The Aquarium

by Emily Shore

  After the exhibit darkens, forbidding me from seeing Sky, Haven touches my hand. I recoil, noticing she does the same, her hand jerking ever so slightly. I don’t have time to ponder why because she regains her composure, her eyes measuring me, though she already knows my weakness—she has already exploited one.

  “Weekends: Three shows a day. And one private interaction each night,” she stipulates, leaning forward to emphasize the verbal contract. “You’ll find that it’s a very fair offer.”

  Fair by whose standards? I want to ask, but I keep my mouth shut. If there’s one thing I do well, it’s bargaining. But I need more answers first.

  “What kind of interaction?” I press my fingers hard into one of the armrests. “The world knows I’m married. You can’t—”

  “Yes, the world rejoiced at your marriage just as it did for royals past. The infamy of your wedding day still lives on.” Haven brings her hands together, the tips of her nails forming white-capped peaks. “But the world wants more, and I shall give it to them.”

  “What kind of interaction?” I repeat, suspicion mounting in my blood, adding more electric charge to my lightning.

  “A match like yours is a banquet fit for the eyes.” Haven hints at her intention. “Thanks to your immortal treatment, your desirability has not ebbed. Your husband’s continued aging would have presented a problem…but no longer.”

  Haven summons one of the former sprite lights from the show, expands the screen, and zooms in to tap the imprint on Sky’s back at a moment when he’s turned from the cameras.

  “You must know I planned for your arrival beforehand,” Haven says as I suck in a few deep breaths, closing my eyes. “Everything was prepared, and I was pleased with Skylar’s attempted break-in. His threats were entertaining.”

  “Did you implant him?” I focus on the tattoo—on the gold crown glittering like a sparkler—wondering why I bothered to ask because I already know.

  “I did.” She expands the screen, zooming in on the nape of his neck where I can detect the injection site. “Now, Sky has the Immortal implant. A love for the ages. And one you will now share with the world.”

  Overwhelmed by everything, I lower my head to my hands and grate my nails into my scalp because the tiny stabs of pain help me focus, bring me back to the objective.

  “Where are our twins?” I ask, lifting my chin, blinking a few times as the exhibit lights turn on to reveal the palace. Even in its quiet state, it is a beauty to behold. Shining like a thousand beacons. A dragon’s treasure horde. The lair of the forty thieves.

  “First, let’s go see your husband,” Haven proposes.

  * * *

  Haven leads me to a room with the digital title—Master Dressing Room.

  “It accommodates two for sharing purposes,” Haven says. For show preparation if it comes to that, which seems probable. It makes sense for Sky and me to share.

  “Do you have NAILS and BODY?” I ask as we approach the room, referring to the automatic smart-prep stations.

  “A chamber that combines both, yes. I don’t believe in preparers. And your costumes will consist of bio-materials including bioluminescence.”

  Too hung up on her middle statement to respond, I look away from her just in time for Sky to reach my side and cup my cheek, brown eyes attentive when he reassures me, “They’re safe.”

  I close my watery eyes, sigh, and touch his arm. My hand trembles…body shakes. A few lightning-tinted tears make their escape. A quick getaway down my cheeks. Sky bends his head to mine a moment later, whispering a few soothing words to help ease the shaking.

  When I open my eyes, Haven stands nearby, hands folded as she observes us, assessing. “Skylar has already agreed to my conditions.”

  “You haven’t clarified the conditions.” I whirl to face her, crossing my arms over my chest. Sky remains behind me, holding me.

  “Three shows a day. One private interaction a night.”

  “What interaction?” I’m getting frustrated. “You can’t possibly think I’ll agree to an interaction with a client.”

  “Client, no. Co-star, yes.” She nods to Sky, smiling.

  Tilting my neck and parting my lips, I glance at my husband for answers.

  “Ser…” He sighs, squaring his shoulders. “She wants to display us. We will be considered the interaction.”

  I raise my brows, then squeeze my eyes shut, trying to reckon with the notion.

