It was late enough into the afternoon that the sun was starting to droop and stain the sky a soft, golden pink when Sophie finally called for a break. They had moved outside after a while to enjoy the sun, and Katie was thrilled that they had not lost access to a cove. The sand here was a little muckier, especially under the wide, over the water deck, and the beach space was smaller, but the water was fresh and warm, and they were surrounded by taller, shielding cliffs that Katie appreciated. There were also several small tunnels through the cliffs that led out to the water. A few were natural, but she suspected some parts had been further hollowed out on purpose. It would make it impossible for someone to sneak up on them or trap them in the main lagoon since there was more than one exit now.

Sophie had lasted longer than Katie had anticipated but after a few hours of swimming and treading water and being splashed, she had finally called for a break and hauled herself out onto the deck. Lewis had been waiting with a towel and leaned in so he could steal a kiss.

Seeing them together brought a smile to Katie’s face. She had watched them for years, always quietly wondering if they had been together once, were just clueless, or if it was just the nature of their friendship, but finding out they had finally figured it all out had been a wonderful feeling. Her mom deserved to be happy too, she had always sacrificed everything for everyone else, and Katie could not think of anyone better for her to be with than Lewis, who was quite possibly the sweetest guy her mom could have chosen.

When they pulled apart, Lewis glanced down at her and grinned. “Are we being graded or chaperoned?” he teased. His one arm was still tightly bound in a cast, but he draped his good one over Sophie’s shoulders and pulled her closer.

“Oh, definitely chaperoned,” Katie retorted. She stuck her tongue out and leaned against the deck with her arms folded over one another. “In fact, I believe you may have kissed her a few seconds over the allowed limit, so I might have to ground you.”

Her mom began to laugh and shake her head. “Is that so? Well, maybe Lewis and I should just go to our room and think about our transgressions.”

“Oh yes,” Lewis agreed. “I’m sure our solitude will make us feel very sorry. We’ll definitely learn our lesson.”

Katie’s nose wrinkled and she stuck her tongue out. Lewis and her mom were saved from her scolding retort when they were finally joined by Rebecca and Ixion, who surfaced from the water exit to and from the new home. Moments later, the backdoor opened and Az, Devin and Carson, made their way onto the deck. Their arrival drew everyone else’s attention.

Devin stepped forward and nodded at Sophie. “Everything seems to be alright here for now, so Carson and I are going to let you all have a little peace.”

“You don’t have to go,” Lewis replied. “You’re certainly more than welcome to stay for something to eat at least. You’ve done all of this for us, it would be the least we can do.”

“We have to get back now,” Carson insisted. “And you all owe us nothing. We’re a phone call away if anything goes amiss, and we’ll probably check in every couple of days for the first bit anyway; just in case.”

Sophie carefully extracted herself from Lewis’ embrace and left wet footprints across the deck planks as she approached the two and offered out a hand. “Thank you. For everything.”

“We are going to be departing as well,” Ixion spoke up and shattered the silence that had followed the unspoken conversation Sophie and Devin seemed to have. His words were like having a red hot poker skewered through her heart, and Katie tensed up. Beside her, Luna seemed equally panicked because her scent turned rancid with distress and her head whipped around to focus on her parents.

“What?” she squeaked.

Ixion closed the distance between them and cupped the side of Luna’s face in his hand. “Do not be distressed,” he soothed her. “A final decision has not been made and we are not leaving for good. You are staying here with your brother. Your mother and I must go and look at some solutions.”

Luna nuzzled into her father’s touch and hummed. “Can I come with you?” she inquired.

Rebecca shook her head. “Stay here, Luna. Stay with your brother and Katie. We will be back by morning at the latest and I would rather know you are safe and happy here. Az is coming with us.”

When Rebecca announced that, Sophie turned to Az, who had maneuvered his wheelchair to the edge of the deck. “Is that safe for you, Az?” she checked. “I don’t mean anything by it, but I thought swimming was difficult for you now.”

