Chapter Text
Luca had no idea what Alberto’s problem was.
It didn’t help that nothing he was saying or doing made any sense. Like the bike. Why’d he jump on the bike and ride down the hill? Was Alberto getting frustrated with him because Luca hadn’t been able to figure out the downhill yet? Was Luca letting him down?
“Look,” Alberto said. Great. An explanation. “I was just showing you how to do it right.”
Now that was a joke. Luca hated to admit it, even inside his head, but he was slowly realizing just how little Alberto knew. Only a short while ago, he lived in complete awe by all the cool stuff Alberto knew and all the cool stuff he’d done… only to realize he just made stuff up to sound important.
And his idea for conquering the downhill?
Luca ground his teeth. “You don’t know how to do it right!”
“I got us down the hill, didn’t I?”
Again! He was just playing it off! “You crashed! Into the sea!” How could he not see all of this?
“It’s fine,” Alberto again seemed to ignore what Luca was saying. He played off the whole thing like nearly killing both of them had been a joke. The sling shot from angry to goof was throwing Luca for a loop.
“Nothing’s fine! My parents just saw me!”
If anything would shake Alberto out of his insistence that everything was okay, that had to be it, right? His parents were the whole reason they were trying to get a Vespa in the first place. What if his parents actually had caught up to them? What if he hadn’t been able to get away? Would they have grabbed him, forced him back to the sea? Back to Uncle Ugo.
Surely, if anything, Alberto would care about that.
“Luca, your parents aren’t here.”
Again! Why was Alberto doing this? Refusing to listen? Refusing to care? Was it really so important for him to be always right?
“You don’t know what you’re talking about!” Luca shot back.
“Look, this town is making you crazy,” Alberto said. “We just need to win that Vespa, and we got to get out of here.”
Just follow my lead, Alberto kept saying. Except following Alberto’s lead led to him getting punched by Ercole. Except following Alberto’s lead meant believing the stars were fish. Portorosso had changed Luca. A lot. And it was making him see so many holes in Alberto’s plans.
Alberto had no idea his façade was fading. He still played it off like he knew everything. Even when he put his arm around Luca’s shoulder, the gesture felt anything but comforting. It felt like a strangle hold. An insistence that Alberto had to be right. And Luca had to be wrong.
He threw Alberto’s arm off of his shoulder and walked away.
“It’s not going to be any different,” he said.
It wasn’t that Luca thought Alberto was being intentionally manipulative. But… he just couldn’t see. If they kept running away… did that come at the cost of always deferring to Alberto?
“I want to go to school,” Luca finally admitted.
He’d already thought it through. It costs a bit of money, Giulia had said. It couldn’t have been that much money. When they said they wanted to buy a Vespa, she laughed. And if a Vespa was “a lot” of money, and going to school was “a bit” of money… then why couldn’t they go to school instead?
They’d split it. They’d both go. It would be incredible! And perfect! Alberto obviously was curious about the world, too, he just was so stuck on wanting to impress Luca. Maybe if he told Alberto how impressive he’d be if he actually knew the right things?
Alberto, though, scoffed.
“That again?” he asked. “We can’t go to school.”
Again! Refusing to listen! Refusing to recognize that he didn’t know anything about the world.
“You’re just afraid you can’t do it!” Luca shot back.
“I’m not afraid!” Alberto growled. “You’re the one who gets afraid!”
Luca’s cheeks burned with shame. He remembered their last run-in with Ercole. He could barely hold onto that harpoon – okay, well, so it was a harpoon and those things were seriously scary - but… that was a low blow, to use his fear as a way to hurt him.
And then Alberto shoved him.
“Shut up!” Luca shouted, shoving him back.
It became a full-blown brawl. Luca didn’t care if he hurt Alberto. Alberto had already been hurting him enough. It felt good to get it out. And Alberto obviously needed to get it out, too.
“What happens when she sees you!” Alberto shouted. “When anyone sees you!”
That was rich coming from Alberto. The kid who dragged them both into a human town without a single care in the world. All that bravado only counted if Alberto was getting his way?
“You’re alive!”
Giulia’s voice broke them apart.
Luca took a step back, and struggled to regain his breath. His anger was still there. If anything, the fight had only riled him up more, not burn the heat off.
Giulia gave them both a hug. She had no idea what was going on. She probably thought they were all going to laugh about it.
“You’re never allowed on that bike again,” she laughed, ruffling Alberto’s hair. “Stick to food, big guy.”
Alberto just growled at her and walked away.
Luca closed his eyes for a second. Let her think he’s just embarrassed… even though Alberto never gets embarrassed… and always plays everything as fun or funny or…
“Umm… what’s going on?” Giulia asked him.
“Nothing,” Alberto called. “Let’s just get back to training.”
Luca closed his eyes again. He should just let it go. Just go back to training. Pretend none of this happened. …but if they won the Portorosso cup… if they got the Vespa…
“Actually, we have something to ask you,” Luca said, stressing the ‘we.’ He really wanted Alberto to know that this was something he wanted to involve him in. “We were wondering… if we could come with you to your school?”
