Episode 1: Discovery Hazel's vision still clouded from the mist of tears in her eyes. Grace and Simon were arguing about something, but she didn't pay attention to what it was about. All she could think about was the scales that covered her body like protective armor, the shell that weighed her back down like a backpack, and the look of surprise and a tiny bit of horror on Grace's face. She was a null. A denizen. A turtle. Surely she wouldn't be accepted into the Apex now. But Grace seemed like she wanted to help her. How could she be in the Apex and not have Simon know about her… ability? Looking down at her hands, Hazel couldn't help but see the sharp claws that extended from her fingernails. She gasped, and tried to calm down, before realizing that she was just imagining it. Her hands were the plain olive color of her skin. She wasn't a pale green. Maybe she imagined herself turning into a turtle? No. Grace saw it too. Her words echoed in Hazel's mind. "We… just… won't tell Simon, ok?" "We… just… won't tell Simon, ok?" "We… just… won't tell Simon, ok?" If Simon found out who she was… what she was… then surely he would kill her. Just like he killed Tuba. "Hazel, let's go," beckoned Grace. Hazel hesitated for a bit. "I wanna do something before we leave." "What?" asked Simon, clearly irritated. Grace clearly didn't like the stunt Simon pulled. "I… wanna have a funeral for Tuba." "A funeral!?" Simon shouted. Grace's face fell. "Hazel, Tuba isn't… here. So it would be hard to have-" "There's no body left to bury, kid," Simon deadpanned. Grace scolded him, before he responded, "The train is ours, not theirs! That's how we do things, Hazel!" Hazel started hyperventilating. The deep breathing wasn't working. She just couldn't calm down. She thought a funeral could help, but Simon wouldn't let her. She opened her mouth to say something, but noticed that it had a pointy curve on her upper lip. She was that sickly green color again. She looked up, and saw Simon, paralyzed in shock and disgust. And then she screamed.
Hope y'all enjoyed this! I had fun writing it in Hazel's point of view! Inspired By KiwiQueen 13 Infinity Train By Owen Dennis