  “It will make appetites and desires grow exponentially,” the director explains, beginning to wander the room. “As I stated before, your love will be shared before the world. And your lovemaking.”

  Or the highest bidder, I don’t bother to add.

  Haven summons up a sprite light on the far wall, then taps into saved feeds from our wedding day. Of our dance beside the swan lake. “A banquet fit for the eyes.”

  “And what if I contact my Syndicate connections?” I make the empty threat. Judging by the slight curving of Haven’s mouth, she predicted it.

  “If you truly had the power to counteract me, you would have done it already,” she points out. “Everyone knows the Syndicate has stepped up efforts to locate the infamous Temple princess. Especially with the new Temple construction. Their board is lost, chaos without its leader. But you want nothing to do with that world. You would rather risk your twins with me than with the Syndicate.”

  Haven has us in her oyster-tight hand, and she is smug in her knowledge.

  Sky winds a hand around my waist, his protectiveness transferring into the skin there. “And our twins?”

  Haven nods, extending a hand to him. “As you and I agreed.”

  “Wait,” I say, cutting their conversation off. “What about the twins? Where are Kerrie and Verity?”

  I hadn’t expected this. It reminds me of something out of a science fiction film.

  “We can wake them up at any time,” Haven says, motioning to the bubble-like chambers housing our twins. At least they’re in the same one. Together. Even though they are fast asleep, Kerrie reached out for his sister, his hand invading the space of her chest. Verity hates it when Kerrie crawls into her crib to try to snuggle up next to her. Even now, her subconscious causes her to twitch, nudging his hand away.

  “The room is sterile with its own infiltration system and oxygen sources. Only professional nurses are allowed inside.” Haven motions to a nurse arriving with a bottle. “Off to the side is a playroom filled with all sorts of educational activities, a jungle gym, and—”

  “Stop.” I raise my hand. “I don’t want to hear anything else. I just want them. Now.”

  “Ironic. They say a mother never wants to wake up sleeping children.”

  Once I enter the room—after applying a couple of Clean patches—I finally get to open the chambers. Haven doesn’t accompany us inside, saying she’ll give us some time alone.

  After we say their names, the twins begin to stir. As predicted, Kerrie is more cantankerous while Verity remains wide-eyed. Even with her head on my shoulder and arms wrapped around my neck, she’s moving her head around, taking in her surroundings. Sky and I take turns with the twins, cuddling and playing with them. From what I can tell, they have no memory of their abduction, but it could present itself later on. It’s been proven traumatic situations have an effect on the body. Hopefully, they will have none, but if we don’t get them back to the Sanctuary…

  I don’t want them in this world.

  But I understand why Sky cooperated.

  “There’s more to it, Ser.” Sky heaves a sigh before tousling Kerrie’s hair. He’s engrossed in robotic Legos. The kind that glow, move on command, and can be programmed to construct anything one desires.

  Verity snuggles with me on the rocking chair. I press my nose to hers, examining the echo of the mother in the daughter’s cobblestone gray eyes, which keep me centered, grounded.

  “She gave me the Immortal implant. She owns me now. In more ways than one,” he adds in a softer tone, eyeing Kerrie b
efore he grabs at his hair binder to release his waves. With them, some of his tension seems to flow away. “The implant caught the virus early. Repaired my cells and killed it before my flesh could be destroyed.” Sky looks up, his hair coating the sides of his face like dark paint smears. “I wouldn’t have lasted long.”

  “How do you know?”

  “Saw it all. Charts, test results…Director Haven gave me the choice. Get the implant and become an exhibit or refuse and be dead within a month. I told them to keep me awake for the procedure. Saw it all happen on the surgical screen.”

  Pursuing my lips, I blow out a breath, struck by the knowledge. How on earth Sky ended up with one of the viruses sweeping the nation, the world, is unimaginable. But one thing is clear—the Immortal implant saved his life. Luc saved my life multiple times in the Aviary. Now, Sky had the saving…but from something inside him. They’ve equipped the Sanctuary with life-saving technology, but not on the level it is here.

