Page 4 of Kraken the Seal

“What sports do you do?” I asked.

“You think I do sports?” she asked, looking genuinely surprised.

I was confused. “Why wouldn’t I?”

She pointed to her body. “I’m not thin, so people just assume I don’t do anything physical.”

Why did humans equate thinness with athleticism? Any sea creature could tell you, a little padding didn’t make an orca any less deadly!

“You move with strength and confidence,” I said. “You must do something.”

She gave me a pleased look. “I do a lot of different things. Right now I’m mostly into cycling, weightlifting, and rock climbing. I like to try things, get obsessed for a while, then move on to something else. I have a garage full of equipment from old hobbies. And sometimes I have a hard time letting go of stuff because I might want to get back into it.”

“Like what?” I asked, desperate to know more about this fascinating human.

“I did live action sword fighting for a while, so I have several swords and a custom-made set of plate armor,” she said with a chuckle. “It was so expensive that I plan to be buried in that outfit!”

If I wasn’t already enamored, I would’ve been by the time she finished talking.

“I don’t know what plate armor is, but it sounds heavy. That probably wouldn’t be compatible with living on a boat,” I said with a grin, hoping my grin was as irresistible as my mom said it was.

“You live here?” she asked, looking around.

I realized that I was standing in the doorway and blocking her exit. The last thing I wanted was for her to feel trapped!

I moved a little further into the cabin and plopped down on a built-in bench seat. “This has been home for the last six years. My parents raised me on a boat. They said I learned to swim before I could crawl.”

She moved, but not to leave. Leaning against the counter that made up my kitchen area, she rested her hands on the rounded wood edge on either side of her hips.

“It’s nice in here, cozy,” she said, glancing out the open cabin door. “I’m going to hang out here for a while, if that’s okay. I don’t want Hank to see me when they fish him out of the water.”

“Stay as long as you like!” I said. I was probably being way too eager, but the idea of spending more time together was the best news all week. That even included finding the shipwreck. “Are you thirsty?”

Her expression turned suspicious. “No.”

The scent of drugs in the drink Hank had popped into my head, making me wish I’d squeezed him too tight before tossing him.

“There’s stuff in here if you change your mind,” I said, opening the small fridge to show her the sealed water bottles and beer.

“Oh, I’ll take a water,” she said. The moment I handed it to her, she uncapped it and drank the entire thing. When she was done, she gave me a grateful look. “They didn’t have a single drink that wasn’t open at the party. Call me paranoid, but I’m not taking anything from one of those guys.”

I wish I could tell her how accurate her instincts had been.

“I’ve met Zak once or twice,” I said. “I don’t blame you at all.”

She chuckled, then slumped a little. “I left Janice at the party. I should go back and try to get her to leave.”

I stood up, ready to be a hero. “Do you have a picture? I could go find her and bring her to you.”

Her tired expression turned hopeful. “Really?”

“For you, I’m willing to brave the crypto-bros,” I said.

She laughed. “Crypto-bros? That’s the best name for them. I was there twenty minutes and had no less than three guys try to talk me into investing in something.”

I nodded. “I hide every time I see them on the docks.”

“That makes your sacrifice even more meaningful,” she said with a teasing smile.