Chapter 5
Five
Angie
Marine vertebrate anatomy class appeared to be in full swing by the time Angie arrived at the main lecture hall that morning.
Her classmates’ animated chatter bounced through the classroom walls and ceiling.
Their marine biologist professor, Dr. Ty Williams’ lean frame stood hunched over the front podium, sleeves rolled halfway up his forearms, and fiddling with the projector.
A massive grin was plastered from cheek to cheek.
Angie slid into the hard, plastic seat between Reesa and Leo and let her backpack slide off her shoulders. “What’s he so happy about?” She nodded toward Dr. Williams.
“He said there’s a change in today’s class,” Reesa said. “He seems really excited.”
Angie grinned. Dr. Williams was a young, green professor who graduated with top marks at Stanford University, with an infectious enthusiasm for marine biology and his research work at SMOSA, the Society for Marine Observation Studies and Activity, a government agency under the NSF.
She powered on her laptop and pulled up the class syllabus.
January 18: Class Elasmobranchii series: Rays her friends knew she was from Alaska, but she never told them she was specifically from Creston.
“You ever see one, Angie?” Reesa whispered.
Angie inadvertently rounded her shoulders, making herself smaller. Truth or lie ping-ponged in her mind.
She couldn’t bring herself to say yes. Not yet.
Leo’s voice broke in, saving her from having to answer now. “Who knows? All those viral social media videos could have been doctored.”
The rest of the class carried on, and Dr. Williams’ voice drifted in and out, and her classmates had fallen into silence, clicking and scribbling noises surrounding her.
When Angie peeked at her phone for the time, it showed forty minutes had passed, and class was dismissed.
Students scurried up to pummel Dr. Williams with questions, surrounding him while he positively beamed. She too wanted to talk with him, not necessarily let him know about her dealings with mer, but with her ties to Alaska, she didn’t want to raise suspicion.
A quick glance over at Leo showed his jaw clenched, and he was grinding his teeth.
“That was ridiculous.” He threw his hands out to his sides.
“I thought it was interesting,” Reesa said with a half shrug.
“Let’s talk about something more interesting. How was your date the other night?” Leo asked Reesa.
“Not seeing him again. He annoyed me.” Reesa’s shoulders lifted in a nonchalant shrug. “First date I’ve been on in two years, and all it did was remind me why I’m happier single. But if we’re done talking about my non-love life, let’s go get lunch, okay?” She ushered them toward the cafeteria.
“I’m not hungry for anything here. I’m on cooking duty and I have to run to the store.
” A small smile tugged at the corners of Leo’s lips.
“Making bandeja paisa and sancocho tonight. Sandra just got back from visiting her parents in Colombia and she’s a little homesick.
This way we get a little Colombian, a little Dominican, and we’re both happy. ”
Invisible fingers tugged at Angie’s heartstrings. Memories of how her village in Creston had starved during the merfolk war edged their way to the forefront of her mind, a sharp contrast to all the food at their fingertips now.
“Sounds delicious,” Reesa said with a soft chuckle. “Ange, how about you?”
Angie faced them, rolling her lips between her teeth.
Lunch sounded delectable, but she was planning to make oxtails, carrots, and potato soup at home later.
After her two-hour stint at the aquarium, that was.
“I’m good, I have to work. I’ll catch you both on Tuesday?
” Angie waved them off, breaking into a light jog to get to her car.
She had ten minutes to make the twenty-minute ride across town.
She burst through the aquarium doors, catching her breath. The cool air streaking across her face while she ran across the parking lot turned to sweat when she entered the much-too-warm aquarium building.
Tiān, who let the heater go haywire?
“Angie, you good? Why do you look like you sprinted across town?” her supervisor, Grayson Davies, asked with a cocked eyebrow.
“Sorry, lost track of time after class,” Angie said with a shrug.
“Alright. Well, go get yourself ready. You have a tour group coming in about fifteen minutes.” Grayson tapped his watch. “Oh, before I forget, can you work in the tank for the first week of February? Jace is going on vacation.”
“Okay. I’ll remember to bring my diving gear.” Angie nodded quickly.
She made for the locker rooms across the building, changing out of her fitted T-shirt and joggers. As fast as her hands could work, she threw on her aquarium staff uniform, a navy-blue polo shirt and pressed black slacks.
With a deep breath to calm her nerves, she stepped out to the tour group meeting space, which thankfully, still stood empty.
She had given presentations in front of her class over her school years, but still, standing in front of a room full of people watching her made her feel as if she were standing under a microscope. Her palms would sweat, and her mouth went dry, every single time.
Even more so when, in college, she learned her Māma had passed away, and she’d spent the night before her final marine organism anatomy and physiology presentation drinking her sorrows away.
She failed that presentation and barely scraped by the class with a passing grade.
Shaking the memory away, she faced the tropical fish tank behind her.
The fish swam in circles, round and round, up and down, darting in and out of their rock and artificial coral hiding places.
They seemed content. Angie furrowed her brow, folding her arms across her chest. Or had they merely resigned themselves that this tank would be their home for the rest of their lives?
Tiān, she missed Kaden.
A flash of color flitted past.
A mer tail? Was there a mer in this—
No, it was a large parrotfish, and it stopped to wiggle its tail and pucker its beak-like mouth before meandering to the other side of the tank.
A group of people shuffled into the room for their tour.
Angie dropped her shoulders and greeted them, easing into her tour guide role.
Thirty minutes later, she led her group back to where they began.
“The ocean is a beautiful place with a whole world under the waves. If you were in awe of what you saw today, as I am each time I go diving, then please, consider doing your part to reduce ocean pollution.” Angie looked at each of the ten people in her group, all who listened with rapt attention.
Even the three children in the group were listening attentively, their eyes wide.
Angie shifted weight to her right leg. “And that’s all the time we have for today. Thank you all for coming! I’ll be around for another hour if you think of any questions.”
“How about mermaids? Māma told me they’re real.” A little girl approached her, her parents following close behind.
Angie smiled, the girl reminding her so much of her niece, Rosie. “They are, but sometimes they hide from us, and you’ll have to wait for them to show themselves. Maybe you’ll see one soon.”
“I hope so!” The little girl turned to face her parents who led her out of the room.
The last of her group waved to her before departing, leaving Angie alone in the atrium once more.
Angie let her body slump forward, relaxing her previously stiff posture. Today’s group seemed receptive to her spiel on ocean pollution. She estimated about half the groups touring with her were, even though Grayson gave her permission to give her short closing spiel.
One more tour on her schedule, after which she could return home, spend time with Lulu and get a good night’s sleep.
Angie paced the carpeted floor, from one end of the room to the next, and turned her attention back to the fish in the tank behind her.
She couldn’t help but think of Kaden again. If she didn’t hear from him by tomorrow, she needed to give him a call for an update.