Chapter Two

Lylie struggles to keep her darker side dormant.

 

           “Meredith"watch it!” I yelled warningly.

         The bucket of smelly dead fish spilled out all over the concrete as she lost her balance on the stool. The shocked expression on Meredith’s face was priceless, and I bit my lip to not laugh at her.

       Meredith, SeaPark’s newest intern, was having a really hard time doing all of the dirty work that the rest of us didn’t want to do. She was trying to feed Lucy, the mischievous bottlenose dolphin, who was impatiently waiting for her dinner.

       After a helpful tip from me, I told Meredith that the sea mammals responded better if they could see you clearer"so she decided to stand on the stool that had a broken leg. Before I could warn her about the fractured wood, it was too late.

“Please don’t tell David. I’m so bad at this.” She told me quietly as I walked over to help her clean the fish. The poor intern looked like she was on the verge of tears. She has been trying so hard to impress our boss, David, but she continued to make little mistakes that might cost her the job.

I honestly thought she was trying way too hard for this. All she really had to do was clean dirty tanks and feed the animals.

“You’re under my charge. Wouldn’t want him to think I’m slacking in training you.” I told her with a smile. As she grabbed more of the slimy fish to put back in the bucket, I noticed that her expression was still sad. Disappointed. Upset.

“Everyone makes mistakes, Meredith. No big deal.”

“It’s been two weeks! I’ve made no progress here. How can I ever train dolphins if I can’t even feed them without making a mess of things?” Forgetting her hands were dirty with fish remnants, she started to push fallen pieces of her curly hair behind her ear. After a moment, she groaned and hastily wiped her hands on her jeans. “My dad's going to be pissed.”

“You’ll learn. It gets easier.” I told her as I lowered my hand into the bucket of mackerel. I turned towards the large pool and tossed it high into the air.

Lucy quickly jumped out of the water to catch it in her mouth. When her flukes left the water, she caught and swallowed the entire fish whole. She submerged herself entirely before her head broke the surface. Wanting more, Lucy swam closer to the edge, flapping her fins eagerly and opening her mouth. She made several clicking noises with a high pitched squeal.

Careful to avoid the water as much as possible, I reached out to stroke her nose. It felt smooth and rubbery as my hand glided over her wet skin. Lucy relaxed under the pressure of my fingers, enjoying her nose rub.

“You see? She’s so calm with you.” Meredith said, exasperated. “She won’t let me touch her.”

“Sure she will.” I said, trying to make her feel better. Truthfully, I could tell that Lucy was reluctant to obey Meredith’s commands. Meredith's confidence was lacking, and the intelligent dolphin knew that. Lucy knew who was really in charge here.

“Get another fish. Make her wave her fin before she can eat.” I suggested.

Meredith nodded as she reached inside the bucket for another fish. Meredith started to wave her hand"the signal for the dolphins to mimic our motions"while holding the fish in her other hand. I started to back away, letting Meredith take control.

With a quick brush of the dolphin's mind, I could suddenly feel Lucy's emotions. She recognized the leadership change, and her thoughts became absorbed in the food in the young girl’s hand.

Dolphins cannot think phrases as people do, but they have feelings that are usually easy to decipher.

“Talk to her, Meredith.” I ordered. Lucy was starting to grow bored with the intern's commands. Meredith needed to gain Lucy’s focus. The dolphin knew this trick well, but wanted to see if she could get the food without actually doing the trick.

“Come on, Lucy!” Meredith cheered like she was talking to a dog. She started to wave again, but the silver dolphin remained motionless.

I kind of felt bad for Meredith. Apparently her father is the strict and commanding type who wanted his daughter to excel at everything. She had told me that it was his idea to apply to SeaPark, and she needed the money desperately. Who doesn't in this economy?

Not wanting Meredith to be disappointed, I decided to help the girl out. What good would my being a telepath be if I didn't use my talents for the greater good?

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I narrowed my thoughts in acute concentration as I focused on Lucy the dolphin. It was very simple to create the mental link between us. All I really had to do was concentrate, and my natural telepathic energy did the rest.

I sent encouraging vibes toward the dolphin"willing her to do the trick. With great reluctance, Lucy finally rolled over on her side and started to raise her left flipper.

“Good girl!” Meredith said as she tossed the dead mackerel in the air. Lucy caught it in her mouth, swallowing the whole thing.

“Good job, Meredith.” I praised the happy teenager.

Meredith grinned, growing confident. She practically ran to the bucket to retrieve another fish. This was the very first time in two weeks that a dolphin performed a trick for her. Not wanting to lose another opportunity for Lucy to perform, Meredith started to wave her hands once again.

I was still mentally connected with Lucy's mind and felt her intentions only moments before she acted upon them. Without much warning, Lucy spewed water out of her mouth all over Meredith. Lucy's snout looked like a water-filled cannon.

The spray completely drenched Meredith, who could only stand there taking it all in. I tried to avoid the water as much as possible, but a few drops splashed on my face.

