Katie

I wake up with a groan and sit up, glancing around. What woke me? Whatever it was, it woke Luna too. She rubs her eyes and glances at me. I shrug. A shrill whistle echoes through the tank. Luna jumps at the noise. A second later the whistle comes again, followed by a slight hissing noise as the two shock collars spark to life. I bend over and grab at my neck, my fingernails scratching against the metal links. Luna hisses and lashes her fin, squeezing her eyes shut. Someone whistles again.

Not eager to feel the bite of the collar’s electricity again, I grab Luna’s wrist and tow her out of the cave and towards the surface. As we approach, I see four people hovering on the deck. I hesitate, slightly nervous when I don’t see Jenny. My hesitation seems to provoke them though because suddenly a catch pole is dipping into the water. The handler of the long pole is very fast and the metal loop is pulled tight around my throat before I can react. I choke and twist in the grip of the pole as I’m dragged to the edge of the deck.

With my head above the water it becomes harder to breathe and I begin to wheeze. Instead of loosening, the loop cinches tighter as two of the others grab my tail and I'm hoisted onto one of two awaiting gurneys. Only once I'm strapped down by my shoulders, head, and hips, is the catch pole loosened, allowing me to breath. I gasp and choke as I inhale sharply. Luna has surfaced with her fangs bared, clearly wanting to help me. The handlers pay her warning no mind as she’s dragged out the same way I was.

We’re then wheeled down a winding maze of hallways, stopping finally in a large room that looks like a cross between an operating room and a salon. Trolleys of supplies are wheeled over and gloves are snapped on. I gulp, scared for what comes next. Luna bucks and jerks around on her gurney. A woman approaches me. I'm unable to turn my head or attempt to stop her as her gloved hands approach my face. She peels back one of my eyelids and shines a bright light into my eye. I wince and attempt to blink away the black dots that dance in my vision. She moves to the other eye and does the same. My ears are checked next. She returns with a small eyedropper and proceeds to use it on my eyes. The liquid stings and makes my eyes water, but I can’t guess what it might be for. Next, she clips and files down each of my fingernails until they are short and rounded, before painting them in a shiny, sparkly nail polish. My fin is dipped into a bin of warm, soapy water, and scrubbed at. I wince again and try to pull away. The only thing that earns me is a zap from the collar. I fall still. She moves to my tail afterwards and uses a sharp, curved pick to pull any grit or dead skin from between the scales. It’s slightly painful, but I try not to move. I’ve come to realize that they are preparing us for the opening. Trying to make us look clean and pretty. When she finishes with the pick, she picks up a pair of tweezers and proceeds to pluck any loose or broken scales from my tail. I bite back a whimper and try not to jerk away each time she pulls an amethyst scale. Her next step is much softer. She rubs a clear lotion onto my tail, leaving it smooth and shiny. She applies the same lotion to my arms and stomach. She returns to the tweezers and pick for my chest scales, then applies the lotion to my chest, shoulders, and cheeks. She leaves my neck alone and I’m assuming it’s because of my gills. She moves away after and changes her gloves. Unable to move my head to watch what she’s doing now, I attempt to strain my eyes for a glimpse. No luck. I sigh and fall still again.

I long to glance at Luna and make sure she’s okay, but I can’t see her. The occasional sound of her fin smacking the gurney lets me know that she’s still here and not pleased.

The woman comes back wheeling over an IV stand with an IV attached. The liquid inside is clear, but I can’t know for sure if it’s water or not. She presses two fingers into my neck and looks at me expectantly, but I don’t know what she wants. She pushes harder and I wince at the pain in my gills. Does she want me to lift them? I ponder. If so, I can’t help her because I don’t know how. They sort of just do it when I’m underwater, just like they merge when I’m above it. I’ve never had to put any thought into it.

