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Chapter Text

The clink of glass cups and plates rang off the table downstairs. Alberto inhaled deeply: trenette al pesto . His favorite! Well, anything made by Massimo was his favorite. Massimo could cook just as well as he could fish.

Alberto listened to the kitchen noises as Massimo finished making dinner. Whether on the boat or at home, Massimo seemed to always be at work. Catching fish, preparing meals, fixing the leaky pipes; and throughout all of it, Alberto never heard him complain once. Not even when he had accidently set Massimo’s boat on fire.

Massimo had done so much for Alberto. In return, Alberto wanted to do something for Massimo.

Sure, he was a great help when it came to fishing. He knew the bay better than anyone in Portorosso. He could find a school of fish in his sleep. But he was almost too good. Massimo had actually dumped some of Alberto’s catch back in the sea once, explaining that if they took too many, it could affect the population.

Alberto tried finding other ways to help out around the house. The nets always needed cleaning, so he would sometimes busy his afternoons picking out algae and sea cucumbers. That got boring fast though, so he tried speeding it up a bit by throwing the net in the water and hoping everything would dissolve on its own. An hour later, he found it clogged even worse. Massimo hadn’t been too pleased to find he wasn’t able to use his best fishing net that day.

Machiavelli stretched contentedly next to him. Smiling, Alberto patted the cat on the head, then rolled over on his belly. He tapped his fingers on the page between his elbows. On it was a list of words, most he had crossed off: help in the kitchen? Massimo would never allow that again. Clean the house? Good, but sort of expected. Alberto wanted to do something more meaningful, something that really expressed to Massimo just how much he appreciated him.

He thought he’d write a letter to Luca asking for ideas. The letter was only half-finished. Machiavelli sort of interrupted Alberto by leaping on the bed and using the letter as his placemat. Alberto thought about disturbing the cat so he could continue, then instead consulted his list.

For probably the twentieth time, Alberto read it over. The only words that didn’t have lines through them were cleaning and fishing. He supposed they weren’t bad options, though they felt lacking. Then again, they hadn’t made very decent fishing hauls lately. If Alberto could supply their stock in time for tomorrow, Massimo wouldn’t have to trouble himself to take the boat out.

Just, don’t use his boat without permission this time, Alberto noted silently.

“Alberto, cena,” Massimo called, and Alberto pushed the papers aside.

“Coming!” He hopped to the floor and half-slid, half-climbed down the ladder to the main level. He used his time at the dinner table to summon the best plan on how he was going to pull off his surprise. They hadn’t started for two minutes when Alberto noticed Massimo was… smiling at him?

“What?” Alberto asked, hovering his fork outside his mouth.

Massimo quickly went stoic. “What?”

Alberto blinked. “You were smiling.”

“Was I?” Massimo asked, and Alberto started to snicker.

“Uh, yes. I saw you!”

“Is that right?” Massimo inquired, smiling again, and Alberto laughed.

“Seriously,” He asked again. “Do I have something on my face?”

Massimo raised an eyebrow. “Can’t I just be happy?”

“I guess, but not usually!” Alberto regretted this as soon as the words came out. It was meant to be a joke, but it sounded a lot meaner out loud.

To his relief, Massimo wasn’t offended. He chuckled. “I suppose you have a point.”

The evening was going better than expected. Alberto had been wondering how he was going to ask Massimo what was on his mind. Seeing him in such a good mood made it a lot easier for him to find the words, and the courage to bring them up.

“So, Massimo. I was thinking…” Alberto twirled his pasta with his fork. “...you’ve taken me out in the boat quite a few times now…”

Massimo sat up to show he was listening. Alberto continued, feeling his nerve slipping. “...you’ve even shown me how to use the net rigging! And, well, I thought maybe, sometime soon you’d let me… take-the-boat-out-on-my-own.”

He mumbled the last part together so fast it took Massimo a moment to process. When he did, the fisherman’s face became slightly pinched. “Alberto, you remember last time…”

“I know, I know, I know,” Alberto said hastily. He still felt a little ashamed by the memory. “But I’d be more careful now. I’d be sure not to bring a lantern on board anymore, even if it was dark!”

Massimo’s eyebrows lowered. “And why would you need to go out at dark?”

Alberto blanked out for a second. “Hypothetically, I mean.” When all Massimo did was hum, Alberto freestyled. “Come on, you can trust me. I know everything there is to know about using the boat by now.”

Massimo was silent and still. He was so quiet, Alberto could hear the harbor waves pushing and pulling at the shore. At last, all while Alberto had been holding his breath, the fisherman replied.

“No,” he said. “You are not ready yet.”

The single, simple word was almost enough to suck all the enthusiasm out of Alberto. Almost. “Just give me a chance? I promise, nothing bad will happen–”

“You can’t promise that,” Massimo argued.

“Well, why not then?” Alberto asked.

Massimo shook his head, searching for words and not finding them. “You’re– you’re just not ready yet.”

“But how am I not ready?” Alberto had to try hard not to sound like he was whining. He was getting desperate to put his plan in motion, but he genuinely wanted to understand what Massimo thought he could improve on. “Maybe if you told me what it was, I could–”

“That won’t make a difference,” Massimo said firmly, and any reply Alberto might have made died in his throat. His face hardened, Massimo settled back down in his chair. “This isn’t up for debate, Alberto. The boat isn’t for you to play with. You will not use it on your own.”

They finished the rest of the meal in silence. Alberto stared at his half-eaten pesto, suddenly not feeling very hungry. He took a few halfhearted bites. He could hardly taste the flavors he grew to love.

Massimo gathered the dishes like he always did.

“I could wash them tonight,” Alberto offered meekly.

“No, I got it.” Massimo was already filling the sink with water. Alberto watched him for a few beats, then awkwardly went back upstairs. He flopped on the bed and buried his face in the pillow.

Massimo had never yelled at him before. Stern or disapproving looks was about the extent of his communication whenever he caught Alberto pushing a boundary. What bothered him more than that though was what Massimo said, that he didn’t think Alberto could learn.

Machiavelli was still passed out on Alberto’s unfinished letter. Next to that was his list. Pulling it up to read, Alberto scanned through each line again. He glanced from the open shutters to the stairs. Then, with a determined face, he climbed out the window.

He wasn’t going to sneak out on Massimo’s boat– no. He’d definitely learned from experience not to do that again. But, he was going to have to improvise a little if he wanted his plan to work.

Picking a net on the way out, Alberto pushed through the backyard gate and walked in the fresh night air. He could have gone in the harbor just outside the Pescheria, but he couldn’t risk Massimo seeing him. Taking a street off the piazza, Alberto headed for one of the small beaches.

“I’m not disobeying him by doing this,” Alberto mentioned, adjusting the net over his shoulder. “It’s not like I’m taking the boat out. Besides, once he sees the catch I make, he’ll be too impressed to be mad.”

He was used to bouncing these ideas off of Machiavelli. For the time being, he settled for a frog he found on the beach. The frog ribbetted, perhaps inquiringly.

“Yeah, I know I don’t have a boat, but I’ll figure it out. How hard can it be?” With the net in hand, Alberto waded knee-deep in the water. He paused, realizing he didn’t plan ahead this far. The frog ribbetted a second time.

“No one asked you,” Alberto told the frog, and he dove underwater.

Okay, so fishing at night was a lot different from fishing during the day. For one thing, it was much harder to see underwater. Alberto could adjust– he had night vision, to an extent– but he was much more accustomed to fishing while there was still light out. Secondly, fish weren’t in the same spot they would normally be while the sun was up. Alberto had to work a little harder to find them, and even when he did he had to be extra careful not to startle them all to scatter.

He came across a school of resting fish. With barely controlled steadiness, Alberto raised either end of the net in his hands, swimming closer, closer, closer–

Alberto dashed forward and scooped up nearly the entire swarm. The fish whirled, but Alberto held the net steady and swam back to the surface. He could hardly believe his luck. His first try, and he’d gotten a whole net full of fish! Two more like that one, and he’d be finished with tomorrow’s work for sure.

He resurfaced– the easy part. He met the weighed down catch with gravity– the hard part. He grunted with effort to tug the haul on land. The frog watched him do this with mild interest. A few tugs later, Alberto managed to pull the load about a yard up the shore. He rested on his knees to catch his breath.

“Okay,” he panted. “Looks like we’ll be here for a little while longer, but it’ll all be worth it when Massimo sees–” He stopped to stare at the sea.

A single boat was bobbing in the water. From the darkness and distance, Alberto couldn’t tell who was in it, though by the looks of it there were two people. He thought of Giacomo and Tomasso, a pair of fishermen he saw almost daily. Curious as to why they would be out so late, Alberto checked to be absolutely sure his fish weren’t going anywhere before submerging.

He lost sight of the vessel a few times and had to bring his head out of the water to make sure he was going the right direction. Steadily he drew near, and the closer he got the less certain he was that it was Giacomo and Tomasso. This boat didn’t have a magic singing lady machine, but then again Alberto did cause them to lose their first one. But there was something about the boat that didn’t seem… Portorossian.

Alberto inspected the boat’s underside. It was certainly bigger than Massimo’s, and most other fishing vessels he’d seen. It had a bright white coating of paint that gave it a polished look. He swam from one end to the other. Curiously, cautiously, he peered his head out of the water.

“–don’t think we’re gonna be any more lucky at night,” One voice said, and the other spoke over the first.

“I’m telling you, it’s the only thing that makes sense. All the fishermen are out during the day. If we have a chance at increasing our catch, it’s at night.”

Two human men, by the sounds of it. Alberto didn’t recognize their voices. He squinted, hoping to recognize their silhouettes.

The younger man put his arms around himself. “Hmph. I dunno. It’s late; none of the fish are out. We should try again at dawn.”

The older man ignored him. He pulled at a winch on one end of the boat. Alberto looked around, but didn’t see anything happen from the action. The man made a dissatisfied noise, then sighed.

“I don’t understand. Not all the fish should be asleep,” the man said in frustration.

Alberto had a hunch. He scanned the area under the boat, then swam back up.

“Probably because a barracuda used to live here.” Alberto announced, resurfacing high enough where he could lean his elbow over the side of the boat. “It’s gone now, but the fish don’t know that.”

The two fishermen stumbled over each other in shock. Alberto raised a hand apologetically. “Oh– sorry. I should have introduced myself first. I’m Alberto.”

“You’re a sea monster,” one of them said plainly. The other one wasn’t as blatant.

“Cavolo! I guess the stories are true, then!” The older man adjusted his hat on his head, which had tilted slightly in his surprise. He studied Alberto in fascination. “There is indeed a sea monster living among this town.”

Alberto casually checked the scales on his hand. “Yeah, well, I’m not the only one. There’s a few more of us: the Aragosta sisters, my friend Luca, but he’s not in town right now. And I guess there’s Segnor and Segnora Paguro, but they don’t technically live on the surface–” Alberto broke off, wondering why this was news to the fishermen. “You’re not from around here, are you?”

The older man shook his head. “One could say we’re a bit new in town,” he said cryptically. Alberto was intrigued to hear more, but the man said nothing else on the matter. ““Now, what was that you were saying about a barracuda?”

Alberto raised himself up to sit on the side of the boat, happy to help. “Yeah– barracudas eat fish, right? There was one living here about a year ago, but after they reach a certain age they migrate to deeper waters. The fish must think it’s still around if you aren’t finding any here.”

The younger man had an impatient look on his face. The older however gave Alberto his rapt attention. “And where would one go to find the fish at such an hour?” He asked.

“At this hour? You’d have to net pretty deep to find anything.” Alberto scanned the waters, then pointed out one direction. “Try… that way. There’s a drop off that the fish like to sleep in.”

“Very impressive,” The man said. Alberto sat a little taller at the praise. “You know, you can sell fish for a pretty good price in this old town, can’t you?”

Alberto shrugged. “Sure. I mean, Massimo is the best at selling fish, but that’s how most people make their living here.”

“I see…” The man rubbed his stubble beard, deep in thought. “And, what about sea monsters?”

Alberto didn’t quite understand. “Well, I think the Aragosta sisters are retired–”

“No,” the man interrupted. “I mean what do they sell for?” He peered around at his comrade. “What do you think, Federico? What would you sell a sea monster for?”

Federico’s impatient look melded into one of interest. “I don’t know, Flavio. At least enough to buy us a brand-new vessel!”

“Yes, that sounds pretty good to me,” Flavio agreed, and he and Federico slowly advanced. Suddenly all Alberto could see were the harpoons in their hands, the nets on the boat, the predatory look in the fishermen’s eyes. He plunged back into the water.

Alberto swam straight down, out of the way of harpoons. Even from below, he could hear the crank of the winch being pulled. Earlier, Alberto didn’t know what its purpose was. Now he could see exactly what it was for. Out of the darkness came the widest net he had ever seen, probably five times the size of Massimo’s. He had to swerve to avoid it, and even then the rope caught on the spines of his tail.

Alberto thrashed, and for a terrifying moment was unable to free himself. The net was reeling him in. Forcing himself to calm down, Alberto inspected where the net was latched on his tail, and he reached out to untangle it. It came loose and he tore into the bay.

In his panic, he didn’t think to head back to shore. His instinct took him deeper into the sea, where he was sure the fisherman could neither follow nor find him. He took cover under a rocky overhang and waited, his eyes on the surface.

The white underbelly of the boat sailed above him. Alberto ducked a little deeper in his hiding spot. Realistically, the fishermen would never see him from above water, not at this time of night, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

Soon the boat drifted away downwind. Alberto didn’t leave that spot for another five minutes at least, then, with acute alertness, he made a break for the beach.

His catch of fish was no longer where he left it. Despite having successfully evaded capture, Alberto was very disappointed. He had his heart set on surprising Massimo with that haul. The frog was gone, too, which left him feeling even more let down. It was just a frog, but still. Hugging his arms to his chest, Alberto started to walk out of the water and back to the Pescheria, his mind coming up with many scenarios of how he would explain to Massimo why one of his nets were missing.

A harpoon wedged itself in his path. Alberto was so shocked he fell backwards in the shallow end. Whirling around on his belly, he was faced with the white boat, and Federico and Flavio– he couldn’t tell which– pointed a sort of launcher at him and released a lever.

A tethered net shot forward and encased him whole. Alberto knew how to get out of these, he just had to relax and pick through the net, but he had barely been able to calm himself down the first time. Flavio leapt out of the boat and was coming up to meet him. He carried some sort of weapon in his arms. Alberto fought for his life.

“Wait! Stop!” Alberto gasped once Flavio was nearly upon him. “Why are you doing this?”

Under the dim lighting, Alberto could see Flavio smirk. “You think I was going to let a catch like you swim away so easily? A man’s got to make a living somehow.” He aimed the weapon at him. “ Buona notte , little sea monster.”

A dart pierced through Alberto's scales. He flailed until his limbs got too heavy to move. He tried crying out for help, but his voice wouldn't work. Through blurry vision, Alberto looked at what he thought would be the last time he’d see Portorosso.

“The catch of the night, eh, Federico?” Flavio called, though it sounded distorted and distant. Alberto felt himself being dragged away in the net, and he could do nothing to stop from succumbing to a deep, unwilling sleep.

Chapter Text

Ercole sat on the couch watching TV. It was a luxury in Portorosso; most people didn’t have anything beyond the basics of electricity. After being publicly humiliated and losing his winning streak for the Portorosso Cup, Ercole didn’t have much to do anymore. He didn’t even have Guido and Ciccio to boss around. So, he spent nearly all of his time indoors, still licking his wounds months later.

From the other room, an elderly lady yelled at him in fast Italian. Ercole sat up, pursing his fingers.

“ Oddio, Nonna! Can’t you see I am trying to enjoy the televisione ?” He shouted, then sat back down. The black and white pictures flashed from scene to scene. His grandmother shouted some more, and Ercole stomped to his feet.

“Fine– fine! I’ll take the trash out.”

Ercole dragged his feet out the backyard. Disgusting , he thought as he dropped the bag of garbage. He should be kicking back on the beach under some shade, enjoying the breeze and the sea spray as the town watched him eat a sandwich. Now he couldn’t walk out of the house without someone pointing and laughing at his face.

The backyard had a decent view of the bay. Ercole stared at the beautiful sight, hating every bit of it. More specifically, he hated every bit of what was in it, or at least, what was supposed to be in it. He couldn’t believe Portorosso had changed its ways on sea monsters in less than a day. The town was renowned for their folklore and legends telling of mighty men slaying the monsters of the deep; so what if they could disguise themselves as people? That made them even more dangerous!

Scowling, Ercole kicked the garbage can. He cursed and held his now hurt foot in his hand. He was about to go back inside when a curious sight caught his eye.

Two men he’d never seen before were riding a vespa. Ercole wanted to cry; he had fallen into recent debt and was forced to sell his. Grabbing the door, he intended to slam it hard enough to make the walls crack, but paused. The men were hauling what looked to be a crate on a trailer. It looked suspiciously like it held untold goods and treasures.

“Is this the right place?” One of the men asked in a hushed voice.

“I’m not sure. All these streets look the same.”

“I’d be much more comfortable doing this at night.”

“Hush– no one’s around, see? We’re fine.”

Ercole ducked behind the trash can. He peered around to watch, now absolutely certain they were up to something– something lucrative.

“Still, I feel like– wait. Someone’s coming.”

A third person came walking down the street with a wheelbarrow. He shook hands with the other two. They spoke too quietly for Ercole to hear. Ercole leaned forward, straining his ears. After a few more murmurs, the first two men walked to the crate with the third man watching intently.

Buried treasure? Ercole guessed wildly. Bags and bags of soldi?

Then, after glancing up and down the street, the men opened the lid.

Ercole stared.

The third man was shaking his head, impressed. They closed the lid and, shaking hands again, exchanged a bag of coins before hauling the crate onto the wheelbarrow. The crate sloshed like it was filled with water. The man with the wheelbarrow went one way while the remaining two returned to their vespa.

“See? It’s a victimless crime. No one gets hurt.” The one man said to his comrade, and they rode away. Ercole stood to his normal height.

Maybe it was a trick of the light. Maybe his revenge fantasies were getting to his head. But he could have sworn he saw the spines of a familiar sea monster in that crate.

Luca could hardly sit still.

He tried– really, he did– only to find himself on his feet again and pacing the compartment, moving from the window to his seat. He could have made a permanent indent in the floor with how many times he did this. Giulia reached for his knee to stop him from getting up again.

“Luca, per favore , will you relax?” She asked with a laugh. “And I thought I was stir crazy!”

