I'm back, though unofficially. Life is still very busy, and it took me ages to type this story. So I hope this is satisfactory until I have a little more time on my hands.

I just want to say quickly: I loved Ruby Gillman, Underrated movie, sequel please!

Enjoy!

Light brightly shun through the windows of the houses in the seaside town. Being so close to the ocean, you could hear the waves crashing into the cliff bottom. Birds were singing their sweet melodies through the air. The birds on the porch of this house was a sign of a new day, specifically a new beginning for the teenage kraken, Ruby Gillman.

The alarm sounded next to her bed, a blue appendage looking distinctly like a hand immediately feeling its way toward the sound it was blaring. Her sleepy state eventually pressed a button, putting the alarm on sleep mode. Obviously, She was fast asleep, drool pouring from the mouth and onto her bedsheets. A blanket covered her body, hiding her pyjamas. She was contorted in a position that would have been impossible for most humans to achieve. She clearly wanted to sleep in. Unfortunately, the harsh reality wasn't too forgiving, as a familiar squishy creature readied itself to pull her out of dreamland.

"WAH!" With a pounce of her sea dog pet, she shot awake in response to the sudden attack on her person. "N-Nessie! What was that rude awakening for?" She was more concerned that annoyed at her loyal pet.

With a pant of its tongue, Nessie lightly head butted the table beside Ruby's bed, pointing its head upward to direct attention to the items on top. Ruby turned her head toward her clock, the most likely thing her pet would be directing her attention to. A few seconds later, she felt a spike of anxiety well up inside her as she looked at the time.

She immediately sat up saying, "I OVERSLEPT!"

With a flick of her blanket, she bolted to her feet, landing on the floor and raced towards her dresser. Tossing her pyjamas aside, she dressed herself in her usual attire in record time. She fluffed out her green sweater, hesitating to cover her neck. She was so used to hiding her gills from others, she almost forgot what happened a week ago. After prepping herself up, she noticed something was missing, she looked around the room for this specific thing. Luckily, Nessie popped out of the bottom of her bed, holding it in its mouth to help her.

"Yes! My backpack! Thank you, Nessie!" Ruby complimented her sea dog, obtaining her bag and prepping it on her back. "Wish me luck on my date with Connor!" And with that, she was ready for the school day. She opened her room door and quickly walked down the stairs to have a quick breakfast.

Ruby's mom and dad, Agatha and Arthur, were already downstairs with their other child, Sam. Arthur was cooking dinner, Agatha was checking up on her social media account as well as her husband's, and Sam… was being his usual self; playing with his food and playing his portable virtual console underneath the table in secrecy. Ruby did notice and, while her and Sam did tussle on occasion, she wasn't so heartless as to snitch on her own brother for something harmless like that.

Ruby rushed to the table, putting her bag on the table to get her dad's attention. "Dad, I need the breakfast rush, and make it snappy."

"Breakfast rush coming right up!" Her Dad said with a grin, grabbing his frying pans and searching through the fridge for his daughter's breakfast.

While her dad was busy making a quick meal, her mom came up to her a little concerned. "Ruby, is your alarm not going off? Why are you so late to get up?"

"Oh, heh. Well, y'know me! Protector of the sea and all that. That's definitely gonna have an impact on my sleep quality, y'know?" Ruby said with a nervous grin. She knew more than anyone that her sleep schedule had taken a toll after that fiasco last week. Seems like that weight that she had on her shoulders, filled with stress, lies, and fears of being found out had finally disappeared, and she never felt better sleeping since then, which was the sole of the problem.

"Hmm, Ruby? That was the fourth time you said that this week. Are you sure you're not hiding anything?" Agatha was a sharp woman, being a businesswoman working a full time job helped her develop a sense that's been useful when dealing with buyers, as well as her own family.

"What? No, nothing at all. Hey dad, is the breakfast rush ready? I need to get to schoo-!." Ruby said, wanting her mom to get out of her hair as soon as possible. Before she could complete her sentence, a plate slid on the table in her direction. The food on the plate might be a little irregular to a human, but to a kraken like herself, this was a delectable dish. It was two clumps of compacted kelp, shaped into a ball for easy consumption. Tossing the two kelp spheres into her mouth, taking a second to saver the flavour, she grabbed her bag with haste and ran to the door. "Mmm, thanks dad! Bye!" And with that, she closed the door behind her.

