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Bobby wrung his hands together.
“That’s a big ask,” he admitted with a nervous puff that was supposed to be a laugh. The man across from him didn’t answer.
His navy blue and silver three-piece-suit was pressed to perfection, tight fitting to show off his broad shoulders and chest. Golden buttons latched the coat closed. The polish on his black dress shoes appeared thin, but ended up casting a reflection that only a heavy amount of polishing for a long period of time could achieve. Light prickled against the toe.
His hair was an ominous black, the kind of color that got hard to look at after a while. It was slicked back in a way that screamed old money.
The man leaned forward, lacing his fingers together and supporting his chin on the knuckles.
“Do you know why I hired your team, Mr. Jeong?” he inquired. His voice rumbled and flickered, but was also incredibly too smooth. Bobby shuddered.
“Was it because you were top of your respective classes in University?” The man picked up a wine glass. “Was it because you’ve all helped run multiple projects for people who consider me friends?” He swished the bright red liquid around before slowly tilting the chalice over. Drops splattered against the desk.
“No…no, Mr. Jeong.” It looked like spilt blood. “I hired you three because you each have past records of catching sea creatures with prohibited gear and then selling poorly handled cuts on illegal markets.”
The last drop fell. Bobby’s eyes snapped back up.
“That was before–” he tried to argue. The man cut him off with a raised hand.
“You’ve used chemicals on fish before, I see no reason why you can’t do it again.”
Something in Bobby snapped.
“She’s not just a fish!”
But every living thing that wasn’t human was the same to him. And only man deserved respect.
So the plan was started anyway.
The thing about the institution is that everyone knew everyone. It was a safe and welcoming place that had roughly thirty members. These thirty were handpicked by different governments across the globe. Honestly, it was a surprise they all worked together well and long enough to make the decision.
These thirty were chosen to study marine creatures with human-like attributes. Beauty beyond compare to lust and allure you. Flowing, shimmering scales that draped and glistened across their chests and backs. Webbed feet and hands with pointed claws, bones visible through their tight skin. Their eyes were pointed and wide. Their teeth were long and sharp.
They were found less than a decade ago, swimming along the Western Pacific. However, though many have been spotted, only one has been captured.
Amongst the members were a subsection of three that analyzed and studied this creature. Bobby, the man who oversaw the program. Mira, the nutritionist and medic who tracked the diet and health of the creature. And Zoey, the leading marine biologist in her field, who performed most of the experiments.
They had spent just over half a year together. The four of them. A small family.
“Mira, did she react better to the live fish or the deceased?”
Zoey tightened the straps of her flippers, heel protesting from the strain. She rolled down the leg of her wetsuit and stood. Mira appeared from the next room. She carried a plastic crate filled with Bluefin Tuna.
“There was a positive response to both, Zo,” she replied, setting the crate down by the pool’s edge. “Though, she did enjoy chasing the live set. It was good exercise, as well.”
Zoey nodded. “Alright, alright. Sounds good.” She turned to Bobby who stood near the door.
“Pool temperature?”
“28 degrees celsius,” he called back.
“Chlorine levels?
“Neutralized.”
“Ready to proceed?” she asked. Bobby shot a thumbs up.
Zoey lowered the diving mask over her face, shrugging her shoulders to better hold the scuba tank and pony bottle. The screen mounted on the wall whirled to life.
3…The tips of her flippers hung off the ledge.
2…She crouched.
1…“You got this, Zoey!” Mira called from across the room. Zoey repeated the words to herself.
…Launch!
Darkness encased her. Bubbles swirled through her version. Zoey took a trail breath, taking a second one in solace once she found her oxygen supply to be working. Capsizing herself, Zoey kicked downwards into the depths of the pool. Feet planting against the bottom, she spun around in search of her friend.
Chirp?
There she was.
Chirp! Chirp!
Zoey was headbutted from behind. A long tail wrapped around her waist as rough hair tickled her neck. She stifled a laugh to not waste valuable air.
Rumi was their siren. She had purple scales and hair braided with seaweed and flower petals. She moved her head to the side to look at Zoey better, the pectoral fins on her neck under her gills bristling. Warm, brown eyes with blue accents stared up at her in quiet wonder. The fins on the end of her tail patted Zoey’s hip.
