Aquata Cove Ch. 96

"If it makes you feel any better, your father only came to this Isle 3 times in his entire life. This island was never really his point of interest; he had no desire for whoring or revelry. He only wanted the romance this island offers, and despised all else."

Merrick lets go of Adam, and walks away from him, looking horrified, "Who are you?" Merrick's voice shook, "Who are you, who can enter nations at a time with a single step. Who are you who can look and present points in time..."

"Heh..." Adam grinned, "Time and space are only simple doors... In the traverse of a God."

"You're... A God??" Merrick's eyes widened as he looks at him, "Your... Your name is Adam-"

"And you, are Merrick." Adam finished as he walks to him, and takes his hand. "You, a young, beautiful, shining mortal. I have bedded many men in my time -- still do -- and none, no man, has ever made me feel... As confused and wonderful, as I have when I first laid my eyes on you upon the ocean."

"Hahhh..." Merrick feels a deep purge of nerves in his chest as Adam strokes his cheek.

"If angels of the deep seas do exist, I doubt even they would be as wondrous as your very eyes." Adam rubs his palm onto Merrick's cheek. "Do you wish this to be your life?"

Adam turns, and shows Merrick Aphrodita during the daytime. A festival is raging out in celebration of a holiday. Decorative foods and drinks and toys are partaken as well as a time of peace and joy, a parade of decorum and cavalry, "Would you not want to live here?" Adam asked.

"What?"

"With me by my side. I can make you a home here, where you can be you. An island of passion and expression, where anyone can be who they are without fear of chaos or judgment. You, my angel of the sea. I will always protect and give for you."

After a pause, Merrick turns his face sadly away, "... You refuse."

"It's... I really want that. It is a fantastic thing to offer me. It is a beautiful life..." The surroundings turned once more into the dark of the night sky and the moonlight, "But... It is not my life..." Merrick walks a few steps from him, "I cannot just abandon my work, my life, my legacy... My family. They need me... I can't.... I can't."

"Are you sure? You would allow your life to become a fanciful puppet show than a rogue's adventure?"

"I must... I have too many people counting on me..."

Adam sighs for a moment, before looking back to the back of Merrick's head. The boy looks onto the rippling of the water, before he hears a delicate clinking. "Huh?" He turns his head about, seeing a shining chain being put around his neck.

"I thought you might choose your life over mine." Adam told him as he latched the chain together. Before Merrick can look at the pendant at the front end, it is grasped by Adam's hand, and pushed into his own, "You must live your life, and figure how to reshape this world in your own way. I understand." Merrick lets out a small moan as he feels Adam nuzzle him from behind.

"But I will have you, when you want to have me..." He whispers. Merrick looks down, and beams his eyes on a sparkling key attached to the divine chain around his neck, glittering brightly in his hand, "This key to the heavens opens any you see door into my high-plane."

Adam looms around Merrick's front, now glowing with heavenly light, floating up, "I will wait for you... You will find me, and I will take you to places you may only ever conceive in your dreams... My angel of the sea..."

Adam becomes so bright, Merrick is unable to see. Merrick grunts as he shields his eyes, peering out, until he feels himself bobbing steadily up and down. The intense light settles down into the morning sun. He blinks as he finds a huge man shoving past him, "Irk! Ahh, what??" He looks at himself, dressed in his sailor uniform, up on deck. Captain Kai, his current age, shouts commands at the crew as they work tirelessly.

'I will wait for you... My angel of the sea... Always...'

()()()

"Aight. So you ready for your SECOND first day?" Jamal asked as he and Adam pulled into the parking area for employees of the Dream Waltz.

"I guess." Adam says as they get out, and enter through the backdoor. Adam follows Jamal as they go until they go to a lit-up counter with many bottles of different brands and kinds of alcohol. He sees a part of the place is lounge-like with classy couches and cushions, with the next part having tables and chairs, and the back of the place has a large stage. A lot of people are here, talking, drinking, and eating. "So what kind of place IS this?"

"It's a nightclub. It's for people who like to have fun at night."

"So... What do YOU do?"

"I'mma bartender." Jamal says as he takes a towel, and slings it on his shoulder. "I serve drinks, take orders for food and stuff. Sometimes I perform on the stage, occasionally."

"And..." Adam says as he sits on one of the barstools, "What is it that I do?"

"You go up there." Jamal grinned as he pointed to the stage. Adam turned around, looked at Jamal's hand again, and then at the stage.

"Wha... Wait, what?"

"You're a performer, Adam." Jamal laughs, "You sing 'n' dance up there."

