Two Years Later :
"Wow, look at him," Sean said, pointing to a huge shark at the back of the tank. "He's awesome."
"Yeah," I agreed. "Pretty awesome." He chuckled.
"Sean O'Reilly! Quiet please!," Miss O'Keefe yelled.
"Be quiet yourself," I muttered.
She didn't hear. "Alright, class! You know I promised that I'd let you all off to go around…and judging by the good behaviour of the trip so far I'm keeping my word. You all have an hour. Don't leave the building and meet up with me in the lobby!"
Everybody scattered, desperate to get away from her. She was very depressing at times when she decided to have a little chat about divorces every once in a while (which is probably because she was divorced like three times already) .
"So where now?," Sean asked.
"You pick. We could go to the Underwater Zone if you want?"
"Grand. Let's go."
He set off at a brisk speed. I smiled. Sean was my bestest friend EVER. We met up in first year and have been glued to the side ever since. He reminded me of…..them. I didn't really like to think about that now. It was upsetting and there was no point in worrying about them. I was never going to see them again.
"Remy? You okay?"
Sean had stopped and was facing me, concerned. I had stopped without even realizing it, just staring at the ground. I smiled at him.
"Yeah, fine. Sorry. My mind wandered."
He laughed but walked beside me this time, even though I knew it drove him mad to walk slowly. I was the world's biggest slowpoke.
"We're here, now," he said after a few minutes.
We stepped into a tunnel full of bright flashing colours. The roof was the shape of a dome and stretched far down. It was entirely made of glass and the fish and sharks were everywhere, watching us humans with curiosity.
"This is so cool," I breathed.
"Much better than doing Religion with Miss McKay anyways," Sean said. He was staring at the glass ceiling with interest, watching all the fish glide through the waters. They looked insanely beautiful, but the sharks beside us on the right behind the glass fascinated me. I stepped towards the glass until I could see every detail of their skin, their eyes, and their teeth. They didn't scare me.
"Sean, look, this is-" I stopped. There was a person on the other side of the glass staring me out of it. I could only see their eyes, because another school was passing by. The eyes were oddly familiar, but I couldn't think where I might've seen them before. A few stragglers from the school rushed pass to catch up with the others and I finally had full view of the person.
It was a boy. Young. Lively. Looking gobsmacked.
I stared at him in shock. There was no chance of this being a mistake.
Panic set in.
"Sean, I'm going to have a look around," I gabbled. "I think I saw some friends coming in a while ago."
"Okay," he said cheerfully. "I'm going to watch sharks being fed."
He walked off. I took one last look at the boy on the other side before darting down the corridor. I dodged out of mothers with their kids and buggy's before I met the corner and sped around it.
I didn't want to have to do it again. To go through the same pain as before, for this to be in my life again. I had to get as far away as I possibly could without him seeing where I was going. I didn't want to talk to him.
I got to the toilets and sped into the girls. Nobody was there, or in the stalls. I bundled into the very last stall and put the seat down, sitting down carefully and trying to slow my breathing.
I couldn't believe this was happening. What did he want now?
If it was Hook again I'd just toss him into Sean's favourite shark and get it over with. But after what….happened, I didn't think he'd want to risk that again.
So what was it?
I knew I said some things I shouldn't have said….maybe I got his hopes up. And maybe he decided to come back to find me to see if I'd go back with him again, because I said I loved him. I felt like slapping myself across the face.
"Stupid…stupid Remy…," I growled.
Then the creak of the bathroom door went and I shut up. I got off the seat and flushed the toilet, waiting for a few seconds. Just as the other girl was entering her cubicle I burst out of mine. I ran the tap so it would sound like I was washing my hands, turned it off and then stuck my left hand under the hand dryer. It started drying invisible hands and I took my cue to leave. I left the bathroom silently. I was about to go straight ahead when I noticed someone blocking my path.
I looked up wildly but sighed with relief. It was only Lucy Hutchinson. She was in my class at school. I never really talked to her much, but I knew from watching and seeing that she had to have her nose in everybody's business.
"Hey, Remy," she said, twisting her black as night hair in her fingers.
"Um, hey. I've got to go find-"
"Oooh, don't tell me. I already know." She smiled to herself.
"Know what?"
"That guy," she said slyly. "He was looking for you."
My heart started going crazy inside my chest, bouncing off of my lungs and everywhere else, doing twists and spins.
"What guy?," I asked, trembling.
"He just said to tell you that 'Peter is waiting in the place where he saw you'. Kind of weird, if you ask me. So, have you known him long?"
"Look," I swallowed. "I'll tell you everything later on, okay?"
Her eyes brightened. "Okay!"
