Karina settled down in the sand – clearly intent on lingering – as Nero swam off. Riley remained upright, her gaze shifting nervously over the desolate section of reef. Dawn had barely broken, so she was not surprised not many were awake, but she still could not shake the itchy feeling crawling beneath her scales. She was not certain she was prepared to face any of her family or the other changes she was undoubtedly going to find among her former pod. Already a gaping void was growing in her chest, clawing achingly at her heart with every beat.

“Are you alright?”

Riley’s attention snapped from her jumbled worries to the woman resting on the ground in front of her. She was lying on one hip to keep weight off her pregnant belly and was propping herself up with a forearm stretched across the sand. Her tail was curled limply with the tips of her fins twitching through the fine grains. Riley’s brows furrowed.

“You look exhausted,” Karina continued. “You should rest.”

Riley wanted to object, but she knew it was both pointless, and rude to hover while Karina was lying down, so she sunk to the sand with a sigh, her fins stirring up the grit and dust around her as she settled herself. Once she was down, her fatigue slammed into her like a speeding bull shark and she groaned. Her head bowed and the arm she had used to prop herself up quaked with the effort. She sunk a little further down onto the sand and shivered.

“What happened to you?” Karina queried. Her eyebrows dipped together and creases sprouted along her forehead.

Riley stretched out onto her stomach and folded her arms in front of her so she could rest her chin atop the limbs. “I took the twister current to get here and expended a bit too much energy. I will be alright.”

“That was a dangerous choice,” Karina observed.

Riley shrugged, her shoulders scrunching up around her ears and inadvertently jarring her chin against her forearms. “Sometimes a risk is necessary.”

Karina hummed in the back of her throat and did not press the matter further.

“What of you and Nero?” Riley prompted. “My cousin is shy, and not renowned for his social skills. It is hard to picture him with a mate.”

Karina’s eyes twinkled with amusement and a soft giggle bubbled from her lips as she nodded. “He is rather reserved,” she agreed. “But he is also gentle and protective, and he has my heart. But I suppose it is the story you are interested in.”

“Please,” Riley agreed.

Karina dipped her head. “I first met Nero many cycles of the seasons ago. He was badly injured in a vicious storm. Though we never knew exactly what had happened to him, he was found not far from a tempest tube and so we believed he was overpowered by a current and thrown into it,” Karina explained.

Riley winced. Just as a twister current was a temporary current, a tempest tube tended to only manifest during particularly violent storms. They were almost always a death sentence and even she would not consider going near one. The waters were fast enough to slice scales to shreds and they tended to pick up great amounts of debris that made them a deadly cyclone that would either peel away the skin from one’s bones, or toss them to the sand impaled or broken. If it was true, it was a miracle Nero survived at all.

“My grandmother was a fine healer and cared for him, though it was not from her skills alone that he recovered. Nero has always been stubborn, though it appears to run in the family,” Karina continued.

She winked in Riley’s direction and Riley grinned in response. “Perhaps a little,” she agreed.

“I was in my sixteenth turn at the time and I was curious. Our pod did not travel, but remained upon our one reef, and we did not meet many strangers passing through – we were away from any well-travelled waterways. It took a long time for him to be well enough to even swim, so I used to spend the days sitting with him. He did not speak much, and could barely even make eye contact with me for a while – when he was not sleeping – but the silence was comfortable. I did not mind it. Though he nearly scared me witless when he finally did say something. I had been beginning to believe he had no voice at all.”

“That certainly sounds like Nero,” Riley commented. She could imagine her older cousin remaining in brooding silence and retreating to his thoughts rather than braving engaging in conversation.

Karina nodded. “After he broke the silence, we talked more. Not a lot, mind you – he has never been one for lively chats – and mostly I talked and he listened, chiming in on occasion, but I found myself enjoying his company more and more.

“Several moons passed before he was well enough to travel, and we all anticipated he would leave, for he spoke of your pod often enough. I was shocked and overjoyed when he decided to stay. Though neither of us had admitted our fondness to one another, I had fancied the idea that it was because of me. I was right, as I learned later. I believe he knew that I would not follow if he left. I loved him, and I would have missed him, but I was young and had never left the sanctum of my pod. My family was small and it was incredibly uncommon for children to venture off on their own. I regret that it meant his family was forced to believe him dead for so long,” Karina sighed.

Riley frowned and flicked her fins. She tapped her fingers in the sand as she listened to the tale Karina had to tell. “What made you both come here then?” she asked. The details of their blooming courtship were sweet, but Riley’s curiosity overpowered her, and she craved answers.

