Take me to the Deepest Blue

“Do you see him yet?” Louise craned her neck, trying to get a better view of the film set.

They stood a few meters away from the dressing van, their paths blocked by a ‘Do Not Cross’ yellow tape. Glancing over her shoulders, she found Narya less excited. Either that or she was nervous to see him, because she’d been extremely quiet and withdrawn since they got into the car. Something was bothering her—maybe the fact that her lie was about to be uncovered? Louise never believed that she and Ken Lauer were an item.

“This is your moment to shine . . . Where the heck is that boyfriend of yours?”

There were other fans standing amongst them, mostly teenage girls with large placards saying “I love you, Ken!” or “Take me home, Ken!” Louise remembered that phase, though she never really went through it. She was more the studious type, fascinated by sharks since her childhood, and finding marine life far more interesting and attractive than boys her age. Until she met Nick, but that was years after high school. She searched for him in the sea of squealing girls and saw him standing near a fire hydrant by the sidewalk. He looked bored and a little frustrated. He was pinching his left elbow, a habit he never had gotten rid of since he was a teenager. When they first started dating, she especially liked to probe him about his childhood. Being the analytical researcher that she was, she wanted every piece of information she could find on her current boyfriend so that she might better understand what made him the man he was. But Nick was as secretive as an undercover CIA agent. He stayed tight-lipped about his family history, and the only subject he would elaborate on with more than a few words were impersonal details she didn’t care about. He didn’t disclose much, and when she found out through Google that his parents had died in a home-invasion robbery when he was sixteen years old, she stopped probing. He and his sister had been away at summer camp when it happened. As an orphaned teenager, he had to grow up overnight into a man, strong enough to take care of himself and Katie, his twelve-year old sister.

He was quiet but certainly didn’t mind a crowd; he was too confident to be intimidated by anyone she knew. And she knew a lot of cocky guys of little substance. Bringing Nick out was like showing off a rare trophy. Being good-looking didn’t hurt either. They got a lot of stares when they went out together, and she enjoyed the extra attention. What girl didn’t?

Nick was a lot more contemplative than other guys she knew. His experiences in life influenced and shaped him. He preferred solitude, and he naturally gravitated toward diving, lured by the silence and peace it offered when he was underwater. He had admitted to her on several occasions that he preferred the company of fish over humans. She initially laughed at his candidness, but in time, she could relate to this odd preference. It wasn’t that Nick was cold-blooded or shy. He was a top student in his program, and a damn good athlete, excelling at almost every sports she could think of. But he cringed when shoved into the spotlight, possibly a side-effect of journalists swarming around his home, his school, and his after-class swimming lessons. She’d like to think that whenever he dove into the deep blue, he was safely confined in a world tucked away from the chaos above land, enjoying the new role he had taken on: a small, insignificant addition to the exquisite processions in the ocean, going wherever the waves took him. She may be romanticizing his underwater hobby, but she believed that the ocean was his true love—after her, of course.

“I see him.”

Louise heard the whispered words and followed Narya’s gaze through the crowd. A handsome blond man with the body of a Greek god sat on a park bench with a beautiful, otherworldly creature beside him. Louise recognized Hailey Storm, his costar, with her elf-like features and a head full of meticulously arranged dark curls that perfectly framed her stunning face. Ken leaned close against her, his nose rubbing her neck as he whispered something no doubt ridiculously scripted.

“What are they doing?”

Narya must be unaware of the surrounding film crew and the cameraman; she was probably not familiar with the movie scene. Poor girl. She’s oblivious to almost everything with exception to marine biology. During a heated debate on the tiger shark’s predatory instincts, she had contradicted Nick and her at every turn, as though she were the academic expert.

Louise thought back on their discussion and felt the sting to her ego, and she decided to let this go on for a bit longer, as she found herself actually enjoying seeing Narya fuming away. It was harmless, since technically, it was all just an act.

A hush fell over the crowd, and she was not immune to the swooning effect that Ken had on every girl. The Greek god was now passionately kissing the elfin creature in broad daylight, and she heard envious sighs in the crowd. The kiss grew more intense, and she suspected that she—along with all the other girls—were wishing they were sitting with Ken Lauer on that lucky bench.

She was shaken from her thoughts by a loud thud. A crew member’s chair had landed by the bench where Ken and Hailey were sitting. She looked through the crowd. Who would have done such a crazy thing? A disgruntled fan? That chair looked pretty heavy, so it must have been someone stronger than a teenage girl. She turned back toward Narya, eager to make a sarcastic comment, and her heart skipped a beat with the realization of who the offender might be.

Narya’s face was red with rage and her eyes blazed as she glared at Ken Lauer. The oddly innocent, frail-looking girl they had found on the shores of Bahamas had thrown that chair in the actor’s direction. Damn! She hoped that he knew what he gotten himself into, dating a total wacko to begin with. Before she could pull Narya aside to calm her, two largely built bodyguards headed their way.“Oh, shit.” She looked to where Nick had been standing a few minutes before, but there was no sign of him. The stocky bodyguards looked intimidating in their black suits and identical sunglasses. They looked like they could have stood in for Men in Black characters. One approached Narya from behind, and the other was speaking through his headset. Their stiff body language signified that they were not going to let Narya off the hook so easily. As much as she might like seeing Narya carried off and charged with God-knows-what, she felt compelled to help her—for Nick’s sake.

“Hey, hey, hey, it’s just a misunderstanding . . .” Louise stepped between the two men and smiled brightly at the younger bodyguard, but neither paid any attention to her. One forcefully grabbed Narya by the arm and began to pull her away.

“Hey! Hang on one second!” Nick pushed through the crowd to get to them. He stretched his arms wide to block the bodyguards’ path. “What’s going on here?”

“This girl deliberately threw a chair at the actors, that’s what’s going on here.” The older bodyguard, with hair greying at the sides, chewed his gum loudly as he spoke.

“Look, I’m sure it’s just a misunderstanding . . . she probably didn’t mean it—”

Louise saw that Nick was getting flustered as the vein on his forehead became more visible.

She tried to hold it in, but she started to laugh hysterically when she realized how comical it all was. As far as they knew, Narya could be a crazy fan who claimed she was dating Ken Lauer. This was all too much.

