Chapter Twenty-seven
Victoria
I was excited for today. Theo was taking me on the promised aquarium date.
And it was going to be our first foray outside in our matching t-shirts!
I went with a tongue-in-check pair this time so when Theo picked me up for our date from my room his t-shirt proclaimed ‘I don’t do matching shirts’ while mine said ‘But I do!”.
“This is for you, Vic,” Theo said and offered me... a bouquet?
The tiny flowers were made out of shells and they were put in what looked like a mini-sized styrofoam cup decorated with marker drawings made by a toddler.
“Thank you...? I get the shells, but what’s with the cup?” I asked, miffed.
“This is the ultimate treasure of every marine biologist. You can’t belong to our club if you don’t have at least one of those.
Or ten. Or a few hundred like Steve. Anyway, the point is, this cup started as a standard-sized, plain white styrofoam cup but I decorated it and then sent it so deep underwater it was compressed by the pressure and it became tiny!
It’s the closest to magic a marine biologist can do and I want to share this with you. ”
I took the cup gingerly, fearing it would be fragile after such a procedure but it was holding up good enough to fulfill its role of an impromptu vase. Turning it around I admired the various marker squiggles, sunbursts, waves, flowers, sea shells... I could tell Theo had fun drawing this.
“Thank you. I will cherish this,” I said and put the vase on the shelf next to my desk, where I could frequently admire it. Cut flowers were beautiful in their quickly waning beauty but getting a gift that was going to last was even better.
We drove to the aquarium and Theo immediately pulled me towards the sea slug exhibit. At first, I was skeptical about those sea creatures being as awesome as Theo described — after all, I have seen regular slugs and I was not impressed — but then I saw the sea bunny.
“This one,” I pointed to the long white shape which from afar looked like it was peppered with dark spots.
Upon closer inspection, the sea slug sported tiny protrusions all over its body, which made it look almost fluffy.
And, even more importantly, it had bunny ears!
The two black shapes on the sea slug’s head gave it its name and they looked so cute I had to coo at it through the glass. “This one is my favorite sea slug!”
“Yes!” Theo pumped his fist up and down in victory. “By the time I’m finished with you, you will have a favorite out of every type of sea creature. Next, let me introduce you to sea pancakes, otherwise known as manta rays.”
We admired the manta rays, and then crayfish, and seals, and sea cucumbers, and then sea urchins which wore tiny 3D printed hats. I had an amazing time letting Theo introduce me to this world he knew so much about.
I noticed Theo growing nervous when we neared the end of the last exhibition.
“Do you want to go home?” I asked.
“No! No, that’s not... Vic, I have one more thing to show you. A surprise.”
Theo led me to a side of the aquarium where only special visitors were permitted. To my surprise, we met Matthias and Tristan there, in front of an enormous tank filled with gallons of water.
“What are you guys doing here?” I asked.
“Bearing witness,” Tristan said seriously while Matthias snorted and gave him an elbow to the side.
“Talk for yourself. I’m here to take awful photos,” Matthias said, lifting up his phone.
“Photos of what?” I frowned at the tank which was empty except for the water.
“Of us,” Theo said. “Victoria, you had helped me so much in those past two weeks. I want to return the favor, so this is my turn to choose a matching outfit for us. I dunno about me, but I’m sure you will make a wonderful mermaid.”
He opened a door to a side room where I saw a pair of mermaid tails. Or would it be a merman tail if one was meant for Theo? I was too busy screaming in my mind to care about terminology.
“I can be a mermaid? A real-life freaking mermaid?!” I exploded once I couldn’t contain my glee inside.
“Well, I hope not a real mermaid,” Matthias shuddered. “Those shifters can be nasty when they want to be. And trust me, they don’t look anywhere near as pretty as the fairytale mermaids.”
I recalled something about Tristan using his powers to keep the two other vampires from succumbing to a siren’s call...
“Do they look monstrous...? Wait, no, you know what, I don’t care how unrealistic this is. I’m a fairytale mermaid princess today. The prettiest of them all. Let’s do this!”
“Yeah, let’s...” Theo looked nervous but he straightened up, his hands balled into fists. “This is my ultimate test. Victoria, I wish to dress you up as a mermaid with my own hands. Will you let me, please?”
I melted at the formal request. He tried to ensure I didn’t feel like he was made to feel even for a second.
“I would love that,” I said, taking his hands in mine.
“That’s all well and good but how the hell do you even get this on?” Matthias tilted his head like a confused dog as he poked at the shiny, colorful surface of the long tail.
“Pay attention, because it’s not easy! I had to show up to a training session before the seal shifters agreed to help me with arranging this. And after I’m done with Vic you will have to help me. First, I need to lube Vic up... ”
Putting on the silicone tail was truly a bizarre experience.
Once I shucked all my clothes, except the panties, off and put on the provided mermaid top on, Theo pulled out a bottle of lube and made my legs all slippery.
The tail was laid over a yoga mat and I had to wriggle inside of it, first one foot then the other.
Theo was too occupied with helping me squeeze in to panic so the whole process went smoothly and I was encased in the silicone rendition of a rainbow-colored shiny tail in no time.
Then it was Theo’s turn and, well, he started to freak out. And all I could do was just lie there like a fish.
Nope. I had to help somehow.
“Under the seaaa...” I started to sing the Little Mermaid song
Silliness was the theme of those little experiments and the reminder worked just like I hoped it would. Theo’s voice was a bit wobbly as he joined me but he let the vampires finish putting him into the tail.
“Ready?” A voice from up top called and I startled, realizing we weren’t alone. “Then please use the lift and join me.”
The man was dressed as a lifeguard. It made sense; diving with a tail without any precautions would be dangerous.
Matthias and Tristan ignored the wheelchairs the man pointed to and scooped us both into their arms. Soon we were at the top of the big aquarium, at the lifeguard’s side.
He explained the rules to us and we were made to practice: first in a shallow pool, just to get the motion of the tail down, then in the big tank, though we had to use proper diving equipment.
With oxygen provided to my lungs and goggles protecting my eyes I could concentrate on mastering the movements.
It was amazing to swim like a fish and twirl around Theo, sharing playful touches as we let ourselves have fun.
But the main point of the program was the photo session.
Matthias has captured a few photos with his phone but he couldn’t keep a candle to a professional underwater photographer Theo hired.
“I think this is enough people gawking at me for one day but I want you to have the whole experience,” Theo said once we were taking a breather out of the water.
What he meant by that turned out to be not only the photographer but a whole team of people.
I was put in waterproof makeup, my hair was decorated with a pearly crown and colorful strings of beads, my body dabbled with a shimmering powder.
The plain top I was made to wear was turned into a sea-themed work of art.
Add to that a gauzy fabric glinting with tiny gems that was attached to my wrists and I was ready.
For the photos, I had to dive in without the oxygen and hold my breath.
It was nerve-wracking but above all, absolutely exhilarating.
I felt like a real creature of legend, a beautiful mermaid who didn’t need to bring sailors to their doom with her voice when her beauty was enough for anyone to be entranced.
I was the princess of the sea. The fabric floated behind me with shimmering silver and my long hair spread in a halo around my face, the rays of light dancing on my body.
I was beautiful.
And the professional photos told the story of my ethereal beauty, letting me remember this day forever.
But my favorite photo was the one captured by Matthias when I surfaced from the tank and pulled Theo down to catch his lips in a kiss.