Rumi chirped again. They found the sound was quite similar to dolphins.
Petting Rumi’s head, Zoey pulled out a camera designed for underwater photography and video capture and set it on a rock. She angled it toward the siren. From the pack she brought with her, Zoey released a brown and gray spotted fish with white spikes along its back. It zipped from her bag and danced around a bit. Rumi tilted her head.
Since she was from the Western Pacific Warm Pool, they wanted to see how she’d interact with fish species she wouldn't have seen too often. Introducing the Gulf Grouper. Same body of water, they didn’t want to bring her anything too unfamiliar, but from the eastern side.
Rumi let go of Zoey to swim a little closer to the fish. She sniffed it. It darted away.
The camera locked on her and panned to the left as she chased the fish. A wide smile spread across her face. She swam up and over, blinking and chuffing happily.
It glubbed in response.
Zoey snorted. She found it endearing how curious Rumi was.
That was until she pounced on the little guy, clenching her jaws around its small body. It squirmed helplessly, a trail of blood bleeding into the water. Her eyes dilated at the flavor. She threw her head back, quickly swallowing down the Grouper in quick snaps.
Zoey kicked back a little. Watching her friend eat was always…unsettling, to say the least. With her freakishly long tongue, Rumi lapped the excess saliva and meat off her chin. She swam back over to Zoey.
“Fsss,” she trilled.
Zoey grinned and clapped at Rumi’s attempt to speak, hoping that would be enough to convey her praise while she couldn’t respond. Picking up the camera, she turned it over and saved the film.
Reaction to the Gulf Grouper: interested and playful. Positive response to the taste. No strong or negative emotions now that it’s gone.
Next to the Pacific is the Indian Ocean. One of their many fish species being the Indian Red Snapper. Today’s experiment was seeing how Rumi reacted to a species not from her ocean.
Mira zipped up the back of Zoey’s wet suit. She waited until Bobby finished checking the oxygen supply in the scuba tank before carrying the container over and slipping the straps over Zoey’s shoulders.
“Sleep well?” she asked, watching as Zoey slicked back her hair and started tying it up. Mira had noticed Zoey fidgeting more, checking and re-checking notes and documents. She was even late to the building today, something that had never happened before.
Her friend chuckled uneasily. “Just a little mixed up, Mir,” she admitted. “Rumi’s been, well, aggressive, more recently. Ever since we started this project.”
The project being trying to familiarize her with other sea life.
Mira hummed. “Could it be that she's territorial?” she questioned.
“Why would she be?” Zoey griped. “She’s living in the optimal environment! Uncrowded, clean, plenty of food. We don’t surround her with any large species because she reacts badly to them, so why is she threatened by some small fry when she’s the dominant species?”
Mira smirked and patted her shoulder in sympathy.
“Well, we can see what Ru does with the Snapper. That is what this experiment is for.”
Zoey sighed in defeat.
Mira stood next to Bobby near the door as the electric board on the wall powered on. They did their back and forth of common, but necessary, questions before Zoey lined herself up to the edge.
She stared at the clock as it ticked down. 3…2…1…
Launch! The water swallowed her whole. Ripples crinkled outwards from where she submerged, lapping against the pool’s sides.
They waited to see if she’d reemerge. Whether there was a problem with her suit, the oxygen supply wasn’t working, or some other reason, they’d need to be there to help her out. After a couple minutes, thankfully, Zoey didn’t show.
Bobby cleared his throat. “Maybe it’s not the fish,” he mused.
Mira raised an eyebrow, about to ask what he meant.
“Maybe Rumi’s not becoming aggressive because of the fish. Maybe it’s Zoey she’s worried about.”
Zoey dove down. Her limbs slogged through the water. When she reached the bottom where the siren normally met her, Zoey began setting up the camera for recording. Once it was probably attached, she spun around in search of Rumi.
But there was nothing.
The dark void seemed to go endlessly in every direction. She peered upward, seeing a thin stream of shine puncturing the depths from the artificial light above. It was hard to walk as she trudged across the enclosure’s floor. Her feet took monumental effort to lift. It was probably from the heavy equipment she wore to stay at the bottom.
Zoey worked hard everyday to stay fit so she could swim with all this gear weighing her down. She must have gained at least twenty pounds in muscle since meeting Rumi.
