Holly

Kaia

I toss in the hunks of meat into the tank and watch the small sharks fight over it. They are young and we had to pull them out of their mother after she was accidentally caught and killed by some fisherman in their nets. Soon, they will be ready to go into the wild.

The pool of blood in the water grows and I add more pieces of meat to it. I observe their frenzy and it reminds me of that monster on the beach. The look in the sharks' eyes is the same kind of look in that monster's eyes. Pure survival and hunger. No emotions.

The more I think about the animal, the more I understand it. It looked thin. Ribs were visible and the tail seemed bonier than it should have probably been. If they are never seen on the beach, then that must mean it was desperate. If it was desperate, then that could mean there is less food.

I look down at the bucket containing chunks of fish. There have been no reports of smaller catches or a fish shortage. If it was starving, that could mean that there are too many of them. I feel a chill at the thought of even more than one of those things being in the ocean.

I empty the rest of the fish into the tank and climb down from the latter. Ira is in the other room filling out some paperwork for the release of an orca later this month. 

"Holly, I don't think I can go to lunch. You might have to go without me, I'm sorry."

"Oh, do you want me to bring you something? I'll get your favorite burger."

She pauses her work and smiles at me. "That would be awesome, thank you."

After doing a few more feedings, I grab my jacket and leave the rehabilitation center to head to the park. Ira and I planned on meeting Kaia for lunch at the park after grabbing something at a nearby restaurant. After ordering my food and heading to the park, I find Kaia sitting on a rock wall. She is still wearing her Starbucks uniform.

"How is work? Where Is Ira?"

"She has a lot of work to do and decided to stay at the center. I'm going to get her something before I go back."

"She has been stressed recently. I hope your boss isn't being too hard on you two."

"Ira is related to the boss, so she insists on doing more than necessary."

We eat our lunch and talk about small things like the upcoming final semester.

"Is your class schedule going to be light?" She asks between bites.

"I hope so. A lot of crazy things have been happening recently."

"Like what?"

I can't tell her I found a merman thingy and made a deal with it. She would send me to a psych ward.

"Just stuff." I say, looking down at my food.

She is silent for a moment, and I begin to think of other things to try and remove tonight from my mind.

"I know what you are referencing."

I place my sandwich back in the takeout container. "You do?" I wait for her to say something about my dad or how tight money is at home.

"I know you are speaking to Arius."

I pause my chewing and look at Kaia stunned. "What?"

"Atticus knows him."

"Who?"

"Um, shit, he told me not to tell you. I guess I didn't think this through." Kaia rubs the back of her head. "I know you know that he isn't human. He is what the legends in this town call him a devil."

"How do you know that?"

"Because... Atticus is one of them. Remember when I went missing for a while? That is how I met him."

"You... you guys are dating."

"He is special to me. Very special. The reason why I am telling you this is because I know what you are doing. I've tried it too, but I can't figure it out."

"What is that exactly?"

"To get rid of the curse."

"I am not really trying to do that per se. I would like to help but I have no idea what I am doing." I say.

She pauses and looks at me, studying me. "You will soon enough. It will be all you think about." Before I can ask her what she means, she continues. "Part of the curse is that the ocean turns bad men into monsters to teach them a lesson. Which means Atticus and Arius would have done something very bad to deserve it. The problem is that they don't remember much. A few details here and there but not enough to figure it out themselves."

"If Atticus is with you, has he changed? Has he found his second chance?"

"Well, no. That is what I can't figure out. He has changed, that is obvious. He is a much better person than he was. But he is still cursed. I think it has to do with Arius which in turn has to do with you. I need your help, Holly."

I can see the desperation in her eyes and for some reason, I feel sympathetic to her as if I know what it's like. "How is Arius connected to that?"

"The only thing Atticus can remember is that they were cursed together. They must have been close when they were human. I think Arius needs to be helped and you're the only one who can."

My mind begins to reel with all the new information dumped on me. I knew I was getting into something crazy, but I didn't expect this.

"Um, okay. But why me?" I feel like thousands of questions are running through my mind at once.

"That is something I can't tell you."

"Why the hell not?"

"Just trust me, Holly." She pauses. "I haven't told anyone about that, and it feels really good to finally tell someone." She chuckles.

"I'm still unsure of why I'm so important. I mean I made a deal with... him. But I feel like there is something you are not telling me, Kaia."

She stares straight ahead at the playground piling up with kiddos and angry parents. "I can't tell you. You will figure it out like I did, I promise."

She finally looks at me. This must be very important to her. Atticus must really be something to her. From what I have seen from afar, their bond is unique. I've never seen two people so close and have such a strong bond.

It makes me envious.

"The more you interact with him, the more you will understand. We can talk about it more after you meet him tonight."

"How the hell do you know that?"

She shrugs. "I have my ways."