Page 57 of Monster's Pet

“Leader gathering,” Aquilia signed, pointing at the biggest building in the center. “Come.”

We followed after her, eager to meet the leadership of Atlantis.

Many of the mer in the center town turned to watch us swim by, some waving, some signing respect. I returned the gestures even as I tried to get glimpses of the insides of the buildings we passed.

The main building towered over us, casting a shadow over the town. I saw Atlanteans swimming through the many openings in the coral, heading inside for our introduction to the leaders.

I swallowed nervously. It was incredibly intimidating to meet a whole new culture like this.

A glance at Aiden swimming beside me helped. He looked calm and confident. Professor Akhtar, a little further ahead thanus, was even more reassuring. He wouldn’t let us cause an international incident.

We swam through the main opening, flanked on either side by towering columns of coral covered in sea-flowers. Their petals waved in the water, reminding us that everything we had seen down here, minus the rock, was a living creature. It was incredible.

The building opened up into a massive space, the center of which was clear of Atlanteans. The walls, all the way to the rooftop, were lined with curious faces.

I ignored the general population and focused on the leaders in the middle. There were six, from a youth to an ancient mer, floating in the shape of a horseshoe. Aquilia led us to the open space in front of them and swam to the middle, followed by Merle.

“Greetings,” she began her signing. “Welcome all students, Atlanteans. Team.” She opened her arms wide to encompass everyone. “Friends.”

The water churned as every Atlantean waved their hands in the sign for applause.

Aquilia introduced each of the six leaders, briefly explaining their duties. The youth, who looked younger than us, was the leader that any other youth would go to if they had suggestions or problems. He was also in charge of entertainment. The others had jobs varying from food production, to overseeing the building maintenance, to education, and maintaining their history.

The latter was the role of the ancient mer. She was wizened with age, her hair long and white. Even her tail showed her age, streaked with lines of gray and pinkish scars.

Finally, Aquilia put her hands to herself, and signed, “Queen.”

Of course she was. She was wearing that large necklace, something that I hadn’t thought anything of until I realized that no other adults had such large jewelry. I felt a little silly, and wondered if any of my classmates had made the connection earlier.

Based on my quick glances at their faces, they were as shocked as I was. The professors seemed amused by our surprise, so they must have known.

Once the introductions were made, the rest of the Atlanteans left the building, leaving us with the leaders, the queen, and Merle.

“Tour?” the queen signed, indicating the building around her. “Together.”

We all agreed eagerly, and she smiled. “Meeting space,” she signed, indicating the room we were currently in. “Community. Fun. Important. Together.”

Her hands moved seamlessly as she spoke, and although I had been practicing my signs, it was obvious she had been doing this her entire life. I only caught a few words, missing the linking words. I hoped they weren’t important.

“Come. Look view.”

She swam up without waiting for our agreement, and we followed her up to the rooftop to get a view of the town.

There was a balcony that encircled the top of the tower, and I flitted from one side to the other, admiring the layout of the town. It was designed in a spiral, each arm coming in from the edge to the center, reminding me of how our galaxy surrounds the black hole at the center.

“Universal design,” I signed to Professor Akhtar, drawing a spiral. “In space, in ocean.”

His eyes twinkled. “Natural design,” he signed back.

I sighed happily. “Beautiful.”

“Agreed.”

CHAPTER 16

I joinedthe small group that was going to see the crops. On the way, the Atlantean leading us, who told us his name was Wade, kept up a running commentary about everything that we saw. I learned a lot about the construction of the coral buildings, like that they took five years to construct their homes, and that the town itself was designed like the pattern inside shells.

It hadn’t occurred to me that seashells were spiral like our galaxy, but when Wade scooped up an unoccupied shell in demonstration, I could see that he was right. It was beautiful how patterns echoed each other. I was amazed that I had to go to the bottom of the ocean to discover that.

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