Chapter Text
If there was one thing Tubbo loathed, it was that inevitable moment when a teacher looked at them and said ‘well why don’t you stand up at the front and introduce yourselves’.
Because first of all, being stared at by a bunch of teenagers was not how he wanted to start his day. And second of all, telling people about himself? Terrible. Next they would say he had to be honest about their cheesy ice breaker suggestions or something.
“I’m Tubbo. Yes, it’s short for something. No, It’s not Toby. It’s Tubbo.” Tubbo rattled off, rapid fire. He had this exact greeting down to a science, designed to confuse the teacher so they would let him sit down as fast as possible and share as little as possible.
“‘M Tommy. Biggest man alive.” Tommy said, half slumping on Tubbo’s shoulder. Tubbo rolled his eyes but didn’t shake him off. Tommy hated the first day of school even more than he did and that was saying something. They had seen a lot of first days at school before.
Though not quite like this. Half of the class was still damp. Sand crusted the floor and he was pretty sure some kids were still wearing their swimsuits. They were also sitting in one of those weird seat orders that teachers insisted brought teamwork and community, with desks arranged in little groups of four.
In Tubbo’s experience, that meant he could angle to get four desks all to him and Tommy. No one wanted to sit with the odd new kids after all.
Apparently there were perks to being moved into a foster home on a tiny island. Tubbo let himself feel smug that he had called it and bullied Tommy into watching teen beach dramas with him. It was all in the name of research after all! In Brighton, it was still cold and damp and wintery.
Everyone stayed quiet for a long minute. Tommy huffed even more, beginning to fidget with his shirt sleeve. Tubbo snuck a glance at the teacher who was staring at their desk, lost in thought. Or possibly asleep. They were quite old after all, their hair long turned to silver and their voice as raspy as the grave.
Tubbo was halfway through plotting the best route to sneak to a desk and gaslight everyone into thinking that was his and Tommy’s desks now when the teacher finally moved. “You may be seated.” The teacher said slowly, blinking murky eyes at the two.
Tommy popped back to his feet, earning a hiss and a seat from Tubbo as the motion nearly knocked him over. He grabbed Tubbo’s arm, earning another eye roll as he started dragging the other to an unattended pair of seats.
In fact, the entire desk group was almost empty. Score! There was just one kid sitting there, the only one who hadn’t been watching their introduction. It was easy enough to pick them out, they wore a violet hoodie in a room filled with summer wear. They slouched further down, purple eyes meeting his before flickering away.
“Yeah. I have a question.” Tubbo’s head snapped up, scanning the classroom. The speaker was slouching at a desk across the classroom from their aim. It was easy enough to pick them out, all the other desk groups were just a little bit further away from theirs. Like sharks in a group of minnows.
Tubbo’s eyes narrowed when he saw them smirk, the knowing head nods to the other table members. The other person had planned this for the maximum awkwardness factor. He’d be almost impressed if he wasn’t vibrating with the desire to bite them.
He did not like being a target for bullies. And he liked Tommy being a target even less.
“So, where are you from?” The teenager drawled. “Not every day we get new kids and just your name? Teach asked you to tell us about yourself.”
“Not around here.” Tubbo answered, his grip white knuckled on Tommy’s sleeve. He gave them a warning tug when the other began to push forward. They couldn’t start their first day in detention.
“And?” Tubbo snuck a glance back at the teacher but they were staring at their desk again. No interruption from that side. He gritted his teeth.
“We lived in Brighton before this.” Tommy said, shoving his hands into his pockets. “That enough for you?”
“Why did you move down here then? Your parents decided to change jobs to some tiny island?” Smug Teen said. Teen dramas were right, there was always a bully character in island schools. He was even blond. “No interesting story?”
Tubbo quickly searched for his words, trying to spin together a story before Tommy lost his temper with the prodding. Because with the prodding would turn up the why they moved here and the why was because the only home willing to take them both was on this island. The why would turn up homes in the double digits in just a decade.
And then prodding would turn into actual bullying. He had seen enough of it back in the United Kingdom, back when they had been stupid and trusting enough to assume being the foster kids would be fine. But it wasn’t. And this wasn’t the first time people had asked them ‘innocent’ questions.
Somebody would be finding a lit firecracker in their locker later.
“Well, you see-“ Tubbo said, forcing the charming smile that somehow convinced adults that he was the responsible one of the duo.
A loud clattering before him.
The door didn’t so much open as it burst open, the doorknob bouncing off the opposite wall with a sharp crack that almost guaranteed a new dent in the plaster. Similarly, the teen walking in didn’t really walk so much as they fell through.