  It means we owe Haven. No, she still took our twins. Regardless of her intentions to do no harm, we don’t owe her a damn thing.

  Verity starts to crawl off my lap, drawn to the latest LEGO set that builds itself into a castle. Sky adds a few more pieces, and that’s when I notice his arm. “Where’s your wrist cuff?” I ask, motioning to the tan line around the base of his hand.

  Sky shakes his head, plucks up Kerrie, and falls with him onto the floor. “Won’t let me have access to technology other than the basics. No hacking allowed. My barcode won’t give me anything but rights to food, amenities, and access to NAILS and BODY.”

  “How can we do this? How can we even think about—?”

  “Same way we got through everything else.” Sky puts the program on a loop, moves away from the twins, who are mesmerized by the LEGO show, and inches his way toward me. Hands cupping my knees, Sky arches his neck. “Hey.”

  I sigh but meet his eyes, which become the color of cream-infused coffee. Rich and warming my insides, thunder lassoing my lightning.

  “We’ll get through it, Ser.”

  “It’s different this time,” I protest.

  “She’s letting us be together. That’s all that matters,” he counters, jerking his head toward the twins.

  “Exactly. She can use us against each other whenever she wants. And…we’ll be together for the entire world to see. To watch.” My imagination conjures up images, striking me with the force of a hailstorm. Each one pounds, causing me to ache from the reality our sex life is about to become public. Our most intimate moments no longer private. And the viewers will expect us to perform to their satisfaction.

  “Least we’ll get a lot of practice.” Sky tries to inject humor into the conversation, but it doesn’t penetrate. It just fizzles out.

  “When is the first show?” I ask. Slipping from chair, I crawl beside him, eyeing the twins as they begin to play with the moving deploys. They respond to their motion. Kerrie sends a few to Verity, but she has begun to hoard them, forming her own multi-colored LEGO trove.

  “This weekend.”

  Five days. We have five more days to be a normal couple. A normal family. Best not waste it.

  6

  W y l D e R G r a V e s

  * * *

  After spending the rest of the evening with our children, including eating dinner with them before putting them to bed in the same chambers—those we actually prefer because the devices are equipped with a bio-signature only we can open—it is time for me to find Haven and agree to her conditions. Sky fell asleep in the rocking chair, which makes sense given his implant surgery followed by the show rehearsal. Even if the implant keeps him physically healthy, it was far too much in one day psychologically. I lean down and kiss my husband, moving aside a few wavy wisps of his hair. Lips parted slightly, there’s a faint noise coming from his nostrils. Thankfully, he’s never snored much. Once I finish covering him with a blanket, I leave him to sleep.

  Thanks to a helpful drone stationed outside the family room, I’m able to follow it to Haven’s office on a lower level. To my right and left are pressurized windows, affording me multiple views of the ocean. At this depth, it is pitch black out there. Until one glance out a window causes me to pause. In the distance, I can see a gray shape, almost undulating. It moves a little closer, close enough for the laser lights of the window to scrutinize it. Its face reminds me of a cross between a snake and an eel with rows of small but sharp teeth.

  “Beautiful, isn’t he?”

  Startled, I jump at the sound of the intruding voice, instantly jerking to the side. Behind me, the young man leans forward, gestures to the creature that curves through the water, and disappears into the darkness. “Frilled shark. Its extremely flexible jaw allows it to swallow its prey whole. And they can’t escape due to its teeth.” He narrows his skeleton-thin eyes upon me.

  Immediately, I recognize him, but I can’t remember from where. His eyes are so long and dark they remind me of one of the eight points of a star anise seed pod.

  “Rare to see them at all. He must like you.” Thrusting one shoulder toward me, he smiles, sending a hand through his hair, which is sleek, straight, and black as an arrow, diving down to his shoulders except for the shaven section on one side of his head. With his diamond-chiseled cheekbones, my first guess is model. Especially with the graphic tee and black jeans. Slender, sharp angles, protruding elbows, but he’s wiry. Even beneath his baggy tee, I can make out the subtle muscles of his abs.