Though she had not known him for very long, Katie found Az to be a strange delight. In many ways, she felt she could relate to him, and his existence made her feel reassured about her own. It was possible for a Mer to live a relatively comfortable life on land, so long as they had friends or family who were understanding and willing to assist.

Az dipped his head in her mom’s direction and shrugged. “Difficult, but not impossible. It would not be wise for me to embark on a journey alone, nor for me to swim long distances, but our destination is not far and I will be fine. Besides, I know where Rebecca and Ixion would like to go, and I can lead them there,” he explained.

“We will escort him back home after,” Ixion added. “There is a conversation to be had with the pod currently staying there.”

Devin stepped up as Az pulled his tail free of the extension on his chair and slid from the seat. His coppery scales glistened in the light of the late afternoon sun, and Katie tried to peer curiously at his clover-shaped fin without coming across as staring. The jagged scars along his fin stood out, gnarled and warped against the otherwise smooth membrane and it made Katie wince. The wounds that caused them had to have been painful, and she imagined they still hurt now. Most Mer had very sensitive fins and picturing ragged lacerations like that made Katie shudder. Az must have noticed the motion because he met her gaze, and heat rose in Katie’s cheeks. Instead of getting cross or saying something, Az merely offered her a sloppy grin and a wink before his attention was redirected as Devin placed her hand on his head.

“Be careful out there,” she urged. “We’ll bring your chair back home, but don’t push yourself too hard, okay?”

“I will be fine,” Az replied in a soothing tone. He grabbed Devin’s wrist and pulled her hand away from his hair, before sliding his grip down until they were holding hands. “Do not worry, Devin,” he urged.

Devin knelt down and embraced him, and her fingers pulled almost frantically at the fabric of Az’s plaid shirt. “It’s my job to worry about my little brothers,” she murmured. “Neither of you make that very easy sometimes.”

While the two shared a moment, Katie glanced over to find Luna still huddled up with her parents. “If you are not going for long, may I come? Where are you going?”

Katie folded her hands under her and rested her head on the deck as she watched the scene unfold. Ixion leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Luna’s brow. “You will have more fun here,” he refused gently. “Your mother and I need to make a few decisions by ourselves, and Az is coming along merely as a guide through these waters. Take a deep breath, Luna; you are not being left behind or forgotten.”

It was sweet to see Luna and her parents together. Especially when Luna did take a breath and then nod. “I know,” she murmured. “I just want to see more of the ocean. I have missed out on so much.”

“And you will experience it all still,” Rebecca agreed. “Luna, your father and I want nothing more than to show you all the wonders of home and to teach you all you would have learned had you grown up with us. Very soon, we will realize that dream together – the three of us – but I need you to be patient just a little longer.”

Luna was silent for a moment before she nodded. “I suppose Karina could use some help keeping Nero under control now that she has the baby too,” she relented.

“It is hard work,” Karina called from where she sat, tucked up in Nero’s lap on the far end of the dock. Nero had an easy smile on his face and both arms leaned back supporting his and Karina’s weight.

“Besides, we’re going to barbecue tonight,” Lewis chimed in. “Trust me, you won’t want to miss the kababs we’re making.”

“What are kababs?” Luna echoed.

“Little chunks of cooked meat and vegetables skewered on a stick,” Katie explained. “You can put a lot of stuff on them.”

“Mangoes?” Luna requested.

Lewis began to laugh and shake his head. “Way ahead of you on that one, kiddo, don’t you worry.”

Luna hummed with delight. “Okay, I will stay,” she agreed with an eager tone.

“Then I guess I’d better go heat up the barbecue,” Lewis announced. He dusted his hands on his pants before backing off from the cluster they’d all made.