“Oh, for the love of God . . .” She turned away in order not to annoy Nick, who was doing his best to prevent Narya from getting arrested. She covered her mouth to stifle her laugh when a familiar figure appeared. Her jaw dropped for the second time today—this was too dramatic to be true.

“Oh, shit. I mean . . . hi.”

Ken Lauer stood in front of her, looking as shocked as she felt, staring at the flaxen-haired girl uncomfortably wedged between his two bodyguards. She looked tiny and waiflike—an unlikely suspect for an assault crime. She hoped he would be gracious enough to forgive a crazy fan, and it was worth the effort to try and talk him into letting her go.

“Listen, my friend here obviously made a mistake. I don’t think she really—”

Before she could finish, he had stopped the bodyguards with an authoritative hand motion.

Louise craned her neck to get a better view of the drama that was spinning out of control. It was like watching a movie within a movie. She couldn’t see his face clearly with all the fans thronging around and raised hands pressing the camera button on their phones. This is going to be the tweet of the year! Everyone seemed to be holding their breath, waiting to see what he would do next. Was he as kind and gentle as he seemed on-screen? Maybe he was just curious and wanted to see for himself the obsessed fan who had attacked him with a chair. He waved then smiled apologetically.

“It’s okay. I know her. This is all a very big misunderstanding.”

As an A-rated actor, he sure had trouble masking his discomfort. At first, the bodyguards were unwilling to let Narya go, but at his insistence and assurance that she was not a threat, they loosened their grip on her and signaled Nick to take over in case she tried anything else.

A large gathering began to form around them as girls gawked at Narya, wondering who in the world she could be. Assaulting Ken Lauer with a chair and getting away with it? Fingers busily typed on phones. This was going to be all over social media.

Nick held Narya’s arm and tried to pull her away from the limelight before she shook free and walked toward Ken. She appeared outwardly calm, but her eyes relayed an angry message.

“Let’s meet somewhere to talk later, yeah?” Ever so confident onscreen, the Ken Lauer that Louise witnessed now looked like he’d been found guilty of an unforgivable crime. His eyes darted from left to right, painstakingly aware of the growing numbers of spectators, all witnesses to a conflict he had not anticipated when he woke up this morning.

“Where?”

Louise watched admirably as the awkward girl she knew brilliantly transformed into a woman in charge. There was a look in her eyes she’d never seen before. Assertiveness? Rage? If she hadn’t known better, the dynamic between these two was that of a bickering couple—boy cheats on girl, girl confronts boy. But Narya—with her oversized T-shirt and a pair of worn-out Nike shorts, standing opposite the meticulously dressed Ken Lauer—made them look like an unlikely couple.

“Are you seeing what I’m seeing?” Louise whispered to Nick. He seemed as confused as she was, unsure of what to make of this encounter.

“Pemberton Valley Lodge. Around five? Maybe . . .” Ken sounded more apologetic by the word. His gaze moved from Narya’s furious face and landed on Nick and then Louise, and his face took on a different expression. “Your friends can take you.”

“Okay.” Narya didn’t look at him as she walked away, leaving both of them speechless as they followed her out of the crowd.

“Ho-ly . . . SHIT.”

As they got back into the car, Louise couldn’t help but give Narya two thumbs up.

“I can’t believe how well you handled that.” She was still laughing as they made their silent walk back to the car, and she tried her best to keep a straight face after Nick gave her a warning look.

“So, is this like a big reunion for you guys? Because it seems to me he had no idea you were coming.”

Louise felt a pinch on her arm, but she had to probe.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

It was the first time she had seen Narya sulk. Today was a first for many things. She turned back to Nick. He wasn’t as amused as she was, but she didn’t mind. What a thrilling way to start the day.

“No.”

Louise looked at her and dismissed her with a wave of her hand. They would accompany Narya to the Pemberton Valley Lodge for her big date with Ken. And at Louise’s insistence, Narya would look exceptionally good for the occasion. But when she sifted through Narya’s bag, the only other outfit that Narya was the gym clothes that she had given her on the day they found her at the beach.

“Okay. I rarely say things like this—but, girl, you need to go shopping.”

Narya initially enjoyed the idea, as this was one of the many activities she looked forward to before she came ashore. But after more than a dozen unsuccessful outfit trysts, she felt like a puppet with no mind of her own. She liked bold, vibrant colors, but Louise had her own stubborn take on fashion and what would work for Narya. All the dresses she had picked out from the many racks they went through were heartlessly discarded by Louise, who had taken over as her personal stylist.

While they were busy in the dressing room, Nick aimlessly wandered around the store. Narya peered through the small opening of the curtains and saw him yawn as he browsed the aisle stacked with women’s clothes. She found herself smiling at the sight of him. It was the first time she had seen him so palpably uncomfortable in his surroundings. It was a refreshing side of Nick that she liked seeing. Maybe she could sneak out before Louise came back. Nick certainly needed a break from all the shopping that didn’t concern him. But before she could plot her escape, Louise stuffed another dark-colored item in her shopping basket on the floor.

“I’m waiting!”

She was not the type to take no for an answer. What Louise wanted, she got.

On most days, Narya found this to be an admirable trait, but not today. She sat on the metal chair inside the change room, staring at her own dull reflection in the mirror. Louise had made her try on a short, black dress with an open back that neither pleased her nor made her feel attractive. She wanted to throw her arms into the air and give up, but a hand pushed through the curtain, holding a shimmery purple dress that glittered with a purpose.

“Here, try this.” She peered down and recognized the tips of Nick’s shoes.

The color reminded her of her mermaid tail, and nostalgia swelled inside her and compelled her to take it. She wasn’t sure about the lightweight material, or the unusually shaped patterns made out of sparkling beads that covered the dress. But most of Louise’s selection had turned out disappointing, and she saw no harm in trying Nick’s suggestion.

She slipped into the dress and was instantly awed by the soft, silky material that caressed her skin. When she looked down to study its magical fabric, she swayed a little, and the glimmer it produced made her giggle. It made her feel like she had her tail back. As she turned to get a glimpse of herself in the mirror, she let out a small gasp.

