Fins (Transformations: Book 2)

Eric didn’t feel like heading home right away after seeing Angela, partially because he had no interest in getting in his car while soaking wet. He walked away from the distant lights, heading down the beach in hopes of sorting out his thoughts while his clothes dried.

He didn’t pay attention to how long he walked. He looked up at some seagulls and realized the sun had risen at some point.

“Aaron?” a familiar voice questioned.

Eric looked over to see Frederick Grey, barefoot with his pants and sleeves rolled up, kneeling in some wet sand by the water. It took a moment for Eric to even register what he was looking at, let alone respond to him.

“It’s Eric.” That probably wasn’t the best response right then, but he wasn’t really thinking clearly, partially due to lack of sleep.

“Yes, of course,” the doctor replied as he stood up, “What are you doing out here at this hour?” He frowned for a moment, seeming to be deep in thought. “I didn’t ask you to come help me, did I?”

“No,” Eric rushed to assure him. He couldn’t help smiling at the doctor’s familiar absent-mindedness. “I was just out for a walk.”

“And a swim?” Grey gestured toward Eric’s clothes, which hadn’t been able to dry properly in the humidity of the beach.

Eric shrugged. “Bit of a long story.” He didn’t really want to explain his dating life to his boss. “So what are you doing out here?”

He held up a vial of seawater. “Just collecting some samples. I do it every week. It’s useful to do it at different times of the day, so I showed up early this morning.”

“Alright.” Eric figured this was more logical than most of the doctor’s observations. “Anything I can do to help?”

“Not today,” Grey answered, “I was just finishing up.” He corked the vial and gently packed it into a nearby box. “I’d be happy to have your help next time, though. Perhaps, you could collect an afternoon sample for me.”

“Sure,” Eric agreed, “No problem.” He yawned, the late night creeping up on him.

“You should get some sleep,” Grey told him, “Sleep deprivation is terrible for your health.”

Eric wondered how many nights the doctor actually slept properly, but he decided not to ask. “My car’s down the beach. I’ll just head back there.”

“You shouldn’t drive when tired.” Grey stood and looked at him. “I’ll drive you home. You can get your car later.”

“I couldn’t ask you to do that.”

“You’re not asking. I’m offering,” Grey pointed out, “Also, I am your boss, so you have to do as I say.”

Eric almost laughed at that. He wasn’t used to his boss actually taking control of a situation or being the reasonable one in a conversation. “Alright. If you’re sure it’s okay…”

“If I weren’t sure, I wouldn’t offer.”

“Maybe she made it back to the surface already,” Kai suggested as he swam beside Freya.

She had taken on a more human form and shook her head. “She’s still in the ocean. I can sense her. We just need to find her.”

Freya had shown up to help Kai escape the Glemorans, but not in time to keep from losing Aria. The pair had been searching for her for an hour with no luck. She was doing her best not to panic as they swam through the endless sea. She knew Aria would have trouble finding her way back to the beach of her own and she would be in serious danger if she transformed before she reached the shore.

“Can you not get more specific in your feeling?” he asked.

“It doesn’t work like that.” Freya looked around as she spoke, desperately searching for any sign of her friend. “Maybe, if we get closer, but not yet. I feel like she’s probably in this direction, but I have no idea how far.”

“We’ll find her,” he promised, “I know we will.”

“We have to,” Freya said.

“We will.”

Freya did her best not to become frustrated with the merman. She knew he was just trying to make her feel better, but his unfaltering optimism wasn’t actually helping. It also didn’t help that she already resented him for dragging Aria into this danger in the first place.

“Do you ever think about leaving her alone?” she asked, “After all, none of this would have happened if you were not pursuing her.”

“You think this is my fault?” Kai wondered, “I didn’t leave her alone, but I didn’t do anything to cause the Glemorans to come after her.”

“You pursued her and scorned the Glemoran princess in the process,” Freya pointed out, “You really think that has nothing to do with it?”

“You think Sapphira would do something like this?”

“You think she wouldn’t?”

Kai fell silent as he thought about it. It was a minute before he spoke again. “I don’t like Sapphira. She is rude and temperamental. I’m sure she is capable of many things, but I don’t want to believe she would risk the peace between our peoples over some jealousy.”

“You have an awful lot of confidence in a girl you barely know,” Freya commented, “Didn’t she try to drown Aria once before?”

“She wanted to prove that Aria was a human. I can’t imagine what her goal would be, this time.”

Freya would have sighed if she were breathing. “Perhaps, you are right, but that leaves us with no clue about what’s happened. Who would accuse Aria of something like that, knowing the potential consequences. Who stands to gain, here, if not the princess?”

Kai thought about it, but nobody came to mind. “I doubt even someone as self-absorbed as Sapphira would do something like this, but, if I’m wrong, I will do everything in my power to see that the situation is resolved peacefully.”

“Spoken like a true prince.”

