Chapter 1: Not Who I Thought He Was

"Hey, Cooke! Your boyfriend is here to see you!"

Casey's head jerked up as the voice, which was sing-songy and full of amusement, reached her over the gentle babble of the customers milling around in front of her. Her eyes found her coworker, Marcia, who was smirking at her from near the lobster tank. Marcia raised her eyebrows and tipped her head towards the hallway, where two people that Casey had become familiar with slowly making their way through the crowd.

It had taken years of patience and strength for Casey to get to where she was now. Sometimes she hardly recognized herself; where once she had been sullen and withdrawn, the troublemaker in any class without friends, she had now managed to blossom. High school was done, she was free of the shadows that had previously strangled her growth, and she was reveling in it. She had a job that she enjoyed at the Adventure Aquarium, and she'd become good with people. People seemed to like her, and any tours that she led always had people chuckling and smiling.

Of course, she still wore layers, like the long sleeved black shirt that was under her bright blue official aquarium polo, and chose to wear full length khaki pants rather than the shorts that Marcia always wore. Marcia could bare her long, olive legs all that she wanted; Casey was still happier with less exposed. People didn't need to see her scars or wonder at her past.

You can grow and bloom, reaching to the sky and the sun, but the soil that you stretched away from will never let you truly fly. Casey had found this to be true, but she was determined to grow as high and as far from her past as she could. She tried to see the beauty in the world.

So, she worked at the aquarium in Philadelphia. She hoped to leave the city some day, but now that her uncle was out of the picture, she was set on exploring and enjoying the things she'd never experienced before.

Her uncle…

Casey gave herself a mental shake. She wasn't going to think about him. Instead, she took a few steps through the throng of people struggling to see the giant blue lobsters to join Marcia. Her visitors were taking their time walking, absorbing the sights, and hadn't managed to spot her yet. It was a crowded Saturday, and the room was teeming with adults and children.

Marcia was smirking at her. "So, what, he comes like… every weekend, just to get a special tour from you?"

Casey rolled her eyes at her. "Be nice. He's sweet, and I don't mind. Passes the time. I'd rather give him a tour than a group of screaming kids."

"Or a group of greasy teens who just want to ogle." Marcia supplied, wrinkling her nose at the memory of a group she'd shown around the tanks last week. "Ugh, all they did was make stupid jokes. 'I'd dive in her ocean.' Like, dude, not funny."

Her two visitors had spotted her, and the man was waiving frantically, jumping up and down a bit to get Casey's attention. The white haired lady with him was smiling warmly at her.

"See you in a bit!" Casey said to Marcia, then she made her way over to the pair before the man completely lost it.

"CASEY!" The man roared when she got near.

"Hi, Hedwig, Dr. Fletcher! It's so nice to see you both today!" Casey smiled warmly at them.

Hedwig was a grown man on the outside, and a nine year old boy on the inside. Casey thought that he was probably an average height, but he rarely stood still long enough for her to evaluate. He preferred to wear track suits (today's was yellow and blue; bright and happy colors that matched his personality). His bright blue eyes shone with joy at seeing her, and she resisted the urge to ruffle his close cropped hair. It was hard not to smile at the overgrown child when he fixed you in one of the rays of his sunshine.

With him, as always, was his escort, Dr. Fletcher. She was an older woman, always dressed sensibly. She had eyes that twinkled at Hedwig and Casey benevolently, and she seemed to genuinely enjoy taking the boy out. Casey had never heard her raise her voice to Hedwig, and he listened to her, clearly on his best behavior.

They had started coming to the aquarium regularly about two months prior; the doctor had requested a tour guide, and Casey happened to be the closest available employee, so she had gotten the job of introducing the pair to the marine life. Dr. Fletcher and Hedwig came back every weekend after, and usually requested Casey, content to wait and look at the glimmering tanks until she was free. Casey's boss had reminded her that if she ever felt uncomfortable, she was to tell him immediately, but Casey didn't mind. Hedwig was so carefree in a way that Casey had never managed to be, and Dr. Fletcher was warm. Casey genuinely enjoyed the time she spent with them every week, even if it was repetitive.

"How are you, Casey? Do you have the time to take us around?" Dr. Fletcher asked smoothly, eyes bouncing around the crowded room.

"For you guys? Of course I have the time, although I don't think you really need me at this point… Hedwig knows more about this aquarium than I do!" Casey replied, smiling at Hedwig.

"Nuh-uh!" Hedwig said, blushing and grinning at once. "C'mon, let's go!" He was practically vibrating on the spot, excited to go.

Casey sent a backwards glance and a small wave over her shoulder to Marcia, who was still watching from her spot against the wall. Marcia wiggled her eyebrows and raised a hand in response.