"Uh, no. No nonononono, no no no way." Adam wheeled around on the stool, "I can't do that, no way."

"C'mon, man," Jamal laughs as he turns Adam back around, "You were a great up there."

"But I can't sing, I don't even know if I can!"

"Yeah, ya can." Jamal nodded, "Trust me, you were one of the best here."

"Did I do ANYTHING else?"

"Well, ya only worked here for about 3 days a week, if ya weren't a main performer, you'd be a back-up dancer or part of a chorus. Otherwise you'd help move stuff around backstage, run errands, or clean up bathrooms, stuff like that."

"Well can I stick to THAT, please??" Adam says, "I have no idea about how to do this kind of stuff."

"But you will, hopefully." Says a new voice, before Adam turned around, suddenly realizing there's a handful of people right behind him.

"Wh- Oh my God." Adam beamed as he sees them holding up a large cake with flowers of every color of the rainbow, with cursive writing on the icing reading {We Missed You}

"It's good to have you back, Adam." Said a woman with a rather strong voice.

"Oh my gosh," Adam covered his mouth as he bows his head.

"We missed having you here, are you doing ok?"

"You still owe me money,"

"Where've you been at?"

"Guys, guys..." Adam said, honestly a little overwhelmed by this, "I have to tell you... I have no idea who any of you are." Everyone all laughed, as does he, "But... Thank you all, for this. I'll try and do my best here."

"Not a problem, buddyyyy."

"Good man, good man."

"Come on, set it down."

Then, the lights dimed down, and the stage started to lit up. "What? Who's performing right now?"

"Dammit, I told Chloe to put a hold on it."

"She said she wanted to do it 'right', whatever that means."

"What're you all talking about?"

A melancholy guitar strums numerically as the curtain rises. Adam watches in wonder as there stands a woman with her back to the audience, with several other girls up there with her. She's wearing a purple and black goth cowboy outfit, with the long-coat adorned with fine long feathers, before she turned to the audience.

"~Anything you wish for I will fiiiind~" She sings, "~Anything you want, whatever's on your miiind~" She looks with sultry eyes to the lights in front of her, "~I will seek out any treasure ~To satisfy your pleasure, baaaa~byyyy~"

Chloe turns her head as the other girls danced around her, "~Don't ask for any guarantees ~Standing on the edge, is what attracted me~eee~" She waves and gestures her arms "~The damage that we do, belongs to me and you, baaa~byyy~"

"~So don't love me~" She proclaimed, "~Don't liiiieee~" Her hips rock gracefully as she steps forth, "~Don't let me see that look in your eyyyyyes~" She points outward in an accusing manner, "~You promised from the start ~We'd both keep love apart from desiiiiirrrrre~"

"~I don't wanna talk about tomorrow~" She shakes her head as she holds her hands around her head, "~What we have today ~Is all I'm ready for~" She slowly grooves herself as she gives more sultry, ~It's a complicated game ~But it's the reason that we came ~Together~"

"~Cause if I took the stars out of the sky~" She reaches up and arches and waves her arms, "~A galaxy to give you ~To somehow testify ~Would change us ~Rearrange us ~Forever?~"

The music picks up again in a rising rhythm, "~So don't love m ~Don't li~iiee ~Don't let me see that look in your eyyyyes~" Chloe puts a hand on her chest while the other makes a fist by her side, "~I promised from the start ~I'd keep my love apart from desiiiirrre~"

"~This is not about love~!" Chloe marches about the stage, showing passionate anger, "~This is NOT about looove ~This is all about ~Aaaaaall about ~My desIIIIIIRRRre~"

She twirls and sweeps her outfit around her, "~This is not about love, this is not about love "~This is all about, all about my desire ~My desire ~Oh yeah my desire! ~Oh my desiiiiiirrre~"