Where are you, Rumi, she thought to herself. Rumi~ Rumi, Rumi, Rumi.
A chirp. She wheeled around, heart fluttering at the familiar sound. Instead of her friend, however, was a squat and slimy fish with a flattened body and olive coloring. It slunk along the sea floor, kicking up dust with its tail.
This was a California Singing Fish. This was a part of Rumi’s breakfast from this morning. They had released only one live one for exercise.
…Why didn’t Rumi eat?
Scooping up the fish with one hand, Zoey started making her way back to the camera. She opened the pack with the Indian Red Snapper and shoved the Singing Fish inside. It could be saved for later.
She continued her search in the opposite direction.
It had never taken Rumi this long to find her. She unclipped a dive light from her belt. The beam warbled slightly as the water moved around her.
Zoey approached a strip of rocks. She flashed the light against the grains, ripping through the shadows. A small hollow between two produced a quiet hissing sound. Zoey moved closer, raising the torch. Two brown slits glared back at her.
She dropped the flashlight. It slowly sank before hitting the ground with a dull thump.
Rumi slithered out, tail swishing in an irritated motion. She bared her teeth. Zoey put her hands up in a show of surrender.
She’s never seen Rumi act like this before. Acting so hostile. Maybe she was sick? That would explain why she hadn’t eaten. Why she was hiding. Why she was growling at Zoey in a way completely foreign to how she normally acted.
Affectionate, benign, and filled with curiosity. Sure, a little sloppy while eating. And she would yowl loudly whenever Mira gave her injections, but she was never cruel. She didn’t bite. She didn’t claw. She would smile and chirp and cuddle up to Zoey every time she dove down to visit. She participated in trials and studies with loud, ferocious wonder.
Zoey was going to take out a small minnow from a poach on her belt, often used for treats, when Rumi snapped at her. She bit at the water in front of Zoey’s face in warning, hissing again.
Alright, alright, I get it.
Zoey started reversing, feet dragging as she tried to put space between them. Rumi watched her go. When she deemed the distance good, Rumi flipped over and returned to the cleft.
Zoey packed up her camera and fish and surfaced.
Mira was already waiting for Zoey when she pulled herself out of the pool. She sat at a picnic-looking table, laptop open to their spreadsheet.
“You took your sweet time,” she commented, not even looking up from her work.
Zoey detached her mask and gulped down candied air. She lifted her goggles and pushed her damp hair off her forehead.
“She tried to bite me.”
Mira paused her typing. “…What?”
Zoey plopped down next to her on the bench, chest rising and falling in quick succession. She took another second to catch her breath.
“She tried to bite me,” the diver repeated. “And she didn’t eat this morning either, I found the Singing Fish. And she was staying near the rocks, she didn’t come to see me like usual. And her gills were flared. She was totally upset about something.”
Before she could continue her rambling about Rumi, Mira cupped Zoey’s face and made her look into her eyes.
“Rumi could be sick,” she began, much to Zoey’s horror. “The loss of appetite and hiding would explain that.”
Zoey opened her mouth.
“But–” Zoey clamped her mouth shut, “that could also be signs of her being territorial, which we talked about earlier.”
Mira looked at her friend questioningly. “She tried to bite you, you said? Wouldn’t that be territorial aggression?”
Zoey worried at her lip. “She shouldn't be,” she whispered, more to herself than Mira. “Unless she's stressed…do you think we've been stressing her?”
Zoey paled. “Maybe I've been stressing her out without realizing. Oh my god, what if she hates me!”
Mira rolled her eyes. “Zoey. No. She loves you. You're the only one she speaks around, and the only one she likes to swim with.”
Zoey smiled at the memory. “Ah, she's so majestic while swimming,” she recalled wistfully. “The way she sways and moves almost like she's…almost like she's…” Zoey faltered.
“Almost like she's dancing,” Mira finished in an equally small voice.
“Yeah.”
They sat in their quiet realization. Zoey groaned, covering her face with her hands. Her cheeks were on fire.
“Mira, I'm being courted by a siren!”
Mira smiled dopily, eyes wide. “Zoey, you're being courted by a siren.”
“You're enjoying this way too much!”
