Page 70 of Between Salt and Serenades
“Agreed. Let’s head over to the full-salt pools and have a little chat with the hybrids. I doubt Isla will want to see us by the wrong pools with our messy peeling flesh and all, so we better be quick about it.”
Zellia dipped her toe into the salty pool, the lounging hybrids keeping their eyes trained on her. Her lips twisted, and then she dunked the rest of her foot inside. When small scales began ripping through her toes, she pulled it back and forced a smile to smother a wince. The person next to her stared at Zellia’s partially-transitioned foot.
“The water is… a nice temperature,” Zellia said to the curly haired hybrid still staring at her. “Do you swim here often?”
I shook my head, watching the awkward interaction unfold. A chuckle slipped from my lips as I turned on my heels and headed to the opposite side of the pool from Zellia. There was a woman perched on the ledge, sipping on wine, gliding her teal tail back and forth through the water.
She craned her slender neck toward me and said, “You’re new here.”
“I am. My name is Sidra.” I analyzed the way she could sit so peacefully before me, half in and half out of the water. I craved what she had, craved the freedom to come and go as I pleased without risking my life in the process.
“Maisie. It’s good to see an unfamiliar face. It gets so… stale around here.”
“Stale?” I asked, looking over both my shoulders to make sure we were looking at the same view.
“Stale probably isn’t the right word to use,” she said with a shrug, casting an eye over the surface of the water she frequently disrupted with her fins. “I’m more tired than anything.”
“Shouldn’t the water help with the fatigue and dryness?” I asked, watching as she manipulated the surface of the water with the tip of her tail fin.
“Mmm, I suppose it should.” The hybrid's shoulders were slumped to one side, all her weight on her propped arm. Her webbed hand was stretched over the stone, sharp nails tapping mindlessly on the stone.
“Why are you so tired then? Do they put you to work around here? I’m sure a place like this requires a lot of upkeep.”
“Like you wouldn’t believe. But everything comes with a price. It’s nothing you won’t discover for yourself soon enough,” she leaned in and whispered, “If you’re not careful.”
“What do you mean by?—”
“Sidra. Zellia,” Isla’s voice echoed from behind me. “I have what you asked for. Why don’t the two of you meet me by the diluted pool? It’s much more suited for your needs.”
Maisie’s blue eyes flickered, and she remained close to me as she spoke low into my hair, “Remember what I said.”
“Come along,” Isla said, placing her fingers on my lower back and ushering me forward before I had the chance to reply to Maisie. I looked over my shoulder at the woman as I was steered away, wiggling my fingers in the air to say goodbye. Zellia trailedbehind us, holding a glass of wine and munching on who knows what.
“Ah, here we are. Much better,” Isla said with a proud smile as she halted in front of an unoccupied pool. Out of all the pools in the cavern, this was the only one no one lounged in or around, the only one that had been diluted.
Are we the only full bloods here?
“I’ll leave your things right here. If you’d like to get changed, there are a few dressing screens over there,” she said. Her finger lazily pointed to no particular location in the distance. “Do let me know if you need anything. We like everyone’s experience here to be one of comfort.”
“That’s very kind, thank you, Isla. I think we are more than fine for now,” I said. “But, before we go, there is one thing.”
Isla said nothing, but one of her dark brows lifted.
“Why are we the only ones enjoying this particular pool?” I asked.
“Oh, you won’t be for long,” she said then snapped her fingers. “Maisie, please come here.”
“But…” Maisie said, glancing around her, as if to find something to ground her to her spot on the damp stone.
“Now, please.” Isla’s tight lips drew into a line. “You’ve been quite chatty with our guests today, so it’s your turn.”
Maisie bowed her head then swung her tail out of the water. Within seconds, her teal tail began to split, and human legs formed. Maisie looked so unbothered by her transition; I couldn’t help but gawk at her. No screams, no blood or tearing flesh.
The new skin on Maisie’s feet carried her toward us until she stood no more than a foot from the water’s edge. She stared down into the water, and for a second, she looked as if she saw her entire future in its ripples.
“Thank you. And now you are not alone,” Isla said. “Off I go. Enjoy.”
Zellia and I thanked the woman again, and when she was gone, I felt as though I could breathe again. The woman had a way of sucking out all the oxygen in the room, and I couldn’t quite place my finger on why that was.