“Sorry! I just can’t wait to get back to Portorosso.” Luca scraped his fingers against the leather seat. He hadn’t seen Alberto since the day he first left for Genova. He was also excited to see his parents and grandma, and Massimo and Machiavelli. Going to school was one of the greatest things that had ever happened to him, but he had gotten homesick rather quickly.

“It’s okay,” Giulia flopped back in her seat, knocking over some of her book bags. She didn’t bother picking them up off the floor. “I’m excited, too. We should be there anytime now.” She then grinned in anticipation. “I can’t wait to see the look on Alberto’s face when he sees us!”

Luca’s anxiety eased at her enthusiasm. “I know! He’s going to be so surprised.” He watched the passing trees and valleys for a moment. “Is your dad going to be meeting us at the train station?”

Giulia swung her legs back and forth. “No, he thought that’d give the surprise away. Papà’s going to act like he’s taking Alberto out fishing, but we’ll be waiting for them in the backyard. It’s completely foolproof!”

When Luca continued staring out the window, Giulia nudged him. “What’s up?”

“Nothing,” Luca said a little too quickly, and Giulia tipped her head at him. Luca deflated. “I don’t know. It probably doesn’t mean anything, but… I didn’t get any letters from Alberto last week. He’s never skipped sending any– ever! What if…” He chewed on his lower lip. “...what if he isn’t that excited to see me?”

Giulia was motionless. Then she bowled over laughing. Luca was so surprised he didn’t know how to respond.

“You’re kidding, right?” Giulia asked once she caught her breath. “Luca, you’re Alberto’s best friend! I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone more jealous than him when we first started hanging out.”

Luca felt a little embarrassed now. He tugged at his shirt collar. “Maybe, but I’ve been gone for a while now, and Alberto makes his letters sound like he’s really happy in Portorosso. What if he doesn’t… need me anymore?”

Seeing the raw worry on his face, Giulia stopped laughing. She wore a thoughtful look, then reached out to grab his shoulder. “When you first came to Genova with me, was it easy to leave everyone you knew behind?”

“Well, no,” Luca replied, and Giulia continued.

“And when you’ve been living with me and mamma for the last few months, did you ever once think you didn’t miss Alberto anymore?”

“No, of course not!” Luca exclaimed, and Giulia raised her eyebrows. Luca scratched the back of his neck. “I guess I’m overthinking it, aren’t I?”

“Yep,” Giulia confirmed, and Luca smiled sheepishly.

The rest of the train ride went by quickly. Giulia taught Luca how to play “I spy”, and they were on their fifth round when it suddenly got very dark.

“The Portorosso tunnel!” Giulia gasped, throwing herself to her feet. “Luca, we’re almost there!”

Luca shot to his feet, all his irrational fears coming back to haunt him. For days he had been anticipating his return to Portorosso. Now that he was so close to arriving, he felt almost sick. He and Giulia pressed their faces against the window, watching the light at the end of the tunnel grow bigger, until at last they were in the open.

The bay sparkled under the sunset. Tiny boats were fishing in the harbor, some even as far out as the island. Portorosso was a red orange color in the sinking light. Genova was a sight to behold, but this view beat all others in Luca’s mind.

The train boarded gradually into the station. Luca and Giulia gathered their belongings and set out down the hall and, at last, stepped out of the train. There wasn’t a crowd here like there was when they boarded off in Genova. The Italian city was always busy, but Portorosso was home to very few. Luca and Giulia didn’t have to look through crowds of passerbyers to find Daniela, Lorenzo, and Libera waiting expectantly.

“Mom–!” Luca hardly got the word out. Daniela scooped him in the biggest hug anyone had ever seen. She kissed his forehead a dozen times, all while squeezing him tighter in her arms.

“Luca! At last you’re home! Have you been eating enough? Of course you have, you’ve been under very good care. Were you safe? Of course you were, you’re standing right here now perfectly unharmed– and look at you!” Daniela stood beside him for reference, her mouth agape. “You’ve grown a whole fin-length! Oh, I’m so proud of you–”

“Daniela, you’re smothering him,” Lorenzo chided jokingly, and he too hugged Luca. “Good to see you, son!”

Luca pulled them both into a hug.

“How’s my little guppy?” His grandmother Libera asked, and Luca embraced her next.

“It’s good to see you– all of you.” He was surprised to find himself a little teary-eyed. He missed them a lot more than he realized. Daniela noticed this.

“Hey. You ready to go?” She asked gently.

Sniffing, Luca blinked back the tears, his excitement returning in full swing. “Yeah!”

“Then let’s go!” Daniela exclaimed, and she hurried them all out of the station.

The trek to town was a blur. Luca looked at everything like it was the first time. The cobblestone, the balconies, the houses on rolling hills. Within time, they reached the piazza. The prominent sea monster hunter fountain was still there, but Luca had no reason to fear anymore. Almost everyone in Portorosso had accepted him and all the other sea folk. His parents had even made good friends with some of the townspeople. It helped that the Aragosta sisters and his grandma had already had some lasting relationships there. Plus, all the children loved him, though they especially loved Alberto.

The Pescheria was just on the corner of the piazza. Luca’s heart hammered in his chest. Only ten feet away was his best friend. Forgetting the surprise plan, he put on a sudden burst of speed, his family and Giulia racing after him.

Luca didn’t hear anyone from outside the gate. He pushed through and found the yard empty. He next ran to the door just as the others caught up to him, and collectively they stumbled in the room, shouting as one: “SURPRISE!”

Massimo sat at the table with an espresso in hand. As usual, Machiavelli was perched on his shoulder. The other chairs were empty. Neither Massimo nor Machiavelli reacted to Giulia and the Paguro’s announcement. Then again, he had been expecting them. Though something was clearly wrong.

Luca was the first to break out of the stupor. He stepped in front of Massimo nervously, his fingers laced together.

“Um… Sir? Where’s Alberto?” He asked.

Massimo looked at Luca like he hadn’t realized he was there. It was then Luca realized just how exhausted the fisherman appeared to be. He had dark circles under his eyes, and his hair wasn’t as kept as it normally was. Giulia took a concerned breath at the state of her father. Then, Massimo heaved a sigh.

“I’m sorry, ragazzo.” He said, almost mournfully. “I wish I knew.”

“What do you mean, ‘you wish you knew?’” Daniela demanded for perhaps the fifth time that evening. Luca and Giulia were seated across from Massimo at the table with glasses of water in their hands. Libera was next to them nursing her own espresso. Daniela paced the room angrily while Lorenzo watched her with concern. Daniela whirled on Massimo. “You had a guppy under your care! How could you lose him?”

“I told you, I don’t know,” Massimo replied, though there was no contempt in his voice. He sounded defeated, hopeless. It scared Luca that the seemingly indestructible fisherman could ever sound that way, and he exchanged a frightened look with Giuila. “I’m sorry, but there’s not much to tell.”

Daniela scowled and put her fists on her hips. “Well, we’ve got time.”

“Daniela…” Lorenzo put a placating hand on her shoulder. “I’m sure Massimo has a good explanation.”

“I’m afraid I don’t, Lorenzo. Daniela’s right,” Massimo lowered his head, staring into his coffee. “I did everything I could to find him, but no one has seen Alberto. Not for two days–”

“You mean he’s been gone for TWO DAYS?” Daniela slammed her hands on the table. “Why didn’t you say anything!”

“Because I don’t have gills, Daniela,” Massimo snapped. However Daniela didn’t act as if she heard. Lorenzo tried calming her down, and Libera merely watched the interaction sadly.

“All this time, we could have been out looking for him too, and we might have found him by now if we had only known…”

As she went through another rant, Libera placed a gentle hand on Massimo’s. “Was there any clue as to what could have happened to him?” She asked, and her question effectively quieted Daniela as they all waited for an answer.

Massimo looked deeply troubled. He shuffled a little, then pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and laid it on the table. “This was in his room the morning he went missing,” he explained, his voice tight. Worried and a little afraid, everyone gathered in close to read it.

Dear Luca, 

Genova sounds great. And so does Giulia’s mamma, Maria. You have to send me one of her paintings sometime!

Portorosso is amazing, as usual. I wanted to ask you something. It’s about Massimo; I think I’ve been letting him down a lot lately. I want to make it up to him. Any ideas?

The next part of the letter was scribbled out and half-erased. It was still legible, but Luca had to squint to comprehend it.

Life used to be a lot easier on my own. When it’s just you, you don’t have to worry about disappointing anyone. Sometimes I wish

The words died from there. Luca had to read it over and over again to believe it. Even then, he still couldn’t believe it. Apparently neither could anyone else. The room was completely stunned.

“No,” Luca said, breaking the tension. “This can’t be right.”

Daniela was staring at the paper like it might potentially harm someone. “Massimo, was there anything else you found? Maybe a second letter?”

Regretfully Massimo shook his head. “No. This was it.”

“It can’t be it,” Luca insisted, but again no one acknowledged him.

“There’s got to be more to the story,” Lorenzo reasoned, though he was beginning to sound doubtful. “Sure, the kid was prone to disappearing sometimes, but…”

Daniela gasped. “You don’t think he’d actually…?”

Lorenzo sighed sadly. “I don’t know what he’d do.”

Luca stood up fast, his chair scraping behind him. “Well, I do. Alberto would never just leave– not without saying anything!” Everyone looked at him with wide eyes. “Alberto loves Portorosso. More importantly, he cares for all of us. He’d never run away like this.”

Even as Luca was saying this with so strong a conviction, he felt a flicker of uncertainty. What if…? Luca shoved the intrusive thought away. Silenzio Bruno! It was just that dumb voice in his head. He just had to shut it up and believe in his friend.

Alberto would never leave. At least, not like this.

But, didn’t he already try to leave once before? A cold block settled in the pit of Luca’s stomach. Was it possible that Alberto did leave, for good this time? But where could he possibly go?

A thought occurred to him. “Segnor Marcovaldo– you said you checked everywhere in Portorosso for him. What about outside of Portorosso?”

“I traveled out of town and even as far as the wilderness,” Massimo said. Giulia was catching on.

“Luca, do you think he might be–?” She began to say, but Luca didn’t let her finish. He ran out the door, ignoring everyone’s surprised calls for his name. He banged open the garden gate, raced down the harbor, and dove in the sea.

Luca wasn’t as fast a swimmer as Alberto, but at that time he might have rivaled him. He swam over and around rock faces, not slowing down for a second. The sea floor came up to meet him, and he ascended up, up, and leaped onto the island.

“Alberto?” Luca’s voice rang in the empty air. Shaking the water out of his scales, he ran up the beach, looking up and down the pebbly shore. “Alberto!”

The only signs of life were seagulls and a few beetles. Luca climbed up the path to the lighthouse.

It was dark and eerie. The sun was too low by now to shed any light over the tower. Luca looked from the broken rope ladder to the top of the tower. Rubbing his hands together, he leapt to climb up the jagged rocks.

“Alberto,” He puffed, pulling himself over the edge. “Are you up here?”

The tower was in the same shape he’d last seen it– ransacked. The only thing that was different was the coating of dust over everything. No one had been here in some time.

Luca rummaged through the human stuff. He had no idea what he was looking for, holding on to some crazy idea that he would find Alberto under the piles of instruments and farm tools. Still, he found nothing.

He made his way to the tower roof. It overlooked nearly the whole island, and had a perfect view of Portorosso. The last rays of the sunset were just dipping under the horizon. Luca watched it sink, and then get swallowed up by the sea. His throat tightened. He sat down at the edge of the tower.

“Alberto!” He called, in the slim chance his friend was somewhere else on the island and would hear him. “Alberto, where are you?”

He thought his parents would be mad at him when he returned to the Pescheria. Luca expected a scolding, or at least a stern look, but neither of them offered anything of the sort. Instead Daniela hugged him, and Lorenzo set a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“You went to the island, didn’t you?” Daniela asked soothingly, and Luca nodded.

“He wasn’t there.” Luca said, knowing he was stating the obvious. He expected to feel saddened, but in truth he didn’t feel much of anything. The idea that Alberto was gone just… didn’t feel real.

He felt more than saw his parents exchange a look. “Well, we’ll keep looking tomorrow.” Daniela decided, and something inside Luca snapped.

How could his best friend just leave like that, without saying goodbye? How could he have left Massimo, with nothing but a vague letter as explanation? How could he have left him? Luca didn’t know if it was fair that he was angry. He didn’t understand all that led up to this. It’s not like he wanted to be mad. He just knew that he was so furious with Alberto it hurt.

He let his parents lead him back to their cove. It had been a long time since Luca had slept underwater. He thought it might comfort him to some extent. If anything, it reminded him of his life before he went to the surface. Before he met Alberto.

Luca faced the wall in his seaweed bed. At least underwater, he didn’t have to worry about hiding his tears.

Chapter Text

“ANDIAMO!!!”

SPLASH! Luca ducked against the resulting ocean spray. He leaned over the cliff, where at the bottom Alberto resurfaced, waving at him.

“Come on, Luca!” He called, and Luca grinned. He took twenty steps back, took a deep breath, and charged for the cliff’s edge. However as he fast approached, he lost his nerve and fell clumsily over the edge with a squawk.

When he swam back up, Alberto was laughing. “Nice fall!”

Luca laughed, too. “Hey, I just don’t want to faceplant like last time!”

Alberto flicked his tail. “You faceplant because you hesitate!”

Luca tossed water at Alberto. Alberto dunked himself under, and Luca chased after him.

“Come and get me!” Alberto challenged, and like a bullet he cut seamlessly through the sea. Luca faltered slightly then hurried after him.

“Wait!” Luca yelled. He was quickly falling behind. “Alberto, slow down! You know I’m not as fast a swimmer as you!”

Alberto’s laughs echoed in the blue expanse. Luca came to a stop, having lost sight of his friend. “Alberto?” A bit desperately, he swam quickly around reefs and rock faces. “Alberto!”

He approached a high rock that jutted out of the water. Bunching his muscles, Luca cleared the top of it and landed smoothly on land. The sun dried him almost instantly and he cupped both hands over his mouth. “Alberto! You up here?”

The outskirts of Portorosso were empty. Clouds were suddenly hiding the sun. Across the beach, Luca at last spotted the curly hair of Alberto, his back to him. Relieved, Luca hurried to meet him.

“Ha, ha!” He reached to grab his friend by the wrist. “I got you–!”

Alberto jerked his hand away. Luca flinched, struck dumb. Alberto turned to look at him, his expression unreadable.

“Why’d you do it?” He asked.

Luca stared back. “Do what?”

“Go to Genova,” Alberto explained. “Leave me behind.”

“I–” Luca stuttered, then steadied himself. “Alberto, that’s not what happened.”

But Alberto was leaving. “Whatever.”

“Wait!” Luca grabbed him by the hand. “Why are you acting like this? It was your idea for me to go to school–”

“Yeah, but I didn’t think you’d stay gone forever!” Alberto snapped. “What kind of friend leaves their other friend behind? You knew I didn’t want to go–”

“And you knew it was my dream to go,” Luca shot back. “And I wasn’t going to be gone forever. It’s not my fault you’re afraid of change!”

Alberto sent Luca a hateful glare. “Afraid, huh?” He climbed onto a vespa, one that Luca hadn’t realized was there until now. On the back of the vespa was Alberto’s suitcase. “Seeing as you’re too busy playing schoolhouse with Giulia, I’ll just see the world on my own.”

“Alberto–” Luca started.

“How’s that for afraid?” Alberto said, revving the engine.

“Alberto, stop!” Luca cried, but the vespa roared over him. Alberto sped off down the beach, and Luca ran after him. “WAIT! ALBERTO, STOP! COME BACK!”

The vespa was a mere red dot on the horizon. Luca sunk his knees in the sand. “I’m sorry,” he whimpered, holding his head in his hands. “Alberto, I’m sorry for leaving you. Please come back…”

Luca sat bolt upright. He gasped, holding a hand against his fast beating heart. He was fine; everything was fine. He was in his room in the Portorosso bay. It had all been a dream.

Only, it wasn’t . Alberto really was gone.

A day had passed since he and Giulia returned. From sunrise to sunset yesterday, Luca and the others had scoured inside and outside of Portorosso, searching high and low for where Alberto might be. They weren’t any closer to finding him. Luca’s hopes had dwindled, but he wasn’t about to give up.

Floating into the den’s main room, Luca barely acknowledged his parents, his dad tending to his crab collection and his mom preparing breakfast.

“Morning, Luca.” Daniela kissed his forehead, smiling. Luca didn’t react. Her smile faltered. “Come on, have some breakfast.”

Listlessly Luca sat at the table. He stared at the seaweed wraps. They didn’t look the least bit appetizing, and not only because surface food was infinitely better.

“Did you sleep okay?” Daniela asked.

Luca kept his eyes on his food. “Fine, mom.”

Daniela frowned deeply. She glanced at Lorenzo for support, who looked back at her helplessly. She cleared her throat. “Well, we were going to head up to the surface soon. Massimo invited us over, and we thought it was a good time for us to have a little… talk.”

She eyed her husband as she said this. Luca noticed this exchange and glanced back and forth at them. “What’s going on?”

“Luca,” Lorenzo started, searching for words. “It’s… well, it’s Alberto. We wanted to talk about why no one has found him.”

So far, no one had tried suggesting that Alberto ran away of his own accord since the night Luca went to the lighthouse. Luca knew it was still in the back of his parents’ minds.

“Because we haven’t looked in the right place,” Luca said, and Lorenzo sighed.

“I think this is more complicated than that, buddy.” He set down his prized crab, coming next to Luca and hovering with him around the room. “We need to consider all the possibilities if we want to find the truth, right? So, your mother and I were talking…”

“Alberto didn’t run away.” Luca said flatly.

Lorenzo sputtered. “I didn’t say he ran away.”

“You were leading up to it,” Luca accused.

“Well, what other solution is there? Given his background I think it’s a logical conclusion–”

“Luca, your father is right.” Daniela said, grabbing both their attention. “I know you want to believe in your friend. But we need to face the evidence. It’s possible that, at least for the time being, Alberto doesn’t want to be found.”

Luca sat up quickly. “That’s not true.”

Daniela raised her arms. “Just hear us out. I don’t want you running yourself to exhaustion worrying over this.”

Luca loomed over her. “So you’re just going to give up?”

Daniela loomed over him. “Luca, calm down–”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Luca went on. “None of you do!”

He abandoned the table and left the cove. Lorenzo recovered his senses first.

“Now, hold on one minute, young man–!” He scolded, but was ignored. Luca swam past the coral reef, not looking at or responding to any of the passing neighbors. He didn’t know where he was going– he just needed to get away, to think.