Literally.
They laid on the ground for a minute, panting hard. Tubbo knew a distraction when he saw one. Taking advantage of the lack of eyes, he tightened his grip on Tommy, quickly towing the other to their seats. When the bully kid looked at them again, they were sitting at their desks, the questioning over.
Tommy stuck his tongue out at them. They glared.
“Late again, Mr. Ranboo?” The teacher said, shifting in their desk with an odd popping noise. The teen scrambled to their feet and- wow. They were fucking tall. Super tall. Like, what was these parents feeding their kid tall. That should be illegal tall.
“You gotta be kidding me.” Tommy whispered, staring at them. Tubbo glanced between him and the- Ranboo, running some quick mental calculations.
“I think you’re shorter than them, big man.” He whispered back. That was rare to find, Tommy was tall for his age. This must be what vindication felt like. Tommy’s glare doubled.
“Sorry, my alarm clock didn’t go off and I had to run here.” Ranboo said, shrinking into himself. Tubbo tilted his head to the side. They had a strange fondness for black and white which he saw right away.
Their hair had been dyed half black and half white down the middle. The theme continued with a half black and half white mask. He was kind of disappointed that their sunglasses, completely black, and clothes didn’t fit the bill. Even if their clothes looked more like a suit than summer clothes.
Even he had traded his sweater for a green shirt. Ranboo must be roasting in that.
“Again?” There was that same smug voice as before. Tubbo rolled his eyes as Ranboo shrunk a little bit more into himself.
“Leave off him.” Tommy snapped. He leaned over his seat, glaring at the other guy. The sniggering at that table stopped.
“Oh, you messed up now.” The teen in a purple hoodie mumbled. True enough if Tubbo wasn’t pretty sure they already had a target on their back anyways.
This school was small, even smaller than their already tiny school back in Brighton. There was only one class of nearly twenty for their entire grade and one school for the entire island. He wouldn’t be surprised if they were the first new kids in years.
Same principles still apply. If Tommy didn’t scare them off first, then Tubbo would be pulling out the firecrackers. Detention or no detention.
“Take your seat.” The teacher droned. “And open your history books to page-“
Tubbo’s eyes went a bit wide in surprise and Ranboo scrambled over to the table, slipping into the last empty seat across from Tubbo. Pity. He started fumbling in his bag, pulling out a worn textbook.
A textbook that neither Tommy nor Tubbo had.
Tommy immediately slumped down in his chair to hide from the teacher as Tubbo stared at the desk, debating if it would be worth bringing up now or after class. On one hand, they’d be a bit behind on the other hand, was it worth feeding more fodder to the bullies? It’s not like the book was ever helpful to him.
“Pst.” Who the fuck actually made that noise in real life? Tubbo looked up, across the desk. Ranboo carefully nudged his book until it spread across both desks, easily visible.
Tubbo hid a smile, looks like this school wouldn’t be too bad after all.
Even if the sound of the teacher’s droning made him feel like he was going to fall asleep. The history lesson seemed to drag on and on. Tommy had started aggressively braiding Tubbo’s hair by the time the bell finally rang.
“Thanks for that.” Tubbo said, stretching and feeling that delightful crack of his joints popping. “That was nice of you.”
“No problem, it was the least I could do. You got in trouble for me after all.” Ranboo said, ducking his head. “Not, uh, not like it was hard to share my book. I barely understand what the teacher is saying most of the time. You know?”
“Fuck yeah, I do.” Tommy said, leaning over the table. “Is that how he teaches all the fucking time?”
“Back up.” Tubbo said, nudging Tommy in the side. “What do you mean we got in trouble? I don’t think the teacher noticed anything. Honestly, I think we could have gotten into a fight and they still wouldn’t have noticed.”
“Oh, yeah, uh, the teacher is cool. They don’t notice much.” Ranboo said, shrinking down again. For someone so tall, he could get so small in his chair. “But Clay, uh, he can be a bit of a jerk-“
“Aw, is ickle Ranboo talking about us?” Ranboo was practically sliding under the desk when a hand slammed down on the back of his chair. Bully kid- Clay loomed over him, his back up crew lurking behind.
It was so cheesy that Tubbo actually rolled his eyes. He had seen worse.
“Kind of impressed you got up the backbone to do more than sit there and cry.” Clay continued. “Feeling really gutsy today, aren’t you?”
“I told you to back off of him.” Tommy said, starting to rise out of his seat. Tubbo put a hand out to stop him and then thought better of it. Nothing could stop Tommy when he had his hackles up. Now, it was damage control time.
