Stones Unturned by Christopher Golden

aquarium.
    "Hey, are you all right?" his mother asked, grabbing his arm and giving it a gentle squeeze.
    Danny didn't want to lose the feeling, the memory, holding on to it with both hands. "Yeah, I'm good." He removed his sunglasses. "Let's go look at some fish."
    And that's exactly what they did, starting on the first level, checking out a special exhibit on jellyfish before moving on to the penguin pool. He'd always loved the tuxedoed birds, and he and his mom spent a fair amount of time laughing at their antics within the exhibit that dominated the first floor.
    They moved on to the giant ocean tank that rose up in the center of the building. It was one of the world's largest cylindrical saltwater tanks — an elaborate, man-made twenty-four-foot deep reef. Fifty-two large windows allowed a view of all kinds of ocean life; sharks, sea turtles, moray eels, and tropical fish of all shapes and sizes. Danny slowly climbed the concrete walkway to the second floor, face pressed against the cool glass, losing himself in the underwater world.
    There was a diver in the tank, feeding some of the more popular residents. His mesh bag of food trailing behind him, the diver dropped down to an area of caves in the artificial coral reef, and Danny saw a moray eel floating in the darkness there. He loved to watch them feed the morays. The eel gradually emerged from its hiding place, and Danny fixated on its sleek, serpentine form. The animal seemed to be looking right at him, ignoring the aquarium worker who dangled a piece of fish for it to eat. Instead, it slithered through the water, heading for the glass — for him.
    The eel swam back and forth in front of the glass, as the diver continued to try to interest it in a piece of fish. It was staring at Danny. Slowly, Danny raised his hand, laying it flat against the glass. The eel attacked, smashing its pointed face repeatedly against the glass, even breaking off a few of its sharp teeth, before swimming off to hide in one of the caves in the artificial reef.
    "What the hell was that all about?" Danny heard his mother ask, as she sidled up beside him. The diver was watching him now, swarms of brightly colored tropical fish plucking at the piece of food he'd been attempting to get the moray to eat.
    "Guess I pissed it off," he said, looking away from the tank and the diver's stare. "I'm getting kind of hungry. Want to hit the café for something to eat?"
    She thought about it for a moment and then nodded slowly. "I suppose. I only had a muffin about six this morning, I could go for a bite."
    The café was on the first level, so they started back down the curving walkway. Danny was wondering what the café would have for him to eat when he heard their whispering voices.
    Walking alongside his mother he saw two boys — ten-year-olds, if that. He'd noticed them back at the tank and thought they were with a school group. Now they were alone, walking slightly back and to the side of his mother. They were pointing at him, talking in hushed voices; wrinkling their noses in disgust, touching the tops of their hands as they spoke.
    Danny glanced down at his own hands, at the horribly discolored and scaly flesh there. The two kids were laughing now, high-pitched girlish giggles as they reached the bottom of the walkway. They looked over their shoulders at him as they headed off in the opposite direction, hip-checking each other so that they would bump into people as they walked.
    The anger rose in him, and there was nothing he could do to hold it back. He started after the boys.
    "Danny?" his mother asked, pointing toward the café. "I thought that you —"
    "I'll be right back," he grumbled, navigating the crowds like a shark swimming through warm waters in search of prey. His eyes hunted for the two boys who had taken it upon themselves to remind him of his difference, to bring reality crashing down around his ears. He wanted to thank them properly for what they had done.
    He saw them hovering