“Hm, hm hm hm hm…”

Luca looked up, finding himself in a sand field. His grandma Libera was making sweeping gestures over the sand, picking up small clams and placing them back down again. He blinked, wondering if he should leave her to it.

Without turning, Libera said, “Fine morning, isn’t it, Bubble?”

Luca tilted his head. His anger was dulled by puzzlement. “Grandma, what are you doing?”

“Looking for sea cucumbers.” Libera started digging a little deeper into the pebbles. “It’s never too early for a snack.”

Luca stayed silent. He couldn’t believe she could care about snacks at such a time. These emotions must have shown on his face, for his grandmother paused her digging. She straightened up in front of him. “What’s on your mind?”

“Nothing.” Luca lied.

Libera watched him expectantly. Five seconds later, Luca spilled.

“It’s– it’s Alberto.” His eyebrows creased together. “Mom and dad don’t understand. They think since he’s already tried leaving once, that this time he did it for good.”

His grandma hummed, sitting on a nearby rock. “And what do you think happened?”

Luca hesitated. Then he maneuvered to sit next to her. “I don’t know. I just don’t think he ran away. I mean– I sort of did,” he admitted, shame prickling at his gills. “At first. But I’ve been thinking about it, and something just doesn’t seem right…”

Now that he started talking, he couldn’t get himself to stop. He told her about his nightmare and about how his parents wanted him to stop looking. He told her that he, in a way, felt responsible for Alberto’s disappearance, which might not have happened had he not left for Genova. Libera stayed still, listening to him.

“...Grandma, why would Alberto do something like that?” Luca asked finally. His voice was tight from everything he had just confessed. Libera merely raised her eyebrows at him. Slowly Luca continued. “It makes no sense. Alberto loves Portorosso, he would never just leave.”

He thought a little harder about it. If Alberto didn’t run away, then what were the other options? That he was lost? Luca could laugh at that; Alberto knew the town and the bay better than most sea monsters. So, if he didn’t run away, and he wasn’t lost, then…

Luca’s heart dropped like a stone. What if Alberto had no choice but to leave? An icy feeling settled in the pit of his stomach.

“Grandma,” Luca started, his voice shaky. “What if… what if Alberto didn’t want to leave?”

Slowly Libera nodded. “Alberto’s a complicated young man, but there’s no denying his heart.”

Luca waited for her to say more, but she didn’t. He held his tail in his hands. “Are you saying he was taken?”

Libera locked a steady gaze with him. “If that’s what you think happened, what would you do about it?”

It all made sense. Fully convinced of it, Luca threw his arms around Libera. “Thank you, Grandma. Thank you!” He pulled back just as quickly and darted across the bay.

“Where are you going?” Libera called, though she already knew the answer.

“To the surface,” Luca threw over his shoulder. “I’m going to find Alberto!”

He became a turquoise shape in the distance. Libera chuckled to herself. “That’s my little guppy.”

Alberto got the sensation that he was floating.

No… not floating. He was suspended in… something. A hammock?

He twitched, having not the strength to do much else. He was dead weight. His arms and legs felt like jelly. To top it all off, his head felt like it had been stuffed with feathers.

Strange noises filled his ears. Some of it was familiar, and others were sounds he’d never heard before. There was one that reminded him of a vespa, but much louder. Another sound reminded him of a motorboat, which was silly. Since when did motorboats run on land?

It was too confusing. The swaying lulled him back to sleep.

The next time Alberto woke, he was a bit more lucid.

Where was he? What was he doing?

He was still suspended. A sense of urgency nagged at the corner of his mind.

Wake up, his mind told him.

Silenzio Bruno , Alberto grumbled.

WAKE UP, his mind argued, and Alberto opened his eyes.

At first he didn’t see anything. He rubbed his face. He felt scales. Why was he wet? Had he forgotten to shut the window last night? The sky must have been leaking. He opened his eyes a second time.

He was lying in a nylon net with water up to his stomach. He stared all around the small space, not comprehending. Above him, the net tied in a knot, and past that he could see a metal arm it was suspended from. Alberto scrunched his face, trying to think.

A loud bell startled him.

There were voices. People talked conversationally with one another. What was going on?

He struggled to sit up. His arms wobbled under his weight and he slid back down.

“What happened?”

“I think it’s awake.”

Alberto didn’t like the sound of that. More forcefully, he made another attempt to stand. He slipped on his back again.

One of the men sounded nervous. “Should we put him to sleep again?”

“No… it’s too unpredictable. We have no idea of the side effects it could have.”

At least that was good news. If Alberto had any chance at escape, the last thing he needed was to be shot by another one of… those darts…

He held his head between his hands. His memories came rushing back like a migraine. Flavio and Federico. They had acted like his friends, then drugged him and captured him. Alberto felt the spot he had been shot in. At the time, he had thought he was dying. He remembered more, like being transported across town in… a cooler? But that part was a bit fuzzy.

His stomach flared in anger. How could he have been so stupid? He knew they weren’t from Portorosso. Why hadn’t he been more careful?

Massimo must have been out of his mind with worry. Of course, Alberto had no idea how much time had passed. Hopefully not much. He struggled some more.

“He looks sort of agitated,” The worried man’s voice rose again.

“Ah… better let it down.” The other agreed.

The net lurched sideways. Alberto tensed as he swung in one direction, then stopped. There was a loud snap and he fell, splashing into water.

A rush of adrenaline hit him. Alberto swam as fast as he’d ever swam before, only to meet a wall. He swam along the wall and came upon another, and following that one he found another. He backed up and spun full-circle.

He wasn’t in the sea. He was in a tank.

“There you go, little guy!” A dusty-blond man called, and Alberto looked up, squinting against the white sky. “You can stretch your fins a bit now.”

“Let me go!” Alberto yelled, but a piece of machinery yelled over him. A lid was being dropped over the top of the tank, and his world got darker and darker until he could see almost nothing.

It must have been an hour since he’d been dropped in the tank.

Alberto rammed into the wall for probably the hundredth time. Unsuccessful in even making a mark, other than on his arm, he abandoned the escape attempt, swimming in circles.

What did the people want with him? They didn’t seem like they meant any harm. Alberto had heard stories of sea monsters being captured for their unique features, whether it be for their tails or fins. Somehow, this didn’t seem to be the case.

“ Ugh!” He folded his arms and shoved his back against the wall. He let himself sink to the floor cross-legged, thinking.

Judging by the brightness of the sky earlier, it was somewhere around mid-afternoon. Massimo might have been out fishing at this time. He had no idea what Giulia and Luca would be doing. Probably studying math. Or maybe reading books about the universe. He remembered Luca telling him all about his different school subjects in one of his letters.

His letters! Alberto realized with a jolt he had an unfinished letter for Luca. It was supposed to be finished and sent out days ago. He hoped Luca wouldn’t mind not getting it on time. He made a promise then and there, that as soon as he got back to Portorosso, he was going to finish that letter, regaling Luca with his latest sea adventure of how he narrowly escaped from certain peril–

The tank tilted unexpectedly. He slammed into one side, gushes of water slapping after him. The tank tilted again, and he was shoved on the opposite wall. The tank made one final, jerky movement by dropping flat on a solid floor, reeling Alberto right to the roof.

Alberto rubbed his head indignantly. As soon as he got out of there, he was going to give the humans a piece of his mind.

“ Stai attento!” Someone shouted in angry Italian.

“Sorry,” Another said sheepishly. “It’s my first day–”

“Whatever,” The other grunted. “Just help me get this off.”

The tank creaked and groaned. A shaft of dazzling light seeped inside. As soon as the opening was wide enough, Alberto pulled up over the side.

“What’s wrong with you, stupido ?” He shouted with a fist in the air. Massimo had at last explained to him what the phrase actually meant. He was pretty proud to use it in the correct context for once.

The men were so surprised they stumbled over each other. “You– you can talk!” One of them squawked, and Alberto looked at him.

“So can you,” he said. Then he waved. “Ciao!”

Alberto leapt over their heads and landed clumsily on concrete. He moved in a daze and, picking the only direction that didn’t have people in it, he ran.

Everything was slightly blurry. Alberto tripped over his feet a few times. Maybe it was gravity getting to him, but his limbs felt a lot heavier and more awkward than normal. Surely whatever was in that dart had worn off by now?

Shouting voices followed him, and ignoring his aching limbs Alberto kept going.

He was in some sort of warehouse. Strange machines and human inventions dotted the darkened floor and walls. But the smell was most prominent.

Alberto stopped, coughing. He’d recognize the smell of dead fish anywhere. There were a few banks in the Portorosso bay that tended to wash up their bodies. Only here, the smell had to be a hundred times stronger. He hid behind an unoccupied tank to get a better look around.

He felt his insides slowly dissolve.

Crates and crates of fish piled on top of each other. Conveyor belts transporting them from one end of the building to another. A large vat where they were all dumped into, to be crushed by an enormous guillotine.

A rusted sign hung over the entire span of one wall. Prime Sea Life – Let Your Cat Eat REAL Seafood!

He wasn’t in a warehouse. He was in a factory.

It was every guppy’s worst nightmare. It was those old sea stories that mothers would tell their children if they didn’t behave. ‘ If you swim too far from the den, the land monsters will take you to the canning factory!’ Never in Alberto’s life would he think it was real.

Only, it was real. And he was standing in the middle of it.

Alberto thought he might be sick. He backed away among the machines, hearing his captors but not entirely certain where they were.

“Where’d he go?”

“I think this way.”

“Come out, come out, wherever you are…”

A horrible mixture of water and something else covered the floor. It was like trying to run on butter. Alberto slipped very quickly and made a horrifyingly loud crash against a table of butcher knives.

“You hear that?”

“Over there!”

Alberto slipped some more and fell on his elbows. It was a miracle none of the knives fell on him. Trying to be careful but also trying to hurry, Alberto clambered away from the table, away from the water mixture.

The moisture in the air was too thick for him to dry off. Rounding a corner, Alberto dove behind a seemingly dormant piece of machinery to catch his breath.

Where was the exit? This place was a maze. Alberto couldn’t even remember which direction he started from. He dared to glance around the side of the machine.

A cleaver embedded itself inches away from his nose. His scales on end, Alberto fled.

More cleavers flung past on either side. Alberto flung himself up a catwalk and ran along it. It was a dead end. Behind him, the butcher approached at an easy pace.

“Nice try,” the butcher said in a thick Italian accent. He sliced his cleavers together as he walked, each piercing sound causing Alberto to flinch. “You’re not the first sea monster I’ve had to wrangle into submission.”

There was nowhere to run. A blockade behind him, a madman in front of him, and a thirteen meter drop beneath him. For a second, Alberto glanced down. He was right over the conveyor belts.

“Actually, we prefer the term ‘sea folk,’” Alberto said, then he jumped on the railing. “ANDIAMO!”

“Hey–!” The butcher lunged for him, but Alberto was already falling. He cannonballed down, down, and into a crate full of fish.

It was harder than he expected to get out of it. Alberto ‘swam’ to the top with difficulty, trying hard not to focus on the stench. The conveyor belt was approaching the vat. Alberto struggled to find the crate edge, his movements getting increasingly desperate. At last he got a hold of it, and he launched himself out just as the crate started tipping over.

Just ahead, a burst of sunlight fell in the factory as two doors were opened. Running inside were more factory workers, but behind them was freedom. In a split second, Alberto chose the path of crazy.

He swerved around one person. “‘Scuse me!” He narrowly avoided another one throwing a net. “Coming through!” Another one ran to tackle him, and he managed to grab Alberto’s tail. Unfortunately for him, he grabbed the sharp point of his spines, and quickly let go with a cry of pain.

“Ha! You deserve that!” Alberto called over his shoulder. He was almost upon the doors. He pressed his feet harder into the floor, putting on one final burst of speed.

The butcher slid into his path, his arms and legs spread out. “You’re not going anywhere–”

There wasn’t much time to think. Alberto switched direction and, seeing a window, threw himself at it.

Glass shattered and he was in the open air. With a cry of alarm, Alberto fell a short distance and tumbled down a half-dirt, half-grassy hill. He rolled to a stop up against a tree trunk.

Alberto groaned and sat up. Shouting voices were getting louder. It would be a matter of time until they caught up to him. With shaking limbs, Alberto got to his feet and ran.

Something solid collided with his head. Alberto’s world became very dizzy and he fell, disoriented. Two blurry shapes looked down at him against the bright white sky. Alberto tried to get away.

“Shh- don’t worry, little guy,” A woman said, her voice like a mother’s soothing her child. “We’re not with them. We’re going to get you out of here…”

A very familiar sting struck him near his collarbone. Not again! Alberto’s panic diffused as he lost his senses, and he soon went completely still.

Meanwhile, the woman glared at her coworker. “Was that really necessary?”

“Don’t be like that– he’ll be easier to transport,” the man dismissed. “Now hurry up, before they realize we’re gone.”

Chapter Text

“Segnor Marcovaldo! SEGNOR MARCOVALDO–”

The garden door swung open before Luca reached it. Giulia looked at him, her eyes the size of dinner plates. “Luca! What is it, what’s wrong?”

Luca leaned on his knees, gasping. “Is your dad home? I need to talk to both of you!”

“Okay, okay, just– take it easy,” Giulia took Luca’s wrist and brought him through the yard. In the entryway, she frowned. “Did you swim all the way from home?”

“I’m fine,” Luca dismissed. They had bigger things to worry about.

The kitchen smelled of wonderful Italian cuisine. However, Massimo wasn’t busy at the stove or countertop. Instead he was standing by the window, watching, waiting. For a second Luca felt like he was intruding.

“Papà?” Giulia began tentatively, and Massimo faltered before turning. His surprised face sunk into one of realization, and he quickly straightened his shoulders.

“Giulia– Luca,” He ended the statement with the sound of a question. Luca looked beyond Massimo at the open window, where he had set a fresh plate of trenette al pesto.

“Um…” Suddenly Luca found it hard to form his words together. Seeing Massimo and Giulia’s increasingly worried faces, he recollected himself with a deep breath. “I need to talk to you. It’s about Alberto. I think I might know what happened to him.”

At once, Massimo and Giulia rushed forward. If Luca didn’t have their attention before, he definitely did now.

“You do? But– how ?” Giulia exclaimed.

“Tell me everything you know,” Massimo urged.

Luca told them everything from what he discussed with his grandma. Once he had finished, he gauged both their reactions. Giulia was processing this information, though by the way her eyes dawned in understanding, Luca knew he had her convinced. Massimo’s usual stoic behavior was harder to read. At the very least, he digested the theory.

“Santa mozzarella,” Giulia breathed. “You might be right .”

Massimo leaned forward. “Are you certain that is what happened? Do you have any proof?”

He asked this so seriously that Luca became slightly unnerved. He swallowed. “No, sir. I don’t. But I’m ready to go find out.”

Giulia was bouncing in nervous energy. “Why didn’t I think of that? This town is FULL of witnesses. Someone must have seen something!”

Luca deeply appreciated Giulia’s support. Massimo however remained guarded. “We don’t know that it’s true,” he reminded her, but it was too late. Giulia was completely on board.

“Hey, at least we have something to work with,” Luca said in an attempt to reason with him. “Before, we were just searching without a clue. Now we can ask people if they might have seen something suspicious.”

Massimo was shaking his head. “Maybe. But, if your theory is correct, you are also accusing someone in this town of kidnapping.”

The room seemed to darken at his words. Luca hadn’t thought of it like that. Who in this town could be capable of such a thing? Names and faces that Luca had grown to trust flicked through his mind in fast succession. He was at once very afraid of his theory being right.

He supposed there was one person he couldn’t trust, not from the very beginning. A fiery sensation fizzled in his stomach. Luca was going to get to the bottom of this. He was going to find Alberto.

He was so lost in his thoughts he hadn’t noticed Giulia and Massimo continuing the conversation. “ ...per favore, this is the only lead we’ve got… you don’t actually believe Alberto left on purpose, do you?”

By her tone of voice, she was expecting him to refute her. But Massimo hesitated. In fact, he didn’t react at all, only lowering his chin dolefully. Then, slowly, he met their eyes again. 

“Just promise me one thing.”

“Si, papà, anything,” Giulia blurted.

“You will only ask questions, and not jump to conclusions.” Massimo’s gaze swung from his daughter to Luca. “ Capisci? ”

“ Capisco, ” they said at once, and Giulia hugged her father. Luca heard her whisper, “Don’t worry– we’ll find him. We’ll get him back to us.”

Massimo hugged her a little closer. Once they parted, Massimo stood to his full height, surveying the two of them. “Be careful,” he said, his voice tight. “And be smart.”

“SÌ, papà,” Giulia said rapidly. “We’ll let you know what we find out!”

On their way out the door, Luca paused by the clothing rack. Alberto’s flat cap hung there, and without a second thought Luca set it firmly on his own head.

Giulia rode on the back of her bicycle while Luca pedaled through Portorosso.

“We could start at the edge of town, and work our way back in,” Giulia was saying, jotting down notes on a clipboard. “We can ask questions like: ‘ Where were you at sunset three nights ago? What were you doing? Why was it so important that it couldn’t wait until morning?’ I’m thinking of calling it ‘Operation Scorfano’! What do you think?”

Giulia waited for Luca’s response to no avail. She peered over her shoulder. “Um, Luca. Are you listening to me?”

“Huh? Yeah.” Luca lied, having only heard half of what she said.

“Luca– Luca, I said we could start at the edge of town,” Giulia pressed. They were slowing down on a seemingly random street. Luca skidded the bike to a stop and hopped off, leaving the bike and Giulia to topple sideways.

“Hey!” Giulia squawked as she clumsily tried to catch herself. Luca was stomping across the street, and Giulia called, “What are you doing?”

“I’m getting answers!” Luca threw over his shoulder, and he strided up the stairs to the front door of a house. He raised his fist to knock, but stopped upon hearing an elderly woman screaming angry Italian words. A more familiar voice answered her.

“They’re NOT my friends, Nonna!! I will NOT apologize to them– they should apologize to me!! I will NEVER speak to them again!!”

The door was thrown open to reveal Ercole. Ercole slammed the door behind him, then paused to take a deep breath. Seemingly calmer, he took one step forward only to freeze at the sight of Luca and Giulia, who were staring at him blankly. His shocked face melted into a scowl.

“Oh– it’s you . Finally came back to town, eh? I thought something smelled like fish.” He wrinkled his nose in disgust. “So what do you want? Come to gloat? Well, get it over with, so you can get out of my sight faster.”

