Page 21 of Kraken the Seal

The young man looked torn. It was obvious part of him wanted to run, but the other part saw a fellow selkie and felt obligated to try and help her.

“This is Nina,” I said. “She was turned into a selkie by a spell. We came here looking for help.”

The teenager's expression went from scared to confused. “That’s not possible. You’re either born a selkie or you’re not; you can’t be turned into one.”

“Trust me, it’s possible,” Nina said. “Do selkies have a leader, like a president or king or something?”

“Yeah, uh, we have Mayor Norris. He runs the town and organizes our colony,” he said.

“Convenient,” Nina muttered, then turned on a bright smile. “Could we talk to him?”

“Mayor Norris is really busy, and you’re a girl,” he said. “Do you have a father that can talk to him? Women don't usually get to consult Mayor Norris on their own.”

“What?” My sharp question made the guy startle.

He took a half-step back. “Uh, sorry, Mr. Kraken, but women are governed by the men in their lives. It's up to their fathers or husbands to speak for them. Or a brother if you don't have a father or husband.”

“What in theHandmaid's Taleis going on here?” Nina asked. “Next thing you're going to tell me is that women don't have the right to vote.”

“What's a vote?” he asked.

“This is so bad,” she said under her breath. I had to agree with her. If we didn’t need to talk to Mayor Norris so badly, I'd fuel up and leave. Unfortunately, this was the biggest and closest colony. These people were our best chance of getting an answer and a cure.

“Nina doesn't have any men in her life except me,” I said. “I’m her mate.”

The teenager must've forgotten I was a scary kraken for a moment because he snorted derisively. “The most noble of creatures mated with a sea monster? Yeah, right.”

He must've realized how insulting that was, or maybe it was the sight of several of my appendages popping out and slapping down on the dock.

“What was that you said about sea monsters?” I asked.

He audibly swallowed and took another step back. “St-st-stay here. I'll get someone to talk to you!”

With that, he turned and fled.

“I don't like the sound of this place,” Nina said, turning to face me. “Women can't speak for themselves? The kid didn't know what voting was? Did we suddenly transport to 1700?”

I shook my head. “Honestly, I'd heard rumors that selkie colonies were old-fashioned, but I thought it was more about not mixing with other magical creatures. This is extreme.”

“I have no interest in becoming an Amish seal.”

I couldn't help it, I laughed. “Your seal wearing an Amish cap would be adorable.”

She cracked a smile. “You want to play dress-up with my seal? What's next, fishnet stockings?”

I laughed at the image of Nina's seal wearing both an Amish head covering and fishnets.

Movement at the top of a nearby pier made both of us look up. About a dozen people had gathered to stare down at us.

“What are they doing?" Nina whispered, pressing close to me. My appendages wrapped around her, one of them petting her back.

“Watching us,” I said.

“I know that,” she said, giving me some side-eye before speaking again. “But why?”

“We're probably the most interesting thing that's ever happened here in the last fifty years,” I said. “Let's go wait in the cabin.”

She shook her head. “Let's fill up first. I don't like the feeling of this place. If we have to leave, I'd like to know we have a full tank of gas.”