The ankle-length dress hugged her figure so well that it accentuated every curve she had. She brushed her hair to one side, and her long, wavy, flaxen locks fell perfectly across her bare shoulder, complementing her look with an ethereal glow. She spun around, stunned by the way the scintillating color of the dress shifted as she moved. Excited by this new find, she swayed from side to side and watched the purple fade into silver and magically morph back into its original color. Like a school of purple tang fish clashing with a group of silver sweetlips in an unlikely collision. It reminded her of home.

“I like it.” She said it loud enough so that Louise could hear her on the other side. She could hear Nick laughing close by and she smiled. They were finding more common ground by the hour.

Louise pulled the curtain open and gaped at the smiling Narya, who proudly held her chin high to face her critic.

“Wait, what? This purple disco dress?”

“Yes. I like this one.” She made sure she enunciated every word. It was her dress and she was putting her foot down. She glanced over at Nick and she thought she saw a smile meant for her, which made all the difference for her. She stuffed all the other dull dresses that Louise had emphatically made her try on into the basket and handed it to her. This was the dress, and no other one would do.

As they walked back to the mall’s parking lot, Narya struggled with the unfamiliar height of her heels. If people thought sea urchins’ stings were painful, they should try fitting into a pair of brand-new, three-inch-high shoes. As beautiful as they were—expensive, nude suede shoes—she was confident this would be a one-time experience for her. Since they had stepped beyond the mall’s sliding doors, Louise already had caught her several times when she lost balance trying to dodge the unforgiving potholes on the pavement.

When they at last reached the car, Nick opened the door, and she slid into the backseat as carefully as she could to preserve her new dress. She’s never felt this kind of material against her skin before. She’d seen and heard of silk, but this was the first time she had slipped into a dress that enwrapped her body with such a delightful sensation. Her first dress. She caught a glimpse of herself in the rear-view mirror and realized she was actually looking forward to her meeting with Keames. She had managed to cool off when Louise explained he’d been acting, and repeatedly reassured her that the intimacy shared was staged. They were simply two professional actors doing their job. But no matter how many times she tried to justify the kiss she saw, it still bothered her that he was able to do that so freely, and probably on many other occasions, with different women, due to the nature of his work. Perhaps tonight, he would be able to reassure her in person and erase the doubts crowding her mind.

“Look at you, all excited!” Louise’s voice still had a trace of sarcasm, but it was friendlier, and she appeared equally enthusiastic about the makeover project. “Oh wait, we totally forgot something here …” She sifted through her purse, purposefully digging for something. “I own two shades of lipsticks, so I hope this one will do.” She groaned when her phone rang.

“Naturally, you’d be calling me now, Professor . . .”

The irritation in her voice left no doubt she was talking about Pete who had been calling her incessantly throughout the trip.

“I need to get this. Will you, uh—do this?” Louise shoved her lipstick into Nick’s hand and made a quick circular motion around her mouth with her finger before she exited the car, leaving him and Narya alone, staring blankly at each other.

“I don’t think I’d be good at this.”

After an awkward silence, he handed Narya the lipstick and watched her take it hesitantly. She stared at it, oblivious as to what should be done with the object. She’d seen magazine ads of girls wearing lipsticks but had never come across a page showing a girl actually applying them. She opened the small tube gingerly and peeked inside. The stick was hidden and, without a second thought, she dug her finger into the tube.

“No! No, wait!” Nick unbuckled his seatbelt and snatched the lipstick out of her hands, but she had already smudged her face with a big chunk of it with her index finger. She looked up at him, unsure of what she did wrong.

“Wow, okay, you really are clueless. Look, this is how you open it.” He slowly twisted the bottom of the tube and a very uneven pale pink stick revealed itself.

“Sorry. I don’t know how this works.” A sheepish smile spread across her face, knowing she had ruined Louise’s lipstick.

“Yeah, well, I don’t think this is an expensive one . . . and it’s okay—this is salvageable.” He took out a pocketknife and expertly sliced off the smudged corner of the lipstick. “See?”

He leaned closer, embarrassed by what he was about to do.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.”

Narya mirrored his action and stretched her neck out. She assumed that he was going to help her, and she smiled, waiting for him to apply the lipstick for her.

“No, you have to—part your lips. Okay, first, you have to stop smiling,” he said sternly, at the same time suppressing a reciprocal smile. “Like this.” He parted his lips slightly and he motioned for her to do the same.

“Oh, okay.” She felt ready and focused her gaze on him as he moved in closer with the lipstick in his hands.

He kept his eyes on her lips while she watched him. She’d never noticed the small scar above his left eyebrow, nor the mole that was cleverly disguised in the center of his chin amongst the stubble that he sported. She examined his features and his tanned, muscular arms and smelled the musky cologne at the side of his neck. Hypnotized by their closeness, she reached out and gently glided her fingers across his cheek. Their eyes locked and Narya stopped breathing. She felt like her secret was out but had no idea what it was. He stared back at her as if he could read her mermaid mind. His light brown eyes were scrutinizing every inch of her soul. The peculiar transparency she now felt had morphed into a deep desire to be kissed by this man who held her gaze so fixedly—as though something tragic might happen if he looked away.

“All right!” Louise swung the door open, making both of them jump back and causing Nick to drop the lipstick.

“Apparently Pete seems to think I’m your personal babysitter, Narya. He was asking all these weird questions about how you’re adjusting to the climate here. What a nutjob.” She climbed into the car, becoming aware of the silence only after she had buckled her seatbelt.

“What? What’s going on?” She turned and saw Narya with only her upper lip painted.

Nick stared ahead and cleared his throat before putting his hands back on the wheel.

“Nothing, nothing. Shall we go?” He started the car and the engine roared, dispelling the uncomfortable silence.

They sat by the cozy fireplace in the lobby, waiting for Ken Lauer to show up. There weren’t many people around, mostly retired couples, some quietly reading their books and others in a jollier mood, sipping their drinks by the boisterous bar.

Nick aimlessly flipped through a Vogue magazine and felt inexplicably irritated by all the brand-name ads featuring all these ridiculously famous people. He turned the page and a large portrait of the perfectly manicured Ken Lauer stared back at him, sporting an expensive watch, the designer item he was obviously posing for. When did this guy become the new Leonardo DiCaprio? He took a closer look at the picture and saw nothing he approved of. His skin was too smooth, his hair too blond, and there was something about his eyes that annoyed him. He glared into the camera with one of those facial expressions that had never appealed to him, reminding him of the ‘Blue Steel’ look from Zoolander. This guy was a joke.