The song comes to a tambourine end, and the audience applauds with her back facing them, her arms held wide and up slowly going down, as does the curtain. Adam scoffs with astonishment as he claps with everyone. "Wow... Wow."

~~~

A couple of hours later, Adam walks while holding several hangers containing pressed and cleaned costumes, to deliver to both of the 2 private dressing rooms in between. As he goes, he spots someone up ahead -- it's that girl that performed when everyone gave Adam the cake. She doesn't look at him as she strides in his direction next to him.

"What's up, fatass." She said as she passed.

"Wha- Hey!" He turned around, giving her a frown, "What did you say?"

"What? Didn't hear me?" Chloe asked. "I said: "What is UPPP, fat-ASS."

"Excuse me? Did I do something wrong?"

"Yeah!" Chloe said with a huffed, as if something was obvious, "It started when you were born, and is going on as we speak; literally."

"What..." Adam gives her an angered look, "Why are you being rude? I didn't say anything to you."

"I'm getting you ahead of time, for when you DO say something."

"Yeah, well." Adam says as he gets ready to turn around, "I'm sorry, but if this is how you talk, I don't really want anything to do with you." He said as he goes.

"Hey, what? Get back here!" She says. She puts her hands cupped around her mouth, "Get back over here and loooove meeee!" She smirked. Adam turns again, giving her a weird look.

"What are you even talking about?? Oh my God." Adam says with exasperation, "Don't tell me you're another creep who has a crush on me too."

"HAH! Aha, hah hah. Yeah. The only crush I'd have for you is with a giant hammer, sweetheart."

"I... I don't understand." Adam shook his head, "Just who ARE you??"

"Chloe Lukela. Local ass-kicker, resident psychopath, bitter songbird this side of the Pacific." She answers, "But I'm told you forgot all about me in the hospital -- I bought a CARD for you, jerk. People are lucky if I even want to spit on them."

"Wha- I- Ok, yes, I have amnesia, and..." Adam scoffs as he shakes his head, "Look, you're wasting my time, and you're being the jerk here. I've got work to do."

"Oh, stop now." Chloe jogs up to him, and pushes the plastic-cased coats as they walk, "The glory-hole can wait. YOU need to be schooled about respecting the revolting phenomena that IS Chloe Lukela."

"You're kind of annoying me now." Adam says as they go.

"You better watch it, the owner of the club is my cousin." She says with her arm over his shoulders as they move, "I can have you fired just like that." She said with a snap of her fingers.

"Ooook, again, I've got work to do, and I honestly don't want to talk to you." He said as he shrugged her arm off.

"Hey! Wait, stop walking for a second, semen-demon." She says as she gets in front of him, "That's it? You're not even going to talk back? You weren't nearly this much of a passive pussy when you first met me."

"Well, that was then, this is now." Adam replies, "There's a lot of things I don't remember, and I can't help that." He gives her a disdained look, "So sorry I can't worship you like the celebrity you think you are, but I need to get these costumes to the dressing rooms."

"Hold up, hold up..." Chloe holds her hands up to stop him. She looks around, left and right, and then takes the covered clothing. "Ok, one sec." She takes the costumes from Adam's arms.

"H-Hey!"

"Forget the rags, they're cheap anyway. Wait..." She sifts through them, looking at their numbers, and picking up three of them, and tossing the others on a nearby chair, "Ok, hold out your arm."

"W-What?"

"Just do it." She says impatiently. Adam rolls his eyes, and does so, before she grabs his wrist, and pulls him with her as she walks.

"A-Ahh, hey! What about the other ones??"

"They're not going to the room we are." She says.

"C-Chloe, what are you doing??" Chloe drags Adam to one of the dressing rooms he was going to, and closed the door behind her, and locked it. Adam glances around, and sees Chloe putting the plastic-protected clothing up on the wrack. "Can I leave now? I don't want to get yelled at for not doing my job."

"No, not yet." Chloe says before turning around, crossing her arms, "I felt like telling you something, and I don't want anyone to hear me."

"What... God, you ARE crushing on me, aren't you?" Adam groaned.

"No, you're disgusting." She dismissed, making Adam quirk his eyebrows up, "I just need to fill you in so you're not such spineless idiot every time I look at you."

"Can you stop with the insults? I haven't done ANYthing."

"I know, that's the point. It's pissing me off."

"I... What?"

"Adam." Chloe pressed her fingertips together as she takes a seat, "You and I are what high school kids call, 'Frienemies'."

"What in the world does THAT mean?"

"Supposedly, it's the combination of 'Friend' and 'Enemy'. While I hate you way to a point where we can't ever be friends, you're just barely tolerable to not be enemies. Frienemies."

"I still don't get it." Adam said, "Can I go now?"

"Hahhh... Alright, look. I'm gonna tell you something, which I didn't want to have to say in front of others, hence why I dragged your fatass in here."

"Could you please just get to the point?"

"Ok. I first started working here because I was a total cunt and a living hell at my old school. I was suspended at least 15 times before I was kicked out. And I basically bitch-slapped any therapist or counselor my parents locked in a room with me. Finally, they just threw me in here and made me Jerry's problem since he likes an emotional wreck like me."

"Ok, makes sense."

"Still," Chloe shrugged, "I wasn't about to change just because nobody wanted to put up with me. I like being a badass, even if everyone hates or fears me. I love it."

"Is this going anywhere?"

"It's about to, if you shut the fuck up, hairy fairy." She answered. "Before I go any further, I am letting you know now that if you tell ANYONE what I'm saying now, I will surgically rearrange your teeth with a pair of pliers and a buzzsaw."

"Ok ok, I won't tell anyone."

"Alright. The truth is... You made things fun for me here. You kind of made me actually want to be here." Chloe admitted. Adam's face softened a little as she said this, "I've always been a fiery psychopath, it's what I love about me. And it's not like Jerry was able to make me less crazy than I am, I just chew him up and spat him back out. And then you started working here." She smirked, "You were a new singer, you took some stage time off of me, and I overheard a couple of people warn you about me, and telling them you could 'handle' me."

Adam raised his brows at that, "Handle you? Judging from your attitude, I wouldn't handle you with a pair of metal tongs and a HAZMAT suit."

"Right?" Chloe snickered, "So we got into it, in front of everybody. You argued with me, but like... You weren't yelling like everyone else who try to throw down with me. And you weren't trying to... I don't know, most people who rant at me try to put me down or take cheap shots to really get personal. But you at least made it fun."

"Fun?"

"Yeah. Everyone else I talk to either argues at me, yells, cries, run, get pissed off, or squeal over to Jerry. But you're like, the only one who can take a hit and actually fight back that doesn't waste my time. The stuff you and I threw at each other was stupid and hilarious."

"Hahahah, doesn't really sound like me, from what I've been told since I got out of the hospital."

"Yeah, Jamal did say you're usually a gigantic pussy."

"Wait. Jamal said that??" He asked, a little shocked that Jamal would use that kind of word to describe him.

"I paraphrase." Chloe waved her hand in dismissal, earning a slumped scoff from Adam. "And, when I found out you were put into the hospital because a bunch of guys beat you up... Honestly, I was a little depressed." She said with an as-a-matter-of-fact shrug.

"You don't seem like the depressed-type."

"Very true, human emotion is hard for me to process, much like Carla's cooking."

"Who?"

"Jerry's train-tranny girlfriend. She hates it when I talk to her, obviously. But when you were in that coma... I don't know, it just felt like... 'Game Over'. Fun times are over. Lost another friend, but not even on MY terms. It sucks."

"Wow... Are you serious?"

"Ok, if you make me say it again, I'm doing it with your blood on paper." She snapped back, "I don't really see it, but Jerry tells me that even though it stresses him out when you and I go at it, he said my behavior has gotten less destructive and disrespectful since you started working here. Less people have skipped days when I worked. Frankly, I think it's because everyone's getting used to me. I don't want to think I'm losing my edge."

"I don't know, it's only been like 10 minutes, and I already feel the need to call 911."

"Oh, they're not going to help you. By the time they get here, I would have split your body parts all around the islands."

"Gheheh... I'm still not sure if I like you, or if I just want you to go away, honestly."

"It's best if you don't figure that one out."

