The squeak of the wheelchair wheels was the only thing to break the silence as Katie cautiously wheeled her way down the hall. It was dark now, with only a few lights still on so lingering souls weren’t stumbling around blind. It was later and it hadn’t taken Sophie long to fall asleep after staying up nearly two days straight. Katie had left Luna snuggled under the blankets in their room with the promise she wouldn’t be gone long. Sophie didn’t like them leaving the apartment, but Katie found herself drawn back towards Lewis’ office and the injured Mer residing within. Riley fascinated her and she wanted to talk to the girl a little more without Sophie hovering and trying to push her out the door. She’d already been warned not to hassle Riley about Luna until she was in a better shape; mostly because she was apparently willful enough to impede herself in order to help. Katie accepted the logic, knowing that it made no difference to Luna’s wait.

As she reached the veterinary office, Katie noted the light spilling from the crack below the door. Lewis was still inside. She hesitated for a moment before reaching out and tapping her knuckles once against the frame before twisting the handle and wheeling her way inside. Lewis was seated at his desk, staring at her as she entered. His lips twisted into a slight frown as he glanced down at her lap and the box resting there before sighing. “You’re going to get me in trouble for this,” he growled lightly.

Katie shrugged and tilted her head. “I was careful. I’ll be quiet,” she countered. “I can’t stay up there anymore, I’m going stir crazy. I just need a break, just for a little while.”

Lewis sighed and rose from his chair, moving to squeeze her shoulder as he passed. “Don’t say we didn’t warn you. I’ll come back in an hour or two. If you leave before then, lock the door behind you and don’t be seen,” he warned.

Katie nodded and smiled painfully up at him. “Thanks Lewis,” she expressed, feeling guilty about snapping at him the day prior. He was doing his best to make the most of a rough situation and she knew he cared more about her wellbeing than anything else. He nodded once and slipped out the door, pulling it shut behind him.

With him gone, Katie turned her attention back to the reason she was here. Riley was only semi-reclined, propped up on an elbow. Her eyebrow was quirked as she regarded Katie in return. “Back again?”

“That a problem?”

Riley shook her head and shrugged, then winced at the action. After a moment to recover, a wry smirk twisted back across her lips. “No,” she replied. “It is not as though I have anywhere else to be. Just curious as to why, seems like you are risking an overprotective lecture to be here; what is the reason?”

“I came to barter,” Katie replied as she pushed herself closer.

Riley’s eyes brightened and her fins flicked as she drummed her fingers on the medical bed. Her eyebrow quirked up further and the smirk on her lips rose into a grin. “Oh?”

Katie lifted the game box from her lap, the pieces inside rattling as she set it down on the little tv stand that had been set up beside the bed and had only a glass of water on it. “Yes. A game of chess,” she replied. She grinned back at the other Mer.

Riley’s eyes danced over the box and then her gaze jumped back. “In exchange for….?”

“I want to hear more.”

“About?”

“Everything,” Katie pressed eagerly. “Tell me everything. I know so little about the tail and the species, and you have lived your whole life in the ocean with a culture I can only guess at. I want to hear about it all.”

Riley pursed her lips and went back to drumming her fingers as she mulled the statement over. Her grin grew wider. “That will cost you more than one game,” she taunted.

Katie leaned forward in her seat and matched the smile. “I can play as long as you can talk,” she challenged. The spark that ignited in Riley’s gaze at the response gave an insight to just how long they might end up playing.

Riley was already pulling the box open and fishing for the game board by time the “deal” left her mouth. Silence stretched between them for a few minutes as they set up the game pieces and took their first moves. “Where do you want to start?” Riley inquired finally.

Katie shrugged as she moved a pawn then looked up to meet Riley’s wide, icy gaze. Her pale blue eyes would seem eerie, if it weren’t for the bright way she offered a mischievous grin and relaxed demeanor. Katie internally shuddered at the thought of how quickly that could change if Riley grew angry. “Ummm, well, what about the overall society? Do Mer have different cities or nations? Do you have a monarchy or a democracy and does it span further than just one cluster?”

