Chapter Text
Chapter 1: Now Hiring!
The employer repeated my name and I glanced up. “You clearly have stunning references,” She said, “But I need to know if you can handle big animals. This new position is… different from your average one.”
“I am ready for that,” I responded quickly, “I can handle it. I’m used to wrestling giant fish when I would fish with my father.” I gave her a sweet smile before asking, “What is this new position anyways?”
Mrs. Altmark made a face. One I could only describe as hesitation. She stuttered when she spoke, “It’s... It’s a position that would require you to be hands on. You would need to stay late nights and come in early in the morning. Sometimes, you may even need to stay all night.” That was vague and it definitely isn’t helping with my multiplying questions. Before I could even start to pry more, she answered, “You know mermaids or merpeople? One was recently discovered in Venice, Italy and he’s here.”
My jaw dropped. I thought they were fiction.
“We need a doctor to help him get accustomed to the aquarium and he’s not exactly accepting. It’s either he stays here, or he gets put down.” I let out a frustrated hum at her words. That’s a bit dramatic.
I immediately said, “I’ll do it.”
“What?”
“I’ll take the job if you’ll have me,” I specified. A smile grew on her face
It was weird leaving that place. It felt like I had just sold my soul. I was told to come in next week for a show around and the week after that they will introduce me. Scared? I was beyond. These creatures had barely been studied and I get to help the progress of learning about them?
I put in my two weeks notice the next day and during my break I sat next to my friend, Dawn. I ate my sandwich from the cafe I worked at and she smoked. She almost never ate anything, just cigarettes and water. I’d always offer to buy her a sandwich, but she most often than not would decline.
“You get that job, honey?” Dawn asks curiously behind her cigarette.
“Oh, yeah I did.” I didn’t want to tell her about the scary work I would be doing. If it spread around town that I would be working with a mythical, thought to be nonexistent, being I think I would get the reputation of the town’s local meth head.
“Good,” She mumbles before taking a hit, “At least one of us isn’t stayin’ at this shitty ass cafe.”
“Yeah,” I responded but I didn’t know how good I felt about it.