Just when I thought I could take one day off from all this supernatural mess, it was anything but an off day. Emily called dad earlier this morning to inform that the Hunters Headquarters is infiltrated by someone and he is needed in Gurney City. 

We all knew that it was Angra. Dad wants to figure out what she's been trying to get from the HQ Agents since she went through all this trouble just to find the Hunters Headquarters location.

Dad left after he gave me a long list of rules to comply and ensured that either Aunt Beth or Uncle Seb stays with me at all times. Also, I wasn't allowed to go to school until dad gets back. 

On Friday, I begged Aunt Beth to accompany me to school to watch Jasper's semi final competition, which she agreed to. An hour before the swim, I found Jasper giving himself a pep talk in the car lot when Aunt Beth and I arrived. He looks pretty nervous as he concentrates on his phone.

"That's Jasper," I tell Aunt Beth, jerking my head while unbuckling the seatbelt. "I'll see you inside?"

She gave me a hard stare and then nod. "5 minutes. If you're not inside in 5 minutes..."

"You can drag me in by the ear," I mumble sarcastically. 

Aunt Beth rolls her eyes and pinch my arm hard, making me wince. "I miss the days when you didn't hit puberty, Linda."

I give her a cheeky grin and got out of the car to talk to Jasper. It takes him a few seconds to realise that I'm here and he jump in surprise at the sight of me. 

"Oh! Melinda! You made it!" he says happily, closing the distance between us. He almost looks like he wants to hug me, but is unsure if he should. I made the decision for him by wrapping my arms around his broad shoulders for a few seconds. 

"Of course I would! I promise, didn't I?"

Jasper flashes me a grin. "Yeah well, you've been missing the last few days in school after you looked like you saw a ghost... speaking of that - "

"My dad's been overprotective of me when he saw latest reports that's related to the Florence Fire," I somewhat lie. "I've been telling him that school is safe, but he's not taking any chances. Hence why I'm here with my aunt." To distract him, I point at Aunt Beth who happens to still be in the truck with a Cheshire grin. Jasper, being the polite guy he is, wave in acknowledgment at my aunt. 

"That's nice," he mumbles.

I raise an eyebrow at him when I note that he sounds somewhat melancholy. 

Jasper shrugs with a weak smile. "My dad can't make it today, so there's no one coming to watch me today."

"Well, you can always adopt my Aunt Beth. I'm already sick of her," I jokingly say.

He gives me a half smirk. "I might take you up to it."

Before the 5 minutes is up, I drag Aunt Beth into the pool area of the school after we both wished Jasper luck. He seems to be in a better mood than before I've arrived, which makes me wonder about his past and family. The only reason why I'm comfortable around Jasper is because he tends to avoid the subject of family altogether, unlike Elise, Eli and the others. It's so much easier to be myself around him without having to reveal my different upbringing.

I don't recognise anyone in the crowd of spectators, which I'm silently grateful for. At the same time, it made me realise how much I depend on Jasper for companionship.

"Interesting system," Aunt Beth mumbles. She's watching everyone with a thoughtful look. I notice she's keeping track of their tattoos.

"What is?" I ask her as we find a perfect seating spot to have the whole view of the Olympic size swimming pool without having to strain my neck to keep track of the swimmers. 

"How public school operates ever since the supernatural world was revealed years ago," Aunt Beth says with a shrug. "It feels strange to see things so similar yet not."

The first round of competition is the female werewolves' category. Since different species have different strengths, the competition are divided based on species and gender. From what Jasper told me, the human category is the least popular since humans are considered the weakest and that is a fact. 

I notice that the werewolves and vampires are indeed the fastest to swim laps, but I'm pretty sure I can beat them all if I am allowed to compete in my natural form. Vampires didn't really need to breathe, so all of them swam like submarines without having to break for the surface. It's scary to think that vampires are capable of finding me if they want to. The only reason why vampires don't do so is because fish blood is disgusting and prefer to be bounded to land rather than the sea.

The witches and warlocks have almost the same strength as the humans, but they are allowed to use magic to hold their breath longer underwater. Jasper mentioned that the magic-bound swimming is to test not just their swimming skills, but also water-based spells. 

The last category is the human men and I instantly spot Jasper making his way to his position while cleaning his goggles. He's only wearing his swimming trunk, which exposes his very obvious abs. I can see the product of training he's had over the years on his lean body. He can easily be one of the jocks in the school if he isn't human. Heck, he could easily pass as a werewolf since his body shape is pretty similar to theirs.

