Where the Sky Meets the Sea

1: Confinement

"Aunty Spencer, look!" Blake grabbed my hand with one of his grubby little paws and yanked me toward the glowing blue tank, pointing at a gigantic shark that looked more than ready to eat my curious little two and a half year old nephew for dinner. His blond hair turned a shade of violet in the tank's luminescence (come to think of it, I'm sure mind did too) and blue leaked into the shadows and depressions of his face, hollowing them out and filling them with unfathomable color. I just gulped and tried to pull him toward the starfish exhibit again but he held on tight, tapping the glass despite all of the warnings he'd gotten all day not to do so.

"Stop it Blake, you're not supposed to do that!" I hissed, pointing at the signs and reading them aloud to him but he ignored me and I suddenly wished his father was here. As much as I hated my brother Glen, Blake definitely listened to him, which was a lot more than could be said for his poor sweet mother, an eighteen year old named McKenzie. She'd had him when she was sixteen and Glen was eighteen, he was off in Iraq through her whole pregnancy and even missed his son's birth, leaving me to be the designated Baby Daddy because my mom and dad both worked and Clay, my other brother, had been getting his bachelor's at the time.

Having him had forced Kenzie to drop out of school but she had just recently returned, and with Glen working nonstop at the local base I was the only one who took Blake out on little excursions such as this one, and who had to deal with him. He wasn't a bad kid per se but with all the mixed messages he got from his parents, he was a little confused as to who was boss. For instance, it was currently 9:30 at night, and there was almost no one left in the whole building, but he insisted that it wasn't time to go home yet.

"Come on Sharky! Rarr!" He growled at the Bull shark, which seemed to growl right back and swim menacingly quickly up against the glass. Blake screamed with delight and jumped back, then went right on pestering the vicious animal.

"Blake, you're going to get in trouble!" I whispered. He just giggled again as the shark bumped up still harder against the glass and I began looking around for some kind of aquarium official who could tell him off sufficiently. I just couldn't bring myself to yell at him, I'd practically raised the bright-eyed toddler, and so he just could never quite take me seriously. My eyes had finally landed on some such blue-uniformed savant of all things marine when Blake suddenly let go of my hand and went cheerily running off in the opposite direction.

"Blake!" I took off after him, my feet pounding against the tiled floor, and soon I skidded to a stop, decidedly lost in the watery labyrinth that was the aquarium.

"Dammit!" I announced, spinning around on a heel and listening in vain for the sounds of little feet padding off somewhere. No such sound came and I started to panic, gunning for the tunnel that housed the exotic marine animals and hoping that he was in there. This was the exact reason that I hated taking Blake anywhere, he always seemed to slip out of my grasp and into trouble. I started to call out for him again, then stopped in my tracks. The blue shadows emanating from the tank had enveloped the one other person who was in here so completely that I nearly hadn't seen them. Time seemed to slow to a sluggish, drunk crawl as my eyes roved over her. She was a slim girl of maybe twenty, wrapped up in a frayed black coat with a multitude of brightly colored scarves tossed around her neck and wearing gloves that had had the fingertips chopped off none-too-precisely. A gray wool hat stretched over her head and the tops of her ears, and a beat up tan backpack hung over her shoulders, reaching toward her ripped up blue jeans and motorcycle boots that completed the ensemble.

The silence near us was so complete, save for the low hum of the filters and the beating of my heart in my ears, that I jumped when my cell phone trilled, time spinning back to normal progression as I flipped it open.

"H-hello?" I asked, praying that I wouldn't have to tell my military officer brother that I'd just lost his son…again.

"Hey Spencer, it's Kenzie." I deflated, then quickly went back to inwardly freaking out, praying that I wouldn't have to tell my military office brother's girlfriend that I just lost her son…again.

"I can't find Blake! He just ran off and--" I blurted but she stopped me with a soft laugh.

"Yeah he's right here, I came to pick him up and there he was, sitting in the gift shop waiting for you to find him."