Riley’s head cocked and she didn’t answer right away. Katie began to wonder if she had said something wrong before she noticed Riley’s lips moving as she mouthed a word or two to herself. She didn’t recognize something Katie had said and Katie flushed. With Luna it didn’t seem quite so exposing to sound ‘human’ but with Riley – a wild, born and raised Mer – it felt like a dirty secret she should hide away. “Mer live in pods,” Riley finally responded. “Family groups. Most pods are not connected in any way, though some will merge or gather during migrations to share resources if their paths cross. We do not have things like this though, buildings and homes where strangers live side by side and go about their different lifestyles. Mer live together in their groups. A monarchy is a single ruler that makes all choices, yes?” When Katie nodded confirmation, Riley continued. “We do not have that either. Pods are separate, as I said, with different morals and regulations. We have some interconnecting beliefs and stipulations, but most pods have varied cultures, especially the further apart from one another they are. I have not met many from much further north to say much about them, but farther away I go, the larger the lifestyle gaps. Within a pod, choices are made by the majority for the most part. Some pods have a council, usually composed of the eldest, while within others a vote is cast among every fully matured member, but we do no elect a single ruler or pod to control the rest.”

“What’s your pod like?” Katie pressed, fascinated by the concept of a lack of proper society that still seemed contained and structured. “Do they know you’re here? I hope they’re not worried. I kind of assumed that Mer tended to stay away from humans, given that there’s not much interaction known about.”

“Most do,” Riley agreed. “But my being here is of no concern to my pod. I have not been with them for a few cycles of the seasons now.” Riley didn’t elaborate, instead refocusing on the game pieces before selecting a rook to move.

Katie hesitated. She wanted to ask more but didn’t want to pry into a potentially painful situation. “Are you okay to talk about it?” she asked finally. Her gut clenched as Riley looked up at her again and sighed.

“I left of my own accord,” she said finally.

Katie couldn’t stop the “why?” that had already been said aloud before she realized she’d been thinking it.

Riley shuffled her fins and made another move on the board. “I mentioned how every pod has their own beliefs and ways of life. Technically, an outsider is free to travel among pods not their own so long as they are willing to respect and abide by the different rules and morals. My family is pretty open and accepting, but they put heavy view on children being the responsibility of the grown. Essentially, until I came of age, I had no real voice, my mother spoke for me. But we did not get along and she had a different idea on how I should be raised and how I should live. I was not keen on being molded into her ideals, so I taught myself the necessary survival skills and bartered for my right to freedom. I left and I am not really welcome back because of it.”

Katie sighed softly and made a move on the board. “I’m sorry, Riley,” she murmured. “That’s an awful thing to endure.” She worried at her lip, the point of a fang digging into the tender flesh. She was all to familiar with the dark feelings that came with being unwanted and imperfect in the eyes of a parent. Her youth was soured with negative memories of Roxanne.

Riley shrugged as she moved a knight to claim one of Katie’s pawns and looked up to offer her a lopsided grin that showed off her long fangs. “Do not be. I am content with the state of my life and honestly, my pod was not so bad; many of my family were wonderful. It would not have been a bad place to grow if not for my mother.”

Katie nodded and pushed the negative thoughts away. If Riley wasn’t bothered, she wasn’t going to bog down the game or the conversation with decrepit thoughts. She studied the game board for a moment, then moved a bishop to avenge her pawn and take Riley’s horse. Riley’s gaze narrowed and her grin faltered for a moment as she hunched over the game board and studied the pieces. Katie watched her lips move as she muttered something under her breath. A strategy attempt, no doubt.

There was a moment of silence that stretched between them while the decision was made, but finally Riley made her choice and took one of Katie’s knights in response. She rolled the wooden horse between her fingers before setting it aside. “What sorts of things did you learn growing up?” Katie inquired, finally breaking the quiet. “What do Mer teach their offspring?” She added another of Riley’s pawns to her growing pile of claimed pieces.

Riley cocked her head to the side and pursed her lips as she mulled the question. “How to hunt and forage food, to navigate open waters, locate and travel through various currents, and self-defense,” she began. She paused to blow her bangs off her face and moved another piece on the board. “We are taught our culture and history; stories passed through the generations. Oh, and languages.”

“Languages? How many do you speak?” Katie inquired.

Riley cocked an eyebrow and Katie blushed and ducked her head in response, wondering what she’d said wrong. “Have you had any interactions with other sea creatures?”

“A dolphin,” Katie responded and took her turn.