My back went rigid as I felt the familiar longing to dive into the ocean and submerge my entire body in its cool embrace. Twice this has happened today. This chemically balanced replica of ocean water wasn’t nearly as potent as the natural salt in the ocean, but it was pretty close. It was a heck of a lot stronger than the ice water Garret had poured on me earlier.

I could feel my body’s need to return to the sea, but I could hardly do it right here in front of Meredith. I kept my body’s instinctual longing intact with much effort.

It’s been nearly two weeks since I’ve been in the ocean. I usually could handle that time frame as long as I didn’t come in contact with ocean water. Working at an aquarium might be a hypocritical judgment on my part, but I didn’t care. I loved what I did, and being a little uncomfortable at times was worth it in the end.

“There are some towels and extra clothes in the storage room. Come on.” I told her. Meredith was shivering, and she chafed her palms against her arms, trying to gain friction. It was getting dark outside too, which probably made Meredith feel even colder.

As we walked into the building, I grew sympathetic towards her. We would have to pass David’s office to get to the storage room. Meredith seemed to realize this as well, and she took a couple of deep breaths.

His door was open, and it weirdly reminded me of a Venus fly trap waiting to ensnare us both. If David’s attention was focused on something else Meredith could hurry by without being seen.

“Lylie?” I heard David ask as I attempted to walk across my boss’ door without being noticed. I reluctantly faced him. Through my peripheral vision I saw Meredith stiffen, feeling trapped on the other side of the door. “Where is Meredith?” He asked, lifting his eyes from a paper he was reading. His short sandy blonde hair stood up straight, a product from his overuse of hair gel. His deep brown eyes stared at me curiously.

“Right here sir.” Meredith said, and I cringed. Her lack of skills potentially made me look bad as well. As Meredith’s trainer, it was up to me to get her top notch.

Meredith appeared in front of the room as David took in her drenched clothes, smeared mascara, and tangled damp hair. He didn’t say anything, but his intense silence was much louder than words. He gestured toward the storage room with his chin, ordering her to get cleaned up without speaking. He didn’t ask how it happened. It didn’t really matter to him. Meredith could have fallen in the tank or gotten into a water gun fight for all he knew.

Of course it was natural for trainers to get wet, I could definitely attest to that, but there was a reoccurring process of Meredith making little mistakes that bothered him. She wasn’t wearing a wetsuit, and her damp clothing was dripping audibly on the linoleum. David’s patience was running thin with the teenage intern.

I nodded and left the room. I could feel David’s eyes on me, and I pretended to not notice. I was wearing my black and blue striped wetsuit, which I knew clung very tightly to my body. Everyone that works at SeaPark knows that David completely favors me over anyone else that works here. At first I thought it was just because I was the best sea mammal trainer that has probably ever set foot in this place. But after a while, I realized it was more than that. David had a crush on me. It was an inappropriate affection for his employee"not to mention the immense age difference between us. David was nearly forty years old; and I, well, I looked about nineteen. I wasn’t exactly sure how old I really was. I’ve lost count over the years.

I opened the door, and Meredith followed me in. I pulled opened the closet door, grabbing a clean towel folded neatly on one of the shelves. I searched a little further and found some old sweat pants and a hoodie. I wasn’t sure who they belonged to, but Maria was usually good at providing clean materials for everyone.

I handed the items over to the girl who took them numbly. I quickly changed out of my wetsuit to put on something a little more comfortable. Once I was finished changing clothes, I turned to face Meredith. I realized that she hadn’t changed out of her wet clothes yet.

Without much warning, she dropped the towel and clothes on the floor and wrapped her arms around me in a constricting hug. “Thank you, Lylie.” She cried.

I nearly lost it. My skin eagerly welcomed the damp clothes hanging off of Meredith’s body. My physical need to change forms was unbearable. I couldn't believe how much more potent the little amount of salt water on her body felt compared to the entire bucket of fresh water I felt earlier. It made it that much harder to resist.

The only thing that kept me sane was the fact that this girl’s life was in my hands. I couldn’t change in front of her. Not here, not ever.

“You’re welcome.” I mumbled in a strained voice, backing away from her quickly. If this had been anyone else, I would have yelled at them for getting me wet. Meredith, being new here obviously hadn’t noticed my aversion to water before.

I am usually in better control of myself, but the fact that it has happened three times today was really inexcusable on my part. My reflexes weren’t as fast as they should have been. “I have to go.” I said in a dark voice.

Meredith looked puzzled over my sudden change of mood, but I couldn’t afford to make it up to her. I’d rather hurt her feelings rather than the alternative.

I quickly left the building without saying a word to anyone. This was a common thing on my part"leaving without giving notice. The fact that I’m the best at what I do and David’s appreciation for my body lets me do pretty much get away with anything.

I hopped in my sea green Jeep and quickly sped off, squealing my tires against the pavement. The ocean’s call to me was nearly as powerful as human's to a Siren. Contrary to popular belief, humans lured Sirens in. It wasn't the other way around.

I gripped the steering wheel tighter and stomped on the gas, hoping I'd make it to the ocean in time.