Katie ripped the tape off another box and pulled the flaps open to reveal carefully wrapped bowls and plates. The new kitchen was wide, with only a partial half-wall separating it from the rest of the open floorplan of the ranch style beach house. She was sprawled on the cool tiles while Sophie stood next to her, putting things away in the cupboards well out of Katie’s reach. Sophie was mix and matching the placement of things so that some dishes were in the lower cupboards where Katie, Luna, and Riley could access them easily, and above where it was less awkward for her and Lewis to reach.

Katie appreciated the forethought. Everything about the new home seemed custom suited to their unique situation and it still astounded her how much effort her mother had gone through for them.

Reaching into the box, Katie fished out the first plate, ignoring the soft clinking noises as things shifted in the box. She pulled the paper wrapping away and handed the plate up to Sophie, who set it up in on a higher shelf. Katie grabbed another, a bowl this time, and balled the wrapping up beside the other piece to be thrown away later. This dish joined the other in the higher cabinet.

She got halfway through the box before she propped her forearms up on the rim of the box and slumped against it. The bruise that had formed earlier had faded to more of a red irritation on the side of her face. It no longer hurt and though Sophie had fussed over it for a bit, Katie had almost forgotten it was there entirely.

She was still busy replaying through the experiences of that morning. While the unintentional fight had been horrifying, everything else really had felt liberating. To swim like that, with no barriers or limits to how far she could go had been amazing. She and Luna had never strayed far from the boat the only other time they had been out in the ocean, so it truly felt like a first experience, and Riley was impossible to keep up with. It felt like she could just let go and give in to some of the desires that were rooted in her being now. Riley had been right. But despite being a few hours ago now, she was still feeling the exertion. Exhaustion hung heavily in her limbs and her breathing still felt labored.

“Are you alright?” Sophie’s voice cut through Katie’s thoughts and she reopened her previously closed eyes.

“Hmm?” she hummed, having not quite heard her mother. Sophie chuckled and repeated herself, and Katie nodded. “Yes, I am fine,” she replied.

Immediately, Sophie’s head tilted and her eyebrows knitted together. Katie mimicked her frown, not quite understanding Sophie’s confusion. Then she realized that she had spoken too shrilly and that it was not English that had come out of her mouth. She blushed brightly and covered her mouth, coughing slightly. “I’m fine, sorry,” she tried again, shifting back.

Sophie chuckled and shook her head. “Alright, apparently that’s something I’m going to have to look out for now. I have to say I’ve never thought I’d have a question answered in dolphin whistles.”

“Sorry,” Katie replied. She ducked her head as she felt the warmth rise in her cheeks. “It’s been a little confusing, switching back and forth with talking to Riley.”

“Riley speaks English,” Sophie pointed out with a quirked eyebrow.

Katie shook her head. “Not in the water, she doesn’t,” Katie countered. “And she insisted I didn’t either when we were out there.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Sophie agreed as she leaned against the counter. “I’d always wondered about her English. Her and Luna are pretty impeccably fluent, but it always seemed strange that two entirely separate species would develop the same language.”

Katie shook her head. “Definitely not a native language; we’re just apparently impressive linguists by nature.” She pushed herself off the box and sat up to stretch her arms above her head as a wide yawn split her lips.

“I can finish up here; why don’t you go take a nap?” Sophie suggested.

Katie shook her head. “No, I’m fine.” She glanced down and reached back into the box for another dish. When she looked back up, Sophie had crouched on the other side of the box and was staring at her.

“Kate, you have not been getting enough sleep lately. You and Luna both have so many nightmares; I’m worried about you. No offense, but you look like you’ve been hit by a truck right now. I can handle unpacking the kitchen,” Sophie assured her. “Why don’t you go back outside? Relax in the sun or in the water for a bit, you’re looking a little shaky and pale.”

Katie shook her head and swallowed the lump forming in her throat. She tried to keep as positive an attitude as she could, and did not want to admit often that her hands shook and her throat closed if she was left alone to dwell with her thoughts for too long. Her nightmares were just as vivid and brutal as Luna’s seemed to be, and she constantly stressed about their past catching up with them, and sometimes she just felt like falling apart. “I want to help,” she pressed finally. And she did. It helped to keep busy, to feel useful; Sophie did so much for her, especially now, and Katie wanted to find a balance where she fit into that in a helpful way.

She dug yet another plate out of the box and - after tearing through the paper - handed it up to Sophie. Her mother pursed her lips before shaking her head and accepting the dish. Katie smiled and reached back in for another out of the dwindling stash. She was tired, her arms felt heavy and a little shaky, but she was content to do this task, even if it was small.

