Take me to the Deepest Blue
CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“Good morning.”

Nick was shaken from his deep sleep in the armchair. Narya knelt beside him, her hands cupping a mug of coffee, their faces inches apart. He smelled a mixture of saltwater and caffeine—two of his favorite scents.

“Hey.” He rubbed his face distractedly then smoothed his hair with his fingers. He looked at his watch. It read nine-thirty.

“Oh, shit.”

He shot up from the armchair and quickly headed toward the door. He was supposed to meet with Pete an hour ago. He pulled out his cellphone from his pocket and saw three missed calls from Pete, and five from Louise.

He gestured for Narya to hurry up as he started returning calls. Knowing her appetite in the morning, she was undoubtedly starving.

“Hello, Pete! Sorry, I overslept. Yeah, she’s here, too. We’re on our way down.”

“How do I look?” Narya asked. He glanced up and saw that Narya had changed into a new outfit. A simple, white T-shirt with a pair of denim shorts. Louise’s shopping advice seemed to have worked on her. She was looking more normal—more human—by the day. He nodded approvingly and tried not to let his eyes linger on her curves and her long legs that became more tanned every day.

“You look good.” He searched through his bag and dug out his black-and-white checked bandana. Without a word, he tied it around her neck, covering her scars. She didn’t question his action, as she quickly understood as to why he did it.

He slung his bag across his shoulder. “Alright, let’s go. Pete is going to kill me if I don’t get down there now.” He rushed her out the door, his eyes following her as she skipped down the stairs. Keep her safe.

“Well, hello! Look what the cat dragged in!”

Louise and Pete sat at the breakfast table, their bowls and plates already emptied save for a half-eaten croissant on Louise’s side plate. She was in a foul mood, partly due to the effect of the humidity on her short hair, and she complained incessantly about forgetting her straightener. Nick thought her messy curls were one of her best traits—her sexiest trait, as he had once said.

He smiled apologetically and tried to form a logical explanation of why he was late, but Narya interrupted him with a loud squeal.

“Is this breakfast?” She pointed to the long table filled with three different types of muesli, a large bowl filled to the rim with fresh fruits, and several baskets full of freshly baked pastries.

“Yes, yes, go crazy!” Pete laughed as he picked his teeth with a toothpick and then spit out a piece of food.

Louise made a disgusted face at him.

“Sorry I’m late. Did I miss anything important?” Nick pulled a chair back and a voice called out from behind him.

“Ah, welcome to Zanzibar!” A tall, tanned man in his mid-forties walked in with his arms wide open. His physique was robust except for a slightly protruding stomach. Nick couldn’t help but notice the can of beer he was holding at nine o’clock in the morning.

“Pete! How long has it been, mate?” He spoke with a thick, Australian accent and smiled as he greeted everyone at the table. His gaze lingered on Narya in a way that made Nick uncomfortable and involuntarily defensive. The warning from yesterday was still fresh on his mind.

“Mike! You haven’t changed one bit!” Pete gave the man an affectionate hug, something oddly out of character for him. Louise raised an eyebrow and looked at Nick. Weird, she mouthed silently.

The two men exchanged pleasantries, although they sounded a bit more forced on Pete’s part.

“I should probably introduce my assistant, Craig,” Mike said, pointing to a clean-shaven man who looked to be in his early thirties loitering in the doorway.

He wore a baseball cap, a light blue fitted Polo shirt and khaki shorts and stood awkwardly in a highly polished pair of beige loafers. He was tall, good looking and appeared too meticulously put together for a research assistant. Most of the assistants Nick had known were uniformly scruffy in appearance, with long beards that had been ignored or forgotten for months.

Craig approached the group with a feigned smile and unsure whether or not to join them at the table. “Hi, I’m Craig.”

Pete rubbed his hands together and exhaled dramatically. “Great. Well . . . I guess I should be making introductions. To our left here, is Nick; he’s one of my most trusted assistants, and one of the best shark taggers one could hope for in the Bahamas.”

Louise cleared her throat.

