The first day was a struggle. As expected they asked questions about my life after the storm, questions I couldn't answer, and didn't want to. We were having breaking fast in the mess hall when Joey asked
"So where have you been all this time, haven't been swimming this whole time have you?" My uncle asked with absolutely no tact. Grandma Julia elbowed him for his lack of curtsy, and my cousins had enough tact to look embarrassed.
"Not all the time, just most of it." I replied cheekily, trying to change the conversation. I snuck a look at my dad, he chuckled at my joke, but I could see from the look in his eye that he was getting anxious.
"What do you mean Taylor?" My uncle asked, I gave raised at brow at his question in confusion.
"Well, you said you swam a lot, what do you mean by that, where did you live?" He pressed on. I didn't get what was so important about knowing where I had previously lived, but none the less all my relatives leaned in closer, eyes wide, prepping for whatever answer they were going to get. Dad jumped in before anything could be said.
"Cool it Joey." He said "If sharkboy doesn't want to talk about, then leave it be!" He finished with a protective glare.
"That bad huh?" My uncle replied, starting at me with wide eyes. Wait a minute, where did these people think I had been living? I looked around, and caught a glimpse of each of their eyes, my cousins were filled with curiosity, my uncle and aunt where of skepticism, while my grandparents were of concern.
"What are you talking about Joey?" Dad asked before I could.
"I don't know…You hear things about kids on the street."
"I didn't live on the streets." I said "I didn't live on the street, or a foster home, some nice…people took my in and raised me." I said never looking up, I couldn't believe the audacity of this man who was supposed to be my family.
"I didn't mean anything by it Taylor." He said realizing is words, too bad it was too late.
"Ya sure, I'm going back to bed." I said rising from the table leaving my food, I had suddenly lost my appetite. I could hear them call after me, and then after realizing I was not coming back they started to yell at each other. Didn't matter I needed to cool off. I raced of to the harbor, ditched my shoes, and shirt took off the morph necklace, and gently but securely placed it into my pocket. I immediately felt my body changed my finger nails elongating into talons, by teeth sharpening into fangs, I doubled over I began to feel my gills grow back as well as my fin. I escaped into ocean, the sweet feeling of being weightless, the salt water against my skin, I don't know why but breathing underwater was somehow easier the breathing above it. Maybe it was because I had gotten so use to breathing underwater that not to was weird. Or maybe it was more than that maybe it was because…I didn't really belong in the human world anymore. The more I thought about it the more I realized how true it was. One week of school for me was a nightmare why? Because I didn't fit with them, I wasn't one of them. I hadn't gone to school for nine years like the rest of them, I was ruling the oceans! Speaking of ruling the oceans I really had been neglecting my royal duties. When I left to find dad I felt my uncles in charge, and that isn't fair, the oceans are my responsibility. I need to go back, I realized. But, I didn't want to leave Dad, I had just found him! Max said that the morph necklace could turn a human into a sharkboy like me, if I wanted to bring dad to the palace. But would he agree to it?
"Where is he? This is all your fault Joey! When we were little I blamed your mouth on the fact you were a kid, and would grow out of it, but now you're a grown man with a wife and kids I thought would have gotten some tact by now!" Was that Dad?
"Damn Adam I'm sorry, I never imagined he would take off." Joey? What was going on?
"Adam do you know where he could have gone, it's getting dark, I don't like the idea of him running around alone" Ol Pappy said. It was odd to hear the man sound worried, from all the stories Dad told me, and from what I remember he was a naturally care free guy. It was odd to hear him sound worried. That was first time I actually toke the time to realize how dark it was getting, when I left it was morning the sun had just risen, now the sun had completely disappeared, how long have I been out here? I better get back, before this gets any more serious; I swam back quietly, completely undetected thanks to my shark senses. When I reached the harbor I put the morph necklace back on and once again felt my body shift. My talons retracting to finger nails, my teeth shrinking to a flat, and my gills, and fin completely disappearing. I was about to put my shirt back on when, two salt water hardened hands gapped me and spun me around.
"Where had you been?" Dad half yelled, half growled. Joey, and Ol Pappy where a few steps behind him, how had them gotten here, the last I saw they were a few hundred feet away?
"Taylor." He repeated this time with a little more intensity. Making sure I knew that he was pissed.
"I just wanted to take a swim to blow off some steam." Making a point to look anywhere put at Joey, and yet from the corner of my eye I could see him fidget under his own father's scrutiny.
"I understand that sharkboy" Dad said sending a slight glare to his brother. "But you should have told me where you going, I was worried sick when you didn't come back to camp." He finished putting his hands on my still wet shoulders. Wow, he got the guilt trick thing down pat.
"I'm sorry, I didn't realize it had gotten so late." I replied, trying to make voice sound as sincere as I felt.
"You need to be careful sharkboy." Dad said in a tone lower, glancing sideways at Joey, and Ol Pappy and I got his double meaning.
"I will be." I promised thinking about my earlier thoughts. Dad nodded and told me to get dressed, after that we all walked back to camp in complete silence. It was obvious Dad was still mad at Joey, and frankly so was I, but I had bigger issues that Joeys lack of tact.