The woman removes her fingers and picks up a small breathing mask. She moves the strap out of the way and presses the mask over my mouth and nose. She uses tape to secure it to my face, then hooks up a clear tube to the mask. The tube is also attached to the IV. I feel my chest tighten as water floods the sealed mask and begins to suffocate me. I feel my gills flare and attempt to help me breathe, but they are useless above water. The woman squirts my gills with a tiny spray bottle and then shoves a paper tipped Popsicle stick up one of them, then removes it and does the same to the next one with a new Popsicle stick. It is incredibly painful and I try not to gasp and waste precious oxygen.

My lungs are burning, black spots dancing in my fading vision before she finally removes the mask. I gasp and begin to cough uncontrollably. I hear Luna doing the same, her coughs raspy and voiceless, but there none the less and I know she’s received the same treatment.

“Enough,” the woman snaps. “Shut up, you’re fine.”

I sniff and try to still my coughing. I’d like to do the same to her and see how ‘fine’ she thinks she is afterwards. She carefully wraps each stick and places them in sample containers. I watch her write ‘Bailey, gill samples’ on a piece of masking tape across the surface of the container.

“Let’s do this fast,” the woman grunts to someone out of my line of vision. I hear footsteps behind me and a pair of gloved hands cup either side of my face. The fingers dig into my cheeks, forcing my jaw open. They then quickly grab me by my upper and lower jaw, and wrench my jaw open. “Watch the fangs,” the woman warns.

“I’ve got her,” a male voice replies. “Just get set up.” He pulls my mouth open wider than it’s meant to go and tears water in my eyes at the straining pain. The woman slides something into my mouth and I feel thin wires slip between my teeth. She puts another object in my mouth on the other side, more wires fixing it in place. I brush my tongue against it, discover a thin wooden pole. Both people move their hands away, but I still can’t close my mouth. Every time I try the wood digs painfully into the roof of my mouth. Overhead mirrors are moved into place and I can suddenly see myself, my teeth on display. I roll my eyes up as far as I can and can see Luna through the mirrors too. Her mouth is propped open the same way. She looks frightened and uncomfortable.

My attention is drawn away from her when a man walks into my line of sight. He has a small table full of what look like dental tools. I relax a little. I’ve been to the dentist before and I can handle a teeth cleaning; as long as that’s all they intend. I hope so.

When the man begins to scrape my teeth with a familiar cleaning tool, I relax and allow him to do his job. The sooner he finishes, the sooner I'm done and released from the uncomfortable gurney. “Yes, you’ve done this before haven’t you? Good girl,” the man coos at me as he picks up another tool. A pick that he uses to get in between each individual tooth.

I hear Luna hiss, the sound of her fin smacking the gurney, and then someone curses. The sound of the collar coming to life fills my ears. I try to tilt my head back, get a better look. Luna’s eyes are wide, full of panic, and her mouth is coated in a fine layer of blood. One of the wooden sticks holding her mouth open is broken and hanging haphazardly against her lip. I see only the arm of the person working on her teeth. Their hand comes into view and removes the broken piece. Luna struggles, hissing again, as the dental worker replaces it with a new one. My brow furrows. I wonder why this is bothering her so much. Other than some slight discomfort, it doesn’t hurt or do any damage and I know she’s used to true pain. Why is she putting up such a fuss about it? I watch as a tool brushes her fang. She flinches, hisses again, and strains against the bindings.

Oh, I realize her reasons. Helpless like this, they could pull, file down, or cap her fangs so she can’t bite anyone, can’t do any damage. She’s afraid they’ll strip her of her only form of self-defence, even if she seldom gets to use it as it is.

I wish I could help her, calm her. I grunt, trying to catch her attention and strain to move my head.