The medic tipped her head back and laughed.
“Let’s reattempt the Indian Red Snapper experiment, yeah, Zo?” Bobby handed her the pack. Water sloshed inside.
It had been a week since Rumi’s outburst. She was calmer now. Friendlier. She cooed and chirped and nuzzled against Zoey’s neck and chest like she usually did. And it was definitely because they hadn’t introduced anything she wouldn’t be accustomed to, so she was no longer stressed. The fish were the problem. That was all. There was absolutely no courting going on. None, what so far. No siree bob.
Zoey’s heart was pounding. Her face was flushed. She had reached the bottom and was immediately swept into a hug by the siren. Her hair had been rebraided, red scales pinned throughout the purple locks.
She laid on her back. Zoey had never noticed how soft Rumi’s tail was. When her hand stroked over it, the armor-like material palpitated. It was like a heartbeat. Or maybe more like goosebumps.
Zoey didn’t care. Rumi purred under her touch beautifully.
Too bad I have to ruin this moment, she thought, already reaching for the bag. When she opened it and the fish darted out, Rumi perked up. Her eyes followed as it swam.
“Fsss?” she questioned, cocking her head.
Zoey applauded. She watched as Rumi started trailing after the Red Snapper. It bubbled. When she tapped the side of its body, the fish shot away. Rumi’s pupils expanded as she gave chase. The muffled sounds of plashing and swashing filled Zoey’s ears.
“Zzzz, fsss!” she called.
Rumi couldn’t pronounce vowels, they’ve found. She ends up shortening words to simple, drawn out syllables that Zoey and Mira translate. Zzzz for Zoey. Mrrr for Mira. Small things like that.
She found it adorable. Rumi was trying her darndest to communicate with the people she cared about. Similarly, since Zoey couldn’t speak underwater, she used sign language-like gestures and body language to punctuate her intentions.
Zoey pointed to the Snapper and then to Rumi. She hooked her pointer fingers together and interlocked them, raising her shoulders to indicate their version of a question mark.
Friend?
Rumi huffed. She flicked her tail. The fish flitted to and fro. The siren drifted closer. Unhurried. Uninterested.
She huffed again and descended to Zoey’s side, curling back up against her.
Reaction to the Indian Red Snapper: Indifferent after initial interest wore off. Did not attempt to hunt or eat. Major improvement in behavior, though may be unrelated to the actual species. Aggression from earlier possibly due to courting.
Rain buffeted her back. The roads were soaked, tires squelching in the forming mud. Zoey panted against the resistance, bike wobbling while being hit from each side by heavy winds. The building rose over the horizon as she biked the final push uphill. By the time she docked her bike on the rack, her clothes were thoroughly drenched.
She unclipped her helmet, a mix of sweat and water pooling in the strands of her hair. It weighed down the rest of her head. She took off her gloves in order to do the fingerprint scan and gain access to the institute. The keypad buzzed happily in recognition before the door clicked unlock.
Zoey entered, footsteps heavy in the empty corridor. Low lighting cast her shadow high on the wall. She was tired in a way that went beyond sleep deprivation. A bone-deep aching. The better part of the night was spent thinking. A repeated downfall for Zoey, but it was a bitter habit she couldn’t seem to shake. She laid awake in her bed, fan humming above her, blades swirling in a coaxing rhythm to try and lull her to sleep.
What was she doing right now?
Was she hungry? Sleepy? Lonely?
Did she want to see Zoey again?
Though this habit of overthinking came often, the past few weeks have been a repeated plague in her mind; running circles between queries and conundrums that circled back to the same topic:
Rumi.
Rumi, Rumi, Rumi, Rumi, Rumi–
Zoey’s heart beat so fast in her chest that her eyelids would fling open from how harsh the pounding was. Her bones would rattle under the skin. She’d try to turn over, to play music, to busy herself with work, something!– but it always came back to that girl.
The pool door slammed open, reverberating against the humid walls. Zoey rushed to the edge of the water, breaths bursting so quickly she was sure it alone would wake her friend. She scanned the surface for movement before calling out.
“Rumi!”
A splash in the distance. A tail lifted out of the water, shape emerging close behind a second later. She scowled while drifting closer, clearly irked at her sleep being interrupted. However, when she saw Zoey’s sheepish smile and smile wave, it was swiftly melted from her face.