  Before I can react, the beautiful young man sweeps up my hand and rubs his lips, soft and pink as sunset clouds, across my knuckles. A few strands of his hair brush my arm at the same time. “A pleasure to finally meet the Swan.” He draws out my Aviary name as if sampling a sweet fruit. It’s the sound of his voice that first triggers my memory of watching multiple Aquarium ads when Neil and I traveled earlier today.

  Retrieving my hand, I avoid the temptation to wipe it off on my skirt. Instead, I greet him, clarifying, “My name is Serenity. And you are Wylder Graves, Aquarium promoter, recruiter, and the one who kidnapped my twins.”

  “Oh!” He clenches his fingers in the air before my face, grin spreading, almost childish. “I’ve waited so long to see those eyes! Like emeralds on fire.”

  My eyes don’t look anything like emeralds, but I don’t bother to correct him. Sweeping past him, I don’t forget to mention, “Love the shaved part of your scalp.”

  Wylder’s lips curve downward. I’ve touched a nerve, feeling my grin widen at the recollection of yanking out quite a number of his hair strands.

  He follows me. “Needed a change. It’s an old look. Classic from a century ago. Caused my ratings to skyrocket on FaceSpace.” Wylder winks, keeping in stride as I progress down the hall, but his hands find their way into his pockets. “Must’ve had fifty girls line up for SexSense.”

  I’ve heard of the app. It’s all the latest rage with the kids these days. The clean version of sex. Virtual reality with synchronized body suits transmitting signals. It’s old technology, but it’s become hyper-sensitized and affordable. Marketed to the masses where before it was just for Hollywood elites or high-ranking politicians. Auctioned off at fundraisers. Used in research for the medical world. My old Temple bedroom was equipped with something similar, but it was technology in my bed with a sprite-light screen canopy. Compared to SexSense bodysuit and app, the PleaseYour bed app is old news.

  Ignoring Wylder, I make my way down the hall, escorted by the drone. Undaunted by the now-gruff model who remains by my side, I round a corner to the frosted door on my right. Before I can even get a chance to knock, the door opens automatically, permitting me to enter.

  Inside, the office is far plainer than what I’d expect for a director. Smaller, too. But it does come with a fish tank wall. Inside are dozens of jellyfish. The ghosts of the ocean, their billowy umbrella bells pulsate through the water, their stinging tentacles brushing against each other. They are mesmerizing.

  Haven sits at a desk, reviewi
ng some Aquarium promotional feeds, tweaking them to include show dates. Our show. She already knows why I’m here.

  “Good to see you’ve met my assistant director and head of marketing.” She refers to the model behind me. “You agree to my conditions…” Her words confirm she knows I’m agreeing, dark eyes tunneling into mine, luring me into their trenches. With so much at stake, I have to wonder if Sky and I will ever crawl out.

  “You already know since you’re sending out announcements and show dates.”

  Haven nods, swiping a few more times to launch the promotions while remaining attentive to the conversation. “I pride myself on preparing for all contingencies.”

  “Maybe…” Wylder speaks up, voice casual but tinted with a playful undertone. “We can add another promotion. The Face of the Aquarium and its rising star.” The latter referring to me. He reaches out to cup my chin in his lotus-white hand, lips parting.

  As soon as he touches me, I snatch up his wrist, jerking it forward before yanking it down and shoving him away. One of many moves Sky taught me.

  “Don’t ever touch me,” I warn.

  I didn’t hear Haven get up. Or so much as sensed her. But in one swift motion, she’s managed to overthrow me, her hand poised on my neck, anchoring my spine to the floor.

  7

  C o n D i T i o n S

  * * *

  Haven purrs, “I know your reputation, Serenity. You try those antics in my Museum, you won’t succeed.”

  Her voice is not low enough for a whisper, but it’s threatening all the same. Not quite unhinging me, but, combined with her actions, it’s more than enough for me to listen. Wylder stands just above me, clearly entertained from the way his head angles to the side, lips puckering.