Chapter 17: Tricks

The light shone down on the sunny afternoon, illuminating the park and adding a cheery tone to everything. However, a little black rain cloud seemed to be following after Tristan and Nora. While they were being a bit more cordial with each other after their conversation in the locker room, there was still a good deal of tension between them, and it was visible.

Nora was walking a good three feet ahead of Tristan, who was kicking rocks as he slouched behind her. When they reached an empty table to eat their lunch at, they practically sat on opposite ends of the table. Neither one of them spoke as they opened their lunchboxes and began eating.

“Hey, Nora!” Nora glanced over her shoulder and saw someone waving at her. It was a man about her age with dark blond hair that reached down to his chin. Nora recognized him as one of her co-workers and waved back.

“Hi, Nathaniel!” Nora called with a smile, instantly seeming happier. Tristan felt something burn inside his chest and he turned to look at the approaching man. Nathaniel walked over and sat down next to Nora, a wide grin on his face. He hardly glanced at Tristan.

“Nora! It seems like I haven’t seen you in ages!” Nathaniel exclaimed. Nora nodded.

“I know! I’ve missed talking with you.” she said with a smile. Tristan glared at the two of them as he picked up his sandwich and tore off a bite of it.

“Same here. But I guess that’s what we get for working on opposite ends of the park, huh?” Nathaniel said with a small laugh. Nora giggled and Tristan thought he might gag. He forced himself to swallow before he put his sandwich down. Just then, Nathaniel glanced up.

“Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t see you there. Who’s your friend, Nora?” Nathaniel asked politely.

“This is Tristan. And he’s not my friend.” Nora muttered, sending Tristan a glare. Tristan faked a smile and waved a little in greeting. Nathaniel looked at him, a little confused, then smiled in return. He then turned to Nora, the same confused expression on his face. “Long story. Don’t ask.” Nora mumbled, still glaring at Tristan. Tristan sighed and rolled his eyes, looking away from the two of them.

“So, how have you been? I heard about your daring robbery rescue, or whatever you wanna call it.” Nathaniel said, making small talk with Nora. Tristan tuned the two of them out, trying to focus on something else. Nora was probably the most aggravating and confusing person Tristan had ever met, and yet…seeing her with this guy made him feel all…weird inside… He couldn’t quite explain it, but it made him angry to think about this guy being friends with Nora, to think about her liking Nathaniel more than she liked him.

Just then, a light bulb lit up inside Tristan’s head. He realized that he was jealous.

This is so stupid… Tristan thought, shaking his head. I don’t even like her. Why in the world would I be jealous? Tristan put his head in his hands, resting his elbows on the table. He closed his eyes and repeated over and over to himself that he didn’t like Nora. He listed everything about her that made him angry or annoyed, and he tried to convince himself that she was the ugliest girl he had ever seen. However, he realized that his list of aggravating things about Nora wasn’t very long, and she most certainly was not the ugliest girl he had ever seen. But I don’t like her! he exclaimed inside his head.

“No, no, no, no, no…” he muttered to himself.

“Um…Tristan?” Tristan glanced up when he heard Nora’s voice. Nora and Nathaniel were both staring at him with puzzled expressions on their faces. “Are you okay?” Nora asked slowly. Tristan swallowed hard, not sure how to respond.

“Uh, yeah… Yeah, I’m fine. Just…a stomach ache, that’s all…” he lied, hoping they would believe him.

“Okay…do you need to go home?” Nora continued, looking a little concerned.

“No, no… I’ll be fine…” Tristan replied, looking away.

“Okay, if you say so…” Nora said with a shrug. She turned back to her conversation with Nathaniel and Tristan sighed heavily.

Why was his heart playing tricks on his head?