Aria struggled as she was pulled backwards into one of the decaying rooms, wondering how the Glemorans had found her. She panicked and tried to scream.

“Be quiet!” a familiar voice hissed in her ear.

Aria froze as she felt a rumbling. She could just barely see the great hall from where she was being held. Suddenly, an enormous creature shot out of the door, and past their hiding spot. It barreled away into the ocean and she watched it go with wide eyes, her heart threatening to pound out of her chest.

As it disappeared, the arms restraining her loosened their grip. She was too stunned to move, at first. After several seconds, she found her voice.

“That was a…squid…a colossal squid!” She turned to face her savior and an adrenaline-fueled laugh burst from her mouth. “That was the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen! I didn’t even know they got that big!”

“It could have killed you,” Alizarin pointed out.

“I know!” She took a breath to calm herself. “Thank you for stopping me. I hope I didn’t hurt you.”

“I’m fine,” he assured her, “But what are you doing here? Why are you alone?”

“I got lost,” she admitted, looking around, “I came across this place by accident and couldn’t resist taking a look.”

“You nearly got yourself killed for the sake of curiosity. Are you insane?”

“Probably.” She laughed again and placed a palm against her forehead. “A colossal squid! Do you have any idea how incredible this is? People don’t see these things, usually, certainly not like this.”

“You mean, with it nearly eating you for lunch.”

“I’m lucky you were there to rescue me,” she remarked, “I really would have been in trouble if you hadn’t grabbed me. Although, we have to stop meeting like that.”

“You’re right,” he agreed, “I shouldn’t grab you like that. I hope I didn’t offend you.”

“Are you kidding? You saved my life!” She stared at Alizarin. “You don’t have anything to feel bad about. I really owe you one.”

“You saved me first,” he told her, “I know you convinced the prince not to tell anyone about what I did a few months ago.”

“That wasn’t your fault. Sapphira ordered you to do that.” Aria frowned. “Speaking of which, where is she? Aren’t you supposed to be guarding her at all times?”

“Not when we’re at home,” he explained, “We spend most of our time locked away in our rooms. When she leaves her room, she usually stays in the palace and there are plenty of people to guard her, then.”

“I’m glad to see they let you leave, at least.” When he didn’t reply for a minute, she had to reconsider her statement. “Do they know you’re not in your room?”

“Nobody bothers to check on me much.”

“So you snuck out?”

“I figured out how to get out of that room years ago.”

Aria realized he was probably proud of that fact, even if it was hard to read his expression or tone. “That’s good, but won’t you get in trouble if they figure it out?”

“They haven’t figured it out, yet,” he commented, “You won’t tell them, will you?”

“Of course not,” she replied, immediately, “I can’t imagine anyone would enjoy being locked up all the time.”

He shrugged. “It’s not so bad.”

Aria got the feeling that he would say that, regardless of how much it actually bothered him. “You could leave, you know. If you know how to sneak out, you could just swim away. There must be somewhere in the ocean you could have a better life.”

“You would have me forsake my duties?”

“Duties?” Aria shook her head. “I know you’re expected to guard the princess, but you’re not obligated. It’s not right that you don’t get a say in the situation, especially when everyone treats you so badly.”

“Not everyone does,” he argued, “Besides, this is the life that was chosen for me. It is the life that best allows me to serve the kingdom. How can I abandon that?”

“Because it’s just not right for them to treat you like they do.” Aria didn’t intend to get involved like this, but she couldn’t help herself. “You’re a person and you shouldn’t be treated like less just because your tail is a different color.” She stared at him for a moment, realizing it was the first time she had seen his tail. It was red with burst of yellow and orange, making it look like a flame. “I think your tail is beautiful. Why would anyone judge you for it?”

Alizarin stared at her, clearly caught of guard. “You speak very passionately for someone I’ve only met a few times.” He looked down at his tail. “You don’t have to be so kind, though. I know my tail is an awful color. I understand that you don’t want to hurt my feelings, even if I do see why you care so much.”

“I wasn’t just being kind,” she insisted, “I like the color red and I haven’t seen a tail like yours before. I think it’s the most beautiful one I’ve seen, yet.”

He was silent for a minute as he stared at her. “You really seem to mean that.”

“Of course, I mean that.”

“You really must be insane.”

“That’s fine. I’d rather be insane than a brat like Sapphira.”

He frowned at that statement. “You do not know her well enough to say such things.”

“I know she bosses you around and will do whatever it takes to get her way,” Aria said, “She’s probably the one that got those soldiers after me, now that I think about it.”

“Soldiers?” he asked, “What soldiers?”

She explained about the accusations and their attempted arrest. “It’s how I got lost and wound up here.” She looked around. “Wherever here is…”

“Sapphira didn’t do that,” he told her, firmly, “I know you don’t like her and she doesn’t like you, but this is beyond her.”