Az had broken away from Devin and Carson, and slipped into the water, where Rebecca was waiting. Ixion paused just long enough to cup Luna’s cheek once more. “We will be back by morning,” he assured her one last time before the three of them dove beneath the surface of the water. Katie tried to follow their outlines from where she sat, but they were deeper into the cove before long and then out of sight.

Luna sighed and her shoulders slumped, so Katie leaned over and began to rub Luna’s back. Everything had gotten so crazy that they had not had much time together. “Are you alright?” she asked in a hushed tone.

Luna nodded, but her head drooped until her chin was resting on the deck boards. “Yeah,” she murmured. “I just want everyone to be together. Katie…how do you make a choice like this? What are you going to-”

Katie cut Luna off with a finger to her sister’s lips. She shook her head. “Do not worry about that right now,” she refused. “I do not want to worry about it anymore for today. We still have time, okay?”

The agony that glistened in Luna’s soft blue eyes made Katie’s heart squeeze. There was a lot that went unsaid between them. Tears were brimming in her gaze and her lips were parted with dismay, but she did not say anything.

To lighten the subject, Katie ran her fingers through Luna’s hair. It was so long and heavy that she still was not sure how Luna did not suffer from constant headaches or neck cramps, but the younger Mer remained adamant that she liked it long. Sophie had tied it back for her on several occasions, and Katie had learned over their time spent together that it was not so much about hairstyles or having it out of her face that attracted Luna to the concept. She just loved the sensation of having her hair played with. “Want me to pull this back for you?” she offered.

Luna was silent for a moment longer before she smiled weakly. Her eyes were still glossy and there was a quiver to her lip as she offered the shaky expression, but it was clear that she was just as eager to move on from the painful topic still hanging over them. “Would you braid it?” she requested.

“Yes,” Katie agreed. She pulled herself out of the water and tucked her tail beneath her while Luna mimicked her actions and got settled in front of her. She reached out and began pulling her fingers through Luna’s hair over and over. Luna hummed in the back of her throat and tilted her head back a little further.

“Would you like a brush?”

Katie glanced up as her mother made the offer, then shook her head. “No thank you,” she refused. She did accept the hair tie that her mom was holding out for her.

A few minutes untangling Luna’s long, sopping locks, and then Katie gathered the mass of hair and began splitting it into sections to fold over one another.

Once it was tied back, Luna grabbed the long tail and ran her fingers over it. “Thanks, Katie,” she beamed.

Katie dragged her younger sister into a hug. “Checkers later?” she suggested.

“Yes!” Luna agreed eagerly.

Katie hummed and squeezed Luna tight enough that it prompted her sister to retaliate until they were both wheezing and laughing breathlessly.

“I missed you,” Luna whispered.

“Me too,” Katie agreed.

She looked up when she heard a loud chime echo through the house. A frown pulled onto her lips and she glanced up at her mom. “Was that the doorbell?” she inquired.

“Sounds like it,” Sophie confirmed. The concern Katie felt must have shown on her face because her mom held up a placating hand. “Relax, it might just be a neighbour come to say ‘hello’ and welcome us to the area,” she reminded. “We’ve been through a lot, but that doesn’t mean it’s anything bad.”

“I thought we did not have any neighbours though?” Katie checked. She could not understand why her mother did not seem more concerned.

Sophie shrugged and grinned. “Well then, maybe I invited someone.”

“What? But…who?”

Her mom jerked her head towards the backdoor. “Why don’t you come find out,” she suggested. “Hop up in a wheelchair and we’ll go answer the door.”

“But…”

“Katie, surely you know by now that I would never have someone over or have you come if I thought for a moment that it was unsafe?”

“No,” Katie relented. But that did not settle the unease squeezing at her heart. “I just…Who is it?”

Her mom had a calm, patient smile as she beckoned. “Someone I trust,” she replied. “Now come inside.”

Whether Katie wanted to back out or not seemed irrelevant as her mother crouched down and opened her arms. Katie hesitated a moment longer before leaning forward and wrapping her arms around her mom’s neck so that she could pick her up more easily.