Giulia was too dumbfounded to say anything. Luca however was confident, more confident than he’d ever been in his life.

“Oh, we’ll leave.” He marched right up to Ercole, his chest puffed out and his index finger pointing up the taller boy’s chin. “Right after you tell us what you did to Alberto!”

Ercole backed up, but more out of surprise than anything. “Wow , look who’s suddenly not afraid of anything!” With ease, he pushed Luca aside. “Stand down, piccoletto. That’s a fight you’re not going to win.”

Giulia finally got her tongue to work again. “We’re not here to fight,” she blurted, sending a meaningful look at Luca. “We just want to ask a few questions–”

“–about what you did to Alberto,” Luca growled, ignoring Giulia’s glare.

Ercole narrowed his eyes on Luca. He glanced at Giulia, then back at Luca. “I have no idea who that is.”

“ Alberto ,” Luca repeated with emphasis. “He helped us beat you in the race!”

Ercole snapped. “That was NOT a fair match! Sea monsters can’t enter human races!” He leaned back in a relaxed gesture. “Anyway, I don’t know what you’re talking about. Why would I do anything to him? I don’t even like him, or any of you.”

“That’s exactly why you WOULD do something–” Luca countered, and he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder.

“Luca–” Giulia began, but Luca shrugged her hand off.

“Look, I had nothing to do with whatever you’re talking about, okay?” Ercole insisted with an eyeroll. “If he’s gone, maybe it’s because he’s realized how lame his friends are.”

Luca clenched his hands into fists. “I KNOW you did something. Alberto wouldn’t just disappear!”

Giulia tugged Luca’s arm, more forcefully this time. “Luca, stop! We promised we would only ask questions, remember?”

“I am asking questions,” Luca replied gruffly. “I’m asking Ercole to tell us what he did!”

“So, you’re missing your sea monster friend, eh?” Ercole’s irritation was now laced with amusement. “It’s about time someone nabbed him. This town’s better off without him stinking it up–”

Something inside Luca snapped. In less than a second he had Ercole on the ground, his fists moving in seemingly their own accord. Giulia was shouting and Ercole was shrieking, but Luca was immune to all of it until a pair of arms wrapped around his middle and tore him away.

“Luca, STOP!” Giulia wailed, and he whirled to snarl at her. She immediately backed away, her arms raised, and Luca’s snarl fell short.

Meanwhile Ercole was cowering behind Giulia. “HELP! THE SEA MONSTER BIT ME! IT BARED ITS HIDEOUS FANGS AND ATTACKED ME!”

“ Stai zitto , Ercole!” Giulia defended, but even then it sounded weak. People around the street were beginning to stare, and a few even gasped and were pointing at Luca.

“Did you see what that boy did?”

“That’s not just a boy, amore. Don’t you know? That’s the… ahem… sea monster…”

“No!”

“I knew I never trusted them…”

Sure enough, a perfect Luca-sized bite mark was freshly donned over Ercole’s forearm. Luca could still feel the sensation of the bite in his teeth. Dread rose from his stomach to his throat. In those few moments, he had lost complete control.

Giulia grabbed his wrist bracingly. “Come on,” she breathed, and she hurried him out of sight.

Numbly Luca asked, “What about your bike–”

“I’ll get it later, right now you need to get out of here!”

Luca ran with her through Portorosso. Neither said a single word until they were deep into town, far enough away where no one around them knew what had just taken place. All the same, they sought shelter under the shade of an empty coffee shop.

When they were alone, Giulia shoved Luca. “Are you crazy? ” She exclaimed between gasps of breath. “Whatever happened to not jumping to conclusions? I’ve never seen you act that way before! What’s gotten into you?”

“I’m sorry,” Luca panted, and he truly meant it. The guilt was almost crushing him. “I’m so sorry– I don’t know what happened, Ercole just made me so mad and I… I lost my temper.” Memories of the townspeople’s shock and horror sent another wave of shame in Luca. His knees wobbled and he sat on the brick street. “I can’t believe this.”

He put his hands over his eyes. Giulia watched him for a bit before sighing. She sat next to him, and after a moment’s thought put her hand on his arm.

“It’s okay–” She began, and a sudden bubble of fire flared in Luca’s stomach.

“No, it’s not okay,” he snapped, standing up. He paced back and forth in front of her. “I can’t believe I lost control. All because I let Ercole get under my skin. And you know the best part? Now everyone thinks I did it because I’m a sea monster!”

“You are a sea monster,” Giulia agreed, “but it’s not like none of the other kids haven’t bitten each other before! Trust me– I’ve seen it.”

Luca shook his head. “Yeah, well. I doubt anyone’s going to see me that way.”

Giulia didn’t seem to know what to say to that. Luca felt a little worse with himself. She had stood up for him, even when he was behaving horribly. And all he could talk about was sea monster prejudice. “I’m sorry, Giulia. I should be thanking you.”

The tension in Giulia’s shoulders loosened slightly. She stood next to him. “Hey– we’re in this together, alright? If people mess with you, they mess with me.” A bit tentatively, she put her right hand forward. “Underdogs?”

Luca broke into a grin. He put his hand on hers. “Underdogs.”

“Fantastico!” Giulia laughed, then pointed at him semi-seriously. “Just, follow my lead from now on, okay?”

Luca nodded sheepishly. “Okay.”

Daniela still wasn’t the biggest fan of her human form. She made a mildly disgusted noise as she shook the water off her body and made her way up the harbor with her husband. Lorenzo had to hurry to catch up.

“Do you really think Massimo’s going to agree with this?” He asked her tentatively while tucking his shirt in his pants.

Daniela didn’t hesitate. “He’ll have to. Luca’s our son, and Massimo respects that.”

“Yeah, but Alberto…”

“Massimo will see reason,” Daniela interrupted, though a troubled look wormed its way on her face. “Just let me do the talking.”

She strided right up to the Pescheria. She waited for Lorenzo at the door, took in a breath, and knocked.

“Massimo?” She called. “Massimo, it’s the Paguros.”

There was no immediate answer. Then there was shuffling. Then the door opened. Massimo stepped aside to give them room. “Ciao, Daniela– Lorenzo. Come in,” He invited, and they walked inside.

They sat at the little table in the small kitchen. A beautiful aroma relaxed any of the remaining nerves Daniela had about the incoming conversation. She had to hand it to surface dwellers, they really knew how to eat. Massimo set a plate of pasta in front of either of them, and then one for himself. Daniela wondered briefly why there was a plate sitting alone at the window, then disregarded it.

“Forgive me; I was working in the back when you came. It seems one of my fishing nets has been misplaced.” Massimo said conversationally as they indulged.

“Uh-huh,” Daniela hummed, only half paying attention. She was engrossed in her own mind about how she would bring up what needed to be said. She didn’t want to upset Massimo, but she knew it was necessary.

“You just missed Luca and Giulia,” Massimo continued. “The children took it upon themselves to start an investigation.”

By the curve of his mustache, he seemed to be pleased by this fact, or at the very least impressed. Daniela couldn’t even begin to think why Massimo would see that as a good idea. She swallowed the delicious pasta.

“Actually, that’s what we wanted to talk to you about.” She said, deciding to get right down to business. She chose her words carefully. “Have you ever thought, Massimo, why it is that no one, and I mean the whole town, seems to know where Alberto has gone?”

It was clear Massimo wasn’t expecting this. “Well… it could be…”

“Not to mention he’s done this sort of thing before.” Daniela added. She was watching Massimo closely, doing her best to be sensitive yet firm. “He even left a letter behind to explain himself. Could it be… and just hear me out on this… that Alberto doesn’t want anyone looking for him?”

Machiavelli, who had been sleeping in the corner, hissed at her words. Massimo looked as if he had a lot of things on his mind, but none of them he could get on his tongue. At last, he gave a flustered sigh. “You don’t know that.”

Daniela crossed her arms. She would have to change tactics. “Luca’s barely sleeping. He won’t eat anything. Not to mention, we already searched the whole town yesterday, what good does he think it will do this time?”

“Well… I…”

“And what about Giulia? Aren’t you the least bit worried about what this might end up doing to her?” Daniela pressed. “I’m just going to say it– Luca’s getting a little too obsessed with this missing sea monster case.”

Lorenzo made a placating gesture. “Daniela, you know Alberto is Luca’s best friend–”

“Best friend or not, Luca is going to run himself sick if we don’t do something.” Daniela said fiercely. She looked Massimo in the eyes. “Listen to me, Massimo– from one parent to another. Don’t you agree that the kids are taking this a little too far?”

Massimo was lost for words. Daniela’s shoulders slumped.

“The next time you see Luca, I want you to send him straight home to us.” She scooted her chair back to stand, making a horrible squeaking noise. “No more investigating. No more chasing after someone who clearly doesn’t want to be found. Thank you for the meal. Come on, Lorenzo.”

She strided out of the house without another word. Lorenzo turned to Massimo, opened his mouth, thought better of it, and followed after his wife.

After the rather rocky start of their investigation, the Underdogs went back to Giulia’s idea of starting at the edge of town and making their way back in. They knocked door after door, stopping a few times on the street to ask passerbyers if they knew or had seen anything suspicious. Most people slammed the door back in their face. A few others listened politely but ultimately couldn’t offer any help. Giulia was trying to remain positive, but Luca was gradually losing hope in their plan.

Within an hour or so they took a break in the piazza. Portorosso was larger than Luca could ever have imagined now that they were trying to knock on every door in town. They sat on the fountain rim, Luca lost in his thoughts and Giulia watching the neighborhood kids kick a ball around.

“That could have gone worse.” Giulia said optimistically. Their last confrontation was with the Aragosta Sisters, and they had left that scene with gelato on their heads.

Absently Luca licked at his gelato . “I don’t understand. Someone must have seen something.”

“Maybe we haven’t found the right person yet.” Giulia reasoned, which was rather likely. Nonetheless Luca couldn’t help but feel discouraged.

They continued investigating until nightfall. Giulia had to practically drag Luca with her to leave the Portorosso streets behind.

“Just one more house…” Luca pleaded, stumbling over his feet from exhaustion.

“Luca, if we’re not home in the next ten minutes, my dad will have a whole search party looking for us. ” Giulia’s stomach growled loudly and she held her stomach. “We’re not giving up. We’ll go out again tomorrow, okay?”

Luca didn’t want to wait until tomorrow. He was sick of waiting and not doing anything. He followed her back to the Pescheria anyway.

Luca was so wrapped up in his anxieties he didn’t see Giacomo until he walked right into the barrel of fish he had been carrying.

“ Oof!” Luca fell backwards and Giacomo wobbled on his feet.

“Whoa– scusi!” Giacomo said with half a laugh, managing to keep the barrel upright. “Oh, hello Luca. Giulia. Nice night for fishing, eh?”

Giacomo was one of the fishermen who had taken to Luca and Alberto quicker than anyone else. Pretty much since the day their identity had been revealed, he had been nothing but kind to them, even letting them ride on his boat and showing them a few fisherman tricks.

He smiled at them like everything was right in the world. Luca could hardly imagine smiling back. He could hardly imagine smiling ever again. Giacomo must have gotten a clue as his expression dimmed.

“Something on your minds?”

Luca glanced at Giulia, who didn’t seem to have the energy to explain. Luca’s voice became very small. “We were asking people if they knew anything about Alberto.”

Giacomo hummed like he was now remembering. “Ah… yes, I heard about your friend going missing. I’m really sorry to hear that. No,” he added when Luca opened his mouth. “I’m afraid I don’t know what happened to him.”

Luca didn’t think Giacomo would lie. But there was some sort of hesitance in his eyes that convinced Luca he wasn’t telling them everything. “Are you sure there’s nothing else you can tell us?” He asked, not impolitely.

Giacomo opened his mouth, closed it, then tried again. “Listen, I– I can’t be sure if it was him. But, now that you mention it, I remember I was taking my boat out for some night fishing. It’s a hobby I’ve become rather attached to. I did see someone walking towards one of the outer beaches.” He paused, then took a breath.  “It could have been Alberto–”

Immediately, all the questions Luca had been hoping to ask someone came rolling off his tongue. “When? Which beach? Did he say anything, or, or give any clue about what he was doing–?”

“Slow down,” Giacomo winced, as if regretting bringing it up. “We never spoke, and I told you, I’m not a hundred percent sure it was him. But it may have been. It looked as if he was coming from the direction of the Pescheria, and if my memory serves correctly, that was three nights ago.”

“Three nights ago,” Giulia repeated, and though they hadn’t been running lately she was out of breath. “That could have been the time Alberto went missing!”

All of Luca’s previous exhaustion was gone, though now his mind was racing with doubts. Alberto was heading to the beach? That wasn’t looking good for his ‘left by force and not by choice’ theory. Then again, anyone could go to a secluded beach for any reason. It didn’t have to mean they were trying to be discreet. Right?

“I wish I could help more,” Giacomo said, and he sounded like he truly meant it. “If it means anything, I’ll keep an eye out for your friend from now on.”

Luca didn’t trust his voice not to break. “Thank you,” Giulia replied on his behalf, for which he was extremely grateful. “The more people who search, the faster we’ll find Alberto!”

Giacomo looked ready to leave, but he hung around a bit longer. “By the way, what have you tried doing so far to find him?”

Giulia told him their rather unsuccessful day going door to door. Giacomo nodded along as she told the story. “Hmm. Not a bad idea, but it will take a long time before you talk to every person in town. Mind if I suggest something?” When Luca and Giulia nodded, he went on. “Why not put up some posters? That way, if you happen to miss anyone, the chances of them at least seeing the poster will help spread the word–”

“Santa mozzarella! I remember one of my classmates did that for her lost cat once. The next day, someone found it!” Giulia exclaimed, and Giacomo chuckled.

“SÌ, there’s a good chance of finding something you’ve lost with posters,” Giacomo agreed.

Luca was bouncing on his heels, already itching to get started. “We could put your dad’s phone number on it, in case someone finds something out! And– and we could put Alberto’s picture on them–”

“–I know papà has a photo of Alberto somewhere,” Giulia concurred, and she grabbed both of Luca’s hands. “We have to get started right away!”

“SÌ– let’s go!” They broke into a run for the Pescheria, and Luca remembered to yell before they went too far, “Thank you, Giacomo! Thank you!”

Giacomo waved. “ In bocca al lupo! ”

Chapter Text

Music made Alberto stir. The magic singing lady machine?

No. This was a different song, one he’d never heard before. Alberto stretched, yawned, and got to his feet. He was standing in something like a cooler with water up to his waist. Blinking sleep out of his eyes, he looked in front of him.

He was in the back of a jeep driving down a busy road. A man and a woman wearing blue polos rode up front. He recognized them as the same people from outside the factory. The girl tapped her hands along to the radio and the man drove with one hand on the wheel, his posture laid back and relaxed.

Alberto got the feeling that he wasn’t supposed to be awake. The woman paused her tapping and swiveled her head around. Alberto ducked out of sight. The woman turned forward again.

“What’s wrong?” The man asked.

“Nothing; I was just checking to see if he was still sleeping.” The woman replied.

The man snorted. “Oh, he’s definitely still asleep. It’ll take him another five hours at least to sleep off what I hit him with!” He inhaled deeply and then exhaled. “Ah… it’s a beautiful day for a pay raise, eh, Bianca?”

Bianca grinned. “Ha! Alessio. Everyday is a good day for a pay raise!”

“Sì, but this time we might actually be getting one! Can you imagine? We must be the first people to have ever caught anything like this before…”

“Technically, we didn’t catch him,” Bianca pointed out.

“We rescued him, didn’t we?” Alessio replied. “If it weren’t for us, he’d be la cena del tuo gatto tonight!”

Alberto stepped lightly out of the cooler. He peered over the back seat, trying to make sense of the outside surroundings. Buildings tall and wide flanked every direction. Vehicles much like the one he was in drove casually with and against them in several lanes. Wherever he was, it was a town much bigger than Portorosso.

The jeep hit a bump. Water splashed high and far enough to reach the front passengers, and Bianca made an unhappy gasp.

“ Ah! Careful, Alessio! It’s everywhere–”

Alberto didn’t hide in time. Bianca broke off, going slack-jawed when they made eye contact. She stared at him and he stared at her. The silence prompted the driver Alessio to glance back.

“What’s wrong–” He started, and he also saw Alberto. His eyes promptly widened. “AH!”

The sound of a piercing horn forced his attention back on the road. Alessio swerved the jeep to the right, narrowly avoiding a crash, and Alberto was flung over the backseat. Bianca made a shrill scream, though it was unclear whether it was for the fact they nearly got in a car accident or for the sea monster now awake in their moving vehicle, all while Alessio tried focusing on traffic.

“Look out!” Bianca gasped as they came upon slower vehicles, and Alessio slammed the brakes. The jeep skidded to the side and stopped on the shoulder. Angry drivers swung their fists as they merged around them.

Alessio and Bianca breathed in relief. Alberto got up from the floor, placing a hand on his forehead. The humans went rigid, and, with no traffic to worry about now, put their full attention on him.

“Who are you? How did you get in here?” Alessio demanded with increasing outrage. “You’re from Prime Sea Life , no? Come to steal back the sea monster? Well, you’ll never get him!”

“Sì! Creatures as rare and fascinating as this don’t belong in your disgusting canned food!” Bianca added just as passionately.

Alberto raised his arms, bewildered– oh. His human arms. As far as these two humans knew, he was just another teenager.

“Get out of here!” Alessio shooed at Alberto, looking ready to chase him if he needed to. Alberto fumbled with the jeep door, realizing too late he had no idea how to open it.

“Alessio,” Bianca said distractedly, paying attention to something in one of the mirrors.

“Not now, Bianca, we have a vagrant to deal with–” Alessio replied, and Bianca grabbed his face and turned it to the mirror.

“They’re coming!” She exclaimed, and Alessio’s eyes rounded. Not far behind them now was a semi, tearing through traffic as if it wasn’t big and awkward, donning a faded green and yellow logo on the side: Prime Sea Life – Let Your Cat Eat REAL Seafood!

Alberto saw it, too. His experience at the factory was short, but no less terrifying. With goosebumps running up his arms, he suddenly didn’t mind being unable to open the door.

“Go, go, go!” Alberto yelped, and with no time for questions, Alessio put the jeep in drive and merged into traffic.

“What’s your hurry for?” Alessio jeered, his concentration only half on the road. “Suddenly have a change of heart?”

“I’m not–” Alberto started, but Bianca interrupted.

“Go right!” She barked, and Alessio whirled the vehicle to the right.