“Whoa now, settle down,” the man says as he replaces a tool. “Almost done, I promise,” he spoke in a soft voice and stroked the side of my face. I snort and try to indicate towards Luna. I raise my hand, I can move up to my elbow, and point behind me. The man follows my movements, glances up and at Luna. “Oh, are you worried about your friend?” Don’t worry about her, she’s just being fussy.” He pulls out a long toothbrush with thick bristles, but a short end. It reminds me of the ones Lewis uses on the seals and dolphins. He applies some paste from a tube with a picture of a dolphin on it. I catch sight of the label. ‘Sea Smile’. The exact brand Lewis uses when he cleans the teeth of many of the marine mammals at the park. I don’t really want it in my mouth. Unfortunately, I'm not given a choice as he proceeds to brush my teeth with it. The paste tastes horrid, chalky, grainy, and like bad fish. I blanch and feel bile rise in my throat. I want to spit it out, but I doubt I'll be given the chance because the stuff is perfectly harmless if swallowed.

He finishes and moves away and let’s a woman take his place. She has rust colored hair and softer chestnut eyes. She removes my restraints, one at a time, and pulls me into a sitting position. I turn my head, trying to see Luna. She’s still strapped down, a man still working on her teeth. The woman grabs my chin and redirects my gaze back to her. She fits my head into a U-shaped ring on a stand and straps it down so that I can no longer move about. I sigh. Couldn’t they just ask me to keep my head still? It would be much faster and easier.

She leans in close and examines my face, brushing a gloved finger across my cheek. “These have stayed nicely,” she comments. “But I think they may need to be touched up in a few weeks, just to make sure they set and stay permanently. The dye looks okay too, no need to redye it now.”

The freckles and the hair dye. I feel a sharp pain in my gut at the reminder that I don’t look the same, that I can never go back to before.

The woman picks up a pair of tweezers and begins to pluck at my eyebrows. Never having them done before, I find the process uncomfortable and slightly painful; certainly not enjoyable.

Once she finishes, she moves behind me. I hear her open a bottle, squirt something. Then her hands are pushing through my hair, rubbing a lotion, or cream, or something into my hair and scalp. Then she begins to brush it out. “You know, this is a little longer that it was meant to be. Would you like me to cut it? Personally, I liked the length it was before she came here, it was a good length and to be honest, with this much dark brown it drowns out the beauty of the tail. The little one’s hair works nicely because of the lighter shade against the blue, but dark on dark like this is pretty awful. A good cut should let some light in and balance things out,” the woman says.

“You think so?” A man says. “I don’t think Dr. Auldon would like that. He specifically stated that he wanted it long.”

“He said that he wanted them to look alike in that manner for the initial meeting so that the younger one would be more likely to accept her,” the woman objects. “There should be no problem now.”

“Leave it the way it is for now. We’ll consult Dr. Auldon later on the matter and if he agrees, you can cut it then.”

“Mhm,” the woman replies. She moves back into view and removes one of the awful wooden poles from my mouth. Doing so reminds me of the massive ache in my jaw. She waves a finger in my face. “Now you be nice,” she warns, before she carefully takes hold of the second pole. She pulls it out quick. I force myself not to snap my mouth shut. Thankfully my arms were actually left free so I bring my hand up and attempt to massage my jaw.

The woman pushes my hand away, releases my head from the stand, and gently grips my chin. “You're a pretty fish, that’s for sure. They made a good choice, choosing you. You’re smart and that’s not a bad thing. You’ve got the role of the sweet and friendly mermaid down better than the actual mermaid here. Don’t screw that up.”

I snort and pull away from her. I meet her gaze and hold it, briefly showing her my fangs. She only laughs at me. “Sweetie, you aren’t intimidating. You lunge and that pretty necklace of yours leaves you fried, do yourself a favor and relax. You’ll be back in the water soon. In fact, Joe, why don’t you take her back to the tank? I’m going to comb out Suzie’s hair and then I'll bring her back, but Bailey is finished so there’s no sense keeping her here.”

“Alright. Good luck with the younger one, she’s certainly much wilder,” Joe comments. He grabs hold of the gurney handle and begins to push me out of the room. I twist to see Luna. Her restraints are being removed enough to allow her to sit up, but she’s still struggling like mad. I wish I knew how to stop her panicking. The doors close, cutting of my view. “Notice how I’ve left you unrestrained? Be a good girl and that may happen more often.”

I sigh and shift so that I can lie down on my stomach. The hallways are empty and passing windows show me it’s still dark outside. I yawn. It must still be very early.

