Fins (Transformations: Book 2)

1

Kai held her hand and led her down to a tunnel on the ocean floor, turning to face her. "You'll have to keep a good hold on my hand. It's easy to get lost down there."

Aria nodded, wondering how she was able to hear him under the water. She opened her mouth, but couldn't seem to get her voice to work.

"You don't use lungs down here." He told her. She'd already noticed that when breathing. "Just speak, normally and try not to think about breathing as you do it."

She decided that would be easier said than done, but she closed her eyes and opened her mouth. "Weird..."

He grinned as she got it. "Well, no one has the lung capacity required to make your voice work underwater like this. You realize this volume would be very loud on the surface, right?"

Aria stared at him, since she hadn't thought of that. "Wow." It felt uncomfortable not to be using her lungs when she spoke. "This is really strange."

He chuckled and shrugged. "You'll get used to it, I'm sure. Honestly, taking a breath every time we speak seems a little exhausting to me." He took her hand, again. "Are you ready?"

Aria nodded, still not comfortable using her voice that way. She allowed him to lead her into a dark tunnel. Some bioluminescent fish swam through it, providing some light, at least. She realized her eyes must have adjusted since she had been able to see fairly well even deep in the ocean, not to mention their lack of reaction to the salty water. It all seemed very odd to her, but she couldn't complain. It was truly the most amazing experience of her life. She was swimming faster than she ever thought possible and seeing things that no human had experienced before. She held onto Kai's hand, trusting him to lead her along, safely. She knew she would be in trouble if they got separated and she couldn't find her way back. After all, she would be human again in the morning and no human could survive so deep underwater.

She swam beside him for a little over an hour before they reached an exit from the tunnels. Aria first saw a glow that grew brighter. They reached the exit and she caught her breath as she looked around. "This is Valador?"

Alizarin walked in silence behind Sapphira as they headed down the beach. She stopped suddenly and looked out over the water with a frown. "Do you think the human girl took on a tail this month? They could be swimming together, now."

"It's possible." He admitted, stopping behind her. "We would be unlikely to catch up before morning, even if we knew where they were going, though."

"It's obvious where they're going." Sapphira commented. "He'll take her to Valador."

"That would make sense." Alizarin agreed. There was a long silence between them.

"If you have something to say, I wish you would say it." She told him, never looking back. She knew she wouldn't be able to read his expression, either way.

"I have nothing of interest to say, princess." He replied.

"You always say that..." She sighed. "The sea looks dull from up here."

"Would you like to turn back and go for a swim?" He asked.

"Not yet." She looked up at the star-filled sky. "I'd like to remain human a little longer, wouldn't you?"

"I will do as you wish, as always." He promised her.

Sapphira kept her gaze fixed upward, hiding her frustration at the vague response.

"Would you like to go back to the party?" He suggested.

"That party is full of Valadorans and they all hate me." She complained. "Other than that, there are just nymphs and sirens. I can't seem to get along with them, either."