Riley’s tail thumped against the deck as she flicked the limb and shook herself. It felt good not to have that pad stuck to her flesh anymore. It had tugged at her skin whenever she moved, being free of it was liberating. She heard Lewis’ warning about being careful during the first little bit and taking it slow. While she would normally roll her eyes and ignore him, this time she accepted the logic. She needed to go after her pod as quickly as possible and aggravating the injury would only delay her.

She glanced out over the water to where her young cousin was floating and smiled. Her heart went out to the poor child, who suffered through so much and still tried to keep a positive attitude. She knew reuniting her with her family was the most important thing now.

Luna. She mulled the name over in her mind. It was the name she had gone by before Riley showed up, the one Katie had given her because she couldn’t remember hers. For a short period of time, everyone had accepted her original name, but then reverted to calling her Luna. Kera had seemed a little happier with that, so Riley had decided to use it too, at least until the younger girl corrected any of them – if she ever did. Riley did want to know why she was choosing to keep the temporary name she had been given, but the topic seemed like one Luna was avoiding, so Riley decided it was best not to pry. Her cousin would say something if she wanted to. Riley was hardly going to insist she keep to her birth name – after all, she had not done so either.

Riley shuffled her fins, sweeping her tail around as she prepared to dive in and join Luna, who was still floating peacefully on the surface. Before she could jump, however, Riley’s attention was averted by a low, threatening growl that made her tense.

She twisted around to see that Katie’s posture was highly agitated. Her tail was twitching, shoulders and neck hunched, and her narrowed eyes were fixated on Riley, who stared back evenly.

Riley heard Sophie begin to ask if Katie was alright, but it was like the sound of her voice only spurred Katie on because a growl became a snarl and she launched herself forward.

Riley was impressed by the distance and force behind the leap as Katie crashed into her. The force shoved Riley backwards flat on the deck. She rolled with the momentum and the two of them flipped in a backwards somersault, their tails tangling as they flopped heavily onto the deck.

Behind them, Riley could hear Sophie screaming at Katie to stop, but those cries were drowned out by Katie’s furious growls. As instinct took over, a warning hiss rang out as Riley barred her fangs, but the other Mer was undeterred. She snapped her jaws and Riley flinched back from the saliva coated fangs.

She was not sure why Katie had suddenly attacked, but she also did not truly wish to hurt the girl she had come to consider a good friend. It was so unlike the very friendly and accepting demeanor that Katie usually had. But now, her lips were warped into a snarl and her eyes were narrowed to slits. The aggressive tone rumbling in her throat expressed a desire for blood.

Riley twisted, a growl rising in her throat in response to Katie’s howls. She rolled Katie over and attempted to pin her, having no desire to truly fight her friend. However, Riley quickly found herself at a disadvantage. Fighting and wrestling in the water was easy, she was practiced at it, but on land – where gravity was a much stronger force – her tail was a dead weight.

Katie, who seemed a bit more used to the concept and living with those restrictions – which made sense given she grew up on land, even if she didn’t have the tail – had less trouble using her body weight to her advantage and she bucked in Riley’s grasp, throwing her off. Riley hissed as she rolled on the deck and instantly Katie was on top of her, still rumbling and clawing, her nails dragging down Riley’s back as she fought for purchase.

Out of the corner of her eye, Riley saw Lewis step forward. Sophie was still calling for them to stop, but it looked like Lewis was trying to get close enough to pull them apart. Riley lurched up, straining the muscles in her arms and core more than she intended in order to unbalance Katie and pull them into an evenly matched tussle once more. “Do not get closer,” she snapped out at Lewis between panting breaths. Katie was stronger than she looked. The girl bared her fangs again and lunged for Riley’s throat. Riley ducked out of the way, but could feel Katie’s hot breath as her jaws snapped shut near Riley’s face.

Riley was reeling. She did not know what she had done to incur Katie’s wrath, but the other Mer was trying to do serious damage.

“Katherine Waters, that is enough!” Sophie roared with enough fury that even Riley flinched. It seemed to have an effect because Katie paused for a moment, her previously slitted eyes widening. Riley held her breath, wondering if that meant the fight was over. It seemed to do the trick, but then Katie shuddered and her eyes narrowed once more as she lunged again for Riley’s throat.