The next hour progressed pleasantly, with Casey leading Hedwig and Dr. Fletcher around, offering tidbits about the different aquatic sites ("The clownfish can live with the anemones because they are coated in a protective slime-like substance that keeps them from being stung.") and answering the myriad of questions that Hedwig always had for her. His lisp ringing in the constant questions, Casey couldn't help but smile fondly as she answered them, amused at how someone who looked so adult could be so utterly a child.

"Why does that turtle have such a long neck?"

"It's the snake neck turtle, Hedwig."

"Why is that called a 'Milk Frog'?"

"Because it secretes white stuff out of its body when it's threatened, and that stuff looks like milk. It's really poisonous."

"What does the kookaburra eat?"

"All the gumdrops he can see." (At this, Dr. Fletcher had chuckled, hiding her smile behind a hand)

They stopped and looked at the penguins. Hedwig had stepped forward and cupped his face with his hands, pressed up to the glass, but Dr. Fletcher had pulled him back, insisting that he could see fine from where he was, and that any marks he left would have to be cleaned up by Casey or her friends at the aquarium. He had apologized sheepishly to Casey before turning his bright attention back to the awkward birds.

"It kinda stinks over here, doesn't it, Casey?" Hedwig wrinkled his nose dramatically. "Mr. Dennis doesn't like all that penguin stuff all over the place. Look, they pooped on the rocks, gross!"

Dr. Fletcher tensed, which momentarily threw Casey. The doctor was always very laid back, but the mention of mister whoever seemed to catch her off guard. "This is our afternoon at the aquarium, Hedwig. No need for Dennis to be a concern." she firmly told her ward.

Hedwig pouted at her for a minute. "But it's true. Mr. Dennis wouldn't let it look like that in there. He's big an' strong an' keeps everything really clean so it's better." He looked back out the glass, a small frown starting to set on his lips.

"Well, you can tell Mr. Dennis that we are doing the best we can, but the birds are gonna do what the birds are gonna do, m'kay?" Casey interjected, not sure about the stormy look that had started to blow over Hedwig's normally jubilant features. "If he has a problem with that, he can come talk to me."

Turning to her incredulously, Hedwig exclaimed, "No waaay! Mr. Dennis can't come visit you. Dr. Fletcher says that he has to stay in his chair when I'm at the aquarium cuz this is my time, and you're my friend."

Casey blinked. " 'Stay in his chair'?" she repeated, confused, but still smiling at him. Hedwig was always coming up with something fun to say, but this was different. He never talked about the other people in his life, preferring instead to lose himself in the aquarium and all of his adventures therein.

Dr. Fletcher stepped forward and gently put a hand on Hedwig's upper arm. "Never mind about Mr. Dennis, Hedwig. That's enough about him. Don't you want to see the sharks before we go? Time is getting short."

Hedwig looked at the older woman for a moment before he put a hand to his temple, wincing as if he'd been struck by a sudden headache. He opened his eyes, and Dr. Fletcher looked at him, pleasant but firm, her eyes locked on his. "Dennis knows that he needs to stay in his chair."

Hedwig inclined his head in a small nod, and for a moment his body had almost seemed to grow bigger, more adult, stronger. But it must have been Casey's imagination, because when he scampered over to her, grinning his silly grin, bouncing and requesting to see the sharks, he was the same Hedwig that she had become familiar with. The cloud that had slid in front of his sunlight seemed to have passed; everything was back to normal.

The younger woman sent a confused glance to the older one, but it either went unnoticed or was deftly ignored. Whatever had happened was going to be filed to the past.

Casey continued with the tour, falling back into their routine with ease.

After work, Marcia invited Casey to join her and Claire, an old classmate, at a local café. Claire and Marcia had been best friends in high school, and Claire was home from college for the summer. Neither girl had really noticed Casey when they were in classes together, but they had never been unkind to her as some of the others had been.

When Casey began her job at Adventure Aquarium, she had been nervous but determined. She was not going to shy away from people anymore – that part of her life was over. She had her own place, and now she had her own job, where she could be someone that other people smiled at and listened to. Marcia had trained her, and they had grown into friends.

Casey arrived after the pair of old friends due to her closing shift – Marcia had gotten out an hour earlier, and had already claimed a table. Casey waved before getting in line to order.

"Hey, Casey… is that your boyfriend? Over by the window?" Marcia said in a low voice, having quietly joined her in line.

Following her eyes, Casey saw him, and her brow furrowed.

He certainly looked like Hedwig.