She immediately regretted the inquiry as Karina’s face fell, caving in on itself as she bowed her head and her entire posture slumped. There was a long moment before the other Mer began to speak. “My pod is gone,” she sighed, a broken whimper strangling the words as she spoke them. “Nero and I had gone off a ways that night. We never went too far, but our bond was new and we enjoyed some solitude to simply enjoy one another’s company. The weather grew poor, and the water turbulent, so we took shelter among the roots of a mangrove forest branching off the coast of a nearby island. We were not too concerned, if anything it was almost exhilarating. I had never really experienced any excitement or risk before, and I never felt unsafe when I was with Nero,” Karina sighed.

“But while we were relatively safe, if quite battered by waves and rain, a human ship crashed into the reef. The rocks and power of the storm were enough to tear its metal belly, and it spilled black poison across the water.”

“Oil,” Riley murmured. She was familiar with similar substances, but it matched the substance Karina spoke of as well, as she had learned from Sophie.

Karina’s lips pressed into a thin, grim line and she nodded. “Dark as squid ink and thicker than kelp pulp. It soured the ocean. Nero and I could taste it even though we were out of range, and by dawn – when the storm had abated – the wind had blown the first globs towards us. We got away only because we were so far from the spill. My family was not so fortunate. It clogs our gills, Riley, and even if we could clear it or remain at the surface to breathe through mouth and nose, the toxicity is fatal. There was nothing to go back to. My family had perished, and the reef was destroyed. We braved venturing back to be sure and were sick for days just for getting close. That was when Nero tracked his pod and brought me here. They have been very welcoming and I am happy here, but the shadows of my past still hang heavy on my heart.”

“I am sorry,” Riley whispered. “It was not my intent to poke at thorns.”

Karina shook her head. “Your ignorance was innocent,” she decided with a slow wave of her hand. “I am heartbroken at the events that brought us here, but I am glad to know Nero’s family. Though, our return was not so happy either. Nero came back to find his family overjoyed to see him, but one dear to him had perished.”

“Kera,” Riley nodded. Though she knew Luna was alive and well, she still secretly mourned the loss of the young girl she had once been. One full of energy and kindness, that defied a fate life had seemed to intend for her.

“Yes,” Karina agreed. “I had looked forward to meeting his little sister. He spoke of her so fondly, how could I not? He did not handle the news so well. He held the hope that perhaps she too had survived. After all, he was believed dead and claimed she had already defied the odds.”

Karina sighed and brushed her hair back behind her ear. “But the sentiment angered your uncle and brought too much distress to Rebecca. I only know her through stories, but Kera was born too early, was she not?”

“Yes,” Riley agreed. “She was small and sickly, and it stunted her growth. No one anticipated she would survive for long. My aunt Becca never played favorites, but losing Kera nearly broke her. She had held her daughter close for many moons, fighting to give her a better chance at life.”

Karina nodded. “A child that young could not have survived on her own, realistically. It is terrible to say, but my pod believed that we only had so much time to exist. I imagine Rebecca gave Kera a little more time, and life came to collect when that finally ran out. Nero could not accept it, but the very mention of her name stirs a conflict with his parents now. The false hope is too painful for them, and I understand that sort of wound. It takes far too long to heal to risk ripping it wide again.”

Riley bit her tongue. She knew the truth and wanted desperately to correct Karina, but that would not help the situation. The older Mer had inadvertently given her crushing, but vital information, and Riley had come to a realization because of it.

She had been gone for too long, and while she did not truly doubt her aunt and uncle would welcome her back, they no longer knew her beyond the stubborn and mischievous child she had been. If she returned now with wild tales of their long dead daughter…she had only anticipated they would share the disbelieving joy that she had experienced when she saw Luna for the first time. She had not considered that it would be seen as a false hope. If she told them now, would they even believe her? Could she convince either of them to accompany her for proof?

She wondered if concealing it from them would be a better method, but she doubted her ability to convince them to come with her.

She forced herself to push the concerns aside. She wanted to reunite with her aunt and uncle before she made any decisions.

Silence lapsed between Karina and herself, but the older Mer did not seem to mind. The dawn was lighting up the water in a faint golden hue and Karina seemed content to simply rest. Riley did not blame her. She imagined it was a lot of work to grow new life within as Karina was.

Riley sighed and shifted her weight to fall slack and allow her eyes to slip closed. She was so tired, it felt like she had swallowed a boulder.

Though the silence was peaceful enough that she could have drifted off, she was not able to remain undisturbed for long and she lifted her head when the water around her shifted. A shadow passed over her seconds before Nero came to rest back down on the sand beside Karina. Riley was about to ask about her aunt, when she felt smooth fingers brush over her spine.

“Lay back down.” Her aunt’s voice was weary and firm, but not unfriendly, and Riley obeyed without question. Rebecca was strict when it came to her patients as a healer, and Riley had long since learned the pointlessness of resisting. “What you did was foolish.”