Chapter 16: Distractions

Time seemed to be moving slower for Tristan today than it had any other day of his life. He had gotten to work on time (a little early, actually), but Nora had not been impressed. She had hardly even noticed him, so it seemed. She told him to get everything ready then meet her out in front of the zoo. From there, they had given their tours as usual, but Nora hadn’t let Tristan say a word. In fact, she had ignored Tristan for most of the tour. Each time he had tried to open his mouth, Nora had cut him off or sent him a sharp glare. Needless to say, Tristan had not liked that one bit.

“Is there any particular reason you’re being so rude to me today?” Tristan asked as he and Nora grabbed their lunchboxes out of their lockers.

“What do you think?” Nora asked icily. She slammed the locker door closed and turned towards the door of the employee’s lounge.

“Wait! Don’t just walk away from me! Communication is key to a relationship!” Tristan blurted out, not realizing what he was saying. Nora glanced back at him, a confused expression on her face.

“We’re not in a relationship.” Nora said quickly, a glare on her face. Tristan stared at her for a moment, a little puzzled by what he had said as well.

“Um…I didn’t mean, like…a relationship in that sense… More like a friendship…” Tristan said slowly. Nora sighed, her shoulders dropping.

“We can’t be friends if you keep bashing something I’m passionate about.” she said softly. Her eyes had suddenly changed. She didn’t look furious anymore; she just looked hurt. Tristan swallowed hard. He wasn’t sure what to say next.

“Well, it’s just that… I think that sea-life belongs in the sea…” he said, trying to choose his words carefully.

“But sometimes these animals are taken out of the sea for a reason.” Nora replied gently. Tristan looked at her with a questioning expression on his face. Nora sighed and began explaining.

“A lot of the animals here have actually been saved because of this park. We have a program that rescues animals whose habitats have been endangered by oil spills or pollution, and most of the animals are kept here instead of put back into those dangerous habitats. We also take in animals that have been injured in fishing accidents. Sometimes, when fishermen put down nets, they catch swordfish, turtles, dolphins, and we actually have a whale that was trapped in a net as a baby. Instead of the fishermen putting the injured animals back into the water or just killing them outright, we’ll send a team out to pick up the animal and bring it back here until it heals. We’ve had scuba divers bring in animals from the reefs nearby, and most of the animals that have been brought to us would have died without our help. The blanket octopus is a great example of that.” Nora finished softly, but her eyes were alight with a fire Tristan hadn’t seen before. It wasn’t anger, but it wasn’t some sort of happiness, either… It was more like passion. Nora really was passionate about her job.

“Really? The blanket octopus was brought in by someone?” Tristan asked, walking towards Nora. Nora nodded.

“Yep. A few years ago someone brought in this tiny little octopus that was missing a leg. We kept the octopus in a tank, discovered what it needed to live happily, and took care of it here. It’s been thriving ever since.” A small smile came to Nora’s lips as she spoke. Tristan couldn’t help but smile a little as well.

“So, you don’t just take animals out of their natural habitats without good reason?” he asked, just for clarification.

“Nope. If the animals aren’t brought in because they’re injured, then they’ve been born and raised here.” Nora replied quickly.

“Oh…so, they’re not all animals that have been injured…” Tristan said softly.

“No, but would you really want them to be?” Nora asked, giving Tristan a pointed look.

“Well, no, but I just thought, after that speech, that all of the animals had been brought in because they were injured.”

“You’d be surprised as to the number of eggs one fish can lay. Usually there are too many baby fish to keep here, so we release some of them back into the wild once they’re old enough.” Nora said quickly.

“But the ones that were brought in because they were injured stay here for the rest of their lives?” Tristan asked. Nora nodded.

“Yes, but sometimes they have to stay here, or else they’ll die.” Nora replied. Tristan thought for a moment.

“What about the blanket octopus? Does it need to stay here to survive?” Tristan asked quickly.

“The blanket octopus is healthy enough to, in theory, survive in the wild. However, because it’s been raised here since it was a baby, just dropping it into the sea would be quite a shock to it. It would have to be introduced to life in the sea very slowly to make a good transition.” Nora explained. Tristan was silent for a minute, thinking about everything Nora had said.