He raised his eyes to steal a glance at the girl across from him. How did she, of all people, end up with Ken Lauer? Not that he thought she didn’t deserve him. No, he was thinking more of the other way around. A pang of panic hit him hard in his chest.

“I’ll be right back.” He could feel Louise’s eyes on him as he walked out the door. Ever observant, she sensed something was up.

Once he breathed in the cool, fresh air outside, he could feel the knots in his mind loosening. He relaxed his shoulders and took in the majestic mountains rowed up against a canvas of fading, sepia-colored sky. He used to love coming here. He’d had some pretty memorable dates with backdrops like these. His mind raced as he exhaled deeply. He hadn’t allowed himself to fall for anyone since Katie’s incident. He had shut out Louise and the possibility of being happy with anyone else because, frankly, he didn’t think he deserved happiness. Not after what happened. It had taken him years to finally accept his parents’ death. A fatal robbery, a homicide case. He knew it was foolish to think that, as a scrawny teenager, he could’ve prevented his parents’ death, but he felt responsible for not being there, for not having at least tried to protect them. But he could protect Katie, he wholeheartedly believed he could—and he was not going to let her down.

Things had been improving by the day. They were doing fine, just the two of them. Though they were legally under their widowed aunt’s custody, she was mostly away on business trips, stopping by only to leave grocery money and make sure that they didn’t drop out of school. He was the true parent, Katie’s guardian in every sense, and her full-time emotional support. On most nights, he would make dinner—nothing special—but Katie never failed to let him know how delicious his mac and cheese tasted, nor did she complain when he had little time to cook, settling for breakfast food at dinner.

“I could have Cheerios and your peanut butter jam sandwiches three meals in a row.” She always made sure that his culinary skills were acknowledged, no matter how simple his efforts were.

They had their own set of friends at school, but none of their friendships really came close to what they had with each other. Before their parents died, they were considered close, but after the incident, their closeness forged into an unbreakable bond, an unspoken understanding that they now only had each other to depend on. Katie came home from school in the afternoons and made sure the house was tidy and at least somewhat organized while she waited for him to finish swimming club. When he made dinner, she usually stuck around, finishing her homework at the counter, or helping him with the cooking. They didn’t talk much during these times, but the presence of each other was enough to prevent the heart-wrenching reality of their parents not being there to swallow them whole.

When he met Louise, he had thought he really had it together. Her bright smile made his heart race, and every time he made her laugh, he felt like he had achieved something unattainable. Aside from being stunningly beautiful and bearing an uncanny resemblance to Natalie Portman, she had a carefree way about her, with her loud laughter and intimidating boldness in everything she did. He fell for her instantly, and she became part of his world along with Katie. Life was going well for him, and he felt almost invincible, ready to tackle anything else the world was going to throw at him. He aced all his courses in the marine biology program and even had spare time to volunteer at the local aquarium. When he discovered deep-sea diving with Louise on their spontaneous trip to Belize, he thought that life couldn’t get any better. There in the deep blue sea, he had finally made peace with himself. After his parents’ death, he had finally found some degree of closure and was beginning to see the bright, vivid, rose-colored sides of life. Little did he know all that was about to plummet and change forever for the second time.

He searched for Narya through the window. Her face was blurred by the etched glass, and he was struck by a déjà vu. Where has he seen her before? There were times—whenever he caught a glimpse of Narya from a certain angle—he would feel a pang of familiarity that left him dumbfounded. But so far he hasn’t had any luck with finding the missing piece to the puzzle.

“Hi!” A voice startled him.

He turned around and found himself staring at Ken Lauer.

“Is she in there?” With his blond hair immaculately styled and dressed in a nice suit, he looked as though he just stepped out of a commercial.

Nick scrutinized his face carefully. He tried to smile but his eyes were constantly shifting from left to right. Was it possible? Was Ken Lauer actually nervous about meeting Narya? He found this hard to believe since the Narya that he knew was the least intimidating person he had ever come across.

“Yeah, yeah, I think she’s inside.” Nick wondered if he was already too late—if he’d ever be able to figure out what was so strikingly familiar about her. And now, standing face to face with Ken Lauer, he wondered whether he should run inside first and convince her that this actor wasn’t the guy for her—despite the fact that he was currently ranked among the hottest men in the world by People Magazine.

“Great. Thanks, man.” He rushed through the door, and Nick followed closely behind.

Ken locked eyes with Narya and he attempted to give her a hug. Narya lifted her arms, but then awkwardly backed away when she saw Nick and Louise watching them.

“I’m . . . sorry about earlier today.”

“No, it’s okay.” He sounded unsure. The chair had missed him only by a few inches. He cleared his throat and stretched his hand out to Narya. “Shall we? I made reservations, and I think we’re late already.”

Nick saw that he was trying to avoid eye contact with him and Louise. And Narya could do little or say anything other than wave as Ken took her hand and led her away.

“Well . . . that’s that,” Louise said, watching Ken and Narya exit. The most unlikely couple of the year. “You want to go grab some pizza?”

Ken hadn’t aged a day since she saw him last. His blond hair was smoothed to one side, and his sideburns had grown out. She was not used to seeing him dry, dressed in a fitted suit, not to mention with a glass of wine in his hand. She’d had her fair share of drinks with Louise and Nick, but she was not fond of these funny smelling liquids. She preferred fresh-fruit smoothies over alcohol any day. But seeing Ken sipping his wine with such ease made her feel small and inferior. Everything about him seemed alien and, in a way, unappealing. He chatted with their server who obviously recognized him and appeared excited and flustered about serving them. She watched his lips move and listened intently to the words he spoke. They didn’t used to speak like this before, as everything was communicated through their ability to transmit thoughts to each other. How strange he sounded to her. She was more used to Louise’s low, sultry voice and the occasional curse words she uttered forcefully under her breath. Or Nick’s laugh when she said or did something that made her seem odd to him. Every minute that went by, she felt increasingly distanced from this man whom she thought she loved. Or had she changed since she left the waters?

