Call of the Water (COMPLETE)

7. THE WEREWOLF

"Did you see Professor Cyan?" I asked Opal after my attempts to spot her turned out to be futile.

"No," Opal replied. She lifted her head, even stepped on her toes. "No use," she said. "I'm not tall enough. But did you see that woman?"

My gaze followed hers. The woman in question was standing next to Lissa. Watching her, I realized what Nia meant when she advised Opal not to trust everything she hears. Although the woman was obviously an adult forest nymph, she was able to leave the forest and her thick, coily hair hid no bird's nests. But, since she removed her jacket, I was able to notice that her arms had areas with darker, and probably rougher skin, its texture seemed like tree bark.

My mother interrupted me when she pointed at one person. He wasn't facing us, but I recognized his carefully combed light blond hair. Oh yes, I knew who he was. He was the main culprit for all the pain I've been through.

We walked up to him together. Truth be told, we owed him a lot. After all, he was the head of my medical team.

"Doctor Kasian? What are you doing here?" I asked with no introduction. How Opal of me.

"Hello Azora, I was hoping I'd get a chance to see you," he said with a smile. I guess I haven't offended him after all. "And to answer your question, I came here to visit my daughter."

"Your daughter is a student here? I didn't know that," I said in a voice laced with surprise. "Perhaps I've had the chance to meet her."

"I'm sure you have," he said, extending his arm to indicate her approaching.

I looked at the familiar face of my roommate. "You? You are Doctor Kasian's daughter? Isn't that a coincidence?"

"Not as big as you might think," Doctor Kasian emphasized.

"Oh, you're so sly!" Someone's anger filled voice joined our conversation. "I thought you were our friend! But all this time you were your father's spy? Is this just a game for you? And to think, we trusted you!"

"And you must be Opal," Doctor Kasian stated. "Your reputation precedes you."

"My reputation... Hey, don't change the subject!" she said while she stared at him with her eyes narrowed under the lowered eyebrows.

"Opal!" her mother said firmly. "You're being rude again!"

"Let me reassure you, there was no spying. I simply thought that having another pair of eyes on my most challenging patient would be wise. After all, I've never had a patient of her race before." The smile never left Doctor Kasian's face as he said that.

"Excuse me if I'm being too forward with my question," Mr. Tophill joined us, "but what race would that be?"

"Didn't Opal tell you?" my mother asked.

"Sure I did!" Opal looked up at my mother's face.

"Well, what exactly did you tell him?" I asked, knowing that Opal had very little interest in my origin.

"I said you were some kind of a..." She paused for a moment, took a nibble at the nail on her right thumb, and when she continued, it sounded as if she were talking to herself. Still, I picked up the word mermaid.

"I'm not a mermaid!" I had to laugh. I turned to her father and said, "Aquantien. I'm an Aquantien."

"Same thing," Opal mumbled and crossed her arms in front of her chest.

Doctor Kasian chuckled. "Not quite."

Not even close, I thought to myself. I would have to explain some things to Opal to get rid of her misconceptions.