“Hm… Interesting…” he murmured.

“Do you understand a little more where I’m coming from now?” Nora asked hesitantly. Tristan glanced down at her.

“Yeah, a little bit.” he replied softly. Nora smiled slightly.

“Good. Now, let’s go have lunch.” she said, turning and walking away. Tristan followed after her, everything she had said playing through his mind.

After hearing all of that, it was going to be incredibly difficult to protest the park…

Chapter 15: Heatstroke

I leaned my chin on the palm of my hand and watched out of the giant window. The light of the full moon shone down on the water, which was shallower at this time of night. I inhaled deeply and frowned. The sea was unusually quiet tonight…

I spun around in my wheely-chair and stood up. I began wandering around my lair, slowly making my way towards my new pets. The angelfish were all in a large tank that protruded from the wall. The tank was filled with sea water and had bits of real coral in it, as well as some sand and seaweed. I was trying to get the fish accustomed with what the sea was really like before they swam off into the real thing.

I bent over in order to peer into the tank better. The angelfish were swimming around slowly, looking a little sleepy. I glanced down at the coral and noticed a shrimp peek out once before he hid again. “Hm…” I murmured to myself. “He must have come in with the coral…” I contemplated pulling the shrimp out, but decided he would be fine in there until tomorrow. That’s when I planned on releasing the fish.

I turned around and walked back over to the window, fanning myself with my hand as I walked. It seemed to be a bit warm in this large cavern… I decided it was time for a swim. I opened a drawer on the long desk beneath the window and pulled out my wetsuit, mask and flippers. My oxygen tank was sitting right below the desk, making it very convenient to collect everything. I quickly squirmed into my diving gear and walked over to the door to my lair. I opened the door and entered into a long tunnel. The tunnel was rounded along the walls and ceiling, giving the illusion of a circle. The walls were metal, as was the door behind me and the door in front of me. All in all, the tunnel was no more than twelve feet long.

I closed the door behind me and pushed a button on the tunnel wall. I heard the door behind me seal and a green light came on above the button I had pushed. I walked forward quickly and came to the other door. I pushed another button and the door in front of me opened slowly, letting water in. I hastily put on my flippers and adjusted my goggles before placing the mouthpiece of the oxygen tank in my mouth. By the time I had my mouthpiece in, the water was up to my waist. Within moments the door was completely open and the tunnel was filled with the water that rushed in. I flinched as the water poured over my head, but I quickly opened my eyes and swam out of the tunnel. Once I was out, I pushed a button on the outside of the tunnel, closing the door. The water would remain in the tunnel until I decided to go back inside.

I turned around to look at the dark, watery world around me. I unclipped a small waterproof flashlight from my oxygen tank and turned it on. The light was distorted by the movement of the water, but it still allowed me to see a bit more.

The water felt cold through my wetsuit, and it was very refreshing. I had no idea why, but my lair was a little too hot this evening… I began swimming around the coral reef, trying to see if there were any changes that would affect my cavern. I swung my flashlight here and there, hoping I didn’t wake up any fish. None popped out at me, though, so I assumed that they were nestled far enough into the reef that they didn’t notice the light.

Just then, as I was nearing the center of the reef, a large green fish swam out directly in front of me. Only, as it continued to pass me, I realized that it was not a green fish; it was much too large to be a fish. In fact, I guessed that it was about my size.

The green object darted up until it was floating above me, looking down with large, round eyes. It looked like something out of an old scary movie… It had no fins except for a dorsal fin on its back. It had arms and legs, but its fingers had webs in between them like a frog, and its feet were nothing more than large flippers. The body of the creature was scaly, but it appeared to have very thick armor on around its abdomen and legs. This appearance of armor led me to believe that the whole thing was nothing more than a costume. An incredibly detailed and intricate costume, but a costume nonetheless.

We swam around in circles, with the creature above me, eyeing me carefully. It looked like it had a helmet on that made its head appear a bit too large. It had large lips, no nose, and enormous eyes. The face really did resemble a fish, except for the fact that it was shaped more like a helmet.