“Okay, for sure, I’ll be right back with your starters.” Their server giggled nervously as she walked away, frazzled by Keames’ stellar presence.

Interestingly, she wasn’t bothered by the extra attention that he was getting. On the contrary, she felt quite indifferent to it.

“So . . . let’s talk about your time here. I mean, there—where you first . . . landed. How was it?” His voice was low, almost whispering, as though afraid of anyone listening in on their conversation.

“You mean my first transition?”

“Well, yes.” He cleared his throat and raised his glass to his nose. Funny that he wanted to smell his drink before he tasted it. This was his second glass since they were seated at the best table in the restaurant.

“It was fine. Nick and Louise, they . . . well, they found me.”

“Right. The ones that were assigned to you.” His eyes darted from left to right, trying to pick out possible spies. “Are they . . . helpful?”

She decided not to tell him the truth about her friends, not wanting to make him any more nervous than he already was.

“Sure. I mean, yes, they are. Very helpful. Well . . .”

He narrowed his eyes at her as though he knew she wasn’t telling the whole truth. Before he could question her, their server returned with their food on a tray, her eyes extra flirtatious as her gaze rested on Keames.

“Thanks.” His smile was brief this time, and his answer curt. She took the hint and left briskly to wait on another table.

Narya poked at her food with her fork. It didn’t look like a seafood cake so she took a bite.

“What did you order exactly?”

She paused as she felt the familiar texture on her tongue. This did taste like fish. She put her fork down and spat out the content into her napkin.

“Sorry, do you not like this?” Ken looked concerned and poured more water into her glass.

“Not really. What is this?”

“Tuna salad,” he said as he chewed on his seafood.

“Tuna, as in . . . the fish?” She watched in horror as he took a second bite.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I thought . . .” Now he looked embarrassed and gently pushed her plate away. “I wasn’t thinking. You haven’t gotten used to the food here.”

“I don’t think I’d ever get used to it. Do all Changed Ones eat . . . seafood . . . ?” She bent toward him and lowered her voice. “. . . and actually like it?”

Keames looked unperturbed and smiled politely. One of those smiles she’d seen him in on the hair-products commercials. No one else was listening to their conversation. Who was he acting for?

“Well, I’m not sure. I don’t really . . . meet with them very often. I have a very tight schedule.” He cleared his throat and eyed the menu, looking for something else to try.

“Right.” She pulled her plate back and tried picking the tuna strips off the salad, attempting to salvage the meal, as she was already starving.

“I can order something else for you.”

She looked up and saw him smile. His eyes were apologetic and she could tell that he was sincerely trying to make amends.

“That’d be nice.”

“I was really surprised to see you this morning,” he said. He smoothed his hair with his fingers for the tenth time since they had sat down. His hair couldn’t look any more perfect, but there was something about it that bothered her.

“Well, I couldn’t really contact you. Louise did most of the work, and she had already seen all your movies.” She thought about the kiss he had shared with his co-star. Did he enjoy it? Did he ever think of her when he was kissing other actresses?

“Listen, I’m really glad that you’re here. Despite the fact that you threw a chair at me.” His eyes met hers, and they burst out laughing.

“Yes, that was not really planned.”

“You should stay with me for the time being.”

There was no hesitation in his voice, and she felt the warmth of his hand covering hers.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, of course. I mean, I’d have to say that you’re my assistant or something, but no one would bother you.”

She was slightly taken aback at the new role he had planned for her, even though she hadn’t agreed to anything yet.

“Well . . . I don’t know yet. I mean, I’ve been staying with Louise and Nick all this time, and Nick mentioned there was a job for me back on the island—”

“Nick has a job for you?” His voice rose, and his grip on his wineglass tightened.

“I didn’t say I would take it yet. But, yes, I do have some sort of a life back in the Bahamas.”

“You know, it’s really not recommended for us to stay on the coast, so near to home. You never know what might happen.”

“Why? Do you still have transitions left?” She wondered when would be the best time to ask him why he had never returned. Or if he ever planned to.

“No, well, I don’t think so.” He raised his hand to catch the attention of a passing server. “Can we have an order of the asparagus soup?” He redirected his gaze to Narya, swallowed hard and lowered his voice. “The thing is . . . I don’t think there’s a limit.”

“What do you mean? Everyone gets seven, at most, nine transitions . . . that’s why we have to choose—” She sat up straighter in her chair and felt her body stiffen as she absorbed the shockingly new information.

Keames struggled for words. “Well . . . I mean—what I want to say is—I’ve tested it myself. A few months ago, my agent kept pushing me to take this movie role that required me to swim in the ocean. And I was already at my ninth transition. I thought, maybe, why not.” His wiped his forehead with his napkin while his other hand tapped on the table. “But it was too big of a risk for me. I would have had a whole film crew staring at me getting into the water. Not to mention rolling cameras.”

“I tried. I flew into Miami, walked down to the beach and splashed seawater on my legs.” He took a big gulp of his wine. “And then the scales came back. I couldn’t believe it. I jumped back into the water and changed. The transition was instantaneous. I waited another two days before trying again. And again.” He inhaled deeply before he continued with his revelation. “Narya, I reached twenty-three transitions.”

She lifted her eyes to meet his. What was equally disturbing to her, aside from this new information, was that he was able to go through all of his nine transitions without giving her a second thought. It saddened her that she wasn’t in his plans for the future.

“Why did you never come back?” She tried not to sound piteous while saying this, knowing that it made her appear a little desperate. But it bothered her that she wasn’t enough reason for him to return underwater.

“It’s . . . it’s hard to explain in just a few sentences.” His face was ridden with guilt, and he took another sip of his drink as though it might render courage.

“Well, try.” She said firmly as she crossed her arms—a body language she learned from Louise. “I . . . I feel different here.” His fingers drummed next to his wine glass. “I mean—I feel like I matter. You know? And the things that I get to experience—it’s incredible. I get to fly to a different city like every week. It’s more than just a glamorous lifestyle. It’s an eye-opening experience over and over again. You’ll see. You can come with me. You’d be surprised how much you’d love it, too.” His eyes gleamed an unfamiliar desire.

