When they got back to their room, they both entered their passcode and headed straight for their bedroom where they would change out of their muddy clothes.
"Hanna, we're back!" Melise called out to their roommate.
"Okay, I'm in the kitchen. How was the mission?"
"Another vampire safely contained." Melise looked proud of herself as she strolled into the kitchen wearing black leggings and a baggy jumper.
"I heard Fallon got hurt again."
"Yeah. I don't know why they let her hunt down vampires, she's not ready for them yet." Melise grabbed a handful of the grated cheese that was supposed to be for the jacket potatoes.
Hanna swatted her away. "At least your missions are getting watched over. If you were ever in any real danger, they'd get a nymph to take you back here."
Nymphs could produce what were known as 'paths', to take you from one place to another. They could only move in space, not time, and could take anyone where they wanted to go if they spoke the nymph's name and told them where to take you.
The nymph paths were a scary experience for most, especially first timers. Even the most experienced agents still felt a little queasy when being taken across one.
Fallon spent the night staring at the ceiling, wondering what her future would be like. She would most likely be one of those people who spent their time stuck in a cubicle at the main office, doing all the paperwork because they failed in the field.
She sighed and went to get a glass of water, but even that didn't help her sleep. She had been feeling very down for a while now; she didn't think she was a great agent and the way Melise boasted got on her nerves.
Eventually, Fallon pulled on her sandals and made her way down to the mermaid's tank. She hated that they called it a 'tank', it made it sound as though they were there for show; for everyone to watch.
The mermaids controlled a lot of the computers, mainly the records of paranormals coming in and out. Fallon was amazed by the mermaids when she first arrived, and had spent a lot of her nights when she was twelve talking to the mermaids; especially one, named Mia. When the mermaids spoke, it had to be translated through a special system in the glass and the younger Fallon had found their voices rather amusing.
"Hi Mia."
Mia swirled around, her yellow and turquoise tail flicking around in the water. "Fallon, hello." The near-emotionless computerised voice said.
"Anything interesting happened with you today?"
"Not really. That vampire you and Melise turned in is going to his trial tomorrow. I reckon he'll get fifty years containment and then tracked for the rest of his time."
"Oh. That's good."
"Are you alright? You look sad." Mia came closer to the glass and pushed a webbed hand against it. Fallon put her hand up against the glass too. This was the closest form of contact they could ever have since swimming with the mermaids was forbidden. One whiff of blood and they went stir-crazy.
"I don't want to bother you. Just get back to what you were doing before I arrived."
Fallon enjoyed watching the mermaids swim. They were so elegant and the many lights one the floor shone upwards, making their scales shimmer so nicely. The lights had to be on the floor, not on the ceiling, as the mermaids were very sensitive to heat.
Mia pulled up the clock on the glass that acted as a computer screen. "It's nearly two o'clock in the morning, get some sleep Fallon. Talk to me about it tomorrow, yeah?"
Fallon did as she was told and trudged back up to her room. Tomorrow was a new day; she could only hope it would be a better one.
