybe. In any case, enjoy P1 of The Darkest Mystery!
Nightfall scrapped some green, algae-filled mud out of the way to reveal yet another barnacle. Of all the parasites in the sea, barnacles were by far the most notorious. They latched onto everything, no matter how smooth the surface. She grunted as she chiseled away the small shell. It had been over a month since she'd thoroughly cleaned the underside of the Sea Shadow, and now she was regretting not having done it sooner. The sea shadow is a majestic deep-sea submarine with manta-ray fins and an abyss cannon. It is the definition of dangerously beautiful.
While she normally worked on her vessel in the garage, this job was simple enough for Nightfall to work outside. Of course, there weren't any lifts on the beach, so she was doing this part underwater. Being a dreadwalker, black humanoids with shadowy, tentacle-like hair, Nightfall was partially amphibious and highly apt to underwater conditions. The metal breathing mask helped too.
Not much had happened of late, so she'd been spending a lot of her spare time and a few skipped training sessions exploring the uncharted oceans. Because of the rift engines, the supercharged submarines could go deeper than any sub before, opening the gateway to several mysterious places.
Nightfall was currently missing one of Buzz's training sessions in order to do this chore. He'd be pretty mad with her, but he could cope. It wasn't that she disliked working out, but why spend two hours fighting dummies when you could spend two hours fighting sea monsters? She didn't get why Buzz always got so mad at her for skipping a session here and there. It's not like she was lazy. And besides, she did manage to show up at least twice a week. Usually.
Finally, she thought as she brushed away the last of the algae clinging to the Sea Shadow's underside. It dispersed into a green cloud as the current carried it away. She'd been floating on her back like that for the last hour and was ready to get out of the water.
The moment Nightfall breached the surface of the water, she knew something was off. She had that gut feeling that something big had happened while she was underwater. That, and also the fact that Astroblast was frantically running along the beach, looking for something.
"Asto!" she called out while swiftly making her way to shore, "What's going on? You didn't lose your keys again, did you?"
"Nightfall," he said, both relieved and out of breath, "Oh gosh, gasp I've been looking gasp everywhere for you! Why weren't you at training? What were doing under there!? Wait, no, never mind, don't bother," he said. "Just follow me. We need you ASAP!" Without waiting to see if she would follow, he took off toward the Skylanders' academy.
Understanding the urgency in his voice, Nightfall followed close behind the crystalline alien. "What's going on?" she asked again.
"An escape pod crashed on the other beach," he explained to her, weaving around a fence. "One of your kind's."
That caught her attention. "Who was in it?" she demanded.
"Haven't gotten names," he said. "An adult and kid. The adult's unconscious, but not badly hurt. He's in the infirmary right now. The kid's the reason we need you. She panicked the moment she saw us and hasn't calmed down."
"What's wrong with her?"
"That's the problem; no one can hold her still long enough to look her over, not even Sonic Boom. We think her mask might be broken, which can't be good."
It was originally believed that Nightfall's mask was only meant to allow her to breath underwater, until she told them differently. While it was true that it let her breath underwater, it wasn't why she always wore it. The cloudy mist that encased her village was poisonous, and although dreadwalkers had a strong resistance to it, the weren't entirely immune. Over time, the toxins could disorient their brains if they continuously breathed it in, causing them to go mad. To avoid this, her ancestors developed the gas masks they always wore outside and filter systems within buildings. There was a downside to the masks however: they filtered out all impurities in the atmosphere. Dreadwalkers have been breathing purified air for generations, from birth to death. Therefore, they've never had the chance to develop immunity to normal air. Nightfall did try to adjust her system once. Once.
"Poor child," Nightfall said. "She's probably never seen anyone who isn't a dreadwalker before." Nightfall's home was very isolated and, other than the library, there was no trace of other races on the island. Since the leviathan's attack, her people have been working to rebuild their city. She'd checked on them a couple of times, and everything had seemed alright. What could cause someone to flee so suddenly? Deciding to focus on the imminent situation, Nightfall asked, "How old do you think she is?"
"Can't be that old," Astroblast replied. "She's tiny, but that's all I know."
