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“You know, they say that Gotham used to be cursed.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah.”
Tim watched Jason toss his stress ball up in the air from the corner of his eye, catching it just before it could hit him in the face.
“Mr. Garrison was showing us all these crazy articles published in the early 17th and 18th centuries. Apparently there was some kind of leviathan living in the bay that would tear apart ships and drown evil-doers.”
A leviathan… Tim’s heart lurched in his chest, pulse quickening at the unexpected subject. He snorted, pasting on a skeptical look to shoot Jason’s way. “‘Evil-doers?’ Who exactly qualified for that title?”
Jason shrugged, which looked more like a weird fidget given that he was laying down on his bed. “Hard to say. Some of them were whaling boats that would kill calves, others were merchant ships that dealt in slave trade or questionable business practices. The ships would go down, and the only people who survived were the ones who were innocent. Even the times when someone drowned who appeared innocent, something would usually come to light within a few weeks that proved they were just as corrupt as everyone else.”
“That doesn’t really sound like a curse,” Tim carefully pointed out, relaxing just the smallest bit. This was okay.
“Right?!” He snatched his ball out of the air, pushing up to face Tim. “Like, why is this the first time I’m hearing about it? Not only does Gotham have its very own cryptid, but it’s also like, a badass vigilante-type hero?”
Tim snorted, eyebrows pinching together incredulously. “That’s stretching things a little far, I think.”
Sighing, Jason sank back onto his elbows to stare at the ceiling. “Yeah, probably. It’d be cool though. Gotham could use a few heroes.”
Tim hummed, not disagreeing. Gotham was a cesspit in more ways than Jason knew, but it was still better off than it had been in years past. “Well, what happened to the, uh, leviathan? Creature thingy. Did it swim off into the depths or something?”
Jason shrugged. “Dunno. Apparently it was last spotted in the early 1900’s, but vanished shortly after. I like to think it’s still out there, taking out the bad guys in more subtle ways. Something big enough to tear apart boats wouldn’t have many predators, right?”
“Probably.” Tim leaned back and stretched, opening his mouth wide in a yawn that wasn’t all that forced. “Ugh, sorry. Must be more tired than I realized.”
“No biggie. You got that pre-calc exam tomorrow, right?” Jason lay back, starting to toss his ball again, and the subject was successfully dropped.
Tim scrunched his nose up. “Yeah. Ms. Kliffing said it covers chapter eight too—we haven’t even covered chapter eight in class yet! I don’t know why she expects us to be able to teach ourselves, there’s no way the teachers here don’t get paid enough with what tuition costs. I think she’s just lazy.”
“Or she’s trying to prepare you for college, where they expect you to actually read your textbooks,” Jason said pointedly.
Pouting, Tim shoved his way up out of his chair. “Not all professors have required readings,” he grumbled.
Jason burst out laughing. “Keep telling yourself that, Timmy. For all you know, you might end up with classes that require you to come to class having already read the chapter and be ready to discuss it.”
Tim lurched forward a step, hand flying out to the back of his office chair as sudden adrenaline filled his veins. “Knock on wood! Right now!!”
Blinking at him, Jason hesitated for a moment, then rolled his eyes. He reached over and rapped his knuckles on his nightstand three times. “Geeze, didn’t realize you were so superstitious. Happy now?”
Tim breathed a sigh of relief, the flimsy prediction falling apart before it could fully form. “Yes. And thanks, I didn’t mean to sound… snappy.”
“No worries.” Jason waved it off. “One of my old neighbors was this lady who was really into all that stuff, she was the same way.”
Tim nodded slowly, filing the information away for later research. His mother had long ago taught him that the truly superstitious should never be taken at face value. “Alright, well, I’m gonna hop in the shower. Do you need to pee first?”
“Nah, I’m fine.” Jason tossed his stress ball to the side and pulled out one of his many many books. “Go use up all the hot water Timmers, you’re the one paying for it.”
Tim huffed a laugh and grabbed his shower bag. He was glad that Jason was getting confident enough to joke about his status as a scholarship kid. Brentwood was full of snobs for the most part, and he knew the older boy had been bullied when he first arrived—not that Jason was one to just stand by and take abuse. More than a few kids had walked around with inexplicably broken noses for those first few weeks, too afraid to admit they’d broken the anti-bullying rule to get Jason in trouble for physical violence given that both were suspendable offenses.
No one made fun of Jason now, and Tim was proud of himself for the small part he played in that development. A little curious that he felt the need to defend the other boy, but proud, nonetheless.
The entire conversation tonight had been ironic in more ways than one, he mused, closing the bathroom door behind him. After all, Jason wasn’t very far off.
Leviathans were incredibly difficult to kill and lived for far longer than the average human, but as technology improved there came a need for a certain level of subtlety. Corporate espionage was much more fun anyways, and while Tim was still learning, there was a significant benefit to being able to practice on his classmates guilt-free.
He set his bag by the shower, tugging off his shirt before pausing in front of the mirror. His skin felt tight, and was worn almost translucent in some areas on his shoulders. Blinking, he let his irises relax and thin until they were thin bands just barely visible around the edge of his eyes. Yes, he was due for a real swim in the near future. He could only hold his true form inside for so long before he needed to stretch his legs, so to speak.
Switching the water on ice cold, he made a mental note to call his mother. She’d be able to arrange a weekend away from the school, and would hopefully have something fun lined up for him to do. He could feel his teeth sharpening at the very idea, eager to sink his teeth into something more substantial than cafeteria pizza. Janet would surely be disgusted at the idea, and he always enjoyed making her nose wrinkle. A thought flashed through his mind.
Perhaps he should mention Jason to her in passing. She would certainly be interested in Jason’s old neighbor, if that turned out to be a real lead, and Tim was beginning to develop… an attachment. Their kind didn’t often form emotional bonds, but they were annoyingly persistent in the rare instances that they occurred. His mother would know how to deal with it, whether Tim needed to transfer boarding schools, or pursue it and hope that Jason developed mutual feelings. That had been what happened with his father, after all, but Tim was getting ahead of himself.
He closed his eyes and let the icy water stream over his face. First, call mother. Second, go for a swim. A real swim. The rest could come later.