“Yeah, getting to you next, sweetheart. And right here is our lovely Louise Pratt. Other than being a major pain in the ass, she’s one of the most organized researchers I’ve ever met in the field. She takes all my notes, ha-ha!” He nudged Mike with his elbow and they both let out a hearty laugh.

“And who’s this?” Mike directed his gaze at Narya, already standing at the buffet table filling her breakfast tray with fresh fruits.

“Oh, well, she’s a friend of Nick and Louise. And . . . a part-time shark whisperer.” Pete pulled out a chair for Mike and motioned for him and Craig to take their seats. His usual authoritative manner crept back into place. “Na-ree-yah! Come here, sweetheart. You can go back for more food as many times as you want.”

“Organized? I get organized?” Louise muttered under her breath as Nick took a seat next to her. She was fuming, and he didn’t blame her. He gave her a sympathetic smile before reaching for the french press.

“I already got one for you. Black, no sugar.” Narya placed a cup of coffee in front of him before sitting down.

Pete laughed. “Well, isn’t that nice?”

“So, Narya. How do you like Zanzibar?” Mike asked.

He had one of those smiles that irked Louise—somewhere between half-sincere and overly enthusiastic, and in under thirty minutes of observing this man, she had classified him as ’fake as fake can be.’

“So far I like it. But I just got here,” Narya replied, picking a seed out of a small cube of watermelon.

Lousie watched her indulge in her plate of fruits. For someone so slim, she sure can eat.

“I see. Well, we’d love to show you around Stonetown, but I believe we’re all headed to Pemba shortly.” Mike nodded at Pete, who, in turn, agreed with a low grunt while concentrating on his phone.

“Anyway, I think you should all go pack now—we’ll meet back here in about forty minutes and head to the airport.” Mike stood up, and Craig followed suit.

Louise noticed that he hadn’t spoken since he sat down. Granted, the conversation was pretty much hijacked by Pete and Mike, both smugly boastful about their own achievements. They continued vying for possession of the greatest number of accolades in the past decade. Craig had a quiet demeanor, but there was something about him. Every so often, she saw his eyes move nervously around him, as though looking for someone who might be listening to their conversation. She wanted to ask what kind of work he did for Mike, but every time she opened her mouth, the conversation would inevitably be steered toward Pete or Mike, and they’d much rather talk about themselves.

As they went upstairs to pack, Louise trailed behind Narya and Nick, who went ahead to their rooms. As she watched them, a sense of jealousy was anchored deeply in her mind, and she felt unwillingly obsessed by it. The secret glances, the subtle smiles that passed between them at the breakfast table. Jealousy had indeed reared its ugly head, and she despised herself most when she felt vulnerable. The only way to rid of it—well, was to be rid of her. She tried to chase the shadow of her conscience away, but it stubbornly followed her through every decision she made. Should she go to Nick’s room and confess the details of Pete’s sinister plan to him? Should she confront Narya and question her about whatever it was that Pete suspected her of being? Or should she just return to her room and pack her things and carry on with the plan?

She heard the sound of Nick and Narya laughing behind closed doors and she let the rising rage within her decide for her.

Once they arrived at the airport, they boarded a bus that took them to a small plane, the kind that would make an infrequent flyer’s teeth chatter. Nick watched Narya, anticipating her reaction. She smiled nervously at him, her eyes distressed at the idea of getting on a plane for the second time in her life.

He purposely let Craig and Mike go ahead of him so that he could linger behind with Narya for a bit longer.

“You alright?” They were the last ones to board, and the airport staff impatiently waved at them from the plane.

“Sure. Yeah, I think so.”

“It’s a really short flight.” He tried to make the best of the situation, and signaled for her to go ahead of him.

Narya took a big step forward toward the plane. As she entered, she caught a glimpse of the wings and tried not to think about the plane debris she’d seen underwater. While whole ships usually sank to the ocean floor, plane wrecks were never in one piece.

Nick watched her settle into her seat before taking the one beside her by the window.

Louise sat up front with the pilot, asking technical questions about the engine. Nick could hear the annoyance in the pilot’s voice as he responded monotonously to her endless probing.

