Captivity

Chapter 2: Beyond the Glass

Samantha Manson wasn't the happiest person in the world, but then again, how could she be, staring at the glass, attempting to drown out the sounds of her parents arguing behind her. It had been difficult in getting them to come here, and they'd been arguing about it since they'd received the invitation. Her uncle, Nate, as her father put it, had invited them down to the Florida coast for the summer, and offered for Sam to see their aquatic research center. Of course she'd been ecstatic about the whole concept. Her parents on the other hand, had been less so.

Her mother, Pamela, had continued to scream about how indecent the man was, living out in the wilderness half of the time, and was now screaming about how filthy the marine life was whilst her father attempted to console her. Sam could only roll her eyes and try to ignore them as they continued to stroll through the vast aquarium. At some point, she'd managed to lose them in the maze of hallways, having only noticed that the sound had drifted into a dull roar, and then into silence. As far as she was concerned, it was a well needed break.

The exhibits held mild interest as she wandered about; small shoals of fish scattered about behind the glass that enclosed their so called homes. Some of the tanks were small, others sprawled across whole walls. It was in that respect that she reigned in her complete distaste; at least they were taking some consideration for the animals' wellbeing. That didn't mean she approved of it entirely; conservation of wildlife was different than housing them in cages in her mind.

She let herself continue to examine the layout of the place for a while longer, until her eyes came to rest upon a sign indicating the entrance to the research center. Curiosity getting the better of her, she slipped through the double doors, ignoring the posted signs of 'Authorized Personnel Only'. She was going to be a biologist eventually, so why not get a look at it first hand?

The rooms were dark, leaving only the illumination from the large tanks that lined the walls. Some of them held a variety of strange or unique fish; others held sick animals for treatment, or young fish waiting to transfer to larger tanks. It was a mesmerizing sight as she spun round, attempting to take in all the sights and sounds of the place. That was until she came face to face with a pair of the brightest, toxic green eyes she had ever seen, watching her from the other side of the glass.

At first she'd been startled seeing such human eyes, the thought of being caught snooping nagging in the back of her head, until she caught sight of the rest of him. Brilliant white fins stood out against deep silver scales. They were almost black, if not for the ebony stripes that lined along his back and tail. The black ran up along his back and sides, speckling before shifting into a gentle tan skin. Silvery white hair hung in his face and flowed back over his shoulders; it made Sam feel the need to tie it back; watching it drift around him as he moved about the tank.

She continued to watch him circle, wishing she could reach out to him. It wasn't something she could place, but the sensation was there; the feeling that there was something more than just an animal behind those bright green eyes. If only she could find some way to unleash that spark, to bring out that hidden intelligence that lay hidden below the surface; he just appeared so human.

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He wasn't sure what to make of her, this unfamiliar being staring back at him from beyond the glass. Deep amethyst eyes searched fiery green, as if search for some sort of answer he didn't know how to give. The waters seemed to ripple when her hand gently traced the glass, leaving a shudder running along his spine; but it wasn't an unpleasant feeling. It felt like she wanted to reach out to him on another level, different from the analyzing gazes he'd been scrutinized under; and some tugging instinct left him curious of what she would do if he responded. Though he doubted he could speak to her, his own voice was foreign in his own ears, and the barrier between them left her voice in the form of strange murmurs he couldn't decipher.

He was almost tempted to reach out and run his hand along the glass, before the opportunity was stolen from him. Feeling the piercing gaze of another upon him, his form whipped round to catch glimpse of the smug face he'd come to hate; a snarl twisting itself upon his lip before disappearing into the small alcove in the back of the tank.

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Sam followed his movements about the tank, letting her hand glide just above the surface of the glass. It almost felt as if he was playing with her, and it was becoming hard to decipher whether her hand was tracing over him, or he was following her. Such a curious glint held in those vibrant green eyes, and she couldn't help but wonder if he was trying to tell her something, but she couldn't understand.

"You're so silly." She couldn't help but smile at his antics.

Whether it was curiosity or not, she swore he'd attempted to imitate the expression. However the friendly disposition faded as quickly as it came. A wild, aggressive look morphed the mer's face into an animalistic snarl; his form darting into the back of the tank just as a hand landed upon her shoulder. Startled, she spun round, finding herself face to face with the one and only Vlad Masters.

"I see you've familiarized yourself with the place," He mused, bringing himself to stand beside her, his gaze upon the tank before them.

"...I'm sorry, I didn't mean any harm. I was just curious..." Sam shifted uneasily, fingers plucking nervously at her fishnet sleeves. Her uncle was one thing, this man, Masters, could bring her into a lot of trouble. Yet she quickly noticed that he'd either not heard her, or simply did not care for her excuses; his gaze remained fixated upon the glass, a contemplative look in his grey eyes.

"Quite a fascinating specimen, isn't he?"

She blinked, surprised at the lack of retribution, wasn't sure how to respond; though he hadn't been looking for an answer, as he continued to talk, his gaze not wavering from the glass. He could still see the mer glowering at him from the shadows of the alcove.

"Your uncle and I recovered him just off the coast. He'd been giving the local fisherman a bit of trouble. This tank is simply a place to put him before we move him to a larger, more suitable 'habitat' tomorrow."

"Why not just let him go?" A frown settled on the goth's face as she eyed the older man; the activist in her rising to the surface at the thought of keeping a wild animal in a place like this.

He seemed to pause at this, as if thinking how to respond in an appropriate manner, "We agreed that it is currently unwise to release him until we've gathered more information on where he's from. The fact that he's been causing problems entails he's beyond the borders of his natural habitat. Simply releasing him now will only result in the same problem we had to resolve with his capture."

Vlad finally turned his gaze over to her, his expression level, unreadable to her eyes. Such was the trait of a businessman. True, they had to remove him from the source of the problem, but he wasn't about to let such a find out of his grasp so easily, when there was so much more that could be made from such an encounter, "Why not drop by tomorrow? I'm certain your uncle can introduce the two of you~"

A scowl crossed her face as she bit back the red threatening her cheeks. There was just so much wrong with the way he spoke those words.

"I'll.... Think about it Mr. Masters..."

It was a hasty retreat, a curt nod of the head before she darted out of the backroom. Vlad simply watched her go, a smug look upon his lips, the expression twisting into something sinister as the door clicked, sounding her departure from the space. His attention then turned back to the glass once more, a sneer evident on his lips.

"You can sense it, can't you? It leaves you fascinated by it, doesn't it?" He grinned through the glass, an almost wild look in his eyes. The mer hissed in response, snapping its jaws at him.

"Snip at me all you will. I will get what I want." He let his expression rest in a smirk, his hands remaining within the pockets of his trousers as he gave the tank one last look, "It's only a matter of time."