The road became narrower and bumpier. Alberto was tossed back and forth in the backseat. If he had any lunch to throw up, it would’ve been all over the windows. Putting his hands on either of the front seats, he stood as stable as he could. “I’m not one of the factory workers!”

“Oh, really?” Alessio snorted disbelievingly. “Then who are you? A spy?”

“Alessio, por favore , the road!” Bianca wailed, and Alessio slowed the jeep right before they went out into an intersection. Likewise, the Prime Sea Life semi had to stop a few car lengths behind them.

Alessio took advantage of the pause. “If you aren’t with them, then who are you? And how did you get in here without us noticing?”

“Green, green, green!” Bianca gasped, and Alessio hit the gas.

This time, Alberto was able to stay on his feet. He glanced over his shoulder. How was the semi getting closer? He could see the butcher clearly through the windshield.

“I’m not with them– I’m trying to get away from them!” Alberto exclaimed, and he could have sworn the butcher was smiling at him. “Speed up, speed up!”

“Slow down, slow down!” Bianca cried.

“Hold on!” Alessio hollered, and they swiveled down a tight alley. Unsuspecting pedestrians leapt out of the way, some of them shouting curse words, and Bianca yelled multiple apologies out the window. They came out on another street, one that seemed more secluded, and continued through the city.

Alberto looked out each of the windows. The semi was too wide to fit in the alley. A weight lifted off his chest and he sat down.

The pavement gradually became smoother and they rolled onto one of the main roads. People walked and biked on the streets. Caffè’s and restaurants were stationed on every block. They even passed a train station, one that was much bigger than Portorosso’s. The road brought them to the top of an incline and Alberto’s thoughts slowed down. It all stretched on for miles.

Alessio took them on more level ground. He parked the jeep on a residential street, where the most traffic around were pedestrians walking their dogs. Alessio and Bianca shared a silent conversation with a couple of looks.

“Alright,” Alessio said calmly. “Now that that’s over with… COS’È SUCCESSO??”

“Alessio,” Bianca said warningly, but Alessio kept going.

“I had everything planned out– they weren’t supposed to follow us! Did you see what we did? I must have broken seven traffic laws in the last hour!” Alessio groaned, running his hands over his face. “You know what: it’s fine. It’s fine. We lost them, and we still have our sea monster.”

He smiled proudly at the water cooler, which was practically empty now. His smile wavered when he realized this, and he leaned forward to check the inside. Very quickly, his face went pale.

“Wait. Where is our sea monster?”

Alessio and Bianca frantically searched under and around their seats. Alberto searched with them. Within seconds, Alessio was losing his breath.

“Okay. No need to panic. It couldn’t have gone anywhere– I shot it with my dart, remember?”

Alberto wrinkled his nose. Yes, he certainly remembered.

“Surely, it must be here somewhere,” Alessio reasoned, though he sounded rather hysterical. “Or– or maybe it rolled off somewhere on the road, safe and sound!”

“Alessio, listen to yourself,” Bianca sighed, though she too was on the verge of a breakdown. “It must be long gone by now. Maybe your sleeping darts aren’t as strong as you think they are.”

Alessio rounded on her sharply. “ Che? How could you say something like that?”

Alberto had one hand on the door, searching for the handle. Bianca suddenly climbed into the backseat, reached for the cooler, and tipped it on its side with a significant expression.

“You see this? No sea monster! One might think that means, your sleeping dart didn’t work!”

But Bianca didn’t realize that the cooler wasn’t entirely empty. The remaining water poured over Alberto, who was still trying to find the door’s release, and in an instant he transformed from skin to scales. He went stiff as a board.

No one said anything for a few seconds. At last Alberto couldn’t take the tension, and he smiled weakly. “Uh… Buonasera? ”

Alessio sounded faint. “Mamma mia.”

The humans needed some air after this revelation. They paced outside the jeep, all while Alberto watched them from the cargo compartment. He was dried off now, but felt no less exposed.

“Who are you?” Alessio asked at last, and he added as an afterthought, “ What are you?”

“You can disguise yourself as a human?” Bianca glanced up and down the street as if expecting one of the pedestrians to grow gills and a dorsal fin. “How many of there are you?”

Alberto wrung his hands together. “There’s a few, but–”

Alessio stepped forward. “Are you saying anyone can be a sea monster?” He eyed Bianca reproachfully, who rolled her eyes.

“Please. We are miles from the bay. What would sea monsters be doing so far into the city?”

“ He’s here, isn’t he?”

“Yes,” Bianca realized, and the two looked expectantly at Alberto. “Where did you come from?”

Alberto wasn’t sure how much he wanted to reveal. While they didn't seem hostile, he remembered what happened the last time he trusted two human strangers. He decided to be cryptic. “Uh, a riviera. In the Eastern Ligurian. I– may or may not have gotten on the wrong side of a fishing vessel, and now I’m here.”

Alessio huffed. “That explains why we had to rescue you from the canning factory– oof! ”

Bianca had elbowed him in the side. She then spoke to Alberto. “You’re pretty far from home then, no?”

Alarm bells went off in Alberto’s head. How far was he from home? The answer worried him, but he pushed this anxiety aside.

“Well, I wouldn’t say I’m that far. I could probably swim back in an hour or two.” Alberto leaned back casually. “Yeah, I know the waters pretty well around here. In fact, I’m kind of an expert navigator.”

Of course, he had no way of knowing how true anything he just said was.

At least for the time being, the two humans stopped asking him questions. Bianca glanced sideways at Alessio. “ Scusate– can we talk? Grazie! ”

She steered her coworker a good distance out of earshot. Alessio, looking resigned, put his hands on his hips. “Alright, what are you thinking?”

Bianca spoke in a hushed tone. “Come on, Alessio, we have to help him. He’s not technically a human, I suppose, but he’s still a kid.”

“So, what?” Alessio questioned. “We take a vacation? Drive him to the other side of the sea? Bianca, por favore.”

“It probably wouldn’t take that long!” Bianca protested. “If he’s from the Eastern Ligurian, then–”

“–his home could be anywhere,” Alessio finished for her, crossing his arms. “And I am not driving all around the coast just to find the correct beach he was hatched at, or– or whatever!”

Bianca was silent, understanding his point. Alessio continued. “Besides, we can’t let him go. Do you know what our boss would do to us if he found out we let this opportunity pass? Don’t you understand what this can do for us? Let’s stick to our original plan. We can take him to work with us, and see how he does.”

However Bianca wasn’t entirely convinced. “You’re not still thinking about getting a pay raise, are you?”

“Hey, you were excited about it, too!” Alessio said impatiently. “Look, if it makes you feel better, we can ask what he thinks. Va bene?”

Bianca shifted her weight. “I guess it’s a start.”

“Fantastico,” Alessio approved.

They shuffled back to Alberto, who was itching the inside of his ear. He sat up straight when he saw them. Alessio clapped his hands together.

“Well, young sea monster….” he ignored Bianca’s glare. “We have a proposition for you. A job, of sorts.”

“Well, Segnor… Jeep,” Alberto replied, reading the nameplate on the vehicle. “I kind of already have a job.” He hopped off the vehicle to the ground. “In fact, I’d probably better get going. Don’t want to make everyone back home wait up for me.”

Alessio hummed. “I… see. In that case, don’t think of it as a job. Think of it as an opportunity. You don’t have to commit to anything; just come with us, and we’ll show you what we mean.” He leaned on his knees to match Alberto’s height. “And, if you don’t like it, you can be on your way.”

Alberto appeared to be mulling this information over. Out of the corner of his mouth, Alessio added, “Not to mention, it’s going to be dark soon… who knows whether or not Prime Sea Life is still out there…”

Bianca gaped at Alessio, who was not the slightest bit fazed. Whether they believed it or not, they needed Alberto, and the facts remained that Alberto needed somewhere safe to stay. It was a win-win in Alessio’s mind. He just needed to convince the young sea monster the same.

Alberto did see the sense in taking the offer. While instinct told him to go it alone, truthfully, he didn’t want to chance it, especially with the crazy butcher-and-friends looking for him. And he needed to stay alive and well enough to get back to Portorosso. Alessio and Bianca seemed nice enough.

Flavio and Federico seemed nice, too, Alberto thought darkly, and he shivered.

The humans attributed his shiver to the sinking sun. “Come on,” Bianca said kindly, gesturing towards their awaiting vehicle. “You’ll be safe with us.”

Maybe it was the compassion in the woman’s voice. Maybe it was the reminder he had nowhere else to go. Maybe it was him throwing away his pride and accepting that he needed help. Whatever the reason, Alberto gave in.

“Fine,” Alberto agreed. “But just for this night. Tomorrow, I really have to leave.”

“Of course,” Alessio purred.

Alberto dreamed he was on the island.

He twirled a harpoon in his hand, showing off in front of Luca. It backfired when he lost his grip and the harpoon went flying into the sea.

“I’ll get it!” Luca offered.

Alberto burst ahead of him. “Race you!” He challenged, the boys splashed into the bay, laughing.

A distant horn pulled on their attention. Luca and Alberto looked around for the source of the noise. It honked again, louder this time.

Alberto jerked awake. The island was gone. Luca wasn’t there.

He was in a small, cluttered storage room. Aquatic-looking tools and supplies hung on the walls and sat on the shelves, some of it so old they were collecting rust. Alberto yawned, which promptly turned into a cough. So it was a small, cluttered, and dusty storage room.

Arriving had taken longer than expected. He had fallen asleep on the ride– an actual sleep and not one that was forced by a dart– and basically stumbled after Alessio and Bianca until they introduced him to the closet.

“Sorry; it’s the only private space here,” Bianca had explained apologetically the night before. “Until we can find you a better place to sleep, this will have to do.”

Initially, Alberto didn’t mind. He could make himself comfortable anywhere. Waking up now with achy muscles and a stiff neck, he realized how much he had become used to Giulia’s bed at the Pescheria.

The door was cracked open, leaving a square of sunshine on the floor. Alberto slid off his ‘bed,’ which was really just a pile of nets, and stepped outside.

He was in a wide yard of concrete. Most of the yard was filled up with an enclosure with a pool, and at the other end was an enormous building. Alberto tipped his head up at a sign: Acquario del Porto Antico.

Something made a chirping noise. Looking down at the enclosure, Alberto came face to face with a dolphin.

“Hey there,” Alberto said.

The dolphin squeaked and dove underwater.

Curiously, Alberto went up to the glass and leaned his arms over the side. The dolphin resurfaced, chattering nervously.

“Relax, I’m not going to eat you.” His stomach twinged as a reminder that he hadn’t eaten since Massimo’s trenette al pesto. A pang of homesickness hit him, stronger than the hunger pains. How much time had passed since that night? Was Massimo looking for him?

Alberto blinked. Was Massimo still looking for him, he corrected himself. Of course Massimo would look for him. He was too good of a person not to. Not that he’d need to search; Alberto had no plans to stick around here, wherever ‘here’ was. He was just glad that Luca and Giulia were busy with school in Genova. In fact, they wouldn’t even need to know he was gone. As soon as he found out which way Portorosso was, he was out of there.

More dolphins joined the first one. Collectively, the group chittered some more, and Alberto shrugged. “No, I don’t have any food right now. Sorry.”

“Squeak, squeak!”

“Yeah, I’m hungry, too, but–”

“ Squeeeeak!”

Alberto huffed. “Okay, I get it. No need for language.”

The dolphins weren’t very happy with him, but they got over it quickly. They swam in synchrony with one another, making playful loops and dives and twirls. Alberto studied the enclosure. The pool was surrounded by a glass fence and held the clearest blue water he’d ever seen.

“What is this place?” He asked the cheerful dolphins. “Why do the humans keep you here?”

“ They’re here because they draw in customers.” A completely unfamiliar voice boomed. “The real question is, what are you doing here?”

The stranger was striding straight for Alberto. He wore the same outfit Alessio and Bianca had, but black. It could only be assumed that this man was associated with them in one way or another. Alberto backed away, unable to think of an excuse fast enough.

“WAIT!”

Two more people came in from the opposite end of the yard. Bianca and Alessio looked out of breath, but nonetheless shouted, “Wait, Matteo, we can explain everything!”

Matteo glanced suspiciously at Alberto but nonetheless waited for them to catch up. “Alessio, Bianca; my star employees.” He rolled his eyes as these words came out. “What is it this time?”

“Well, it’s– it’s complicated,” Alessio said lamely, and Bianca stepped in.

“Sì, sì. We meant to tell you–”

“Tell me what?” Matteo interrupted sharply. “That we’re closing the aquarium and turning it into a homeless shelter?”

Alessio shriveled, but Bianca stood her ground. “No, Matteo, it will all make sense once we explain! Just hear us out.”

Matteo didn’t look like the kind of person who appreciated ‘hearing things out.’ After a few seconds of silence, he relented. “Fine, fine, fine. You have fifteen seconds.”

“Er– it might take longer than that to–” Alessio began, but Matteo didn’t care.

“...thirteen, twelve, eleven…” he counted down, and Bianca spoke in a rush.

“Oh, for– we followed the Prime Sea Life van like you asked to smuggle in a bunch of free sea creatures!” She blathered out.

For the first time, Matteo was interested in the conversation. “Ah, bene! And did you bring back a good haul?”

“Sì, we certainly did!” Bianca said, relieved.

“Molto bene!” Matteo praised. He put his hands on his sides. “So, where are they?”

Alessio blinked. “Where are who?”

“The sea creatures,” Matteo’s impatience returned. “I thought you said you got a good haul. If you got a good haul, why am I not seeing the good haul? Did you forget it at the factory? Did you forget that I pay you to do things and not just say you did them?”

“It’s not what you think–” Bianca tried, but Matteo waved dismissively.

“ Silenzio. I don’t have time for whatever excuse you’ve been cooking up.” Matteo looked down his nose at them, which was impressive as they were each about the same height. “Perhaps I shouldn’t have expected so much from you. Feeding the animals is all I can trust you with, no?”

Alessio and Bianca were avoiding their boss’s eyes. The display lit a match inside Alberto. While he still wasn’t sure about whether or not he could trust them, Matteo was a bully, reminding him more of Ercole Visconti than he would’ve liked. He stomped up to Matteo and pointed a finger up his chin.

“Hey– they did exactly what you asked them to do!” He declared.

For a moment, Matteo had forgotten about Alberto. Once he got over his surprise, he scowled. “Ah, the mysterious boy stands up for my employees. What do you know, giovane? ”

“I know that you’re wrong,” Alberto said, copying Matteo’s crossed arms. “And I know how to prove it.”

“Ah, I see,” Matteo said, a mock smile creeping on his face. “You are hiding the sea creatures in your pockets, yes?” He turned to his employees. “Now we have to pay for our fish like any other common aquarium. Why do you think I sent you to the factory? Let them do the work, and we can save money. Simple as that. Well– apparently not simple enough for you two.”

Now Matteo definitely reminded Alberto of Ercole. With a defiant look, he backed away to the dolphin enclosure. “Hey, Matteo!” He called, climbing on the thin glass wall. The three humans sent surprised expressions at him, and Alberto wobbled to keep his balance. “In case I wasn’t simple enough, let me just show you!”

He backflipped into the water tank. Hardly a splash was made from the sharpness of the dive. Alberto flourished his tail in front of the dolphins and humans, whom he could see were watching from their blurred outlines, and he leapt a good six feet in the air.

The dolphins cheered and bounded around him. Smiling, Alberto resurfaced, pulling himself with ease onto the concrete, his scales glistening under the sun. Bianca and Alessio were amazed. Matteo was also amazed, and a little scared.

“What– you’re a– a–” Matteo blabbered.

“It’s okay,” Alberto said breezily. “I don’t bite that hard.”

Matteo was speechless. Then he laughed a little. He laughed more, until he was full-out bent over his stomach. At last, he sat up again, getting a hold of himself.

“ Che incredibile!! Why didn’t you tell me you brought back a, uh, human-boy-sea-monster thing?” He punched Alessio on the arm in jubilation. “ Ha! You really made me believe you were almost useless! I think both of you are due for a pay raise! No–” He wrestled his two employees in the crook of his elbows. “I know you are! Ha, ha!”

“Really?” Bianca gasped.

“Th-thank you, Segnor!” Alessio choked.

“Yes, I am very benevolent,” Matteo released them, leaving them to catch their breath. He next put his attention on Alberto, who just finished shaking the water off. “You– walk with me!”

He slung an arm around Alberto and steered him around the concrete yard. He slowed to a leisure pace once they were a good distance away.

“So, you’re a sea monster, yes?” Matteo asked, his voice immensely impressed. “I didn’t know such myths were real!”

Alberto was bewildered by Matteo’s quick change of attitude. He tried to think of a response. “Yeah; sea monsters don’t usually reveal themselves, what with humans always trying to hunt us.”

“But you revealed yourself to us,” Matteo went on, looking like he might be glowing. “Ah– don’t worry,” he added when Alberto looked uneasy. “I am not interested in hunting or anything like that. Yeesh– no thank you.”

He shivered dramatically. He then smiled. “I like sea creatures. In fact, I love sea creatures! You needn’t be worried.” He stopped walking to properly address Alberto. “I am Matteo Ferrari. In case you haven’t yet noticed, this is my aquarium. I see you’ve already hit it off well with my dolphins.” He smirked back at the dolphin enclosure, where the water mammals were practically waving in their direction.

Politely, Alberto waved back at the dolphins. “Yeah, about that. Why do you have so many dolphins?”

Matteo spread his arms out. “This is L’Acquario del Porto Antico! The real question is, why don’t I have more dolphins?” Upon Alberto’s blank look, he deflated. “What? Haven’t you ever heard of L’Acquario del Porto Antico before?”

“L’a…cquario?” Alberto repeated.

“Oh, ragazzino.” Matteo shook his head. “Clearly a tour is in order! In fact, that’ll work out perfectly for what I have to say next. I have an offer that I think you will very much enjoy.”

It sounded very similar to what Alessio had told Alberto the day before. Alberto decided to save Matteo the trouble. “Thanks, but Alessio already asked me if I wanted a job. I can’t stick around for long. I have to get back home.”

“Mm.” The light promptly left Matteo’s eyes. He hummed seriously. “You have family, no?”

Alberto opened his mouth, then hesitated. He meant to say ‘yes’, but that wasn’t strictly true, was it? Sure, he lived with Massimo, but he wasn’t his family; not technically. Neither were Giulia or Luca, or anyone.

Matteo could sense his unease. The man made an expression of understanding. “Ah. I can see it is… complicated. Bene. I will stop with the interrogating. Why not focus our minds on something happy?”