I turned away from her, the back of my mind plotting a scheme about my imaginary cousin Harry A.K.A Peter, who wanted to tell me about his mother's hospital operation, as I sped-walked back to the place he was when I saw him. I just had to go and put him straight, and then I was getting out of there.
I looked briefly at the fish tank on my right. I realised in a split second that that was where I was when I saw him. I stopped dead in my tracks and peered around fearfully.
A few mams pushing buggies, some of my classmates shoving each other up close to the sharks, but otherwise, no Peter.
Maybe he gave up and left, a small voice in my mind said. Although I was hopeful I dismissed it as wishful thinking.
And then I saw him. He was standing behind a round wall just off the lobby entrance, looking around shiftily. He wore a black hoodie with his hood up, and grey faded jeans. But I wasn't bothered by his unusual choice of clothing. I folded my arms and started to walk toward him slowly, second thoughts creeping back up on me. I could've easily just turned around and start walking. I had grown a good bit so he might've not recognised me.
He did another look around and caught sight of me. His mouth literally fell open, and he completely forgot about being discreet. He just stood there like a stunned goldfish.
People frowned when they saw him, matching his eyes to me and then shaking their heads. I sped up my walk until I was right in front of him.
"Rem-"
I shook my head furiously. "Not here," I snapped. "Come with me."
I whipped round and sped into the lobby. I spotted Miss O'Keefe giving two of my classmates a hard time. They probably tried to escape undetected. Well, that's what I was going to do. I simply brought a hand to my face and cupped it, pretending to scratch my cheek. I could hear Peter's quick footsteps behind me, trying to keep up with my pace. Miss O'Keefe's loud voice was getting a bit quieter and I found myself at the door. I grabbed the handle and flung it open, starting to run for the paranoia of being caught when I was so close.
But I got away, and ran with all my strength down the path on the left. I knew a place there.
I wheeled round the corner to my old playschool, where I had once attended. It was the very same as I had left it that cold night two years ago, when I had made the biggest mistake in my lifetime.
I went round to the back of it, knowing that we would be completely alone. And I was right. There was nothing but dead leaves and scraped tarmac. Peter's footsteps stopped and I kept my back to him.
"What do you want?," I asked.
I waited patiently for a few seconds. No answer.
I turned round. Just get it over with, I thought.
I was confused. I had turned around to his neck, not his head. I tilted my head up a little and I finally saw his face. I gasped without warning.
He grew.
He was taller, more muscular, and even a few spots had come into view of his once younger face.
He seemed to be studying me more than I was studying him. His eyes were wide and looked like two golf balls with one little circle drawn on them each.
He looked horrified.
And I mean horrified as in he had just seen the most ghastly and disgusting thing ever.
"You changed," he finally muttered. His voice had deepened.
"Likewise," I said through gritted teeth.
There were another few silent moments.
"If this doesn't go anywhere, then I'm going," I threatened.
He said nothing.
Well, he missed his chance. I started to leave, frustrated, and he caught hold of my elbow.
"Let. Me. Go."
His grip was firm.
"What is it?! What's wrong now?"
He spun me around to face him. All traces of his disgusted face had disappeared. Etched wrinkles in his forehead were showing instead.
"You need – I need….I need you to come back."
My face dropped. Words started to form in my mouth.
"Are you fucking kidding me? I'm not going anywhere with you! I still have my life! Remember that? I've got more things to worry about –"
He sighed. "Tonight, at the square. Meet me there."
And with that, he turned around and started walking away.
I threw my arms up in the air and let them slap on my sides.
"Get back here!"
He had already left. I left the playschool quickly. There was no sign of him anywhere. He disappeared into smoke.
I read the clock hanging up on the back wall through a shop window and I had only five minutes left to get back to the aquarium.
My legs carried me as fast as they could back to the aquarium. Breathless, I covered my face as I re-entered and tried to act normal while gasping. I passed the round wall and my eyes flew towards Sean, who was sitting on a wooden bench set in front of the fish tanks on the left.
I walked towards him, my breathing letting in and out more evenly.
"Hey," I said, smiling at him.
"Where've you been?!," he demanded, staring at me.
"With – with friends, like I said. Why?"
He looked like he was about to self – destruct. "I was worried, that's why."
I sat beside him. "Sorry, Sean," I said quietly. "I didn't – the time just got away from me."
"Clearly," he mumbled.
"Aw, Sean! Come on, don't be mad at me! Please?" I put my hands together and begged.
He tried not to look at me but it was all too much for my Seanie. He grunted.
"Yay!"
He laughed a little. "Don't worry, Rem. Not mad anymore."
Ping ping ping! Lightbulb!
"Good," I said slowly. "'Cause I have a huge favour to ask you…"