Aria found it difficult to argue with such a tone. “You have a lot of faith in someone who repeatedly puts you at risk and gets you in trouble.” She looked at the scars on his arms from the burns. “Is she really worth protecting?”

“She is the heir to the Glemoran throne and I have sworn my loyalty to her,” he said, “She understands the importance of maintaining the peace between Glemora and Valador, so she would not put you at risk, whatever her personal feelings.”

“Fine.” Aria continued to frown, but she knew she couldn’t accuse Sapphira further in front of him. “At any rate, I need to figure out what’s going on or I could be in big trouble.”

“You could just go to the shore and stay away from here,” he pointed out.

“Even if I was okay with being bullied into doing that, would I really be safe?” she wondered, “Those soldiers seemed pretty determined and whoever is behind this could track me down on land during the full moon, right?” She wanted him to tell her she was wrong and would be perfectly safe on land.

However, Alizarin considered the argument for a minute and nodded. “That is possible.”

“Great.” Aria wondered if she had any good options left to her. “Any idea how I could figure out where this thing is? If I can return it, that might help.”

“I wouldn’t know where to begin looking,” he admitted, “But I might know of someone we can ask. We’ll have to hurry, though. You only have a few hours left.”

“Lead the way, then,” she told him with a smile, relieved to have someone to help her.

“Sorry about getting your seat wet,” Eric commented as he sat in Grey’s car and looked down at his damp clothes.

“Don’t worry about it,” the doctor said, “It will dry. I assure you I’ve made much worse messes before.”

“Right.” Eric stared vacantly out the window, trying not to think about how close he had come to kissing Angela. Even if he and Aria weren’t dating, it didn’t feel right.

“So how are things with you and Ariel?” Dr. Grey asked.

Eric nearly jumped, briefly wondering if the doctor had read his mind, but he knew that was ridiculous. “Well, we’re sort of…on a break, right now.”

“You broke up?”

“Not exactly.” Eric didn’t want to think of it like that. He didn’t want to think that things were so suddenly over between them. “We’re just not really dating, right now.”

“But it’s not a break up?”

“Not really.”

Grey seemed to consider that for a minute. “I can’t say I really understand.”

“Join the club,” Eric mumbled, “Basically, we might get back together. She just needs to sort some things out.”

“It still sounds like a break up,” Dr. Grey pointed out, “But, perhaps, I’m just too old to understand.”

“You’re not that old,” Eric argued, although, he didn’t actually know how old his boss was.

“Well, I never really understood these things anyway,” Grey said, “Human relationships are so messy.”

“I guess that’s why you study animals.”

Grey nodded. “Their interactions can be complex, but they’re logical. They don’t take breaks from being together and there’s none of this sorting things out mess.”

Eric couldn’t help smiling at his employer. “It must be nice to be an animal, sometimes.”

“Of course, they have the issues of natural predators and, in the wild, no one can help them when they are injured, so they’re far more likely to die.”

Eric laughed at that. “That certainly sounds less glamorous.”

“But so much more exciting, yes?”

“Yeah,” Eric agreed with a yawn, “Way more exciting.” He paused as he thought for a second. “Have you ever been in love?”

“Only with my work.”

Eric sighed. “I figured you’d say that.”

They were silent for a minute before Grey spoke up again. “I’ve never experienced love myself, but I admire anyone who has. I can explain love scientifically with chemical reactions and the desire to mate, but it’s so much more than that. It’s beyond anything science can measure. Love can’t be quantified or controlled in a lab. It can be the basis for creation or destruction and nobody truly understands it. It is one of the most powerful forces in the world and I envy anyone who can experience it with another person.”

Eric stared at the man for a minute, completely caught off guard. “Romantic” was not a word he would use to describe his boss, yet that little speech made it seem like he might actually have an understanding of human emotions Eric wouldn’t have expected.

“Seems like you put a lot of thought into that,” he commented.

Grey shrugged. “Most people do, don’t they? Isn’t that why we have so many plays and novels devoted to the subject. We wish to understand love and we wish to grasp it for ourselves, but it is far too complex for anyone to fully understand. Even so, people keep trying. They write their books and make their movies in hopes of finding just the right formula for true love.”

“Well, maybe, one day, someone will figure it out.”

“If that is to happen, I hope I am not alive to see it,” Grey said, “Some mysteries are better left unsolved, in my opinion.”

“You are really incredible,” Eric told him, not knowing whether he meant that as a compliment or not, “But I can’t disagree.” He closed his eyes and laid his head against the window. “What would you do if you ever fell in love?”

“That’s hard to say,” Grey admitted, “I’ve never been in love, I can’t really imagine how it feels. I suppose I would pursue the object of my affection and do my best to keep her by my side, no matter what.”

“And if she didn’t want to stay by your side?”

“I would likely leave and never come back.”

Eric opened his eyes and looked at the doctor, trying to figure out how to respond to that. “Really?”

Dr. Grey just smiled and shrugged. “I’m not very good at dealing with emotions.