Narya wasn’t sure she understood what he had just said. But it was clearly something that kept him entranced, something that even the deepest, most intriguing part of the ocean could not compete with. Would she ever find something that would trump her desire to be underwater—to make her want to give up the freedom to roam the deep blue as a mermaid?

“What are you thinking about?”

He looked genuinely concerned, and it soothed her to know that he might still care for her. But still—not enough. He chose fame, and whatever came with it, over her.

“So you’re saying that each of us get more than nine transitions?”

“Well, I can’t be sure—I haven’t told anyone else. I don’t really have many Changed Ones in my circle. Though there’s a possibility that there are more than nine. And who knows, maybe a number—a limit doesn’t actually exist.”

A faint smile crossed her lips. No limit—no one has to be changed permanently. Her mind began to drift as she dreamed of the possibility of living two lives simultaneously. No longer having to choose whether to stay on land for good, to completely give up her freedom underwater. That meant she could spend time with her family, race with Grey, and she could see Nick and Louise whenever she wanted to—to come and go as she pleased.

“And there’s something else.”

He wanted to continue but the server came back with their soups, and she giggled again as she met Keames’s gaze.

Narya couldn’t help but roll her eyes. The girl left in a daydream-like state after he had complimented her on her dangling earrings. Narya tried her soup and, at the same time, anticipated another exciting piece of information.

“I have news from a reliable source that there are rumors about us.”

She forgot to blow on her spoon before she took her first sip, and she had to spit it out. Keames made a face at her table manners, but she couldn’t care less. She was having her first encounter of burning sensation on her tongue. With a tight grip on her cup, she easily gulped down the cool, sweet, water she craved almost every minute spent on land.

“Rumors?” She wiped her mouth hastily with the napkin after spilling water on herself.

Keames frowned disapprovingly as he watched her try to clean it off. “Well, someone saw a transition. Or at least a part of it.”

“Who? Where?” This information wasn’t as exciting as the last one.

“Someone from the upper grid. Somewhere in Africa, I think. An island by the Indian ocean. And you know word spreads fast. Especially among researchers—marine biologists, or whatever.”

She was quiet now, her thoughts drifting to Louise and Nick, and she wondered whether they would ever expose her if they found out.

“It’s not safe for you now, being so close to the water.”

She dipped a finger into her water glass and watched the ripple grow. It made sense for her to leave with Keames, but something tugged within her, and it hurt to think she wouldn’t be back in the Bahamas soon. Was her heart already anchored onto something—or someone?

“Are you okay?” he asked, taking her hand in his.

She flinched slightly at his touch. Moments ago, he practically confessed he had forgotten about her—that there was something grander here for him than their lives back in the deep blue.

“Just come with me. It’s the right thing to do.” There was finality in his voice, and as much as she hated to admit it, she knew he was right.

She wasn’t ready to be on her own. Nick and Louise were her friends, but they were nowhere close to being her guardians. Jane and Alicia could offer nothing compared to the familiarity and security that Keames could give her. She needed someone to lean on, someone she trusted to guide her through her transition journey until she was ready to make an informed decision to stay or to return to the waters. Every inch of her body resisted leaving with Keames, but she knew it was her best option for now.

The stars dotted the open sky in the most spectacular show of lights one could hope for. Nick lay inside his sleeping bag, watching the constellation, mesmerized by the beauty and serenity of it all. When he had lived here, he would make a habit of marking down the stars and planets he spotted on a clear evening sky. His eyes were now on the Big Dipper that dazzled the stellar platform.

He had stayed quiet for most of the night, and while he sensed that Louise wanted to talk about their eventful day, he claimed that he was tired and snuck into his tent as soon as they had returned to the campsite. It bothered him to know that Narya was probably not coming back tonight and it irritated him even more to think about whom she’d be spending the night with. At the same time, though, he felt relieved. This would be the end of it, then. He had nothing else to encourage him to pursue something further with her. From a distance, he watched the lake glimmer, lit up by moonlight. The canoe he and Narya had used this morning was tied up at the dock, rocking gently on the water. It had been an unexpected whirlwind of a day.

A tire brake screeched nearby the camp. He rose and stood by the entrance of his tent, looking into the darkness. Two figures approached, and he immediately recognized Narya’s figure by the awkward way she walked in heels.

“Hi!” She smiled as she came closer, and Nick’s first thought was that Ken had her hand in his.

“Hi,” he said, staring at Ken. He wondered if the actor remembered him from earlier today.

“Hi again,” Ken replied. “I’m sorry I haven’t had time to properly introduce myself yet.”

Nick resisted the urge to scoff at this fake humbleness. No one so famous needed an introduction. Admittedly, he was being biased, never having liked any of his movies. Not a fan of rom-coms to begin with. Nor did he like the fact that he and Narya were an item, as unlikely as it seemed.

“Right. I’m Nick.”

“Uh-huh. And how long have you been . . . up . . . here?” Ken appeared to be having trouble with his words.

“Here? Not that long. But I’m pretty familiar with this area.” Nick tried to remain friendly for Narya’s sake, but he disliked any form of small talk. He wished that he would just get to the point. Did she bring him back here to formally introduce Ken as her boyfriend? A few hours ago, the idea was laughable, though he tried to keep the absurdity of it to himself. Now it seemed the joke was on him.

“Really? I thought you and Louise were assigned to Narya—”

A slap on his shoulder stopped him mid-sentence. Ken and Nick shifted their attention to Narya, who appeared flustered by their conversation.

“Um . . . so Nick, where is Louise?”

“Probably sleeping.” He pointed toward the tent adjacent to his and the faint snoring heard from inside.

“Right,” she said, laughing nervously. “I came to get the rest of my things—and to say goodbye.”

“Oh . . . right.” Nick had anticipated this, the worst-case scenario. Turning away quickly, he tried not to show his disappointment. He went into the tent he had set up for Narya and retrieved her bag. She didn’t have much luggage, so it weighed close to nothing. Its lightness was a sharp contrast to the heavy stone he felt weighing on his heart. This was it then.

“Thanks.” As Narya reached for the bag, Ken picked it up and slung it across his bulky shoulder.

Louise popped her head out of her tent, her eyes hidden by the unkempt hair she tried to smooth over to the side. “Hey! Where are you off to? Oh, shit. I mean, hi.”

