The Turning Tides (Marina's Tales) Read Online Free PDF Page B

home. I couldn’t wait for him to meet Ethan.
    “ And when will that be?” I asked, trying to keep the disappointment out of my voice. It seemed like every time he got close to finishing his research, one problem or another cropped up, keeping him weeks past his original deadline.
    “Two weeks, tops. I promise. I just need to collect a few more samples.”
    “Hurry back,” I told him. I could hear some voices in the background.
    “Sweetie, I have to run, one of the farmers I’m working with is taking me out to his fields. I’ll talk to you soon.”
    I hung up with a frown, uneasy. So much about me had changed since he went away; I was having a hard time imagining how it would be between us when he returned. I was stronger than he realized, and much more independent. I had been hardened by ordeals I had purposefully kept from him, tempered like a steel blade by hot anger and cold determination.
    I pulled up to school early and made my way to the science building , slipp ing into the advanced marine biology class . I sat in the back, ducking down and trying to be unobtrusive. Professor Powell came in and spoke to the class about the work they ’ d be doing at the lab. I tried to disappear behind another student, but I think he noticed me. I was grateful when the lights came down and he gave a presentation about the Citation, a new research ship the University had just acquired with a generous private contribution .
    I sat up in my seat as he proudly showed us pictures of the craft, describing its special sonar capabilities and underwater cameras. The ship boasted custom made tanks, and was equipped with sling hoists to lift large fish and marine mammals. It was a floating laboratory, and Professor Powell would be taking it on his maiden voyage in the coming weeks. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end.
    His voice was excited as he ann ounced the ship’s first mission: a fully funded year-long study to catalogue the genetic diversity of the many species of dolphins and porpoise that frequented the bay. The ship had been outfitted with air propelled net cannons that could ensnare and immobilize even the fastest cetaceans for quick capture, using the hoists to scoop them up. They planned to capture and temporarily hold some of the larger marine mammals at sea; measuring, weighing, and taking blood samples before releasing them back into the ocean.
    I realized it would be the perfect mermaid hunting vessel, and I wanted to throw up. Everything Yuri had told us about their plans was ringing true.
    When the professor went on to tout the latest genetic sequencers the program had just received due to the generosity of the late Congresswoman Barbara Watson I had to bite my lip to keep from screaming. The lights came up, and several students ask ed questions about the launch schedule and various aspects of the research, but I could no longer focus. My mind was racing, my thoughts elsewhere.
    What could I do about it? I imagined sabotaging the ship, breaking into it to destroy the equipment and making it look like the work of a protest group… Or maybe I should go directly to the source and hunt down Nathan Edwards … I sighed with frustration. A s angry as I was, I knew I wasn’t capable of murder as a pre-emptive measure.
    Then there was the muse Olivia. S he was encouraging this whole endeavor, and perhaps seeking immortality for herself as well. The thought occurred to me that most of the hybrid council members would probably jump at the chance to extend their lives of luxury; no doubt many of them could care less who they had to destroy in order to achieve endless life.
    I looked up to meet the professor’s eyes. The class filed out and I got up to go, trying to lose myself in a throng of students before he could intercept me.
    “Miss Vanderpool– ” he called out as I passed. Did he know? Now I was getting paranoid.
    “Professor Powell,” I replied, stopping at his lectern.
    “I thought that was you,” he