Page 30 of Midnightsong
Dr. Williams kept going. “Not only can we help people, but this could win us awards for the university and for SMOSA. We could truly put forward the importance of ocean conservation and protecting these beautiful creatures. It is my hope that I can make this department proud by becoming a celebrated marine biologist. We could learn about the mer. Educate others, so the knowledge we gain from this can be passed down to each incoming class. Make the seas a better place for all.”
A boisterous round of applause rang through the high ceilings, and the professor gave a humble smile, holding a hand to his heart. “But back to this merman.”
He moved the camera back into view, revealing the merman’s pale, lifeless face, and down to his smooth chest.
Save for a quiet gasp, the room fell into silence, their gazes glued to the projector screens.
Angie rubbed her eyes to reaffirm what she was seeing. She didn’t want to leave, but she didn’t want to think about the merman—Kaden’s kin—being cut open, his innards exposed for the entire class to see. Bile rose to her throat and she forced it down, gasping.
“Angie,” Reesa hissed. “Are you okay?”
Angie took in a purposeful inhale. “Yeah.”
“I will now make the first cut,” Dr. Williams announced.
Angie’s pulse pounded in her temples as she watched him make a perfect V-cut across the merman’s chest followed by a straight line down to his waist, stopping at his tail.
Excited chatter filled her ears, but Angie could not bring herself to say a word.
“Utterly fascinating. Look at their organs. Smaller than ours, yet they’re so efficient in their movement,” Dr. Williams said, motioning from the merman’s head down to his waist. “I can’t wait to show my wife. She loves mermaids.”
A pang rammed Angie’s chest. She was once the same, and her niece, Rosie, was the same. Dr. Williams had talked about his wife before, a marine scientist at the University of Washington.
Dr. Williams kept cutting and talking, and Angie didn’t join them, checking her phone for the time. Forty-five minutes until the end of class. She wasn’t sure she could handle it anymore.
Thirty minutes passed, and Angie had excused herself from class three times. When she came back after the final time, the merman had been cut all the way down to his tail, flayed open, before Leo nudged her in her side. “Want to get out of here? You keep stepping out and you look like you’re going to puke all over the floor.”
“What?” Angie slid her gaze to him. “Do I look that bad? Is it cold in here?”
“No, but you’re really white. Come on. I want to get out of here, too.” Leo led the way, and they left the auditorium. Angie kept her steps to a near tiptoe as to not disturb the rest of the class.
“What happened? Do you want to go to the health center?” Leo asked once they were outside.
“No. It’s dissection labs in general.” How was she ever going to tell him it positively disgusted her to watch a mer cut up, people who she loved and respected? “I want to sit for a bit, clear my head.”
“I’ll sit with you.” Leo followed her to a nearby bench. “You’re going to have to get over that soon though. We have six more labs this semester and just for this class.”
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” Once her bottom met the metal bench, Angie dropped her face in her hands, her breathing raspy. Now that she was outside the lab, the sickening feelings vanished.
Angie had never been so glad to return to her apartment after class, and more fortunately, she didn’t have to go to the aquarium until tomorrow, so she could sit by her lonesome.
If her lonesomeness included a meddling cat that appeared out of nowhere and joined her on the couch beginning to knead her jeans.
Taking another sip of plain, chrysanthemum tea, Angie opened her phone’s notepad again, giving her notes another once over. The dive shops had gotten back to her, as promised, after calling the divers themselves. None of the divers had been around the Creston Docks in the days surrounding Serapha’s murder.
But what if they weren’t telling the truth? Why would they confess if they were involved with causing Serapha’s end?
Either way, she had hit a dead end. What was she to do now?
A news article notification popped up on her phone’s home screen.
Research Facility in Anchorage
procures Mermaid for Study
Tian. So, Dr. Williams wasn’t going to be the only one studying mermaids; Angie thinned her lips. Clicking on the website, she scrolled through. They left the research facility anonymous at their request. Further down was a note about mer being shipped to various facilities. Aquariums, universities, laboratories, and the last making her shiver: other undisclosed locations. At least five caught, not counting the mermaid and merman Dr. Williams had, all purchased and shipped, their sellers unknown.
Meanwhile, another article spoke of people filming themselves ‘looking for mermaids to sell and making some money’ and posting viral videos on social media.