Nick could see that she sorely regretted not checking the mirror first and noticing Ken a second too late.

Ken nodded and smiled politely at Louise; he obviously was used to girls acting absurdly around him.

“So you’re leaving us?” Louise noticed Narya’s bag and couldn’t help but show a hint of disappointment.

Nick had been sure she wasn’t a big fan of Narya and her weird ways. Perhaps he’d been wrong and was not the only one who would miss her following her hasty departure.

“I think so,” Narya said without looking her in the eye.

Still halfway inside her tent, with only her head and elbows protruding, Louise said, “Well, we’re taking the red-eye flight in a few hours. We still have your return ticket . . . in case you change your mind.”

“Thanks—I’ll think about it.” Narya’s eyes shone at the prospect but quickly dimmed when Ken cleared his throat, a signal for their departure.

“We should go. It was great meeting you both.” He waved suavely and had started to walk away while Narya lingered behind.

“And good luck up here, you two.” He winked at Louise, making her almost swoon as she smiled in reciprocation.

“We’ll . . . be fine.” Nick didn’t fully understand what he meant, but decided to shrug it off. He didn’t want to prolong any unnecessary interaction with Ken Lauer.

“Oh, right,” Narya said, suddenly remembering something. She dug into her pocket and handed the lipstick back to its rightful owner.

“Thanks for this.” Her gaze shifted from Louise to Nick.

He suddenly felt unsure of himself, like she was staring into the part of his soul he preferred to keep hidden.

Before she could walk away, Nick felt prompted to say something, anything at all to stall her from leaving.

“You know Pete wants to offer you a job?” he blurted out. He hoped no one picked up the panic in his tone.

Narya was intrigued. “A real job?”

The possibility made Ken stop in his track as well.

“Yeah, he wants you to be his shark-tag assistant. I mean, really, you of all people.”

Louise rolled her eyes at the ridiculous idea of Narya doing something she herself was more qualified to do.

“Shark tagging—really?” Ken frowned disapprovingly at Nick and discarded the job proposal. He wasn’t the adventurous type, never having dived nor did he ever plan to. “I don’t think—”

“Tell Pete that I’ll think about it,” Narya said.

Nick nodded. “Sure.” Her arm was still linked with Ken’s. This had been a vain attempt after all.

“Goodbye.” She was far enough so that it was only as loud as a whisper.

The strange, clueless girl they had stumbled upon was bidding them farewell, with the company of her famous boyfriend.

Nick couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity of the situation. She was like a fleeting dream—one that was deeply unsatisfying and leaving him wanting more.

“That was odd.” Louise was busy stuffing her things into her duffel bag.

They dissembled their tents and were getting ready to drive to the airport. Nick always found packing a daunting task, but tonight it was especially irritating.

“What was?” He knew she would bring this up to bug him. The ever-so-observant Louise must have picked up his disappointment after Narya left.

“You know, the way she just . . . left.”

“I don’t think we know her enough to know what is normal for her.”

He had sounded curt with Louise and wished he could take it back. Too late, now. She shifted her attention from her bag to him and his sour mood.

“Wait!” Her eyes brightened at the epiphany. “You’re actually sorry to see her go.” There was no hostility in her voice, but she wasn’t thrilled with this revelation.

“Come on, Lou. We’re going to be late.” He zipped up his camping bag and swung the car door wide open. Time to head home.

“I didn’t expect that you could handle alcohol.”

Keames and Narya sat side by side at the hotel bar, waiting for their drinks. When the server took their order, Narya asked for a piña colada, the only drink she knew off the top of her head, thanks to Louise’s intense drinking sessions.

“I just really like the pineapple,” she said with a hint of embarrassment.

Keames laughed heartily at her childish response. She felt belittled by his reaction and shrank back into her seat with the drink in her hand.

“Well, you’ll have the opportunity to try many, many other drinks.” A server came by and delivered their orders. “Thanks,” Keames nodded perfunctorily before sliding Narya’s drink over to her.

This was a fancy, exclusive bar by the way people dressed and acted. She looked to her left and saw a table of middle-aged women, bejeweled from head to toe, happily chatting away. Next to them were two young men meticulously dressed in expensive looking suits, smoking cigars. When she shifted her gaze back to Keames, she saw that he belonged here—tailor made to fit into this picture-perfect setting. Flashing her a dazzling grin, he took his shot glass and finished it on the spot.

“That tiny drink costs thirty-five dollars?” She didn’t have any money of her own, but she’d been out with Louise and Nick enough to know what was considered expensive.

“It’s more about the quality than the quantity of the drink,” he said, sounding much like her father when he’d lecture her about the value of a pristine coral reef.

“I see.” She took a sip of her inexpensive piña colada and watched Keames order another drink. She felt inexplicably out of place with someone she had been so close to in their formerly shared territory.

“Do you miss it?” She had been suppressing the question since being reunited with the first merman on land.

“I’m not sure,” he replied casually, holding his empty glass. “Sometimes I don’t think about it at all, and when I’m reminded of the waters, I try to think of something else.”

His answer made Narya’s heart sink. She had anticipated a drastic shift of attitude in the Changed Ones, but she had a higher regard for Keames. Before he had decided to venture out of the waters, he was dedicated to preserving the pristine ground in their grid. His passion for life underwater was infectious and had a lasting effect on everyone who came across him. Though he was likely still considered charming—especially here on land, she found herself becoming less enchanted by this new Keames by the minute.

“Where are Nick and Louise from?” he asked. “I’m assuming these are their changed names? Not very original,” he chuckled to himself. “I know too many Nicks here on land.”

Narya flinched at his mention of her human friends. She wanted to keep them a secret; but up until now, she had felt diminished by most of his comments and reactions and wanted to purposely thwart this unexpected curveball at him. Just for fun.

“Well, they’re not actually . . . merpeople.”

“What do you mean?” His eyes darkened and stared into hers, expecting an immediate answer. Anything to contradict the shocking news he thought he had just heard.

“They are . . . just people.” She felt a small triumph. Keames was blinking hard, a habit of his when he was surprised. Soon the stuttering would start.

“What—are you—Narya—what—what—I can’t—I just can’t—what . . .” His face turned redder and he leaned closer to her.

