《Marine World》Thirty-four| Table for two

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When I wake there is no sign of Reece, but I don't panic like before. Instead, I shift my gaze to the folded note on top of the pillow next to me.

I have never seen Reece's handwriting before, but I'd expected it to be messy or rushed, not beautiful spirals that remind me of Muriel. She often used to leave messages for me to find on her favorite pages, and even after she disappeared I'd discover new ones, like she was still trying to speak to me.

Inside the note reads, We leave for Marine World tomorrow. Use the room key to buy a dress from downstairs (Emma's Boutique) and meet me at the bar at seven.

-R

I read the note over and over. If we are heading back to Marine World tomorrow, it must mean the girls are still being kept in their enclosure–we're finally getting them out.

Both fear and excitement battle inside of me. The thought of going back to Marine World scares me more than anything, but knowing Asia and Jewel could soon be free gives me a semblance of hope, a reason to keep fighting–even though I feel like giving up.

The second room key sits flat on the table. Once I'm showered and dressed, I take the card and head down to the lobby. Emma's boutique is the first store

I come across, the name scrawled in cursive on the window.

I walk towards the counter, where an old, black woman in a light blue suit stands wearing her brightest smile. "Aura?"

"How did you know?" I ask.

She beams before taking my hand and leading me towards the dress racks. "I've been expecting you," she says. "Your boyfriend called up this morning and told me you might need some help picking out a dress."

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I find myself blushing at the mention of boyfriend. It is a word I have come across multiple times in my dictionary, so much so that I'd memorized its meaning, wondering if there would ever come a day when I'd experience such a thing.

Reece has become a sort of companion to me over the past few weeks, and what once felt strange now feels natural, as if I have never known anything else. It leaves me hopeful for the future, makes me think that maybe other things I have no knowledge of will one day feel familiar. Maybe, someday, I'll feel just like everyone else.

The woman, whose name I learn is Dina, begins to pull things from the racks before ushering me into the changing rooms. After trying on multiple outfits, I settle on a black dress that conforms to every curve, leaving me looking like someone I've never seen before. Not a mermaid, or a girl, or a genetically altered human, but a word I have come across so many times before.

A woman.

When it is time to pay, I hand her the card like Reece had instructed in his note and she pops the dress into a bag. I give her a grateful smile before making my way back up to the hotel room. I'd managed to kill two hours shopping, which means I still have another five to go before I'm supposed to meet Reece. I begin to wonder what it is he could be doing right now. Perhaps buying more supplies for our mission to break out the others, or more outfits to help us blend in better amongst the other guests.

The thought of Marine World does something to my insides, makes me feel as if I'm about to make the biggest mistake of my life. Going back to Marine World could result in me being captured again, in spending the rest of my life back behind a glass after a brief taste of freedom. But it is a risk I'm not certain I want to take.

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As soon as the clock on the bedside table flickers to seven, I take a deep breath and head to the bar, finding Reece sat on a bar stool looking handsome in his suit. As if he can feel my presence, he turns on the stool and meets my gaze, his eyes softening as they take in my dress–not scrutinizing, or hungry, like the kind of gaze I am so used to meeting, but an expression that fills me with excitement.

He stands as I approach him, walking toward me before clearing his throat. "Hey," he says, his voice deeper than usual. "You look–" he stops, his neck twitching in a manner that conveys his discomfort. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," I say, smiling. He flashes one back, taking my hand before leading me through to the restaurant.

A waiter escorts us to a table by the window, one that looks out onto the lit-up pool. He pours us a drink I have never seen before, a dark red liquid that sloshes in my glass like bood.

"What is all of this?" I ask once the waiter has gone, cradling my glass. The liquid tastes bitter and burns my throat, but I take another sip anyway.

Reece takes a sip of his own before answering, his eyebrows drawn in a way that makes him look conflicted. "Once we start head back to Marine World, things are going to get chaotic again. I figured you should get to have a few normal moments before it does." He stops to flash me a boyish grin. "If anyone asks, though, you're twenty-one."

I stare at him for a moment, surprised by his thoughtfulness, but also afraid by it. This–the dress, the meal–it's because he's afraid for tomorrow. Afraid things might go wrong and this will be the last chance I get to experience freedom.

The thought scares me to death. Am I ready to give up everything I've attained since escaping? The ability to choose when and what I can eat, or to blend into the background? Small things I didn't even know I'd been missing, but now I can't imagine living without them.

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