When the box was finally empty, she snatched the box cutter from the corner of another unopened box before Sophie could grab it, and began to fully disassemble the box they’d transferred the dishes in.

“Stubborn girl,” Sophie muttered as she stood there supervising Katie’s progress. Katie chuckled, but the sound broke off into a sputter. She set the knife down to cover her mouth as the cough became a little more violent.

Her chest was heaving by time she got herself under control once more. Sophie knelt beside her and squeezed her shoulder with one hand, while offering out a glass with the other. Katie accepted it gratefully and tipped the cup back to gulp down the water. It was a little warm, and the glass tasted faintly of paper and dust, but she was desperate for the drink.

She must have chugged it too quickly, however, because it only brought on another coughing fit. Sophie gently rubbed her back, patting her between the shoulder blades until she settled down once more.

“Are you alright?” Sophie inquired finally.

Katie sputtered once more and then nodded. “Yeah,” she gasped. “I’m alright. It’s just dry and I think some water went down the wrong pipe.”

Sophie didn’t immediately reply, so Katie glanced up inquisitively to find Sophie’s brows furrowed. She didn’t look convinced. She brought a hand up to run over Katie’s head and down over her braid. “Maybe you do need to take another little swim then.”

Katie shook her head. It was not that she was opposed to getting back in the water – part of her yearned for it desperately – but while she was adjusting better to having the tail and enjoying it, she wanted her life to be more than simply ruled by unnatural instincts; she wanted balance. “Maybe later,” she decided. “I really am alright. Though, maybe just one more glass?” she requested reluctantly. She couldn’t reach the sink right now to get it herself, though she felt bad making Sophie have to do it.

Thankfully, the woman didn’t seem to mind as she smiled and nodded and took the glass back out of Katie’s hands. Less than thirty seconds later, she handed it back filled to the brim in cool water. Katie drained it just as quickly. “Thank you.”

Sophie nodded and then moved to drag another box over. She picked up the box cutter from where Katie had dropped it and proceeded to rip the top open. Inside were the pans and other cooking utensils. “I just need to get some of this stuff organized and then I think we all deserve a break for lunch. I appreciate the help, but I’m alright in here. Why don’t you go check on Luna?”

Katie wanted to argue, but reluctantly bit her tongue. She appreciated that Sophie cared and knew her mother sometimes just preferred to complete tasks quickly on her own, so she let it go. There would be plenty of opportunity to assist later, and she was rather curious to see where Luna had gotten off to. She was glad the younger Mer was growing more comfortable and beginning to do things on her own – Luna had still remained very glued to her in the first few weeks when they’d gotten to the park; she didn’t even like not being in the same room – but she still worried about her friend. Luna could get just as lost in her thoughts as Katie could, and it was often worse for the other girl.

“Okay,” Katie agreed. “But you have to let me help later.”

“I promise,” Sophie laughed, then waved her hands in the general direction behind Katie. “Now shoo.”

Katie rolled her eyes but turned in place. The house had a wide, open floorplan and the floors were sleek, smooth hardwood that made it relatively easy to slide across; their scales didn’t catch and instead slipped effortlessly across. Katie eyed the wheelchair a few feet away but decided she didn’t really feel like clambering into it. It was clunky and a hassle half the time, and her arms had grown a lot stronger having to pull herself in an out of it the past few weeks.

Choosing to leave it where it was, she placed her palms flat on the cream tiles of the kitchen and pulled herself forward. She curled her tail, flicking it back out to slither over the ground.

“You need a hand?” Sophie inquired.

Katie shook her head. “Nah, this is actually easier.”

“Alright. Just be careful, you don’t want to rub your tail raw.”

“I won’t,” Katie called back as she dragged herself further out of the kitchen, across the dinning room area, and around the corner. The walls of the beach house had been painted a soft sandy shade, with off-white trims. It was bright and open, with large windows framed by flowy curtains that didn’t hinder the bright flow of sunlight into the house. Katie loved it.

She poked her head into the first room she came across, gently pushing the door open a little wider. Lewis was seated cross-legged on the floor; bent over the parts of an office chair he was putting together. Katie cocked her head and gazed around. The desk and bookcase that had clearly been moved in yesterday before they came out. A study. It made sense; Lewis still had to go back to the park for work each day, but he’d need a place to bring reports home and Sophie was hardly the type to sit idle all day either, despite there being a manager now.

Lewis suddenly looked up as he reached for a screwdriver and seemed to notice her. A wide grin pulled across his lips, showing off a full, toothy smile that contrasted brightly against his earthy skin tone. He brought a hand up to sweep some of the dark, thick curls off his face. “Hey Kiddo, everything alright?”

