Five Years Ago---

"Come on sweetie. Let's go get something to eat. I think it will make you feel better." My mother said softly, resting her hand on my back and leading me forwards until a familiar oceanic ridge came into view. The ruins of the old settlement, I thought to myself. I had never seen it in person before. The silt covering the seafloor became disturbed from our movements and rose into the water column as we neared the somewhat-elevated terrain.

"I've been meaning to show you this for a while now," my mother began, guiding me past the ridge to a dilapidated structure. The partially decomposed remains of what once were large stone pillars sat before me, their rigid structures cracked, broken and barely standing.  

 cake, I realized that my mother was staring at me. Lifting my gaze, I muttered a small "what?"

"Nothing," she replied. "I just hate seeing you like this. It tears me up inside."

 It was the official one year mark since three of my closest friends were killed by human fishermen. I had slowly slipped into depression after I realized that I was the only one who had made it out alive, and hadn't been the same since. 

"Really mom. I'm fine. I'm just tired," I lied. I didn't want my mom thinking I was as dead inside as I was.

"Seriously. I know what's going on. I know that you are upset about the deaths of your friends."

 I nodded a bit, setting down my kelp cake as I bit my lip. "I couldn't save them," I whispered, a knot forming in my throat as I held back tears.

I was startled awake this morning by the loud bangs and crashes of construction. Slowly opening my eyes, I ran a webbed hand through my tangled locks and stretched. The water around me was somewhat dark and gloomy, and heavy drops of rain struck the surface above me with ferocity.

Upon surfacing, I noticed a ghostly structure materializing in the distance, its bare sides and crude frame resembling pale, skeletal ribs. The metal construction stood tall in the foggy air as human workers scurried about in the pouring rain.

 I watched curiously, admiring the way that humans in such numbers, could create the bones of such massive structures in such little time. Yet, despite this awe, I knew that their ingenuity was the very cause of the deaths of so many of my people.

 Shifting my attention away from the new attraction afar, I heard the sounds of the first visitors echoing through the exhibit as a few people walked down the pathway to my tank. They held odd devices to prevent the rain from soaking them, and appeared to be dressed in a thick layer of garments to keep out the cold. 

Hours later, there was a crowd of people, mostly children with their parents, waiting at the closed entrance of my exhibit. From afar, I could still read the sign hanging on the iron bars that separated me from the mob of park visitors. The large crimson letters read "Sorry. This area is currently closed to better your experience. "

I found it odd that the aquarium staff had not yet opened the exhibit. I preferred the silence to the roars of crowds that normally circled the tank, but I feared that something had gone wrong, or that I would be subjected to something more intense and rigorous than I ever had before.

My fears soon diminished when I noticed Brenna, the relatively new trainer here scampering toward the gate, keycard in hand. Her wetsuit was completely soaked with rain, and her normally light-colored ponytail had become a deep brown from all of the water. 

As she unlocked the gate and opened the exhibit, the crowd waiting outside began to flow to the underwater viewing areas around my pool. Children and their parents now flocked in groups two or three thick at the glass windows. To say the sound of their screaming voices and hands against the glass was deafening was an understatement, and some part of me wished that Brenna had left the exhibit unopened. 

I slowly made my way over to the glass to see who had visited me today. I hadn't forgotten about the promise from Evelyn and Jackie, who I had met while enduring the stress of my first day here. Every morning I hoped and prayed that they would appear at the glass, prepared to help me escape, yet despite my longing for freedom, they never appeared.

Frowning when I didn't see the familiar faces of those whom I hoped would be my saviors, I turned and began to swim in small circles around the pool. 

Over time, I had noticed most of the noise from the visitors would cease as soon as my fins and tail went past the view of the humans. As I made my way about the tank in a seemingly never-ending ellipse, I satisfied the somewhat large reduction in the roar of the crowd and sighed. 

Unfortunately, the peace didn't last long and a persistent slapping sound began to resonate through the water of the tank. Despite the fact I had passed the area numerous times, the noise was relentless and never stopped. With an annoyed snarl, I darted over to the direction of the sound.