“Oh, looks like the new kid is feeling brave.” Clay said, snickering. “Think you’re a real big man, don’t you?”
“Bigger man than you are.” Tommy said, puffing his chest out. Tubbo rested his hands on the table, going straight for the most unsettling smile he knew. One of the bullies twitched and his smile widened even further.
“I hope you're not thinking of hitting him.” Tubbo chirped, seeing Clay twitch forward. “After all, then we’d all get in trouble. Let me guess, you usually pick on one or two and then lie when they report you? But there’s four of us here.”
“Leave me out of this.” Purple hoodie kid hissed, still face down on the table. Tubbo’s smile didn’t even twitch.
But Clay sure did. He hesitated, glancing back at the other bullies who were looking uncertain now too. “You cowards?” He said, but the threat had lost a little bite now.
But that didn’t stop Tommy. “You’re more of a coward than us.” He snapped. “You have little bitch energy. I’m way braver than you.”
Tubbo huffed in frustration, but couldn’t stop the little smile tugging at his mouth. That was Tommy. Never could stop rubbing salt in the wound, even when it was handled. Like now.
Clay chortled. “You think you’re brave?” He said. He roughly shoved Ranboo’s shoulder earning a soft ‘hey man’ in response. Tubbo patted the spot he had shoved, earning an uncertain smile. Possibly because he was still using his ‘found nuke instructions’ smile. “If you’re like this guy, you’re a big scaredy cat.”
“We’re braver than all of you.” Tommy shot back. “Who’s the fucker picking on others here? Not us, that’s fucking who.”
“Brave enough to go to Mako Island?”
That pulled Tommy up short. Tubbo frowned, brow creasing. What was Mako Island?
One of the other bullies laughed. “I bet this joker thinks he can go to the Moon Pool.” He jabbed. “Even if he’d turn tail running before he ever got there.”
“Tommy-“ Ranboo hissed. What little of his face could be seen was pale and he was swatting at Tommy’s hands to try and stop him. Even purple hoodie kid was looking at them now. Tubbo winced, reaching forward even though he knew what was coming was inevitable.
“I bet you I can.” Tommy said. Ranboo made a choked sound like a balloon slowly wheezing it’s last breath. “In fact, I bet we can all get there.”
Clay’s eyes gleamed with satisfaction. “Then it’s settled. Bring us a picture of the Moon Pool tomorrow at school and we’ll leave you alone. We’ll even leave scaredy cat Ranboo alone. But if you turn tail or lie, we’re going to make your lives a literal hell until you leave the island.”
“Deal.”
“And I’m talking in the water.” Clay called back. “I better see you swimming!”
“So, how much did Tommy screw up?” Tubbo asked idly, watching the bullies leave the room. The room had cleared, everyone else either fleeing the confrontation or heading to the lunch room. Or both. He ignored Tommy’s splutters of indignation, leaning his elbows on the table. “And how screwed are we?”
“So screwed.” Ranboo moaned, slipping down further in his chair. That could not be good for his spine. “There’s a reason nobody goes to Mako Island.”
“Sharks?” Tommy said, looking way too excited. Though admittedly, Tubbo had been psyched at the possibility of seeing sharks. “Lasers? Secret labs?”
“Worse.” Ranboo moaned. “Ghosts.”
He looked up, seeing the confused stares of Tommy and Tubbo. “Oh, right. Forgot you didn’t grow up here. Pretty much everyone who’s here for more than a week knows about the story of Mako island.”
“Well, then.” Tubbo said. “Spill the deets. We can’t exactly plan if we don’t know what’s going on.”
“I don’t know how true this is, I heard it from one of the kids on my street a few years ago. Everybody knows about it but no one really likes to talk, you know?” Ranboo said, taking a deep breath. “Mako Island is a smaller island a few miles offshore. It was actually where the original colony of settlers lived before they moved here. And they moved in a pretty big hurry.”
“No one’s actually quite sure when it started, but slowly, boats stopped coming back from expeditions. Wood, fabric from the sails, rope from the rigging, all kinds of stuff would all wash up on the shore. No bodies ever washed up but some people swore the water in the bay would turn red after a ship left. So, people stopped leaving at all. They had farms and animals, they didn’t need to leave and no one really cared they were stuck. But then, people in the colonies started turning up dead. Drowned usually. Always on the full moon. It started with one, here and there, but soon entire groups started getting picked off. No connections, no traces of who did it. And many of them were strong adults, it would have been hard. People should have noticed. No matter what they did, they couldn’t find who was doing it.”
