Katie

I sigh, the air moving sharply through my nose. The gloom, the silence, the boredom… and I can’t even fidget for fear of tearing my injuries open again. My stomach choses that moment to gurgle loudly, startling me. I jump a little at the sudden noise, and then wince as my pain intensifies. The tube is also starting to get increasingly irritating. Saliva is pooling around it, making my mouth feel slimy, full, and gross, and any attempts to swallow make the tube shift and bob down my throat; causing me to start choking again, which makes the saliva worse, and causes a sharp pain as it smacks against the wall of… my intestine I'm pretty sure. Whatever it is, it hurts.

When I finish another one of such fits, I try my best to just go limp and ignore the tube all together. An impossible task. I close my eyes and try to at least take a nap.

For a few minutes, the silence doesn’t seem so bad. It’s comforting and peaceful almost, and I can almost relax. Almost.

But, of course, since I'm finally relaxing, the silence has to end, and at that moment the door backs against the wall as it’s flung open. I jump again, nearly hiss and whimper at the pain. Then I focus on the newcomer and the fishy smell wafting from the bucket in his hands. The thought of food is dashed by the person bringing it. I feel my eyes lower to narrow slits at the teenaged boy who is setting the bucket down beside a machine that the tubing is attached to. Of course it had to be him. The jerk boy that popped in and out during my transformation and couldn’t be bothered to give a damn about any of problems I was having. He turns towards me, his gaze wandering over my tail. I curl my lip to show him my fangs and offer him as much of a hiss as I can muster with this awful hose. He glowers at me, his dark brown eyes growing darker, liquid coal, and within seconds my collar is activating. It steals a whimper as the shocks jolt through the sensitive, severed nerves around my injuries. Then his hand is on my waist, palm pressing against my injury, applying cruel pressure and I bite back a scream. A twisted grimacing grin warps his features.

“Don’t you dare snarl at me like that,” he spits. “Don’t forget who your masters are you stupid, scaled freak.” He grabs my chin and pulls my gaze to his. “Perhaps uncle wasn’t clear enough. Perhaps I should call him down here and have him open you up again. He’d probably pluck your scales, one by one until you learned your lesson, maybe even let me help.”

Then it makes sense. He’s related to Dr. Patron. No wonder he’s so indifferent, eager even, towards the pain and suffering of others.

“That’s quite enough, Jason,” Dr. Auldon’s voice is sharp and incredibly displeased. I'm released instantly as the boy lets go and whips around to face the scientist standing in the door way with his arms crossed and a frown on his face. Dr. Auldon removes his glasses, wipes them with the hem of his shirt, and replaces them upon his nose. “I believe you were given instructions to come in and feed her. Feed her, not talk to her, touch her, especially near her injuries, or threaten her, just feed her. You were given that remote in case of an emergency, should she decide to lash out violently. It was merely a precaution, but since you can’t seem to handle it properly without abusing it, I’ll be taking it back now.” Dr. Auldon extend his hand.

Jason shakes his head. “But she… You saw what she did,” he protests. “She was asking to be punished, she deserved it.”

“Not your decision to make,” Dr. Auldon counters evenly. “Besides, I have trouble seeing the problem. She can’t speak with the hose down her throat, not without choking herself which is punishment enough, and she was nowhere near you, couldn’t have lashed out. The remote, Jason.”

The boy sighs and reluctantly relinquishes the remote.

“Now I believe that there is a bathroom on the first floor that needs cleaning, a toddler was sick.”

“But, that’s not my job!” Jason retorts.

Dr. Auldon raises an eyebrow. “It is now. Go.”

Jason snorts, shakes his head, and storms out, muttering under his breath as he does. I nearly sigh with relief; barely manage to contain a grin. I’m glad someone’s finally knocking that creep down a few sizes.

“Don’t think for a moment that I’m defending you.” Dr. Auldon’s attention has turned to me. “In fact, had it been anyone else and if they’d been smart enough to avoid slowing your healing process, I may have left them alone. But that boy is far too arrogant, testing authority as often as he can, so I take every chance I can to try and smarten him up. Don’t let it happen again, Bailey. I know that you aren’t normally vocal in that manor unless provoked, but you need to watch yourself. I don’t know what he did, frankly I don’t care, but even when provoked you need to be compliant. I don’t want you hissing at people; you're going to be in contact with guests. I don’t care if some little kid tugs on your hair or hooks their fingers under your gills, you are not to lash out or snarl at them, am I understood?”

I nod, not that I would have argued or ever even considered lashing out at a small child.

Dr. Auldon reaches into the bucket Jason left behind and pulls up some cutlets of fish. There are no bones or scales on the pieces that he pulls from the bucket and drops into the little meat grinder that the tubing is hooked up too. There’s a sharp whirring sound as the machine comes to life, and a creamy, red-gray paste slides down the tube. Dr. Auldon feeds the machine more pieces and the mixture slowly begins to sate my hunger. It’s disgusting looking, and if I wasn’t really hungry, I would be grossed out and likely almost sick, so I just close my eyes and try not to think about it.