 At the glass, I saw a trio of teenage boys, maybe eighteen or nineteen years old were standing at the viewing window. The human in the center of the group possessed an angered grimace on his face as he slapped the glass with both palms as hard as he possibly could. The two boys behind him roared with laughter and shouted at me as they watched me react to the sound.  Around them, parents were shielding their child's ears with their hands to keep them from hearing the number of profanities they cried out into the exhibit.  

"Come on bitch!" he shouted as he threw his hands once more at the glass, a grin playing across his underdeveloped face as the crowd began to disperse from their noise. "Take the tail off! We all know that you're a fake!" 

For some odd reason, I found this somewhat humorous. This boy, a young adolescent, was trying to intimidate me, a creature that had evolved quite a number of more advanced adaptations than he. If I so desired, I could tear him apart with my clawed hands, or rip out his throat with my serrated fangs. It was all too tempting. 

 I say give them what they deserve, Morgan stated somewhat excitedly, bloodlust lacing her normally cheerful voice. It was clear that even the consciousness residing inside of my mind was filled with the same human-hating primal rage as I. 

 I felt my expression twitch into a smirk as I swam to the opposite side of the pool, positioning myself so that I faced the glass. With a hiss, I swam as fast as I could towards the viewing panel, fangs bared, eyes glowing a dangerous yellow color, and venomous spine-tipped fins flared.

As I raced toward the viewing area, the only thing I could think about was the blood. Thick, red blood that would drip down his unprotected throat as I tore apart at his flesh. The sweet taste of revenge as I dragged my tongue across my dripping crimson lips and watched the life drain from his eyes. My body shivered with delight imagining such a scenario.

 Before I knew it, I felt a shock run through my body and an echoing thud sound throughout the tank as delicate cracks formed about the epicenter of my impact. The teens jumped back with fright, and fearing the glass would shatter from the force of the impact, sprinted towards the exit of the exhibit.

As I watched the cowards flee, I felt myself subconsciously run my tongue across my lips, as if I were lapping up the bitter iron-rich blood from his throat. With a shudder, I calmed myself and shook out my fins, tucking my venomous spines below my skin. My overwhelming, primal rage frightened me sometimes, this occurrence being no exception.

I soon noticed a small wound had appeared on my shoulder from the impact and was trickling pale blue blood. I watched it seep from the sliced skin, slowly rising into the water around me before dissolving as if it were never even there in the first place. 

Hours later, I found myself interrupted by the shrill tweet of a trainer's whistle. Shaking myself out, I managed to stop waves of rage from welling inside of me and swam to meet Alexis. 

My thoughts somehow continued to meander through images of gore and blood; pure sapphire waters befouled by deep crimson; a species divided by undulating arches and swells of viscous red tides; a prisoner, exacting ferocious justice upon her captors; a once-benevolent deity softly placing a scarlet kiss of desolation upon the sweetest temple of her autarch. 

The blessed enticement of revenge.

Fearing another break in my composure, I quickly thrust the thoughts down into the abyss of my subconscious and focused on the rhythmic movements of my fins instead.

When I surfaced, I noticed I was swimming at the feet of three humans, rather than the usual duo which greeted me. Alexis and Brenna looked down upon me intently as they appeared to shelter an unfamiliar female between them. She watched me curiously with her striking hazel eyes and tucked a strand of wavy walnut hair behind her ears.

"So this is Alexandria. I've heard a lot about you," the woman babbled as she closed the distance between her and I. I took the liberty of moving slightly away from the stone platform as she neared me and kept a sharp eye on her. She exuded a youthful energy despite her age, but was most definitely burdened with the loose tongue of a child.

As the new female squatted on the platform, she delicately dipped a toned olive-skinned hand into the water, tracing trios of circular ripples that danced along the glassy surface. "I'm Kadri. I'll be working alongside Alexis and Brenna for the foreseeable future."

I felt a sarcastic snort escape my gills after the woman introduced herself. Like I actually gave a damn as to who would be holding me captive here. Besides, all of the staff were the same;  overly self-absorbed and completely oblivious to what was actually going on between the walls of this place.

I noticed Kadri's face fall when I turned my back to her and departed, diving below the waves. The corners of my mouth twitched into a sly grin as I realized I had finally claimed a small portion of victory over the trainers. Perhaps I was becoming too over-confident, but at that moment, I knew that this was one minute step towards some form of freedom. 