Katie’s skin crawled as her mother carried her back inside the house, away from the curious glances both Riley and Luna were giving her. Though they had all been using the boards to get around since she had woken up, her mother kept wheelchairs around – perhaps in case of emergency or situations where they might need to conceal their tails – so it was not too surprising to see that one was already out and waiting in the main hall.

Once Sophie had lowered her into it, Katie took a moment to shift in the seat and pull her tail up under her body so that her fin spread against her back. A little more shuffling and she was able to sit a bit more comfortably in the chair. Though impatience was itching beneath her skin as though thousands of ants were crawling across her flesh, Katie forced herself to remain silent as her mom shook out a blanket to cover her tail.

“Mom, I-” Katie broke off as her mother pulled a shirt over her head. Katie waved her away and finished putting the top on herself. It was a relatively plain, pale blue t-shirt, but Katie wanted to make sure all of her scales were covered properly. “I would feel a lot better if you would just tell me who is here,” she expressed firmly.

Sophie’s smile was tender and small, but her eyes were glossy and she knelt as though there was an extra weight on her shoulders. “Katie, I know you’ve been struggling with the decision on whether to stay or go – and it remains your choice, I would never try to sway you or force you – your life has been drastically altered and we’ve all been through a lot. But I don’t think just because parts of your future have been snatched from you, that you deserve to lose your past too. I’ve asked a couple of old friends to come pay a visit is all.”

“Who?” Katie pressed.

Her mom shook her head. “Leave me some of my surprise,” she urged.

Katie chewed her lip. They were not in Australia anymore and all of her friends surely thought she was dead. She was not quite sure who could be waiting out front or how she would face them given the circumstances. “Do they know?” she checked.

“No,” Sophie replied. “That’s not for me to disclose. All they know is that you’re alive. I said that you were abducted and that you’ve been through some physical and mental trauma, but that some company might do you good, and I honestly think it will. Whether or not you want them to know is your choice – although hiding Riley and Luna might be a challenge – but I think you should. I wouldn’t bring anyone here that I didn’t trust with your safety.” Her mom paused as the doorbell rang again, followed by some soft knocking. “We probably shouldn’t keep them waiting. Are you ready?”

Katie desperately wanted to refuse. She wanted to hide in a dark corner or the bottom of the cove until they left, but she knew that was both impolite and impractical. She did trust her mom’s judgement, and she had gone through the trouble, so Katie took a deep breath and nodded. “Okay,” she agreed shakily.

The attempt at bravery earned her a gentle squeeze of her fingers as her mother took her hand. For a fraction of a second, they were both silent before her mom patted her arm and stepped away to answer the door.

Sophie pulled it open with a breathless sigh and then smiled and made a welcoming motion with her arm. “Hello. Sorry about the wait,” she apologized. “It took us a couple of minutes to get situated.”

The woman that walked through the door had dark brown hair cut in a bob that was long in the front and cut short in the back. The bangs on one side were pinned back with a clip, and she was wearing a longer floral summer dress with a thin shawl over her shoulders. She strode forward and embraced Sophie. “Please don’t apologize,” she expressed. “I can’t imagine what you’re all going through; I just wasn’t sure if you heard the bell the first time.”

Katie sat silently with her heart pounding in her chest as she watched her mother embrace the woman back. “It’s good to see you, Ruth.”

Ruth had been over to their home a few times through Katie’s life, and there had been many afternoons spent at Ruth’s place as well.

When their embrace ended, Ruth glanced over with sympathy sparkling in her dark eyes. “Oh Katie,” she murmured. At first, Ruth trailed off as though she was not sure what else to say. “I am glad you’re safe,” she offered finally. It only took her two strides to close the distance before she crouched down and placed a hand on the blanket covering Katie’s tail. “How are you holding up?”

