Page 65 of Below The Surface
“If you don’t. I will.” He pulls away from me. “Your family deserves to have real justice. Those sons of bitches barely gottime for the crime they committed because of the crooked judge. Oh, maybe we should involve the judge in the request.”
I take his phone before he can turn in the request. “Let me do it on my own time.”
“Okay, promise me, though. You’ll do it. For all of us.”
“I will.” Why hadn’t I thought of turning in the request when I started watching?
“Let’s watch the bloopers now.” He takes his phone back and we’re laughing in no time.
“Okay, maybe watching murder blooper reels makes us fucked up,” I say.
“I know. I know. But it’s too fun.” Hayden wipes away the tears streaming down his face. The videos are that funny.
“Nightmare even sings to his victims. Who does that?”
“Here comes the needle. It’s going in your eye. Stab stab stab.” Hayden jabs at the air as if he’s stabbing it with a knife.
“We’re really fucked up for laughing.” Laughing at death. Murder.No, it’s justice and the people on the other end of the video deserve every bit of torture Nightmare puts them through.
Hayden sighs as he starts another video. “I really needed this.” He wiggles his phone. “I trust Kay to deal with the stalker. I hope his lead led somewhere today.” Hayden sinks deeper into the couch.
“I’m sure it has.” Despite Hayden’s love of Nightmare, I don’t know how he’d really feel knowing we’re in the apartment of a killer. I can’t tell him.
“Well, I’m beat. I’m gonna shower and head to bed.” Hayden stretches as he stands.
“See you in the morning.” I yawn.
“Bright and early because we got a meeting with Clayton.”
“I remember.” I try not to groan because the man loves early morning.
Hayden nods and leaves me with my thoughts.
Should I go to Kay’s bedroom? Should I wait and take a shower after Hayden? It’s after midnight now. Before I can think too much, I fall asleep on the couch.
20
CASEY
I sit on the shell throne, the vibrant colors of the aquarium swirling around me like a colorful dream. The soft hum of excited kids and their parents fills the air, their laughter mixing with the gentle ambient sound of the aquarium.
Kendra sits beside me, her pink tail shimmering under the bright lights, as we wait for our turn in the tank. The atmosphere buzzes with anticipation, and I can’t help but feel a swell of joy.
“Can you believe we get to do this?” I say, glancing at Kendra, who rolls her eyes with a playful grin.
“Every time I do, it feels like a gift,” she replies, tucking a loose strand of hair back into her wig. Her eyes glimmer with excitement, matching the playful energy radiating from the kids gathered at the glass.
The rest of our pod, Rafe, Yuna, and Grace, are already performing in the tank behind us. Rafe’s orange tail glides gracefully through the water as he interacts with the children, playfully flipping and making silly faces. Yuna’s purple tail catches the light just right, glowing like an underwater jewel as she performs her elegant twirls. Grace is in black, a striking contrast amidst the vibrant colors of the rest of the pod. Her backstory is darker than the rest of us. An orca warrior that wasbanished from her pod for loving a selkie. The pod ate the selkie before banishing her. We have to be careful not to let her story out around kids. It tends to make them cry, but it gives adults something more adult to latch on to during our corporate events.
I lean forward slightly, when a pair of siblings march hand-in-hand towards the shell throne.
“Are you really mermaids?” One of the siblings asks, looking between me and Kendra.
I chuckle. “Of course!”
Both of their eyes go wider.
I lean closer and wave for them to listen as if I’m telling them a secret. “And you know what? Anyone can be merfolk if they want.”