He pulled out his headphones and handed them to Narya. “Hey, do you want to put these on?” The last flight they took, the music had calmed her down.

Narya gladly took the headphones and her smiling eyes showed her appreciation.

“Let’s play this one.” His finger scrolled down on his phone, searching for a song most suitable to calm a mermaid during a plane ride.

When the music started, he saw her eyes lit up in recognition.

“I heard this one before,” she said, proud that she had remembered the melody.

“Yes, you did.” It was the same song he had played for her when they took off to Vancouver only a week ago. Much had changed since then, he thought while watching the infinite blue horizon ahead.

“All right, everyone,” the pilot said. “We’re ready for take-off.” He turned on the engine, and as Narya’s eyes filled with fear, Nick turned up the volume, hoping music would drown the noise out and distract her for the shaky ride ahead.

The island was surrounded by clear blue, pristine waters that sparkled under the blazing sun. Their resort—generously paid for by Pete, as he had claimed—was set in the far south end of the island, surrounded by lush green forest. Its main lounge area was elevated, and as they looked out to the open sea, they were encircled by exotic birds that Nick had never seen or heard of before. After dropping off their bags in their rooms, they all met for a late lunch in the main restaurant. Within minutes of settling down at the table, Mike began to speak of the wondrous, exotic marine life that surrounded Pemba Island.

“Did you know that we get the yearly whale sharks’ migration right around here?” He made a broad circle with his hand. His demeanor was more genuine than Pete, but they shared the same kind of arrogance that shone in their eyes whenever they spoke of what they knew best.

“That’s nice,” Louise said, unimpressed with this piece of information. She already knew this, never having gone anywhere without putting in hours of research.

Nick grinned knowingly. She probably knew just as much as Mike, if not more, about this island.

Mike shrugged his shoulders and chuckled at her indifference. He raised his beer glass to Pete and they made another round of cheers—their third since the beginning of the meal.

Louise gulped down most of her martini. “So tell me, Craig, what do you do exactly?”

Craig was caught off-guard and he stammered his answer before Mike rescued him.

“He helps me out with research here and there. Paperwork, mostly. Boring stuff, huh, Craig?” Mike nudged him with his elbow and released another outburst of overly buoyant laughter.

“Yeah,” Craig said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

Nick saw that Louise was dissatisfied with his answer. She was not that easily fooled nor did she ever give up when she was on a mission.

“Yeah, but, what do you specialize in?”

“Endangered species . . . mostly.”

“Mm-hmm,” Louise held her chin with her hand. “Name one.”

“Whale . . . sharks.” Craig’s voice slightly faltered at the second word.

Louise smiled triumphantly as she gave Nick a knowing look.

“Right,” Mike said, clapping his hands enthusiastically. “Who’s ready for some fresh grilled seafood?”

Craig remained silent through the rest of the meal, and even Nick started to seriously doubt his identity. He clearly didn’t have a clue about the subject of Mike and Pete’s conversation. Even Narya offered some opinions of her own regarding marine conservation, the heated debate at the table; Craig, however, was noticeably obtuse in his search for words to answer Louise’s questions. What exactly did he do, and why was he given a seat at a table made up exclusively of marine experts?

Nick saw Craig’s gaze drift across to Narya from time to time. Maybe it was the encounter with the old woman in Stonetown that made him feel more paranoid. Narya was unusual, but he felt that this was more than just a curious glance.

“Are you even eating your food?” Louise frowned at him disapprovingly as she eyed Nick’s plate—a fancy lobster dish with a tangy mango salad—still untouched. This was fresh seafood, and he was wasting it. Pete and Mike were already done with their lunch and were smoking at another table, their loud bouts of laughter echoing throughout the dining hall.

“Yeah, I’m not too hungry.” Nick stared down at his plate, looking apologetic. The lobster lay on his plate, its shell still fully intact.

“Well, don’t mind if I help you with that.” Louise grabbed the lobster from his plate, and as she did so, she saw Narya’s face distorted in disgust.