~~~

"This was where you usually get ready." Chloe said as she and Adam came to one of the dressing rooms, "There's only 3 private dressing rooms like this, so we usually have to take turns on who gets to use them, but ever since you were bashed, no one has even touched the door."

"That's... Weird, why?" Adam asked as she stood by the frame, leaning on the wall.

"Hell if I know. Some of them just got discouraged when you were put in the hospital. Probably it was sentimental to them. Or superstitious. Maybe they thought it was haunted with your gay spunk all over."

"Pghgh, it doesn't stop with you, does it?" Adam scoffed.

"Never does, fuck-monkey." Chloe shook her head.

"So YOU never touched it either?" Adam raised his brow.

"Didn't you hear me? YOU used it. Everything in there was probably marked by your dick, I'm not touching anything in there with a 40ft pole."

"Wait... Did I..." Adam blushes harshly as he looks at the door, "Did I ever... Do, you know... Naked things in there??"

"If you ever did, I don't ever want to know." Chloe holds her hand up in a stop-gesture, "That's just the natural assumption I'm making."

"Heh..." Adam looks at the knob, seeing a key inserted there already.

"No one even touched the key after you were attacked..." Chloe says, "I really don't get what the huge fuss is about..."

"Well... Here goes..." Adam hesitates before he turns, "Look, Chloe. Whatever way we were back in my old life... I just want to say thanks for sticking with me right now. I keep thinking I'm going to get another horrendous migraine just from walking in, so..."