Against the Flow: Troubled Times.
The young teenaged girl stormed through her house, slamming the door to the backyard almost hard enough to break the glass, and dove into the pool. It was mid winter, but she didn't care; if she froze to death, it would only be a benefit. She didn't even bother to remove her school uniform; she was far too upset to care. Her parents, confused as to her behavior and distraught at where she had gone, followed her out and eventually coaxed her from the water.
The next day, Undine was dropped off at school at the usual time. She hadn't spoken to her parents or even to her friends online since the day before, her depression having hit an all time low. It'd been a whole term since she had switched schools, and she was well known at her new school. Several of the more bullying girls had started calling her 'inhuman' instead of her name, and the word stung. She had long learned the harshness that words could deliver.
Sometimes they hurt more than a punch would have.
She waved goodbye to her mother halfheartedly before strolling into the school and up to her class on the third floor, her long finned tail almost dragging along the ground as she walked. She stood roughly five feet tall, her copper hair hanging around her animal like ears and framing her muzzled face. Currently she was in her winter uniform, long pants under a school shirt and blazer, with an extra coat on for warmth, a thick sleeve on her tail that didn't cover her fins uncomfortably to reduce body heat lost. Without much incident she sat at her chair, staring not so much at the desk as simply into space. She felt someone shake her, and she looked up into the worried and calming face of Ocarina.
"Un', you alright? You look a little vacant." The now five foot eleven girl asked. Ocarina was the tallest in the class, taller than the boys, and she was also by far the strongest. She enjoyed sports and even did martial arts classes outside of school, which gave her a dreaded reputation. Since day one Ocarina and Undine had simply clicked, like a key into its door, and they got on well.
Undine nodded and gave a sigh. "Yeah, I'm just... thinking about something that'll probably be brought up today." She mumbled sadly.
"Do you want someone to talk to?" Ocarina asked.
"... I wouldn't mind someone on my side." She mumbled in reply.
Ocarina grabbed a nearby chair and sat down, leaning on the desk. "Alright," she said, "I'm listening."
Soon enough it was recess time, and Undine went to the usual hangout spot, a certain place on the school oval that she and her friends mingled at often. She had confided as much as she could to Ocarina about the events of the day before, leaving out only a small few details that she didn't think were important. Her other friends were already here, Wylie who had a strange vendetta against her own aunt sat next to one of the twin sisters, Margaret, and even Polly was here, sticking out like a sore thumb with her day-glow orange jacket on. Ocarina was walking with Undine from class, and said a polite hello to the girls. Discreetly, Undine ate her recess quickly, scoffing her chocolate biscuits faster than she intended. She hadn't eaten like this since her transferal, and Wylie, ever the observationalist, noticed Undine seeming tense about something.
"Un', you alright?" She asked.
She didn't have time to answer.
Sarah, the twin sister of Margaret, came charging across the lawn angrily, and slapped Undine across her face hard, leaving their friends shocked, and Undine momentarily stunned.
"You bitch!"
"Hey, hey!" Wylie snapped, grabbing Sarah around the shoulders and holding her back. "What the hell has gotten into you?"
"She asked out my boyfriend behind my back!" Sarah yelled. "Let go! I'm going to kick her ass!"
Now Undine was the center of the very awkward attention. Her mind wanted to explain, but her body didn't move and no voice left her mouth. She couldn't figure out what was wrong until she felt the familiar feelings of the last semester gripping her. Instead of explaining, she let her body do what it wanted to do, letting her instincts take control.
In tears, she turned and ran.
Eventually, Ocarina found her hiding atop a chicken wire shed, and she climbed up easily before carefully making her way over to where the Shark was curled up miserably. Ocarina shook her, and Undine gave her the most depressed look she had ever seen.
"No-one hates you." Ocarina said reassuringly. "They just want an explanation."
Undine pulled a small notepad from a pocket in her coat and handed it to the taller girl, sniffling sadly.
'I've lost my voice.' It read. 'I can't even cry out loud, how would I explain anything now? Sarah won't listen to me now anyway.'
Ocarina sighed and lifted Undine out of her curled up position, carefully embracing the humanoid shark. "Don't worry." She said reassuringly. "I'll think of something."
