The Secret Lives of Fish - a sequel to The Thirteenth Year

Ch 10 - Freak

From the office adjacent to the kitchen, Sharron smiled at Sam and her son as they laughed while cleaning up the lunch dishes. Cody had his mental walls down and she was able to hear his side of the conversation. It was a weird experience that she couldn't help quirk a smile. Sam's voice was muffled by the distance, but Cody's still rang clearly for all in the house to hear. He was more relaxed than he had been in weeks. It warmed her heart to know that he had such good friends who accepted him and he could confide in.

When she had first learned of Cody's secret, she had been so scared. She'd just known scientists and doctors were going to discover his secret and take him away. Then to learn Jess already knew everything and had even conducted tests of his own – she hadn't slept a wink that first night, or the next. To see her son now, back home and laughing with his girlfriend - it was one of the happiest sights a mother could see.

Whit walked into the office, dropping off his tackle box. The tour boat only did morning runs on the weekend, and he'd spent the afternoon fishing. He stood behind his wife and kissed the back of her neck softly. The iceberg of stress that she had been harboring on her shoulders melted. She had her family, and that was all she had ever wanted.

-TSLOF-

Jess stopped a few houses down as he biked up to the Griffith residence. Outside the lighthouse turned home, parked across the street, was an unfamiliar car. From what he could tell it was empty, but it made him suspicious. This was one of the quietest, non-tourist places on the island. He usually didn't see a vehicle he didn't know. While the vehicle being in that spot wasn't suspicious, there was something about it that set his nerves on edge. Still frowning he walked his bike the remainder of the way until he was just outside the white picket fence that marked the Griffith's property. His stomach felt heavy in an uneasy way, full of fear that something was up.

Turning he leaned his bike against the fence and reached for the gate. A strong hand clamped over his mouth as another grabbed around his shoulder and across his chest. His yells muffled as he kicked back, only to realize the hand on his mouth held a damp cloth. His eyes fell shut as his thoughts fluttered out.

-TSLOF-

Cody stood close to his girlfriend as they did the lunch dishes. Not only did his mom not believe in doctors, she believed in old-fashioned hard work to build someone's character. In other words – they didn't own a dishwasher. It was times like this when he was very grateful his mom was so holistic in her ways, along with other times. If she'd taken him to a doctor a year ago when he'd stared changing, instead of trying her methods, he could have been in a lot of trouble. So even though his hands grew scaly and his half formed wrist fins tickled, he was more than happy to do something so normal – so human. Sam hummed a soft tune next to him, throwing her head lightly from side to side. She was just as happy to be spending some time alone with him.

'We should probably head to the ferry after we're done here. Maybe see if someone turned in my bag, or if Pete has seen anything.' It was easy thinking his thoughts towards Sam. With her and Jess, and his parents, he felt like he could hold a normal conversation. He dunked a plate into the sudsy water and scrubbed it with the sponge.

Sam nodded, still humming. She grabbed the cleaned plate from him, shaking it lightly and then dipping it in the warm water in the next sink over, washing away any remaining soap. After a quick swish she shook it out of the water again and placed it in the drying rack.

There was one glass left when a knock came at the door. Cody froze, staring down at his hands and arms. A deep, instinctual fear gripped his heart and he gulped. Sam's hand was in his in seconds, squeezing his webbed hand, their fingers not quite interlocking. His heart beat a crazy rhythm, as flight instincts began urging him dash upstairs and hide. He started tugging Sam towards the kitchen doorway and stopped as his mom blocked the entrance.