The huge structure of the academy came into view, and Nightfall ran ahead of Astroblast, using her dark hair for support. The sound of a child crying and screaming soon hit her ears. It wasn't the pinching-a-fit kind of screaming that Nightfall had become oh-so familiar with as a teenager, but a truly terrified cry that she'd only heard once before.
"Great, chipper'n fish chips, can't you hold her still!?" Maggs exclaimed in frustration. The academy's technician was trying her best to repair the little dreadwalker's mask while Punk Shock held her down, but the kid wouldn't stop screeming and trying to wriggle free.
"I don't want to hurt her!" Punk Shock shot back, equally frustrated. Sparks flickered off her long tail as whisked back and forth behind her. She was barely able to keep a grip on the kid, let alone hold her still.
Sonic Boom stood next them, vainly trying to sooth the panicked child. Normally kids were very responsive toward her, but this one hardly even noticed her. Several other skylanders stood around the scene and watched, ready to help but not sure how.
Nightfall had to admire the kid's will to fight back so fiercely, even though it would be much easier if the kid cooperated. The gathered skylanders parted to let her through as she swiftly moved toward the crying child. She couldn't say she was particularly good with kids, but she'd been around enough of them to know that most kids of her kind viewed all adults as perfect, mother-like or father-like figures. That's part of what came from such an isolated world.
As soon as the child saw Nightfall, she began to fight even harder to escape Punk Shock's grasp, straining for the familiar being.
"Let her go," Sonic Boom hissed, and Punk Shock complied with evident relief.
As soon as she was free, the little dreadwalker dashed to Nightfall. Setting her usual dignity aside, Nightfall knelt down and allowed the terrified kid crawl into her arms. She clung onto Nightfall's jacket with small fists as though her life depended on it, large white eyes staring forward in a stunned manner, her breathing short and fast. She was trembling. Nightfall allowed her dark hair to fall in front of them, create a small barrier for the kid to hide under.
Now that she was holding her, Nightfall could get a better look at the kid's features. The most noticeable thing was her hair. As opposed to Nightfall's black and lavender hair, this little kid's was a range of vivid blues, from midnight to aquamarine, and it only fell a little past her shoulders. Her skin was black like all dreadwalkers, as were her eyes white. She looked to be around three or four. Nightfall tried to shift the kid so that she could get a better look at her face, but the young dreadwalkers grip only tightened. Nightfall clenched her jaw as the kid's surprisingly strong grip grabbed a little more than just her jacket.
Once the kid had stopped shaking and hyperventilating, Nightfall started to look her over for injuries. Fortunately, it all seemed to be minor bruising. Her mask had indeed been damaged; a small pipe was hanging loosely down her neck. Unlike Nightfall's, the kids mask was a simple, lightweight design. It was also covered in sparkly blue and purple rhinestones.
Nightfall parted her hair enough for her to see everyone, but not enough to let the child see out. "What do I do now?" Nightfall asked, mostly directing the question to Sonic Boom.
"Well, is she alright?" Maggs asked, getting straight to business.
"You mean other than being traumatized for life?" Nightfall raised an eyebrow. "Her mask needs to be fixed. Soon. She should be fine after that."
"Great," Maggs said. "See if you can get it off her an' I'll have it fixed in a jiffy."
"No, do not try to get it off her yet," Sonic Boom gave Maggs an irked look and fluffed some of her dark feathers. "Start by asking her name."
"Her name!?" Maggs scoffed. "That's hardly a priority if the kid's life could be on the…uh..." Maggs faltered under the momma gryffon death glare she was receiving. "You know what, Nightfall? Do as she says."
Sonic Boom gave a satisfied nod. "And as for the rest of you," she turned to faced the onlookers, "shoo. We'll give you an update when there's news to be had, but we don't want to overwhelm the little one again." She ushered them all off until she, Maggs, and Nightfall were the only ones left.
Nightfall returned her attention to child she was holding. The kid looked up at her large, trusting eyes, causing Nightfall to feel a pang of regret for not having any idea as to what she was doing. She really was not qualified for child care.