It isn’t long before we reach the tank platform. I don’t wait for the man as I leap off the gurney and into the water. I chew the inside of my cheek and settle in to wait for Luna.

She’s dropped off a while later looking extremely flustered. Almost as though she can’t see me, Luna dives past me and curls up in the corner. I swim over to her and squeeze her shoulder. She jumps, spins around, her eyes darting back and forth before she bares her fangs and hisses. I pull back, startled. She makes no move to attack me, only presses herself further into the corner, still frantically looking around.

She can’t see.

“Luna, it’s alright, it’s just me,” I say. She relaxes a little and slowly reaches out a hand. I grab it. She continues to shake. “Luna, relax okay? It’s going to be alright, we're alone,” I wave a hand in front of her face. “Can you see me at all? Any light or movement?”

She sniffs and shakes her head.

“Okay, what happened after they cleaned your teeth? What did they do to your eyes?”

Luna shakes her head, shivers, and then raises her hands. Both are shaking badly and I struggle to catch the meaning of her signs. ‘Do… not…know. Stings. Please, make it stop,’ she begs.

“I'm going to take a look okay? Tilt your head back and let me see.”

She hesitates, but tilts her head back. I brush my fingers against her cheek, letting her know what I'm doing, before stretching the skin around her eye to allow myself to see better. I begin to suspect contacts, something opaque that wouldn’t allow her to see through them. But her eyes remain the exact same shade and I can't see the rims of a contact lens. “I don’t know,” I admit. “Did they put anything into your eyes? Any drops or anything?”

Luna nods. ‘Just in one eye, clear liquid. Not water. Stung. Still stings.”

“Okay,” I stroke her hair. “It’s okay; we’ll figure this out alright? For now, hold onto me okay? I won't let anything happen.” I hate the fact that when it comes down to it, I'll have no control over keeping that promise or not, but I also know that I'll give it my all none the less.

I almost cry out with relief when I hear Jenny’s voice float through the tank, calling my name… or at least Bailey. With Luna firmly gripping my arm, I head to the surface. Luna’s head breaks the water too, but she ducks low so her mouth remains submerged. Her grip on my arm tightens. Jenny kneels down, opens her mouth to speak. I don’t give her the chance.

“What happened?” I demand, firing my question quickly. “She can’t see. What did they do?”

Jenny turns to observe Luna. She waves a hand in front of her face before peeling back an eyelid. Luna jerks back, offers her assailant a hiss. I squeeze her hand. “It’s just a side effect,” Jenny says at last. “Suzie had the starting of an infection in her eye, probably got it from coming in contact with chemicals or improperly cleaned equipment, then rubbing her eyes. The medication will clear it up today, before it can become painful. However, some side effects can be dizziness, lack of ability to focus the eyes, or temporary blindness. She’ll be okay and should regain her sight within the hour.

“Just try to keep her calm and don’t let her rub at her eyes. She may irritate them more that way,” Jenny finishes.

“It will fade?” I press. Jenny nods and I relax. “Okay. Sorry I cut you off, what were you going to say?”

“I was just going to let you know that you’ve got an hour before the center opens to the public; one hour until the very first tour of the premises. Your tank will be the last stop. What you choose to do with that time is up to you, I’ve already voiced my thoughts and suggestions. Just play it smart okay?”

I nod. “Yeah. And you're sure that her eyes will clear up? It won't hurt her?”

“I'm positive, relax. Good luck today sweetheart, I really hope that it goes well.”

Jenny’s final words ring in my ears minutes after she’s left. Good luck. Yeah I guess I'll be needing that. My heart pounds heavily in my chest and I swallow the rising lump in my throat. Still, despite my nerves, I can’t help but feel a small glimmer of hope too. A real mermaid exhibit would be a very big deal and there is bound to be hundreds, if not thousands of visitors throughout the course of the week. Even though the US is about as far from Australia as you can get, maybe someone who knows me will show up. The hope unfortunately brings a lot of worry too. What would happen if they did recognize me? How would that pan out? And what if they didn’t?