"Girls, could you come down here please?" The deep voice of the school's principal, Mr. Lowell, called, snapping their attention to him. He raised an eyebrow, and they quickly climbed down. "Now;" He began, "I believe we have a small issue to resolve. A friend of yours, Sarah... or is it Margaret..? Has said something about young Undine here trying to steal her boyfriend out from under her?"
Undine shook her head.
"Well, it's a most curious problem indeed." Lowell chuckled. "Mayhap you could enlighten me?" Undine shook her head and looked at the ground.
"Sir, if I may, Undine has lost her voice." Ocarina offered. "I think this has been a shock she couldn't handle, and it's taken a toll. She can't talk."
"Well, that is a bother." Lowell grumbled. "We're not going to get anything done if you cannot talk."
Ocarina gave a small smile. "Sir, I think I might have a solution." She said. "See if you can free up a conference room and set up the projector, I'll bring Undine when she's calmed down."
"Alright, take care of her."
"Yes sir."
They watched Lowell walk away, and Undine gave Ocarina a questioning glance when he had left earshot.
"I'll set you on my laptop using messenger." Ocarina said. "And we'll get Wylie on the conference room's PC logged into messenger, with her screen projecting. That way, you can communicate without speaking, and we don't need to see you type your message until you're happy with it, okay?"
Undine nodded sadly before scribbling onto her notepad. Ocarina glanced at it and sighed.
"You're not a fuss." She said. "Okay? You're not a fuss. Trust me, Polly is the fuss. Her and her bad taste in clothing, not to mention the way she..." Ocarina trailed off when she saw Undine silently crying. She shook the shark gently. "You didn't tell me everything, did you? You held back something to prevent yourself being upset, didn't you?" Undine nodded and Ocarina gave an exasperated sigh. "I thought so." She said. "Well, I'll find out soon, won't I? C'mon, let's go get something from the canteen; my treat."
Ocarina was watching Undine carefully, now thankful that she was majoring in psychology. She could see that, whatever this was, it was very important to the girl. It was something she really needed to get off her chest. She'd seen how Undine reacted to the visit by Esmerelda Logi's class a month ago, and this was somehow similar. It was as if she'd been betrayed, her world was bleak and heartless. She was uneasy around everyone, especially the boys, and she kept her distance from everyone at the canteen's line; as if she were frightened that they would lash out at her for no reason. Even her eyes reflected how she was feeling, showing that fear for other people she had back at her old school.
She didn't buy much, a hot sausage roll and an orange juice was all, while Ocarina had bought a mini pizza, three dollars worth of miscellaneous candies and a large bottle of cola. She sighed when, after paying, she found Undine sitting on a bench alone, staring dismally at her sausage roll. She walked up to her and sat down next to her.
"Undine?" She probed. "I've never seen you this down, and you're avoiding the other students more than usual. Tell me what's wrong, please?" Undine didn't answer, still staring blankly at her food. "Are you worried that everything will go back to the way it was at your last school?" Ocarina asked. This got a nod, and she pulled the smaller girl into a hug. "Oh, don't think on it that much." She said. "You've still got us, all we need is enlightening. You came to this school with nothing but bad memories; let us help you turn that around." Undine nodded and leaned into Ocarina appreciatively. "Before that, however, eat your sausage roll or it'll go cold; I'm not paying for another one." She joked, managing to get Undine to smile and stick her tongue out at her comically.
Eventually, the duo made their way to the conference rooms, where they found Mr. Lowell standing in the hallway by room 3, patiently waiting. Ocarina handed Undine her laptop, quickly typing in the password to let her access the main system and sitting her at the nearest chair before moving over and getting Wylie to log into messenger from the room's PC, which was showing the desktop on the overhead projector. Ocarina stood at the front of the room.
"Undine has lost her voice, and as such will be using the PC to communicate to us. Rather than have us all huddle around a single screen, we'll be using the overhead. Hopefully this will clear up any confusion from earlier." She sat down and waved at Undine. "Take it away, Un'."
For the next dozen or so seconds, the only sound in the room was Undine typing until the familiar sound of the messenger receiving a message.
'Yesterday after school, I approached Dean with a question. If you've not all noticed, I don't know many boys, and he was the only one I felt comfortable asking this question.'
"What was your question?" Polly asked.
'I asked him: if he wasn't seeing Sarah, if he'd have ever considered going out with me.' She replied. 'He said no.'