“So, one night on the full moon, they packed everyone they could into the remaining ships and set off. People figured it was better to try and flee rather than stay and get picked off. They made it and well, Mako Island has been abandoned ever since. Couple times people tried to snatch it up and do something with it. Billionaire tried to put a vacation home on it once. But no one has ever stayed so they just declared it as a state park and closed it to visitors.”
“And the Moon Pool?” Tubbo prompted, sharing a look with Tommy. Now this sounded like some proper scary stories.
“Oh.” Ranboo blinked. “That’s where the bodies were always found. It’s a pool of water found in a cavern under the inactive island volcano. People say it’s haunted now and swimming will curse you. Or something. No one can really agree on how it’ll curse you.”
“And nobody found who the murderous fucker was?” Tommy asked. He had a dreamy look in eyes that spelled trouble.
“No, like I said, there was never any connection between the victims and nobody saw them disappear. Even when they tried to stay inside and hide, whoever it was knew exactly who was vulnerable.” Ranboo said, fiddling with his tie and he glanced at the door. “People have all kinds of theories from normal stuff like a serial killer to fluke illnesses. Some theorists think there’s murderous mermaids, or sirens I guess, who patrol the waters of the bay and kill all who cross their territory.”
“I heard that they never found any signs of struggle either.” Tubbo blinked in surprise when it wasn’t Ranboo who continued. Purple hoodie kid didn’t look at them when he talked. “It was like the people just walked into the pool and drowned.”
“Freaky.” Tommy said. “How do we get there?”
Ranboo spluttered. “Did you not just hear what I said? Mystery deaths! Terror! Completely unsolved and terrifying!”
“We’ve done worse.” Tubbo said. He shrugged at Ranboo’s look of incomprehension. “One time we broke into a graveyard to look for ghosts. Didn’t find anything. And while mysteries sound scary, I think I believe in the horror of bullies more.”
Ranboo buried his head in his hands. “Well, you can’t go anyways.” He said. “My family doesn’t have a boat and I don’t think anyone would lend you a boat short notice to go to Mako Island.”
“Shit, Ranboob is right.” Tommy said, slumping against the table and ignoring Ranboo’s offended noises. “And I guess stealing one is a bad idea!”
Tommy had been mortally offended most of the week that their foster family, nice as they were, were one of the few families who didn’t have a boat. Figures that Tommy would be right that they would need one.
“Yes?!” Ranboo said.
“What about you?” Tubbo said, turning to the kid in the purple hoodie. They cracked one eye open, looking back at him. “Do you have a boat we could use?”
“I do but the answer is no.” They said before closing their eye again. Tommy spluttered, slamming his hands against the table.
“Why not? Our lives depend on it! Your life depends on it! Why won’t you lend us your boat?” He yelled. The other didn’t even twitch.
“He’s right, Clay included you in his threat. Wouldn’t you prefer visiting a haunted island and not getting bullied?” Tubbo ventured. The kid didn’t even answer. This would be a tough one to crack. “Consider this-“
Ranboo sighed and put twenty dollars on the table. The kid swept it away before Tommy could grab it. “Purpled, take us to the island and you can have this and then another twenty dollars to bring us back.”
“Fifty.”
“Fine.” Tubbo cut in. Ranboo sighed but didn’t argue. Good man.
“Meet me at the south dock an hour before midnight.” Purpled said, tucking his money into his pocket. “If you’re late, I will leave you.”
“This is gonna be fucking amazing.” Tommy said, beaming. Ranboo groaned. “I hope we’ll see some ghosts!”
If there was one good thing, Tubbo reflected, none of them got seasick. That would have made the already long journey even longer.
Tommy had tried, he really did. But even his gift for gab and Tubbo’s need to ramble had started to lose out against the mood. Neither of the other two had talked much either. Ranboo had curled into a ball in the center of the boat and Purpled kept his eyes on the ocean ahead of them.
The little boat was quick enough for being a worn fishing boat, at least by Tubbo’s limited perspective. It was a nice boat really. It was big enough to hold all of them and have a little space left over to fit the motor and a canopy overhead. White paint against fading red had proclaimed it to be ‘Dogchamp’, a name that Tommy had quickly fallen in love with.
“Brighter than I thought though.” Tubbo said, looking up. The full moon looks huge tonight and the sky is studded with glimmering stars. “Like something out of a picture.”
They didn’t even need a light to sail by. The full moon was enough.
“How much longer?” Ranboo moaned, curling up into a tighter ball. He was still dressed in his suit, even with Tommy and Tubbo wearing swimsuits and shirts. Even Purpled was wearing swim trunks under his hoodie.