Beginning to understand, Riley shot a hand out and connected with Katie’s collarbone. The other girl gagged slightly, and Riley was able to throw her off entirely. Sitting up, Riley leapt forward this time and continued the tussle. Having had a few minutes to adjust to moving about in this manner out of the water, Riley was quickly able to tip the balance in her favor. She was the more experienced. Within seconds, Katie was twisting and hissing, saliva running down her chin as Riley held her down against the deck. Riley’s tail muscles coiled tighter to pin Katie’s thrashing limb and when the girl surged upwards again, Riley shoved her weight down to pin Katie down again.

Riley had to admire her determination, but she had officially lost the fight – Riley was on guard and had her pinned, and Katie lacked the skills to properly get out of her grip. “Are you finished?” Riley inquired with bored amusement, arching a brow.

Katie hissed in response.

Riley rolled her eyes and sighed. The girl needed to be snapped back to reality, so she leaned down and opened her mouth in order to plant her fangs against Katie’s throat. She bit down gently so not to do any damage, but the pressure did the trick and Katie froze.

Riley tensed too, in case she tried to freak out again. After a moment, however, that worry was put at ease when Katie spoke. “Riley?” her voice vibrated against Riley’s teeth as she spoke, and her tone was warbled and heavy with emotion. It sounded like she was on the verge of tears. “Let me up please,” she whimpered.

Riley obliged and pulled away, sliding sideways onto the deck once more. She grabbed Katie by the wrist and pulled her back upright. “Are you alright?” she asked at the same time Sophie hurried over.

“Katie!” Sophie exclaimed and her daughter flinched. “What has gotten into you?”

Katie bit her lip and pulled her tail close to her chest. “I’m sorry,” she whispered. Her eyes closed and Riley watched a tear slip from behind the lid to slide down her face. Tears were a strange feeling Riley had only experienced once or twice – leaking water when one cried did not happen below the water – but she stayed silent while Katie hugged her scales. “I’m so sorry, Riley. I-I don’t know what happened, I just…I was happy for you, I thought we might all get to go in the water. And then, something changed, it felt off. I couldn’t think, I just-” her words were cut off by a heavy sob that ripped from her throat. The girl shuddered and dropped her chin to the bend in her tail.

“Was it like with the fish?” Luna’s voice was quiet when she spoke, but she still startled Riley. She glanced back to see Luna still in the water with her arms leaned on the deck. She was staring at Katie with concern.

Katie nodded and swallowed audibly. “Yes.”

Sophie crouched down between them and placed a hand on Katie’s shoulder. “What fish?”

When Katie did not reply, Luna continued. “Katie caught a fish a little while ago – when we were out with the boat. She did not intend to catch it, she did not want to, but her body just…did it,” Luna explained.

“I wasn’t in control,” Katie replied.

“I don’t understand,” Sophie pressed.

“I do,” Riley stated. The moment she spoke, Riley felt everyone’s gaze shift to her, and she shuffled her fins awkwardly before focusing on Katie. “Have you had any other incidents like this, where you have lost control of yourself?”

Katie swallowed thickly and nodded. “Yeah…I umm…I attacked someone; to protect Luna. It wasn’t long after the change. I mean, I honestly would have tried to defend her regardless; but I just acted in that moment. I would have ripped his arm off if I hadn’t been hit in the head. Even after, I felt…different; feral almost,” Katie admitted. “It was frightening - to not be in control like that. It was scary just now.” Katie pulled her tail closer to her chest and her arms tensed as she squeezed it.

Riley frowned and shook her head. She reached out and placed a hand on Katie’s arm. She was not exceptional with providing comfort, but the conflicted girl was one she considered a friend, and she wished to ease her pain. “Do not blame yourself for what just happened,” she urged. “It was not your fault. I think the problem you are facing is one of instinct.”

Katie’s head jerked as her attention snapped to Riley and sharp frown lines creased her features. “Instincts?” she echoed. “What do you mean by that? That this is natural?”

