Ocar-

The puzzles. The same strange tasting fish day in and day out. It was wearing on me. My tail pumped lazily as I glided along the bottom of the deep pool. I was grateful to be allowed at least this much freedom. Being given a pool at all was a relief after suffering in human prison, but it was far from the ocean. Very, very far. 

The scent of something sour hit my nose and I glanced up from the darkness. More of that medicine they keep putting in the pool. They said that it was to kill aquatic infection in specimens, but I wasn't a damn experiment. I didn't feel sick and I wasn't stupid. They were dosing my water for a different reason... but hell if they would bother telling me. 

I'll have to ask Oliver when he comes back. 

The faint vibrations caused by a human walking alongside my pool brought my attention to the other side from where the chemicals had been put in. I swam closer, staying deep enough to hide in the shadows of the wall to my right. He was talking to someone, though I could only feel one set of footsteps. 

Must be on a phone. 

Falling back slightly, I slowly began rising toward the surface. I didn't want to be visible, or at least draw attention to myself, but I also wanted to know what he was talking about. It was odd for a human to be around me to begin with, but one not paying attention when walking along my pool? 

He's not afraid... or he's stupid. 

As I rose higher in the cool water, I began to be able to make out what he was saying. 

"...was added. Yes, several times." 

The faint vibrations from his footsteps stopped abruptly, making me dive down. I circled around to the far end of the pool, then surfaced just enough to see where he was. Ah, tying his shoe. Since I wasn't noticed, I silently slipped back beneath the surface, returning to my previous spot to wait. 

"Like I was saying, sir, I put the chemicals in the water, but there's no reaction." 

He began walking again and I slowly followed, being careful to stay deep enough to not draw his attention. 

"It's not working on him the same way it did on the smaller mer, perhaps because they are different species of animal." He stopped talking for a moment, likely listening to whoever he was speaking with. 

"Yes. I did double the dose, but he's not floating up to the surface, and honestly, I can't even see him." 

A shadow moved over me, instinct forcing me to dart to the bottom of the pool. I turned in the water to look up and noticed his faint shadow. Is he trying to find me? I wondered, considering floating to the surface, as he'd said, just to see what he would say. I decided against it quickly, however, because I really didn't understand what he would do if I did. When his shadow disappeared, I waited a few more moments, then rose back to my previous spot. 

"We'll have to find another way to get him out." 

There it is. This guy's going to be a problem. 

"Yes sir, I'll keep you updated on what they plan to do. Yes, at least we can get to him. I'm sure one of the doses will get him. I've been hiding the sedation medication in his food, too, so it's only a matter of time before I can figure out the appropriate amount to knock him out." 

I wasn't familiar with the word sedation, but considering what he followed it up with, I had a feeling that staying awake around him was extremely important. 

"He has a medical exam soon, either tomorrow or the day after. They'll likely try to put him under for that and I can slip him something extra to keep him down. I'll let you know the specifics later, once I get all of the information." 

I dove after that, needing to process what information I already had. Oliver needs to come back. I knew that there was going to be an exam, but I was told that it was just to check my basic health. They had said that if I caused no problems, that I wouldn't need to be made to sleep. 

Lazing about the bottom, I waited for the light filtering down from the glass ceiling above my pool to turn to shadows before resurfacing away from where the chemicals were added earlier. No one was around and the lights were dimmed. 

I waited quietly a few feet from the edge of the pool until I began hearing voices coming from the hallway beyond my locked door. Their words were too mumbled by the walls to make out, but when they stepped through the door a moment later, my heart gave a strong pump in my chest, but also sped up with worry. 

The man from before... and Parker. 

"Hey there, Ocar. How have you been feeling?" Parker asked. 

His question made me nervous. He hadn't asked that before, and after the other man's phone call, I think Parker might have been talked into thinking that I might not be well. I can't let them get close. 

