Chapter Four: "The Bath Definitely Isn't Big Enough"

Songs: 'For You' by Rae Morris; 'Same Old Blues' by Phantogram

-O-

The pain wrapped around her ribs in a distinct three-pronged slicing pattern. Sabrina reached for the bottom of her sweatshirt, tugging upward.

"Get it off!" She screamed. "Get this off of me!"

Tim stood frozen on the stair. Her nails sharpened into claws, tearing the ratty fabric. Tim then saw what caused her torment. Three dark red wells seared into either side of Sabrina's rib cage. They almost looked like—

Caroline lunged catching her wrists before her cousin could slice into her own abdomen.

Any action Tim might have taken was cut off by Reyna yelling again. "Tim! Go. Get. Mom!"

With wide eyes, he gave a jerky nod before turning and sprinting up the stairs. Sabrina barely heard him scream for Miriam. Reyna came into her view, swimming in her vision. Suddenly nauseated, Sabrina heard the voice again, burning through her conscious thoughts.

'You cannot trap me here,'

-O-

For a long-spanning moment after the voice, Sabrina couldn't move, the voices of Reyna and Caroline muting to a dull roar. It was another equally long stretch before she realized she couldn't draw a full breath into her burning lungs. She didn't have a word or name for the instinct, but she knew what she needed.

She saw Reyna bring her hand back before feeling a sharp sting against her cheek. The dull roar dissipated, crashing like a wave moving too quickly. Caroline's shrillness returned at full volume.

"Reyna! What do you think you're—!"

"What, Caroline! She's going into shock. It's either this or find the closest hospital,"

Sabrina's words slurred together. "No, Rey. Nooo. No hospital,"

Sabrina turned on her knees, still pulling on her sweatshirt. "Jus' get this off,"

Caroline tugged the shirt up and over her head, briefly fighting to get it over Sabrina's tangled hair. The black sports bra she wore was still too tight against her skin. She looked down, her shaking hand touching her side before she flinched away from her own examination. She knew she needed to change back. For that, she needed—

"Water," Sabrina gasped.

Franticness even reflected in Reyna's dark eyes. "Hey, look. Mom's coming, babe." Reyna saw the fogginess clouding her friend's eyes. She snapped her fingers in front of Sabrina's face. "Hey! Hey, no! Don't you freaking make me hit you again. No, no! You stay with us,"

"No!" Sabrina's snarl surprised both of them. She pushed at Reyna's shoulder, pointing to the bathroom where Sabrina knew an ugly but enormous bathtub was. "Rey, no. I need water,"

Sabrina hoped her expression conveyed the importance of the request. Reyna nodded once before ordering Caroline,

"Caroline, go turn on the bath,"

Caroline's sharp blue eyes snapped to Reyna. Sabrina had never known a vampire to pale as Caroline had in the past few seconds. "The bathtub? Reyna—!"

Reyna's voice turned sharp. "Go!"

Caroline hesitated, her eyes lingering on Sabrina's worsening skin which peeled and dried until she could see the sinews and bones underneath.

"Now, Caroline!" She said, her eyes flashing a vicious gold.

Caroline finally scrambled to her feet, tripping over the large Persian rug underneath the old leather sectional. Caroline moved in a blur Sabrina couldn't follow. By the time Reyna slung Sabrina over her shoulder, Caroline started the water and flashed back to her, taking Sabrina's other arm. Caroline and Reyna shared a look over Sabrina's ducked head. A shiver set over Sabrina's head and shoulders when the pounding water reached her ears. Reyna and Caroline dragged Sabrina more than she moved on her own.

Sabrina stumbled over the threshold.

"Oh, my god," Caroline gasped. "Your hands, Sabrina…"

Sabrina felt the tightness in her skin, her nails baring into sharpened ends. She stumbled onto her knees in front of the tub, taking Reyna and Caroline with her. Somehow, she managed to remove her sneakers and sweatpants, accidentally knocking an open jar of Epsom salts into the water. Sabrina rolled herself into the water, sending waves over the top. Caroline screeched, moving out of the way. The warm water soothed her skin, but she knew the relief was only temporary.

She flipped onto her back, a new pain scorching up and down her legs. Last night, she hadn't known what to expect. Now that she did, she refused to allow Caroline to see.

Sabrina gritted her teeth, her eyes flashing, trying to stave off a transformation she couldn't control. "Care, get out! Leave!"

Why her face didn't immediately crash into hurt, Sabrina didn't know. If anything, Caroline's spine of steel strengthened.

"Oh, I know you did not just say that to me,"

"Caroline," Reyna hissed. "Not now,"

Black veins fluttered underneath Caroline's eyes, "Yes, now." Caroline's head jerked back toward her cousin in the bath. "I am not leaving you, Sabrina. Not now, not ever. So end of argument, end of story, period. And you have the next five seconds to tell me what the hell is going on with you, or so help me—!"

Caroline was interrupted by another blood-curdling scream erupting from Sabrina's throat. Sabrina realized the water from the night before no longer soothed her wounds. The water burned the pale skin of her thighs, morphing to an angry red. Her skin blistered like a punishment, revealing sinewy muscle. Scales pierced up and down her abdomen, spotting along her breasts, mottling blue. The gill slits undulated as the water rose while she finally took a breath but not through her nose. She pulled off her underwear and bra. Scales melded over red wells. Blue fluoresced against the white polymer bath/ shower duo.

Sabrina's hand webbed, skin molding perfectly for life in the ocean. Her fingers flashed out, grasping onto Caroline's hand. She squeezed so tightly that, for a moment, she was glad that Caroline was no longer human. Caroline winced, gritted her teeth, and squeezed back just as tightly.

Ligament and muscle extended and rebuilt the flesh of a tail which grew, extending over the confines of the bathtub. Eyes wide, Reyna jumped back when the fin brushed against her arm. Looking back and forth between the tail and Sabrina's face, Reyna's breath quickened. Sabrina's face sharpened while her eyes reflected in the cheap overhead light. Sabrina's lips curled into a snarl, revealing razored canines.

"Hey, hey!" Caroline consoled, frantically. "It's ok. You're ok. Miriam's coming. She's coming, alright?" She tapped the back of Sabrina's hands, her eyes roving over the sparse blue scales running up her arm, over breasts, and down her abdomen until the scales fully covered her lower half.

Her groans and writhing stopped when the last scale broke her skin's surface, finding its place. The room fell silent except for Sabrina's labored breaths. Caroline froze in place, her clothes dripping. Sabrina's head fell back with a thunk.

Reyna toppled back from her knees onto her backside weakly, making more of a half-coordinated flop than anything. She propped her chin on a shaking hand, letting out a long-held breath. Her head twisted, eyes traveling between Caroline and Sabrina. They heard both Tim and Miriam thundering down the stairs. It didn't stop Reyna from muttering,

"What the hell happened to you two last night?"

-O-

Eh-eh? Whatcha think? I told you this was gonna be a long one. We're getting ready to get into some heavier stuff. I will post a trigger warning before the next chapter. You'll start to see some deviation from TVD canon in the next few chapters too. I am having so much fun writing this, you guys. Seriously. I hope you're having as much fun reading it.

Thanks!

-Oracle