"Can you tell me your name?" She asked as gently as she could. The kid only stared at her. Nightfall looked back to Sonic Boom helplessly, and the gryffon motioned for her to keep trying. "What's your name?" she asked again, doubtful that it would receive a better response. To her surprise, however, the kid spoke.
"Azul," she whispered hoarsely.
Azul… Nightfall thought. That name rang a bell, but she couldn't quite place it. "Okay, now what?"
Sonic Boom sighed, "You really have no idea what you're doing, do you?"
"Not a clue," Nightfall admitted. She felt Azul shift her position a little, trying to peek out at what was going on. Nightfall moved her hair over to let the kid see, but Azul only ducked back under.
"Ahem," Maggs cleared her throat to draw their attention. "Her mask? Didn't you say we need get it fixed real soon?"
"Alright," Sonic Boom said reluctantly. "Do you think she's calm enough to let Maggs fix it? Or will we have to take it off her?"
"Why do they want my mask?" Azul whispered to Nightfall, but was loud enough for everyone to hear. She looked up at her with a worried gaze.
"Have you noticed that your mask is broken?" Nightfall asked her.
Azul nodded. "Is that why the air tastes funny?"
"Yes, that's why the air tastes funny. And if you keep breathing funny air... well… let's just say you'll get a tummy ache."
"I don't like tummy aches," Azul whimpered. She started sniffling, and Nightfall realized she was getting ready to cry again.
"No, no! Don't cry! You'll be alright, we just need to fix your mask and everything will better!" This isn't working...Nightfall could feel herself getting frantic as the kid continued to breath heavily. "But we need you to be brave so we can fix it. Can you be brave for me?" Please don't cry, please don't cry, "Can you be brave Azul?"
The little dreadwalker nodded and tried to control her breathing, despite the tears running down her cheeks. Not sure what else to do, Nightfall awkwardly hugged the kid. Azul leaned into it, resting her head on Nightfall's chest.
"Well, you actually handled that quite well, Nightfall," Sonic Boom said with a smile. "Who knew you had it in you."
"This is a one time thing."
"M-hm, sure it is."
Nightfall rolled her eyes and decided to ignore the griffon. "Alright Azul," she said after a few more moments, "you see those two girls?" Nightfall pulled her hair away to fully exposing the kid. Azul's face paled as she stared at Maggs and Sonic Boom. Her grip on Nightfall tightened. "Those are some of my friends," she continued to explain calmly. "They want to help fix your mask so you don't get a tummy ache."
Azul stiffened as Maggs slowly approached, but at least she wasn't kicking and screaming anymore.
"I swear I ain't gonna hurt ya, little one," Maggs knelt down across from Nightfall. "I just wanna take a look at that mask of yours." She pulled out a few small tools and started working. Azul sat petrified as she did so.
"Talk to her," Sonic Boom whispered to Nightfall. The black gryffon had crept around to stand by her shoulder.
"About what?" Nightfall whispered back.
"Anything, just keep her occupied."
"So, uh, Azul," Nightfall tried, "can you tell me why you were in an escape pod?'
"Oh gosh, Nightfall, no! Not that!" Sonic Boom rubbed her forehead with a paw.
"You said anything!" Nightfall hissed. She needed to know what had happened.
"A monster," Azul said with a hushed voice. "A really big one with lots and lots of teeth."
"What kind of a monster?" Nightfall asked.
"In the water. It was big and scary," Azul said.
"Did you see the monster?"
"No," she sighed. Nightfall heard a hint of disappointment in her tone.
"All done," Maggs declared. "That wasn't too bad now, was it?" Azul just stared at her. "Ahem, alrighty then." She looked at Nightfall and Sonic Boom. "We should get her to the infirmary now, let someone who has the medical know-how take a look at her."
Sonic Boom nodded in agreement and Maggs stood up. Nightfall hoisted Azul up with her and followed the other two back toward the academy. They had just started climbing the front steps when Spyro swooped down in front of them.
"Glad to see you managed to calm the kid down," Spyro nodded to Nightfall. "I just came to let you know that I've put your put your team in charge of this situation cause, well—"
"I'm the only dreadwalker you or anyone else here has ever seen," she finished for him.
