Under the Sea *Book One* Water Trilogy

~Twenty One~

"Hi, I'm Audrey I called-"

"About getting a job," he said in a gravelly voice. "Yes, I know. You're early."

I waited for him to say something but he didn't.

"Um, yeah," I cleared my throat. "Better to be early then late." I tried to make a little laugh at the end but it sounded like a cat was being strangled.

"Well I'll just ask you some questions and see if you're fit for the job."

"Okay-"

"Have you ever been arrested?" He asked in a monotone voice.

"No-"

"Have you ever gotten into any trouble at all?"

"No-"

"Do you smoke, drink, or abuse any other substances?"

"No-"

"Fantastic, you're hired." I had driven all the way there to be asked questions he could have just asked me over the phone.

"Really?" I asked a little too brightly. He just made a noise.

"Just show up, do what you're supposed to do and I won't fire you."

"Do I start today?" I looked down and my white capris and loose fitting pink top.

"Sure," he got up off a black stool an went into a room behind a purple curtain. When I didn't follow he stuck his way back out. "You comin'?"

"Oh, yes." So I followed him in. I had to admit that I was a little nervous, he was after all a man I didn't know and I was following him behind a heavy purple curtain.

"My name is Jim. Your work shirt," He trailed off as he put a key in a locked filing cabinet and pulled out a green shirt. "Is this."

He handed it to me and started walking out of the room.

"Just put it on and come on out when you're done."

"Thanks." The scrunched up tee in my hand unfolded to reveal forest green with white writing that said 'Jacob's Tackle Shop' out of a man's fishing wire he was casting from the left side. I checked around the room to make sure there were no cameras.

The deep blue walls were covered in maps with red push pins placed carefully in certain places. In the corner were a dark wooden desk and a swivel chair. The room had a man cave feel. Pictures of painted seas, ships, and to my surprise, mermaids. I slipped on the shirt and walked back out to find Jim and a scrawny man with short brown hair having a secret, and heated, discussion.

"You have to show evidence-"

"And I will. I have a lot of it. All I need is to catch one of them."

They both looked up at me in shock like Jim had forgotten that his new employee was there.

"Who-"

"This is my new employee, Audrey." A small smile of greeting formed on my lips which received an awkward hello from the odd man. "Audrey, this is Dean. He's a good friend of mine and a fellow fisher. He loves my store." Dean rolled his eyes and Jim gave me a wink.

After he left Jim showed me around the store he introduced me to his dinosaur computer. The files in his cabinets never seemed to end, consisting of sales all the way to what he took out of the register to buy lunch. There were plenty of other files but these were the first I was assigned. I sat at the wooden desk in the blue room. I copied the files onto the computer so you could send them through emails and search them. I spent the entire time doing it and still didn't finish.

"It's five."

I turned to see Jim standing in front of me, watching.

"Oh, I guess my day is done then."

"You've gotten quite a bit done. Nice job," Jim said gruffly, like he wasn't use to saying compliments.

"Thanks," I replied. "I'll be here again tomorrow?"

"See you then."

On the way home I couldn't help but think about the new type of fish species the two men had thought they had found. My phone rang halfway there and it turned out to be Heidi. I was glad to hear her voice after not talking to her in a while. She told me about Jake and their new relationship problems as I drove until she asked me if I had anything going on.

"You got a job," She squealed. "I'm so jealous. I need one, partly because I want more money for clothes."

"Good enough reason, right?"

"Absolutely." Heidi agreed. "So where is it?"

"Jacob's tackle shop-"

"Oh my god, Audrey. You're working for Crazy Jim."

"Crazy Jim?"

"He's the guy who tracks 'Mermaids'," she gossiped. "He's insane. You work for a nut job."

"I had no idea-"

"Has he tried to bring you in on his plans?"

"What? No." Sweat formed on my forehead and trickled down my back. My thoughts instantly turned to Finn and then how the men thought they were seeing a new fish. They planned to catch one. No wonder why they were so secretive around me. "Listen, I have to go. Talk to you later."

"Alright, be safe. Bye!"

After Heidi hung up I had to force myself not to speed home. What if the Merperson they had seen was Finn or Meri? I had to warn them.