What are you? I wondered to myself as I stopped circling. I wondered if I could get close to it by simply letting it come to me. The creature stopped and stared at me, making sure it was a few feet away. I wondered if there was a human underneath the helmet and armor, or if it actually was some strange new species… If it was human, then there was no indication of its gender. Its armor was too thick around its torso and legs, making it nearly impossible to guess whether it was male or female.

I slowly held out my hand, wondering if I could coax it towards me. It glanced down at my hand then looked back up at my face. There was no expression in its large eyes, so I couldn’t tell if it was angry, confused, or amused by my show of friendship. It seemed to study me for a moment. I could have sworn that its eyes narrowed. However, just when I thought it might attack me, it turned and swam off, going faster than I’ve ever seen anything travel in my life. I stared after it, stunned. I had no idea what that thing was, but I wanted to find out. Perhaps when I let the angelfish out tomorrow it would come back…

I swam back to the entrance of my lair and pushed the button to open the door. The door opened slowly and I swam into the tunnel, which was still full of water. I closed the door to the tunnel and the siphons turned on automatically, sucking the water out of the tunnel. I waited for a moment as the water drained out around me before I took the mouthpiece out of my mouth. Once all of the water was out of the tunnel, I took off my flippers and goggles and opened up the inner door, making sure I released the seal before I opened it. I entered into my cavern and changed out of my wetsuit quickly.

I noticed again how hot it was in my lair. I quickly checked the water in the angelfish’s tank to make sure it wasn’t getting too warm. I wiped my brow and sighed, walking over to the large window. I decided to close it for the night, even though it wasn’t that late… I had a feeling that the heat had something to do with that creature, and I wasn’t about to leave the window open so that it could come and spy on me in the middle of the night…

Something about that creature just seemed off, and I was going to find out what it was.

Chapter 14: Seeds

After lunch and before their next tour, Nora decided to take Tristan on her own little tour. “Have you ever been to the park as a guest before?” Nora asked Tristan as they were exiting the employee’s lounge.

“Um…no.” he said sheepishly. Nora glanced over at him and Tristan couldn’t tell if she was glaring of if she was just squinting because of the sunlight that was suddenly in their eyes.

“And yet you had the audacity to come here and protest…” Nora muttered. Tristan inferred from that statement that she was glaring at him, not squinting.

The two of them walked in silence for a moment, Nora clenching and unclenching her fists as she walked. Tristan glanced down at her hesitantly and saw that she no longer looked angry, just slightly annoyed. Tristan caught himself feeling relieved that she wasn’t angry. Anger was what he had originally hoped for with this job, wasn’t it? Didn’t he want to make her miserable? Didn’t he want to make her lash out in anger? Tristan squeezed his eyes shut, wishing he knew why his emotions were playing tricks with his mind.

“How are you going to see anything on the tour if your eyes are closed?” Tristan heard Nora ask from a short ways behind him. He stopped abruptly and turned around. Nora was standing a few feet behind him with her arms folded over her chest. She was raising an eyebrow and tapping her foot impatiently. Tristan smiled sheepishly then dashed back over to her. Once Tristan had reached her side, Nora turned to the large structure beside her.

“This side of the park houses our largest and most popular attractions, not our rides. We’ll get to the rides another day. Also, because we’re short on time,” Nora paused to glance down at her watch, “we won’t actually be going into any of the attractions. I’ll just tell you what they’re about.”

“This--” Nora paused dramatically. Tristan motioned for her to get on with what she was saying. “Is the Dolphin House. Although there are some dolphins in the zoo, this is where all of the trained dolphins are kept and where they do their tricks.” Nora explained.

“Oh, so this is where the inhumane stuff happens…” Tristan said, taking a step towards the building. “I should have gotten a job in there…” Nora suddenly grabbed Tristan’s arm and began pulling him down the paved pathway towards another building.