"Exactly! Perfect mission for you," Spyro said. "The driver woke up not too long ago. He's out back with Spitfire, Astroblast, and Stormblade, so you should probably go meet up with them as soon as you can."
"Azul said that they were attacked by some sort of sea monster. Has he said anything about that?" she asked.
"He did," Spyro said. "He said it was something they have never seen before: giant, rather flat head and large jaw, light Blue and yellow, tall dorsal fin, four small eyes, silver horns... any of that ring a bell? If anyone could identify a sea monster, it's you." He looked at her expectantly.
You. Have. Got. To. Be. Kidding me! Nightfall mentally slapped herself. "You mean a sea mammoth?" she said, exasperated. "The most pathetic, harmless giant in the ocean? Yes, I know what that is." One day she was going to write a book that very clearly stated what sea creatures were dangerous and worth evacuating the city if spotted, and what wouldn't harm you if you shot a rocket at it. "Take Azul," she said, handing the child to Sonic Boom. "I need to have a chat with this driver."
Nightfall departed from the group and made her way to the open field behind the academy. She was glad her kin were safe, she really was, but she was also frustrated with how helpless they were against outside forces. They weren't a dumb species and the fishermen were apt to spear a barracuda here and there, but that wasn't enough especially now that her home has been exposed to the rest of Skylands. They can't keep living their isolated life anymore, she thought. I'm no longer around to protect them from every misfortune that threatens to breach the surface. Maybe they hadn't been in real danger today, but what would happen if something did happen? What would they do then? Nightfall was so deep in thought that she hardly noticed her surroundings, and it wasn't until she bumped into someone that she realized she'd reached her destination.
It was the other dreadwalker, the one who had crashed the escape pod. "Nightfall," he stated in surprise as he recovered from their collision. He was a little elevated to actually recognize someone. He was taller than she was and his brown hair was short and in very thin strands, like most male dreadwalkers.
"Keith," Nightfall's shock mirrored his.
"Oh, well this is a good sign," Spitfire murmured to Stormblade. "If they know each other, then-"
Nightfall's stunned expression morphed into one of rage and deep, heartfelt loathing. "Of all the scumballs to have washed up onto our shore, it just had to be you!"
Spitfire's words died off.
The other dreadwalker, Keith, deflate inwardly. "You still hate me," he sighed, disappointed.
"That's putting it very nicely," she said coldly.
There was an awkward silence as the two dreadwalkers stared at each other. Spitfire, Stormblade, and Astroblast exchanged wary glances.
"So, um," Keith directed his attention to all the skylanders, "what are we going to do now?"
"If it were up to me," Nightfall hissed, "I'd gut you like a fish, drag your carcass down to the deepest abyss in the sea, feed you to a hydra hatchling, then blast it into oblivion. Lucky for you, you've stumbled across Skylanders Academy and it isn't up to me." Nightfall whipped around to face her teammates. "You guys deal with him," she growled before storming off toward the docks.
"Dang," Stormblade said once Nightfall was out of earshot, "I've seen her treat trolls nicer than that. What did you do?" She looked at Keith expectantly.
Keith's gaze was still fixed on the female dreadwalker's diminishing form. "Something really stupid," he said sadly, "and completely selfish."
"You weren't her boyfriend, were you?" Stormblade folded her arms and scowled at him, which was a rare look for the lark.
"What? No! No, it was never anything like that," Keith said. "We had been close though."
"I'm not going to ask for specifics, but did you ever apologize?" Spitfire asked.
Keith shook his head. "By the time I finally got the courage to talk to her again, she was always out with that submarine. Hardly ever saw her, let alone talked to her. She did leave a lovely poisonous eel on my bed once."
"Well, knowing Nightfall," Astroblast said, "None of us are going to see her again tonight. You might want to try talking it over tomorrow once she's cooled off. She might be willing to forgive you if your sorry , if your like me, she'll just try to kill you."
"I doubt she'll forgive me," Keith said, "but thanks anyway. Can we get back to the bigger problem now?"