Though the hoodie was looking like a better and better idea. It was way colder on the ocean than he had expected. Tommy and him had been crammed together in one seat, pressing together to keep warm.
“We’re nearly there.” Purples said, dodging the statement. He pointed ahead. A dark silhouette loomed against the night sky. They drew closer, the boat drifting from side to side to dodge rocks that suddenly appeared out from the water. “No one else visits at night, so we should be cleared to dock as close as possible.”
As he was saying this, he turned the boat a bit to the side, following the gentle arc of the island as it curved inward. When Tubbo had looked up pictures early, the island had looked like the fin of a shark from above. Kind of ironic, when it was actually named for the mako sharks that lurked offshore to hunt fish.
Ahead, the gentle curve suddenly shot inwards, making a notch. Like something had taken a chunk out of the shark fin. That was their goal.
Tubbo looked over the island, humming a bit in awe. It was definitely kind of creepy and he could see why no one had decided to stay here- Wait a moment.
“No one is supposed to be here?” He confirmed.
“No.” Ranboo mumbled, barely audible over the roar of the waves. “Even the coast guard doesn’t patrol over here at night. It’s freaky, man.”
“Then why is there another boat?” Tubbo said, pointing. It was hard to see and he had nearly mistaken it for one of the rocks. It had been tucked into the shore further up the coast, the only part nearly visible over the rocks and waves being the mast for the sail.
Purpled swore, killing the boat engine. “I recognize the fucking boat. It’s tried to scare me out of the water a couple times.” He said with a huff. “That’s Jeremy’s boat, he’s one of Clay’s friends and a massive asshole.”
Tubbo tilted his head to the side. If he had been just a bit more distracted, there was no way he could have noticed it, even with the light of the full moon. It had been hidden where the shadows of the island were darkest and unless someone was looking at it right, it was practically invisible.
Tommy got to it first. “This is a fucking ambush.” He said. “That’s why they agreed to it.”
Oh, that was wicked. Clumsy but wicked. If it worked, Clay and the bullies got to torment them here and for the rest of the year. If it didn’t, Clay still got the fun of scaring them. Tubbo leaned back in his seat, steepling his fingers. “But it’s one we need to spring.”
“Can’t we just land somewhere else?” Ranboo said, peeking out of his spot. “And just take a longer hike?”
“A longer hike through the jungle.” Purpled countered. “I didn’t sign up for that and I really doubt they’re right by the bay. They’ll catch us further up where the trail narrows.”
“Tommy, get the paint.” Tubbo said. Ranboo yelped as Tommy nearly flung himself out of his cramped seat, fumbling around in his pockets and pulling out half crushed tubes of paint, flinging them into the bottom of the boat.
“Fucking yes!”
“Do you just carry those around wherever you go?” Ranboo said, staring at the pile as it slowly grew bigger.
“I know, he’s so weird.” Tubbo said lovingly. Ranboo began to nod. “Everyone knows that firecrackers are the more practical option to carry.”
Ranboo stopped nodding. “What are you going to do with those then?” He asked. “I think throwing paint at them will just make them madder.”
“Oh, we’re not throwing paint at them.” Tubbo said wickedly. “If they want to visit a haunted island, we’ll give them a haunted island.”
“I think they wimped out man.” Jeremy said, staring balefully at the bay below as he flicked his cigarette to the ground and crushed it. “I haven’t seen anything going by.”
“They better not.” Clay snapped, folding his arms. He would be in massive trouble if his family found out he had sailed out here at night. That trouble better be sweetened by chasing those punk kids off the island as they screamed in terror.
“I’m with Jeremy. Maybe we should head back. I need to study for the test tomorrow anyway.” Brad said. Fucking Brad. He always agreed with anything Jeremy said. They all knew the test tomorrow was a joke, the teacher never noticed people swapping papers or sharing answers.
“Yeah, we’re running out of booze too.” Andy said, glaring into the nearly empty cooler that Alex had tossed in the back of the boat. “Should’ve brought more. I’m ready to go back.”
“Five more minutes.” Clay said. He hadn’t gotten to be the leader without seeing when these assholes would mutiny.
And it was kind of freaky. With only five of them here, counting him, it was near silent. Even the animals in the jungles had shut up. But freaky in a cool way.
Maybe he should throw a party here sometime soon. Call it a Moon Party, bring the beer, and see who was brave enough to join. Get a bonfire going and he doubted any island murderer would be stupid enough to come over. If they weren’t already in the grave already. They could even hold it in that broken down shell of a house that that billionaire had started building before he sold it off in a drunken fit.