And Giulia’s face brightened up. “Santo Pecorino! That’s the best idea ever!! Yes! Of course!”
Luca smiled. Yes! This was perfect! He could just imagine how much fun he and Alberto would have at school, learning all about the world and-
“Uhh… Giulia,” Alberto said. “Your school… does it take all kinds of people? I mean… what if some of them were… different?”
Giulia laughed. “You mean dressed weird?”
She meant that lightheartedly, a little throw back to when she first rescued them and recognized them as underdogs like her.
“You’ll have the prize money-“ Giulia explained quickly. “That’ll be more than enough for you to get in, plus… buy some new clothes.”
Luca nodded along, too. See, Alberto? Luca wanted to say. We’ll be fine!
“What if some were, oh, I don’t know, sea monsters?” Alberto asked.
“Sea monsters?” Giulia asked.
“I doubt your school would even accept sea monsters, right?” Alberto asked.
What was he doing?
Luca jumped up, fake laughing. “That’s a weird joke, Alberto,” he said, grinding his teeth together to stop from saying anything else. What was Alberto doing? They had kept their sea monster identities a secret all this time! And suddenly, going to school would be too much of a risk? Why was Alberto doing this?
Giulia just stared, trying to make the connection. Luca almost wanted to whisper under his breath, “See? She had no idea what we are! We’ll be safe!”
But no.
Alberto just had to shrug, but there was no humor in his movements. “I know, it’s kinda hard to imagine, let me just show you.”
Luca realized what Alberto was planning to do too late. He reached out, but he couldn’t hold Alberto back. He dove… right into the water.
And … laid there. Like he’d died.
Luca covered his mouth with his hands, holding back all the things he wanted to say. This couldn’t be happening… this couldn’t be happening…
Giulia rolled her eyes.
“I guess this is how fantastically bad you are at swimming?” she grumbled as she waded into the water to grab his arm.
Unfortunately, when she lifted it out of the water, she felt the scales. It was impossible not to. Luca held his breath… how was she going to react? She thought the sea monster thing was fake, right? She kept saying all the photos were faked… she wasn’t like Massimo… throwing harpoons into the sea at every shimmer. She wasn’t interested in hunting sea monsters.
Maybe she’d realize what they were… and she’d accept them. And then. Then Alberto could see how they could all go to school.
Giulia screamed, stumbling backwards.
The look of disgust that spread on her face as Alberto’s tail slowly lifted out of the water… and no… Alberto pulled himself out of the surf, his mouth pulled wide in a ferocious growl…
“Don’t hurt us!” Giulia said when she finally scrambled onto the shore, reaching for Luca’s hand.
“See?” Alberto said, catching Luca’s eyes. “I knew this would hap-“
“SEA MONSTER!” Luca shouted.
He immediately regretted it as the pained look crossed Alberto’s face.
“Luca?” Alberto asked, the anger in his voice vanishing in an instant, replaced only with hurt.
Luca shook his head, frozen to the spot. He couldn’t believe what he’d done… he should have turned to Giulia… explained who they really were. Giulia looked at him, and only saw what she thought was Luca’s own terror.
She grabbed a piece of drift wood, swinging it at Alberto but missing. “Stay back!” she shouted.
Alberto took one shaky step back, but even the attack didn’t reignite his anger. Luca couldn’t think of anything to say. Apologize. Explain yourself… tell Giulia the truth.
But Alberto had been right. Luca was too afraid.
They stood there, all three of them at a standstill, immobilized by their own shock.
“SEA MONSTER! THERE IT IS!”
Alberto’s head jerked up to the rocks ahead. It was Ercole, with Guido and Ciccio. And all three had harpoons. Alberto finally started to move. Back into the sea. Luca’s heart was breaking – of course he wouldn’t seek safety with him or Giulia… he had no where to go.
“Ragazzi, now!” Ercole shouted.
“No!” Luca shouted, finally finding his voice.
But Ercole obviously wasn’t going to listen.
The three boys threw their harpoons. But Alberto wasn’t moving fast enough. It was like he’d been already struck. He was slow. Dull. Unbothered by fear or urgency.
It made him a perfect target.
“Ahh!” Alberto cried out.
Luca gasped. It felt like all the air had been sucked out of his chest. He couldn’t tell where Alberto had been hit. The waves were coming in too high, but Alberto’s arms wrapped around his side. He stumbled, the waves crashing over his head.
“We got it!” Ercole shouted triumphantly.
“No!” Luca shouted again. And just like every other time he’d found his voice, it did nothing.
Guido and Ciccio waded into the water, grabbing the harpoons that had missed, which were floating on the surface. Alberto saw them coming. His eyes went wide with terror, and then –
His head dunked under the surface.
Luca couldn’t take his eyes off the spot he’d vanished. The white crests of the waves were now tinted with red.
“We got it!” Ercole repeated. “Hurry, Guido! Ciccio! To the boat! It’s not getting away!”
They ran off, for once barely noticing that Luca and Giulia was there.