Riley took a deep breath and blinked slowly, forcing down her own tendency to rise to a challenge with quips of her own. “No, it is not natural. Katie, your body is Mer, it comes with all the instincts and desires of our people; but your mind is human and that is where your struggle lies. By suppressing your natural instincts, you are allowing them to fester until they break loose in a moment of weakness and you lose control. You attacked that man because he was a perceived threat to one you cared for. You caught a fish because it is what we do; we hunt, seek sustenance from the ocean.”

“And just now?” Katie asked. Her voice was no longer hard, but subdued again, like she was resigning herself to a fate.

Riley grinned, however. “It was perhaps a little more aggressive than it needed to be; I would not recommend going for the throat unless your true intent is to kill, but that too is natural. It is not quite so common at our age, but young Mer often get into tussles and scraps with one another. It is how they practice utilizing their bodies and skills in a fight; learn to defend themselves. My guess would be that these new instincts are struggling as much as you are with your changes. You have the instincts of a child, an adolescent, and a full-grown Mer all warring within you to decide what you are and which of them needs to be most dominant. I would imagine that being in a position to wrestle is what spurred the desire; I imagine you have suppressed it before.”

Katie shook her head. “No, I’ve never tried to hurt Luna. We’ve wrestled, but it was never aggressive, it was tickling and chasing, and-”

Riley shook her head and cut the other Mer off before her rant could devolve. “Katie, you would not wrestle with Luna the way you just did because she is a good few years your younger. She is someone you want to protect. We are of similar age, your instincts would drive you to test your skills and dominance over a worthy challenge, not over a child. Do not wrestle with the desire next time, indulge it. I do not mind; it is important to keep one’s skills sharp.”

“I don’t want to fight,” Katie protested with a frantic shake of her head. Riley watched as the other girl yanked at her hair near the roots. “I want to be in control of my actions, not lash out in a blind haze like this. I’m not an animal,” she whimpered.

“Is that how you view our people?” Riley inquired. She tilted her head and stared Katie down. She did not care much for the comparison and while she knew Katie was struggling – the ideology was still offensive.

Katie shook her head. “No, but that’s what I feel like when I lose control like this.”

Sophie shifted a little closer and wrapped her arms around Katie’s shoulders. “What I don’t understand – you two don’t have this problem, right?”

Riley shook her head in response to Sophie’s expectant gaze.

“Then how do we help her? If she can’t stop it and it’s not natural; we can’t risk these sorts of incidents continuing – someone could get seriously hurt.”

Riley sighed and shook her head. She had wanted to take off as quickly as possible, but she could not leave the untried Mer on her own to continue dealing with her rampant instincts. She leaned forward and wrapped her fingers around Katie’s wrist. She tugged to grab the girl’s attention, then jerked her head towards the water. “Come on.”

“Come on, what?” Katie inquired.

Riley grinned. “You are not going to solve this problem until you are able to embrace who and what you are – and the first step to that is learning what it is to be a Mer. I cannot teach you in a single day, but we can start you off. It is time you were taken out into the ocean and allowed to indulge your nature.”

Katie did not immediately respond, so Riley fixed her attention on Sophie. “We will not be gone long. I will bring her back before sunset and then I will have to go.”

“Just be careful out there.”

It was Lewis who spoke up and Riley twisted around to grin up at him. She flicked her fins and nodded. “I will keep her safe. Are you coming?” she directed the last part at Katie, who looked away and then nodded.

“Yeah, I guess I don’t have a choice and I did say I wanted to learn. Let’s do this.”

“I want to come too,” Luna piped up with an eager energy flooding her tone. Riley glanced over to see her perched on the side of the dock, water sopping from her mass of hair. She shook herself, sending water flying, and flicked her fin still trailing in the water. Her wide smile stabbed like an urchin thorn into Riley’s heart.

With a soft sigh, Riley shuffled closer and shook her head. She brought their foreheads close and her mouth warped into a grim smile as Luna’s faltered into a frown. “I am sorry, little cousin, but you must remain here this time.”

“But I want to learn more too,” Luna whined.

