“I’ve been researching you,” Murray said, when Ali met him and Cassie in front of the old museum after lunch the next day. She’d told Digger they were going for a bike ride, but had neglected to mention that they were going to Tin Can Beach. She was afraid he’d insist on driving them and then hanging around. Besides, Cassie had assured her that most of the time they’d be biking on Harbour Passage Trail, where there were no cars. Going to Tin Can Beach wasn’t a big deal, but Ali knew Digger would try to make it one.
“What?” Ali wasn’t sure she liked the idea of Murray researching her.
“I have a theory.”
“This I gotta hear,” said Cassie.
Murray leaned forward against the handlebars of his bike. “So, you know that humans share a lot of DNA with other things, right?”
Ali nodded.
“And DNA is organized into stretches of individual segments of genes, right?”
“I guess . . .” She’d learned about genetics in fifth grade, but couldn’t remember much.
“So, proteins attach themselves to these stretches of genes, which end up coiling themselves into chromosomes.”
“Murray, you could make singing ‘Happy Birthday’ complicated,” complained Cassie. “What’s your point?”
“I think that when Ali changes into something else, she is somehow able to manipulate the genes within her chromosomes, keeping the genes that make her like what she’s trying to change into and suppressing the ones she doesn’t need.” He gave them a triumphant smile.
“I still don’t get it,” Ali said.
“Maybe I do,” Cassie said. She stared at Murray, like she was studying what was inside his brain, and then turned to Ali. “The genetic differences between people are very small—”
“Point one percent,” Murray offered, trying to be helpful.
Cassie rolled her eyes. “The differences between humans and chimps is around four to five percent,” she said. “But when you examine those differences, you see that a lot of human DNA is deleted in chimps, and a lot of other genetic codes are duplicated over and over. Somehow, you’re able to sense someone else’s genetic code and alter your own!”
Murray gave a vigorous nod. “Exactly!”
It kind of made sense to Ali. “But why would my body do that?”
“Remember what Mr. Corby said about rapid evolution?” said Cassie. “One of your ancestors had to change for some reason. Maybe your body makes a special protein that triggers the change.”
“I’m like a new species?”
Murray’s head bobbed like one of the buoys in the bay. “Yes! Now all we need to do is take some of your blood to a geneticist and prove the theory!”
Ali shook her head. “No way! I’m not a lab rat!”
“But that’s how we’ll know for sure!” protested Murray.
“No way.”
Cassie clipped the straps of her bike helmet together under her chin. “Leave her be, Murray. You can’t just throw this stuff at her and then be shocked when she doesn’t want the world to know. Think about it: does Spider-Man tell people about his abilities? Batgirl?”
“Batgirl doesn’t have any abilities, she’s just in really good shape,” said Murray.
“Besides, your theory doesn’t explain how Ali is able to change her clothes, too. There’s no DNA in clothing.”
“I think I know,” said Ali. “I think I can somehow manipulate atoms.” She concentrated on the gray hoodie and black jeans Murray was wearing for a few seconds, and the others watched in amazement as her old blue jeans and windbreaker morphed into an exact replica of Murray’s outfit.
“Wow” was all Murray could muster.
Ali changed back and climbed onto her bike. “Can we please stop talking about me and my weird powers and just go visit the seals?”
It was eerie biking around the harbor. Murray and Cassie led the way, and Ali pedaled hard to keep up. Every now and then she fell behind, and they’d disappear into the mist, only to reappear so suddenly that Ali would almost crash into them. A foghorn’s plaintive call reminded Ali of Emily’s story about the women waiting for their husbands and sons to come home from sea. Thinking about how Emily was mad at her made Ali melancholy.
“My dad says that at least five ships are stuck in port, including a cruise ship,” Murray said. “The fog extends five miles into the Bay of Fundy, and all the way up the Kennebecasis River to Hampton. He said the whole world is talking about our fog. We’re famous!”
Ali shivered and pulled her windbreaker hood up over her head. She’d rather see the sun and be warm than famous.
There were no scientists on the beach today. In fact, the fog was so thick it took them a while to find the seals, whose gray forms were hard to differentiate from the rocks. When they finally spotted them, Ali was surprised to see only five. What had happened to the rest?
“You said there were a lot of them,” said Cassie, taking tentative steps forward.