Alberto didn’t realize until now, but they were standing at the doors to the aquarium’s main building. Matteo pushed open one of the doors and stepped aside to give him passage. “One exclusive Acquario del Porto Antico tour: coming right up!”

The main room was huge. Directional signs were marked with little symbols– sharks, dolphins, turtles, jellyfish, seals, even starfish– each one pointing the way to different parts of the building. Showcased on the walls were trivia, fun facts, and posters all related to either the ocean or an oceanic creature. Alberto wandered into the center of the room, turning all around as he walked, enthralled by the bright colors and pictures. Even the tiles underfoot were painted to depict the ocean floor.

“Eh? You like?” Matteo asked, pride seeping from his tone. “Come on– there’s much to see!” 

They went down a hall that depicted small fish. Turning a corner, Alberto was met with Alessio and Bianca, who had gone back to work. Beyond them was a tank of water that filled most of the wall. Fish swam in and out of sight within a coral reef.

“...have you really been calling him ‘sea monster’?” Bianca was asking in exasperation. She was pushing a cart jammed with supplies. Alessio wore bright yellow gloves and held a heavy bucket.

“I don’t know what else to call him. We didn’t exactly give introductions– ah!” Alessio interrupted himself when Alberto and Matteo walked in. “There he is. Welcome to the hall of piccoli pesci!” He swung an arm out to showcase the tank. “What do you think?”

Alessio’s cheerfulness must have stemmed from his recent pay raise. Alberto watched a fish poke its nose against the glass, then dart under a hollow log. “Uh… that you have a lot of pet fish.”

Alessio chuckled. “They’re not pets; they’re… well, they’re protected marine life.” He climbed a stepladder and poured pellets from his bucket in the tank. “We’re just feeding them now.”

“Sì, this is our daily routine.” Bianca confirmed. “We start by making sure each of the animals are fed, and then clean up as needed until the aquarium opens.”

“You see?” Matteo prompted. “We don’t like hunting for sea creatures. Bleh! Never. We take care of them!”

The next twenty minutes was filled with Bianca and Alessio moving to each exhibit feeding each of the animals with Matteo and Alberto shadowing them. The further they went, the more enthusiastic Alberto became. While he spent most of his time on land anyway, there was something nostalgic about being surrounded by sea life.

They came face to face with sharks– definitely the most terrifying to watch eat– and jellyfish and seals and turtles. They revisited the dolphins, but this time from underground. Alberto pressed his hand on the vast glass wall. The dolphins on the other side warbled distortedly through it.

Other creatures he’d never encountered before. This was mostly in the Deep Sea Dive room, which was strategically dark, holding creatures that looked like they’d never seen the light of day. Alberto was observing the innards of a transparent fish, wondering if that’s what Luca’s Uncle Ugo looked like, when Matteo cleared his throat.

“Well, that nearly brings about the end,” he announced, smiling like a salesman. “What do you think? Did you enjoy yourself? I know you did.”

While it was all pretty incredible, Alberto still didn’t understand why they had so much marine life contained in one building, despite their explanations that they were only ‘protecting’ them. Alberto didn’t see how it was much different from keeping them captive.

“So, is that it?” He tried to sound casual. “You feed them, and just leave them to themselves?”

“Well, no,” Bianca responded. “We do other things, like clean their tanks, perform check-ups to make sure they’re healthy, right on time for the customers to show up. People from all over the city– even outside the city!– will come to see our exhibits.”

“Well, they used to, anyway.” Alessio sighed, his face falling slightly.

“Sì, sì,” Bianca agreed solemnly. “Business has been slowing down. It’s getting harder to make sure all the fish and animals have enough food and medicine.” Seconds later, she brightened. “But, that’s why you’re here!”

Alberto pitied the sea life for not getting the proper care. However he was also reminded that he didn’t intend to stay for long. A strong sense of urgency took over him. “I already said I can’t stay. I have to go home.”

The three humans exchanged a look. Matteo nodded slowly. “I understand; we would never ask for you to leave your home behind, of course! Tell me, where would this home be?”

Alberto shrugged. “I’m from a small coast; you’ve probably never heard of it.”

“Try me,” Matteo smiled.

Alberto hesitated. Simply knowing its name couldn’t be harmful, could it?

“Don’t be so paranoid! We’re amici now!” Matteo said good-naturedly.

He supposed he was being pretty paranoid, not that anyone could blame him. Nonetheless Alberto held his breath. “It’s called Portorosso,” he revealed reluctantly.

In an instant, Matteo’s eyes lit up. “Portorosso? No– no, surely you must be joking!” He laughed cheerfully. “I love Portorosso! I visit there every year.”

“Really?” Alberto asked, shocked. Matteo nodded eagerly.

“Quite a coincidence, no? I love everything about Portorosso: the bay, the plaza, the people– such a charming little town.” He sighed as if revisiting old memories. “I used to get into so much trouble as a boy, pretending to hunt sharks and whales. Ah, those were the days. What I wouldn’t do to see that old fountain again…”

Any doubts Alberto was building up suddenly didn’t seem so important anymore. “You mean the fountain with the sea monster? I’ve been trying to get rid of it for the last month! That town could definitely use a few upgrades now that we’ve moved in.”

Matteo nodded along with him. “That’s what I’ve been saying! I never liked that fountain. I always thought it should depict people respecting sea life, not trying to dominate it.”

“Exactly!” Alberto exclaimed. “You know, you’d get along with my friend Giulia. She’s very serious about sea monster rights. She even started a campaign on it– or, she would have, if she didn’t have to go to school.”

“She sounds like a very bright girl,” Matteo replied.

“You probably know her!” Alberto realized. “She visits Portorosso every year, too. Small girl, red hair, loud attitude? Her dad owns a Pescheria?”

Matteo scrunched his brows together. “Ah… yes, I remember that Pescheria… what was that fisherman’s name…?”

Alberto leaned very close to Matteo in barely suppressed excitement. “You KNOW Massimo?”

“Massimo!” Matteo snapped his fingers. “Sì, sì, we go way back! We used to be good friends as younger men. We’d take his father’s boat out whenever we got the chance… of course, without him knowing, ha, ha! I haven’t been in contact with Massimo in, whew… a long time.”

He stared wistfully off into the distance. Alberto couldn’t believe it. Massimo used to sneak out in his father’s boat? Never once would he have guessed the fisherman to be even slightly irresponsible. He smiled, imagining a younger Massimo causing mischief behind his father’s back.

“When’s the next time you’re coming to town?” Alberto asked, shaking his thoughts away. “I can let Massimo know you’re coming! And you can catch up on old times!”

Matteo’s smile broadened. “You can get to Portorosso from here?”

“I–” Alberto broke off. “Well, I don’t know which direction it’s in, but you can tell me, right? You’ve been to Portorosso loads of times.”

Matteo slowly shrugged. “I could tell you which way the train goes, but unless you’ve got enough soldi for a ticket…” Alberto’s face started to fall and Matteo appeared regretful. “I’m sorry, ragazzo. The way you were talking, I assumed you had a way back, and given my failing business I can’t spare any expense…”

“No, it’s okay.” Alberto tried to suppress any Bruno-related thoughts to the back of his mind. It’s not like the train was his only option, only he had no idea which way to swim. And how much would he be risking? Prime Sea Life was still out there, looking for him. He didn’t know if he could survive the canning factory a second time.

His heart sank to his stomach. He didn’t know this town like he knew Portorosso. Roaming through the streets was too risky, too unpredictable.

“I’m so sorry,” Matteo said, and he truly seemed sincere. “I wish there was something I could do to… help…” Abruptly, he sat up a little taller. “Wait a moment. Maybe there is something I can do.” He turned to Alberto, a beam forming on his face. “I can help you. You can help me. We can help each other! You need soldi for a ticket, right? And my aquarium needs business. If you work for me, you can help my business, and I can pay you for your trouble!”

Alberto remained doubtful. “Okay, but I’m sure I wouldn’t be any better at feeding fish than Alessio and Bianca–”

“You misunderstand me,” Matteo said, getting increasingly excited. “You won’t be caring for the other exhibits: you ARE the exhibit! So, I’ll ask again: how about that job?”

Chapter Text

Massimo didn’t understand. He knew exactly how many nets he should have; why couldn’t he find the last one? Perhaps one of the other fishermen mistook it for their own.

A great sigh shook his frame. It wasn’t the net he was worried about; not really. He stared out at the bay, watching it glisten under the dawn light. Could it be Alberto was out there, somewhere in the vast, wide sea? Where else would he have gone, if not the island?

Not for the first time, Massimo mulled over what could have driven the boy away. He winced at the last memory he had with him. Perhaps he should have shown Alberto a little more trust. Maybe if he hadn’t acted so harshly, then Alberto wouldn’t have left. A sharp pang pierced Massimo in the heart. Did he make Alberto feel like he didn’t want him around?

He thought their relationship was stronger now. Alberto ran away once, but Massimo thought they patched it up. He never expected it to happen again– at least, not for this long.

He was going to go crazy thinking these thoughts. Massimo shook his head. He needed to focus on his business. The last four days, he had closed the shop to search for Alberto. He couldn’t keep neglecting it; he had to think of Giulia, too. With a disheartened ache in his chest, Massimo carried his supplies to the boat.

“...not a good thing. What else are we supposed to think– oh, there he is,” Daniela was coming up from the sea and into the shallow end with her husband. By the looks of it, they had been waiting for Massimo. Daniela stopped just shy of the bank.

“Massimo, Luca never came home last night,” she said, and she sounded genuinely anxious. There was also a guarded look in her eyes. “I thought I told you to send him home if you saw him.”

“Do you think I won’t?” Massimo asked, and Daniela scowled.

“What am I supposed to think?” She countered. “So, have you seen him or not?”

“No,” Massimo said, which was entirely truthful. He had already been in bed by the time Giulia came home. He didn’t even think about the possibility that she may have brought Luca. Daniela clearly wasn’t buying this.

“Massimo, I swear, if you’re harboring our kid…”

“No one is harboring him,” Massimo said, a bit sharper this time.

“Of course you’re not!” Lorenzo agreed at once. He then tried placating his wife. “Of course he isn’t, Daniela. This is Massimo we’re talking about; he’s on our side. We’re on the same side here.”

He sounded like he was trying to convince himself. Daniela tossed her arms in the air exasperatedly. “Then where is Luca? It’s not like him to run off like this!”

Actually, it was becoming very much like Luca to run off, Massimo thought privately. He put his supplies in his boat. “Have you asked your neighbors? Maybe checked with any of his underwater friends?”

Daniela pursed her lips. “Luca’s kind of a loner. And, yes, we know how to search for our kid, thanks.”

Massimo didn’t respond to this. He got in his boat, preparing to set out. Daniela watched him in disbelief.

“That’s it, then? You’re not going to say anything else?”

“What do you want me to say?” Massimo asked.

Daniela narrowed her eyes. Lorenzo glanced between her and Massimo nervously. At last, Daniela loosened. “Fine. You win this time. Just know that I won’t hesitate to protect my son, whatever the cost.”

“I wouldn’t expect any less,” Massimo replied, and unhappily, Daniela sank under the sea. Lorenzo looked desperate.

“Please don’t take this the wrong way. She doesn’t mean to be hostile.” He mumbled. “She’s just… scared.”

It was a simple explanation, but one that went much deeper than words could say. Grimly, Massimo nodded. “I know.”

Luca was sure he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep. He proved himself wrong when he next opened his eyes and the sun was already high in the sky.

He balanced on the tree branch and knocked on the shutters. “Giulia?”

“Luca! Down here!”

Luca looked down. Giulia was waving at him from outside the garden gate, accompanied by Giacomo, who also waved. They held stacks of papers in their arms and a bucket of pins.

“We were just putting posters up in the town square,” Giulia said, and she tried opening the gate by kicking it. When that didn’t work, Giacomo opened it with his free hand.

“Sí, these posters turned out great.” Giacomo said in admiration. “These will definitely help spread the word about your missing friend.”

Luca appreciated the praise. He and Giulia had spent hours last night copying the same photograph of Alberto dozens of times. His hand was sore just thinking about how many crayons and pencils he had worn down.

“Thanks,” Luca said, a different thought coming to mind. “But why didn’t you wake me? We could have gone together.”

Giulia’s face was genuinely guilty. “Sorry, I hoped you wouldn’t mind– I let you sleep in because, well, you looked like you needed it.”

“But don’t worry; we only put up a few outside the piazza. There are plenty more that can be put up around the rest of town.” Giacomo said. He then held out his stack. “In fact, go ahead and take my share. I’d better get going before Tomasso thinks I’m sleeping in!”

Giulia laughed. “ Grazie per l'aiuto, Signor Gianniotti!”

“Anytime!” Giacomo smiled. “And, call me Giacomo!”

Luca climbed carefully to the ground. Giulia was beaming. “Luca, isn’t this great? Here I felt like no one else cared, but look! Signor Gianni– I mean, Giacomo wants to help find Alberto, too!”

It was great. Luca held a new respect for the man. “Yeah; maybe he can convince some of the other fishermen to keep an eye out.” Luca picked up his stack of papers. “Well, we better get started.”

“Actually…” Luca stopped at the hesitance in Giulia’s voice. “I have to deliver for my dad today. Sorry, Luca, that’s partly why I put posters up this morning; my dad still has a business to run, and I don’t want him to feel like he has to do it all by himself…”

“Oh.” Luca was a little disappointed, but by the way Giulia was acting, she may as well have been announcing it was the end of their friendship. “No problem. I’ll be fine.”

“Are you sure?” Giulia questioned. “If you want, I can ask my dad to pull it double-time tomorrow–”

Luca laughed. “No, Giulia, really! I think it’s great you’re helping your dad. I’ll be back in time for lunch.”

Giulia still seemed uncertain, but she nodded. “Alright. Just be careful.”

Luca tipped his head a little, wondering why she was so worried. It’s not like he was going to get into another fight with a certain unpleasant Visconti. He’d definitely learned his lesson the first time.

It was a bit chillier this day, so Luca grabbed a sweater on his way out. He’d received a larger variety of clothes during his time in Genova, graciously given to him by Giulia’s mother Maria. She was by far one of the nicest people he’d ever met; she even offered to buy some new clothes for Alberto. Luca hoped Alberto would like what he picked out for him.

He had no problem finding good spots to put posters. He placed some on brick walls, street signs, even on people’s front doors. It wasn’t until one of the cops, Signora Maggiore, got a complaint for what he was doing that he was temporarily put to a stop.

“You can’t just advertise things on people’s doors. Some see it as an invasion of privacy.” The cop explained in a matter-of-fact tone, though not unkindly.

Luca drooped his head. “Sorry. I’m just trying to find my friend, Alberto.” His eyes drifted to her badge. “Wait– is there anything you could do? Maybe start an investigation or something?”

Signora Maggiore seemed to hesitate. “It’ll be hard, but I’ll see what I can do.” She then took a sign off someone’s vespa and gave it back to Luca. “You can’t put signs on people’s vehicles, either.”

The sun was getting higher and higher in the sky. By noon, Luca shed his sweater and wrapped it around his waist. He still had a lot of posters to go. He was set back quite a bit by the police interference. He realized it would be after lunchtime by the time he finished using them all.

The streets were rather sparse, which was unusual. Whenever he did come across a person, they wouldn’t stick around. Luca tried saying ‘hello’ to a few of them, and they either ignored him or mumbled a quick ‘hello’ before scuffling off. Luca was confused and a little hurt, wondering what was going on with them.

Another half hour went by and he was nearing the end. He had three posters left, and he felt he covered nearly all of the busiest parts of Portorosso. Panting, his feet naturally carried him to the piazza. It was the heart of the town, the most traveled ground. Giulia had said they put up posters outside of it, but Luca figured he could find three more spots on the inside.

He managed to stick one on the sea monster fountain– they really needed to update the architecture of this town. Another he left on the corner of one of the entrances, and he turned on his heel, searching for one final, perfect open area…

There! Right outside the coffee shop. Luca went to one side of the building and reached to put it next to the business menu.

“AAAH, if it isn’t the town’s least favorite sea monster! Still trying to find your missing friend, I see.”

Luca refused to face Ercole. Ercole stopped a short distance behind him. “What’s the matter? Shark got your tongue?” He observed the poster Luca finished putting up. “Aw, piccoletto. I can see you worked really hard on making those. It’s a shame that nobody cares!”

Luca expected the surrounding piazza residents to tell Ercole off. No one respected him anymore since the Portorosso Cup. However, no one spoke to Luca’s defense. Some pretended they didn’t even notice the encounter.

“Don’t worry, it’s for the best.” Ercole pried, very much enjoying himself. “It’s not like anyone in this town wants to see him back.”

Luca knew Ercole was trying to get a reaction, to make himself blow up in front of everyone. He breathed deeply. Silenzio Bruno, silenzio Bruno… He started to walk away.

Ercole didn’t like this. “Hey! I’m talking to you! Don’t you know it’s rude to not look at someone when they’re talking to you?” When still Luca didn’t respond, Ercole spat on the ground. “Fine– run away, coward! Just like your sea monster friend!”

Luca stopped. He could handle Ercole’s insults. But when he insulted Alberto? He whirled on his heel.

“You’re the one who’s a coward!” He snapped. “You’re not even half the person Alberto is!”

Ercole made a production of backing away, his arms up defensively. “Whoa– stay back, everyone– the sea monster’s unpredictable. Just yesterday he attacked me out of nowhere! I’m lucky to have escaped with my arm still in one piece…”

Luca looked at Ercole’s arm. An enormous cast was wrapped over the spot he had bitten the day before. A few people had already signed it.

Luca’s face burned. “I didn’t mean to–” he started, and Ercole leapt at the opportunity.

“Ah-HAH! You all heard it! The sea monster confessed!” He jeered, and some of the crowd gasped. “This is exactly what I’ve been trying to tell you people! The sea monsters are dangerous. They cannot be trusted to live in our town!”

“It was an accident!” Luca wailed, but it was too late. People were whispering, unsure what to believe. One man got to his feet. Luca was relieved; it was Tomasso. Surely he would see reason.

“Ercole is right,” Tomasso said. “I saw it with my own eyes. Luca did indeed attack him.”

Luca stared at each of the people he had grown to see as neighbors, as friends. Some of them stepped back, while others glared indignantly. The Aragosta sisters were sitting at a table nursing espressos, and a few of the people who were enjoying their company now made a wide circle away from them. The taller Aragosta sister however returned everyone’s glares with her own.

“Listen to yourselves! We’ve been living in this town for years, and you’ve never been in fear of us! Now you’re going to be just because this loudmouth says you have to?”