Gritting her teeth, Riley forced herself to remain firm. “I know you do. But there are others who would be overjoyed at the chance to teach you – they missed out on it the first time around. It is not my place to show you, but Katie has no one else and needs some help. Stay here, please.”

Luna bit her lip and rolled the flesh between her fangs. She looked like she wanted to argue further. Thankfully, Sophie stepped in before Riley had the chance to cave to the young Mer’s desperation. She scooted over and pulled Luna into a hug, completely soaking her clothing in the process. “Come on, you and I will go inside and start unpacking. Maybe we can find some of the board games,” she suggested.

“Checkers?” Luna suggested.

Sophie nodded and smoothed down some of her long hair. “Yeah, I would play you a few rounds if you want. Maybe we’ll even send Lewis on a snack run, what do you say?”

Luna hesitated and glanced back at Riley with crystal eyes still wide and hopeful. Then she sighed and nodded even as her posture slumped, and guilt began to gnaw at Riley’s gut. She did not wish for Luna to feel left out. “Okay,” Luna agreed.

Sophie looked up at nodded at Riley. “Be safe. Both of you.”

“We will,” Katie agreed. “Luna? I’ll be back soon, okay?”

Luna nodded and then her attention was back on Sophie, who was busy lifting the Mer into her arms.

Feeling confident that Luna was in good company, Riley turned and shoved off the dock. She arced through the air and dove into the clear, cool waters of the cove. A moment later, Katie splashed down beside her.

“Wow,” Katie murmured as she gazed around the cove. Riley understood her appreciation. The lagoon was coated in soft white sand and beds of seagrass pulled gently by the waves lapping calmly at the shore. A few lazy fish were crawling along the bed and rubbing their belly scales over smooth rocks dotting the bottom. There were vivid colors blossoming from the small reef that had taken root in the stiller waters.

Riley loved it too, could see herself comfortably spending time there. Once again, the sense of belonging flooded her heart like a tidal wave. She had only been here briefly and already it felt more like home than anywhere else in her life – it was beautiful, and her family was here. Despite her preference for adventure and travel, she was gradually becoming addicted to the warm feeling that blossomed in her chest whenever she lingered around this new family of hers. There was something special about having picked it out herself. She chose to be with these people and would continue to make that choice.

“The water feels nice,” Katie purred. Riley chuckled as the violet Mer flopped in the water, her body bowing backwards as she floated.

A flick of her fins brought Riley up beside Katie and she reached out to grab the other girl by the head. “Hey,” Katie protested. “What are you-”

Riley silenced her with a hush and her fingers moved deftly to pull free the tie that was holding Katie’s hair off her face.

Katie tugged free of Riley’s grasp and spun around to face her with a scowl marring her features. “Was that necessary?” she grumbled. She shook her head, causing the locks to plume out by her ears before settling around her shoulders.

Riley studied the tie stretched between her fingers for a moment, flexing and toying with it before she darted back to the surface and slapped it down on the edge of the wooden dock. When she sunk back down and found Katie still staring at her, she shrugged and flashed her fangs in a taunting smirk. “You are still too human for your own good,” she lectured. “For now, you are going to be entirely Mer and live without human devices or behaviors, including speech.”

At that point, Riley swapped out the English she had grown accustomed to using in favor of a common language Katie would be able to understand. As always, there was a slight click in her throat as her pitch changed to the high whistles of dolphin vocalizations.

Katie seemed to hesitate for a moment before she finally nodded and her brows slanted to an expression of determination. “Okay,” she agreed. Riley found herself impressed by how easily the other girl made the switch, managing to sound fluent.

Riley dipped her head and then threw herself forward into even strokes heading towards the narrow mouth of the cove. It did not take her long to notice the inconsistencies and improper methods to Katie’s swimming technique. She had suspected that Katie’s abilities thus far were a mix of self-teachings and Luna’s aid. Having not gotten the chance to observe either of them in the water, Riley began to suspect that Luna would need just as much help. For now, she had to deal with Katie. Rather than say anything and put her off, Riley merely fell in beside Katie close enough that their shoulders brushed and their fins overlapped.

