SEAMONSTER: An Aquarathi Novella (The Aquarathi) Read Online Free

dejected look. “Yup. She’s gone for five weeks. I don’t know how I’m gonna live without her.”
    “How long have you guys been together?” I ask, curious.
    “About a year. We got together sophomore year.”
    “Sounds like it’s serious.”
    Sawyer shrugs. “Well, when you know, you know, I guess. My parents were high-school sweethearts and they’re still together, so it’s not like it doesn’t happen. Everyone keeps telling us we’re too young, but Jenna feels the same way. It’s like we’re two pieces and we’re not quite whole until we’re together. I know it’s corny …” he trails off.
    “No, it’s not,” I say and I mean it. Human relationships intrigue me. In Aquarathi culture, we don’t exactly date. I mean, we court each other, but it’s on a far more instinctive level. When we come of age physically—via a process called dvija —we become ready to take a mate. And when we physically bond with another Aquarathi, we do so for life. In the human world, you could have your share of partners, and it would have no bearing on whether you would stay with any one of them or not. I’ve seen more than my fair share of casual hook-ups, make-ups, and break-ups at Dover the last few years, and given my cynical view of humans on the whole, Sawyer’s perspective is curious. “Did you date anyone before Jenna?” I ask him.
    “Dude, I was fourteen.” Sawyer laughs. “No, I surfed and skateboarded. She used to take photo s for the yearbook in middle school. We got to hang out and became pretty good friends, and then we started dating sophomore year. She only let me kiss her like three months ago. She has priorities.”
    “Priorities?” I arch an eyebrow.
    “She wants to graduate as valedictorian, get into Stanford, have her own studio one day, get married, and have some rug rats. In that order, specifically.”
    “And you?”
    Sawyer shrugs, tossing a couple discarded soda bottles into his bag. “I want her to be happy, and I want her to achieve whatever she sets her mind to. Hopefully, that guy she marries will be me.”
    “You sound like you’re thirty,” I say dryly.
    “Old soul, dude, old soul,” Sawyer says with a grin. “Come on, looks like everyone’s heading back. Can’t believe it’s been like three hours already. We only covered a couple miles of beach.” He makes a disgusted face and hefts his garbage sack. “I just don’t see what’s so hard about putting bottles in the bins where they belong. Drink a soda. Toss it in the recycling. Not that hard.”
    “I di dn’t realize you cared so much,” I say with a sideways glance. Truth is, I’ve never exchanged more than a few words with Sawyer before, especially ones that weren’t centered on surfing.
    Sawyer stare s at me as if I’m an imbecile. “This”—he says, gesturing to a bottle at the top of his bag—“is one of the most serious threats to the ocean. Do you know over a hundred thousand sea creatures get killed by plastic, and those are the ones we know about. Because of plastic pollution, there are already dead areas in the ocean where nothing can live. Seriously, can you imagine?” His face is flushed, and outside of surfing and his girlfriend, I’ve never seen him so passionate about anything. “I’ve been helping out here every summer since I was about nine. It’s our planet, dude. If we don’t take care of it, what do you think’s going to happen?” He stares disgustedly at the bottle. “Takes a thousand years for these things to degrade. We won’t even be here to see what we leave behind, even though it’s our mess. You gotta respect the ocean, you know?”
    “ I hear you,” I agree. “But at least the Marine Center’s trying to do something about it now. That’s a start, right?”
    “We’re already behind the eight ball,” Sawyer says. “But you’re right. Better late than never.”
    We head back up to the Marine Center. I look for Anya on the way back, but the spot where she’d