Nightfall had no idea where she was, and she honestly didn't care as long as it was far away from home. She'd been jumping from island to island for a while and only now allowed the Sea Shadow to slow to a halt.
Her heart was pounding and she was shivering, though she didn't know why. She wasn't even entirely sure why she had been so desperate to get away, why she was trying to hide from something that didn't hurt anymore. That wound closed many years ago, she'd forgotten it. She had found her real home now, her real family.
Nightfall slumped onto the front of the Sea Shadow as the cockpit slid back. She watched the water lap at the lavender paint of her beloved submarine. The island was small and almost all of it consumed by the lake. Only a few pieces of land and foliage poked up around the corners, with a few small hills on the far end. The sky was dusted with grey; a waring that dusk would soon arrive.
Her real family… Nightfall never doubted that her parents loved her, and she couldn't deny that if something were to happen to them, she'd be heartbroken. At the same time, however, she never felt truly close to them. She knew they listened, they heard her, but now matter how they tried they never understood her. She would be forever grateful that, despite this, they always supported her and allowed her to forge her own path. She never had any siblings, nore did she ever long for one. Not then, anyway.
Her mind drifted to those last few years before the Leviathan attack. She'd been fairly content with her life then. She wasn't happy with it, but she'd be alright as long as she had free reign of the sea. The other dreadwalkers had accepted who she had become and recognised her work as beneficial, even crucial, to the city's welfare. There were never opposed to her presence or enthusiastic about it. She just kind of was. In between, Nightfall thought. Not hated, not loved, just there. She never understood why. She had some friends, but they were like empty ponds. They were nice, they were friendly, and she liked them, but not much happened in those ponds. There were no fish, no plants, just an occasional seashell poking through the mud, barely visible. She was never close to them. She was happiest exploring the poison sea, yet something always drew her back. Why didn't she just leave? Why not continue following the current forever? Why not search for a place that would make her truly happy? She'd played with the idea a couple of times, but always knew she would come home. Why? Because she didn't want to be alone. There was a memory, a memory of a friend that was deeper than all those glassy puddles. He was more like a lake with some fish floating around and grass growing at the bottom. The shells in his mud still had snails and crabs carrying them around and would occasionally come to the surface. She learned long ago that most people were happy to live their lives as shallow puddles, without much meaning or purpose. They were hard to get close to for one simple reason: there was nothing to get close to.
But there were some, some like her, who's minds were entire oceans. That's one of the many things that seperated the Skylanders from ordinary folk. That was one of the reasons so many of them had become skylanders in the first place. They had all found more to themselves than the ordinary social norms. They had found themselves and in doing so found a reason to fight. Every skylander Nightfall had met immediately showed signs of an ocean. There was truely someone there.
It hadn't come naturally, but Nightfall became close to those oceans, her team, her family. Life was rarely simple or straightforward or even understandable with them, and she liked it that way. There were always new things to discover about her friends just like there were always new things to discover in the sea. And she was a part of it.
Thinking back to her old life, Nightfall knew it would be agony to return to it. Visiting her parents for a week was alright, enjoyable even. But to truly return to the past after all she had seen and been through, after all the people she had met... she wouldn't be able to do it.
As the sun retreated the current became more aggressive. The Sea Shadow rocked back and forth in a soothing manner and Nightfall's thoughts turned to that lake who was one a friend... before his waters dried.
It had been a long time, very long time since she'd thought about Keith. Oddly, she found it more painful to think about all the good memories rather than his betrayal, but there was no stopping the flood now.
"—and just as the young princess thought things couldn't get any worse, a hideous monster reared up from the sea!"
Nightfall gasped in excitement. "What kind of monster is it?" She tried to climb onto the couch in attempt to see the pictures, but she wasn't quite big enough.
"Like this," Keith said confidently.
"It only says a hideous sea monster," Nightfall's mother said as Keith demonstrated how to get onto the couch.
"Does it have a nest full of treasure?" Nightfall tried to imitate her friend, but still couldn't do it. Her mom flipped the book around so she could see.
"I don't know, honey. It doesn't say."
