But instead of staying outside with the tourists, Enrique pulled her backstage behind the dolphin exhibit, where only the dolphin trainers were permitted. PRIVATE: KEEP OUT signs were posted, but Enrique ignored them. He was practically staff at this point. He’d been going there with his brother, Miguel, for a long time, helping out and learning everything—and apparently studying Shelly like some curious creature while he was at it.
Enrique tossed some fish to the dolphins, who gathered in excitement. He patted Lil’ Mermy on the head when he swam up to the side. “Good boy,” he said as the dolphin squeaked and snatched another fish out of the air.
“He is,” Shelly said, forgetting her worries for a moment. The dolphins had that effect on her. And as much as she hated to admit it, so did Enrique. She could still remember when Lil’ Mermy was born that spring in the aquarium. It was a big deal to have a newborn in captivity. The tiny dolphin baby had grown up and was basically a mischievous teenager now. Well, the dolphin equivalent, anyway.
“Remember when he stole my brother’s hat?” Enrique said, tossing another fish.
Shelly giggled. “Oh, I heard about that. He snatched it right off his head, then dragged it through the exhibit to show off his new find.”
Enrique smiled. “Yeah, my brother wasn’t thrilled about that. He still had the original stickers on it.”
“Hazards of working at an aquarium,” she said, smiling at the dolphin pod happily munching on their fish snacks. “You know, sometimes I think they’re smarter than us. And they’re definitely more sensitive,” she said, patting Lil’ Mermy. “Just look in their eyes.”
The dolphin purred and squeaked in appreciation.
Enrique looked at her. Their eyes met. “That’s so weird,” he said with a lopsided grin. “Thought I was the only one who believed that.”
“Ha, same,” she said with a smile.
When Enrique finished feeding them, Shelly led him over to the catwalk that crossed above the tanks, where they sat with their feet dangling over the dolphin exhibit. She looked down at the gloves hiding her webbed fingers. The scarf remained wrapped firmly around her neck.
He nudged her shoulder. “Hey, really, it can’t be that bad.”
She sighed. “You have no idea.”
“Try me,” he said, nudging her again. “Promise I won’t judge. Is it about your parents?”
She shook her head. “You’ll just call me nerd or fish lover, like everyone else.”
“Well, I like nerds. Especially ones who are into marine biology.”
Shelly hesitated. Kendall’s sneering face in the locker room flashed through her head.
But then she looked at Enrique—his kind eyes, the prominent dimples in his cheeks. He wasn’t like the other kids. Neither of them was. It was refreshing. She felt like he might understand. It seemed worth it to take a chance. Besides, carrying this secret around was making her even more anxious. What made problems unbearable, she decided, was dealing with them alone. That made everything a million times worse. She took a deep breath, feeling her gills flare.
Her stomach churned with fear, but she forced the words out anyway. “Okay then,” she said, fiddling with her scarf. “I did see something, but it wasn’t a ghost.”
“Not a ghost?” he asked. “Well, that’s good.”
“No, it was a witch,” she said. “And not just any witch. It was a sea witch.”
She waited for him to laugh, call her crazy, or taunt her with names.
But he didn’t. His eyes met hers. “Wow, a real sea witch? Did she grant you a wish?”
Shelly’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “Wait, how do you know about that?”
“Don’t tell me you haven’t heard the old fairy tales,” he said.
“Fairy tales?” she asked.
“Listen, my family goes back a long way in Triton Bay. My grandfather used to tell us all sorts of colorful stories before bedtime when we were kids. He was a fisherman,” Enrique said.
“And some had to do with a sea witch?” Shelly guessed.
He nodded. “Yeah, but I didn’t realize she was real.”
“Oh, she’s real, all right,” Shelly said with a shudder. “And she did grant me a wish. It sounds stupid, but I wanted to become the fastest swimmer.” Reflexively, she glanced at the ocean in the distance. It churned with blue-black waves. Was Ursula listening in?
“That day you fell in the ocean . . . is that when it happened?” he asked.
She nodded, took a deep breath to still her nerves, then pulled off her scarf, revealing her gills in all their glory. She expected him to recoil in disgust like Kendall had when she’d seen her hand.
Instead, he studied her neck in fascination. His eyes roved over the slits, and he watched as they flared open when she breathed. He didn’t say anything for a long moment. She began to regret showing him.
Finally, he spoke up. “I knew you were looking a little green around the gills, but . . .” Shelly rolled her eyes. His voice trailed off, but then his eyes lit up. “Are those what I think they are?”
“Yup,” Shelly said.
“Do they . . . work?” he asked.
“Uh, yeah,” she said, feeling self-conscious. “I can breathe underwater. I found out at swim practice. I still raise my head like everyone else. But I don’t really have to anymore.”
“This is amazing! You have an actual superpower. That’s so rad!”
“Yeah, I guess I didn’t think of it that way. And that’s not all.” Shelly pulled off her gloves, then slipped off her shoes and socks. She splayed out her fingers and toes, showing him the delicate webbing that stretched between her digits.
His eyes widened. “Wow, you weren’t kidding.” Then he grinned and did something unexpected: he ran to the catwalk and dove into the ocean, letting out a joyous yelp as he plunged below the