“Do they know about us?” He was now speaking through clenched teeth.

She found his rage to be a little ridiculous but tried to keep a straight face, or she might trigger him to lose it in public. And Ken Lauer couldn’t afford to do that. She let out a small smirk. When she didn’t answer right away, Keames persisted, his hand tightly clutching hers.

“Narya, do they know?”

She was certain that Nick and Louise wouldn’t do anything to harm her even if they knew, but seeing Keames so guarded unsettled her. She moved a few inches away, but that didn’t stop her from smelling the alcohol on his breath.

“No, of course not.” She frowned at the thought of Nick conducting research on mermaids. Would he ever be involved in such a thing? What if he had discovered what she really was underneath?

“So who is in charge of your transition? And why didn’t they come with you?” It was a full-on interrogation now. He wasted no time trying to get to the bottom of everything.

She glanced furtively at him and she could tell that he quickly picked up where her guilt was coming from.

“You!” He lowered his voice again when he saw he had drawn stares from people around them. “You’re on your own? Without any Changed Ones?”

“I’m fine.” She felt defensive and compelled to let him know she was able to survive on her own. “And I’m here, aren’t I? The fact that I’m able to come all the way here without being discovered, without the help of any Changed Ones—shouldn’t that say something about me? Give me some credit, Keames.”

His shoulders relaxed a little, and he flexed his fingers as he glanced sideways, seemingly always on a lookout for spies.

“Yes, well I suppose you are not completely clueless.” He sighed and his eyes took her in, seeing her in a slightly different light now that he found her to be more rebellious and capable than he had initially thought.

“Okay, maybe we should go back.”

“Back? Underwater?” She thought it highly unlikely but was hopeful nonetheless.

“No, I mean upstairs, back to the room. We’re still not done talking about this.” He grabbed his jacket off the chair and motioned for her to stand up.

Sulkily, she walked toward the exit, and he followed closely with his hand on her back. He was leading her out of the crowded bar as if she needed his protection and guidance.

“I can walk just fine by myself, Keames.” She gave him a cold stare before she quickened her pace and left him behind.

The shock in his eyes was her second triumph of the night.

The elevator was a small, confined space, and another young couple entered at the same time as they did. They were on their way up to the 17th floor, where Keames was booked for the night. She watched the floor buttons lit up one by one. Three . . . Four . . . Five.

The doors opened and the couple walked out. The woman turned and stole a subtle glimpse of Keames and smiled. Narya wondered if he truly enjoyed his fame, or if this was only one of the things he had to deal with being a famous actor. She caught him grinning back.

When the doors closed again, he gently wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She had adored his touch underwater, but this intimacy seemed foreign, almost suffocating in a way that made her body limp. She could smell the alcohol on his lips and wanted to shake herself free. Before she could stop him, she watched him lower his head, and felt his hand under her chin, pulling her in for a kiss. A human kiss. How oddly repulsive this all is. She had a flashback to earlier in the day, a similar scenario. The memory of Nick was like a bright gleam from a school of bait fish reflecting off each other, and it made her jerk her head back, leaving Keames stunned and speechless as he watched her back away from him.

“I . . . I have to go.” She looked for the ground floor button and pressed it firmly. She thought about Nick and how free he made her feel, not trapped like this. The walls of the elevator were closing in on her.

“What—where are you going? Are you kidding me right now?” Keames was used to getting his way and rejection was not common for him, especially since his career as an actor took off on land.

The elevator bell announced their arrival on the 17th floor. They stood across from each other, both staring at the open doors and the view of the red-carpeted hallway floor.

“I’m going back to the Bahamas.” She stood erect, feeling more determined than ever. If she were underwater, her tail would be fully stretched out, steadily moving to keep her in an upright posture, looking taller than the merman that stood before her. But she was on land—in an elevator, no less—and she gathered the courage to not let him intimidate her.

“To do what, Narya?” Exasperated, he looked at her as though she were a child with unreasonable demands.

She felt a spark of rage expand in her chest.

“I’m not sure yet. But I know I want to be there.”

The elevators door began to close, and she could see his eyes on the narrowing gap. The doors shut and they started to moved again. She exhaled in relief.

“You know those people can’t help you if you get in trouble. If you . . . slip.” Keames’s face was unsympathetic, and his voice had an edge to it.

“I can take care of myself. And, I trust them.” She pressed her hand against her chest as though the action demonstrated full trust in her friends. Funny how much she learned about body language in such a short time. She had adapted to the human ways far better than she had anticipated. Strange how this all seemed so natural to her now. There was surely an undeniable link between them and humans; the longer she dwelled in this place, the more she believed their similarities outweighed their differences.

“They are humans, Narya. You can’t let your guard down. You’re too naïve to really think they’re your friends!” His hands clenched into fists, and he pressed something that made the elevator stop.

She had never felt unsafe with Keames before, and this was the first time she wondered whether he could hurt her if he wanted to. He grabbed her forcibly by the arm, and she felt no pain, but his action alone made her wince.

“Every mermaid decides her own fate, even you know this.”

She raised her chin and made sure he remembered who she was. As trapped and helpless as she may appear on land, compared to his Changed status, she was still a mermaid—as free as one can be.

“And you can’t stop me.”

His eyes widened as though he remembered who she was—and what he used to be.

“No, I don’t suppose I can.” His grip loosened on her and he took a few steps back. He stood quietly with his head hung low before he raised his eyes.

“This is crazy—you know?” He pressed a button and they felt a thud before the elevator began to move again.

“I know.” A small grin crossed her mouth before she caught herself.

“How will you even get back to the Bahamas?” He glanced at his gold Rolex. “You’ll never make that flight in time.”

“I’m not planning to fly.” Her eyes were fixed on the elevator buttons. Five . . . Four . . . Three . . .

“Really. And how do you plan to go there?” He eyed her with a whimsical expression.

One . . .

“Swim.”

“What?”

The elevator doors swung open and she leapt out as though her life depended on it. She was going back. And she was going to take the shortcut.

Nick looked out the window, and as they ascended into the sea of clouds, he caught sight of the waters sparkling in the moonlight. And in that split second, what appeared to be a whale’s tail emerged from the water.