Katie flinched at the contact but swallowed the nervous lump in her throat. She knew that Ruth did not come alone. She shrugged in response to Ruth’s inquiry. “As best I can, I suppose,” she answered vaguely but honestly. Sometimes it felt like she was holding onto her sanity by her fingernails, but she was having good days as well. There was no better way to describe what she felt inside.

Ruth merely nodded her understanding. “I can imagine. Do you feel up to some company today?”

Katie hesitated and chewed on her lip. It made sense now why she had not been bombarded yet. Ruth and Sophie were mom friends, and Katie had been best friends with Ruth’s son and daughter for years, but Ruth had probably made them wait outside until she was sure Katie could handle a crowd. It made the most sense since Ruth did not know the whole truth and could probably only guess at the circumstances or level of trauma that had occurred. She appreciated the courtesy and desperately yearned to see her old friends again, but she was also terrified. Seeing them meant she needed to tell them the truth and she was afraid of how they would react.

Ruth seemed to read her hesitation as reluctance. “Perhaps we should come back another day,” she suggested.

Katie shook her head. “No,” she refused. “I am sorry, I suppose I am just nervous. I have not seen anyone since…before,” she admitted. “I want to do this. My mom is right, I should do this.”

The relief sparkling in Ruth’s eyes made Katie feel a little better despite her uncertainty. Her friends were probably eager to see her again too, if their mother was relieved they would not have to leave. “That’s very brave of you, hon. Just remember that you can pull the plug anytime you need to, alright? Let me just text Jax; I wanted them to stay in the car just in case.” Ruth rose back up to full height and pulled out her phone.

A minute later, Katie could hear a car door opening and then swinging shut, followed by rapid footsteps. Though Ruth had said she was messaging Jax, it was Hannah that came racing through the door. Her flip-flops slapped noisily against the floor and she nearly ran smack into Sophie in her haste. “Oh! I’m sorry Miss Broo…err, Sophie,” Hannah stammered as Sophie raised her brow with disapproval. Katie bit her lip to keep from laughing as a deep blush spread across Hannah’s cheeks. Sophie never did care for formalities unless necessary.

“Hello, Hannah. It’s good to see you,” Sophie replied calmly.

Ruth, however, had stiffened over the interaction that had occurred over the last few seconds. “Hannah!” Her tone was sharp and scolding, though her volume did not raise. “We discussed this already. You need to be calm right now, and if you can’t do that, I’ll send you back outside.”

“I’m sorry, mum, I…” Hannah trailed off as she and Katie finally made eye contact.

Seeing her old friend felt like a grab bag of emotions for Katie and she swallowed a heavy lump clogging her throat.

Hannah’s frizzy dark hair had been pulled up into a bun, but she had several fly-away curls that were falling in her face. Her chocolate eyes watered with tears and her lip quivered for a moment before she closed the distance between them and practically fell into Katie’s lap with a sob. She wrapped her arms tightly around Katie’s neck and clung on with a death grip. “You really are alive,” Hannah whimpered. “I never wanted to believe you were gone.”

Despite her nervousness about the situation, Katie could not help squeezing her friend back. She had several good friends before Lemuria had stripped her of her life and her future, but Hannah was the best of them all. In many ways, she was Katie’s first friend, and that bond had never faded. Of all of her former social group, Hannah and her brother Jax were the only two who knew Katie from before she had come to live with Sophie. They had met at a kids group that her father used to take Katie to before she started school since their neighbourhood did not have many kids her age.

What had started with a shared packet of Jaffas and an afternoon of laughter had morphed into a lifelong bond. She did not realize just how much she had missed Hannah until now.

“You are in a wheelchair,” Hannah noticed in a subdued tone. She pulled away long enough to wipe her eyes on the bridge of her hand. “Are you hurt? Is it…temporary or…?”