She chirped and came closer until her chin rested on the border. If anyone saw Zoey in the building after hours, she would surely be fired (and possibly arrested), but she couldn’t bring herself to care in that moment. Her hands found their place in Rumi’s soft hair, and the small sounds of delight she made cast all worries from Zoey’s mind.
She was over the moon.
The scales on Rumi’s tail lit up slightly. They turned the surrounding waves into a kaleidoscope.
Zoey’s eyes crinkled as she smiled wider. The display was clearly nuptial coloration: when scales changed color to attract mates by alluring suitors with their bold colors. The more vibrant the colors were, the stronger their genetics, which was seen as desirable for their offspring.
“Show off,” Zoey teased, pushing at Rumi’s head. The siren just nuzzled closer to her wrist.
Eventually, Zoey’s calves were about to file a complaint about how long she’d been squatting, so she decided to kick off her shoes and plop her feet into the water. The coolness shocked her at first. Rumi flowed ever closer, resting her cheek against Zoey’s thigh.
“You’re so cuddly,” she commented, fingers tapping up and down her neck and scalp.
Chirrup.
Zoey hummed in response. She didn’t want this to end. She didn’t want to go home and spend the rest of her night unable to sleep. To come to work and sort fish and label blood samples, just to have the off chance that maybe something was required from Rumi and Zoey could get in the water.
For crying out loud, most of her day was spent doing lab and paper work!
Looking over health records with Mira. Planning tests with Bobby. Sitting through hour-long meetings with boring people she didn’t know in a boring room without any ventilation.
And then she’d go home. And not be able to sleep. And then she’d come back. And she’d do it again.
Over and over and over and over. For the past year. For the next five. For however long after that, if she decided to renew her contract.
And throughout it all, every second–every nanosecond–that past…Zoey was certain Rumi would be on her mind. Nothing terrified and excited her more.
Over the next few days, Mira decided to ignore the dark bags slowly forming under her friend’s eyes. She ignored how early she was each day. She ignored the constant questions to Bobby, asking if he needed her to dive.
Mira ignored all of these. Why wouldn’t she? Zoey still laughed and smiled. She still got her work done.
Her gaze was fixated on the water’s face, mask tucked under her arm as she watched something Mira couldn’t see.
“Something wrong?” she whispered.
Zoey didn’t startle. Didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Her mouth opened as if to speak. Closed. Her shoulders stiffened.
And then she left the room.
The Siberian Taimen, a salmon-like fish found in the rivers of Siberia. They had massive, torpedo shaped bodies with broad heads and a prominent, gaping mouth. Lines of small, sharp teeth covered their upper and lower jaws, as well as their tongue. Stretching from 28-47 inches, the fish Bobby had shipped in was just under 45.
It thunked its pointed snout against the container, red tail whacking the glass.
“Agressive one, he is,” the delivery man said with a thick accent. He patted the top of the tank, causing the fish to bristle.
“Wouldn’t put ‘em with anythin’ too large, if I w’s ya.” His teeth were crooked when he grinned. “He’ll fight ‘em.”
Bobby signed the papers with a quick word of thanks and rolled the Taimen inside. Mira looked up from tinkering on a filtration system.
“Oh…wow…” she breathed. “Rumi’s gonna hate us.”
Bobby clicked his tongue and looked down at his feet. “It’s what Gwi-Ma ordered for her.”
Mira sneered at pushed back in her chair, wheels squeaking against the hardwood floor.
“Fuck him and fuck his orders,” she spat angrily. “He’s read the reports we’ve sent about her, he knows she doesn’t like larger fish. What gives?”
“Maybe he–” Bobby tried. Mira cut him off.
“No, no, there’s no excuse!” She put a hand on her chest. “I signed that contract under the belief that we were helping a new and advanced species learn to coexist with humans.”
She pointed to the box. “So why the hell would he trap her with something she’s afraid and angered by, knowing that they’ll just end up fighting?”
The room went silent. The answer remained known and unspoken. Mira sighed and crossed her arms.
“I’m not letting them release it.”
Bobby grimaced. “That isn’t your decision to make, Mira.”
“What decision?”