Agatha cocked her head to the side, deep in thought as she stared at the door Ruby just went through. "Is it me Arthur, or does it feel like Ruby hasn't changed a bit after that situation a week ago?"

Arthur turns towards his wife, closing the distance between them and placing a hand on her shoulder. "Heh, seems like she's still getting used to being around people as her true self. I know we all are. She's going to be fine."

She smiled at her husband's words, knowing he was right about that. She turned to her husband and embraced him. "You always know just what to say, don't you." She ended her statement with a kiss.

"Bleh!" Sam interrupted, repulsed at their affection towards each other.

Ruby quickly made her way towards her high school, down the walkway between a row of houses like hers. She pulled out her phone, attempting to call her friends and tell them that she was on her way, but she was quickly interrupted by a sudden vehicle, barely stopping in time just before it hit her.

"Ay, watch where yer walking, Kraken girl!" A voice of the sea came from the vehicle. Although, on closer inspection, it looked more like a boat on wheels. There were also some other idil chatter on the boat as well, presumably tourists who were taking pictures of the town, the town of the now famous Kraken.

Ruby cautiously walked around the left side of the ship on wheels, making eye contact and saluting the white bearded captain. "Uh, Good morning, captain. And uh, sorry 'bout that."

"No problem, Miss Kraken. I should be apologizing to ye, though. Wouldn't want any of yer Kraken friends to bring death and destruction to me-self for hurting their own kind." The captain said with a shiver down his spine.

The young Kraken girl nervously chuckled at his response and proceeded to put him at ease. "No worries, Cap'n. And trust me, my family isn't as hostile as the depictions say we are."

"That's a mighty relief. Also, thanks again for that catch I made last week. She's a stubborn little thing, I'll tell ye." The captain said, referring to the previous threat of the town, Chelsea Van Der Zee. Or as the sea knew her as the ruler of the mermaids, Queen Nerissa. "Anyway, ye better skedaddle on to school, little missy."

"Oh, no problem. She's definitely a handful. Be careful not to fall for her acts of innocence. I know from experience." Ruby's expression softened at the memory of her betrayal, the revelation that their friendship was all a lie. She still wished that things could have been different. Perking herself up, she saluted the sea lover before resuming her race towards school. "See you later captain! Be sure to keep your eye on her, mermaid or human, she's still the same!"

After the blue teenager left, the captain adjusted his hat, now putting his focus on driving his land boat. As he drove, he chuckled at Ruby's words. ""Keep an eye on er." Hah! Like I could ever loose the catch of my life. Bet you feel silly now for leaving me now, my love."

Meanwhile with Ruby, as she walked towards her school she took a look at her phone's clock. Seeing as how her rush bought her some extra time, she decided to call her squad of friends (and their recent member Connor) and ask how they were. She pulled up a video chat, which was instantly answered as her friends appeared with their faces surrounded by a circular border.

Ruby: Hi guys!

Margot: Ruby, my blue size changing nerdette, how've you been!?

Bliss: It's the weekly anniversary of the most deadly battle in the town's history…Congrats…

Trevin: Sup, Ruby. My streams are reaching a new milestone because of you, so thanks again!

Connor: Hey, babe.

Just the voice of her boyfriend's voice was enough to get Ruby blushing. Despite them now being an official couple since prom night, she's still hasn't gotten completely used to the girlfriend title, having to hide her real self from him and everyone for most of her life. Still, She was glad that things have changed for the better.

Ruby: So, what's going on with you guys?

Connor: Just preparing for our lunch date. Or at least I was.

Ruby: Huh?

Bliss: Nothing really, besides making lovely tombstones.

Trevin: Same, besides gaming and more followers.

Ruby: What about you, Margot?

Margot: Ok, two things. One, I think things are getting a little more serious with me and her, y'know my prom date. I think she's starting to build up the courage to ask me out. She's not been hiding it pretty well. But that cute awkwardness is what I love about her!

Connor: Why don't YOU ask her out?

Margot: Me? Oh, heck no! I know that it's the current year and any gender can ask any gender out, I know that, but she's been building that confidence up for awhile. So why not just wait for her to say it and have it pay off for her.

