Chapter 2

Rikki POV

"Rikki are you sure we should be doing this?" Cleo asked while walking up to Sea World.

"Yes, I mean you did used to work here." I said

"That was before our….incident." She said. About a year ago while Cleo was working here she slipped and fell into one of the tanks during a dolphin show, luckily Bella and I were there to save her butt.

"Yes, but that was a year ago, we're fine now and besides we only have about an hour until it closes so let's just enjoy it." I said. I was trying really hard to seem peppy even though I could care less about what we did during the hour. I had a plan on getting to Shamu but it was going to take a little effort.

Cleo, Mr. Setori, Kim, and I walked around Sea World for about 35 minutes. We had seen the dolphins, sting rays and Kim had ridden like 3 rides. When the announcer said that the park was closing in 20 minutes, this is when I put my plan into action.

"Cleo, umm, yeah I'm not feeling well, I think I'm going to go." I said pointing over my shoulder towards the exit. I turned around and started walking towards the exit when she called after me,

"Rikki! Here, let me come with you."

"No!" I snapped back. She took a step back and looked at me confused. "I mean, no I don't want to get you sick, besides Kim needs you."

"Okay, well if you insist." She said but I already turned around and started walking away. I walked slowly to simulate me not feeling well. When I saw Cleo and her family walking the other way I turned and walked down a path to the dolphin tank.

This path was for employees only but Cleo had showed me it when she worked here and this is how Cleo and I swam with the dolphins without anyone seeing. The path was a curvy path that was through some bushes and past the employee rest station. When I got halfway through the path I knew the park would only be open for about 10 more minutes so I had to think of a way to hide until everyone left.

I heard someone coming down the path so I quickly jumped into the bushes and pulled my knees into my chest and sat there in a ball. I heard the announcer come over the PA system and say

"Visitors, the park is now closing, please make your way to your car. Thank you and come again."

I waited in the bushes for about 15-20 minutes after that because I knew employees came around to look to make sure that no one was still in the park. About 6 people had walked up and down the path that I was next to but none of them saw me. I didn't think I heard anyone and since I was close to the exit, I heard the men close and lock the front gates. I jumped out of my spot and went to the room that controlled all the cameras.

When I found that room it was locked but I found a window I could look through to see where the cameras were so I could avoid them. I saw two cameras around Shamu's cage and arena. I memorized what the cameras were pointing at and headed off to find Shamu's cage.

I walked mostly through bushes and hid behind things so that the camera would not see me. When I reached Shamu's cage there was a path that said "trainers only" which I figured went straight to his cage. I glanced around the area to see if there was a camera on this door and there was not. I ran over to the door and stopped because the gate was locked. I took one step back and used my heating power to break the lock.

I concentrated and eventually the lock burst open from being destroyed by my heat. I slipped through the gate and stopped when I got through the hallway and about 10 feet away from the water. I stopped not only because there was water but because I remembered there was a camera right above my head. I looked up and sure enough there was a camera there. I pointed my hand up and heated it until the lens shattered. I took this as it being broken. I looked around to try and find the other camera that was point at his cage. When I spotted it I did the same this to it as I had done to the first camera.

When I was sure that I had destroyed all the cameras around I took 2 steps closer to the water. I am almost certain that Shamu heard me and he rose to the surface. He stuck his head out of the water and when he saw me he went back underwater then appeared where the water met the wall. I didn't know what to say to it so I simply said,

"Uhh…hi." I said waving at it.

"Wait how come I can understand you?" He said.

"Umm, well you see I'm a mermaid." I said. I didn't care if he knew because who is he going to tell?

"You don't look like a mermaid." He said sarcastically.

"Look, you have to trust me on this," I said taking a step closer to him, "if I wasn't a mermaid how could I be talking to you?"

"Good point, now why and how did you get in here?" He asked.

"Long story but I will tell you the reason I'm here. This might sound crazy but where my friends and I swim in the ocean there is a pack of Orcas that keep swimming around in that area and," He cut me off,

"They are called pods of whales."

"Okay sorry, there is a pod that won't leave and I'm not afraid but my friends are afraid that since we are the size of a sea lion that you're going to hurt us." I said.

"Well, come closer let me smell you and I'll tell you if they will hurt you." HE said.

When he said this I got a little hesitant because he could be trying to trick me. For some reason, and I don't know why, but I walked close enough to him to wear I was about 2 feet away from him. He came slightly out of the water to where he was 1 foot away from me. He sniffed me and then flopped back into the water. The water splashed up and splashed me from my head to about my waist.

"Oh, thanks a lot." I said sarcastically. He came to the surface and said

"What's wrong?"

"The problem is when I touch water I grow my tail." I said.

"Oh." Was the only thing he said. I felt my toes start to tingle and it went from my toes to my head and the next thing I knew I was on the ground in a puddle of water in my mermaid form.

"Okay, now I believe you're a mermaid." Shamu said.

"Shut up Shamu." I said sternly.

"Okay, 2 things one, don't call me Shamu, call me Shammie, and second of all, I would never attack you."

"Really? How do you know?" I said wobbling so I could sit up. I didn't bother turning myself back to human form because I loved being a mermaid.

"Because, don't take this the wrong way but, you reek. You smell like a half land animal and half fish so the combination isn't great." He said.

"Wait so if we go swimming out there your sure they won't attack me?"

"I'm 100 percent sure, no whale would want their food to smell like you." He said. I was about to dry myself when Shammie said,

"Wait, why are you drying yourself off?"

"So I can go home." I said lifting my hand up.

"Wait! Don't you want to swim with me? I'm lonely I'm in this cage all by myself all day and I never have another fish to swim with me." He said. I flinched at the word fish because I had never had another fish call me a fish so it made me feel…weird. I lifted my hand higher and dried myself off and stood up. "So you're not going to swim with me?" Shammie said with disappoint in his voice. I smiled turned around and dove into the water.