#atwrua

[necroticbard]

AS THE WATER RISES UP AGAIN - prologue

now on AO3

Paris, France, 17th Arrondissement, 2006

The words were sticky in Lance’s mouth, like peanut butter. His heartbeat was a sickening rhythm in his ears, blocking out all the other sounds, until the other kids in the classroom were lost at sea.

No, that isn’t right.

The other kids weren’t the problem. He was. Right? If anyone was stranded out at sea, it was certainly him. 

“Hey, Lance.” Mme. Aria’s voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He blinked himself back into his body as he looked up to meet her eyes. Her eyes, so round and golden, looked down at him with such a kindness that Lance almost considered turning around and running away. However, the way her expression turned made him think that she’d probably chase him. Her kindness twisted into concern, her smile turning downward into a tight frown. The glow to her eyes changed, cloudy with something profoundly negative. “What’s wrong, honey?”

Despite the way Lance opened his mouth, no words came out. His voice was lodged in his throat, suffocating him. He touched his hand to his neck before he forced himself to lower it back to his side.

You look like an idiot. A fucking idiot. What the hell is wrong with you?

“Lance,” Mme. Aria’s voice was firm. She touched a hand to Lance’s shoulder, her thin, tan fingers sending ripples of electric shock down his spine. He recoiled from her, his eyes prickling with tears. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“I—”   A sharp inhale in, and a sharp exhale out. And then, in a voice so quiet, the words tumbled out of him.

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[necroticbard]

“I know you said you didn’t know Alex Dumont. But listen to me, I know you do.”

“Why do you always assume I’ve done something wrong?”

As The Water Rises Up Again

By lovely_laurent

Chapters to be posted on AO3, date TBA

[necroticbard]

AS THE WATER RISES UP AGAIN

new chapter now available

Paquet’s eyes fluttered closed as she inhaled. “Detective Sideris,” she said, “Please. Be honest. Do you think he’s out there somewhere?” At moments like these, Xander took solace in the fact that people don’t vanish into thin air. Alex Dumont had to be somewhere. Of course, that isn’t really what Paquet had meant. Over the years, Xander had come to realize that whenever people asked questions like this, they always meant the same thing. What she was really asking was a question much harder to answer. One that made Xander’s chest hurt, and his arms feel heavy. One that would have him in the gym for hours, moving and lifting until his vision became dark and his head began to swim. “We’ll do everything in our power to find out what happened,” he said. He could at least promise her that much.

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[necroticbard]

He's coming for you. He's coming for you. He's coming for you. He's coming for you. He's coming for you. He's coming for you. He's coming for you. Don't get caught. Don't get caught. Don't get caught. I’m glad it’s with you. Don't get caught. Don't get caught. Don't get caught. Don't get caught. Don't get caught. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.

[necroticbard]

As The Water Rises Up Again

Begins on AO3 1.1.24

“…Xander wondered if staring at a computer screen was as bad for his eyes as people claimed. He thought of his dad, and how he’d put on a pair of thick glasses as he looked down at his cell phone, with the text as large as he could make it. “It’s the damn computers,” he’d say, “Ruined my eyes.”

It probably didn’t help that he was nearly seventy years old.

Irrelevant, his father would say, “The man down the street is eighty-two years old, and he doesn’t need glasses. Never used a computer a day in his life, either.”

But, of course, the thought of glasses made him think of Meg, which made his stomach twist and turn with loss. When they’d first met, Meg had worn glasses. They were round and silver, and made Xander notice how big and blue her eyes were. He remembered how she’d try to wear mascara, only to have it rub off onto her lenses when her eyelashes fluttered against the glass.

His phone felt heavy in his pocket. His fingers twitched with the desire to text her, beg her, and announce his remaining love for her.

But he couldn’t do that. She’d made it very clear the third time he’d begged her to come home. He’d knocked on the door to her new apartment and wept as he pleaded with her to return home. Yet, it fell on deaf ears. She scowled at him, her big, blue eyes full of disdain as she crossed her arms over her chest.

Instead, Xander stared at his case files. He had been scribbling into his notepad all morning, keeping his thoughts as organized as possible.

Michel Fortier ��� Lance Dumont

Alex disappears 2.10 → Fortier break in 3.10 → possible abduction attempt 4.10

So, within a three day period, one brother disappears, and the other gets pulled into a car and attacked.

His notes became more specific over time, referencing every detail he could think of.

He clicked through the photos, until he came back to the pictures of the notes from Alex’s apartment. A couple in particular caught his eye.

Rue Dugommier

Michel Fortier - 15.2.1993

Rue Mornay

Once he saw that, he felt another piece of the puzzle fall into place. Rue Dugommier. Xander had been there just this morning, handing a potential witness a cup of coffee and returning a pair of gloves. And Rue Mornay? Xander had been there, too. Michel’s office was on that street.

He grabbed his pen and wrote down a new note….”

[necroticbard]

new chapter of As The Water Rises Up Again

now available

Read here

[necroticbard]

AS THE WATER RISES UP AGAIN - chapter 1 now available

Lance frowned. He pulled his key out of the door and pushed it open. Sure enough, the door came open. He peeked his head inside, calling out, “Is someone there?” No one answered. The apartment was dark inside, silent, unmoving. A chill, separate from the cold, creeped up his spine. 

He crossed the threshold into the apartment, flipping on the hallway light. “If you’re there, come out now,” he said, urging his voice to be stronger than he felt. He touched his hand to the bathroom door and pushed it open. When he turned on the light, he could see it was exactly as he left it. Once he’d turned into his bedroom, however, he could see the mess that had been made there.

The closet had been yanked open. His clothes were pulled out and thrown into the floor, abandoned and itching with invisible hands. Every single dresser drawer had been yanked open. The contents within were shoved and rifled through. The watches that had been seated on top of the dresser was gone. Where there had once been about a hundred euros in cash, there was none. His heartbeat was loud in his ears, drowning out every single noise that leaked into the apartment from the city below. Phantom fingers groped and poked at his body. Ghostly breath hissed against his neck.

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[necroticbard]

As The Water Rises Up Again

original novel

coming to ao3, beginning jan 1st, 2024

[necroticbard]

Lance Dumont is dead. There is only Michel.

He’s looking for you. Don’t get caught. I’m sorry.

At 16-years-old, Lance left home with nothing except a new name. Now, living as Michel Fortier, he has done everything in his power to make sure his past was left behind him. For seven years, it worked, and the abuse and the trauma he endured lived only in the form of recurring nightmares and phantom fingertips. However, his new life starts to come crumbling down when his older brother, Alex, has disappeared, leaving only a letter warning Lance to watch his back.

So it’s your fault? You did this to me?

Xander Sideris will stop at nothing to find Alex Dumont and reunite him with his fiancée. At first, it seemed hopeless. His partner and his captain both seem to have better things to do, and his only lead is a fake ID found in Alex’s car with another man’s information on it. Though Michel claims he never knew Alex, Xander can’t help but notice the way he reacts to the news of his disappearance.

As The Water Rises Up Again

By lovely-laurent

Begins on AO3 starting January 1st, 2024