I sigh. That’s the more likely outcome and in some ways it isn't a bad thing; I wouldn’t want anyone to get into serious trouble over me and if someone did try to bust me out, would they try to take Luna too? I intend to stay true to my promise not to leave her. Ever. Another deep breath and I push the thoughts aside. No sense worrying about what I can’t control. I give Luna’s arm a squeeze and lead her back down under the water.

I settle in the sand, release my arm from her death grip, and smooth back some of her hair back. “Hopefully Jenny is right and it’s very temporary,” I tell her. “Do your eyes still sting?” Luna shakes her head. “That’s good. Can you see anything at all? Any shapes, light, anything?”

Luna pauses, glances around, squints. I wave a hand in front of her face. Her eyes narrow further and I do it again.

‘I can see something, not much, just movement a little. Was that your…hand?’

I'm thrilled by her response and I squeeze her into a hug. “See? You're going to be okay. I was worried that they might have blinded you,” I admit.

‘Me too,’ Luna agrees.

“But it’s okay. We just have to wait and it will clear up.”

‘Will you stay here until it does?’ Luna asks. ‘Please. I do not like not being able to see.’

“I won't leave your side,” I vow.

Luna nods, smiles. ‘Thank you.’ Her features split into a yawn. We did have a bit of a rude awakening.

“It’s going to be a long day,” I say. “Why don’t you try to take a quick nap? Get a little bit of rest before the tour group gets here. Hopefully you’ll have your sight back by then.”

Luna nods in agreement. She falls against me, her arm draping around my tail, her cheek resting against the scales, as she cuddles into me. I wrap and arm around her shoulders, give her a bit of a squeeze, and curl up in the sand. A soft, silent sigh leave Luna’s lips and it isn't long at all before her breathing deepens. I yawn. Maybe a quick nap isn't a bad idea. I let my eyes slip closed.

I wake suddenly to the sound of voices. I bolt upright and glance around, strain to hear what’s going on. Then I spot them. The huge crowd of people hurrying towards our tank. The metal stairs that lead up to the spiraling ramp the wraps around the tank, spiraling from the ground, to the top of the tank will allow the guests a full view. No place to hide for long except the cave. Do that though and we’d catch a lot of hell. Not to mention they’d probably remove the cave structure altogether. I sigh. Go time. I gently shake Luna awake. She sits up, her eyes blinking rapidly. “How’s your vision?” I ask her.

She frowns, blinks again, and shakes her head. ‘I can see, but everything is kind of blurry and out of focus.’

“Think you can get around?”

Luna nods. ‘Yes. It is clearing up. I can see much better now.’

“Good, I'm glad. The tour group is here.”

Luna’s eyes widen, worry and shock displayed in them. I glance through the glass, make out the group. They’ve hit the stairs. A familiar face is at the front of the group, waving her hands and talking. I can’t make out what she’s saying. I didn’t know that Jenny would be leading the tours.

‘That is a lot of people,’ Luna comments, sinking low to the sand. I nod, unable to do much else.

“Come on,” I say. “We have to make an appearance anyways. Let’s just go about today as if no one was here.”

Luna nods. ‘Do you want to play a game?’

I glance around, spot a seashell lying in the sand that’s roughly the size of my fist. I scoop it up, grip it between to fingers, and wave it at Luna. “Keep away?” I suggest, my voice low in a challenge.

Luna’s eyes gleam with excitement. I know she enjoys the game. It’s the first one we ever played. ‘You are on!’ her hands move quickly, her competitive streak surfacing. I need no further prompting as I push off the sand and shoot away from her. I swim upside down momentarily in a wide arch over her before diving down sharply through the gap in the floor and entering the lower part of the tank as well as the view of all the people. I quick glance up shows Luna coming through the gap.

Her speed puts me at a disadvantage, but I push myself to go faster none the less. The collective number of gasps of awe ring in my ears along with the scattered comments. Jenny’s voice floats above the rest, filled with a false peppy tone as she clearly repeats well-rehearsed lines.