Katie seemed to catch on to what she was doing regardless, because her cheeks colored to a soft pink and she looked away. Riley made no comment and instead continued, using her own fins and tail muscles to gradually correct the motion of Katie’s. With an occasional nudge or smack of their limbs tangling, Katie began to instinctively follow her lead and Riley grinned as her pupil caught on quickly.

“Oh, this feels a lot better; so much easier,” Katie exclaimed, slipping back into human language.

Riley stared her down and cocked a brow. “What was that?” she taunted, purposefully refusing to make the language switch.

Katie ducked her head. “Sorry,” she chirped.

Riley grinned at the correction and then rolled onto her back as she continued keeping pace with Katie. “I have to thank you. Intentional or not, that scuffle was a great way to stretch out tight muscles. It always feels so good to move after being stationary for so long.”

“I could have really hurt you.”

Riley glanced over at Katie’s slumped posture and bowed head. She had begun to slow. Riley chuckled and flicked her fins. She had pulled ahead, so the motion nearly snapped the colorful membranes in Katie’s face. “Do not flatter yourself. You are hardly the most threatening thing I have had to face. You have apologized and I bear no ill feelings regarding the incident. Do not allow guilt to fester,” she pressed.

They had passed through the mouth of the cove into more open waters and Riley hollered, allowing the sound to echo out through the water. Feeling invigorated, she twisted and flicked her tail to gently smack the top of Katie’s head with her fins and stir her locks in the process. “Come on,” she urged. “We shall see if you can keep up.”

Riley flipped back over and darted ahead with her gliders pulled tight to her hips to prevent any drag from slowing her down.

She was careful to keep an eye out to ensure Katie did not fall too far behind or run into problems. Thankfully the challenge seemed to have invigorated Katie, who charged after her just as eagerly and showed no signs of the guilt that was previously shadowing her features.

“You will have to be faster than that!” Riley announced. “Come on, Katie; you want to be a Mer – use your tail!”

“How are you so fast?” Katie called back, her gills flaring noticeably as she panted.

“This is not fast; you have just not had enough practice. Now push your limits,” Riley instructed. “Catch me.”

Katie was clearly working hard, and Riley knew she only needed time to build the speed and endurance she would already have if she had grown up in the ocean. Instead, she decided to test the range of some of Katie’s other abilities. Slowing down, Riley turned sharply and began to weave through the water in a series of twists and sharp turns. She flared her gliders to bank some of the tighter direction changes while keeping an eye on how well Katie was keeping up.

Agility was clearly a stronger talent in the other Mer, as she kept up well, reacting to Riley’s twists and turns with impressive speed. Riley was not giving her all, as it was not about showing off, but rather encouraging Katie to indulge in her nature – however unfamiliar with it she may be.

It did not take long, however, for Katie to show some impressive talent as she suddenly pulled away from behind Riley. Riley saw her out of the corner of her eye, but barely had a moment to react before Katie barreled bodily into her.

The motion was not aggressive, and Riley laughed as they flipped in the water. Riley stretched her muscles, testing her side and finding it tension free and comfortable. Satisfied that she would not aggravate anything with another wrestling session, Riley reacted by grappling with Katie and pinning her to the sand.

Katie squirmed beneath her, her tail lashing as Riley tensed her muscles to pin it. Her bright hazel eyes narrowed with confusion as she stared up at Riley. “Riley, let me up please,” she requested. She pushed back against Riley again in an effort to sit up, but Riley refused to relent.

She tossed her head and grinned down at Katie. “No. If you want up, then get up.”

Riley expected a more playful tussle, instead Katie just slumped and looked away. “I don’t want to fight,” she muttered as she slipped back to English once more. Riley watched her shudder, the way a muscle in her jaw feathered and her fingers tensed.

A soft growl rumbled in Riley’s throat. “I am not asking you to fight, I am asking you to tussle, and we both know you want to. This is the problem you are having, Katie. Stop resisting the urges of your Mer nature – that is why you are losing control. Just let go; it will be alright. Trust me.”

“But-”

Riley shook her head and interrupted. “Do no resist, just react.” When there was no response, Riley cocked her head and her grin widened. “Or are you too timid to handle a scuffle?”