Katie nodded and curled her tail closer to her body, letting the large fin tap gently on the floor. “Yeah. Sophie kicked me out of the kitchen,” she reported with a laugh that Lewis mimicked. He knew just as well as she did what Sophie could be like. She was glad Lewis was staying with them. Back at the park, he had never been far off, and came around often to the apartment, but she was overjoyed that he and Sophie were getting on so well and wanted to live together; Lewis was practically an uncle figure and it would have been weird not to get to see him everyday now that they’d moved.

Lewis nodded and then gestured to the corner of the room. Katie glanced where he was pointing and caught sight of Luna’s light blue fin, just visible behind a stack of boxes.

At first, a burst of concern flared in Katie’s chest, making her lungs constrict, but she forced the negative emotions aside. Lewis didn’t seem concerned, so Luna was probably alright.

Katie pulled herself the rest of the way into the room and around the boxes. Luna was curled up with one forearm flat on the floor to support her. Her long hair was spilling over her shoulder, concealing her face. Beside her was an open puzzle box. The girl was clearly lost in thought, so Katie reached out and pulled some of the brown curtain out of the way. Luna’s head jerked and her crystal gaze redirected to Katie’s face. Below her was a partially completed puzzle outline.

Luna’s cheeks tinged faintly pink and she ducked her head. “I got distracted,” she murmured bashfully.

“I can see that,” Katie giggled. She faintly recalled Sophie suggesting Luna pull out the different games and puzzles from the boxes earlier when she had asked if she could help. Clearly Luna had taken the suggestion seriously; for a time. “What’s this one?” Katie inquired.

Luna reached over to one side and picked up the lid of the puzzle box, which she handed to Katie.

Katie accepted it and glanced down at the lid. The picture on the front was of a jungle cave, with a dark river cutting through the bottom of the puzzle. Out in front of the cave, two tiger cubs were wrestling. One was on it’s back, batting a paw up at the other cub, who had one arm raised. Katie smiled. It was a cute picture, though the heavy greens in the picture would make it a challenge, based on the two-thousand-piece icon written on the box.

“This is a nice one,” she said as she set the lid aside.

“What are they?” Luna inquired as she poked a finger in the direction of the cubs.

“Tigers,” Katie replied. “They’re a species of large jungle cat.”

“Tigers,” Luna repeated. “They are pretty. But why are they fighting?”

Katie picked up another edge piece of the puzzle and patted it down into place along one line of already attached pieces. “They aren’t really fighting,” she assured Luna. “They’re just cubs, siblings probably; they’re just playing.”

Luna hummed in response and pushed another piece into place.

Katie bumped Luna’s shoulder. “We used to play like that,” she pointed out. There were not many pleasant memories from the Lemuria Institution, but Katie held their games close to her heart. She loved her little sister; they’d been through so much together.

“I guess so,” Luna muttered in response. Katie frowned and studied Luna’s expression, which had fallen and she was chewing on her lip. Her posture slumped and Katie’s gut clenched at Luna’s reaction. She was clearly struggling with the reminder. Katie hated that the good things were so soured by the bad. She wanted to brighten that mood.

Pursing her lips, Katie pondered for a moment, and then she bumped Luna again. “You know, tiger cubs play by batting at each other with their big fluffy paws,” she said.

“Oh?” Luna’s gaze flicked back to her.

Katie grinned. “Yeah. Rather like this,” she stated. She raised a hand and brought it down on the back of Luna’s head. She was careful to ensure the blow was gentle, but used the momentum to push Luna’s head down. She then twisted to tickle Luna’s sides, where she tended to be most ticklish.

Luna squealed in response and jerked away from Katie’s fingers. Her eyes narrowed and a smile pulled over her thin lips as she launched herself at Katie.

Laughter barked from Katie’s throat as they tumbled over each other. Luna wound up sprawled on top of her while Katie’s spine was pressed into the floor. The gravity had caused Katie’s tail to flail up, and a look of stunned surprise crossed Luna’s face as Katie’s fin flopped down to whap her on the head.

They both just stared at each other for a moment before Katie began to laugh uncontrollably, her tail smacking back down to the floor. After a moment, Luna’s laughter rose with hers.

“Not all of it was bad,” Katie commented when they both began to settle down.

Luna stared down at her for a moment silently before she nodded, her eyes glistening. “You are right,” she agreed. “It is just hard to think about sometimes.”

“I know,” Katie agreed. Then she bucked her hips and dumped Luna on the floor beside her.

“Hey, if you two are going to roughhouse, take it outside,” Lewis protested with an amused tone.

