Definitely not the Little Mermaid

The Science Experiment

Chapter Sixteen

Laiken felt like his fingers were pruny. He was tired and bored of swimming in circles in the tank. He wanted to leave already.

He pressed himself against the glass and watched the distorted people move by. He tapped his finger on the glass, hoping to get their attention. No one turned to look at him. Pouting, the merman swam to the top of the tank and pulled himself up. He peered at the floor below him. It didn't necessarily look friendly enough for him to attempt to jump yet. He curled his fingers over the rim and rested his chin on them.

Several people paused in their activities to give him uneasy looks before they resumed with their work. Laiken flicked his tail.

This was boring. When where Angelica and the twins coming?

Laiken flicked his tail once more, causing some water to spill onto the floor. More people turned to look at him this time. None of them moved towards the tank though. They regarded him with apprehension and one woman left the room. Laiken sighed and sunk under the water.

He examined the scales on his arms and started picking at them.

Someone knocked against the glass. Laiken started and darted away from the glass. He frowned and made out the face of Doctor Grace. He left his arm alone and went back to the surface. He pulled himself up and peered down at her.

"Merman," she greeted.

Laiken chattered at her.

Doctor Grace turned and instructed one of the men lingering in the room to get Laiken out of the tank. Another man was sent to get a robe and towel.

A ladder was set against the tank and a net set up underneath it. Laiken eyed the net and then the ladder. The man was slowly beginning to climb up it. Deciding that he hadn't had enough excitement in the three days he'd been here, Laiken threw himself out of the tank.

He landed on the net, bounced several times and almost rolled off the net before coming to a complete halt. He laughed delightedly.

Doctor Grace frowned down at him. "Merman," she said again.

Laiken glanced at her and reached out, fingers playing with her hair. The doctor froze and stared at him. The merman retracted his hands and rolled off the net. He hit the floor and groaned. Doctor Grace scribbled something on her clipboard. Laiken pushed himself into a sitting position and considered his tail. It thumped miserably against the floor.

The second man returned with a towel and a thick bathrobe. Laiken held out his arms for the items. The towel was promptly handed to someone else and the robe was wrapped around his shoulders.

Laiken was roughly towelled down and the robe was closed. Laiken tipped his head to the side and waited for his tail to split. When it eventually happened, he was happy to realize that he barely registered any pain. He got to his feet and pulled the robe tighter around himself, double-knotting the belt. He looked at the doctor and chirped in greeting.

"Room 22," ordered the doctor.

Several men flanked Laiken and guided him through the door and down the same passage as before. The only difference this time was that the other tanks were empty. Laiken found a frown forming as he gazed into the deserted tanks.

He was pushed none too gently into the room and Doctor Grace swept in behind him. Three men followed her and stationed themselves around the room. The doctor gestured to the table that Laiken had laid on previously. The merman lifted himself onto the table but didn't lay down. He swung his legs slowly.