“Then you know already that we converse easily with other creatures. Dolphins are one of the easiest to comprehend; they might as well be speaking no differently. It is also the easiest to learn to articulate. Some languages take a bit more work and exposure to understand and are difficult to replicate, but if you are dedicated enough then you could in theory learn to converse with just about every creature in the ocean that has a language,” Riley explained.

Katie’s heart fluttered in her chest at the thought. The more she learned, the less the tail seemed like a curse for the moment. It seemed magical, like something out of a fairy tale. She leaned her head against her arm and fiddled with the braid in her hair. It was slowly growing back out but was still too short to do much else with if she wanted to pull it off her face; a stumpy braid or ponytail was about all she could manage. “That’s really neat. Is it just aquatic creatures then? English doesn’t seem to be a problem; do you know any other human languages?”

“A few, just a little though; not enough to hold a proper conversation in. I believe most pods keep teach their young the language most prevalent to their area. Pods closer to the shallows of the continents run more risk of interaction so it is considered important. Those that stay to the depths or open waters are less likely to know much human dialect.”

Katie nodded. That made sense, and she guessed since Riley spoke it so well, her pod must have been relatively coastal. A new question burned at her tongue, but she hesitated to ask it. She shouldn’t go down the rabbit hole of Luna and her situation, but that could be a valuable clue. Luna knew English almost perfectly too and Katie wondered if that meant her pod was also coastal or if it was merely exposure to nothing but in the lab that led to the fluency. “So, is there an actual Mer language?”

Riley shook her head. “No. Most tend to stick to a personal preferred dialect. Since most of the common languages are universally understood, it is not necessarily uncommon to find a conversation with two parties speaking different tongues to one another.”

“Doesn’t that get confusing to follow?” she inquired. Katie frowned as she tried to picture speaking to someone in English while they responded in French.

Riley cocked her head to the side and grinned, her eyebrow raising again. “You tell me,” she countered, her voice taking on a higher pitched chirp. She was speaking with the whistling tones Katie had heard when she got to converse with a dolphin a few months ago.

“I guess not,” Katie replied, only to clap her hand over her mouth when the same whistling tone left her throat. She felt her eyes widen in surprise and when Riley began to laugh, her cheeks reddened.

“That can also happen sometimes,” Riley stated with a dip of her head. She was grinning widely and the tips of her fins were flicking in and out.

Katie shrunk down further under her amused stare and hastily turned her attention back to the game. She made her move. “Check,” she stated. Instantly, Riley’s grin faltered and her gaze snapped to the gameboard. She growled softly and muttered something under her breath as she used her queen to take out the threat of Katie’s rook. Katie countered by claiming Riley’s queen with a bishop. “Check,” she stated again.

“Stop it,” Riley hissed. Her tongue poked out between her teeth and she tugged her king to safety.

Now it was Katie’s turn to chuckle. “Sophie was right, you are really bad at this game,” she teased. Katie made another move and winked at the other Mer. “Three more moves and I win,” she declared.

Riley snorted in response and took a long time studying the board, her fingers tapping repeatedly against the fold out table as she clearly tried to mull over some semblance of a strategy.

As predicted, in a few more moves, Katie had Riley’s king cornered and the girl hissed in annoyance, her lip curling as she glowered in Katie’s direction. “Again,” she demanded. She didn’t seem to care Katie’s opinion on the poorly delivered request as she began resetting the pieces.

It wasn’t Katie who answered, however. “No more.” The voice was calm, quiet, but it made them both jump. Despite their heightened hearing capabilities, Katie hadn’t heard the door open and clearly Riley hadn’t either. Katie twisted in her seat to see Sophie leaning against the doorframe with a quirked eyebrow and a tired expression on her face. Katie winced at the dark circles beneath her adoptive mother’s eyes. She needed more rest than she was getting. Sophie had her fingers curled around a mug and was wearing striped pajama shorts and a black tank top. Sleep attire. She didn’t look mad, but when Katie met her gaze, she couldn’t help but feel like a small child caught with her hand in the cookie jar.

“I’m sorry,” she found herself apologizing in anticipation.

Sophie shook her head and brushed her bangs off her face. “I’m not mad, Katie. I would have appreciated a heads up if you were going to leave, however. Waking up to find your child not in her room is horrifying on its own without everything else that’s going on. I know it hasn’t been easy, being cooped up like this, but you’re better than that.”