Ruby: Margot…

Margot: Of course if I was her, I would have been all "Oh gorgeous, would it be so bold of me as to ask for your presence at the mall. I have seen some lovely white dresses that you would look absolutely stunning on you in about 5 years or so at a certain special event with cake and-!"

Ruby: MARGOT! Ahem, sorry. What was the other thing? The second thing?

BUMP!

Ruby's body collided with the same four people who she was just talking to on her phone. Margot made a thumbs up and pointed her thumb behind her over her shoulder. "Uh, you should probably see it for yourself."

With a confused expression on her face, she looked behind Margot, and shock instantly struck her. It seemed like her being a little late didn't matter much in this situation. Crowding the school was a ton of tv news reporters and their cameramen, all from different countries and states. They were all blocking the school entrance, preventing anyone from getting in or out. This was a problem for not just Ruby, but the other students as well, with teachers trying to create a pathway for them. "This… this is crazy! What are all of these people doing here?!"

"They're here for you, my heroic heroine." Margot said, grabbing her arms and shaking her. "That giant battle spectacle that you had with that monster mermaid was definitely news worthy. You didn't think that wouldn't garner some kind of attention, did you?"

Ruby shook her head frantically. "N-no, not at all! Well, I mean, I guess? I wasn't thinking about it at the time!"

"Well, whatever the reason, no one can get into school because of these people." Bliss said in her usual soft voice. She put her hands together, holding them up to her chest in a praying position in Ruby's direction. "Thank you for that spectacle that resulted in this."

"Yeah, thanks man." Trevin commented, having his eyes on his gaming device.

"Oh, what have I done?" Ruby held her head in her hands, whimpering at the surrounded school building. Out of all her friends, she was the most excited to get to class. She had to keep her title as a mathlete after all.

"Well, how is she going to get past these guys? School's not canceled, even with the crowd." Connor asked, though not as much as Ruby, he still cared for his grades.

Margot clapped her hands together. "Ok! Idea #1! We wrap you up into a ball and stuff you into one of our bags."

"Absolutely not, I'm not risking my dignity for this." Ruby quickly refused.

"What if we just snuck in, maybe there's a vent we can crawl through?" Connor suggested.

"Uh, No way, skater boy. I'm not going to class with cobwebs in my hair." Margot shuttered to even imagine that.

"I wouldn't mind a few cobwebs." Bliss said in her soft voice, moving her arms a bit.

"We could just disguise her." Trevin said, paying attention to the conversation while he played on his handheld.

"Yeah, but the rest of us still need a way to get past the crowd. If we aren't able to get past these people, then Ruby certainly can't." Connor said, reminded his friends.

Unfortunately, at the mention of the name Ruby, a newscaster looked behind themselves. Their face lit up with excitement, finally seeing the strange creature that protected the town. "Ruby? Ruby Gillman!?" Their voice wasn't so quiet, as it alerted the others people in the crowd to Ruby's location. "Ruby Gillman! Ruby Gillman!" They called out, each one of them wanting to be the first to interview the kraken teenager.

"Uh, Ruby? You might want to get out of here! They look hungry!" Margot exclaimed, seeing the look in their eyes.

"Oh no no no no!" Ruby replied, quickly turning around frantically to run. Before she could though, she was stopped by her boyfriend Connor, holding his skateboard in his hand.

"Here, use this!" Connor said.

Ruby was obviously hesitant on using his skateboard, having very limited experience with one. But there was no time for a discussion. She took the board by instinct and dropped it to the floor. As it hit the concrete, she placed her foot on it… then immediately fell backwards onto her butt, accidentally stepping on the board at an angle and sending it speeding forward from her weight of her foot. "D-don't worry! I'll bring it back, I promise!" After that, she took off after the board, the paparazzi already advancing toward her.

Ruby continued to push herself to gain more speed, quickly catching up to the moving skateboard. She then placed her foot on the board with the other, coasting now as the speed propelled her forward. She headed towards a walkway, her intention was to loose the crowd of interviewers in the town, she just had to get them to loose sight of her.

She made sure to dodge the pedestrians, warning them in advance so they could avoid her. She looked back to judge her distance from the frantic news crews. She seemed to have a solid lead on them, making her exhale in relief. But as she turned back around, that breath was soon taken back into her lungs, as she spotted a news van parked a distance away from her in the four way crosswalk.

