The Stranger

Part 4

“I’ve never had cooked crab before,” Rayna says, tossing the last crab shell on the substantial pile of remains they’d created during the course of their meal. The gulls overheard squawk their interest.

“Why would you?” Galen asks. “Live crab tastes better.” His nerves are on the verge of revolting. Rayna hasn’t stopped talking, Toraf hasn’t stopped glaring at him, and Rachel hasn’t stopped assessing him with worshipful eyes. It’s the longest meal he’s ever taken in his life, and he’s ready for it to be over.

Rayna gives Rachel an apologetic look. “Galen can be dense sometimes. He doesn’t appreciate how sophisticated humans are.”

Usually it’s Galen having to offer excuses for Rayna’s behavior. Guilt picks at him like tiny minnows. He glances at Rachel sheepishly. “It’s just that we don’t spend much time on land. We’re not supposed to.”

Rachel draws her knees up to her chin, scrunching her toes in the sand. “I see.” She stares into the dwindling fire, her body casting a small shadow beside her by a midmorning sun. Even the shadow has unruly hair. “I was hoping that we could get to know each other better. All of us. Friendships start out based on a lot less than—”

“We can’t,” Galen says quickly. He stands. “I wasn’t supposed to do what I did.”

“You regret saving me?” She says this without expression. Galen wonders if this is a learned reaction. He’s seen his brother Grom do it countless times, wear indifference like a second skin.

“No.” He runs a hand through his hair. “No. But staying on land like this, building a fire…It’s not what we do.”

“What exactly do you do?” She glances at his necklace for emphasis.

Galen clutches it. It looks bad, he knows. Wearing a human’s necklace and claiming that he doesn’t spend time on land. But it’s the truth. He frowns. “I didn’t steal it, if that’s what you mean.”

“Why would I mean that?”

Rachel is especially good at making him feel wrong, Galen decides. He doesn’t know where this conversation could be going, and it makes him uncomfortable. He glances, for what feels like the hundredth time, toward the waves beckoning at him. “We have to go now.”

Rachel stands quickly. So quickly that Toraf puts a protective arm around Rayna, which earns him an elbow to the ribs. “I’m sorry to beat around the bush,” Rachel says. “I’m just…trying to figure you out, is all.” She pulls her mess of hair around to one side. “And I don’t mean to get all up in your business. Honest to God, I don’t. But if I had to guess, being who—or what—you are, I’d say you found that necklace in the ocean somewhere. A shipwreck maybe?” When Galen’s mouth drops open, she smiles. “And if that’s the case, then it could be worth a lot of money.”

“Money?” Rayna says, testing out the word. She still hasn’t stood up, which means that she doesn’t intend on leaving with Galen. Nice. “Is that good?”

“To humans, it’s very good,” Rachel says. “Money is power up here on land.”

Galen crosses his arms. “We don’t need human power. As I said, we don’t spend much time on land.”

“Why not?”

Galen blinks. “Why not what?”

"Why don’t you spend much time on land? Don’t you care what the humans are doing? Because believe me, they’d care very much if they found out about you.” She waves in dismissal when he takes a step back. “Oh, sweet pea, that’s one thing you’ll just have to learn about me. I’m an expert secret keeper.”