“Moving on!” Nora said as she tugged Tristan along behind her. Tristan quickly straightened up and turned around, pulling at his shirt indignantly. “This is the Orca Dome. It was named the Orca Dome because the building is enclosed by a dome-like roof and it houses the orcas.” Nora explained, sounding exactly like her tour-guide self.

“Orcas are killer whales, right?” Tristan asked, looking up at the enormous building.

“Yes, ‘orca’ is the scientific name for killer whales.” Nora replied with a sigh.

“So, all of the park’s killer whales--”

“Orcas.”

“Live in there?” Tristan asked, glancing over at Nora. Nora nodded. “And that’s also where they do all of their tricks and stuff?” Tristan continued. Nora shot him a glare.

“Yes. Yes, it is.” she replied shortly.

“Huh…I bet that’s worse than the Dolphin House…” Tristan muttered. Nora stormed past him, stomping on his foot as she went. Tristan sucked in a breath and his eyes went wide from the pain in his foot.

“Are you coming?” Nora called over her shoulder.

“Yeah, just as soon as I find the toes on my right foot again!” Tristan said, inhaling deeply after he spoke. He finally turned and hobbled after Nora as quickly as he could.

“Up here are a few of the shows we do that involve more people that aren’t just trainers. We have actual actors and actresses who don’t do anything more with the animals than what’s called for in the script. Most of the people that are on the stage are trainers or other employees who have some acting experience, though.” Nora explained as they walked past two buildings on opposite sides of the path. Tristan glanced up at them both as they passed. He heard laughter coming from one and screaming coming from the other. “Sounds like the audience just got wet.” Nora said, glancing back at Tristan with a smile on her face.

“Do you have any acting experience, Nora?” Tristan asked, jogging to catch up with her.

“Not really…” Nora said slowly. “I’ve really only ever acted in front of the mirror…”

“I did a little acting in school… I wonder how well the animals are treated in there…” Tristan murmured more to himself than to Nora. Nora sighed and rolled her eyes.

“The animals are treated well here, Tristan. In ever area of the park.” she said, sounding exasperated.

“How do you know? Have you worked in every area of the park?” Tristan asked, snapping his head over to look at Nora.

“No, but I’m sure that I would have heard of some mistreatment by now if there was any.” Nora said, walking faster. Tristan noticed that she was clenching and unclenching her fists again.

“Well, they might have--” Tristan began, but Nora cut him off by holding up her hand.

“Save it. We have to go back to work now.” she said shortly. Nora turned around and walked off briskly, not waiting for Tristan. Tristan watched as her ponytail bobbed away from him. He had certainly done a very good job of upsetting her. She certainly looked angry...

But the problem was, Tristan wasn’t happy anymore, either…

Chapter 13: Luck

Nora was up bright and early, making sure that she got to work on time. She was especially speedy today, because she was certain that she had spied a few news vans the night before. So, she left her apartment and got out on the road as sneakily as she could then drove herself to work.

Nora entered the employee’s lounge and began putting her lunchbox and purse into her locker. She looked at the mirror hanging on the locker door and put her hair up into a ponytail. She quickly pulled blush and a small brush out of her bag and puffed a little onto her face. She then applied a little lipstick before putting her purse away.

Just then, the door to the employee’s lounge burst open. Nora spun around, panic gripping her. Running through the door was none other than Tristan, looking very frazzled and frantic. He rushed over to his locker and threw the door open, shoving his lunchbox into it as fast as he could. Nora watched him with a puzzled, yet slightly amused, expression on her face. Tristan slammed the locker closed and leaned against it, panting heavily.

“Are you okay?” Nora asked slowly. Tristan glanced over at her and waited for a minute before answering.

“Yeah…just…late.” he said between pants. He cracked a grin and Nora raised an eyebrow. She glanced up at the clock to see that he was, indeed, late.

“This is your third day working here, Tristan.” Nora said, turning away from her locker and walking towards the door. “Why in the world were you late?”

