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“Do you see what I see?” I asked, walking around the tank and heading towards the next hallway. “I’m pretty sure I just saw your team captain sneaking off to a restricted section with his girlfriend.”
Adam clicked his tongue and shook his head mournfully. “Likely to commit some sinful behavior.”
“A tragedy,” I said, shaking my head. “You know what would set them on the right path?”
He raised an eyebrow.
“We could sneak behind them and play some sirens,” I suggested, heading towards the door. “Maybe you could yell out you’re surrounded?”
“That’d scare the shit out of them.”
“Yeah.” I bit my lip. “Too much?”
“Woah, there. I didn’t say that.” Adam propped open the door and ushered me inside. I took a quick glance down the hallway before I walked through. Nobody was watching.
This was definitely one of the places we weren’t supposed to go. There was caution tape stretched out over different parts and ladders were propped up to the walkways up above. Mechanical parts littered the floor.
And just ahead, we could hear the quiet footsteps.
“This place is like a maze,” I whispered.
A few steps behind me, Adam was quiet. “Let’s get a bird’s eye view.”
I turned back with a frown—confused by what he meant—to see Adam pointing towards one of the ladders that stretched up to the half-finished walkway above us. It’d be way easier to scare them from up there.
I bit back the grin. “Are you just trying to see up my dress?”
“Two birds, one stone.” Adam shrugged and I giggled, grabbing the first rung of the ladder.
We had to be extra quiet not to let anything creak or give our position away. The whole point of doing this was a surprise prank. I dusted off my dress and reached down to help out Adam, but he brushed away my hand easily.
“Don’t make me laugh, ice princess.” He chuckled.
I rolled my eyes and walked along the walkway that connected to the second floor, getting a good look at the maze below us. Adam stepped up beside me, checking it out too. I could hear him open one of the doors behind us as I peered out over the maze.
Where are they?
A piece of dark clothing caught my eye. Ryan. It had to be. If we walked all the way around the walkway, we could hurry to catch up with them—
“Piper?” Adam called to me.
“I found them,” I whispered back to him, hiking up my dress. “We’re going to have to hurry.”
“Piper.”
“Hm?” I glanced back to see Adam, holding a door handle a weird look on his face. Slowly, he gestured me over with two fingers and when I frowned at him, he just motioned me closer.
“Aren’t we doing the prank?” I asked, my voice low.
“You need to come here. You need to see this,” Adam urged.
I hesitated by the walkway. If we left now, we’d miss our chance, but Adam was determined to see me walk over. What could convince Adam to walk away from a prank? Slowly, I went over to him and he pushed open the door, placing a hand on my back.
The entire room was bathed in warm blue light from the aquariums, but darker than the rest of the building. It took me a moment to realize what I was looking at as I took careful steps into the room, over the construction equipment close to the door.
Turtles. All turtles.
It was a room entirely dedicated to turtles in their little habitats. In a steady path, turtles soared through the water, up to their resting areas. My hand leaped to my mouth as I took it all in. They were so beautiful. And being there…it reminded me so much of home. Not Oklahoma itself, just relaxing at the aquariums my mom’s team worked with.
