Emeraldine sighed. Of all tables, why did she have to serve that one? This had to be some kind of test.

She shoved her pencil and pad into her avental and approached them.

"Hi," she said awkwardly.

When the guy at the mesa, tabela finally looked up from his menu, his eyes bulged in surprise.

"Esmeralda! Do you work here?"

"My name is Emeraldine," the waitress replied through gritted teeth. "And yes."

He would remember that if he'd paid a speck of attention on their encontro, data last week.

"Sorry I haven't called," Jason avoided her eyes. "Work has been busy."

"I can see that," Emeraldine mumbled as she glanced at the brunette seated across from him. "Can I start you off with some drinks?"

After taking their orders and reporting to the kitchen, Emeraldine deked quickly into the staff bathroom. She looked in the mirror.

Although her green eyes sparkled like emeralds and her blonde hair clung down her back with the grace of a waterfall, Emeraldine was not a confident person. How could she be? Everyone in Suntown Harbor treated her like some kind of an oddball.

Just last week, Jason had taken her to a movie and then an evening stroll on the boardwalk. Looking down at the seaside and the glowy moon reflecting upon it, it was a night she thought of as romantic and wonderful. So why had he left her for someone else? She had a niggling suspicion that it was the same thing that always ended up interfering with her happiness.

The incident.

At her high school graduation ceremony, which was held on Suntown's beach, something had happened. She had scolded a seagull for trying to eat a baby sea turtle... only to have him defend himself to her.

"Circle of life, darling. Haven't you seen The Lion King?"

It was at that moment when Emeraldine had discovered an unusual ability she hadn't known herself to possess. Not only could she talk to an animal, but she could understand every word the animal said back!

Needless to say, someone filmed the exchange on their iPhone and documented the weird girl having a heated debate with a seagull. When Emeraldine saw the footage herself, she was shocked! On replay, it appeared as though the seagull was squawking some nonsensical bird talk, but she knew in her coração that in the real moment it had been happening she'd understood every word he uttered. She even recalled his posh British accent!

But por then it was too late. Everyone saw the video. It was spread within a few hours among all her former classmates, as well as online. She would always be a laughing stock.

Someone must have told Jason about it after their date. Now he'd ride off into the sunset with a nice, normal girl and Emeraldine would be left por her lonesome as always.

Hours went por and Jason and his encontro, data had long gone. Emeraldine was just clearing a mesa, tabela when she glanced at her watch. Ten to nine. Thank goodness! All she wanted was to snuggle up under the covers with a bowl of ice cream and watch Friends.

She walked towards the cozinha but halted in her steps as she heard a voice call to her.

"Hey, you! I'm beggin', lady."

Emeraldine felt her fists tense. She was used to being harassed por the occasional old pervert during the later shifts, but she was in no state to deal with it right now. She glanced behind her, but no one was standing nearby. Everyone who was dining was seated at their tables...

"You gotta let me outta here."

The voice again!

"Who said that..." Emeraldine whispered.

"Over here."

Emeraldine glanced to her right. Sitting in the tank of live lobsters and shellfish por the buffet, she noticed one particularly fat brown lagosta that looked as if it was pressing its claws against the glass.

You have got to be kidding me, Emeraldine thought.

She walked towards the tank.

"See, fellas?" the lagosta glanced back to his fellow captives. "I told ya someone would understand us! Not all humans are morons. Just most."

"I doubt she's human," said a sniveling female lobster. "There's no way. Humans don't understand our language, Reggie. You know that."

Emeraldine leaned towards the tank.

"This can't be happening..." she said quietly.

"Oh, it's happening, toots. Now if you have any sense of humanity, you gotta let us free! We wasn't born to burned alive."

Emeraldine gulped. "I - I don't think I can. I'll get in trouble!"

Not to mention, it'd be proclaimed the unofficial sequel to her graduation disaster.

"You need to stop worrying about what everyone else is thinking and just do the right thing, lady!"

Emeraldine was taken aback. For such a rude and loud-mouthed lobster, he was awfully perceptive and had a rather fair point to make.

She took a deep breath. "Fine. I'll think of something..."

Emeraldine wandered to the cozinha and returned the plates she'd cleared. As she exited, she noticed the little red box nailed to the mural on her right.

"I can't believe I'm doing this. I must be out of my mind."

She crept towards it, glancing around to be sure she wasn't watched.

She pulled the lever.

The booming buzz of emergency filled the restaurant.

"FIRE!" Emeraldine heard a customer wail.

Chaos ensued as the manager rushed to the front and tried to ensure that everyone evacuate promptly and calmly.

Emeraldine bit her lip guiltily, but decided it was for the greater good. She hurried to the tank and lifted it up, her ears nearly bleeding from the alarm still sounding.

She bent her knees and lifted it off of the mesa, tabela and onto the floor.

"Alright, guys. This is all I can do! I opened the cozinha door so you can escape there. Hurry!"

She tipped the tank over so that all of the sea creatures were freed. They scurried ferociously towards the cozinha door, with Reggie glancing back and winking a beady black at eye her.

"Thanks, toots! You're a real pal."

Emeraldine got up and turned around with horror to see her boss standing right before her.

Cal was a short, bald man with a mustache. He looked a bit like a walrus, so Emeraldine hoped he might also share her weird affinity for sea creatures and understand her actions, but she figured that wouldn't be the case.

"You're fired," he said coldly. "I saw you pull the alarm. Are you some kind of lunatic?"

Frantically, Emeraldine followed Cal to the front yard where he was waiting for the fogo department along with everyone else who'd been in the restaurant.

"Cal, I didn't have a choice! You don't understand! They were..."

"They were what?"

"Talking to me."

Emeraldine blushed and looked down at her feet with shame.

"I never should have taken a chance on the crazy seagull chick," Cal scoffed. "You can get your things tomorrow morning. Now get outta my sight."

Emeraldine bowed her head. She held back tears as she left the restaurant and made her way toward the boardwalk.

"Hey! You."

What now?

Emeraldine turned around and saw two young women, both about her age, approaching her. One had dark skin and wore a ribbon over her curly black hair that bobbed in the wind. The other was fair, with wavy strawberry-blonde hair she wore down except for two messy buns on either side of her head.

"Can I help you?" asked Emeraldine politely.

"Actually," said the girl with the headband. "I think we may be able to help you."

"Huh?"

"My name is Wintress," she replied with a firm handshake. "This is my friend Avalon."

"Call me Ava," said the strawberry-blonde.

"I'm EmeraIdine."

"What a beautiful name!"

"Thanks. Er - I don't have much money, so if you're trying to sell me anything, I have to be honest, I -"

"We're not here to sell you anything," Wintress shook her head. "We're here to show you something."

"Now I'm lost."

"We were in Naughty Cal's eating jantar tonight," explained Wintress.

"Oh, I thought you looked familiar."

"We overheard your boss letting you go."

Emeraldine looked embarrassed. "Oh. Look, I know it was stupid of me to -"

"No, it was awesome," Wintress placed a hand on her shoulder. "I think you might be the one we've been looking for."

"Huh? You don't think it's crazy that I was talking to a lobster?"

"On the contrary," laughed Wintress. "I think it was the proof I needed."

"Proof of what?"

"To be honest," said Wintress. "I don't think you'll believe me if I tell you. I think we'd better show you."

"Okay..." Emeraldine was hesitant. "And how will you go about doing that?"

Wintress drummed a finger to her chin and looked at Ava, who merely shrugged. Then it hit her!

She walked towards the boardwalk rail and peered over at the sparkling starlit sea.

"What do you say we go for a swim?" she grinned.


TO BE CONTINUED...