Katie sighed and glanced away as she contemplated how best to answer that. She was not confined to the chair, technically, but that was not really the implication in Hannah’s question. “I will not walk again if that is what you mean,” she muttered finally. She clenched her fingers into a fist around the blanket covering her tail. She wanted to tell Hannah the truth – they had always been able to share anything with one another – but just the thought of forming the words filled her with such a knot of anxiety that she felt ill.

“Hey, if the two of us could learn sign language for Abby, I can learn to crouch for you,” Hannah teased. Her tone was gentle, but there was sorrow sparkling in her gaze.

Katie forced a smile and a small chuckle. She appreciated that Hannah would always try to cheer her up. “I just need you to promise me something,” she whispered after a moment.

“What is it?”

“Promise me that you will not treat me any differently? A lot has happened…a lot has changed…but I am still me and I just…I am afraid of how people see me changing too,” she admitted.

Katie had barely finished speaking when Hannah was squeezing her so hard that her ribs creaked in protest. “I promise,” Hannah vowed. “You’re my best friend, Katie, and no matter what else happens, that will never change.”

Though her embrace was painful, it was also refreshing, and Katie leaned into it further and closed her eyes. For a moment, she could almost just relax and pretend everything was normal. Until a hand was plopped on her head, spooking her out of her reverie as she lurched up out of the hug to see who it was.

Jax was grinning down at her. Unlike his mother and sister, who both had more of a dark cinnamon complexion, Jax was darker than coffee grinds, with a pearly grin and a short patch of inky hair. He was a year younger than Hannah but had gone through a massive growth spurt in the last two years that he now stood taller than anyone in the room. “Hey, Kat,” he greeted.

Katie wrinkled her nose and stuck her tongue out in response to the nickname.

“It’s good to see you,” he added.

She inclined her head towards him and smiled. “You too,” she agreed.

“You scared us, you know. Don’t do it again; I don’t want to have to attend your funeral a second time.”

“I had forgotten about that,” Katie admitted with a frown. It was a strange thought. People had come to mourn her death and somewhere in the cemetery back home, she had a grave. It was fake, it did not count, but it still felt eerie to consider. Most of the world – or at least those in her world – thought she was dead.

“It was awful,” Hannah declared. “Even Jax cried.”

“Aww, you did? I knew you cared about me,” Katie teased.

She thoroughly enjoying how Jax’s cheeks coloured and he glanced away with a wave of his hand. “Yeah well, you should have seen this one, she was her own personal puddle. I don’t know who was the worst off the whole afternoon, but Hannah was definitely in the running.”

Though it was all banter, Katie could see in their eyes that it was also an incredibly painful topic. Lemuria had hurt a lot of people with everything that they did. There were tears in her mom’s eyes as Sophie approached and knelt down. Hannah shuffled awkwardly out of the way to make room. “Let’s just agree that it was a terrible moment for everyone,” her mother murmured as she took and squeezed Katie’s hand. “One that no one wants to relive.”

“I agree,” Katie confirmed, though she barely managed to elevate her tone past a whisper, and her voice felt strangled. She leaned forward for one more hug and as her mother embraced her, an instinctive purr began to rumble in her throat.

“Uh…Katie, are you…purring?” Jax inquired awkwardly.

Katie stiffened in her mom’s embrace and bit down hard on her lip to squash the hum in her chest. She coughed to clear her throat and found herself searching her mother’s face for assistance.

Sophie merely smiled back at her and brushed some of her hair off her face. “You need to tell them,” she urged.

Katie took a breath and winced as her friends gave her their full attention after her mother’s comment. She floundered for a moment, feeling rather abandoned as her mom stepped away to give her some room. After taking another breath, Katie rubbed awkwardly at the back of her neck. “Umm…so do you guys know about that…that mermaid thing up in America?” she stammered.

Jax and Hannah both nodded. “Yeah,” Hannah agreed. “We actually got to go. Not too long after your…your funeral, mum took us on a trip. It was supposed to help take our minds off of it, I guess, but really it just made me cry. It was a really neat, totally once-in-a-lifetime thing, but all I could think about was how over the moon you would have been. I wish you could have experienced it, but I think it’s closed now. Something happened to the mermaids.”

