Grenadine Dreams

14. The Aquarium

14. The Aquarium

{Naya}

"What are those?"

I shoved Ritsu's head back into the satchel.

"Stay hidden. You can't allow anyone to see you, remember? I'll tell you when it's okay to come out." I whispered in the opening between the zippers.

Ritsu stayed down, but I knew he'd be popping his head out as soon as we reached another interesting exhibit.

Uri could barely stay by my side during our tour through the largest indoor aquarium in the world. At the moment we were in the freshwater exhibit, where Uri and Ritsu gawked at the sturgeons, groupers, and piranhas. Then the two of them fought over whether we should visit the dolphin show or the open tank where you could touch the stingrays.

I had to remind Uri that people were staring at us, probably wondering why he was shouting into my bag. In the end, Uri won out and soon I was watching him try to squeeze between eight year olds so he could get a chance to pet stingrays and starfish.

When we reached the beluga whale exhibit, I let Ritsu poke his head out so he could see them. Like the dolphins, they had permanent smiles on their porcelain faces. Even though these animals were wrapped in rolls of blubber, they were fairly graceful.

"I could watch these creatures for hours," Uri said.

I smiled. "I was just thinking that."

Uri glanced at the meandering crowds around us and said, "I'm curious. Why did you choose this place to spend your day off?"

"I thought it would do me some good to see someone else living as a prisoner. To remind myself that I'm not alone."

Uri pinched my elbow. "Don't be so moody. I'm a prisoner too, remember."

Right. As sketchy as this contract was, Uri was just trying to get to a normal existence.

"Come on," I said, taking his hand, "I want you to see the whale sharks."

As I pulled him along, Ritsu whined, "Goodbye, marshmallow whales!"

The whale shark exhibit was set up like an indoor amphitheater. Uri and I found a spot on the ground closest to the tank. Ritsu came out of the backpack halfway and pressed his tiny hands up against the glass. While he ogled in silence, Uri and I leaned shoulder to shoulder and held casual conversation. I was mildly mystified by how comfortable I felt around him and the ease with which we talked, as if we'd been friends for years.

Eventually, Uri got bored with the fish and started playing Angry Birds on my phone.

"Uri, I have a question for you." I said slowly.

The djinni must have sensed the uncertainty in my voice because he put down my phone and slid it off to the side. "Go on."

I drew my knees up to my chest and breathed hard before speaking.

"Last night I told you all that stuff about the reverend and . . ."

Uri nudged me softly with his shoe. "And?"

"Should I tell him about what I did? When other people found out, the first thing they told me to do was tell the reverend. Especially Portia. She even –"

Gently, he interrupted, "Why would it be appropriate for me to dictate what you do with your secrets?"

I huffed, "Because it's the right thing to do. He's my dad and this decision could change everything. I mean, it already has."