《Marine World》Forty-five|Lights, camera, action

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Two shapeless shadows make their way through the foliage. I squeeze Reece's fingers, only letting go once Ben and Hayley come into view.

"What took you so long?" Reece asks.

Hayley looks between the pair of us with a somewhat sheepish expression. "We were hiding over there," she says, nodding towards the empty pathway. "Ben wanted to come over, but I told him to let you have your moment." She gives me a smile as Reece's cheeks start to redden in a way they've never done before.

Reece clears his throat before looking at his watch, unable to meet my gaze. "We'll head to the enclosure around three a.m.," he says. "Most of the employees will have gone home by then."

The next few hours become a waiting game, with the four of us sitting among the foliage for three a.m to arrive. Ben and Hayley try their best to make small talk, but I'm far too nervous and uncomfortable to engage, so I sit back and listen while they talk about the time Ben cried while sky diving.

Eventually, when curiosity gets the best of me, I speak up. "What's sky diving?" I ask.

"It's when you jump out of a plane," Hayley explains. "It was so funny, Aura. Reece looked like some cool, collected soldier guy and Ben was a complete wreck. Cried all the way home."

"You love to exaggerate," Ben says, squeezing her waist. "I cried for like five minutes."

I smile and watch the lake, noticing how still and calm the water looks from above the surface. But if Reece is right and there are creatures below, its stillness is simply another illusion, another reason for me to trust not what I see, but what I know.

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The second the clock hits three, the four of us straighten up, allowing Reece to move ahead to guide the way. "We'll follow the curve of the lake," he says, his voice barely audible through the chirping of wildlife. "Stick to the foliage."

We follow him to the last line of bushes that look out onto Merland Street, a ghost town compared to what it had been when the guests were around.

"There are cameras in this section," he says, shooting us an anxious look. "We're going to have to make a run for it across to those stores and pray nobody spots us."

After the count of three, we charge from out of the safety of the bushes and across the street to the next nearest building, an elaborate café with low, overhanging shades and large white pillars. Hayley and Ben slot behind one pillar and Reece and I behind another as we await Reece's next instructions.

"These cafés have the same style pillars," Reece says, nodding at the other cafés on this side of the street. "We stay as close to these buildings as possible, darting behind pillars until we get to Merland's palace. Understand?"

I shift my gaze to the end of the street, taking in the large, white palace that sits against a backdrop of stars. It looks eerie now the sun has descended and the guests have gone home, like it no longer quite belongs here.

We all nod, about to start moving again when a guard exits one of the buildings on the right. Reece grabs me by the waist and presses me further into the pillar, trapping my body against his.

The guard stops for a moment to scan the street before getting out his phone. He is so close, I can make out every one of his features, the light from his phone reflecting over his cheeks and nose. I hold my breath, praying he can't hear the sound of my heart pounding.

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Reece squeezes me tighter as the guard roams on. If this guard were to look to his left right now, there wouldn't be any hiding from him. My body all but shudders when he turns another corner, and Reece looks down with sharp, wild eyes, his own body sinking with relief.

After a few moments, he makes a hand signal to the others and we continue to move behind the pillars of different cafés, using them to shield us. Once we get to the palace, we head down the path, trying to conceal ourselves in the line of trees.

At some point, I notice the ground has changed from a salmon pink to an aqua blue, deep tones that match the colors of the enclosure.

"There's the entrance of the mermaid enclosure," Ben whispers, nodding ahead.

He goes to step out onto the pathway but Reece grabs him by the shirt and pulls him back into the trees. Confused, I scan the area, spotting the lone janitor robotically cleaning the area outside of the entrance.

I swallow hard as I take in his navy-blue uniform. Above him stands the mermaid sign, two cartoon mermaids either side of the entrance. The one on the left looks similar to Crystal, with its long, blonde hair and large blue eyes, igniting a familiar ache in my chest. She and Muriel are already lost to Marine World, but I'm not about to let the same thing happen to Asia and Jewel. They're going to live–we all are–and we'll do it for those who were denied that same chance.

Hey guys, let me know if you're enjoying this so far ❤️

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