“These are our two mermaids, Bailey and Suzie. They’ve been with us for two and a half weeks now,” Jenny informs the guests.

“Where in the heavens did you find them?” One older man asks.

“We found Suzie first,” Jenny begins. “She was washed up unconscious on a private beach. The couple that owned the summer home found her and called emergency numbers, believing her to be human at first glance. We were called quickly afterwards. Suzie was drastically underweight and we’re working on getting her weight back to normal, but you can see clearly the unhealthy way her ribs and hips jut out. She’s on a very strict diet designed to bring her weight up quickly and hopefully she’ll be looking much better within a few weeks. Along with her weight, Suzie came to us with a bad eye infection and some problems with her intestinal tract. We’ve actually just applied the last treatment to her eye this morning and as you can see, it’s looking relatively normal now, and her intestines are doing better too. Her inability to keep food down in the beginning was likely the cause of her weight loss to begin with.

“It wasn’t long after that that Bailey was discovered. A storm had trapped her in a rocky pool, where her tail had become pinned under some loosened stones. Unfortunately, Bailey’s fin and the base of her tail were crushed beyond the point of healing. If you watch her, you’ll notice that she can’t swim as fast or gracefully as Suzie. This is because of the irreparable damage done to her fin. We’re working with her, but at this point in time it doesn’t seem likely that she can be fully rehabilitated. Both mermaids are looking to likely remain here for the remainder of their lives. Bailey’s injuries would prevent her from maneuvering open ocean currents and from reaching the speeds necessary to catch her own food. Suzie was likely separated from a mother or pod that we couldn’t hope to find because she’s unable to catch food either. We believe that she hadn’t finished learning the survival skills likely passed down from mermaid to offspring, leaving her vulnerable and defenseless.”

I try not to focus on the lies being fed to the crowd. I can’t hate Jenny for saying them, knowing she’s likely been given a script to follow, but I hate that it makes the scientists here seem like the good guys; like the heroes, when in fact they’re the villainous monsters.

Instead I focus on keeping the seashell out of Luna’s reach. She’s staying hot on my tail, her fingers grazing my fin despite my head start. Then she’s gone, raising up above me and diving down to crash into me, pushing me down against the sand. I laugh, squirming in an attempt to keep the shell out of her reach, and buck in her grip.

“What’s going on!” A woman’s voice shrieks. “Are they attacking each other?” Dread fills me, if the audience panics, that leads to bad feedback and trouble for us.

Jenny doesn’t reply right away, her face fixed on us, concern in her eyes. In a desperate attempt, I reach up and tickle Luna’s sides. She jumps back and I tackle her in return, rolling us over in the water and squeezing her into a hug. She smiles and hugs me back before grapping the shell from my hand and taking off in the opposite direction. I laugh and chase her. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Jenny relax.

“No,” she finally answers the woman. “They’re just playing. The two have become very close friends and they often chase each other around. Just like kittens or dogs, sometimes play gets a little rough, but they’d never hurt one another,” she reassures the crowd. I continue to chase Luna around. She darts up through the gap in the ceiling into the upper level. I hesitate to follow her, a plan forming. Instead of chasing her, I press my back against the ceiling and wait.

It only takes Luna a couple of seconds to swim back down. Beneath me, she glances around. I drop down on her back, grab the shell, and dart away, pushing her down in the process. Her surprise gives me a couple of extra seconds to dart away from her. For some reason this earns an applaud from the audience.

Jenny chuckles. “Yes, Bailey has shown immense strategizing skills. Her lack of speed doesn’t seem to hinder her in the games her and Suzie play. It’s unfortunate that she can’t use her brain to make up for lost speed in the wild.”

“They’re intelligent then?” My gaze is momentarily drawn to the speaker. Black hair pulled into a tight bun, rectangular rimmed glasses, and a pen and pad in hand. Likely a reporter or journalist of some kind.

