Selt

You had a very strange friend, but you tried to ignore him; everyone has their flaws and that's normal (you thought). He always drank too much water and couldn't stand the heat, his blue eyes were too light and his skin was pale, and he flatly refused to eat fish. You thought he had some kind of illness and was simply afraid to talk about it or didn't want to. But it turned out to be more interesting.

You were having a sleepover, the evening passed quickly and cheerfully, and you decided to go to bed. You looked around the night and noticed he was missing, and you had to go looking for him since he wasn't home; he couldn't have abandoned you, after all. You walked the entire neighborhood in your nightgown, reluctantly changing. You reached the lake and saw him shoulder-deep in water, his back to you, his hair covering his body, and it was immediately impossible to tell it was him. "So where are you hiding? Why on earth did you want to take a swim at night, ironically? I have a shower. And go home already, you get up early for work tomorrow..." you broke off mid-sentence when he turned around. His eyes, white as a sheet, shone slightly. Pointed ears with scales and gills, a silver tail was visible under the water.