Some of the Portorossians went somber at this statement. Ercole noticed he was losing them. “Quiet!” He shouted, and he pointed at the Aragostas accusingly. “She’s trying to confuse you! Remember they were lying to us the whole time they were here! They kept their identities secret so they could infiltrate our society!”

“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” the shorter Aragosta sister sniffed. A great tension befell on the crowd. It was clear who they were going to support.

The taller Aragosta stood up. “I could use a change of scenery anyway.”

“Agreed,” the shorter one said. The two left in the direction of the bay.

“Don’t even think about coming back! Or else–” Ercole imitated throwing a harpoon.

Luca couldn’t take it anymore. “Why are you doing this?”

“Doing what? Liberating our town? Purging it of its filth?” Ercole had looked down at Luca in disgust many times, but this one was definitely the most pronounced. “If you know what’s best for you, you’ll get out of here and never return!”

A new voice came in. “And if you know what’s best for you, you’ll get out of here without saying another word.”

A long shadow fell over them. It was Massimo. He watched Ercole with cold eyes. “Go home,” he rumbled.

Ercole looked up at Massimo. He scampered home.

Everyone immediately went back to what they were doing as if nothing had occurred. Luca tried to explain.

“Signor Marcovaldo,” he stuttered. “I was just–”

“Doing nothing wrong,” Massimo assured him, though he was looking straight ahead. “Excuse me, Luca; I must have a word with Tomasso. Giulia is waiting for you back at the house.” Then, as if it were an afterthought, he said, “I didn’t see you.”

Luca blinked. Still not facing him, Massimo went to find Tomasso, the townspeople avoiding eye contact as he went.

Luca walked up the road and through the Pescheria door to the kitchen.

“Luca? Is that you?” Giulia’s head poked from around the corner as she leaned back to see him. “Great! Your lunch is on the table.”

On the table was a half-eaten sandwich. Luca raised an eyebrow questioningly. Giulia grimaced. “Sorry– Machiavelli got a bite or two. But it’s mostly still there. Here; I saved some of mine if you’re still hungry.”

“It’s okay,” Luca laughed, and he patted the cat’s head. Machiavelli meowed, not the slightest bit remorseful of his actions. Luca sat at the table, noticing the yellow phone sitting on top of it. Massimo usually kept it on the counter by the window. “Are you planning on calling someone?”

Giulia climbed on the chair opposite to Luca. “No– I’m waiting for others to call us!” When Luca didn’t react, she elaborated. “Remember? We put papà’s phone number on the posters. With a bit of luck, we can expect a call any minute now!”

Luca hung his mouth open. With what happened in the piazza still fresh in his mind, he had completely forgotten about the telephone. “Giulia, that’s great!” He exclaimed, sandwich forgotten. He leapt his upper body to rest across the table. “Has anyone called yet?”

“Not yet,” Giulia replied, her gusto not at all quenched. “But I’m betting they will soon. I have a good feeling about this.”

“So, all there is to do now is wait.” Luca concluded.

“That’s right,” Giulia confirmed.

The two set their eyes avidly on the telephone. Dust floated blithely in the sun rays. Distant voices chimed from the street outside. Machiavelli stretched, scored his claws on the wood floor, and curled into a loaf.

Not much else happened outside of that.

Luca shifted from side to side. His excitement was quickly spiraling into nerves. Finally he stood stick-straight. “AH– I can’t wait any longer! Giulia, what if nobody calls?”

“Luca, breathe–” Giulia began, but Luca was in a trance.

“What if we put the wrong phone number on the posters?” A much worse idea occurred to Luca and he dug his fingers in his hair. “What if the town doesn’t even want Alberto to come back?”

“Wait,” Giulia’s tone faded into something more serious. “What do you mean, ‘what if they don’t want Alberto back?’”

Luca wrung his hands fitfully. Giulia moved in front of him, trying to catch his eye. “Luca, why would you say that? Portorosso adores Alberto.” She laughed as memories surfaced. “You do, for one. And then there’s the Aragosta sisters, your parents, and your grandma! Not to mention–”

“That’s just it,” Luca interrupted without planning to. His stomach burned with frustration. “You’re only listing the sea monsters in town. What about all the humans? Would any of them want him back? Do any of them even want me here?”

Giulia stared round-eyed at Luca. “Of course they do–” Slowly, her indignation wore off. “Hang on… I know what’s going on here. Ercole said something, didn’t he?” She smashed her fist into her palm. “Doesn’t he ever know when to stop? What did he tell you this time?”

“It’s– it’s nothing,” Luca quickly dismissed. “You’re right. I shouldn’t even be thinking about it.”

Truthfully, Luca didn’t want to dwell on it because he was scared it might be true. Did Portorosso want him there? It didn’t seem like it at the piazza. During the Portorosso Cup, he was fully convinced the town had turned around and were completely accepting of sea monsters. With how quickly Ercole was able to change their minds in a day, Luca was no longer so convinced.

Giulia wasn’t entirely satisfied with his answer. “Whatever Ercole said is nothing. He’s a big jerk who unjustly hates sea monsters, and that’s that. Don’t let him get to you, okay?”

Luca nodded, though inwardly he doubted. Giulia didn’t see what he saw. While the townspeople may not have hated him, they certainly didn’t trust him– not anymore.

Bbbbring! Bbbbbbbring!

The piercing rings put Giulia and Luca in a temporary shock. Luca reacted first, and he made a greedy grab for the telephone handset. Giulia shoved her face forward, steadying the telephone between the two of them so they could talk and listen together. They spoke over each other.

“Hello, yes??”

“Ciao, Marcovaldo household!”

“Ciao, ragazzi!!” A female sang from the other line. “I know I’m a little late for the surprise party, but better late than never, no?”

The woman laughed cheerfully. Giulia shared a dismayed look with Luca. It was her mother Maria, calling from Genova to check on them. Not a person calling about Alberto.

“Hello?” Maria asked after the brief silence. “Did I lose you?”

Giulia hesitated, apparently mapping out what she was going to say. “No, mamma, you didn’t lose us. Um… there’s something we should tell you.”

Giulia and Luca took turns catching Maria up to speed on the situation. Not once did Maria interrupt. When they finished, she remained quiet before speaking.

“ Oh, Giulia. Luca. I am so sorry to hear this. I never met Alberto, but based on what you two have told me about him, he seems like a good friend.”

Luca nodded grimly. “Yeah; he is.”

Maria asked, “ Have you contacted the authorities yet?”

Giulia sighed. “I think everyone in town knows he’s missing by now. We put up posters this morning.”

Luca traced his finger on the table. “Yeah, and I did ask Segnora Maggiore today if she could do anything. She said she would look into it.”

His argument with Giulia only minutes ago came to the forefront of his mind. Maggiore did seem hesitant when he approached her for help. Something like a stone dropped into Luca’s stomach. Did she really mean it when she said she’d see what she could do?

Maria, though almost a hundred kilometers away, sensed Luca’s distress. “Well, from what I know about him, Alberto is a very sensible young man. Whatever happened to him, I’m sure he can push through and find his way back home.”

Luca would have thanked her if the stone hadn’t swelled from his stomach to his throat. Giulia gently took hold of the telephone. “Sì; you’re right, mamma. We have to focus on the positives. After all, Alberto’s used to being on his own. He knows how to take care of himself.”

Yeah, Luca thought privately. A little too well.

“This feels weird.”

“It’s perfectly normal! Don't worry about a thing. They'll love you! They always love the exhibits!”

Alberto leaned over the side of the enclosure. The bright blue water sparkled under the warm sun. Behind him was Alessio, who was coaching him in what to expect from the day.

“The aquarium opens in one minute,” Alessio wiped a handkerchief on his forehead and took a steadying breath. “You ready?”

Alberto still didn't know how he felt about being a show pony. But, at least for the time being, it was the only way he could get back to Portorroso. He only needed to make enough money for a train ticket; then, he was out of there.

He had talked it through with Matteo the night before. Matteo explained that if business went as well as he expected with Alberto, then he should have enough money to get back to Portorroso in less than a few weeks. It wasn’t ideal, but it was the safest chance Alberto had, as he wasn't about to risk his neck with the canning factory finding him again.

“I think so,” Alberto replied noncommittally. “What are you gonna do?”

“I'll be right here, hyping the crowd up with your performance!” Alessio promised, stuffing his handkerchief away. “Not that I'll need to. You'll do a good enough job on your own! Oh– Bianca's opening the doors now!!”

Nerves pricked at Alberto’s stomach. “But, it won't be too busy, right? I mean, word wouldn't have spread about a new exhibit opening up yet–”

“We did a radio broadcast this morning talking all about the new sea monster exhibit!” Alessio was full of enthusiasm and anxiety, which spiked Alberto's nerves all the more. “Now, go! Knock them dead– as the Americans say!!”

With a mighty heave, Alessio pushed Alberto into the pool. Alberto flailed in the air then dropped to the bottom of the tank. For a few seconds, he stayed there, too uncertain to do anything.

What was wrong with him? He never froze up like this! It must have been Bruno messing with his head. Alberto shook himself aggressively. He would do this! He had to do this.

But… what was ‘this,’ exactly? He still didn't understand what he was supposed to do. Alessio might have drilled it into his head a hundred times now, and Alberto still had no idea what the point of having him there was.

Blurry shapes of people came into view above the enclosure. Some of them stopped to peer in the water, then walked away bored. Alberto could hear Alessio’s attempts to keep them entertained, which landed rather pathetically. Alberto felt a little bad, but he was still worried he might mess something up.

One wall of the tank was reflective of the shimmering waves above. Alberto turned and saw his own reflection. His fins, his spiny tail, his iridescent scales. Memories of the Portorroso townspeople staring at him in horror and hatred made him tremble.

But then, newer memories didn't have that same outcome. The Portorroso children, laughing with delight whenever he played with them. The kind fishermen, offering to let him fish in their boat and sharing with him secrets of the trade. Massimo, and the way he looked at Alberto not as something to hunt, but as someone to take care of.

Alessio was practically begging people to stay and wait for the sea monster to reveal itself. Clearly, no one thought it was worth it, or perhaps they believed they were being hoaxed. Alberto steeled himself and surfaced.

He surprised himself with his own momentum as he soared through the air. He hung for a moment at the highest of his leap, then dipped back underwater with hardly a splash.

There was a clamor of gasps and exclamations. People ran to the edge of the water, children hanging over the railing and adults watching with awe and trepidation. Now smirking, Alberto repeated the action, this time performing a backflip, and received joyful shouts in reply.

Alessio might have been on the verge of crying in relief. “There he is!! Wasn't that worth the wait? Behold, il mostro marino di Porto Antico! ”

Alberto cut through the water like a knife. He did a few spins and flourished his tail. The children squealed with excitement. The adults clapped in amazement. They loved him! In the midst of the adrenaline, Alberto performed a great sweeping motion which brought a wave of water on the attendees. There was a brief pause, then the children cheered. Their parents weren't as thrilled but remained very visibly impressed.

“Okay, take it easy, there,” Alessio half-laughed, half-warned off to the side.

Alberto responded by spitting a Jetstream of water at Alessio. Alessio squawked and fell in the tank out of alarm, and true to Alberto’s expectation the crowd burst into delighted laughter. Alessio brought his head out of the water, the epitome of shock written on his face, and Alberto smiled sheepishly at him. Noticing the crowd was loving every second of it, Alessio couldn't stay mad and he laughed, too.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. Alberto couldn't remember the last time he had felt so energized; maybe when he first ran away with Luca. For hours, he entertained his audience which was growing with every passing minute. The rest of the aquarium was open, but it was clear everyone came to see him. While that morning Alberto had felt sick to his stomach at the thought, now he couldn't remember why he was even worried.

At last, the afternoon rolled into evening. A few people used the last few minutes of their time to watch Alberto, then they were ushered out right at closing. Even after a whole day’s work of swimming and performing tricks, Alberto was unable to keep still. He leapt right out of the tank and shook himself like a dog. The spray got all over Alessio.

“ Augh! ” Alessio wailed.

Alberto grinned unapologetically. “Sorry.”

“Hmph,” Alessio sniffed, then Bianca tackled him in a hug.

“Ahh! Bravo, bravo!” She grabbed a tight hold of Alberto next, even lifting him off the ground in excitement. “That was amazing! Ah, it's just what this aquarium needed! All of today's visitors will tell others about you, and we'll be back in our former glory in no time! You–” she let go of Alberto, beaming with joy. “You've saved our business!”

Alberto stood stiff as a board, unused to her aggressive affection. Alessio ruffled his hair, breaking him out of his stupor. “Yes, though technically we saved him first, so we could say it was a team effort– ow, ” Bianca had hit him.

“Nonsense, it's clear that he was the star of the show.” Bianca broke off, suddenly appearing very awkward. “Um… I’m just now realizing we never asked you for your name.”

Alessio and Bianca watched Alberto expectantly. A day ago, Alberto wasn’t comfortable even saying where he was from. Now, he felt he could trust these two enough to call them friends. More than happily, he offered them each a handshake. “Alberto Scorfano.”

“Well, we are delighted to officially meet you, Alberto Scorfano!” Bianca chirped, and she dragged both boys in a group hug.

“ Oi, Bianca, a little personal space, please!” Alessio protested, and once she released them he dramatized dusting his uniform. To Alberto, he added, “She’s not usually this clingy.”

“I can’t help it. Alberto, you have changed our lives for the better.” Bianca sighed, sounding very much like a weight had been lifted from her. “Ours, and every sea creature in this Aquarium.”

Alberto hadn’t thought of it like that. He pictured the many fish, reptiles, and mammals in their exhibits, who weren’t getting the food and medicine they needed. Knowing he was helping them brought a warmth he hadn’t felt in days.

“Alright, where’s my star employee? Where is he?”

Alessio, Bianca, and Alberto turned to see Matteo moving swiftly through the throng of Aquarium employees. His eyes positively glowed when they landed on Alberto and he threw his hands out. “There he is! You– you, young man–” Matteo grabbed Alberto’s hand and gave it a firm shake. “I think we’ll keep you around!”

“Uh, I thought that was the idea?” Alberto said, not understanding the saying. The adults laughed.

“What I mean is, you were spectacular,” Matteo interpreted, and he turned his attention to Alessio. “You did a wonderful job training him, Alessio! Those backflips and twirls were a sight to behold. And the whole act with you pushing Alessio in the water? That’s the sort of fun-loving spark this place has been missing!”

Alessio coughed a little, clearly not remembering it the same way. “Actually, Matteo, that was all Alberto. I didn’t tell him to do any of that.”

“Really?” Matteo’s eyes gleamed at Alberto. “Then it seems we’ve got a natural on our hands.”

There was something pleasant about the praise Alberto was receiving. In a fleeting moment, he wondered why their opinions mattered so much to him, but it was quickly ignored. It felt so good, he thought he might burst with pride. Even better, if that day was any indication of the days to come, Alberto would be on the train back to Portorosso in no time.

“Well, I don’t like to brag, but I am one of the fastest swimmers in the Eastern Ligurian.” Alberto said off-handedly. To his delight, they seemed to enjoy his response.

“I don’t doubt it,” Matteo purred, and he clapped his hands together. “This calls for a celebration! Tell me, Alberto, have you ever had Italian cuisine?”

The word ‘cuisine’ was entirely foreign to Alberto. He shrugged easily. “Sure I have. Massimo makes that dish all the time.”

Matteo hummed. “Ah, yes. You’re in for a real treat tonight.”

Chapter Text

Pa-chink! Pa-chink!

Luca lowered the stapler. That was the last of this batch of posters. He had scrawled out less detailed ones to replace the ones that were getting tattered. It had become routine; he would go around town, either asking people questions or putting up fresh posters, and Guilia would stay at home waiting by the phone. She preferred it to be the other way around, considering the fact the townspeople were quite wary of Luca at the moment, but he refused to be passive.

While Luca liked Guilia’s mother, realizing she was the one calling just to check up on them put quite a dent in his optimism. He didn’t want to be disappointed by another false alarm, even when a few days had passed.

The sounds of Portorosso had dimmed quite some time ago, Luca now hearing only the gentle pull of the coast. He was in a less traveled part of town. The brick road was cracked and uneven with weeds growing up. Only the most committed of hikers came this far. But Luca didn’t believe he could over dedicate himself to find his best friend.

He glanced over at the sunset. It was the perfect sort of evening to settle down on the beach and watch the stars come out. He wondered if Alberto had the same view, wherever he was. He closed his eyes. For a second, he could have believed Alberto was next to him. It was the end of another day building their Vespa, and they were relaxing on the shore, enjoying the sand in their toes and the light breeze in their hair, counting the fish in the sky as they revealed themselves one by one…

Those days felt like a lifetime ago. Luca watched the sun until it dipped under the sea. With the dying light came a wind that sent goosebumps up his skin. He tucked his hands under his armpits. The sensation of being cold was quite foreign to him. Soon would be his first winter on the surface. Guilia had told him stories of snow, though it didn’t always snow in Portorosso, at least not as much as it did in the big city of Genova. Luca hoped that if the fluffy white flakes he’d only seen in picture books ever did fall, he would be able to experience it with Alberto.

“You have to come back before then,” Luca said to the horizon, without really knowing he was talking aloud. “Please come back.”

Only the waves answered his quiet plea. Luca stood shivering on the side of the broken road. The sky was darkening. Nothing motivated him to head back to the Pescheria, not even the thought of the warm walls blocking out the wind. But Guilia and Massimo would be waiting, and he didn’t want to unnecessarily add to their worries. Swallowing hard, he forced himself to turn his back on the sea.

“Luca?”

The call was unmistakable. Luca froze, straining his ears.

“Luca!”

He knew that voice. Luca whirled around, seeing his mother hurrying up a beaten part of the beach with his father not far behind. The last time he had seen them, he swam out of the water den in anger because they wanted him to give up looking for Alberto. Now, emotion welled in Luca at their presence and he met them halfway, throwing himself into Daniela’s arms.

“Luca– oh, Luca!” Daniela kissed his head probably ten times. She then pulled him at arm’s length, studying him up and down and poking and prodding him in rapid succession. “Where have you been! We’ve been worried sick looking for you!”

Vaguely, Luca found this to be confusing. Surely she knew where he was this whole time? “I’m fine, mom,” he mumbled. “I was staying with Guilia and Segnor Marcovaldo.”

“Massimo?” Daniela repeated abruptly. A growl rose in her throat. “ Massimo.”

Luca watched her warily. “Mom?”

