Nyctophobia - Sirius Black

Chapter 27

A/N Warning, suicidal thoughts. If that bothers/triggers you, please let me know. I'll put a warning so that you can skip those parts if you want to.

Ruby couldn't understand what was happening. Why was she in the water anyway? It was like it had swallowed her. She couldn't feel anything, but she knew she was moving.

Then her ankle began throbbing. Her senses returned enough to realize something was holding her down, pulling her down into the water, and what ever it was was holding her ankle tightly. In the darkness of the water, however, she couldn't see what it was.

Suddenly something seemed to be very close to her face, but she still couldn't make out what it was. Then it began to glow. It was surprising, not what Ruby had expected to see. It was a girl. She was very pretty, to a supernatural level, dark hair framing her oval face. She wore a sort of crown made of dark beads and shells. Her shirt seemed to be made of the same materials, fromed into a strange sort of halter top. It cut off less than an inch below her breasts. There were more beads around her waist, and Ruby realized the girl didn't have any legs. In there place was a dark blue scaly tail. This was a mermaid, but not the sort they generally found in the Black Lake. Those mermaids usually had a more animal-like appearance, with webbed hands, sharp teeth and green hair and skin. This girl could be mistaken for a human if she hid her tail.

Despite her appearance, the mermaid didn't have a human disposition. She had already grasped Ruby's throat and pulled her farther down.

Ruby found that surprisingly, this was easier. This opponent was physical, real, not in her mind.

After all the practice she had done with Jana, it was relatively simple to harness her anger and send the lethal green magic at her mermaid. The mermaid squeezed her neck harder as she realized what was happening, but Ruby already couldn't breathe. Then her attacker went limp, and Ruby had to pry away the frozen hands from her neck and swim up. She knew which way to go now, as the mermaid's body sunk downwards and Ruby went in the opposite direction. She didn't let herself give in to the panic, and broke through the surface, gasping for breath.

And sudden another head rose from the water. They were clearly the same species, as this one had the same unnatural beauty, but this one was blonde, with beads a shade lighter braided into her hair.

"Wren sends a message. She will come soon, please remain strong." and with that, the girl disappeared under the water. Ruby tread water, suddenly realizing that not only was she far away from the shore, but also that dark clouds had gathered thickly overhead, and lightning flashed threateningly while rained poured down in torrents. It was honestly strange, that the rain bothered her even though she was already soaking wet.

The shore seemed so far away, but she swam towards it anyway, her magic propelling her towards it. Soon she found herself crawling up the bank, too exhausted to walk, out of breath. She fell to the grass, just to catch her breath, but her eyelids were drooping. She was so tired. Her eyes closed, and she fell into a dreamless sleep, regardless of where she was.

To anyone else, it might have looked like she had just fallen asleep in the rain, although that would have been unusual. She lay on her back, wet black hair plastered to her face and neck. Her clothes clung to her skin, and raindrops trailed down her unnaturally pale cheeks. Her eyes were closed, but still looked tired. She hadn't been wearing her robes or her sweater since it was already late spring and there was no need for it. Her white shirt was wrinkled and torn from her fight with the mermaid, the fabric semi-transparent in the rain. Her grey denim shorts were a shade darker from the water, but it didn't show that much. She was barefoot, having left her shoes in her dorm, expecting to get them after she checked on Sirius.