The Blue Scales

The Blue Scales (#2)

Though Ostmont was in the middle of a desert, the early mornings were quite chilly. This was especially true for that short period of time where the sun hadn't entirely began its ascent, where the temperature seemed to suddenly plummet and to leave everybody shivering.

Sophia stood in the lobby of Hotel Fuisine, reassured by staff that although they came back here at the end of their expedition, it wasn't until a few weeks away at the least. One by one, a small crowd gathered around, wiping tired eyes. Though Sophia herself was exhausted, she didn't feel tired exactly. If she were at home, she'd be waking up around this time to go for a swim - most likely with Elijah.

It wasn't long until Jared stumbled in, standing beside her with just a smallish backpack slung across his shoulders and a murmured greeting. Dr. Booth - Alexander - joined the group not long after, directing everyone to two white vans that had parked in the taxi rank outside of the hotel.

Though it took a small army to load the luggage away, it didn't take too much time before they were off on the road. Sophia sat in the chair closest to the window, with Jared at her side. She wasn't sure if he was asleep or not, but he sat there with his eyes closed and earphones jammed firmly in his ears, listening to God-knows-what music.

As the landscape slowly melted from the urbanised industrial city of Ostmont to that of a sparse desert, Sophia felt some preliminary twinges in the pit of her stomach.

'Oh God,' she thought, 'what on earth am I doing here?'

She stared out the window, into the red sands that stretched as far as the eye could see and comprehended in that moment that there was one reason that mermaids such as herself never strayed far from the water. Sophia pulled the amulet that her doctor, Dr. Treacle, had made for her before she left. With hope, it would allow her to go more than three days without swimming in a body of water. Generally speaking, if she didn't swim her skin tended to itch as though she was having an allergic reaction.

'An allergic reaction to the air,' she sniggered quietly to herself.

Sophia pulled her gaze away from the sandy dunes outside her window, gazing around at the small bus that was full of people. People, presumably friends were sitting in pairs, chatting quietly amongst themselves as they talked everyday group politics or even about the upcoming trip. If Sophia strained herself, she could just make out the conversation of a red headed woman sitting four rows back. She was confessing her worries about the local fauna, snakes in particular, and her fear of potential snakes in the area.

When a snort that was louder than she expected escaped her, Sophia looked around wildly, hoping that no one, and she meant no one, would have heard it. Luck today was not on her side though, as she noticed that Jared had cracked open an eyelid. She could just see the amusement in his eyes, they were glittering, almost. Sophia held a long, slender finger to her lips, in a silent, universal shushing sound. Jared arched an eyebrow in her direction, and then, quietly he went back to 'sleep'.

She watched him suspiciously for a few seconds, before settling back into her seat as she watched the landscape pass by again, listening to the gentle murmuring that surrounded her.

It wasn't much longer before Sophia was startled awake, suddenly aware that they had reached their destination. Outside, it looked like a mini village, almost like the market in the small neutral zone on the Other side, the dimension where she was born. Khaki tents dotted the sand dunes as far as the eye could see, with humans bustling around, carrying rolls and bits of broken pottery. And not a Dr.op of water for as far as the eye could see.