Chapter 2 #3
“Then there’s the Atolla jellyfish. They live in the deep ocean—like, really deep.
They have this bioluminescent defense mechanism where if something attacks them, they produce these circular flashes of light.
Scientists call it the ‘burglar alarm’ effect.
” I traced a small circle in the air. “It’s basically screaming, ‘Hey, something’s eating me!
to attract an even bigger predator.” A nervous little laugh slipped out of me. “Which is kind of brilliant, honestly.”
I realized I was starting to ramble again.
But he hadn’t stopped me yet.
So my brain helpfully supplied another one.
“Oh—and the giant phantom jellyfish. Stygiomedusa gigantea. People almost never see them,” I continued.
“For decades, we only had like a handful of sightings, mostly from deep-sea submersibles, since they live in the midnight zone. I think the first one was recorded in the early 1900s, and after that, there were barely any confirmed observations for almost a century. They’re called ‘phantom’ jellyfish because they just appear out of the dark like ghosts.
No one’s ever successfully captured one. They’re too fragile.”
I finally paused long enough to breathe.
Then another thought struck me.
“There’s also the box jellies,” I said, lowering my voice slightly out of instinct.
“Those are probably the most dangerous, as I’m sure you know.
Chironex fleckeri, especially. One of the most venomous animals on the planet.
Their venom attacks the heart, skin cells, and nervous system all at once.
Box jellies in general aren’t too rare, but there’s the spotted box jellyfish, or Chirodectes maculatus.
That one has only two confirmed sightings—one in 1997 and one in 2022. ”
“So yeah…” I finished awkwardly. My shoulders slumped a little as embarrassment crept back in. “Sorry,” I muttered. “I get a little carried away.”
Tobias Kelly did not look bothered.
If anything, his attention had become even more focused. And it looked like he was smiling? It was barely there, but that’s definitely what that was.
“Do you specialize in jellyfish?” he asked.
I blushed. “Oh, no. I don’t have a specialty, or at least, not yet.
I… I just graduated last semester. And, well…
I love jellies, but I love a lot of other species too.
It would be hard to choose just one to focus on.
Maybe cephalopods? But I love rays and sharks as well.
And eels… See my problem?” I laughed quietly, clutching the clipboard tighter to my chest.
Mr. Kelly watched me for a moment after that, his gaze steady. “You seem to truly enjoy the subject,” he noted.
I let out a small, embarrassed huff of laughter. “Yeah. A little.”
“That was not a criticism.”
The words were calm. Matter-of-fact.
I glanced at him, unsure what to do with that.
Most people reacted to my rambling in one of two ways: amused tolerance or polite disengagement. Either way, it usually meant the conversation was about to end.
But Tobias Kelly still looked… interested.
“You have an impressive breadth of knowledge,” he continued. “Especially for someone who claims not to have a specialty.”
Heat crept back into my face. “Oh,” I said softly. “Thanks. I just read a lot.”
“That is apparent.” The faintest pause followed, his eyes flicking briefly to the tank before settling back on me. “And your enthusiasm is—”
“Sinclair!”
I flinched slightly and turned. Mark was striding toward us from across the gallery, and while his smile was there, it was tight. Too tight.
The kind of smile someone wore when they were trying very hard to look relaxed.
“Everything alright over here?” he asked, stopping beside us.
His gaze flicked between Mr. Kelly and me before settling fully on Mr. Kelly.
“I hope our intern isn’t bothering you, Mr. Kelly.”
Something in my chest shriveled up. My fingers curled automatically around the edge of the clipboard, the plastic biting into my palm.
I hadn’t realized how much space I’d been taking up in the conversation until that moment. Or how it probably looked to the people around us. What if they all thought I’d been harassing him?
Before Mr. Kelly could answer, the words rushed out of me. “I’m so sorry,” I said, stepping back from the railing. “I didn’t mean to keep you. Thank you for your time, Mr. Kelly.”
The apology tasted bitter.
I turned to Mark, my shoulders pulling in slightly.
“Sorry,” I added again, quieter this time.
Mark gave a short nod, like that was the correct response. “All good,” he said lightly. “Actually, Cove, since you’re free—Marissa needs someone to help with the ray feed. Think you can head over there?”
Relief and humiliation twisted together in my stomach. The rays were on the complete opposite side of the aquarium. He wanted me far away from their precious donor.
“Yeah,” I said immediately, trying to force a smile. “Of course.”
I shifted the clipboard under my arm, already stepping away.
“Sorry again,” I said once more, glancing briefly toward Mr. Kelly before looking away again. “Have a good day.”
Then I turned and hurried off across the gallery before anyone could say anything else.
I’d be back in California in no time if I kept behaving like this.