The room seemed to relax at this, even Sarah seemed calmer.
"But that wasn't the end of it, was it Undine?" Ocarina asked. "That's what you told me earlier, and that'd never tear you up this much."
Undine stared at the laptop miserably. 'No, that's not the end of it.' She sent. 'I went on to ask if he thought any of the other boys would consider me, and again he said no.' There was a long pause before she continued. 'I asked why.'
"And what'd he say?" Polly asked.
Undine typed for only a few moments before standing, now in tears, and left; slamming the door behind her. Ocarina rushed over and checked the laptop, her eyes widening before she pressed enter and also left.
'Because I'm a freak.'
Sarah stared at the words for what felt, to her, like an eternity before she turned her attention to her twin. "Fuck, Marge', what'd he do?"
Ocarina found Undine, this time, huddled in an empty classroom. She carefully made her way over and put her hand on the Shark's back reassuringly. Undine jumped and spun, pushing herself towards the wall reflexively before she realized that it was only Ocarina and relaxed, running a clawed hand through her hair and turning her blushing face away.
"So now you know." She whispered, finally having regained her voice. "It's funny, knowing that I'll never find love. I'd always hoped that, some day, I might meet Mr. Right, but... For me there isn't one, is there?"
Ocarina stayed quiet, letting Undine vent her frustrations onto her.
"Hopeless." Undine sniffled. "At my last school I was helpless, and here I'm hopeless. God, one of these days, maybe I'll find my place. Probably at the bottom of the ocean where people can't hurt me, but at least I'll be where humanity wants me. Out of the way."
"Undine... stop." Ocarina said firmly. "You can't trust what one person says alone, the world isn't run on one man's voice. There is a Mr. or Miss. Right for everyone no matter who, or what, they are. Not every first love is in high school, you'll find him eventually."
Undine nodded, fruitlessly trying to dry the tears from her face.
"I'll go get the others and Mr. Lowell, alright?" Ocarina said, handing Undine a packet of tissues. "You stay here and calm down and I'll be right back."
Undine nodded again and mumbled a thank you before Ocarina left. She sniffled as she wiped the tears from her face, and she heard the door click.
"Ocarina..?"
Ocarina hurried towards the conference room they had recently left, only to find the others headed in her direction.
"Security alerted me to her presence in classroom 14B, we're headed there now." Lowell said to her, grabbing her shoulder and turning her around. "We need to hurry."
"Hurry?" Ocarina asked, confused. "I only just left her there..."
Lowellshook his head and hastened his pace, storming through the corridor like a juggernaut and stopping only when one of the bullying girls made a comment he did not agree with.
"'Inhuman's friends?!'" He bellowed, rage deep in his tone and getting faces peeking out of doors. "I thought I told the whole school that she was to be treated equally, not as a monster! How dare you pass judgment on others who don't deserve to be so rudely critiqued, when you've no idea what she's gone through! Yard duty for all of tomorrow, and don't let me ever hear you call or refer to Miss Viper that way again!" He turned the girl around and almost shoved her back into the classroom in his fury before turning and continuing to stomp down the hall.
"What the hell got into him?" The girl asked. "Favoritism I sw-"
Ocarina stopped the girl, clapping a hand over her mouth. "Undine nearly died in term two," she said, "from other students bullying her until she was black, blue and purple all over. Why do you think she's so timid? Why do you think we would go to these lengths to shelter her from such people? She's as fragile as a frozen leaf under a boulder, all it'll take is a small push to send her over the edge. She's a sweet, friendly and bright young girl, and she needs a second chance to recover from her past." She turned her pleading eyes on the student's own. "Please, give it to her; she deserves that much."
She let the student's face go, and stormed off after Mr. Lowell with a dozen astonished faces staring at her.
The group arrived at the classroom in which Ocarina had last seen Undine. They could hear a low, pained groaning; and Lowell stormed in. They only found one figure in the room, currently on his side clutching one arm as blood continued to seep onto the tiled floor. Sarah hurried over.
"Dean, what happened?" She asked, rolling him onto his back.
He hissed in pain and gave Sarah a pained look. "I came in here looking for one of my textbooks only to find your friend Undine in here." He hissed. "She attacked me! Fucking bit into my arm and ran off!"
Ocarina went to argue when Lowell cut her off.