After cleaning out the machine, Dr. Auldon walks over to me and bends over, his fingers ghosting over the bandages. “I don’t think these need to be redressed until tomorrow,” he decides. “Now Bailey, I'm going to give you a decision to make. I want you to hold up a finger for option one, and two for option two, understand?”

I nod.

“Now, it will be a couple days before you can eat on your own again. Until then, I can either leave the feeding tube where it is, or I can remove it now, and reinsert it tomorrow when it comes time for you to eat, and then take it out again until the next day. The choice is yours,” he says.

I pause for a moment. I hate the tube, it’s uncomfortable and it is starting to make my throat sore. Not to mention I'm always choking on it. I constantly pulled from sleep because I’ve started breathing deeply and choked on it. Every time I choke sends flashes of pain through my middle. I want it out. However, I truly hated the feeling of it first going in. when it pushes past the gag reflex it hurts and it feels like you can't breathe. It’s scary and I'm reluctant to feel it again. I contemplate my choices, breathing slowly and shallowly as I do to keep from choking again. This makes my decision for me; the way I have to breathe with this thing always leaves me bordering on suffocation. I want to be able to breathe again. I wiggle two fingers at him, knowing it will hurt to raise my arm. Luckily, he was watching me.

“Hmm, alright then,” he says. “I wouldn’t think it would be the more appealing option, but I did give you the choice. I’ll even give you a chance to change your mind tomorrow, because of how nice I am,” he sneers the last bit at me. Then he pulls up the tape holding the tube down. I wince a little as it pulls at my skin and the little hairs behind my ears. He tugs it free, then takes a hold of the tube and begins to pull it out. Instantly I feel like I'm going to be sick. I begin to choke again. “Relax,” he commands. “Breathe, you're fine.” I suck in sharp breaths through my nose, the panic subsiding a little. After what feels like eternity, the long hose is finally removed and I close my mouth, grateful to be able too.

Dr. Auldon sets the tube in the bucket and then pats my head. “You’ve been pretty good for me, but I want to know what happened with Jason, so speak up now before I ask him instead.”

I shake my head. “He’s just a jerk,” I say, my voice slightly raspy. “Throughout my transformation he just… didn’t care. When my jaw dislocated because of the fangs, it scared me; to suddenly have that happen. I’d tried to ask what was happening, I knew someone would be watching. I just wanted an explanation, maybe some help. Instead, he came out, stuck a cookie tray underneath my head to keep me from getting drool on the bed. He just left me like that until Jenny came back in the morning. Did the same thing with that frozen lifejacket thingy when my gills were forming. He said it was supposed to help me breathe easier during, and it did, but he let me border on suffocating for almost an hour before deciding to bring it out. I mean if it was a modesty thing, he could have at least called someone, or let me do it myself, I mean I'm not incapable. It just bothers me that he can just… not care. Being the only one continuously present, he was someone I could openly hate.” I shrug. “So I did, still do.”

Dr. Auldon stares at me, doesn’t speak for a while, with his lips pursed into a thin line. Finally, “I guess I have to have another ‘talk’ with Jason since he clearly can’t follow direct orders either. He was, of course, instructed to do what he did when your fangs came in, but I specifically told him that I would prefer he use towels and that he would have to change them every half hour at least and that Ms. Barnes would handle the dislocation when she came in. Clearly he tried using the tray as a shortcut, but it still should have been emptied. And I was very clear that the second you began having troubles that jacket should have been applied because I didn’t want damage to come to your lungs as they reshaped to become connected to the gills. I told him that if he had an issue being around a girl a few years younger, but still close to his age, to send for somebody. He is on his last strike. I don’t care if Dr. Patron put in a good word for him or helped him get the job, Jason is part of my staff and I am ready to fire the boy,” he grumbles, mostly to himself. “And you had better learn to deal with people you don’t like. The staff here, all of them, are in charge of you. The only time you may disobey them is if the command goes against something I have ordered you to do, or if it’s detrimental to the exhibit. They do have the right to punish you, if it’s justified, so you had better watch yourself. We’re clear on that, right?”

“Yes,” I mutter. “I'm sorry for hissing.”

“Better. Make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

“It won’t.”

“Good. Now, the last couple of hours I have been keeping an eye on you, but I’m leaving for the day now, so I want you to take this,” He hands me a small remote with a single red button on it. “It’s completely waterproof, so don’t worry about getting it wet, but it’s a help button. If something happens; you start to bleed out for example, push the button. If you start to feel sick to your stomach, make sure you push the button. Dr. Patron took it too far yesterday, opened up your stomach; the actual organ, not a term for your abdomen, and if you start to throw up, it means you're rejecting food and you could also rupture something. So if you genuinely feel queasy, use that, got it? Someone will come in to help, and you will be allowed to explain yourself. I won’t take kindly to the misuse of it, but I would rather a false alarm then you not using it when it’s needed, so don’t hesitate if you think something is wrong. Understand?”