“I’m sorry, I think I need to use the washroom,” Narya said. She pushed her chair back seat and hurried down the hall.

“Well, I know she’s not a fan of seafood, but that shouldn’t stop anyone from enjoying the fun, right?” Louise shrugged and began to tear the lobster apart with her fingers.

Craig excused himself from the table, and Nick followed him with his eyes. He sprang up and rushed after him.

“Hey—hey!” He caught up with Craig and saw that his forehead was dripping with sweat. “Are you all right?”

“Yeah. It was a bumpy flight over here.” Craig laughed nervously, and he tried to wipe away the sweat with the sleeve of his shirt.

“I guess,” Nick replied, not completely convinced.

Narya emerged from the women’s washroom, and he let his guard down.

“Sorry, you go ahead.” He stepped aside and Craig entered briskly into the men’s room.

After the waiter brought the coffee and dessert over, Craig excused himself to go to his room early, and Louise saw the moment as an opportune time to corner him with her questions.

She caught up with him at the stairwell and blocked his way down. Smiling beguilingly, she eyed him as if he were a vulnerable prey out in the open with nowhere safe to run.

“You don’t really look like a marine biologist assistant.”

“Well, neither do you.” Craig tried to appear calm, but his body language suggested otherwise as he awkwardly stuffed his hands into his pockets. She was dressed in a tight, sleeveless maroon dress, her hair in a stylish up-do. She enjoyed dressing up when she traveled and felt the need this time since Narya posed such constant competition.

“Yeah, but at least I talk like one.” She stood close to him with her arms crossed.

“Who brought you here? Pete? Did he tell you about the big plan?”

“Pete? No—no, I just met him. I’m with Mike.”

“Mm-hmm. As his assistant?”

Craig lowered his voice and looked around to make sure no one was nearby. “Look, Mike is my uncle. I’m just tagging along because I was curious.”

“Curious about fish? Or about a specific kind of fish?” She couldn’t be sure whether he was competition or the imposter he had just admitted to being.

“You know what kind.” His voice was small, but she heard every word.

He backed away skittishly, and his footsteps echoed in the empty hallway.

When they finished lunch, Mike proposed that they take the kayak out, while he, Pete, and Craig would stay behind for the preparation of the tight schedule tomorrow. Nick didn’t feel particularly excited about the activity, but Louise jumped in and nagged until he agreed.

“How about you, Narya?” Louise gave her a nudge. “Come on, you can’t say no to kayaking in tropical paradise!”

“I’m not sure . . .” She was hesitant to join, but at the same time did not wish to stay behind where Pete inevitably would be.

“Look, I know you can swim for a fact, so don’t tell me that that’s the reason,” Louise said. She pursed her lips into a thin line. “Besides, you don’t want to stay here with Pete and Mike.” She grimaced as she mentioned their names.

“Yeah . . . okay, you’re right. I’ll join you guys on the kayak.” Narya was still reluctant, but at least she didn’t have to deal with Pete’s incessant stares. Whenever he was near her, she felt a kind of premonition—like when she could sense a fangtooth nearby, its presence obscure, but the threat deceptively evident.

“I’ll take you,” Nick said.

Louise knew she was green with envy, but Nick was too preoccupied with Narya to notice. He had volunteered gladly—a little too gladly.

“All right, we’re off! See you at dinner!” She make a small courtesy wave to Pete and Mike before scurrying down the stairs, taking Narya by the arm.

Nick waited for them at the dock while Louise and Narya went back to their rooms to change. He fiddled with the oar in his hands while watching a small crab poke its head out of the sand, reluctant to leave its hiding place. The sun was strong, and he felt his back already burning. He slowly approached the edge of the water and soaked his feet. He closed his eyes and imagined what he would see underwater if he and Narya went for a swim right now. All he really thought about these days evolved around her: venturing out in the water with Narya; pestering her with mermaid-related questions; sketching her and outlining her gills on scraps of papers when he was bored at work; protecting her from harm. The face of the old woman Stonetown resurfaced in his mind, and the thought of danger awaiting Narya gnawed at him. The longer it took her to arrive with Louise, the more unsettled he became.

