Gold Weaver

chapter iii

Often considered one of the most beautiful aquariums in the world, The Talua Port Aquarium was like a jewel in the crown of the city. Its coral reefs and under-the-sea tunnels were renowned and the research it produced was well-regarded. It was the perfect place for students to learn, and that's exactly what Noah was here to check out.

Noah's class, if there was any good side about being a TA, it was this. Her class was scheduled to come to the aquarium later in the week as a field trip where they would be tasked with drawing the anatomy of various species of fish important to Vasanoa's fisheries today and compare them with the fish species that were important in the past. Then they'd get to check out the aquarium's newest exhibit - whatever that was.

There were a few rumors, of course, but Noah hadn't learned of anything concrete and Jeff was insistent on keeping it a surprise. All Noah was tasked to do was talk to a handful of people about the class' arrival and check for any other exhibits she may feel would be worth some extra credit.

The pay might not have been great, but the job certainly had some perks.

Noah had arrived a bit early out of habit, and just her luck the person she was supposed to meet was arriving late. Which meant she had just enough time to explore for herself - and she beelined straight to the shark tunnel.

She had only seen pictures of it before - a large, blue tunnel surrounded by vibrant, tropical corals and fish. The cool, blue glow perfectly complemented the golds and pinks of the reef. Walking into it was like being transported to another world, slowly descending deeper into a bright lagoon where fish of all colors swam peacefully in schools.

The tunnel was largely quiet, only the echoes of a small, excited child to tip-off how close the 'real world' was. For a bit, it was only Noah and her thoughts as she walked slowly through the tunnel, taking in every crack and crevice of the undersea world.

But the corals and the vibrant fish weren't the main appeal - they weren't why Noah was there. The sharks were.

And boy, was she not disappointed.

The tunnel was swarming with sharks, they swam elegantly above her head and dove down beside her. They practically danced through the corals, gliding past one another unbothered. They were the heart of the reef as far as Noah was concerned, and she was stunned by all of them. She was almost too stunned to notice their behavior. It had shifted.

Noah furrowed her brows as she watched the sharks seemingly all go down the tunnel. Like a flip had switched, the sharks were no longer interested in swimming to and fro, but now focused on one particular spot down the tunnel. Is it feeding time? Noah thought.

It didn't seem like it. They weren't in any rush to head to wherever they were going, just that they were now focused on getting there. They swam gracefully further down the tunnel, occasionally brushing against one another. Fascinated, Noah watched as they moved, keeping her pace with them as she followed them to wherever their destination was. I hope this is on camera, she mused to herself. No one would believe her otherwise. Sharks weren't exactly known for being social creatures, though they weren't exactly antisocial.

Mesmerized by the way they moved, Noah walked with them, her eyes glued to the sharks above her. She would've walked with them anywhere, but was stopped abruptly as she walked into some poor aquarium visitor.

"Oh god, I am so sorry, I was just-"

"We meet again."

Oh god. It was the tall woman from the cafe, her dark curls pulled back from her face in a low, loose bun revealing a shaved undercut. Her gold jewelry was different this time, but contained the same moonstones and double moon motifs. She was dressed just as elegantly as she was before with a white satin dress shirt loosely tucked into white pants. Above the woman were the sharks, all congregating around her with some vague interest.