Nightfall frowned at the picture. "It only has one head. Is is a sea dragon?" She had heard of dragons, but had only seen a picture once and that was a fire dragon. This picture didn't look like that dragon at all, but sea dragons were supposed to be different, right?
"I really don't know," her mother sighed. "Wouldn't you rather like to know what happens to the princess?"
"The hero swoops down and saves the day!" Keith exclaimed and dove off the couch.
"Not if the monster eats him first," she said and pounced on him.
"Don't touch me!" he complained.
"Why not?" Nightfall asked in confusion; they wrestled all the time.
"Because your a girl!" He said as if it should be obvious.
Nightfall got a smug look and began to jab at him from all angles.
"Stooop iiiit!" Keith whined while trying to run away.
"That's enough both of you," Nightfalls mother scolded. She wrapped her daughter in her hair and lifted Keith in her arms. "I think that's enough story time."
It hadn't been long after that that her parents, having realized she had no interest in fairy-tales, brought home a book about the fish that lived closest to the shore. Nightfall remembered how excited she had been that day. The rest was a fuzz, but she knew that the book never satisfied her curiosity. She began to collect shells and teeth around the age of seven, but after a couple of years she started to run out of new things to find...
"Look at this one!" Keith pulled a crab out of the water with a big grin. "It's so ugly."
Nightfall came over to see what he found, but was disappointed with what she saw. "Those are everywhere," she complained. "Were trying to find new ones."
"I know," Keith said, "but it's all the same. How are we supposed to find anything new when we aren't even allowed in the water?" He tossed the crab into the waves.
"That's it!"
"What? Wait… Nightfall, what are you doing!"
She'd waded out into the ocean until she was waist deep, and was peering into the murky water. "I think I see something!" she cried and went out a little further.
"Nightfall, come back!" Keith cried. "You're not supposed to be in the water for a reason!" He came as close as he could without getting his feet wet.
"I think it's some sort of shell," she yelled back, completely ignoring his protests. The water was now up to her chest. She looked at the light rose and lavender object, barely visible through the mud. She'd never seen such a large or brightly colored shell. Most of the ones she found were small and musty. She took a deep breath and dove underwater.
Wow, was all she could think. It was clearer than she expected, and she could examine the shell in detail. It was a large swirling disk with ridges on the outer rings. It was mostly a sunset pink, but wavy streaks of aqua and lavender shot through it every now and then. Nightfall looked into the mouth of the shell without touching it to see if there was anything alive still inside. She didn't see anything, so she lifted it out of the mud, causing a cloud of dirt to rise up. She stared, transfixed, at the majestic object. It wasn't until the dirt began to clear that she noticed the two cold eyes glaring at her.
Her heart froze as she locked eyes with it. Gold irises surrounding jet pupils. It's face was long and pointed and the jaw hang open just enough to reveal rows of razor teeth. It's whole shimmering body slowly curled to and fro, barely stirring the water in that moment before it pounced.
As the monster snaked forward, Nightfall felt herself being yanked from the water. She screwed her eyes shut to block out the torrent of bubbles and water as the sea creature and person who had grabbed her thrashed about. When she opened them, there was no sign of the monster and she had dropped the shell. She slowly looked up to meet her father's furious glare.
"Don't be mad!" Keith pleaded as soon as she entered the room. "You were down so long, and I- well I just thought- maybe something was wrong and I- I didn't know what to do-" Keith stumbled over his words as he tried to explain.
Nightfall gave him a quizzical look. "I'm not mad," she said plainly. Why was he acting so frantic?
"You're- you're not?"
"No," she replied. "Why would I be?"
"Because you're in a lot of trouble?" he tried, not quite believing how relaxed she was.
"Maybe," she admitted, "but if you hadn't warned someone, I'd be dead."
"Um, what?" his said, not sure if he'd heard her right.
Nightfall perked at this. "They didn't tell you?" she asked, getting excited. He shook his head in bewilderment. "It was amazing!" she said. "The biggest fish I've ever seen!" Nightfall began to recount her whole underwater experience, from the shell to the moment her father pulled her from the water.
