The feeling of moving against the force of the crowd felt both familiar and strange, like I was back in the river pushing against the current, but unlike the river, this current was followed by the warmth of bodies and unknown smells that tasted foul on my tongue.I covered my nose with my hands, trying to breathe as little as possible. I had the lung capacity to last longer than regular humans.“Uncomfortable?” the familiar deep voice reverberated from above me.I nodded, then shook my head.The voice huffed almost like a laugh, the breath from that sound sent a shiver down my veins, “Which is it?”“Eh…it smells”“Okay.” He didn’t press, just rolled me toward a less crowded spot.I spotted Caius, lounging against a booth with his usual lazy air. The booth manager kept sneaking nervous glances at him, while Caius casually sucked on a stick of something.“Done playing?” he asked when we were within earshot“It smells,” I muttered, eyeing whatever he was eating.He smiled and pulled it

I’m back, missed me? I’m sure you didn’t. Well, I’m back, hopefully permanentlyWARNING: Third-person POV The Renaissance Faire has been an annual affair, a place where people who believe in magic and those who practice magic truly connect.Placed at the epicenter of the large space was a canopy, one with red and orange striped patterns, one used by circus performers. It belonged to the long, cheery party to the Ren faire, a place where all sorts of magic could come true.For the past five years that this Ren faire has come to town, the caravan has followed, no matter how far or how inconvenient.Through sun, rain, snow or tsunamiIf they said the Renaissance fear at Oakley was taking place, then the diamond level caravan would pull up in its gl

23 Fishnapping

SceneRennaisance faireNot too far away from of a booth with a sign in terribly written words saying “Dunking for poisoned apples”A woman wearing hyper realistic wolf ears and a black hood with a scowl that chased anyone within a ten mile radius away stood looking down at her phone intermittently.Her eyes a striking shade of green like leaves after rain dully scanned the crowd her.Heavy eyebags weighed down her face, a result of the all nighter she pulled yesterday night.Waves of irritation rolled out of her like waves creating a distance between her and the crowd of bustling merry goers.The same thing every year, she thought scowlingThe same shops.The same people -she assumes…she had seen the same man with a terribly made orc mask for the past 3 years since she started visiting the ren faire-.She remembered the first time she visited, she was curious not many things happened in this small town after all.But as she grew and went through life and made new discoveries about

24 Orion is gone

SceneBackstage of the travelling troopThe sound of people bustling around, grunts and shouts flung around in the air “…passed through the door like wind slipping through cracks, loud, restless, impatient.The dressing room was the complete opposite; the quiet, amiable atmosphere was only broken by mumbles of admonishments‘Orion, stay still… you’re ruining my masterpiece ‘Groans of discomfort, ‘Caius spare me…it feels weird’‘It’s make-up beauty has never been uncomfortable’‘I’m naturally beautiful, it doesn’t hurt’‘Oh, a narcissist who told you that’‘My followers, of course’And the occasional eyeroll from Alex that spoke more than wordsAlex watched everything happening from a space that felt too far away.He felt too much like a balloon about to pop, like he was a rope that was stretched too thin.He was experiencing his first real slip—his first brush with losing control in a long time and truth be told, it terrified him.Alex did not lose control, he was taught way too young

All Chapters of Beneath Blood and Water: Chapter 21 - Chapter 24

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23 Fishnapping

24 Orion is gone