He scoffed, taking another sip of his drink and letting the burning fill him with rage. He was going to destroy them for this. He had dug his ass out of his comfortable bed and dragged his friends out here to hear some screams.
A scream cut through the night.
That wasn’t their doing. Clay lowered his drink with a frown, looking up. It sounded like it came from further down the trail. Nobody else should be on this island, they had done a drive by to see if those assholes were on land yet and saw nothing. Nobody could have swam around them.
The scream spluttered out but now he could hear the crackling and snapping of branches like someone was sprinting through them with no regard for pain. He stepped a bit further out, craning his head to see down the narrow path that broke through the thick jungle.
The brown haired kid came running out like his ass was on fire, eyes so wide he could practically see the whites from here. The smug one who had sat there and smiled like some creepy puppet from a horror movie.
Well, he wasn’t smiling. Clay started down the path, ignoring how his friends started to protest. He was going to kick that kid’s ass-
“Run! He got Tommy!” He screamed. And that’s when Clay saw the jungle behind him was still moving. One moment that kid was half running half staggering up the trail. The next there was a dreadful crunch and the kid fell.
And didn’t move again.
A shadowy shape stumbled behind him, lurching out through the trees. Clay’s bottle fell to the ground.
They looked… drowned. Like those grisly pictures the news ran sometimes of people who got unlucky out on the water and became another shipwreck. Their face was bluish green, water still dribbling from one corner of their mouth, plastering their dark hair to their head. Their body was twisting grotesquely, one arm limp but the other arm raised from when they- when they got that kid. Wet rags and seaweed draped thread body, glistening in the moonlight.
Their eyes were as dark as pits.
Water bubbles out of their mouth as they groan, a deep hollow sound like the wind screaming through the sea caves. Brad screamed, turning tail and sprinting after Jeremy who was hauling ass through the jungle like a baby.
“Don’t run!” Clay roared, interrupting Andy and Alex who were beginning to scramble away. He cracked his knuckles, stepping forward. “It’s probably some jokester trying to prank us.”
“You fucking deal with it then!” Andy yelled, grabbing Alex’s arm and towing them into the jungle. Fucking twins. When they ran away, they always did it together. Fine, he could deal with this asshole himself. And then he’d deal with those stupid students who thought they could mess with him.
Clay stepped forward, raising one hand. “I don’t know which one you fucking are, but you are dead.” He snarled. The person tilted their head as he stepped forward, watching him with dead eyes before looking back to the fallen student.
And with a horrifying popping noise, they reached down and started wrenching the kid’s arm out of their socket. Clay felt his stomach lurch as the kid’s arm twisted and twisted-
With a groan of his own, his stomach threatening to revolt, he turned and fled down the trail. His face so chalky white his friends screamed again when they saw him stumbling towards them.
The jungle was silent. The creature paused what they were doing, looking up. “Let go of my fucking arm.” Tubbo said, still face down. With a soft gasp, the creature gently dropped his arm, scrambling back.
“I didn’t hurt you, did I?” They said. They reached up, wiping away the water from their mouth. After a moment, they slipped a black and white mask out of their pocket and put it back on with a wince.
“Nah, it’s fine. That’s gymnastics for you.” Tubbo said, popping to his feet. “Great addition, I think that really sold it. Are they gone?”
“Almost.” Tommy said, emerging from a little further down the path. “They scrambled back on their boat but I can’t see them well enough to tell if they’re leaving. Ain’t my fault.”
“They probably will.” Ranboo said, fixing his sunglasses. “You did a really good job painting me.”
“Glad you recognized my skills. I’m a fucking ace painter.” Tommy said proudly. “Dunno why you had all those fucking horror movie noises on your phone though.”
“They calm me.” Ranboo said with a shrug.
“God, you’re so fucking weird.” Tommy said, almost admiringly. It was so good to see his friends getting along, Tubbo thought as he massaged his aching shoulder. “I like it. Keep it up.”
“Thanks?” Ranboo said. “I guess?”
“Not to break from this conversation.” Tubbo said, raising his voice. “But Purpled, did they leave?”
“Yeah.” Purpled said, sauntering up the trail with his hands tucked into his hoodie pocket. “They nearly got the courage to turn around but then whatever Tommy added to their boat made it jolt and slip away from shore and they panicked and gunned it.”
“I didn’t do that!” Tommy defended, looking at their questioning looks. “I just painted some insults on the part that was on the shore. I didn’t set any explosives or anything. That’s Tubbo’s thing.”