I nod. “Yes. Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me, I merely do not want to prolong the reopening of the exhibit,” he states. “Try to sleep. The more rest you get, the faster you’ll heal.” Then he’s gone, leaving the door to swing closed behind him. I sigh and shift my fin a little. I set the remote down in the water and slump down, closing my eyes. At least I'm tired and it isn’t too hard to find sleep.

A chair scraping against the floor startles me awake. My eyes snap open and I wince as my tensing muscles bring more pain. As the room comes into focus, I bring my attention to the newcomer. Blonde curly hair frames the freckles and large brown eyes of a face I met yesterday. I find myself recoiling, shrinking back just in case. Elizabeth’s eyes deflate and sadness consumes her features. She reaches a hand partway towards me, then changes her mind and returns her hand to her lap. “Please don’t be afraid of me,” she whispers. “I'm not going to hurt you; I never wanted to hurt you.”

But you did. I can't stop the thought from flashing through my mind, even though I know it wasn’t her fault. I don’t blame her exactly; I just can't help but be slightly afraid of her.

Elizabeth glances around behind her, almost as though she’s not supposed to be here. After a full sweep of the room, she turns back to me. “Can you keep a secret?” She asks.

I frown and raise one eyebrow in confusion. Again, Elizabeth glances behind her, then reaches into the pocket of her sweater and removes a capped syringe. I tense further, shy away; feel my lip curl against my will.

“It’s okay,” she says as she removes the safety cap of the, already full, needle. “It’s going to sting a little, but you’ll feel better.”

She sticks me with it, quickly, but gently pushes the needle beneath the skin of my waist. I bite down on a whimper as it increases the pain that’s already there. A second or two later, she removes the empty needle, replaces the cap, and tucks it away.

In the time it takes her to do that, my torso goes numb and the pain fades. My tail is still sore, but it was never anywhere near as painful as the incisions up my front. I feel gratitude sweep through me at the kind gesture. No one has ever bothered with painkillers, probably just didn’t want to waste them on me. I smile at her, nod my thanks.

She returns the smile, but presses a finger to her lips. “Don’t tell anyone. I am not supposed to give you that.”

“I won’t,” I whisper, my voice faint, barely there. “Thank you.”

“Consider it my apology for yesterday,” she replies. “I never wanted to do that, never expected I would be asked too,” she sighs, lets her shoulders slump forward. “I'm studying to be a sea vet, and the co-op placement is a requirement for my program. I lose my scholarship if I don’t do well in the placement and I don’t want that. I want to help, you know? Do some good in the world. I was told Dr. Patron was one of the best, never thought I’d be placed with him. I was beyond excited when I was.” She hangs her head, wrings her fingers. “I didn’t expect him to be such a monster. I wanted to walk out yesterday, almost did, but… I’m glad I didn’t. At least now I’ve got a position here, and maybe I can help. Because if anyone needs help right now, it’s the two of you and I'm going to try to help you both,” she vows. “I'm really sorry for yesterday.”

I shake my head; swallow the lump in my throat. “Don’t be,” I manage. “It wasn’t your fault. If there is anything I’ve learned it’s that there’s no getting out of things around here and you’ve just got to try to make the best of it.”

She nods. “Yeah, I guess you’re right,” she agrees. “Can I ask your name? I know Bailey isn’t your real one and I was just curious. I mean I can call you Bailey if you want me too and I totally understand if you don’t want to share your past or-”

“Katie,” I state, cutting her off. “My name is Katie.”

She nods. “Short for what? Kaitlynn?”

“Katherine,” I reply. “But it wasn’t going to be for much longer. I was going to change my name to Katie. It’s more than a nickname. Besides, I hate Katherine. I mean, sure it’s a pretty name on someone else but…”

“It doesn’t suit you,” Elizabeth finishes. “I like Katie on you better too.”

“Thanks,” I murmur. I break off to yawn widely. The painkillers have helped, but the pain is still present and I’m feeling beyond exhausted and slightly nauseous.

Elizabeth’s mouth twitches into a frown and she rises from her chair. “You should get some rest. Here I am trying to make you hold a conversation, after everything you’ve been through...” she trails off and purses her lips. “Well, you need to rest,” she decides finally. Her fingers curl around the top of the folding chair, which she lifts and returns to its original place against the wall. “Get some sleep.”

She turns to leave, and when she’s turning the door handle, I stop her. “Hey, Elizabeth?”

“Hmm?”

“Thank you… for everything.”

She smiles and dips her head. “Don’t mention it. Seriously, don’t; you’ll get us both into trouble.”

I laugh and nod in agreement. “Don’t worry, I can keep a secret.” She smiles and dips her head before slipping out the door. Leaving me alone. Again. I sigh and shift a little, much more comfortable now that the pain is gone. A yawn leaves me and I find myself more tired than I have been in a while. Must be all the energy my body is putting into healing. Another yawn and I let my eyes slip closed, falling peacefully oblivious to the world.