Katie nodded along as her friend elaborated. She had not known that any of them had been, but there were thousands of people there every day and she and Luna had not always been in the best state either. She could have easily missed over her friends in those conditions. “I did experience it,” she admitted finally. Tears watered in her gaze and she bit down on the inside of her cheek. She was not certain she was ready for this, but she imagined that the longer she held off, the harder it would become. “Every single day…for months.”

“I don’t understand?” Jax frowned.

Another deep breath. She was starting to feel a little woozy now. Katie gulped at the grating lump in her throat and curled her quivering fingers around the hem of her shirt. “I experienced it the way only one other person did; I lived it.” As she spoke, she tore her shirt up over her head and off so that they would be able to see the scales tightly packed across her chest.

When she had first started to take it off, Jax had averted his gaze until his slack-jawed sister tapped on his arm. “Are those…scales?” she checked.

Katie’s throat had constricted enough that she could not find her voice, so she dipped her head sharply once and said nothing.

“They look so real,” Jax murmured. “They actually look a lot like that one’s…”

“Uh-huh,” Katie confirmed.

“That’s where you’ve been all this time?”

“But that’s not possible,” Hannah protested against her brother’s inquiry. “There would have been no reason to fake your death for a job, right? Besides, that mermaid didn’t look like you, she had-”

Katie shook her head. “Some hair dye and a tattoo artist,” she elaborated glumly while tapping her cheeks a few times for emphasis that the freckles hadn’t been real. “Hurt like hell to have that undone.” She shivered at the reminder of those long days on the run and the measures that had been taken to restore as much of her original appearance as possible.

“How did they pull that off? Extremely well-concealed breathing tubes? I don’t understand why you wouldn’t tell anyone about all of it.”

“It was not a job,” Katie stated. “I did not go there by choice. There were no breathing tubes, no scams…well, at least not the type you are thinking of. They accomplished what you saw through genetic modification.” At this point, she offered them a shaky grin to show her lengthened incisors and she leaned forward in the wheelchair so she would have room to raise and lower the sail on her back once or twice.

“So beneath the blanket is…”

“A tail,” Katie confirmed when Hannah trailed off. “It is not reversible, I will not be standing or walking again. I do not need the chair, technically, but my means of getting around above the water are severely limited now.” Since there was no longer a point in concealing it, Katie tugged the sheet away from her tail and draped it over the arm of the chair. Even with the air on, it was too warm to warrant a blanket.

Both Jax and Hannah were staring openly at her now, and though it made heat tingle in Katie’s cheeks, she was more preoccupied with her mom and Ruth, who had pulled Sophie aside and was speaking with her in a hushed tone while occasionally glancing at Katie with furrowed brows and a frown tugging at her lips. She was not sure exactly what they were saying – as she was trying not to eavesdrop – but she did catch a few words that led her to suspect Ruth was asking how any of this was possible.

“Katie…do you think I could maybe…touch it?” Hannah requested. Her voice broke Katie’s concentration and brought her back to the reality of her friends by her side.

She smiled and shrugged. “Sure, why not?”

Katie had to duck as Jax lurched into motion and leaned forward over the back of her chair so that he could spread his open palm against her scales. The touch was warm, but he did not hesitate when making contact.

Hannah’s lip jutted into a pout and her brows scrunched together over her eyes in a displeased scowl that Katie knew well. “Hey!” she protested. “I asked first!” She then proceeded to shove her brother so that he toppled backwards onto his rear end and nearly pulled Katie over with him.

“Woah, okay, do not fight over me please! Literally! Cannot just jump out of the way, here,” Katie reminded them.