Katie sighed and accepted the logic. Normally a text message was enough for Sophie, but failing to follow up at all was immature and irresponsible. “I should have said something, I know,” she agreed. “I just wanted to know more about Mer culture.”

“And I appreciated the company,” Riley added.

“Again, I’m not mad,” Sophie pressed. “Just, tell me next time.” She pushed off the wall and made her way over to them. “How’s the pain?” she inquired as she bent over Riley to inspect the bandages around her waist.

“Okay,” Riley responded.

“Meaning…?” Sophie trailed off and raised an eyebrow.

“The painkillers have worn off,” Riley finally admitted. She glanced away and Katie felt her stomach flip. She was made all too familiar with surgical pain and figured a stab wound was in the same league. Why had Riley not said anything? She had not even shown she was in pain, simply played the game and let Katie pester her with questions.

Sophie dipped her head and gently pressed on Riley’s shoulder. “Lie down now,” she instructed. Katie observed silently as her mother moved over to Lewis’ supply cabinets and began measuring out a dosage.

“Lie down?” Riley echoed. “Why? We were going to play another game.”

The look of exasperation Katie received at Riley’s statement was instantaneous and coupled with a dramatic eyeroll. “You had to get her started,” Sophie sighed. “Riley, this is going to make you drowsy; you need the rest. There will be plenty of time for games in the morning.”

Riley’s lips pursed into a pout and she shook her head. “I have done enough resting, Sophie,” she protested.

“Riley, you’re hurt,” Sophie pointed out as she returned with a syringe. “When you stop getting yourself into these situations, then you can choose when you’ve had enough rest. For now, you’re going to abide by medical protocol.”

Riley rolled her eyes and rested her cheek on a closed fist. Her fins lashed and her lip curled. “Fine. If I must rest, is there at least someplace else I can do it? This room is so dry and stuffy, I feel like my scales are flaking,” she argued.

Katie found herself nodding in sympathy. Lewis’ office was dry and she completely understood Riley’s point. She had only spent an hour down with her and already her own scales felt dry, her mouth parched. Mer really didn’t do as well out of water as she had originally thought.

“Alright,” Sophie caved. “I’ll take you upstairs so long as you promise to rest tomorrow and allow yourself to get better. We really shouldn’t be moving you; if your stitches tear, it will take even longer for you to heal.” She didn’t wait for an answer as she grabbed Riley’s wrist and injected the contents of the needle into her vein. She set it aside and then leaned down. “Put your arms around my neck. Move slowly.”

When Sophie picked Riley up, Katie had to duck around one of the girl’s massive hip fins, which was dangling limply. The extra fins fascinated Katie and she wanted to ask Riley about them when the girl was feeling better. Neither she nor Luna had anything beyond what she would consider the ‘base’ design and she was curious to know if Riley was an oddity or if it was common for Mer to have additional features.

Riley grimaced as Sophie shifted her in her arms but didn’t make a sound. Sophie seemed to notice regardless and inquired; “are you okay?” Though she nodded her head in response, Katie noted Riley’s clenched jaw and the way her tail tensed. She knew Sophie noticed too. “Hang in there a couple minutes, we’ll get you upstairs and settled,” Sophie encouraged. “Katie, leave the game down here, okay? We can get cleaned up in the morning.”

Katie nodded and followed Sophie back out the door and into the darkened hallway. The path was taken by memory at this point and after a short trip, they were back inside the apartment. With her free hand, Sophie ruffled Katie’s hair and she glanced up at her mother. “Goodnight Kate, sleep well okay? I’ll see you in the morning?”

“Goodnight,” she replied. She watched as Sophie took Riley down the hall to her bedroom and sighed. Knowing Sophie, the woman would camp out on the floor or couch to keep Riley comfortable. It was sweet, but Katie knew her mother needed to sleep properly too. Now was hardly the time to argue about it, however, so Katie simply made her way back into her own room. Luna was coiled up on the bed, only half under the covers with her fin dangling over the side. Her nose was scrunched up, but she seemed to be sleeping soundly, with no lurking nightmares.

Regardless, Katie was immensely cautious as she crawled up onto the mattress to avoid waking the younger Mer. Luna hardly ever got any sleep these days and she needed the rest too. Feeling the exhaustion of the day creep back up on her, Katie was half asleep by time she pulled the blanket over herself and hit the pillow.