Definitely not the Little Mermaid

The Library

Chapter Ten

A library. Laiken was less than impressed. He had expecting something like the picture box (he knew it was called a television but found the name to be a bit of a tongue twister and preferred not to use it). He was disappointed to discover that the library was full of books.

"Alright, where would books on mermaids be?" asked Austin, rubbing his hands together as they entered the building.

"The fantasy section," replied Gareth.

Austin and Laiken paused, exchanged looks. They appeared to be silently telling each other to ask why. It was Laiken who eventually relented and asked. Gareth stopped walking and looked back at them, a sceptical look on his face.

"Really?" he asked disbelievingly.

"What?" asked Laiken.

"Most people don't think mermaids exist. They're supposed to be creatures of fantasy," said Gareth.

"Oh..." Laiken fiddled with the hem of his top. He considered this before nodding and following Gareth.

The library was mostly filled with middle aged people, browsing everything. There were a few little kids that ran around, tripping over their own feet and almost crashing into shelves. Laiken spotted the children section and paused. He examined the bright walls and stickers in that section and looked at the rest of the library. It looked drab in comparison. He frowned but dragged his feet after Gareth.

"Here," Gareth came to a sudden halt.

Laiken pulled back, staring at the books. There were too many. He felt a headache coming on. While Gareth began to get the books they needed, Laiken tapped Austin's shoulder and asked for his water. Austin dug the bottle out of his backpack and handed it to the merman. Laiken drained half of the bottle in one gulp.

"Wow," Austin stared at him.

"What?" Laiken asked.

"Your gills are flapping like crazy," Austin reached over, poking the gills. Laiken drew back, shooting the twin an offended look. He didn't like it when Austin touched his gills. It felt like he was suffocating.

"How'd you find the car ride?" Austin asked, putting the water back into the bag and closing it. The bag was pulled back onto a shoulder.

Laiken made a face. He wasn't particularly fond of cars. They were too noisy and always scared him when he was trying to cross roads. Riding in one hadn't been much better. The windows were absent for most of the ride and the rushing wind had left him feeling extremely dehydrated. The only good thing about the ride was that they stopped at the fish home where Angelica worked. They had to drop her off before they could come to the library.

"Wow, that bad huh?" asked Austin with a grin. Laiken blinked, realized he hadn't answered and quickly tried to smile. It didn't work. Austin shrugged.

"Well, guess you can't please them all. Unfortunately, you're going to be stuck with my driving for a long time. Gareth and Angie can't drive yet," he said.

"Neither can I," pointed out Laiken.

"Maybe you have like, hybrid cars or something down under," suggested Austin.

Laiken scrunched up his face at that suggestion. He doubted that.

"Guys!" Gareth hissed loudly. They turned to him. He waved them over to a long table. There was a pile of books waiting for them on the table. Austin groaned and trudged over. Laiken stared at the intimidating pile and hesitantly approached.

"Okay, grab a book and get started," said Gareth as soon as they were seated.

"What are we looking for?" asked Austin, taking the thinnest book from the pile and studying it. Laiken took the top book and stared at the cover. It was beautiful.