Keith listened intently to her fascinating tale, although, he was pretty sure she was exaggerating some parts. "Man," he said once she had finished, "It's too bad you lost the shell; I'd like to see it."
Nightfall grinned deviously and put a finger to her lips. She shifted her hair and revealed the sea's treasure.
Keith gasped.
"I managed grab it on the way out," Nightfall whispered. She climbed onto her bed and stared at her new treasure. "They don't know about it," she said referring to her parents. "And I don't want them to. Not yet."
"Well no kidding." He sat down beside her. "You're in so much trouble that I doubt I'll see you for a month!"
Nightfall shrugged, not really caring. "I wonder what else is out there," she mused.
Keith shot off the bed. "You're not thinking of going out there again, are you?!"
"Not anytime soon," she said to calm him down. "When I'm older. When I have a way to protect myself."
"But what if you run into that sea monster again? Or worse?"
"Hence the part where I have a way to protect myself," she said. "You worry way too much, Kieth. Think of all the treasure that might be down there! And I'm talking about more than just seashells."
That got his curiosity. "You really think there's sunken treasure to be found?"
"Loads of it! There's a whole 'nother world right outside this tower, and it could be ours! We could bring our other friends too!" She fantasized what life would be like if they were free to roam the oceans. "We could battle monsters and hunt the best fish in the sea! That is of course," she added slyly, "unless you want to grow up to be a fisherman. I'm sure that's fun too."
Keith gave her a glare. "No way!" he said. "There's no way I'm gonna be stuck on a smelly boat! I want to go treasure hunting! But how are we going to do it? It's not like we can breath underwater.
That gave Nightfall pause to think. "I don't know," she finally said. "Maybe we could train a porpoise to pull a boat underwater…
Nightfall pressed all her weight onto the wrench to ensure that the nut was secure. "That should do it!" she announced.
Keith looked up from his phone and looked at Nightfall, then the metal construction beside her. "What is it?"
"A sort-of super capacitor, to put it simply," she replied.
Keith gave her a blank look.
Nightfall sighed. "It stores energy. You know, I sometimes wonder how you manage to pass."
"Pfft, and I often wonder how you manage to stay awake. Seriously, that class is a drag."
She shrugged. "Whatever it takes."
Keith watched as Nightfall rechecked all the seemes of her capacitor. "Has it occured to you that everyone else thinks you're a little obsessed?" he said suddenly.
It was Nightfall turn to give him a blank look. "No." She continued with what she was doing.
"Seriously," Keith pressed, "people find it, well, a little weird. It was fun and all when we were kids but…"
Nightfall sighed as she put the device away. "I know what they say about me," she said. "Let them think what they want, it really doesn't affect anything." She knew that her friend cared about social status a whole lot more than she did, but she couldn't understand why. What did it matter what others said or thought? They weren't worth thring to appease.
"It affects everything!" he protested. "I'm barely noticed by anyone, and they think you're diluted." He slumped tiredly against the wall. "What's the point of doing anything if no one cares."
Nightfall was baffled about this. "I care," she pointed out and folded her arms. "Our families care. Lots of people care. And no, not everyone cares about what we're doing, but that doesn't make it meaningless."
Keith shook his head as though he knew it was futile to try to reason with her. "I'm tired of being—" he stopped himself.
"Lame?" Nightfall offered. "Outcast? Forgotten? But by whom? Those idiots who think they rule this generation?"
"You wouldn't understand," he muttered.
"What don't I understand?" Nightfall insisted. "That being in with the "cool group" will make life infinitely better? Suddenly you'll be important?" she said sarcastically. "They aren't worth it, Keith."
"You just don't get it," Keith said in frustration. He left the room, slamming the door of the workshop behind him with a clang. The metallic ring echoed in her ears. It began to pulse, to ebb and flow, to shift, to break. It sounded less and less like a ring and more like the constant shift of water…
Nightfall opened her eyes to find the early grey of dawn staring down at her. Yesterday must have rattled her more than she realized for her memories to so vividly enter her dreams. She was glad she woke up when she did; she had no desire to relive what came next.