“He’s right there. Was probably just a wave.” Tubbo said, shrugging. “Let’s head to the Moon Pool before they catch on and turn around.”
“Follow me.” Ranboo said, heading up the trail. Tubbo obediently trailed after him, swatting Tommy when it looked like the other was about to mutiny and demand he led. Normally, he’d be fine with Tommy leading them on an adventure but right now, he wanted to get to the Moon Pool without getting lost.
The trail led them further up the mountain, the volcano actually. It was weird to think what they were walking on used to be covered in magma and ash. Eventually, the undergrowth cleared until they were walking along the top of the ridge, the bay painted before them.
“I can see why they settled here. What an amazing view.” Tommy said, flinging his arms up. “I feel like I’m on top of the world!”
“Pretty sure it was for the good land but sure.” Purpled said. “Look alive, the cave entrance is just ahead.”
Tubbo looked up. Sure enough, further up the ridge, black painted one area. As they grew closer, he could see jagged stalactites hanging from the ceiling. Like a mouth threatening to swallow them, he thought with a shiver.
Creepy.
If he thought the jungle was quiet, it was nothing compared to the silence of the cave that swallowed them. Their voices rang off the walls before being swallowed by the earth.
“Just a bit further.” Ranboo said but his tone said it was more for his benefit than theirs. Tubbo slipped a hand on his shoulder, getting a thankful look from the other. “If I remember the story right, this tunnel will take us straight to the Moon Pool.”
“It better. It’s fucking freezing in here.” Tommy said, rubbing his arms. “I thought islands were supposed to be warm.”
“Sun can’t reach down here.” Tubbo said, looking around the smooth tunnel as they walked. It was odd how… flat the walls were. The only stalactites were the ones at the mouth of the cave. But the tunnel itself looked almost carved out. The floor was covered in sand. It was barely wide enough for them to walk through two by two.
“Used to be warmer though. This was probably a lava tube.” Purpled said. He shrugged when everyone turned to look at him. “I like reading about volcanoes sometimes. They’re interesting.”
“The cavern was probably left after the lava cooled then.” Tubbo said, quickening his steps. “Kinda neat. You get a pool of anti lava where the lava was.”
“You mean water?” Ranboo said uncertainly as he started walking.
“Anti lava.” Tubbo repeated. He swept his arms forward “See?”
The tunnel opened up into a sprawling cavern, the ceiling stretching up, up, up until it opened up to the starry sky at the very top. The moon peeked over the rim, perfectly illuminating the cavern below with silver light.
In front of them, the rock floor slopes down for ten feet before hitting the pool. And what a pool! The water was so perfectly clear he could see all the way to the bottom, rivaling any swimming pool he had seen before.
Tommy whooped, pushing his way past. “Last one in's a rotten egg!” He yelled. He didn’t even bother to remove his shirt before sprinting into the water, only briefly stopping to toss his phone on the beach.
Tubbo laughed, starting to jog down to the water. “Are you coming in?” He yelled back at the other two. “It has to be all of us after all.”
“You don’t pay me enough for this.” Purpled said, folding his arms. Ranboo lingered beside him.
“But it’s corpse water.” He said mournfully, staring at the pool. “I don’t want to be swimming in water where dead bodies have been.”
“Don’t be a pussy!”
“The water cycles though.” Tubbo said, pointing at the very back of the cavern. The clear water let them see the dark tunnel at the very deepest part of the pool. “Probably stretches all the way to the ocean I bet. That’s how the water came in here. If it didn’t cycle, it would be all murky and gross.”
“Come on.” Tommy moaned, stumbling back out of the water. Tubbo yelped as his waving arms dribbled water onto him. “Let’s get this picture!”
“I’d rather deal with Clay then get my clothes wet.” Purpled said, stepping back.
Wrong move. Tommy could smell fear. Tommy pounced, sprinting back up the rock floor with terrifying agility and grabbing Purpled’s hoodie. With a maniacal laugh, he dragged Purpled down to the water, throwing him in. It was only Purpled’s quick reflexes that stopped their own phone from getting soaked.
Purpled surfaced, spluttering. “I’m going to fucking kill you!” He yelled, lunging. Tubbo watched fondly as the two tried to drown each other in the clear water before turning back.
“You going to go in? Tommy will throw you in too if you don’t go while he’s distracted.” Tubbo said. Ranboo shook his head.
“I don’t want to.” He said. “All the deaths, they happened under the full moon. What if that happens to us?”
“That was centuries ago.” Tubbo said, stepping forward. “And whoever went serial killer on that village probably went with them. I would have. Why do you really not want to go in?”