I listen for Jenny’s answer. “Mhm, yes, very. They display the same sort of self-awareness and intelligence as dolphins and other advanced marine life.”

The tour group has climbed to the bottom of the upper tank level and I can make out the faces of children and adults, eagerly watching our game. I pick out no familiar faces. My distraction allows Luna the chance to overtake me. Grabbing onto my shoulders, she reaches for the shell. Unwilling to let her win so easily, I twist so she loses her grip. I put on a burst of speed and shoot ahead of her. She doesn’t waste time in pursuing me. As she guns forward, I abruptly stop swimming, drop in the water, and take off in the opposite direction. Unable to turn as quickly, Luna swims past me. She huffs in frustration and turns after me.

Small children begin to cheer us on, rooting for one of us and booing or cheering when Luna manages to claim the shell. Jenny stops the tour and falls silent, allowing them to watch for a while. She gives me a discrete smile and a satisfied nod as I pass by.

I get lucky, steal the shell back, and manage to keep it away from Luna for a while, but it isn't long before she has me pinned against the sand again. I meet her gaze. Her eyes are wide, gleaming with happiness and totally oblivious to the crowd. She doesn’t care that they’re there. Her gills are flaring, showing her exertion. I’m tired to and I fall limp, plead mercy, and let her win. She grins, moves to press a hand against my collarbone with her fingers brushing my throat in a dominant stance, and sticks her tongue out between her fangs. I laugh, shake my head, and sit up, pushing her off me in the process. She sits back on her tail, using her arms to prop herself up, and grins.

I glance at the group. They’ve continued up the winding platform to the open top. I nudge Luna before speaking in a whisper. “Why don’t you show off a little?” I suggest. “Can you do any of those cool acrobatics above the surface like you can beneath it?”

Luna shrugs and nods, tilting her head back to look at the surface. I swim up closer to the surface, I want to watch. Luna pushes up from the sand and, with a powerful flick of her fin, rockets up and breaches the surface. She gains impressive height and curls up, falling backwards into a triple backflip. It sends the crowd into a flurry of cheers, children screaming in delight for her to do it again. Another backflip, a front flip, and a corkscrew quickly follow Luna’s initial trick. As she splashes back down I smile at her. She returns the smile, but makes to move to breach the surface again. It’s clear that she’s done showing off. Instead, she dives down and picks out a large rock to lounge out on, her fin hanging over the edge to brush it the sand; the tips twitching occasionally as she lays out on her stomach. She leans an arm down and begins to doodle in the sand. I flip onto my back, fall limp, and just float in the water; something I’ve discovered to be immensely comfortable and relaxing.

“That was impressive,” a voice states. “Are they trained?”

“No,” Jenny replies. “We want to start working with them in that manor once they’re both healthy, but Suzie seems to enjoy acrobatics because she does occasionally show off. It’s just a matter of getting lucky enough to be around when she does it.”

“I wish we could see them up close and out of the water,” the voice sounds younger, a child.

“Maybe you can,” Jenny states. “Maybe I can coax one of them up to the surface. But you can’t crowd them,” she warns. “They aren’t used to large crowds.” I watch as she bends down, whistles, and puts her hand in the water, moving it to indicate come. I sigh. I really don’t want to do this. I ignore her and wait to see what happens. Jenny whistles again, sharper this time. No longer a request, unmistakably a command. I sigh again and consider if it’s worth the rebellion. No probably not.

I glare at the surface. Who’s side are you on anyways? I swim up to the surface, hesitate, and then break it. Jenny smiles at me, an approval. “Hey Bailey!” She exclaims happily, splashing the water. “You want to come say hello to everyone?” I swim up to her, fix her a glare, but remain where I am. She pats the deck. “Come on.” I lean against the deck, brace my arms, and lift my tail out far enough to sit on the deck. Jenny pushes me down onto my stomach, lifts the rest of my tail out of the water.

“She certainly seems very used to you,” the voice comes from the woman whom I’ve dubbed a reporter.