“Well,” Tristan began, straightening up. “I slept through my alarm this morning, but I did everything extra fast to make up for it. But then I got into my car and it decided not to start, so I had to chase a bus for a block before it stopped for me, and then I had to run two blocks because the bus stop is two blocks away from here!” Tristan said quickly, but still panting. Nora smiled at him and laughed a little. Tristan stared at her quizzically.

“What’s so funny?” Tristan asked, walking over to Nora.

“I don’t know. I just think it’s funny that you had a hard time getting to work.” she replied with a shrug and another smile. Nora walked out the door and Tristan stood there for a moment, wondering if he should feel insulted or happy that she had laughed at his story…

That morning was a fairly normal morning. Nora and Tristan gave three tours before lunch, and Tristan was even allowed to do some of the talking. However, in the middle of the third tour, Nora stopped abruptly. The guests were looking at some of the fish, so they didn’t notice the confused expression on Nora’s face. Tristan, however, took notice of it immediately.

“What’s wrong?” Tristan asked, standing next to Nora with a look of concern on his face. Nora waited a moment before answering, studying the scene in front of her.

“Some of the angelfish are missing…” she murmured. Tristan gave her a puzzled look.

“What?” he asked, turning to look at the aquarium. Nora stood next to him, counting the fish in the tank.

“I’m sure there aren’t as many in there as there were yesterday…” Nora mumbled to herself. Tristan glanced down at her, wondering how she could notice something so insignificant as the number of fish in a tank.

“Maybe they were moved…?” Tristan suggested. He wasn’t sure how likely that idea was, but it didn’t hurt to put it out there. Nora shook her head.

“I don’t think they would just randomly move fish around…” she said slowly. The two of them stared at the aquarium for a moment longer before Nora shook her head and put on a smile, continuing on with the tour.

After their three morning tours, Nora and Tristan took a break for lunch. They took their lunchboxes to a round table that was sitting underneath a large shade tree. Nora sat one chair away from Tristan once they reached the table. Tristan wondered why she didn’t just sit next to him, but he shrugged the matter off and opened his lunch box.

The two of them ate in silence for a few moments, neither one focused on anything besides their lunches. Tristan chomped on his sandwich happily while Nora picked at a salad. Nora was the first to look up and speak.

“Do you know what I think would be a really fun job?” Nora asked, not expecting an answer. Tristan glanced up at her, a large bite of sandwich in his mouth.

“What?” he asked, even though his mouth was full.

“Being a diver.” Nora replied simply. She stared off past Tristan wistfully, leaning her chin on one hand while still poking her fork into her salad with the other.

“A diver?” Tristan repeated, his mouth still full of sandwich. Nora nodded.

“I think it would be fun to be able to go into the tanks with the animals and swim around with them in their natural habitat.” Nora continued, still not looking at Tristan.

“Natural? There’s nothing natural about their habitat here.” Tristan said, finally swallowing his food. Nora flicked her eyes towards Tristan as he spoke. “The plants are fake, the water isn’t salt water from the ocean, and the fish are all enclosed in tiny little boxes by glass and cement, both man-made materials.” Tristan finished and gave Nora a pointed look. She sighed and rolled her eyes.

“Okay, so it’s not their ‘natural habitat.’ I still think it would be cool to swim with them, though.” Nora said, slightly exasperated. Tristan thought for a moment then nodded.

“So, how does one become a diver?” he asked, taking another bite of his sandwich.

“Well, you have to have experience and apply for a job as one, instead of having no experience at all and applying for a job as a tour guide…” Nora mumbled the last part more to herself than to Tristan.

“Wait--you’ve never gone diving before?” Tristan asked, shocked. Nora shook her head slowly. Tristan stared at her, his eyes wide with surprise. There was just something about Nora that made it impossible for him to believe that she had never gone diving before.

“I’ve always wanted to, but I can never find the time…” Nora said with a shrug.

“I think we’re going to have to make time for that.” Tristan said, nodding his head.