"How long have you known Jasper?" Aunt Beth asks curiously when I point him out to her. Jasper looks at the crowd, eyes searching for someone. He smiles when Aunt Beth and I wave like crazy people.

"A few months now," I reply distractedly. 

The referee blows the whistle to indicate the start of the competition. Jasper gracefully dives into the water and is in the lead within seconds. I cheer loudly as I watch him concentrates on keeping his position as first place until he reaches the other side of the pool. The crowd claps when Jasper was announced the winner and would progress to the district championship. 

"Wow, he's pretty good," Aunt Beth compliments during the prize-giving ceremony. Most of the competitors have taken a shower and join their family and friends. I notice Jasper coming out of the locker room with his bag and call out his name. He perks up with a grateful smile as he makes his way towards Aunt Beth and I.

"Congratulations, Mr Michael Phelps," I joke while giving him a wide hug. 

Jasper chuckles with red cheeks and hugs me back. "Thanks, Mel. This is just the school competition. The next round's gonna be difficult!"

"I'd say, but you were amazing!" I gush. "The distance you put with the second place was huge! You can definitely win the district and straight go to state championship!"

He blushes even harder. "I'll try, I'll try."

Aunt Beth looks amused at the both of us. She looks at the people surrounding us who are starting to leave. 

"Why don't we all go to town and have something to eat to celebrate?" she offers.

Jasper hesitates. "It's okay, Miss. I don't want to bother you and Melinda."

"Nonsense!" Aunt Beth claims with surprise. "We have to celebrate your victory! You won first place after all! That is, unless if you were planning to go home with your parents?"

Jasper jerks a little. "Uh, no. My parents are busy and I was planning to take the bus home..."

"The bus?" I repeat in surprise. 

"Nope," Aunt Beth insists. "Let's go. We'll have dinner and then I can drive you home."

I dig my elbow gently into Aunt Beth's sides. "It's okay if you're uncomfortable, Jasper. Aunt Beth can drive you home straight."

Jasper grins and shakes his head. "I think dinner is a great idea, Miss Beth. Thank you."

Aunt Beth happily asks Jasper more about himself as she drives us to a Spanish restaurant in town. I am mostly quiet as I listen to them converse about himself. It doesn't take a genius to know that he's very uncomfortable when Aunt Beth asks about his parents and I speak up to divert the question about his goals and dreams. 

"I'm hoping to get into university on a sports scholarship," Jasper tells Aunt Beth with excitement. 

"Well, you still have years to go," Aunt Beth says with a smile. "What do you plan to pursue?"

Jasper shrugs. "I'm not sure. Marine biology sounds pretty interesting to me."

I raise an eyebrow and glances at him. "Really?" I ask in surprise. 

Jasper shrugs with a small smile. "Yeah, I mean, I love swimming and I've been meaning to take up scuba-diving classes during the summer break. There's a million things under the sea that we have not discovered yet and it is something that I've been wanting to discover one day. Who knows, maybe I might change my mind and study accounting or something."

I think for a second. "I think you'll be an amazing marine biologist."

I wasn't kidding. Jasper's one of the smartest people I know, except when it comes to English literature or foreign languages. He could barely introduce himself in French although he confessed to learning French for the past 5 years.

"I didn't know there's scuba-diving classes in Newborough," Aunt Beth says out of nowhere. She gives me a wary gaze.

"Nah, there's none in Newborough for now since HQ restricts this area to the public. I am planning to maybe take indoor lessons since the nearest outdoor scuba-diving expeditions is across the country," Jasper answers helpfully.

"HQ closes this area?" Aunt Beth asks in surprise. Apparently this is news to the both of us.

Jasper nods. "Yeah, it's closed for a few weeks now. At first, they didn't allow fishermen to venture too far away from the shore because apparently there's a sea creature sighting. HQ slowly impose more restrictions until all activities beyond 200 metres of the beachline is not allowed. The public beaches are still open, but there are a few HQ trained lifeguards patrolling the area. I heard that some locals are not happy about this and been petitioning to allow fishermen to go back out into the sea."

Cold chills run down my spine at the news. I didn't realise that HQ had been so close to our home and the only reason why I'm safe is because dad claims our private beach as his territory. HQ knows that they can't trespass unless if they want to anger dad. It is also comforting to know that HQ will not do anything to piss dad off since he was the best HQ agent and they still have him go on difficult missions on their behalf. 

I wonder if the sea creature that Jasper mentioned was me when the mermaid spotted me or something else.

Regardless, I can't help but feel unsafe both on land and in sea.