Taken By The Shark

Although she was certain that most of the crowd wouldn’t appreciate a lot of what the guy said, Chelsea was willing to give him at least one member of the audience who would enjoy it. She had a special interest in sharks, whales, and undersea mammals, so she might even be able to add to the discussion while she was there.

She arrived a few minutes early for the show, so she spent the time reading the display information and looking at the different enclosures where small specimens of some of the species were on display. A much deeper tank which people had to go downstairs to see housed some of the larger breeds, and she willingly padded down to have a look. She stood watching the sharks inside the tank swim around with an indulgent sort of smile, even laughing at some of their antics.

“You seem to be enjoying yourself,” said a man who stepped up beside her. “I thought I was the only one who ever smiled like that when I came down here.”

“Yeah,” she said, glancing up—way up—to look into his dark, ocean-colored eyes. “I think sharks are fascinating creatures. So many people don’t really understand them. They think they’re nothing but mindless creatures intent on gnawing off peoples’ limbs or something, but it really isn’t true.”

“You sound like you know a bit about them,” he said with an appreciative laugh.

“I suppose I do,” she agreed.

“Oh, a temporary Explore badge, I see,” he said, tugging gently on the plastic card clipped to a loop on her jeans. “And you’re here early, too. Are you perhaps in a group that’s testing tomorrow or the next day?”

“No, sir, I already did that test,” she shrugged, not wanting to seem like she was bragging as she added, “But I finished it over an hour ago, so the guy said I could have fun coming here. You must be the guest speaker, then?”

“Mark Caerulus,” he replied, extending his hand. When Chelsea shook it, she couldn’t help but look him over more closely. Short, wavy blond hair with a windswept look, sticking out in a few places as if he’d only just come out of the water after a dive—yeah, the tell-tale signs were all there if she’d been looking for them.

“Chelsea McDonald,” she replied with a smile.

“Oh, the valedictorian out of Seattle,” he said with a nod. “Just as I suspected.”

Chelsea tried to place the slight accent in his voice for all of about ten second before the words he had just used sank in. “What? You mean you read my file?”

“I read all of the applicants’ files, and help decide which ones are worthy as well, for that matter,” he explained. “Unfortunately they don’t come with any pictures, so I could only guess at who might have finished her test the fastest, and I guessed correctly, it seems. Yeah, I’d say that you might know a bit about sharks based on your credentials.”

“I also know that Caerulus means ‘sea deity’ in Latin,” she said with a smirk. “Is that really your last name, or did you have it changed to match your profession?”

“Uh, both, in a way,” he chuckled. “My grandfather was a sea captain and a scholar, and he changed his last name to Caerulus when he immigrated to America. So I inherited the new name instead of Papadopoulos.”

Chelsea giggled. “So they might as well have named you something like Mark Poseidon, God of the Sea,” she teased him. “And given you a toy trident for your third birthday while they were at it.”

“Yeah, yeah,” he chuckled. “Good thing I decided to become a marine biologist, right?”

“I guess so,” she agreed.

“Well, I best go do my show,” he said then. “You coming?”

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” she said, and the two of them mounted the stairs together.

*****

“Well, well, the honor student returns,” said a low male voice with an unmistakable accent from somewhere behind her as Chelsea stepped into the hotel where all the candidates were staying. She had immediately headed for the elevator because her room was on the seventh floor, and hadn’t spotted the annoying young man until it was too late.

Turning around with a smile plastered insincerely on her face, she looked at Erik Stotz as he stood leaning against a nearby wall with his arms crossed over his chest. “Oh, hello Amsterdam. I didn’t see you standing there.”

“Call me Erik,” he said, more of a command than a request. “We’re probably working together from now on anyway. It only took me about a half an hour longer to finish than you, but I couldn’t seem to find you at SeaWorld when I got there. Where did you go, anyway?”

“Oh, I wandered around a bit before I discovered the shark exhibit, and then I got kind of caught up with that,” Chelsea answered, blushing slightly at the memory. Although she had absolutely loved the exhibit itself, it hadn’t been the only reason she had remained there for so long.

Mark had put on the show at four, and another a half hour later, and Chelsea had attended them both, and then the handsome speaker had escorted her back to the hotel. She’d only just left him as he got into his car before she stepped inside. Her cheeks were still glowing in the aftermath of being in his presence.

“I see,” said Erik with a nod. “Well, I suppose it’s not that strange we didn’t meet, then. I was much more interested in the plankton and the exhibit they had about global warming trends. I think those things are on completely different sides of the place.”

In much the same way we are, she added in her head. “Yeah, well, I need to take a quick shower before it’s time to head for dinner, so if you’ll excuse me?”

“Oh yeah, sure,” he said with a nod. “I think we’re eating at the same table tonight, by the way. Shall I wait for you so we could go in the same van?”

“Uh—no, that’s okay,” she answered. “I’ll see you there either way, right?”

“Yeah, that’s true,” he agreed, sounding slightly disappointed by her response. “See you later then.”

“Okay,” she said as the elevator door opened and she stepped inside.

In the bathroom of the room she shared with another girl who wasn’t there, Chelsea caught sight of the look on her face. She was literally glowing, it seemed. Her green eyes danced and sparkled, and if the shock of deep red hair on her head could have danced as well, it probably would have.

She had no idea why she should look quite that happy just because she’d come across a kindred spirit in the form of Mark Caerulus, but obviously the time they’d just shared had affected her quite a bit. Because it was a certainty that Erik Stotz hadn’t done so just now. Chelsea shuddered at the thought.

They were supposed to dress up for tonight’s dinner party, and accordingly Chelsea had brought along a fabulous pink cocktail dress and matching shoes. With it, she wore a necklace with a pearl and whale tail charm, and a slim bangle bracelet on each wrist. Matching whale tail earrings complete the outfit nicely.