“We?” Nora asked, glancing up at him. Tristan stopped chewing his sandwich and looked up at Nora, realizing what he had said.

“Well, I mean, you and I could go diving together, or just you could go and I could help you pencil it in, or just I could go and you could help me pencil it in, or…” Nora giggled and Tristan stopped talking. She was looking at him with a teasing, but understanding, smile on her face.

“Do you always talk like this around girls?” she asked, a sparkle in her eyes. Tristan laughed nervously then looked down at his food, trying not to blush.

“Well, if you pencil it in, maybe we will go diving sometime.” Nora said softly. She began eating her salad again and Tristan felt his heart beat a little harder.

He suddenly felt like the luckiest man in the world.

News

Just so you all know, I am writing chapter thirty-two tonight.

I have finished the thirty day challenge.

And I am no where near being finished with the book. Which means...

I get to keep going! Whoo!

My deepest apologies to all of you who have (not) been reading this story. I wanted to post one chapter each day, but then life got complicated and my access to a computer was cut short. I have been writing chapters in the late hours of the night (and, I will admit, sometimes in the wee hours of the morning), and by the time I finish a chapter I've been too tired to post it. However, I will make my best effort to get back in the habit of posting these chapters. I really, really like how this story is coming along, and I really want to share it with everyone.

So, that being said, I am off to post another chapter. Hold on to your hats, ladies and gentlemen! This is when the fun begins! (And by "fun" I really mean fighting, hatred, little boys who know a lot about life, and much more! Stay tuned! The best is yet to come!)

Chapter 12: Schemes

It was a dark and stormy night. I crept along the large wall that surrounded the park. I glanced around at my surroundings to make sure that the coast was clear before I pulled a grappling hook out of my backpack. I took a step away from the wall and looked around once more before I swung the hook around my head and threw it upwards towards the top of the wall. The rope attached to the hook fluttered in the wind as the hook sailed upwards. The grappling hook caught the wall and stuck, giving me a way to get into the park, like it had so many times before.

I climbed up the wall quickly, having become accustomed to the act years ago. Once I was at the top of the wall, I held my arms out to balance myself. I slowly brought up the rope from my grappling hook then put the hook back into my backpack. Very carefully, I walked along the high wall, forcing myself not to look down. I had made this trip many a time, but I was still very aware that the smallest misstep could cost me my life.

I finally came to the tree branch that reached up to and over the wall. I climbed up on it and began crawling out of the tree. I was much more comfortable when I was surrounded by branches than when I was out in the open on top of a wall.

Before I hopped down to the ground, I looked around again to make sure that none of the night guards were around. Seeing that the coast was clear, I got down from the tree and began heading towards the zoo.

I ran across the ground, and my padded soles hardly made any sound at all. The zoo was on the other side of the park, so I had quite a ways to run before I reached my destination. I stopped suddenly and listened closely. I heard slow footsteps making their way towards me. I looked around frantically and saw a bench nearby. I ran and dove under the bench, making myself as small as possible. I was dressed completely in black, so the guard would have to be looking for me to actually see me. But the guards were usually equipped with flashlights, and under the glare of one of those, I was completely visible.

I held my breath as the guard entered the area I was in. I recognized this guard as being one of the more lazy ones, so my worry eased a bit. The guard walked towards the bench and sighed heavily. I closed my eyes, hoping he wouldn’t point his flashlight at the bench. Fortunately, the guard turned his flashlight off. Unfortunately, he turned around and sat down on the bench. I flinched as the bench moved under his weight.

The guard yawned then decided it was a good time for a nap. He lifted his legs up and tipped to the side, laying down on the bench. I refrained from cursing as I waited for a moment to make sure he wouldn’t get up. I very slowly rolled out from under the bench and got up on my hands and knees. I crawled a few feet away from the bench, watching the guard carefully as I went. After establishing that he wouldn’t be getting up for a while, I got to my feet and dashed away as silently as I could.

