Page 9 of Coral Prince Conundrum
He puts his finger up to shut me up. He whistles again, and I turn forward. What I see next takes my breath away.
The four sea lions are waddling out of the small exhibit pool. They’re approaching the wall near my camera. “No, wait!” I exclaim.
Seero whistles again, and—no joke—the four sea lions climb atop each other. They’re a massive tower, and the animal at thetop has my camera in its mouth. They…worked in formation to return my gear?
I’m dumbfounded, at a loss for words, as I reach down and take the camera. It’s a little wet and sandy, but it should still work. “Um, uh…thank you, sea lions?”
The creatures bark and hop off and make their way back to the water. To my right, Seero whistles twice more before standing straight.
My crush looks at me, and after a moment, his smile falls. He’s not at all confused by the sea lions. He…whistled and then…
I clear my throat. “Did you…talk to the animals?”
He glances around, as if the police might ambush him. But no, we’re all alone at this part of the zoo. “I did not.”
I shake my head. “But I heard you?—”
“You heard nothing,” he says with determined force. His face looks so serious as he points at me.
“But—”
“It is in your best interest that you saw nothing today.” Before I can reply, he turns and dashes away.
The events of the past two minutes catch up to me, and I clutch my camera in my hand. I drape the strap around my neck and notice the sand on my gear. Then I look down at the exhibit and see where my camera landed on the sand.
I can’t believe what happened; Seero can talk to animals? Justice told me he met someone who does the same thing, but not with ocean creatures. Wow. The sexy stranger at my coffee shop just got way more mysterious and intriguing. I’m not sure what to do with this unimaginable information. But if I do some research, maybe I can discover who or what Seero actually is.
CHAPTER FIVE
Seero
I place the plastic noodle toys and flotation dumbbells along the perimeter of the pool in a line. I fear these surface world products will end up as waste in the ocean, but I can’t dwell on these hypotheticals. I need to focus on my aquatic aerobics class starting in five minutes. Typically, my clientele is only a few senior citizens from the surrounding neighborhoods. Layla has cultivated a supportive community here at the hotel. She and her wife help anyone who is in need. But her charity cannot stop Father and my council from waging an oceanic war.
I nod and smile as the seniors begin to file in. Today, there is a group of five, each in a different-colored one-piece bathing suit. I myself am wearing dark swimming shorts and no shirt, similar enough to my typical wardrobe back home. I don’t prefer spending time in the chlorinated pool water, but it is my assigned job. Another pang of longing resounds in my heart, and I miss the comfort of the Coral Kingdom.
Then I remember the one thing I’ve been trying to forget—Daryl. I was so caught up in the sights and sounds of the zoo that I became distracted. And then I saw my friend, desperately in need. I didn’t even hesitate in helping him by communing with the animals, even though I should have refrained. Andnow someone knows that I am Corali—well, someone other than Layla, but she seems to know about every kingdom on Earth and below the surface.
I shake my head. I’ve done well at avoiding the coffee shop in the five days since then. I must abstain from Daryl, despite the pull he has on me. He is incredibly attractive, with his dark hair, light brown skin, and full lips. His smile when he talks about his studies reminds me of a baby whale breaching the surface for the first time, a true miracle to behold.
But that pretty boy knows too much, and therefore, I must discontinue our friendship. Even though my body is drawn to his.
I clap my hands while standing above everyone on the pool deck. The seniors turn to look up at me as the water splashes above their waists. They each hold a pair of plastic dumbbells and, like my first class, are eager for my instruction. “Welcome, everyone!” I announce.
They murmur greetings, and I pick up my own set of weights. I recall the video that Layla showed me the first day I started working here, and I attempt to echo the aerobic activity instructions of trained professionals. “Let us begin with a stretch.” I lean my right arm over my head in an arc, reaching to my left. The seniors follow in a mirrored motion.
I guide them through the stretches, but as I move to the cardio portion, a new figure appears from the locker room. “And so now we’re going to, uh—” The words die in my throat at the sight.
Daryl. He’s here, slowly walking down the steps into the pool. He’s wearing orange swimming shorts and nothing else. Seeing his body—lean, with tufts of curly dark hair below his navel—takes my breath away, literally.
“We, um, uh…” The class looks at me expectantly, so I shake my head. “Let us do jogging in place.” I kick my feet up, and theclass follows along in the pool, now joined by Daryl. Layla told me employees of the café could join my aquatic aerobics, but none so far have, until today. Still, I cannot be distracted by my friend in the water amongst the seniors; I have a class to finish.
An hour later, I am putting away the plastic pool toys. Unsurprisingly, Daryl approaches me. He’s wet and huffing, and I resist the urge to linger my gaze on his body. He is a blend of rounded shoulders, a tiny waist, and dark hair under his arms. This gorgeous surface-dweller continues to hypnotize me with his mere presence. “Good, uh, exercising today.”
“Thanks,” he says, clapping his hands together. “You really worked me out. I loved the, um, jumping jacks.”
I glance around and notice the seniors have all exited to the women’s locker room. We are alone, wearing little clothing, but in a very public area. It is easy to bite back my attraction to him at the coffee shop, but now my pulse rises at a concerning rate.
“It…is my job.” I notice his tenuous abs, then dart my gaze back down to the floor.