“Yes,” Jenny replies. “I’m one of their handlers. I’ve spent a lot of time down here with them.”

“Can I touch her?” A little boys asks, he’s hanging from his mother, who’s holding him back.

Jenny shakes her head. “No, sorry bud, but she’s not tame. They’re not like cats or dogs, they can lash out and I don’t want you getting hurt. That and their skin is far more sensitive than ours, especially to chemicals and lotions. You can make them sick if they come in contact with something on your hands. I know what’s on mine and that it’s okay, but even leftover toothpaste could be harmful.”

“Oh,” the boy seems to deflate. “Okay then.”

“But you can feed her if you want to,” Jenny states quickly.

“Really?”

“Yes, and children who want to feed her, make a line,” she instructs. All of the children eagerly push into a line. There’s about ten of them in total. Jenny waves the little boy forward first. “What’s your name?” She asks.

“Jeremy,” the boy responds as he bounces eagerly from toe to toe.

“Alright Jeremy, I need you to put these on okay?” She hands him a thick pair of gloves. He slides them on. They’re way too big for his hands, but he doesn’t seem to care. Jenny pulls out a plastic bag full of apple slices and removes two. She hands them to the little boy. I stare at the fruit, wanting it very badly. The past almost three weeks of nothing but fish and shellfish has left a huge gaping desire, even if it’s for a simple, common fruit. I eye the bag eagerly. Jenny laughs. “Bailey loves fruit, Jeremy, so we’re going to give her a treat. Crouch down in front of her. She won’t hurt you, just make sure you stay still and don’t try to keep it from her.”

Jeremy does as instructed, crouching down so that his dark brown eyes meet my gaze. He’s got a smile a mile long. “Hi, Bailey,” he says happily. He extends his hand, shaking slightly, and offers me the apples slices. I reach out an arm, pluck them from his open palm, and pop them in my mouth. As I eat them, Jeremy reaches out his hand a little further, reaching towards my head.

“Jeremy,” Jenny warns. She grabs his arm, stops him. “You have to be careful. She’s still a wild animal.” I nearly choke on my apple slice.

Wild? What, does she expect me to lash out at a little boy to show my displeasure for what they’ve done? I snort, fix her a glare, nearly show my fangs before I remember the audience.

I am not a mindless beast, certainly not dangerous to a child. I fix my gaze on him, eager to prove it, show her up and prove her wrong. He can’t be older than seven and he reminds me of a little boy I used to babysit; Davey. Mind made up, I reach out and pull him towards me. His mother gasps in fear, stumbles forward. I ignore her and meet Jeremy’s gaze before kissing his nose. He squeals in delight as I let him go and scurries back to his mother. “Mommy, mommy, did you see?” He exclaims excitedly. His mother nods, looking relieved and amazed. I fix Jenny with another glare, feeling stinging betrayal burn its way inside me. I thought I could trust her, thought she was my friend. She promised me in the beginning she’d be someone who wouldn’t look at me like a stupid animal. I feel that promise has been broken and I’ve had enough of playing the pet today. I show her my fangs, barely hold back the hiss I so badly want to throw her way, and dive back into the water. There are some disappointed cries from the children, but I’m in no mood to entertain. Luna swims up to me, concern etched into her features.

‘What is wrong?’ She asks.

I shake my head. “Nothing, I’m just done playing pet today is all.”

Luna glances up at the surface, probably listening to Jenny trying to call me back, children begging disappointedly. She winces. ‘They will not be happy.’

“You go up there then!” I snap, turning on her. Luna recoils, hurt and shock radiating from her.

‘I… did not mean to upset you, I only meant…’ Luna doesn’t bother finishing her thoughts.

I rush over and hug her, burying my nose in her hair. “I'm sorry; I didn’t mean to snap at you, it’s not your fault. I’m just feeling a little cranky today. I'm sorry.” I mean the words, tighten my grip around her. Though I’ll never admit it openly, I can feel my resolve cracking. I’m starting to fall apart. I feel like I'm teetering on the edge of insanity and I just want to go home.