Zeke's head is bowed, lost in thought as he navigates the crowded hallway. His usual caution is absent, his mind on edge. Suddenly, he bumps into someone, sending his backpack flying and its contents spilling onto the floor. He looks up, startled, to find himself face to face with the most popular girl in school, Emily. Her fake hair and sharply tailored outfit contrast perfectly with Zeke's threadbare attire. "Whoa! I'm so sorry," Zeke stammered, his cheeks flushing as he quickly began gathering his spilled belongings. He kept his gaze lowered, avoiding eye contact..
"I wasn't watching where I was going."
Emily looked up at him, her expression a mixture of annoyance and pity. Without breaking stride, she threw a dismissive comment over her shoulder
"Watch where you go, weirdo."
Her words hang in the air as she walks away, leaving Zeke kneeling on the floor, taking a deep breath, trying to steady himself. When he finishes gathering his scattered belongings, his hands shake slightly as he zips his backpack shut, the incident stinging more than he cares to admit.
"Stupid... stupid..."
he mutters under his breath, his usual confidence shattered by the brief exchange.
After a long day.
His shoulders slump as he enters the apartment, setting his backpack by the door, his eyes scanning the familiar, lonely space, a pang of sadness coiling in his chest. He kicks off his shoes before entering the kitchen. The refrigerator hums quietly, its contents meager and uninspiring. He grabs a can of soda and heads to his room, closing the door behind him.
"At least I have my drawings,"
he says quietly, pulling out his notebook and flipping through the pages filled with heroic figures in stark contrast to his own life.
He begins to draw again, his hand moving absentmindedly, thinking
His hand pauses mid-stroke, and his gaze drifts back down to the paper, his mind wandering, lost in thought as he absently traces the shape he'd drawn.
Slowly, he comes to himself.
The strange shape on the page. It's unlike anything he's drawn before. The woman's face and body merge seamlessly with that of a fish or a snake, scales glistening like droplets of water. Zeke tilts his head, studying the creature curiously. "What!?" he whispers to the drawing, his finger gently tracing the contours of her face. She was... beautiful.
A small smile tugs at his lips as he realizes this is something new, something different from his usual heroic characters. "Maybe... a mermaid?" he says quietly, already imagining a story for this mysterious girl.
Zeke's pen hesitates across the paper, his uncertainty growing. He tries to imagine the body of a mermaid, but the image still seems elusive. Suddenly, a thought sparks in his mind. What if... what if she had the body of a snake but with the scales of a fish? Excited by the possibility, he begins to draw again, his hand moving quickly across the page.
"Yes... that's it!"
He whispers, a smile spreading across his face as the shape takes shape. The mermaid's torso flows smoothly into a long, serpentine neck, which in turn connects to a strong, serpentine body covered in shimmering fish scales.
"Yah... it's really coming together now."
Zeke leans back, admiring his work with pride and amazement.
"it's a full picture now".