Definitely not the Little Mermaid

The Littlest Mermaid

Chapter Eleven

Laiken felt trepidation seep into his bones as he hopped out of the car. The aquarium glared down at him, silently threatening to lock him away. He rubbed his arms and glanced behind him. The twins jumped out the car and began to check their phones. Laiken tapped his feet impatiently on the ground while he waited for them.

"Angie's waiting for us by the entrance," said the twins in unison. They glanced at each other, grinned and headed off. Laiken hurried behind them, looking anxiously around. He felt a little hesitant to approach the building but forced his feet forward regardless.

He kept his eyes peeled for Angelica and spotted the girl sitting awkwardly at the entrance, trying to fend off a group of overly excited humans. Laiken rushed over to her, slipping to a halt in front of the girl. Angelica let out a girly shriek and lifted her feet up, blinking down at Laiken with owlishly large eyes.

"Hi," Laiken grinned.

"Hi," Angelica breathed.

Laiken picked himself up and glanced over his shoulder. The twins hurried over to join them. Angelica rose, dusted herself off and gestured for them to follow her. She led them inside the building.

Laiken felt his heart sink as he entered. The sight of the fish trapped by the glass made his stomach flip anxiously. He fell into step beside Angelica and took her hand. The girl glanced up at him, a small frown on her face. Laiken bit his lip. He didn't say anything. His mouth couldn't formulate the words needed to express his discomfort. Thankfully, it seemed that Angelica understood and squeezed his hand.

"Where'd Rachel get a mermaid?" asked Austin, stepping up beside Angelica.

"Does she know what it is?" asked Gareth, popping up next to Laiken and startling him.

"Yes, she knows what it is. I don't where she got one," replied Angelica quickly, her brow furrowing in confusion as she dwelt on the questions.

"Is it on display?" asked Laiken softly.

"No, not yet. Any creatures that the aquarium gets first has to get shots and pass a medical check before being allowed out," answered Angelica.

"Okay..." Laiken trailed off. He understood none of what the girl had just said but figured that it wasn't that good. Shots were never a good thing.

"So how are we supposed to see it then? We're not part of the staff here," huffed Austin, shooting his sister a look.

"You'll be allowed in. You've been allowed in the back before," snapped Angelica.

"And me?" asked Laiken.

"We'll get you in," replied Angelica.

She stopped at a door labelled Staff Only and glanced at the others. Laiken gave her a weak grin, trying to hide how sick he felt. The twins broke into wide grins. Rolling her eyes, the girl pushed open the door. They stepped into a long corridor that didn't seem to have an end. Laiken felt his stomach churn and he blinked quickly.

"Let's go," Angelica seized the merman's hand firmly and led him down the corridor. The twins followed her.

The corridor grew lighter the further away from the door that they went. Eventually Laiken could make out the exit. Two glass doors sat at the end of the corridor, beckoning them outside. The merman held back, staring apprehensively through the glass.

There were lots of people wearing wetsuits and uniforms strutting around. Some of them held of buckets and others were consulting clipboards. Somewhere in there was the other mermaid. Laiken nibbled on the inside of his cheek.