"Sarah, help young Mr. Richards to the medical room." He instructed. "Polly, go to the Security room and get the videotape for this room's camera. The rest of us will find Undine."
Sarah and Dean clambered out of the room, and Polly rushed off, leaving the rest of them standing in the classroom. Lowell sighed.
"Alright, how do we find her?" He asked the girls. "She's good at running off."
Ocarina looked about the room, at the puddle of blood, and had a thought.
"I might know where she's gone, sir." She said.
"Alright, lead the way."
A minute later they were standing outside the girls' bathroom nearest the classroom, and Ocarina turned back to the group.
"Sir, could you, Margaret and Wylie stay out here? Please? I don't know what kind of mental state she's in, but too many people at once could intimidate her."
The trio nodded.
"You got it, shorty." Wylie said.
Ocarina nodded and strolled into the bathroom, letting the door click shut behind her. It was quiet in here, only the sound of running water disturbing what would have been peaceful serenity. She carefully stepped further into the room and sighed.
"Undine, you here?" She probed to the unyielding quiet. "It's only me, Ocarina. We want to talk to you."
She was met by silence, but it was strangely different; as if it were being made by someone trying to be as quiet as possible. Ocarina sighed and edged her way to the cubicles.
"No one hates you, Un'," she said to the awkward silence, "we just want to sort this all out."
She heard a sob, and moved towards the cubicle it came from. Carefully she opened the door to find Undine seated on the tile floor in front of the toilet, barely containing her own crying. There was blood all around her mouth, and in the toilet, and she featured a very black eye. Ocarina lifted the smaller girl to her feet before flushing.
"I had a feeling you'd need to be sick." Ocarina said gently, brushing hair from Undine's face. She led the shark to the sinks and let her wash her mouth of blood before trying to further the conversation. "Un', can you talk? Not lost your voice again?"
Undine nodded. "I can talk." She said hoarsely, covering her bruised eye from the sunlight filtering through the large windows. "That light hurts." She sadly mumbled.
"Are you alright?"
Undine heaved. "No." She said. "I've a black eye and the taste of blood in my mouth, I'm not alright." She sighed and looked down at the floor. "This is the first time I've bitten someone since I was little." She confided.
Ocarina giggled slightly at this. "You're a shark." She said sarcastically. "It won't be the last."
Undine smiled a little at this, and Ocarina gently tugged her across the room.
"C'mon, we've got some things to talk about with the others." She said hopefully.
Undine only nodded sadly and let the taller girl lead her out of the bathroom.
A few minutes later, Undine found herself in the Nurses' office. Only herself, her friends, Lowell and Dean were here. She found herself under the scrutiny of the medical officer for the day, Mrs. Davies, and was promptly stuck with a needle. Undine yelped at the sharp pain, but Mrs. Davies only drew a little blood and whisked it away for testing.
"She's only making sure you've not picked up anything from Mr. Richards." Lowell explained. "Blood can carry some pretty nasty things."
Undine only nodded gently, and Ocarina handed her an eye patch. Undine put it on, and it only just covered her beaten eye.
"Now," Lowell began in a more serious tone, "explain."
"I already told you what happened!" Dean snapped angrily. "She fucking bit me!"
"Why, pray tell, does she have a black eye then?" Lowell asked patiently.
"Had to get her off somehow, didn't I?" Dean growled. "Decked her one when she wouldn't let go."
Lowelllooked to Undine for clarification, but she didn't say anything. All she did was sit on the chair and quietly cry with her tail wrapped around her middle for what little comfort it could bring her. She was withdrawing in on herself quickly and Lowell sighed.
"Where has Polly got to?" He grumbled. He turned at a commotion by the door, and gave a small, relieved smile as Polly strolled in with a TV. "Ah, about time." He said.
Polly nodded and plugged in the TV before pushing a videotape into the recorder.
"We spent a little time aligning the tape to the right point." She said. "And then I had to find a TV that wasn't being used on this floor." She gave a lopsided frown and pressed play.
The TV showed the class Undine had been hiding in, just after Ocarina left. She looked towards the door, and Dean stepped into the camera's view. He backed Undine into a corner, his very movement showing his aggressive intentions, and grabbed her collar before planting a very hard punch across her face, right into Undine's eye. Undine seemed to go slightly limp for a moment, her chest heaved in a sigh, and she grabbed the arm Dean was holding her with. She struggled in his grip before simply sinking her teeth into his arm. He let her go, and she pushed him away from herself, not bothering to watch him curl up on the floor in pain before running out of the room.