“Sorry,” Hannah sobered while Jax muttered something as he picked himself up off the floor. Hannah dropped to her knees in front of Katie and reached out with a shaky hand to brush Katie’s tail. “It feels so strange…in a good way,” she clarified hastily. Then her awe-filled expression slumped into a frown. “I can’t imagine what you must have gone through, though. I would have been so terrified.”

Again, Katie shrugged as she tried to force a smile. “I am trying my best to be okay. To smile and take it all one day at a time. It has not always been easy though. This screwed a lot of things up. But I am mostly just glad to be away from that place and back with my family. Everything else feels secondary at the moment,” she admitted.

Hannah’s lips were pursed as she nodded slowly along with everything Katie said. “I get it,” she agreed after a moment. “It is kind of a bummer though too.”

“What is?”

Hannah tilted her head and waved a hand. “It’s just that I totally thought mermaids were real. Getting to go see them – you, I suppose – was so awesome. Learning that they are actually made sucks. Mermaids that are secretly abducted girls is significantly less cool.”

A hum built in Katie’s throat as she mulled Hannah’s statement. She briefly considered making a joke of it and harassing Hannah about calling her uncool, but she decided against it. The situation felt too serious to become a laughing matter. It was not cool what Lemuria had done. There was nothing awesome about that exhibit. If people knew the truth, they might consider it nightmare fuel. “Good thing then that I am the only one,” she stated as she settled on a response.

“But you weren’t alone,” Jax protested. “What about the other girl? The one with the blue scales?”

“Luna?” Katie shook her head. “Nah, Luna is not like me. They are real, and she was born that way.”

“So mermaids are real?” Hannah checked.

Katie shrugged her shoulders. “That was how they got the genetic material to splice with mine. But they are not mermaids. They-we, are Mer.”

“What’s the difference? I mean, isn’t mermaid just the term for a female one?”

Jax’s furrowed brow and pursed lips kept Katie from scolding him because he seemed genuinely confused. She pursed her lips and decided to choose her words carefully. “Mermaid is a term humans use to describe a mythical creature, Jax. Mermaid, Siren, however you want to describe it, they find it offensive. They are not our legends, they are their own people, and they have always gone by Mer. I know it does not sound like much of a difference, but they do not differentiate on gender and find the term mermaid to be offensive. Spare yourself the lecture you will get if you try using it. I prefer Mer too.”

Jax’s lips stayed pursed, but gradually his features softened and he shrugged. “I can respect that,” he decided finally. “Although, you make it seem like we’re likely to meet other Mer…is…Luna was it? Is she here?”

“Uh…” Katie bit her lip to hold back the automatic answer and trailed off. She was glad to see her friends again and she trusted them, but she was not certain it was fair to divulge the presence of the other Mer without their consent. While she did not imagine Hannah or Jax would ever put any of the Mer in danger, it felt like a breach of trust not to ask them first.

Before she could come up with an answer, her mother surprised her by breaking away from Ruth and coming over to them. “Yes, she is. Luna’s been here about as long as Katie has. A portion of her family are staying with us for the moment until we figure out a few things for the future.”

Katie could not help but stare at her mother with a frown twitching at her features. She knew Sophie had complete respect for all of Luna’s family and accepted all Mer as people, but that still felt like an inappropriate answer.

When her mom glanced at her and noticed her looking, she smiled softly. “It’s okay, Katie. Everyone else already knew that I was inviting some of your friends over. I asked them not to say anything, but I made sure they were alright with it before anything else. Karina and Nero were the only ones that were a little concerned, but they also agreed it would be just as easy for them to leave for a while if they felt uncomfortable.”

“Sophie,” Hannah’s tone was tentative and when Katie glanced at her, Hannah was rubbing the back of her neck sheepishly, but her dark irises were sparkling. “May we meet them?”

Instead of answering, Sophie levelled her attention at Katie, who flushed before nodding. It would be nice to have her oldest friends meet her newest ones. “Yeah,” she agreed. “I think that would be nice.”