"Dammit!" I said again, placing a hand over my fluttering heart. That kid, I swear he was determined to send me to an early grave. He couldn't at least give me a freaking heads up when he wanted to play hide and seek?!

"Is it alright if I take him home? Glen's kind of in a bad mood…" Kenzie started and I instantly felt for her, when Glen felt like being an asshole he could sure pull it off with flying colors.

"Sure, good night, and tell Blake I said I'm never taking him out again." I replied weakly. I could nearly feel her smile through the phone as she bade me the same and apologized for her rambunctious son and I felt even weaker, though for a different reason. Feeling sorry for myself, I dejectedly started for the tunnel exit, passing by the girl, then stopping.

I didn't do or say anything, just watched her for a moment. I quickly noticed that her hobo chic attire was much more chic than hobo, my eyes wandering over obscure labels and logos that only belonged to the most exclusive designers.

She was leaning against the thick glass of the rare fish tank, her hands on either side of her head and an intense look of concentration on her face. In front of her a single glowing fish wriggled, probably the last one who was still awake, and they looked to be engaged in deep conversation. I grinned and before I could help it, announced in a small voice,

"…there is glass there you know…" She looked at me then pulled slowly away from the tank as I took a step back, surprised that I hadn't gotten a disgusted look for my efforts.

"Don't ever let that stop you." She replied brightly in a voice that was slightly ragged around the edges and sent instant shivers down my spine.

"…do you always talk to the fish this late at night?" I asked abruptly, jamming my hands into my pockets. She tilted her head for a second, then nodded.

"It's the only time you can hear them, you know, when there aren't screaming kids around." She replied good-naturedly, pointing out a stain on my t-shirt, courtesy of Blake's peanut butter and banana sandwich from earlier.

"Oh." I said dully, all of my wit disappearing in a blast of embarrassment. She sighed suddenly and I looked up to find that she'd placed one of her hands on the tank again, which was now decidedly empty.

"He's gone." She said wistfully, then turned to me after a minute, brightening. "I can't actually talk to them you know, but wouldn't it be amazing if I could?" I merely smiled, not being quite sure how to answer, and she promptly stuck a gloved hand out.

"Ashley Davies." She greeted and I immediately reached out to shake the pro-offered hand, then marveled at the sparks that flew up and danced around our fingertips as they met in mid-air, wondering if I was the only one who could see them.

"S-Spencer Carlin." I replied once I could speak, which was once she took her hand away. We stared at each other for a second before a tiny pinging noise started to come from a tiny white and blue pager that seemed to be attached to her wrist.

"Ahh…the real world calls…" She declared in a low voice as a set of footsteps became audible just outside the tunnel. Those footsteps soon transformed into a tall, handsome young man dressed in slacks, a tie, and a shirt, with messy raven colored hair and a pair of horn rimmed glasses adorning his bright green eyes.

"I swear, I'm never taking you out again!" The young man declared and I was startled by how his announcement mirrored the one I'd just made to Kenzie about my rebellious nephew.

"I give you an hour out and look at you, you disappear for more than three. Dr. Paige is worried sick." He continued sternly, placing his hands on his hips. He seemed not to notice me, which, granted, most people didn't, but Ashley quickly remedied that.

"Mr. Dennison, my loyal caretaker, meet Ms. Carlin, my newfound partner in marine speech studies." I couldn't help but grin at her wacky introduction but Mr. Dennison didn't seem to find it too funny. In fact, he just gave me a barely perceptible nod by way of a greeting and reached forward to take Ashley's arm grumpily.

"Come on, you're late for your treatment." He said and I felt my brows furrow.

"I'm coming, I'm coming, besides, my parents pay by the hour so you can lay off." She snapped, snatching her arm back. "And for the record, I don't need your help." She added through gritted teeth. I watched the exchange curiously then was forced to wave goodbye as they left, leaving me all alone in the azure tunnel…

tbc

r&r