Chapter Twelve

Jason and I made for the surface. Since I had a tail, he gave me his shirt again. I hadn't learned how to form my legs while in water, yet. I guessed that when I learned and changed in the water, my shorts would return. When we got close to the shore, Baytovin found us.

"There are men on the land." He warned us.

"Just men?" I stroked his back. "How many?"

"Yes. Seven." He circled us.

"Okay. Blake, stay here. They'll think I am human." Jason explained. "I'll get you when it's safe."

"Wait-" I started, but he had already swam up. "Damn it." I looked down at my tail. I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I breathed even and slow, focusing on my legs. I could feel the water swirl around my tail then suddenly between my legs. I opened my eyes, seeing my shorts and legs.

"Yes!" I laughed then swam to shore. I met Jason and the seven men in black. "Jay! I found your shirt!" I held up the cloth. The men looked over to me as I pulled my now red hair over my shoulder. I approached them.

"Ma'am, what is your name?" One of the men questioned.

"Avery." Jason blurted.

"I didn't ask you." The man stated nonchalantly. Jason looked to me. "Two students disappeared from The Aquarium today. Do you know anything about that?"

"You don't look like cops." I frowned. He turned, facing two guys that had come up from behind.

"Grab them." He ordered. The two guys reached for me and instinctively, I threw my arms towards them. Waves crashed into them, pushing them onto the sand. Jason fought off the guys trying to take him and as I went to move, something sharp hit my neck. I gasped, pulling out something like a dart. There was a hollow needle on it and the end was fuzzy and colorful. My vision blurred as I looked to Jason. Our eyes connected for a flash second then everything went black.

* ~~ * ~~ * ~~

I could feel water all around me as I began to wake up. It was cold and I could feel little particles floating around.

"What?" I groaned, opening my eyes. I was in a tall, wide, tank and the water was blue and stung my lungs. "Chlorine."

"Good morning, Miss Blake." A man in a white lab coat said. He held a clipboard. "I am Doctor Johnson." I looked down at my blue and purple tail. A chlorine salt tank.

"Where am I?" I questioned.

"You're in a research facility. Where did you come from? Which ocean?" He answered.

"I came from land. Not the ocean."

"It took a while for us to figure out how to reveal your tail and weaken you. Are you Atlantean?" He responded.

"Where is Jason?" I looked around the room outside of my tank.

"Ahh, yes. Aquaman from the Mediterranean Sea. He is fine and safe." He paced slowly.

"I want to see him!" I demanded.

"Not unless you answer my questions." He marked something on his clipboard. "Who else is like you?"

"I'm not answering anything until I see him." I crossed my arms. He looked up at me.

"Very well." He sighed, clicking his pen. "Bring him in!" The door to the room hissed open and two men shoved Jason in. They threw him to the floor in front of the tank, hitting him in the face with the end of a gun.

"Stop! Stop hurting him!" I swam up to the glass.

"Toss him in." The Doctor flicked his hand. They pulled him out of the room quickly. "Now, answer my questions."

"I don't know where I am from. I hated water until a few weeks ago when it became life or death." I felt scared.

"Are there more like you? Like your family?" He came closer to the glass.

"I'm adopted." I wasn't lying. After my parents disappeared, my aunt and uncle adopted me and gained custody. The glass above me opened up and Jason fell in. He was limp. "Jay!" I swam to him, holding his body. The blood on his face mixed with the water causing him to flinch and open his eyes.

"Blake?" He blinked. He jerked, up righting himself and looking around.

"What abilities do you have?" The Doctor studied us. I didn't answer. "Open the back." Jason and I looked to the back of the tank as it opened.

"This shark hasn't eaten in four days. Stop him from eating you." The Doctor sat down. A great white shark charged into the tank with an open mouth and black eyes.

"Hungry!" He snarled. Jason and I dodged the shark, letting him crash into the glass. I changed my tail into legs quickly.

"You can't calm a starving shark!" Jason yelled to me. The shark slammed into me, pinning me between me and the glass wall with my foot in his mouth. Panicked, I placed a hand on his head.

"H-hey, big guy." I grunted as he bit down. "I'm Blake." Jason grabbed his tail, throwing him to the other side of the tank. I went next to Jason as the shark charged again, smelling the blood coming from my leg. Jason and I extended our arms out towards him. I felt like I had been taken over again like when I pulled water out of my house.

"We are children of the sea. Your rulers. Listen to our voice." Jason and I said in unison, ripples from our hands stopping the shark. "Bartholomew, the great white shark, son of the Megalodon. Calm your mind and fill your belly with thought." I could hear the shark pant as he sank to the bottom of the tank. I went to him carefully.

"Princess, I apologize." He huffed. He sounded older than Baytovin.

"Don't worry. It wasn't your fault." I stroked his head.

"Extraordinary!" The Doctor clapped, standing.

"Blake, your leg!" Jason came to my side. I looked down to see the teeth incisions on my calf.

"What else can you do?" The Doctor watched. I stood on the bottom of the tank. I could sense that we were near the ocean, if not on top of it.

"You want to see what I can do?" Anger filled me. I lifted my arms outwards, my arm stinging and my shoulder sore.

"Stay calm." The Doctor backed away. The tank began to rumble, and he hit an alarm. Electricity shocked the water, but I didn't stop. Bartholomew howled in pain, Jason curling up. I clenched my jaw, my anger blocking out the pain.

"You think you can just capture and torture what you please? Well, let me tell you this." I growled. The rumbling intensified, the glass cracking. "You. Are. WRONG.!" Water crashed through the walls, filling the room. The Doctor became trapped as the water shut down the electricity. Everything went black, but the sound of rushing water continued. I closed my hands into fists, yanking my arms towards me. The walls caved in, setting us free. We swam out, and I looked at Bartholomew.

"Go, Bartholomew. Rid yourself of hunger." I could see the Doctor struggling in the swirling water. Jason and I swam out of the room and into open ocean. The facility was sinking and sharks and other creatures rushed in while captives were released.