This man was sitting at a high table near the window, wearing a stylish long-sleeved shirt, a bright blue infinity scarf, and dark jeans. His head was propped on one hand as he focused entirely on a sketch he was working on in a massive sketch pad. He was chewing on his lower lip as he focused solely on his work. The outside world appeared to be nonexistent to him.

Casey had never seen Hedwig dressed in anything but bright track suits, but the similarities couldn't be denied. His face, his hair, his bright blue eyes; all were the same. She glanced around the café, hoping to catch sight of Dr. Fletcher. Maybe they were here for a dinner, or had something else to attend following the aquarium trip.

"You know, when he's not being a spaz, he's kinda cute…" Marcia continued, and Casey's attention jerked back to her. "What? It's true!" Marcia said defensively, bringing her hands up as if to shield herself from Casey's glare.

After putting her order in and giving her name to be called, Casey turned to Marcia. "I'm going to ask. It'll kill me if I don't. Maybe he's a relative or something?"

"Maybe he has a brother?" Marcia offered.

Casey shrugged. "He never talks about family. I think Dr. Fletcher doesn't want him to when he's out at the aquarium, like that's special sensory time or something."

"Okay, well, be careful. We're right over there, so wave if you need us."

Nodding, Casey turned from her friend and approached the familiar looking man. He was so absorbed in his sketching that she was standing next to his table before he looked up at her.

"Hi, doll, do you need this table?" He asked, jumping a little as he noticed her. The voice was right, but the speech was wrong. The endearing lisp was gone, replaced by a soft Philly accent, lilting with warmth and friendliness.

Casey faltered for a second before answering. "N-no, I… I actually just thought I knew you."

The man seemed to grow cautious, looking closer at her, big blue eyes sweeping over her face. There was a slight widening of his eyes, like he recognized her, but he seemed to brush it away, choosing instead to smile at her disarmingly.

It had been there, though. That momentary recognition. Casey felt her stomach clench. "…Hedwig?"

He was too slow to respond. There was a pause, and Casey could see him debating what to say. He saw her watching him, and sighed in a defeated sort of way. "Casey." He stated, not a question.

"Please, tell me you're his like… Identical twin brother, or something. Please." Casey looked at him, starting to feel sick, with tendrils of anger creeping into her.

"Not exactly, Babygirl." He sighed and stretched luxuriously. "Dr. Fletcher is going to be ticked."

"So what are you, an actor? Acting like someone... someone who isn't all there?" She was more than just a little mad now, thinking of the time that she had spent with this casual person, thinking she knew him. "Do you get your rocks off on getting special treatment?"

His face had fallen into a hurt expression, large blue eyes wounded. "No, of course not, it's not like that. Hedwig really enjoys his time at the aquarium with you and the doctor."

"Right. And then you change into your café clothes and, what, take notes on how to sell mental illness?" Casey fought to keep her voice low, not wanting to draw attention from the other customers. She couldn't believe that she'd been fooled. She had always prided herself on being able to see people's true intentions, after watching her uncle charm everyone while doing unspeakable things to her.

How had she missed it? He'd been so convincing.

"Oh no, please don't be mad. I can explain… but it would be better coming from Dr. Fletcher. It must be a shock to see me like this, but really…" He bit his lip, looking deeply unhappy. "I'm Barry, honey. We can explain. Please don't hate me; Hedwig really looks forward to seeing you. You've been so kind."

"I can't believe this." Casey forced herself to take a breath. "You said your name is 'Barry' now? What happened to 'Hedwig'? Got any other names you want to throw out there?"

The corner of his mouth twitched at some personal joke, but he caught control of himself. "Hedwig's in his chair."

Dr. Fletcher says he has to stay in his chair.

"What even is that?" she asked, growing exasperated.

Barry opened his mouth to respond, but the barista shouted "COFFEE FOR CASEY, UP!"

Casey looked at him, thoroughly disgusted. "Don't bother. You know, there are people who really have problems out there. Pretending like you did, it's sick, taking advantage of kindness."

She shot him one last glare, and then she turned to get her coffee. Barry sat, looking dejected, sketch forgotten. He appeared to want to say something, but Casey didn't want to hear it. Her ears seemed to be pounding with angry blood, and she knew her color was high as she approached Claire and Marcia.

"Well? What happened?" Marcia asked, looking alarmed.

"Nothing. He's not who I thought he was." Casey forced a smile to her lips as she sat with her back to Barry, or Hedwig, or whatever his name really was. She wasn't going to give him any more attention. "Claire, how's college?"

The conversation was awkward at first, but, when it became clear that Casey wasn't going to discuss the Barry issue any further, it began to flow more easily. When the girls stood to leave, Casey shot a glance to the high table near the window, but it was empty, abandoned by Barry.