I heard the other staff members attempting to console the new woman as I returned pridefully to my woven mat and reclined. 

"Don't take it personally, Kadri. It took days for her to get used to me," I heard Brenna begin. Her voice soon faded into oblivion as I tuned out the words of the women above, and I soon noticed the presence of the staff dissipate.

I felt a vibration ripple throughout the water as the metal door to my enclosure roughly slid shut and locked. For some reason, the sound of that door resided in my nightmares. It was the one obstacle I could not overcome if I were to attempt an escape. I had no knowledge of the locking mechanisms within the structure, and even if I were familiar with them, even getting to the door would be next-to-impossible. 

I decided to wait a few moments to ensure that no other staff remained in the area before turning tail to face the stone platform. Perhaps I could use it as a means of access to the door, but I would have to overcome the challenge of crossing its entirety before that would be possible.

Dragging my eyes across the structures in front of me, I felt my stomach sink when my gaze fell upon a series of security cameras. To make matters worse, now I would not only have to drag myself across a 30 foot-long strip of dry stone, I'd be in the direct line of sight of the staff who monitored the security feed.

Any ideas that even remotely resembled a plan soon crumbled to pieces within my mind as I realized how unrealistic escape was. There was too great a risk of being seen, and I feared what would occur as a result if I were to be caught mid-bolt. 

There were no viable options, nor avenues that I wanted to undertake. I needed to think of something else and fast. My instincts told me that the somewhat-calm, monotonous style of life that I experienced day-to-day here would not last long. A new foe was preparing to strike, and I had no idea what I would be up against.

Hours later I sensed a disturbance within the water and followed the sensation to the east-facing underwater window.

A stark-looking woman stood beneath the slat ceiling of the viewing area, a thoughtful scowl plastered across her defined features. As I swam closer to investigate, I noticed myself drawn to the female's gaze. Her toned umber face, framed by a number of shoulder-length ebony braids held a sense of rage-filled passion to it, which seemed to be amplified by her expressly heroic posture.

I wished to avoid giving the impression of aggression, and I diverted my gaze away from her own. The last thing I needed was to disturb the first human to truly intrigue me. 

The space between us closed as I swam forwards, flicking my tail in short, cautious strokes. The woman's chocolate eyes raised to meet my own as I noticed the size difference between us. Despite her powerful stature, my large fins and broad tail dwarfed her. 

I watched as she raised her gaze and walked closer to the glass where I hovered. The woman peered through the window, appearing to analyze the structure and quality of the exhibit. Her gaze eventually fell upon me and I shuddered slightly when I noticed her eyes scan my every fin.

The woman, after dragging a finger across the seal of the glass and carefully inspecting the thickness of the window, turned and scanned the areas above her. I noticed her draw a small device from the back pocket of her strikingly shiny leather pants and begin sketching a diagram of the viewing area.

At this point, my full attention was completely focused upon this strange new visitor who appeared to be obsessed with the layout and security devices surrounding the exhibit. I flicked my fluke in an effort to get her attention, but after glancing over in my direction, she surrendered her gaze back to the device and began quickly sketching once more.

Some part of me, deep down inside, wanted to trust this woman. Her presence, although somewhat intimidating, radiated a sort of determined, powerful aura that offered me the opportunity to relish in a dull-yet-euphoric emotional relief. 

Eventually, the woman left, but Morgan reassured me that she would return. She'll be back, the consciousness began, its tone exuding confidence. She'll definitely be back.

What do you mean? I inquired within my mind, confusion beginning to overtake the once-peaceful thoughts surrounding the woman. How do you know this to be true?

I heard a small sigh of frustration emanate from the depths of my subconscious. Did you notice what she was sketching on the device? Morgan solicited. 

I shook my head in response. 

She was creating a diagram of the layout of this exhibit-- everything from the placement of the manhole covers and storm drains to the location of the security cameras and thermal sensors-- I don't think she's just doing that to appease a curiosity. It seems pre-meditated.

I felt shivers of excitement dance across my fins as my tail twitched slightly with anticipation. An electric sensation began to enliven my heart, and my skin took on a deep pearlescent hue. I couldn't believe what I had just heard, but the woman's behaviors began to make sense.

Despite the destruction of my plans, this woman could be my way out of this hellhole. Alive. ♆