Norris laughed. “If I ever write a book, it’ll be published by an academic press. My mom’s an elementary school teacher and my dad sells eyeglass frames, so there’s no fortune there.”
“Then how on earth...?”
He patted the nearest lounge chair fondly, as if it was a friendly dog. “I completely lucked out. You know Carter from the Defenders?”
She had to think about that for a moment; she’d only met him once or twice. “He’s the one who does technical stuff, right? Black hair, long black coat, tailored suit?”
Norris nodded. “That’s the one. He helped me find this place. It belongs to a family of shark shifters who are living abroad for a while. Apparently they were very concerned with the pool being maintained by a water-breathing shifter, since it’s not chlorinated and needs more upkeep. They were willing to charge a much lower rent than the place would normally go for as long as I swim in the pool regularly and make sure the water stays fresh.”
“Talk about the benefits of a secret society!” She stooped and touched the water. It felt silky on her fingers, and had no harsh chemical smell.
Norris led her inside. She could immediately tell which furniture belonged to the shark family, and which furniture Norris had brought with him. The shark family was clearly very respectable and middle-class, and they had respectable and middle-class furniture. Norris had only recently been a starving grad students like herself, and his furniture reflected that: bookshelves made from bricks and boards, beanbag chairs, and so forth.
She could also tell which books belonged to Norris and which to the shark family, though the sharks also shared an interest in marine biology. But there was a sharp division between Norris’s academic books and journals, and the shark family’s pop science books and coffee table books with titles likeShark PortraitsandSharks: Face to Face with the Ocean’s Most Magnificent Predator.
Also, she saw with some amusement, Norris hadn't finished unpacking. There were stacks of cardboard boxes in the living room with labels like “thesis notes” and “stuff from grad school (first apartment)" and “stuff from grad school (second apartment).”
Indicating the boxes, she said, “I feel so seen.”
“Shall we order pizza?” Norris asked.
“Great idea. But if you're going to order anchovies, I have to tell you that we’re getting two different pizzas.”
“My Dunkleosteus loves anchovies. I kind of like them too, to be honest, but they're not essential. Especially not on pizza. How do you feel about shrimp?”
“I'm an old-fashioned girl,” she replied primly. “I believe that fish and cheese do not belong together.”
“Just don't tell me you think pineapple belongs with cheese.”
“The horror!” Then she remembered his odd phrasing. “What you mean, ‘my Dunkleosteus?’ You love anchovies when you're a Dunkleosteus?”
“Well, that's true too. But I called him my Dunkleosteus because when you’re a shifter, you get something they call the inner animal. It's a voice in your head that's the voice of the animal you turn into. It's a part of you, really. But it’s a part that can knows things you don't.”
Fascinated, she said, “What’s a Dunkleosteus sound like?”
“Mine talks like some elderly professor emeritus. I guess he's the part of me that’s a scientist and a professor. But he’s also the most primal part of me. All inner animals are. They’re also the part that...” He shot a slightly nervous glance at her, and seemed to choke on his own words.
Suspicious, she demanded, "What? The part that what?"
“The part that likes anchovies.” He sat down on the sofa, gesturing to her to sit beside him, and picked up his phone. “Let's look at the menu.”
All the lights went out.
“Again?” Annabeth groaned. This winter had been particularly bad for blackouts. There had been one in her neighborhood the last week, when a tree branch snapped under the weight of snow and took out a power line.
“At least this place is heated with gas,” Norris said. His face looked pale in the light of his phone. “And we’ll have nice hot pizza.”
That was a good thought, up until the point when he tried dialing the pizza place and his call didn’t go through. Neither did Annabeth’s, when she tried on her phone. The wifi was out too.
“We can drive to the pizza place and get takeout,” Norris said, then groaned. "No. We can’t. The garage door only opens electrically.”
Though she was disappointed about the pizza, Annabeth wasn’t worried. It wasn't uncommon for snow or high winds to take down power lines, but the damage was quickly repaired. Blackouts rarely lasted longer than a few hours, and never more than overnight.
“Hmmm,” she said mischievously. “I guess we’re stuck here. Together. All night. Whatever will we do with all that time?”
Even in the dim light of the phone, she could see his answering look of mischief. “Oh, I think we’ll figure something out."
Her stomach rumbled, breaking the mood.
