[color=FFE63D]Enough.[/color]

There was a flicker in her vision, like a half-blink, and everything stuttered. Out on the lake, Dahlia and Safie were swimming out again, away from the boat, back towards the buoy. The moon’s reflection seemed like it was [i]under[/i] the surface. 

[color=black]Quinnlash[/color] frowned. She reached up, gingerly touched one of the horns on her head. 

“[color=black]We…?[/color]” she asked, turning back towards Quinn. Her frown vanished, replaced with a tight smile. She giggled, and though it was Quinn’s voice, it was someone else laughing with it. “[color=black]We’re Quinnlash! Silly. So silly. But that’s better than scared, isn’t it? Feels better. Feels [i]stronger[/i].[/color]”

She drew closer again, and the wind and waves shifted to follow her. “[color=black]Those monsters. So big, so scary, taking from [i]us[/i], turning [i]us[/i] into [i]them[/i]. But we’re stronger, we’re better, and they know it. I changed that one. The beast from the lake. Changed it to be like [i]us[/i] instead. It thinks it can take everything—our friends, our home, our eye—well I took [i]its[/i] eye. Stupid thing. Vermin. [i]Worm.[/i][/color]”

[color=black]Quinnlash[/color] moved past her, to front, up onto the bow. She stared out at Hovvi, and her hands closed into tiny fists. Quinn’s vision faltered again, flickered. For the briefest of moments the sky was black and the town was fire and ruin and screaming so small and far away but so terrified. And there above it all stood the monster from the lake, a single red eye staring out at them. 

Then it was all [color=black]normal[/color] again. 

“[color=black]We’re awake now, Quinnlash,[/color]” she said. “[color=black]So long in the dark. Alone. Locked away. Doors and doors and doors. But now we’re awake, and we’re free, and I’m going to hurt them all. We’re going to teach the monsters to be afraid.[/color]”

The wind began to whip up around them. The waves grew choppier, the boat rocked violently but [color=black]Quinnlash[/color] was unmoved. The shadows of Dahlia and Safie were gone, their laughter vanished, and in its place was a sunken groaning, loud and massive. In an explosion of water and steam and [i]vicious[/i] roaring, a hand burst up from the lake, black as pitch and streaked with gray metal. It slammed down onto the forested shore. The earth cracked beneath its palm. 

And then Quinn was thrust awake.