"I am fine." I replied, treading back a few more feet to be sure I was completely out of reach. 

Parker looked over his shoulder at the other man as he knelt by the edge of my pool, then gazed back at me. "You're sure? You aren't too hot or cold? The food is okay on your stomach?"

My eyes narrowed on the other man, then softened when I returned them to Parker. "The food tastes horrible and I will not eat it anymore. Please give me normal fish." 

Parker seemed surprised as his small smile turned into a frown. "Normal fish? We use thawed fish, but we don't add anything to them." 

I glanced back at the other man, who was doing a good job of pretending he didn't know anything about what I was saying. 

"There is something being put in it. It tastes horrible and I won't eat it again." 

The other man took a step closer to the edge and folded his arms over his chest, returning my previous glare with one of his own. "You don't have much of a choice as to what you get. You are a prisoner here, and there is nothing being put in your food."

I weighed my options. If I came out and said what the man had said on the phone, he could possibly hurt Parker. I didn't care much for the human, but Callem did, and I respected him enough to not bring harm to him if I could help it.   

"Then I shall just not eat." I stated simply. I didn't need food every day. If I was in good enough health, I could even go a week without much discomfort. 

Parker's frown deepened as he stood. "I'll go catch you something when I have time, Ocar. Let me know if it's any better when you try it, so we can rule out any possible health issues?" 

I nodded. I would be glad to eat wild caught food again, especially if it hasn't been frozen first. 

"You can't just bring wild fish in here. You could contaminate the other pools by mistake." The other man said. I smirked, but hid it under the surface of the water. From what I've heard of him, Parker didn't pay much attention to rules, at least when it came to mers. 

When Parker just smiled at the man, I could tell that they weren't going to get along very well. The man pursed his lips angrily, but then forced himself to relax and nodded at Parker. "I need to go check on our other specimens, if he seems under the weather at all, please let me know." Parker just responded with a bob of his head before the man left them alone. 

I hadn't expected him to just leave, but it was a relief to be alone with just Parker as he sat back down at the edge of the pool. "Don't worry, I'll get you some good stuff. My friend is a fisherman and even if I don't have time to do it myself, he wouldn't mind letting me buy a few from his daily catch." 

With a calming sigh, I slowly swam closer until I was able to hold onto the wall a few feet to his right. He smiled at me, but I didn't return the gesture. He wasn't my human and I wasn't happy to see him in any way other than that he wasn't a mean person. 

"Thank you." I told him. 

The creak of the door opening drew my attention to it. I was ready to bolt back beneath the surface, but then Callem stepped through the door, a warm grin on his face. "Hello, Ocar." He said as he came over to sit beside his human. 

I want my human. 

Unease made my stomach turn as I watched them. They kissed briefly and Callem nuzzled Parker's hair for a moment before their attention returned to me, but it was enough to make me miss my freedom. I wanted to be able to go to Oliver and show him attention, but I was stuck waiting in this cold box of water day in and day out for him to come to me. 

"Don't worry, Ocar. Oliver is working hard to get you your freedom." Parker said as he reached toward me with one hand. I wasn't sure how he wanted me to respond, but I hissed, baring my teeth for a few seconds before moving a few feet further away. I didn't want him touching me. I just wanted Oliver. Could he not stop working, either at his job or to get me out, a little more so that he could visit me more often? 

I'm being selfish. 

My mind drifted as my body did in the water, memories from before I met him coming back to my tired senses. Lyric. I missed him, a lot, but I couldn't bring him back. I don't want to risk losing Oliver, too. He may not be here as often as I'd like, but he's all I really want now. 

I ducked my head beneath the surface and slowly dove down toward the bottom. I didn't feel like speaking with either of them any longer. He'll come back. Maybe I can get him to stay for more than a few minutes next time. Closing my eyes, I allowed my mind to relax and rest until I would need to surface for another breath. Sleep wouldn't come, it rarely did here, but I was done with people for today.