AAAAAAAAA

Spring break. No excuses.

So this was requested by Napu196 but its drafting fell both right in the middle of me trying something new and also failing to find motivation. I tried, but if I kept it in drafting any longer it would have never been done D:!!

So here we got a Cleo origin, which involves drowned, as in the mobs lol. She's alive at the beginning. Also I apologize for the sudden ending, my brain refuses to go on.

Warnings:
-Character death
-Drowning (Explicit)

Yell at me if I missed anything

1411 words

I tried really hard. I'm so sorry for disappearing...

~3rd POV~

Waves of the ocean undulated in patterns, sickly sweet smelling sea air fighting against them and making their way towards Cleo's nose with a gentle breeze. The sun had just begun it's crawl down from it's high perch, painting the sky a particularly nice pale color, which made an ombre that dusted to the horizon line and beyond vision.

Cleo sat alone on the beach, small feet digging into the grainy sand. Her orange hair stuck up in many directions, matching her clothes in being somewhat damp, but unevenly and hastily patted dry after the large tidal wave she had fallen victim to. It was past supper, and judging by the quickly fading lights reflecting somewhere across the sea, just too far out of sight, Cleo's parents would probably be calling her in for the night any moment now.

She had to be quick. The girl stole one last glance up at the soft lit wood of the back patio before she wandered further out, reaching into her pockets for a slightly soggy bit of bread.

"Are you there?" She asked the water, green eyes scanning, searching, standing still until she could pinpoint the answer she wished.

Bubbles erupted from the water, followed after by a rough, veiny hand. Then, a head. The figured groaned, absently shaking seaweed off itself and gurgling. That was a response enough.

Cleo smiled, gingerly brushing the sand off of her own legs. "I brought this for you," She eyed the bread, holding it out in the palm of her hand for her friend. "I'm sorry it's kind of wet, I guess it would have ended up like that either way. Here, take it." She said.

They lifted a hand, striking down flat and knocking the bread out of Cleo's palm and onto the floor, too slow, too uncoordinated to simply take it from her. It did hurt slightly, but only to the degree of an aggressive high five. Stinging, but manageable. Cleo knew they didn't mean it. She reached down and grabbed the bread, reaching for their hand and wrapping their stout fingers in a grip around the food at the same time.

"Sorry I didn't bring any more, I'm not supposed to be having snacks after supper." The girl shook her head, green eyes meeting those of the glowing, seemingly empty cyan sockets of her friend. "I'm-"

But her thought was cut off, empty space of words filled with that of a shrill scream.

Cleo whipped around, seeing the figure of her mother on the wooden patio. The demeanor changed fast, like that of a teenager quickly closing tabs after being snuck up on. Cleo's friend was gone before she turned back. Traces only left from wet imprints in the sand and a grumpy feeling as she was practically carried back inside.

"You could have been killed!" Her mom reiterated in the family room for what seemed the thousandth time. Cleo was getting slightly sick of being drilled. "What were you thinking?!"

Cleo pouted, tensing and ready to defend her friend. "Stop saying such awful things! You don't know a thing about him! He's my friend and he wouldn't hurt me!"

With one word, Cleo knew she had already said too much. She watched her mom do mental gymnastics, staring at her but saying no words. Like she could will the answers out of Cleo's head with a single look.

She definitely could.

"He's my friend…" Cleo mumbled, eyes tearing slightly from the confrontation.

Her mother came in closer, grabbing her daughter and setting her on her knee. "Honey," she sighed. "You can't be friends with drowned. You'll only get hurt."

"He's never hurt me before." She said.

Her mother did a double take on that one. Sure, Cleo didn't know of the drowned's intentions. She didn't even know for sure why it had never attacked her, but it hadn't. They had spent countless nights now alone together on the wet sand of the tide. She didn't know why it kept coming back. All she knew was that she was the only friend it had. Cleo was willing to fight to protect it.

But unfortunately, her mother was not up to bat. Just as the discussion was opened, the doors slammed shut in the girl's face, hair tousled on impact as her mother forced her to bed early that night, only words spoken were quiet good nights and promises for more to be said once the sun had come up. But Cleo didn't sleep. Instead, her eyes cast to the sea, just beyond the thin barrier of her bedroom window. It called her name, syllables bouncing off the waves and making their marks on the sand as they sprinted towards her. Cleo knew what she had to do.

All it took was a little patience.

She waited, ears attentive on every little noise made within the house. She steadied her feet, sliding the frame of the window open as slowly as she could. Cleo froze only once, holding her breath as every ounce of her nature drained out of her body and onto the floor. Her legs were over the sill in seconds, bare feet planted firmly in the grass. Cleo walked until she instead felt sand in its place.

"...Are you...are you still there?" Cleo hesitated, glancing back up at the house as a sudden dread filled her mind. She had never been out this late. The wash of the waves coming at her was suddenly frightening in such a low light, their secrets hidden and blacked out for nobody to see.

At first she got no response.

Despite her fear, she drew closer to the ocean. Over her better judgement, she even waded out in the open until she was ankles deep, still going further, and the bottoms of her pajama pants were soaked.

Cleo went to speak again. She opened her mouth, ready to sing the words before going back inside, but something grabbed onto her foot. She jumped, pulling away and out of the water, but it was no use. Whatever was lurking under the inky black of the waves had already seized and was quickly pulling her down. Cleo gasped, noises that were mere gasps and squeaks breaking over tangible words through the sudden panic. She didn't know what to do, mind blank, fear guiding every struggle to get away.

Then she was waist deep. Her heels scraped against the sand, dragging and gathering underneath her, still scrambling to get away.

Cleo felt the water at her neck, strong grip of arms forcing her entire body under the surface of the water with barely a second to breathe. Her entire head was dipped, hair flowing around her as she struggled to see through the pitch black. Like looking out a window at night with your lights on.

Only once did she stray from her attacker long enough to make it back to fresh air. Lungs gasping and burning. But she had been followed. A head poked up from the water, deep, void like cyan eyes staring back at her in anger. Why was it angry? What had she done wrong? Cleo didn't have long to think. She was dragged back down, this time in a tighter grip.

She was dragged and dragged, struggling against water currents and the drowned. She was scared. The fear in her gut sent her shaking and stuttering more than the numbing feeling of the cold night water drenched against her form. There was nothing else she could do, the breath she had managed to strain into her lungs wasn't enough to sustain for long. Cleo was running out of options, helplessness making her mind race even more, if that was possible. Her chest heaved, forcing a gasp from her lips but all she got was water.

Then? Nothing.

~~~