“I am aware of the risk I took. I was racing to catch up before the migration progressed too far ahead,” Riley muttered back.

Her aunt’s hands were warm and her fingers dexterous as she settled in beside Riley and began to firmly press her fingertips into the muscles along Riley’s back. At first, she winced and squirmed as the stiff tendons protested painfully at the pressure, then sighed when she felt them loosen.

“We have not migrated for a few turns now, Riley.”

Riley groaned and squeezed her eyes shut. The rush, the risk, had all been a pointless and grueling exercise. At least she had arrived rapidly; it meant Luna would have less time to wait. “I did not know.”

There was no response from her aunt and Riley felt her gut clench as her motions paused. When Riley tried to sit back up, her aunt pushed her down again and resumed teasing the tension from her back. “Stay down. What you did was dangerous and you need to allow your body to recover now.”

“I am sorry,” Riley whimpered. Her guilt came flooding like an agonizing weight in her chest. “I should have come to visit. I was so lost in my pain and sense of betrayal that I never even considered coming back. I left behind the few who did love and care for me. I am sorry.”

Riley bit her lip and then pushed herself up and turned to face her aunt. She had to.

Rebecca’s dark brown hair floated around her jawline. It had been longer last Riley had seen her. Her pale face and large brown eyes stared evenly back at Riley. The emerald scales – the only thing that lingered in Luna’s memories – shone in the morning light. At first, there was a disapproving frown on Rebecca’s face, but it softened shortly and she leaned forward to embrace Riley, who threw her arms around her aunt and clung to her.

“You had to go your own way,” Rebecca murmured. “I always knew that, Riley. You had to figure out your life for yourself, and you could not do it here. Did you find it out there?”

Riley nodded against her aunt’s shoulder. “I think so,” she gasped. “I have learned a lot about myself and my dreams, and about family too; what it really means.”

“Good. I am glad.”

Riley carefully untangled herself from her aunt’s embrace. She sat still while her aunt glanced her over. Rebecca’s fingers drifted down to brush over one of her gliders, making Riley shiver.

“You have certainly grown,” Rebecca murmured. “And you hold yourself proud.” Her hand drifted up over Riley’s arm. “Strong and healthy. You have become everything I knew you could; given a little space to do so. Are you happy, Riley?”

“Yes,” Riley responded, surprising even herself with the level of conviction in her tone. She had a family that accepted her, and a consistent home that welcomed her each time she returned, and she felt free to roam or remain at her leisure. Her past was still clouded with pain, but her newfound joy was strong enough to overshadow all of it.

“Then that is all that matters. It was all I ever wanted for you. Now lay back down. You will rest and then eat, and when you have properly recovered, we will speak about the reasons behind your return,” Aunt Becca said. She raised a hand to brush her knuckles along Riley’s cheek, and Riley closed her eyes. She had not realized quite how much she had missed her aunt, and she found herself looking forward to seeing her uncle again as well.

“I suspect it is more than simply a visit that has brought you here if you felt desperate enough to risk your life in a twister. But whatever it is can wait. I will not have you collapsing again.”

Riley frowned. She did not recall mentioning to her aunt how she had passed out upon leaving the current, but Rebecca simply scowled at her and Riley squeaked when her hand came up to whack her over the head.

“I am not a fool, Riley. I know what that would have done to you. You are no longer a child making hasty choices for her family to bail her out of – you are grown now, and you must shake this rash behavior or it is going to catch up with you one day.”

Riley opened her mouth to protest, but when her Aunt’s frown deepened, she decided it wise to simply shut her mouth now. Behind her, she could hear Nero’s soft, half-smothered chortling and she grit her teeth. Nero had always mocked her being lectured. She twisted to glare at him, but faltered under the warm amusement in his gaze. She jabbed a finger in his direction. “I am old enough now to challenge you properly,” she hissed. “I never got the chance before you disappeared. I intend to collect on that once I have my strength back.”

“You are as brash as ever,” Nero responded calmly with a shake of his head.

Riley sensed the motion this time and ducked out of the way of her aunt’s swinging palm. “Yes, yes, I know, I should be resting,” she groaned as she settled back in the sand.

“That was for ignoring what I just said about being hasty,” Rebecca growled. “Now go to sleep or I will make you lie here for even longer. I am sure a few turns of the moon will be sufficient.”

Riley sighed and dropped grumpily down into the sand. “Fine,” she caved. A wide yawn split her lips and she shifted on the ground.

Her aunt’s hands returned on her back and Riley slumped further, a murmur of contentment slipping past her lips as Aunt Rebecca massaged the overworked muscles. Another yawn cracked her jaw wide and she felt her eyes drift closed. Her aunt was good at what she did, and Riley felt herself slipping off the edge of consciousness once more. At least here she was relatively safe, for now.