The two startled. Mira looked up. Zoey stood in the doorframe, one hand touching the wood, one foot crossing the threshold. Her body was frozen in time. A deep, confused frown settled on her face. It deepened when no one chose to reply to her question.
“What decision?” she repeated, louder this time. “What’s going on?
Still no reply. Zoey scowled. Mira stepped forward to speak.
“It’s–”
“We have another fish for Rumi,” Bobby interjected, stepping in front of Mira. Though, since he was much shorter, Zoey could still see Mira’s fuming expression from being interrupted.
“It’s a bigger one, so she might not like it. But I’m sure it will be fine!”
Bobby then waved both his hands in a shooing motion, ushering Zoey out of the room.
“Go on, get geared up. We’ll be ready for the trial in 20.”
Mira sneered as Zoey scurried out to get ready, a wide smile forming at the idea of seeing Rumi again.
“This isn’t right, and you know it, Bobby,” she seethed before marching out.
She waddled toward the pool, flippers smacking against the tiles. Her hair was tied back into two low buns, black bangs parted so goggles could fit snugly against her forehead. The chemical smell of neoprene was mixing with the fresh scent from the wetsuit shampoo, almost making Zoey gag.
Slung over her shoulder was the Siberian Taimen, though Bobby had prepared the bag beforehand, so Zoey didn’t know what it looked like. She wasn’t very familiar with that area’s marine life, her studies in school focusing mainly on warmer waters.
Mira was still grumbling and mumbling by the wall, posture slouched and dismissive. Bobby was fiddling with a random sheet of paper in the way he always does when apologetic. The pack on her back shuddered violently, whatever inside frantic to escape.
It was also heavy. Heavier than Zoey thought it would be.
“Is this a shark?” she had laughed when Bobby helped the straps over her shoulders.
He chuckled uneasily. “I assure you that it’s a fish.”
Zoey hummed. “Rumi doesn’t like big fish, are you sure it’s okay to release?”
“It was sent by Gwi-Ma directly.”
Zoey didn’t trust their boss, but she was also in no position to argue with him. He had far more control over her life than she did. The hundreds of non-disclosure agreements and adhesion contracts would send her to Hell on Earth if broken.
She entered the water. Rumi was quick to find her.
Chirp!
Zoey smiled under her mask and ran her fingers through Rumi’s hair. They quickly did their dance of soft touches in greeting. She drifted down toward the bottom of Rumi’s pool, the siren swimming around her and mewing in elation.
Reaching the bottom, Zoey dropped the fish bag and began setting up a camera. She locked it onto the stand and pointed it toward Rumi, who had gotten used to being taped by now. Her tail flicked against one of the legs, causing the device to wobble.
Zoey snapped. It made no noise, but it was the action that told Rumi to stop. Rumi blew a bubble in response, grinning mischievously before getting distracted by some of the sea flowers they’d recently brought down.
Zoey found her crush adorable.
…Her friend. Her good friend Rumi, who wasn’t courting her, and who Zoey didn’t find as beautiful as Spring, or damned her every thought, or fill her lungs with sludge at the remembrance that one day she’d be re-released into the ocean and Zoey’d never see her again.
Zoey stared at a spot on the ground.
That’s right. Rumi was her own living thing. They weren’t going to keep her in this pool forever. After they finished studying her anatomy and behaviors, Gwi-Ma would place her back into the Pacific Ocean in hopes that the sirens could aid humans in some way.
Help with fishing, help with population balance and endangered species, help explore underwater places.
…
That’s what she signed up for. Zoey knew that. Mira and Bobby knew that.
…
Zoey knew that.
…
Zoey knew that.
…
Rumi nudged her leg. She looked worried.
I’m fine, Zoey assured by rubbing Rumi’s cheek with her thumb. Rumi didn’t look convinced.
To change the subject, Zoey focused her friend’s attention on the bag. She undid the latch and watched in horror as a way too big fish slithered out. Rumi began hissing immediately. The Taimen trailed the ground before flaring his gills and spreading his fins, a loud thumping sound leaving his big mouth. By the way Rumi’s pupils shrunk into slits, he was probably secreting pheromones as well.
Marking his territory.
Crap.