Having little to no experience, she didn't know how to turn sharp corners on a skateboard. She spotted a street lamp on the right side at the beginning of the crosswalk. That's when her face lit up; Using her mathlete skills, she quickly formulated her plan of action in her head. Using her natural Kraken biology, she stretched out her arm to grab the pole of the lamp, holding onto the skateboard with her other hand.

With the force of gravity and law of inertia, she made a 90 degree round turn to the right walkway, still retaining her speed alongside getting a huge distance from the news crews. "Yes! Yes!! See you later, guys! You won't be catching m-!" She was heading to the docks, approaching the wooden deck. The gaps in the deck were just small enough to catch the wheels of the board, causing Ruby to fly off, landing on her back.

"Oh no, the board!" She quickly got up and ran towards the skateboard. Picking it up, it appeared that the front wheels have been ripped off, most likely falling into the water underneath the deck. Unfortunately she didn't have time to find it, spotting a couple of news casters approaching her. She was being surrounded. "Ooh, Connor's going to kill me…" She said, still thinking about her boyfriend's skateboard.

Ruby slowly stepped backwards from the approaching crowd, until her foot felt the dock end, making her wobble to retain her balance. She couldn't fall into the ocean to get away. She would transform into her kraken form, which would garner more unwanted attention, as well as confirmation that she was the one they were looking for. All she could do was hold her head in her hands and endure it.

She was getting bombarded with camera flashes, voices talking over each other, without any way of escaping this conflict. She was beginning to feel upset that she was being hounded by everyone, angry that people were bugging her with questions and annoying camera flashes, and trapped; trapped like she felt a few weeks ago. It was way too much for her, happening way too fast, it was so much that she just couldn't take anymore and yelled-

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" Ruby shouted at the top of her lungs. All the news crews were shocked by her outburst, stepping back a bit out of instinct. It was at this moment Ruby knew what she did. And that's when it happened: Anxiety. It took over her mind, her thoughts thinking back to those precious seconds that were now a part of her history. Hundreds of why's and how's crowded her head, several what if scenarios that would never happen clouded her judgement. She was on the verge of a panic attack. And the event that she thought she trained herself to prevent happened.

She unwillingly began to transform.

"Nononono!" Ruby panicked, unable to stop the process. Her body began to grow taller, quickly growing to double her height and further. Her skin becoming more purple than blue, hard scales lining her once soft surface. Her legs starting changing, soon splitting into three, the now-tentacle-looking legs glowing in the sunlight. The dock started creaking as the teenage kraken grew larger and heavier, cracking sounds sounded throughout the area, clearly not built to withstand the girl.

It wasn't long before the news crew witnessed what they were all here for: the kraken teenager from the media was indeed real. Though they did feel like they were in a little danger, knowing they were just several feet from the ocean Kaiju. Though the thought skipped all of their minds as they witnessed the dock start to give in. Wood splintering and ripping loudly revealed itself to the people. And with one sorry look from the kraken teenager, it collapsed.

Ruby was brought down by the broken dock, falling down into the water, creating a tremendous splash of water from the Kraken girl, but which ultimately resulted in a tidal wave for the smaller folks. The wave slammed into the news crew, causing them to fall and tossing their cameras, microphones, and computers out of their hands.

Ruby eventually raised her head out of the water, having stabilized her head for the moment. She was mostly worried about the people's safety, she wouldn't forgive herself if she hurt anyone because of her actions. Luckily, no one was injured. But their equipment was definitely damaged by the water, ruining what was probably thousands of dollars of equipment from the massive splash she caused.

"I-I'm... sorry." She whispered, mostly to herself. Taking this chance as an opportunity to make her escape, she quickly boosted through the water, making sure she was too fast for anyone to track down where she had gone. She needed to calm herself down, she needed a place to let her be alone with her thoughts and emotions. Deciding on a path, she began travelling towards the lighthouse, hoping to never see another news crew again.

Unbeknownst to Ruby, she was a part of a small plan in the works. As she bolted into the ocean to loose the sight of everyone, someone else was watching her. In the shadows of a nearby building, a disguised individual was smirking at the scene that had transpired.

"Well, Well, Well. Looks like you got quite popular with the world, lucky you. Now that I got you famous on a global scale, my next plan of your humiliation will now begin. Time to finally get my revenge, Ruby Gillman."

End of Part 1