Ranboo froze. “You, uh, you noticed, didn’t you?” He said, slumping a bit.
“You’re afraid of water, aren’t you.” Tubbo said. Not a question. He knew. You didn’t get the name scaredy cat or coward from bullies unless they had a weakness they knew was a sore point. Ranboo had been so jittery on the boat. At first he thought it was sea sickness but Ranboo had flinched away when he got too close to the edge as they disembarked. And finally, how he had jumped when Tommy had splashed him with water to finish the drowned look.
“I- yeah.” Ranboo said, rubbing one arm. “I’ve had bad experiences with it and it makes me nervous. I’m fine with like drinking and baths and stuff but anything deeper than a kiddie pool and I’m out. It feels like something is always waiting to get me and I dunno why. Kind of stupid being an island kid and being scared of water, I know.”
“I don’t think it’s stupid at all. Tons of scary stuff lives in the ocean. So here’s the thing, we’ll go in together.“ Tubbo promised. It was kind of like seeing a sad puppy. You just wanted to help them. “You can hold onto me the entire time, Tommy can get the picture, and then you can get out. We’ll even wash the paint off.”
He saw Ranboo’s hesitance waver and pounced with his finishing move. “What’s worse, doing a bit of wading or having Clay and his group making your life hell?”
“I dunno.” Ranboo said. He hesitated, seeing Tubbo’s outstretched arm. “I- fine. But not too deep.”
“Not too deep.” Tubbo promised. He’ll work on the water thing. He already had several schemes for it. Ranboo would never see it coming.
Slowly, Ranboo grabbed his arm and they slowly stumbled backwards down the beach. Tubbo guided him to the spot where Tommy and Purpled’s phones had fallen, gently putting his down before Ranboo slowly followed. The water was icy cold but kind of nice. Tubbo inched his way backwards until they were nearly chest deep.
And then the wave hit.
Tubbo spluttered, tightening his grip to keep Ranboo from bolting. The wave had plastered him and Ranboo with water, and Tommy wheezed with laughter.
“What took you so fucking long?” He said, bouncing the water. A sodden Purpled stood next to him, gazing up. Tubbo followed his gaze, looking up.
“Oh, the moon is about to cross over.” He said with surprise. From this angle, all of them right below the opening, he could see how the ceiling created a perfect frame for the moon. There was only the tiniest sliver of darkness left.
And then, it was gone. And they were surrounded with light.
Tubbo laughed, watching the mist curl off the water, illuminated by the light of the moon until the clear water turned beautifully silver. Even Purpled cracked a smile. It was almost like the water began to rain upwards or maybe the stars were falling, drifting onto them below.
He felt a rush of bubbles in his stomach, staring up at the beautiful, perfect moon. They all stayed silent, no one wanting to break that perfect moment. It felt so right to stand here. To stand with them. It was like he could almost feel their agreement, that he knew them even though he had only met Purpled and Ranboo this morning.
It felt like the whole world was waiting for something. Holding its breath.
And then the moment broke.
The shadow appeared again, cutting into the side of the moon. The water faded back to clear, the mist disappearing without the moonlight illuminating it.
Tubbo felt like he had sprinted a marathon. He stretched his legs out, wincing at the soreness. Probably cramps from hiking.
“That was-“ Tommy began.
“Let’s just get the picture and go back.” Purpled said, slightly slumped. He moved slowly through the water, back to the beach. Tubbo and Tommy exchanged looks before Tubbo shrugged.
“I’m kinda tired too.” He said. Even Tommy’s boundless energy was dragging. The cold water must have made them feel the exhaustion from hiking hit all at once.
Tommy scowled but nodded. “Maybe we can come back.” He said, glancing up again. The moment was gone but Tubbo could still feel the edge of it in his mind.
“I think we will.” Tubbo said. Neither Ranboo nor Purpled argued.
They went through the motions of taking the photo and dragging themselves out of the water and back down the path. In the end, Tubbo used Tommy’s water bottle back at the boat to wash off the paint. It didn’t feel right to wash the paint off in the pool.
Tubbo slumped heavily back in his seat, watching the waves begin to churn as Purpled gunned the boat again. The ocean was lovely but it lacked the strange clarity of the water in the pool.
The water lingered in the back of his thoughts still. He reached down, scratching at his still damp ankle. It felt strangely itchy for some reason.
Behind them, in the still waters of the bay, something moved. A fin, not of a shark or dolphins but something wholly strange, cut through the water after the boat before suddenly sinking back through the surface.
Overhead, the moon watched the children make their way through the ocean.
Their lives changed forever.