As the Taimen swam, he left a trail in the dirt. Rumi beat her tail to stir up dust and debris, covering the lines. Still, the fish turned around and remade the path, uncaring to Rumi’s growls of displeasure. She continued to follow him around and erase his boundaries.
Zoey picked up the pouch in hopes of wrangling the fish back and away from her…friend. From the siren. From Rumi.
God, she needed to get it together.
And so did the fish, apparently, since every attempt Zoey made to grab him was a fail. Rumi was practically snarling by now, her scales bleached a dark red. She pushed water toward the Taimen, causing him to snuff and speed up the territory marking process.
She looked at Zoey. Zoey crossed her arms into an X. She bared her teeth. Zoey shook the bag.
Rumi rammed the Siberian Taimen anyway. He whipped around, slamming the side of his tail against her face. She caught the attack in her teeth, jerking her head back and forth. The fish hissed.
Zoey tried to break them up. She tugged on Rumi’s arm. She tried pushing them apart.
He snapped at her, catching Zoey’s left shoulder in his mouth. A stream of bubbles burst around her head as she screamed. The sound was muffled by her mask, but still audible. The bite hurt. A lot. A lot a lot.
Rumi clawed at his side, gashes appearing in her wake, cutting through the tough body of the Taimen. He released Zoey to swat at Rumi with his tail before clamping down again. Blood floated up, blending with the warm water.
It was harsh. There weren't many germs in the pool because of the filters, but bacteria could still infect the wound. She could feel the bone under his teeth bruising as she tried to shake him off.
Rumi dug her fingers into the sides of his mouth, pulling each hinge in different directions to pry his jaw open. Zoey slipped out, stumbling back and knocking over the camera in the process.
Rumi sunk her teeth into his neck, clenching tighter as he flailed. Eventually, the Taimen stopped moving. She dropped his body, which began to waft sideways, and swam up to Zoey, clicking in concern.
Zoey waved her off with her good arm, wincing slightly. She pointed up.
I’m surfacing.
Rumi frowned and clicked again. Zoey twisted her index fingers together, ignoring the spasms of pain shooting down her arm, then pointed up again with more force.
Hurt. I’m surfacing.
Rumi’s gaze flickered between Zoey’s left and right eye. She tilted her head in a show of confusion.
Zoey loved Rumi–purely platonically in every way, of course–but she couldn’t deal with her games right now. The camera and bag took excessively long to pack up with only one hand, and by the end she was tired and sore. Her left side was buzzing in an unpleasant way.
She had lost quite a bit of blood, but didn’t think the bite would need stitches. Just a wrap should be fine. Maybe she’d ask for some numbing cream, just so the pain didn’t affect her while she did the rest of today’s work.
Rumi gave Zoey her best guppy eyes, devastated that her future mate was leaving early. Zoey played with the bottom of her braid for a minute or so as an attempted apology. Rumi leaned over and kissed her neck, a purr rumbling deep in her chest.
Zoey wanted to scream.
Reaction to the Siberian Taimen: Aggressive and highly territorial. Quickly fought after pheromones began releasing, resulting in the Taimen’s death. Seemed proud of her win before growing concerned at my injury. Do not attempt this experiment again.
Gwi-Ma curled his hand and brushed the knuckles across the bandages. Zoey sat on a bench opposite to him, avoiding his stare. He knew she was intimated. He had known since her first day working in the institute.
“So it killed the fish?” he murmured. “It’s aggressive, then.”
“She killed the Taimen only because he tried to steal her territory,” Zoey objected.
Gwi-Ma looked at the pool. The top of Rumi’s head was just visible. She was glaring at him.
“I have a new project I’d like to start,” he mused. “We’ll give the siren a break from species introductions.”
Bobby stiffened in his seat. It was as if he knew something the others didn’t.
Mira squinted. “What kind of project?” she grilled.
Gwi-Ma spread his hands, palms up. An eerie smile danced across his face.
“So many different kinds of fish are insusceptible to toxins ,” he started, shooting Rumi a look before continuing. “Do you think it might be as well?”
Zoey’s mouth twitched. “She could be. What does this have to do with our new project?”
Gwi-Ma didn’t answer. He stood.
Zoey also stood. “What is our new project?” she demanded.
The boss looked at the diver, then at Rumi, then back again to the diver.
