The Deep

Chapter 15

*Arya*

I stare at the mirror in my bedroom in wonder. My fingers hover close above my cheeks and lips. I smiled. I smiled and I couldn't even witness it myself. Elin saw it, and so did Merida. At least for a few seconds she did. What made me smile at him? What is the reason behind a smile? And why does that reason occur? Merida has tried to explain it many times before, but I've never fully been able to understand it.

Elin said that my smile was 'nice'. What did it mean to have a 'nice smile'? Merida appears behind my reflection with her own nice smile on her face. "I bet I can guess what you're thinking about." I look back at myself-at my stubborn lips. "Don't be too hard on yourself, Arya. It'll happen again."

"I do not understand, Merida." I shift my head to the side, running my sight over my humanly face. "Why did I smile at him? What did I feel that made me share my first smile with Elin?" I wish understood it all. For as much as I would like to understand everything quickly, my understanding is still lacking. Elin's science is an intriguing concept but learning it is as confusing as learning that there's more than water in this world. That there's a thing called 'sky' that covers both land and water too. And beyond that sky are whole other lands that do not belong to humans.

The world had suddenly grown twice as big as it was before I lived as a human. I felt Merida's hands run through my black hair. "Oh darling," she sighs, "even if you do begin to feel strong human emotions, you won't always be able to decipher your feelings for someone. Especially if it's a young, good-looking boy."

A young good-looking boy? Isn't he just an ordinary human male? What's the difference between the two? The words don't really make sense to me, but they do to her. Merida combs her fingers through my long hair. She has a slight obsession with it, unlike myself who had spent months hacking at it with a whale bone. "You'll understand what I mean one day, love. Now let's get to bed." She kisses the top of my head. "We both have long day tomorrow." Long day.

Tomorrow Elin and I will meet again. Without Merida. He'll be the second human to be in my human life. I know Merida is hesitant about him and what he will do once he gets all his answers. When she asked me if I was also afraid of that, I told her no. I know the importance of keeping my true identity a secret and I have no doubt that Elin will help me do just that.

I have no reason to doubt that.

*****

The "lab" has been drastically transformed. Elin has cleaned his tables to make space for whatever he has planned for the day. I clutch the visitor's pass that I was given when I entered. The woman had told me that he was waiting for me here and gave me an odd look. I decided to not give it much thought. In the water, if anyone showed any sign of aggression an attack would ensue. The fight would end in death. I haven't lost one yet.

I glance at everything with curiosity. I have seen this lab before, but I haven't seen it like this yet. Elin's...equipment is all neatly put away on a strong white table against the wall. I remember some of them. I can't name most of them. My hands hover over the one I do know. The microscope is off but there's still a sample clipped on it. I turn it on like he taught me too.

My blood is still in it. I'm not sure why but that makes me feel uneasy. Merida wouldn't like the fact that Elin left a drop of my blood for anyone to see. Elin must've been studying it all night. I hear quiet footsteps enter the room from behind me, but I'm not threatened. The footsteps were foreign to me. A woman. "Excuse me," she says behind me, "this area is restricted to visitors. This lab is only meant for the in-house marine biologist."

I turn to look at her and refrain from speaking. She's not one I've seen before. Her eyes are furrowed, and her shoulders are tense. This human is threatened by me. It's not the same way that I would be if I was in the water. This is a different kind of survival. "Did you hear me?" She takes a step closer. "You need to leave."

"No!"

Elin runs into the room breathless. "Sorry I'm late, Arya. I had a bit of a situation." He glances at the woman. "I granted her permission, Ava." She looks at him incredulously. The corner of my lip's twitches slightly at the sight. It seems like smiling is starting to get easier and easier for me.
"What? I'm not even allowed in here." This Ava gets closer to Elin. All my amusement vanishes in an instant. "Why exactly did you give her access to this lab? Who is she, Mack?" Elin briefly struggles to find the words, and, for a moment, I can see the turmoil that is happening in his mind. He doesn't know how to explain my presence without telling her exactly what I am.

"I'm his assistant."

The words leave me before I can stop them. They both turn to look at me. Elin's face spells out confusion while hers is simply irritation. "You're...Mackensie's assistant?" She slowly asks me. I bring up my two forefingers, pointing at myself and say, "That's me." Elin snorts back a laugh which surprises me. Did I just make him laugh? I smile along with him.

"I didn't know you needed an assistant," Ava says to Elin through gritted teeth. "Dad didn't say anything."

"Ava, can we please talk about this later? We have a busy day ahead." Elin gently grabs Ava's shoulders, leading her out of his lab. I snarl quietly as they leave. I don't like her. She's definitely not one of the good humans. There's a sudden rise of anger coming from my chest up.

I growl as I search for anything to release the pent-up anger and frustration. Merida taught me to breathe through my animalistic aggression. People like me struggle to contain their negation emotions. At least that's what she says. My people tend to feel almost a tenfold more than a human toddler. Again, that's what Merida has told me.

My hands anchor down one of the metal lab tables. The metal creaks under the pressure. I'm sure that they both heard the commotion. The moment I feel my anger pass, I let go of the poor table. As I step back, I am reminded on what Merida said to me before I left this morning.

"Remember the legends you have read and learned about humans and your people. It is rare to find a happy ending."