Katie flipped onto her belly to stare at him. She poked her tongue out between her teeth. “Oh, come off it Lewis,” she teased. “You’re just salty because we’d kick your butt if you joined in.”

Beside her, Luna giggled, and Katie saw her nod out of the corner of her eye. Lewis quirked an eyebrow. “Oh, is that so?” he countered.

Katie’s smile widened and she nodded. “Yes,” she confirmed. “It is absolutely s-” she broke off as her voice cracked and she began to sputter once again. The fit quickly grew more violent and Katie rolled onto her side, using one arm to prop herself up – her other hand covering her mouth – in an effort to breathe a little easier. It didn’t help and she continued to choke loudly, her sides heaving and chest tightening painfully. She wheezed and swallowed a mouthful of saliva as she tried to soothe the inflamed itch in the back of her throat.

“Katie?” Luna inquired; her voice thick with concern.

Katie shook her head and waved a hand in Luna’s direction. “I’m fine,” she rasped before being overtaken again. She winced and gasped, no longer able to properly inhale as her gills flared against her will.

“You’re not fine,” Lewis argued. He was standing over her now, and he crouched down to place a hand on her chest. “Take a breath,” he instructed. He was pushing in on her ribs and Katie choked as she tried to force herself to inhale.

She shook her head and pulled away; the pressure he was applying was making it too hard. She bent over as her coughing graduated into dry heaving, drool leaking down from the sides of her open mouth.

Her fit had drawn Sophie’s attention as well, as her mother came hurrying in with another glass of water. “Katie, you need to relax,” she urged. “Take a drink.”

The rim of the glass bumped Katie’s lips as Sophie held it up to her and she took it in a shaky hand. She sputtered and spilled water across the floor as she tried to gulp down a few mouthfuls.

For a moment it helped, and she was able to take a deep breath, only to be overtaken once more. The glass slipped from her fingers and shattered noisily across the floor, splashing water over her scales. She turned her head and buried her nose in the crook of her elbow as she continued to hack noisily.

Her eyes were squeezed shut, but she could feel a hand on her back. It brushed her braid out of the way and then began to rub along her spine, patting somewhat forcefully between her shoulder blades. “Just breathe, Kate, breathe,” Sophie murmured.

When the fit finally subsided again, Katie slumped sideways – her body felt heavy with exhaustion – and Sophie’s arm was around her instantly, pulling her close. She smoothed back Katie’s hair, and Katie relaxed into her hold for a moment.

After, when she tried to pull away, Sophie’s grip tightened. Katie opened her mouth to protest. “Mom, it’s just a cough. I’m fi-”

“You’re not fine!” Sophie cut her off. She grabbed Katie’s wrist and twisted her arm so she could see the crook of her elbow. Katie frowned as she studied the crimson globs coating her skin.

“Katie? Are you okay?” Luna asked softly.

“I-” Katie broke off with a sigh. She didn’t know what to say. She felt heavy and out of breath, but aside from the violent cough; she did not feel sick, not really.

“She’s going to be alright,” Sophie stepped in to assure Luna. “We’re going to figure it out. For now, hon, you go in the other room, okay? We need to get this glass cleaned up. Lewis?”

“Come here, Katie,” Lewis’s voice was calm as he leaned in and slid a hand under her tail.

Katie’s heart sunk, but she turned and wrapped her arms around his neck. Lewis hugged her close as he hefted her off the floor and she sighed. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, kid,” Lewis assure her. He patted her shoulder and carried her down the hall to a new room. This one had a few boxes with her name written on it, and a mattress on the floor. It had already been made up with her sheets and blanket. The mattress on the floor was much easier for her to access than having a bedframe. Lewis knelt back down and laid her down on the bed. “Just the cough?” he asked.

Katie shrugged. “I feel really tired,” she admitted.

“Just today?”

“Mostly,” she agreed. She had felt a little off yesterday as well, but nothing too noticeable.

“It’s probably just the stress,” Lewis stated. “You haven’t been sleeping properly and you’ve probably just picked up a bug. But just to be safe, I’m going to go get my bag.”

Katie sighed. She didn’t want a medical examination; she was tired of feeling like this, but she didn’t protest. She knew neither Sophie nor Lewis would accept anything less.

“Stay here,” Lewis requested. His hand plopped down on her head and ruffled up the locks. She sighed again but nodded. There was no sense being difficult about it.

She watched him leave the room, then burst into another round of coughs. It was just as violent as the last, and she slapped a hand over her mouth. When she finally settled back down, she pulled her hand away to find more bloody flecks coating her fingers. She panted as she stared at the slimed digits. She bit her lip as she curled her fingers into a fist. They were right; there was something wrong.