“Riley, I don’t want-”

Riley cut her off once more by covering her mouth with two fingers and releasing a frustrated hiss. She leaned close until their noses nearly touched. “Stop worrying about hurting me. We are friends, Katie; your loss of control has not jeopardized that and it will not do so in the future. Come on, you said you wanted to learn what it was to be a Mer. I am offering to teach you, the least you can do is make it worth my time. Now impress me.”

Finally, this seemed to work as Katie surged beneath her again, her hazel eyes finally shining with the challenge Riley was looking for. Riley let off a bit to give her untrained friend a fighting chance and Katie did not hesitate to take it.

They were soon rolling through the sand, stirring up a gritty storm, and disrupting the previous relative calm of the waters around them. A crab that had been lurking nearby scuttled off out of the way as Riley was thrown into the sand beside it. The wrestling match was far friendlier without the attempt of going for the throat, and Riley quickly found herself having fun. It had been a while since she simply wrestled for the fun of it with another Mer her age, and while Katie lacked any proper strength or skill – and would probably be badly injured in a true fight – there was a raw talent to her sloppy style and Riley knew if she worked at it, she could easily become a worthwhile opponent.

Riley wasted no time in tucking her tail under her and using it to launch herself forward to push Katie back down instead. Clearly caught off balance, Katie fell easily and her tail flapped up. The thicker membrane of her fin clipped down atop Riley’s head and she sputtered, ducking away from the appendage.

She grinned as she was reminded of something Katie had said earlier, about how she and Luna tended to play. She did not imagine Katie was often on the tail end of those skirmishes, but she enjoyed the idea of changing that. She reached out and pressed her fingers into Katie’s sides and began to tickle the other teen.

Katie instantly yelped and jerked, her body contorting as she tried to escape. “Riley!” she gasped. “You cheat – stop it.” Despite her desperate writhing, Katie was laughing uncontrollably, and it was making Riley chuckle in turn.

Suddenly, Katie jerked upright too rapidly – catching Riley off guard – and their foreheads connected painfully.

“Ack,” Riley groaned. She pressed a hand flat on Katie’s collarbone and shoved her back into the sand while her free hand came up to massage the area above her eyes. “You have a rock for a head,” she complained.

“You are not much better,” Katie panted.

Riley glanced down at her and grinned before shifting sideways to allow Katie to sit up. The game had been fun, but it was time to get serious. “Hungry?” she inquired.

Katie nodded. “Yes.”

Riley’s smile widened – Katie was getting far more fluent in common dolphin tongue – and then pushed herself up off the sand and offered Katie a hand. “Good. Time to hunt.”

“What?” Katie faltered.

Riley forced her smile to soften. “It is why I brought you out here. Do you not wish to learn?”

Katie sighed as she sat up and wrapped her arms around her torso. “I guess I was planning on skipping that part.”

“You are not afraid of the fish, are you? Your bite is worse, I promise.”

Katie shook her head. “No, of course not,” she said. “I just…the last time I caught a fish was an accident – and there was something about catching it in my mouth and feeling the life drain out of it that made my stomach flip.”

Riley sighed and chewed the inside of her cheek. That certainly explained Katie’s lack of desire to hunt, but it was a skill she would have to learn regardless. “I cannot break you of that discomfort,” she admitted finally. “It is something you will have to endure and grow accustomed to; but you must learn to hunt.”

“I know,” Katie sighed. Riley leaned back as the other girl pushed herself up off the sand and gave her head a shake. “Okay, I am ready. What do we do?”

“You tell me,” Riley replied. She leaned back on her hands, curling her fingers through the coarse, mucky sand. Her fins swept out over the ground and she stared up at Katie. When Katie’s expression morphed into one of pure confusion, Riley began to laugh. “That is how it is done, Katie. Every young Mer is first taught to hunt by being given a chance to test their skills. They are put in charge of a hunt so the skills they need to improve on can be effectively observed. It was done for me; I will do it now for you. Find us a school.”

Katie shook her head furiously. “Riley, I do not know the first thing about tracking a school of fish,” she protested.

Riley shoved off the sand and brought them face to face once more. “It is not about knowing – it is about learning; trust your instincts. You can do this. You may not be trained, but you are still a Mer; still one of us.”