Daniela didn’t appear to have heard him. “After all this time– that sneaking, good for nothing–”

“Mom,” Luca’s guard was coming up. “Why are you upset with Segnor Marcovaldo?”

Lorenzo touched Daniela’s hand to get her attention. Daniela flinched and looked sharply at her husband. Lorenzo sent a pointed look in their son’s direction, and Daniela took a deep breath. “Nevermind– it’s grown up stuff. Luca, what are you doing way out here at this time of night? Have I taught you nothing about the dangers of being alone, on the surface no less?”

“Mom, I’m okay,” Luca interjected, not appreciating the way she emphasized ‘the surface.’ In an effort to win their favor, he pointed out the wooden post by the worn road. “And I was out here putting up posters– come on, I’ll show you!”

He hurried back to the poster where he waited for his parents to catch up. Daniela and Lorenzo followed him with puzzled expressions until they saw exactly what the poster was for. Lorenzo coughed and shifted uncomfortably. Daniela just stared at it, almost uncomprehendingly.

“Guilia and I spent the last few days putting these all over town to help find Alberto,” Luca said, feeling the need to explain as fast as possible. “We put Segnor Marcovaldo’s phone number on them in case somebody knows something. Guilia’s there waiting by the phone right now.” Luca hoped to make it sound as sensible as possible to his parent’s ears, to convince them it was a good idea and that he wasn’t wasting his time.

A deep frown remained upon Daniela. She dropped to one knee, apparently searching for words. “Luca, I understand you’ve been having a tough time.” She said at last. “I know you miss your friend. But it’s been well over a week now, and you’ve discovered nothing .”

Luca stared at the sand, swallowing back the lump in his throat. Daniela sighed. “Come on– you need to get some rest.”

When he didn’t move, Daniela put her hand on his cheek. “Hey… look me in the eyes. You know I’m only doing what’s best for you.” She tried getting him to look at her to no avail. Gently she said, “I just don’t want you to get your hopes up.”

The hand was supposed to be comforting. Luca suddenly despised it. An intense fire rose in his stomach. “You don’t know Alberto.”

All gentleness vanished from Daniela. She got to her feet. “I know you. And I don’t want you to get hurt in all this.”

“Stop worrying about me, I’m fine!” Luca burst out. “You should be worried about Alberto! Why don’t you care about him?”

For the first time, Luca’s words seemed to have an effect on her. Daniela flinched as if she had been struck. “Wh– I do care–”

“No you don’t,” Luca snapped. “Otherwise you’d be helping me. Why are you so against him?” He paused, taking a deep breath. “I can’t go home… not until I find Alberto. Not until I know he’s safe.”

“Now, Luca, try to be considerate to your mother,” Lorenzo attempted, but Luca had already turned around and was walking back to town. 

Daniela was amazed. Luca had never disregarded them so quickly before. Her boy, her little guppy, her good kid – she felt like she didn’t even know him anymore. The very idea overwhelmed her.

“Don’t you walk away from us!” Lorenzo shouted. “Luca! Luca, get back here at once! ”

Luca didn’t slow down. Daniela considered chasing him, but he could outrun them. In any case, they knew where to find him.

“That boy is going to be in some serious trouble,” Lorenzo grumbled. Daniela said nothing, her thoughts going impossibly fast, yet she was strangely calm. As scary as it was how unpredictable Luca was becoming, she believed she was beginning to understand why. This new behavior on Luca was unrecognizable, but seemed very fitting on someone else. 

“I don’t understand.” Lorenzo continued, voicing his wife’s thoughts. “He’s never acted like this before. What made him turn against us so quickly?”

“Lorenzo,” Daniela said, almost mechanically. “What was different for Luca this summer compared to all the others?”

Lorenzo blinked, clearly not following. “Uh… he came to the surface world?”

A dark feeling was growing in Daniela. It wasn’t the first time she had these thoughts. She didn’t like it– or, she wasn’t used to it, but she understood how necessary it was becoming. She would do whatever it took to protect her son, even if it meant turning against him. Even if it meant he would hate her for it.

She faced her husband. “He became friends with Alberto Scorfano.”

Luca kicked the sand as hard as he could. The spray showered over some dozing seagulls who took off with indignant shrills. He fumed silently over his parents, feeling an anger so hot towards them it hurt. The last time he had run away from them, he had been frightened of the consequences. Now, they could threaten to send him to the deep to live with his Uncle Ugo and he wouldn’t care.

Luca kicked the sand again, and losing his balance, he fell on his knees. He stayed there, dropping his head in his hands.

Within time, he became aware that he didn’t recognize his surroundings. It wasn’t a very wide beach, and certainly not one that was used often. The brick path wasn’t far, but if one had stayed on the path, they could have easily walked on by without noticing the small bank.

Luca tipped his head up. The stars were coming out. Massimo and Guilia would start asking questions if he wasn’t back soon. Getting on shaky legs, he started for the Pescheria.

Someone’s voice was carrying over. Not too far away, Luca noticed a fishing vessel beside an old dock, where two people stood together. Late night fishermen. They sounded like they were having a disagreement over something. Luca intended to walk on by.

“If someone were to find out–”

“No one’s going to find out.”

Luca stopped walking.

“You don’t know that,” one of the men argued. “This could be dangerous, Flavio. I think we should leave town while we still can.”

Luca dove behind a rock cluster. He hadn’t been in plain sight, but he didn’t want to take any chances.

The other man, Flavio, waved dismissively. “Leave? Right when we’re finally starting to make a profit? Sei pazzo, Federico.”

“Yes,” Federico said. “Maybe I am crazy. But there’s not much point in being rich if you’re locked up.”

Flavio snorted. “Federico- it’s over. We did the transaction; it’s done. No one could possibly find out about it, unless you feel like confessing. Now are you going to help me or not?”

“No,” Federico replied curtly. “This town is different. Haven't you heard the locals? If I'd known about their peace with sea monsters beforehand…” He shook his head. “I’m done.”

He left Flavio at the dock. Flavio grumbled, “Fine. Good riddance,” to which his partner pretended not to hear.

Federico’s footsteps carried him right past Luca's hiding spot. Luca barely stifled a gasp and ducked in the shadows, pressing his back against the rocks as far as possible.

Federico hesitated. Luca's heart skipped a beat. He heard him! The man looked over his shoulder and all around. If he glanced down, he would be staring directly at Luca, and it would all be over. Luca wasn't in his sea monster form, but he was sure the man wouldn't appreciate his eavesdropping on what seemed like a very serious conversation.

Shrugging, Federico continued down the path. It wasn't until the fisherman was out of sight that Luca crumpled in relief. He peered around the rock pile where Flavio prepared his boat. He started the motor and rode out in the blackening waves. Luca waited until he was a good distance out before making a break for it.

Thankfully, Federico had taken a different direction to Portorroso. They must have been staying in one of the inns on the far side. Luca ran as fast as his legs could take him, coming to a hard stop when he finally made it to the Pescheria. Gasping for air, he flung himself inside, practically giving Guilia a heart attack. Machiavelli in particular jumped to the ceiling, knocked into a pan, and darted away, causing a great clanging noise.

“I need to talk to you!” Luca exclaimed before Guilia could bombard him with questions. The girl put her hand on her chest.

“ Santa Mozzarella, Luca, you've got to stop doing that.” Her brows were creased with intense worry. “Luca, where have you been? And why are you acting so jumpy?”

Luca took in the empty space. “Where’s your dad?”

“He went looking for you.” Guilia seemed miffed that her questions were ignored. “Do you have any idea how late it is? When you didn't come back after an hour, papá assumed something bad happened to you!”

“Sorry,” Luca said offhandedly. “But there's something very important I have to tell you both! I was at a small beach and there were these fisherman–”

“A small beach?” Guilia echoed.

“Yes,” Luca affirmed distractedly. “The men were arguing, and I overheard some of what they said. Guilia–” he grabbed her by the shoulders, a significant expression on his face. “They said they were hunting sea monsters!”

At first, Guilia didn't react. Then her face went red. At once, she was in full interrogation mode. “Oh, no, they aren't! Did you recognize them? What were their names? Oh, we'll find them, and we'll put a stop to them and their crimes!”

“I don't think they're from around here,” Luca mused, remembering the way Federico referred to the townspeople. “One of them said they were finally making a profit, but his partner thought it was getting too dangerous. His partner left and the other one went out to sea.”

Guilia paced back and forth, still on a tirade with this new discovery. “Everyone should know sea monster hunting has been banned here! Who would be stupid enough to try it? I'll bet Ercole has something to do with this. No one hates sea monsters more than he does. Why doesn't this town make ‘no sea monster hunting’ an official law? They deserve just as many rights as we do! Oh, next time I see Ercole I'm going to…”

Guilia slowed down when she noticed Luca was unresponsive. Where he had been pulsing with energy only minutes ago, now he looked utterly defeated. Almost timidly, Guilia prompted, “Luca?”

“They were hunting sea monsters,” Luca stated as if in a trance. Slowly he met Guilia’s gaze. “Alberto’s missing.”

Luca shuddered and dropped into a chair. Understanding dawned over Guilia’s features. She too sat down, hesitantly.

“That– that could mean anything,” Guilia reasoned. “It could be a coincidence.”

She knew it was a stretch to assume that, and by Luca’s silence, he did as well. Guilia sought a positive outcome. “You said they were making a profit, right? Well– well, that’s how all fishermen make money in this town, by selling their fish. They might have been talking about just selling fish…”

Luca finally looked at her. “How can you be sure?”

Guilia looked back at Luca’s red-rimmed eyes. She found herself with nothing to say. For a short while, they were both quiet, lost in the many implications of the situation.

“Or,” Guilia began, slowly gaining confidence as she spoke. “Maybe they did try selling Alberto.” She rose in her chair, her eyes widening. “Luca– not all sea monster hunters hunt just to hunt. Sometimes, they only hunt to capture. I’m willing to bet sea monsters are worth a lot of soldi alive.”

Hope sparked in Luca’s chest. “You mean– Alberto could still be–”

“Yes,” Guilia confirmed, and in her excitement she stood on her chair. “Yes, that has to be it! Luca, it all makes sense! Alberto didn’t run away– he was captured!”

A laugh tore out of Luca’s throat. He didn’t find any of this to be amusing; he was just so torn between beliefs. Maybe it was a stretch. Maybe he would be clinging on to something impossible. But it was a chance, and he had to take it.

If it were the other way around, he knew in his heart Alberto wouldn’t give up. So neither would Luca.

Dear Luca,

Hey there! I know, you’re probably wondering why I haven’t been writing to you. Sorry about that, but I’ve had the craziest week of my life! I’ll tell you all about it when we see each other, I promise.

Basically, I was taken away from home. It’s a long story, but I was able to escape, except now I don’t know which way Portorosso is. Don’t worry, though; I made some new friends who are helping me get enough money for a train ticket. I would try to swim back, but– that’s another long story.

Anyway, I’ve been staying at this place called an aquarium. It’s where they keep sea animals to take care of them and teach the public about them. You’d love it. Maybe when I get back, we can visit it sometime.

I’ve been helping the owner get more business, and in return he’s going to help me get back to Portorosso. It shouldn’t be long now. I’ve been here for a few days, and Bianca said she’s never seen the aquarium so crowded! I’m sure I’ll be back before you come for a visit from school. You won’t even have noticed that I was gone.

More letters on the way! Ciao!

–Alberto

Alberto studied the letter until he had it memorized. Pleased with how it turned out, he stuffed the pages into an envelope. He was used to writing only one page letters, but he figured he owed Luca a more detailed explanation for his absence.

He had written a letter to Massimo the evening before. The idea to write to Massimo occurred to him the day he arrived at the aquarium, but something held him back from proceeding with it. It wasn’t until Matteo found him lost in his thoughts that prompted any sort of action.

“ Tutto bene?” Matteo had asked him last night. Alberto was startled, having believed he was alone. Back in the employee’s only room, Bianca, Alessio, and the rest of the employees had been celebrating the revival of their business. Alberto was the honored guest, but he didn’t feel much like celebrating. While he was glad to finally be on his way to get back home, there was a lot on his mind.

“Yeah,” Alberto had replied, and he wiped any foreloneness off his face. “I’m just a little sore after today’s performance. Figured I should rest before tomorrow!”

That wasn’t an entire lie. Since Alberto’s exhibit became such a hit, Alessio had come up with many new ideas for him to rouse the crowd even more. So, even when the aquarium wasn’t open, Alberto was constantly leaping through hoops, balancing plastic balls on his nose, juggling with his tail, and racing through obstacle courses. It was hard work and would leave him exhausted, but he did enjoy it. Hearing the crowd’s laughter and cheering always left a glow in his chest.

That evening though, Alberto really reflected on what he was missing out on. How much time had gone by? It was nearing a week since he came to the aquarium, but between the multiple trips and sleeping darts, he had no idea how many days it was since he was last in Portorosso. Would Massimo still be looking for him? Or would he have given up hope? He struggled to think about what Massimo might be feeling. He hoped the fisherman didn’t think poorly of him for being gone. What if he was mad, thinking he ran away again? Worse, what if he was secretly relieved that he didn’t have him as a burden anymore?

It was doubts like this that kept Alberto from writing to him.

The roguish smirk he wore then had zero traces of his inward conflict. Matteo nodded, apparently accepting his excuse. “ Sì, sì. You definitely deserve a good long rest, but then who would the crowds come to see?”

The man laughed. It was clear he meant it as a joke. Alberto pretended to laugh. He didn’t understand Matteo’s sense of humor, but it felt like the right reaction. Matteo was always pleased when he did. This time though, Matteo saw through his mask.

Matteo elbowed Alberto lightly. “Alright, capo. What’s on your mind?”

“What?” Alberto asked innocently. Matteo leaned back in his chair.

“I think you know what,” he said shrewdly, and he crossed his arms comfortably across his chest. “Come on– out with it! We’re amici now, remember? You can tell me anything.”

Alberto held his breath. Then he exhaled. “Well, I was just thinking… I know I’ll be on my way back soon, but I should probably let my friends know where I am. I wouldn’t want them to worry.”

Matteo broke into a grin. “Is that all? Ah, ragazzo, why didn’t you say so sooner? You should write to them! Maybe even invite them to come see one of your performances! Wouldn’t that be an idea?”

Alberto considered Massimo and Luca seeing his day to day life at the aquarium. For some reason it wasn’t enticing. With a pang, he realized he had no problem playing ‘keepy uppy’ for strangers to applaud, but the thought of his friends watching him? It didn’t feel right. He made a noncommittal shrug. Matteo scooted his chair a bit closer.

“Ah… feeling homesick?” Matteo guessed. He took Alberto’s silence as assent and he hummed. “I see…”

A quiet fell, and then Matteo clapped his hands, startling Alberto. “Cheer up! You’ll be home before you know it. You’ll see. Until then–” he crossed the room to dig in a desk drawer, then returned with paper and a pencil. “–write to your family. Tell them what you’ve been up to.” He seemed to be able to interpret Alberto’s hesitance. Very sincerely, Matteo murmured, “I know that if I were your family, I would want to know that you were safe. Hmm?”

A picture of Massimo searching day and night for him came to Alberto’s mind. While he struggled with whether or not Massimo was still looking, he hated the idea of being responsible for not putting him at ease. With that being enough to convince him, Alberto accepted the materials and got to work.

Massimo’s letter was a lot shorter than the one he wrote later for Luca. Alberto realized for the first time how difficult it was to come up with the right words. They definitely had a hard time with communication in the past, and it was apparently no different on paper. Nonetheless, he was able to write something brief yet informative, with the promise that he would be back to Portorosso soon. He even wrote the name of the aquarium he was staying at.

Now, Alberto had both letters ready to be sent. He walked out in the aquarium yard. The past week had been nothing but sunshine, but the sky was gray that morning. It was a few hours before opening time, so he had time to spare. He figured he’d start by finding the nearest mailbox.

“Morning, dormiglione! ” Matteo’s voice rang out, and he was coming up to meet Alberto. “Where are you off to this early?”

Alberto was a bit surprised to see Matteo already. He didn’t usually arrive at the aquarium until later in the day, trusting his employees to open up and take care of things. Matteo noticed the letters in his hand.

“Oh, you’ve written your letters!” He said delightedly.

“Yeah,” Alberto confirmed, pushing his anxiety aside. This was a good thing! He would finally be able to reach out to Massimo and Luca on where he was. A thought came to him and he was suddenly glad he ran into Matteo now. “Actually, could you tell me what the address is here? I want my friends to be able to write back to me.”

“Certainly!” Matteo exclaimed, and he offered his hand. “Let me take care of that for you. In fact, I was going to step out for a moment, so I’ll just take these straight to the mailbox.”

He winked. Alberto appreciated it, but he didn’t think he would be able to relax unless he saw it done personally. “Thanks, but I kind of wanted to do it myself.” Realizing he might have offended Matteo, he added, “If that’s okay.”

Matteo waved a hand. “Of course! Though, it’s a bit of a trip to the nearest mailbox. I’m afraid you won't be back in time for the aquarium to open, and it’d be best to send it out now so it gets to your friends sooner.”

He spoke apologetically, knowing how much this meant to Alberto. Alberto was disappointed, but he figured that in the end, it didn’t matter who sent the letters so long as they were on the way. “You promise these will be sent directly to Luca and Massimo?” He asked anyway, not enjoying being parted from them.

“From the bottom of my heart,” Matteo affirmed, and gave a chuckle. “I might even send a letter to Massimo! We can catch up on old times.”

Very reluctantly, Alberto gave the letters to Matteo. Matteo handled them gently and he smiled. “Don’t worry,” he said encouragingly. “I’ll take good care of them. You’ll get letters back from your family and friends in no time.”

Alberto tried mirroring the man’s smile. It felt more like a grimace. Cheerfully, Matteo ruffled Alberto’s hair. “Now, go on! Enjoy your free time before opening!”

The smile becoming more genuine, Alberto turned and headed back to the aquarium. Matteo was right; he had nothing to worry about. Sure, the aquarium owner’s humor was a bit odd sometimes, and his behavior wasn’t all that pleasant when he and Alberto had first met, but ever since Alberto started working for him, Matteo had been nothing but kind. And he used to be friends with Massimo! Alberto felt like he had a good connection with him, not quite like what he had with Massimo, but it was definitely a start. His steps feeling a bit lighter, he ran to enjoy himself looking at the fish exhibits.

Back at the entrance, Matteo’s grin went flat. He read the addresses on the envelopes. He opened them and read the letters. He stood there, chewing on his lip. Then, glancing all around the empty yard, he stuffed the letters in his pocket and locked himself in his private office.