I made it to the zoo without any further complications. I sneaked around to the back of the zoo and found an employee’s only entrance. I glanced down at the keypad on the door handle and quickly pushed the correct numbers. The light on the keypad turned green and I heard the click of the door unlocking. I turned the handle and quickly slipped inside.

The inside of the zoo was dimly lit by small lights along the walls. I had entered into a part of the zoo that was nothing more than a small hallway without any windows. I followed it down to a set of stairs that went up. I climbed the stairs and found myself in a room full of diving gear. I began gathering the equipment I would need, and the process went very quickly. I had memorized where everything was kept, so the few times the equipment had been rearranged, it had certainly confused me.

I found a wetsuit in my size and quickly slipped it on over my own clothes. I grabbed a mask and an oxygen tank and put both of them on as well. I then picked up a pair of flippers and began walking out of the room. I stopped, having the feeling that I was forgetting something. I quickly rushed back over to my backpack, which I had left tucked in a corner of the room. I unzipped the backpack and pulled out a handful of small plastic bags before I stood up and walked out of the room.

I walked down a narrow corridor that was lit by overhead florescent lights. There were two walls on either side of me, but the floor was not as wide as the walls were apart. In between the floor and the wall to my left was a long opening that led down into the aquariums below me. There were signs along the left wall that told me what fish were in which aquariums. I carefully watched my step while still glancing up at the signs every once and a while to make sure I did not pass the tank I was looking for.

After a few minutes of walking, I came to a sign that had “Angelfish” written on it in large letters. I quickly slipped on my flippers and adjusted the mask over my eyes and nose. I placed the mouthpiece to the oxygen tank in my mouth then got down on my hands and knees in the tight space. I peeked out under the wall to make sure none of the guards were in this area of the zoo before I got into the water. I knew that once I got in, I had to be fast. I couldn’t get caught, not now…

I dove into the water and shivered a bit, not expecting it to be this chilly. I quickly glanced around and noticed that all of the fish were swimming around sleepily, which would make catching them a whole lot easier. I slowly swam over to the nearest angelfish. It glanced over at me lazily but made no motion to move away from me. I reached towards the fish with one of my plastic bags and very slowly placed the bag around the fish. I tied the open end of the bag into a small knot then moved onto the next fish. I repeated this process with three other fish, and none of them fought back. I made my way towards one final fish and was by now feeling very confident in my fish catching capabilities. However, something about the look in that fish’s eyes made my feelings of confidence wither.

As I swam towards the fish, it darted to the right, towards the glass wall of the tank. I followed after it, making sure I didn’t loose my grip on the fish I had already caught. I got closer to the fish and it began swimming downwards, towards the fake plants in the water below. I sped after it, determined not to let it get away. The fish wove through the artificial seaweed and around plastic rocks and logs. I scowled at it and swam faster, rising up over the seaweed and other debris. The fish rose up out of the seaweed and darted to the left. I followed it, making sure I didn’t smash into the brick wall. The fish swam down the length of the aquarium then made a sharp right turn. I smiled around the mouthpiece to my oxygen tank as I got closer to the fish. Suddenly, the fish rocketed upwards. I glanced up but did not follow it fast enough. I smashed into the glass of the tank with a loud thud, and the sound reverberated off of the glass. I moaned and rubbed my head, no longer wanting to help the fish. At this point I was ready to kill the fish. I spun around and saw the fish swimming around playfully, a smile in its eyes.

I was trying to help you! I yelled, glaring at it.

I don’t want your help, human. it replied, turning away haughtily.

Then you can stay here and rot, fish. I snarled, swimming up to the walkway above the tank. I heard the fish huff, but I was too angry to feel even a little pleased that my remark had angered him. I crawled out of the tank with the other fish secured tightly in their bags. I pulled my flippers off and carried them, along with the fish, back to the room with the diving gear. As I took off my wetsuit and grabbed my backpack, I hoped that pesky fish remembered one thing:

No other human had ever communicated with him before.