Finally, something seemed to get through because Katie smiled brightly and dipped her head. Her eyes closed and Riley knew she was lost in thought trying to decide her next move. Riley knew exactly where a school ideal for hunting was. She could taste it in the water. It lurked in her gills as she breathed and lingered on her tongue. Years of experience had trained her to notice without having to search. It would come to Katie in time too, so Riley remained silent to give her a chance to figure it out.

After a few moments, Katie turned in the correct direction and Riley grinned. She caught on fast. “Find something?” she inquired.

“I-I think so,” Katie replied.

“Well then? Let us go,” Riley suggested, gesturing in the same direction Katie was looking. Setting off was easy, comfortable – there was no rush as Katie slowly worked on tracking down the fish she’d sensed. The water was warm, almost lethargic as they swam. The push and pull of the waves crashing at the shore shifted the underwater world, tugging at Riley’s fins and hair, dragging kelp fronds back and forth. A few of the tips tickled over Riley’s scales as they passed over a bed.

“Riley?” Katie finally broke the silence that had settled over them. “Thank you.”

“For?” Riley asked as they began to leave the coral shelf behind in favor of deeper waters.

Katie glanced over and smiled. “You did not have to come out here and bother with me like this. I know it is probably going to make your journey later harder. I appreciate it. It has not been easy dealing with everything that has happened.”

Riley reached out and caught Katie’s hand as they swam side by side. “Anything for a friend. Besides, you are not the only one who is grateful. Luna would not be safe without you. I also owe you my thanks for sharing your family. They are more than I could have hoped for.”

“They are your family too,” Katie corrected. “I don’t have any say in that.”

The statement surprised Riley and she stared hard at Katie. Finally, she shook her head. “We both know that you do,” she argued. “If you did not want me around, I would not be welcome back. You mean too much to Sophie.”

Katie’s response was to snort. “First of all, I would never, ever do something to drive you away. Secondly, you are just as important. Sophie would never cast you out. Why do you think that you owe me anything?”

Riley shrugged. “You are her daughter, Katie; her flesh and blood. I am just a wayward problem that swims in from time to time. I know you are not the type to use that pull, but you do have it and I will not lie – I was concerned about it when we first met and I learned her daughter was alive. It felt like I might lose another home.” Riley cringed as she spoke; she did not like admitting her insecurities like that. It was hard not to feel that way in the beginning though. She had been rejected and faced with a lack of acceptance all her life, and it was difficult to admit how lonely she was sometimes. The fears of potentially losing the first place she had considered a home in a long time had been overwhelming at the time. She was still grateful Katie was a kind and accepting soul, rather than a jealous one.

Riley glanced back up from the seafloor to meet Katie’s gaze, only to find the girl’s eyes sparkling with amusement. “What?” Riley inquired just as Katie started to laugh. “What is it?”

It took Katie a moment to compose herself, but when she did, her tone was serious once more. “Riley, I am adopted,” she announced. “I was nine when Sophie took me in. I am no more important than you are in her life. I may have known her longer, but we are the same; we are family.”

Riley chewed her lip and did not respond. She had not known that Katie was not Sophie’s blood child, but she still felt it did not change much. Their connection may as well have been blood and she said as much in response.

Surprisingly, Katie was in her face then, and Riley reared back in surprise. She had not been expecting her friend to suddenly get so close. “Family is more than what you are born into, Riley. Family are the people you choose to love,” she insisted. She wrapped her arms around Riley and squeezed tightly. It took Riley a moment of hesitation to hug her back. “We are family,” Katie murmured, and Riley’s heart clenched.

The words felt good – warm; they made her feel wanted. Her smile widened and she felt some of the ever-present tension slip from her shoulders as she hugged Katie back and squeezed. “Yes,” she agreed. “We are.”

The hug lasted for a few blissful moments before Katie pulled away. Riley yearned to reengage the embrace – she did not allow herself to indulge in similar gestures of affection very often and it had felt wonderful – but she knew that it was not the time.

“We had better get going,” she prompted. “Since you are so determined I do this whole hunting thing.”