Chapter 11 #2
Once Angie figured out the animals he was talking about—dolphins, orcas, and lobsters, respectively—her immediate thought was to smack him, even if he made many valid points.
If there was something she hated more than wet socks, it was being talked at.
It made her feel as if like she was being treated like an emotional trash can, or in this case, a verbal punching bag.
She took a deep breath to calm herself before responding. She wouldn’t give him the benefit of knowing he had flustered her.
“What does this have to do with us? We don’t do those things. We don’t even have an aquarium.” She was genuinely perplexed. “Like I said before, we only take what we need. We’re not doing most of the things you’re complaining about.”
“But nobody is stopping those people who are.” He looked at his hands, still planted flat on the rock.
“We’re trying. Besides, don’t you eat fish, too?”
“No, most of us primarily eat sea fruits and vegetables and only eat animals when we must. We never take more than is needed for survival. And we ensure that their deaths are quick and merciful.”
Angie’s chin trembled with resignation. “I know. In other countries and towns who depend on fishing for survival, commercial fishing has cost so many small-town fishermen and women their livelihoods.” Her voice dropped a notch.
“My point is, I know about overfishing and what happens when people take more than they need.”
“Human greed truly is the root of all evil.” Kaden slid off his rock and cut through the water until he reached the beach. “No other species has wrought the destruction that humans have.”
“We’re still figuring things out.” Angie sat and crossed her legs.
“Undoing our mistakes. People are fighting back for animals’ and oppressed groups’ rights, and protecting the environment.
So many good people want to do the right thing and dedicate their lives to it.
” She interlaced her fingers together. “I know how big a problem the trash in the sea is. I went on ocean cleanup trips with my sister when we were younger. And once I go to grad school, I want to start a project to advocate for less pollution in the ocean.” She wet her lips.
“I wish we had come across more people like you. But we have to save our home too. I hope those groups can push for true change.” His countenance softened, eyes wide and clear underneath his thick lashes.
“Same.” Angie shifted her weight, her hands falling onto her lap and shoulders relaxed.
“But it’ll take time.” She cleared her throat.
“Some people survive on seafood, and it’s all we have.
We, and other fishing villages only take what we need.
Why should we suffer collectively for the greedy actions of a few? ”
“You make a fair argument.” He gave her a halfhearted shrug and punctuated his words with an audible sigh. “I will see what I can do. Speak with my family.”
First sentinels, now apparently an important family. She arched a dubious eyebrow. “You can stop the war? Your family can make a difference? You all must be really influential in mer society.”
“I might be able to help release the fish, but the war started because you killed some of us first. And yes, erm, we are influential.” He said no more and avoided eye contact with her.
A beat passed, but he didn’t elaborate. Angie let out a long, slow exhale.
“All right. I’ll take your word for it.” Another look at her phone which revealed a message from Baba, saying he would be there in ten minutes.
“While I have you here, why would the patrols kill that boy? He was minding his own business.” She choked on her words. “Right?”
“I don’t know. I wasn’t there when they found him.” He thinned his lips.
Angie stared at the ground, shifting her weight from foot to foot. “Okay. I should get going, then.” She jumped to her feet.
“Meet me here in three tidesdays. My family will be due back by then. I hope to have an answer to your earlier request.” He gave her a single nod and disappeared beneath the waves.
Angie jogged to the main warehouse, where Bàba asked her to meet him. “Where did you go? I was worried that something happened to you, too.”
“By the coast.” No sense in lying to him, but she didn’t have to tell him the whole truth, at least, not until she figured out what she could get out of Kaden.
“Why would you do that? Luke just died so near.” He studied her for a moment. “But I’m glad you’re okay.” He put an arm around her shoulder and squeezed. “Thank you for calling the police.”
Crime scene tape had been put around Luke’s body, and Angie stood outside of it. A second cop had joined the first.
Bàba put his phone back in his pocket. “I contacted Beau and Emily.” His voice sounded thick with Luke’s parents’ names. “They will inform us of the official wake and funeral date.”
She swallowed hard and bowed her head.
A week passed, and Angie stood slumped like a dolphin in captivity in Creston’s small cemetery.
She shouldn’t have been attending the funeral for a seventeen-year-old boy today.
Her shoulders were tight and her knees touched.
Anything to look away from Luke’s polished wooden coffin, adorned with pearly honeysuckles for him to receive positivity and love in the afterlife.
The flowers were bright, beautiful, and alive, a stark contrast to the peacefully sleeping boy inside.
She hadn’t wanted to see him during the wake, afraid she wouldn’t be able to stop from crying.
Bàba and Emily, Luke’s mother, had told her he was buried with his favorite video games, fantasy and science fiction books, and his trusty wetsuit.
Emily and Beau closed out the service with a short, emotional speech, thanking everyone for coming.
Angie stood shoulder to shoulder with Stefan, her full attention on them.
Their voices quivered and their emotions were raw, their vulnerability and grief overshadowing the confident, affable personas they usually displayed at public appearances.
Beside them, Bàba stood impassive, face neutral.
Outwardly, he appeared like his usual, calm, coolheaded self, a cover for the turmoil he hid beneath the surface.
The slight tremble in his lower lip he tried so hard to keep still, eyes squinted just enough to hold back tears.
His hands were held in a seatbelt grip at his waist. Like he was holding in the tension, his emotions.
Angie didn’t blame him. Luke was becoming his little protégé, right after Nick.
Angie’s gaze trailed to Nick. He stood on the other side, shifting from foot to foot, his face holding contorted rage. His lips were pursed, like he was dying to speak, but stayed quiet.
After Emily and Beau finished, Angie did her duty and offered her condolences, and they responded to her with a single nod of acknowledgment and mouthing, “Thank you,” before they were swarmed by others wanting their turn.
Nick approached and put a hand on Beau’s shoulder, bowing his head.
“Sir, what happened to Luke is a damned tragedy. He should be here with us today, not in there.” He motioned to the coffin, now being carried away to a hearse parked outside.
“I promise you. We’ll find and kill the savage fishes that murdered your son.
They’ve already taken too many of us, and now they’ve killed a boy on the cusp of manhood.
An earnest and hardworking boy who did no harm. This is the last straw.”
“I hope you’re right,” Beau murmured, holding Emily close and rubbing her shoulders. He looked to Bàba.
“Chief, you and Nick just let us know if you need funding, or manpower. We want every last one of those monsters dead.”
Bàba shook his head. “Call me Zixin, please. You don’t serve under me anymore.”
“Okay, Zixin.” Beau forced a tiny smile. “I’m still not used to calling you that. Eight years of habit is hard to break.”
Angie turned away, feeling as if her heart were full of rocks instead of blood, and she tucked her hands into her jacket’s pockets.
“Beibei.” Bàba’s hand came down on her shoulder, and she met his eyes, wet with unshed tears. She put her hand over his.
“I’m so sorry, Bàba,” she murmured.
“It’s a shame we lost him,” Bàba said. “He will be remembered. But come, let’s go home. I could use a rest. Think of what we will do next.”
Angie followed him to the ferry station after they made their rounds to say goodbye.
Kaden better be able to get some answers for her.