When they went back to their rooms to change, Louise lent her tank top to Narya, who was unsurprisingly short of outfits, and told her she would meet her at the dock as she would likely take longer to get ready.

“You should go first. Nick will be waiting for us.” She left Narya alone in her room.

Returning to her own room, she texted Pete, “Ready.” Then she locked her door and waited, as instructed.

Sitting quietly on her bed, a multitude of thoughts swarmed her mind, blasting her conscience to a degree so great she had trouble remembering where she was.

Five minutes passed, and she heard Narya’s door creak open. She cautiously pulled the curtains open and saw her step out of her room. Her hair was down, as usual, and she wore the pale yellow tank top she had borrowed with a pair of denim shorts. Her long, straight legs had become more tanned, compared to her snow-white complexion on the first day they had met. The scales she thought she had seen at the hospital were nowhere to be seen now. No matter how many times she went over that afternoon in her head, she knew she wasn’t imagining the scales emerging and multiplying when she spilled the seawater on her legs. They had been a mesmerizing mix of dark and light purple, with specks of gold and silver that had dotted across her legs. They had glittered underneath the sunlight that crept through her open blinds in the hospital room.

She waited a bit longer, her hands nervously twirling her shoelace as she sat with her arms wrapped around her legs. With no texts from Pete, she assumed all was going according to plan. His plan. And what was that exactly? She couldn’t remember if he had given her relevant details. All he had said was that he would do some research on her to prove his theory right. Pete’s face came to mind. That smug look annoyed her to no end—that malicious grin he had flashed when she agreed to be part of his plan. And his accomplice, the equally arrogant asshole, Mike. And what about Craig? She couldn’t figure out what his role was in all of this. And where would they take her, or do to her? She buried her face in her hands as she tried to focus on what really mattered. Nick. It was for him. To protect him . . . but from what . . . from Narya?

She felt sick to her stomach. What had she done? Her heart beat violently against her chest, shutting out all other noise. Who could help her now? Nick would know what to do. Seconds later, she found herself on the beach, running toward him, shielding the sun with one hand and clutching her sunscreen with the other. She knew that Nick would forget to bring any, and she also knew how easily he burned. She remembered how she used to poke fun at how pale he was before they started their diving adventures together. They had so much history together; surely this interlude with Narya wouldn’t destroy the bond that they had. Honesty, she nodded, honesty would get them through this.

“Hey.” He stared directly at her with a puzzled look, clueless as to where Narya was.

“Where’s Narya?”

“She’s not here,” Louise replied. She was flustered and covered in sweat from the run.

As with most things, she had a love-hate relationship with the sun. She loved its warmth but hated the effect it had on her hair and skin. She realized now more than ever that she was filled with paradox. Her very existence itself was a paradox. Her mother had wanted to abort her after learning she was pregnant with a fourth child. She had found this out one day when she came home to a house filled with tipsy adults at a family gathering. She was fourteen years old at the time—a moody teenager on the verge of pimple breakouts and overwhelmed by all the uncertainties of life. That was the fateful moment her mother had announced that she had been an ‘accident.’ Perhaps it all had stemmed from that: her overly sarcastic personality, her rebellious stage that had never really ended, and her snappy comebacks to almost everything anyone had to say. Except when she was with Nick. He made her feel better—like her life finally had some meaning, and that she was more than just an accident. That she had been brought serendipitously into the world to cross paths with him. He made her better somehow. Looking at him now, she knew this to be true. Maybe her being here now was to save the life of another.

“I can see that. Where did she go?” Nick’s voice had an edge to it.

She closed her eyes briefly, imagining his enraged face, his disappointment in her when he found out what she was up to. She had no choice now—she had to tell him.

“She’s with Pete,” she replied, feeling instantly relieved. That stone pressing relentlessly on her chest was finally dropped.

“Pete? Why?” Nick was frowning, and she could see this wasn’t going to get any easier. Best to come clean with it.

“Listen . . . and try not to freak out and kill me.” She felt tears welling up in her eyes. “He has this plan.”