Finley darts through swaying seaweed, his blue scales flashing in the sunlight. Everywhere he looks, pairs and schools of fish glitter in coral colors. He circles back to the same spot by the fan coral. A small bubble escapes his mouth and pops against his lip.
Near a bright pink coral head, a cluster of yellow tangs darts into Finley's vision. He opens his mouth to say hello, but they ripple sideways in one swift motion and scatter into the crevices. His fins tremble slightly. The seaweed brushes against his cheek.
Finley swims to the other side of the reef and tries again, greeting a purple tang with a quick, hopeful 'Hello!' The tang pauses for one second, its gills flaring, then darts behind a towering sea fan without a sound. Finley's scales dim a little.
A school of clownfish darts past in the distance, their orange bodies a blur of togetherness. Finley's scales dim a little, and the sand beneath him shifts. Nearby, a group of differently colored fish — orange, green, silver, and red — hover near a sunken shell.
Instead of calling out, Finley swims in a slow circle around them, matching their gentle rhythm. He hums a soft, bubbly tune. The smallest orange fish stops mid-turn, its tail flicking once in surprise, then nudges the green fish and points a fin toward Finley.
A ripple of movement passes through the group, and they begin edging closer. Finley turns to face them and gives a wide, wobbly smile. The orange fish darts forward and bumps his shoulder with its own.
One by one, the fish weave around Finley — red, green, silver, orange — until they are all swimming in a swirling rainbow school that spirals through the coral and seaweed.
The water sparkles around them, and Finley's blue scales catch every color reflected back. He swims forward with the whole glowing school.