“The rest must have gone back into the bay, unless they’re farther down the beach?”
“I’ll go check,” said Murray. Seconds later, he was swallowed up by the fog.
Cassie crouched down to watch the seals. “They’re beautiful.”
Ali took a seat on a nearby rock. “That one’s sick.” She pointed to the one in the middle of the herd, the blind one with the patchy coat. All of the seals appeared to be asleep.
“I hope the zoologist is helping it,” Cassie murmured.
Murray emerged from the mist. “I don’t see any more on the beach.” He smiled at Ali. “Will you do me a favor? Change into a seal. I’d like to really watch how you change. It’ll help me build my theory.”
“Your theory that the world will never know about,” reminded Ali.
Murray shrugged. “Whatever. My genius theory that the world will never know about until you give me permission to share it. Now will you please change?”
Since the beach was deserted, Ali dutifully became a seal, focusing on one of the healthier ones in the herd. She tried to move slowly, but once the change began in earnest, she discovered that her ability to control the speed was nonexistent. When she finished, she used her flippers to shuffle over to Murray.
“Can you understand me?” he asked her.
She bobbed her head and barked yes.
“Cool,” said Cassie, turning her attention away from the seals to look at Ali the seal. “She understands us perfectly, but sounds like a seal when she tries to speak to us.”
“Did you notice how the seals acted when Ali changed?” asked Murray. “They were watching her. But that one in the middle with the patchy fur made a weird grunting sound, like it was scared.”
“Ali says that one is sick.”
Murray leaned over. “She’s right. Look at its coat. And its eyes are seriously messed up.”
Ali managed to turn herself around and shambled closer to the herd. It was hard to see the sick seal from her current point of view; the other seals were much bigger than she was. And the idea of trying to crawl onto another seal to take a better look was not appealing.
“Ali, change back,” Murray ordered. “I want to see the process in reverse.”
Ali barked and concentrated on becoming herself again. Halfway through her transformation, a dark shape caught her eye. Someone was coming!
“I saw someone,” she panted when she was herself again. “Over there!”
Murray ran in the direction she pointed, Cassie in his wake. Ali stayed with the seals and cursed her stupidity for agreeing to change in public. She studied the sick seal. Its eyes were still open. Now and then, it gave a piteous bark. It didn’t seem to be getting any better.
“I’m sorry, fella,” she whispered. “I hope you feel better soon.”
The seal groaned and closed its eyes.
“We couldn’t find anyone,” said Murray when they came back.
“Are you sure you saw someone?” Cassie asked.
“I think so. Maybe,” said Ali. “But I may have been seeing things. One of the scientists said seals can’t see very well when they’re out of the water.” She felt stupid for making them chase after nothing. “I’m freezing; can we go home?”
“I need to pick up a book at the library first,” said Murray. “Let’s bike over to Market Square, get a hot chocolate, then I’ll grab my book and we can head home.”
Ali didn’t want to go for a hot chocolate; she had no money. But she couldn’t tell that to Murray and Cassie. “Okay, but I think I’ll pass on the hot chocolate.”
Cassie squished her eyebrows together. “You just said you were freezing. Why don’t you want a hot chocolate?”
“I’m getting toasty again,” she said, then shuddered.
Murray and Cassie exchanged a look.
“Cass, I forgot to bring money,” Murray announced.
Cassie nodded. “No problem. Do you need me to lend you money for a hot chocolate, too, Ali?”
Ali gave in and nodded. She didn’t mind borrowing money if she wasn’t the only person to do so.
“It’s no big deal, you guys,” said Cassie. “That’s what friends are for, right?”
“Right,” Murray said.
“Right,” Ali echoed, surprised by how happy she sounded.
As she climbed onto her bike, Ali took a last look at the seals. She suspected they’d be leaving soon. Would they take the sick seal with them or abandon it? She was putting on her helmet when he opened his eyes again, almost as if he knew what she was thinking.
“Good luck,” she whispered. She didn’t want to think about him anymore; it was too sad. One of her mother’s favorite Maya quotes came to her: “I know for sure that love saves me and that it is here to save us all.” She couldn’t help the seal, but she could send him good thoughts. She closed her eyes, sent the seal all the love she could muster, then sped away to catch up with the others.