Polly paused the tape.
"After that, it's pretty much just Dean writhing on the floor until we walked in." She explained.
Slowly but surely, the eyes of everyone in the room turned on Dean.
"Explain." Lowell growled.
Dean looked about at the angry faces. Even Sarah looked angry at him and he simply rolled his shoulders to make himself more comfortable.
"She's a freak." He spat.
"She's just that." Ocarina said. "A she. Undine is simply another individual at this school to you, another number that you can use to step yourself up on. You don't care that she's been almost killed in the last year, or that she's got almost nothing going for her, you're just another asshole who thinks he's better than everyone else."
"Shut up, Ocarina." Dean snapped. "What would you know?!"
"I know Undine." She retorted calmly. "I know she's a bright and friendly individual who's been given the short straw because she's different on the outside."
"Inside, too." Dean growled.
"She's flesh, blood, bone, brain and heart." Wylie said. "As are we all; we all come in different wrappers, Dean."
"You talk about her as if she's human!" Dean snapped angrily. "She's a goddamned shark!"
Lowell chuckled. "And you picked a fight with her, an apex predator;" he rumbled, "and then expected us to sympathize when she fought back."
"All I wanted was to know if there might be someone here for me." Undine mumbled sadly. You've got Sarah, Wylie's got Matthew, even Polly has Ryan; I figured that, if I asked you, you could help me. No, instead, you only hurt me, like everyone hurts me." She gazed at him, tears streaming from her face. "I hate you." She paused a moment to breathe sharply. "I hate you so much..!"
Lowellsighed and stood up. "This has taken enough of your school day away from you, girls." He said. "After lunch, you're to return to your classes as per usual."
The girls started to leave, Ocarina taking Undine and Wylie with her to the canteen while Polly returned the TV to the storage room with Margaret in tow. Sarah turned to Dean.
"Dean, sweetie?" She asked.
"Yes?"
Her face twisted into one of hate and she glared at him. "We should see other people." She snapped, before turning towards the door.
Dean bared his teeth angrily. "Fuck you too, bitch!"
Sarah stopped, turned, and returned to his side. She promptly grabbed his wounded arm where he had been bitten and squeezed, making him cry in pain before she let go and strolled back out of the room.
"Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Lowell said with a chuckle. "You will be receiving suspension for a month and further punishments should you continue to pursue the matter." He strolled towards the door, pausing only to take a report from the nurse and smiling gently. "You're also lucky."
"'Lucky', sir? How the hell am I lucky?"
"You're lucky that Undine didn't go for your throat." Lowell replied. "The rest of us would have."
Undine sat with her friends on the school oval eating food bought from the canteen and talking amongst one another. She was quiet, as per usual, but she seemed to have a lonelier feel to the silence that she gave, and Sarah sighed.
"Undine..." She mumbled. "I'm sorry for what Dean did."
Undine shook her head. "It wasn't your fault." She said. "It's my fault. I swear that, somehow, I bring this stuff on myself."
"Now, now," Margaret said, "it's not your fault either. You asked an honest question and he had to be a dick about it. He's just another person who treated you like you were inferior, and he paid the price for that."
"Not yet he hasn't." Wylie said. "A month of suspension, according to Matthew." She chuckled lightly; other people's misfortune always entertained her somehow, at least, when it wasn't her friends. "No, he paid the price for getting into a fist fight with a shark."
Undine sighed. "Why can't I have a quiet year for once?" She asked rhetorically. "One without pain..?"
Polly giggled. "Because you're you," She said, "and a year without something happening around you is like having the moon turn into porridge."
"Look on the bright side," Ocarina piped up, "you've still got us, right?"
Undine nodded.
"That's all that matters, isn't it?" Ocarina asked. "Good friends to help you through the thick and thin?"
Undine shrugged.
I guess, for now," Undine said slowly, "love can wait."
Ocarina nodded. "You've barely gotten to know friendship; don't try to overextend yourself until you're ready."
Undine nodded and sighed, looking out across the lawn. Maybe, from now on...
Things would be easier.