“You’re not stupid, Zoey,” he said with an exasperated sigh. “We’re testing toxins on it. Wasn’t that obvious?”
Mira balled her hands into fists. “Absolutely not!” she swore at the same time Zoey yelled, “Over my dead body.”
Bobby was suspiciously silent.
“It doesn’t matter what you want, I’m afraid,” he replied, not sounding the least bit sorry at all. “The tests will start tonight, after your shift ends. Mira–” he turned to her, “–you’re charged with monitoring her health the following morning. I’m sure you’re capable.”
With a swift spin on his heels, he clacked out of the room. The silence was deafening, broken only by Rumi grumbling and spitting water against the floor where he’d been standing. Zoey sank hard onto the bench.
She drank in the form of Rumi, her very good friend, as dread swelled in her stomach at Gwi-Ma’s words and hateful promises.
Rumi might not survive at all, she realized. Not after tonight. Not after the poisoning.
Her bike home was silent. Headphones covered her ears, but no music played. Before she left, Mira had grumbled something about her nightly medication and stormed off. Bobby crouched by Rumi and petted her fins. She drowsily purred at his gentleness.
The rack outside her apartment held another bicycle, and she propped hers next to it. The wheels on the other bike were purple. She thought of Rumi.
Before, Zoey was afraid of Rumi returning to the ocean because there was a good chance they wouldn’t meet again. Now, however, Zoey realized she was afraid of being alone. She had Mira and Bobby, sure, but she didn’t see them like she saw Rumi.
The siren was making her think things she’d never thought before. Feel things she’d never felt before! It was petrifying.
It was intoxicating, and Zoey was very in love. There wasn’t anything she could do to deny it anymore. Zoey was in love with Rumi the same way the sun was in love with the moon. The same way the grass grew from rain and the dirt softened by a hand’s touch. The way lungs needed air, and the way hearts needed to beat.
It wasn’t something a poem could describe. It wasn’t something that exploded through her veins and clotted her blood with overwhelming joy. It was tender and kind. Laughing. Similar to the way someone who wanted to die suddenly feared heights.
And Zoey was about to lose it all tonight.
Mira was mixing when a sharp sound caught her ear. She sat in her office and poured different fruit juices into molds. From another vial, she dropped in blended fish pills. It wasn’t a necessity to give these to Rumi; they were more like boosters instead of supplements.
She peered out her window that connected to the main room with the pool and saw a figure dragging a large, glass tank across the floor. A hose was pulled off from the wall and water babbled as it filled the container.
Once a thick helping of water was inside the tank, the figure took a pouch from their pocket and shook it.
Rumi popped up. She glowered at the intruder before beaming. Her tail wagged in the water.
“Zoey,” Mira bemoaned, thunking her forehead against the glass. “What are you doing?”
Zoey startled. She whipped around. Mira opened the door and marched toward her friend.
“Wait, wait, wait.” Zoey stumbled backward, waving her hands in a show of surrender. “I can explain.”
Mira raised an eyebrow. “You want to help Rumi escape?” she guessed.
“No, no, I–” Zoey paused. She looked up. “…yes. Yes, I do.”
Mira smirked and stooped down in front of Rumi. The siren seemed skeptical.
“How do you feel about going on a drive?”
The tank was loaded into the cargo bed of Mira’s old, beat-up truck. The paint was red and peeling. One of the tires was a different size than the others. The windshield had a crack along the top from when she went off-roading and scraped a tree branch.
Rumi chirped. Zoey jumped the side and settled next to her.
“You know,” Mira gritted as she hauled ratchet straps over the tank to secure it, “we’ll be as good as dead if Gwi-Ma catches us, right?”
Zoey pulled the strap slack. Rumi’s tank rattled.
“We won’t get caught.”
Mira hummed and climbed into the driver’s seat. She lowered the back window and slung an arm over her seat to get a better look at them.
“We won’t get caught,” Zoey repeated. She puffed out her chest, and Rumi copied. A dopey grin was swept across her face. Mira rolled her eyes.
The truck bumbled down the dim road.
“Zzzz?”
“Yes, Rumi?”
“Llvv.”
Zoey looked over the bedside. Her eyes were watering.
“I love you too, Ru.”
The truck bumbled down the dim road.