Though she was not yet familiar enough with the layout of the new home to give Jax and Hannah a tour, she was able to lead them back the way she and Sophie had come with relative confidence.

There was a little bit of awkward silence and tension as they made their way down the hall. Katie could taste the brewing cloud behind her where Ruth and her mother were walking, and Jax kept staring at her from her left side as though he didn’t fully believe she was real, while Hannah was wringing her fingers and chewing on her lip. Neither of them seemed to be able to think of anything to say. Her gut roiled and her eyes began to burn as she fought back tears. Things had changed and her friends no longer knew how to interact with her. She wanted desperately to reassure them that she was still the same person – more or less – and beg them to treat her normally, but she knew that would probably just make them feel worse.

It dragged on just long enough that Katie could have sobbed with relief when Hannah finally broke the silence with a simple observation. “Your hair is wet.”

Katie offered her a crooked grin, though it felt a little forced. “You say it like that was ever unusual,” she reminded.

“No,” Hannah agreed with a chuckle. “I suppose not but it just…You were obviously just in the water before we got here…can you actually be up out of it now or is it only okay if it’s just for a few minutes?”

This was okay, Katie decided. A learning curve conversation could probably break the ice. She just needed Hannah and Jax to understand that being a Mer did not mean everything was different. “It does not hurt me to remain out of the water,” she clarified. “It only gets hard to stay out of the water for long periods of time – like several turns or something – or if I am in direct heat for a while, but otherwise I am fine.”

Hannah pursed her lips and nodded as she absorbed the information.

“What do you mean by ‘turns’?” Jax inquired.

As soon as he finished posing the question, Sophie began to laugh and Katie blushed. “I was wondering if that was going to happen.”

“What do you mean?” Katie pulled her chair to a stop and twisted to face her mother. Her brows dipped forward and she tilted her head.

Her mom merely waved a hand and smiled. “It’s not a big deal, Katie,” she assured her. “I’ve just noticed a few changed in you since you got up. You hadn’t noticed?”

Katie flushed and shrugged. It had been weird to use the term ‘turns’ now that she thought about it. There was no need for it among people who better understood the concept of days, but it had come so naturally. She shrugged it off. “A turn is a Mer term for a day,” she explained to Jax. “A rotation of the sun and moon is called a ‘turn’, because to them, a day just signifies the time that the sun is in the sky, but they will interpret two days as the time from sunrise to sunset and moonrise to moonset because it is the same passage of time.”

“So if I told a Mer to meet me someplace in two days…”

“They would be expecting you the next morning,” Katie confirmed.

Jax shook his head and shrugged. “Weird. But alright.”

“So you talk a little different and you have to rehydrate in the water at times,” Hannah mulled as they continue down the hall. “What else comes with the territory? Do you like…prefer fish?” The look on Hannah’s face as she posed the question told Katie all she needed to know about her friend’s opinion on a diet of raw fish. Hannah looked a little green as she inquired about it.

Katie shrugged. “Actually, I thought it would be really vile at first too, but it is actually not so bad.”

Hannah’s face fell as Katie responded. Her shoulders slumped and she sighed. “Oh. So I guess umm…no more weird pizza combinations and movie nights?” she ventured.

Katie frowned. “Hannah, no, I am not limited to fish. I can still eat normal foods, I promise.”

“And even if she could not, there is no reason to make Katie feel poorly about it, Hannah,” Ruth’s tone was sharp and her daughter flinched. “She has had no control over any of this.”

Hannah’s dark eyes were wide and her lips parted, twisted into a frown as she and Katie made eye contact once more. She shook her head. “Katie, I’m sorry,” she whimpered. “Mum is right, that was awful of me. I didn’t mean to sound disappointed, it’s just a lot to wrap my head around. I’ve really missed you and I guess I got caught up on everything we used to do together. It wouldn’t matter if you couldn’t eat pizza. I’d just get used to the smell of fish. I don’t think I could eat it raw though, no matter what.”

Katie definitely believed that. Hannah would not even go near sushi unless it was just veggies. But she did not blame Hannah for her bout of disappointment. There were a lot of changes Katie was not quite willing to accept yet either. “It is okay,” she assured Hannah when she noticed that her friend still wore a crestfallen expression. “It has been an adjustment for us too, I know you were not trying to be insensitive.”

“Hey, you got one thing going for you in all this at least,” Jax chimed in. When Katie glanced at him, he was grinning ear to ear smugly and he leaned over and bopped her on the shoulder with a loose fist. A dull sting radiated up her arm and she scowled at him. For once, she got to take pleasure in watching someone flinch as she bared her fangs. Jax coughed and cleared his throat. “Woah, okay, that’s a little creepy, Katie,” he teased. “I was just going to say, at least you don’t smell like a fish. I mean, you look like one, but at least you don’t have the odour of one.”

Jax had his tongue out and he waggled his eyebrows at her, but she could only stare at him with a slack jaw. When she regained her composure, she growled at him. “Excuse you, I am not a fish.”

Jax shrugged. “Scales, gills, the floundering expression…I would call you a fish.”

She growled at him again. “You can leave now,” she hissed in response.

“Oh come off it,” Jax scoffed. “I’m only teasing you to make you feel better about it. Remember what you said to me in the hospital when I broke my leg?”

His comment made Katie snort and shake her head. “I told you that your leg looked like a lightning bolt,” she acknowledged. She had been with him when he broke it. He had been trying to show off and shuffle up a tall palm. He’d fallen and landed wrong on the one leg, snapping it brutally in two places. It had not been funny at the time, but after the fact, Jax had been concerned about looking like a fool, and Katie had teased him about the awkward splay of his leg. It was cruel, but just the nature of their banter. “Alright,” she relented. “I suppose I will forgive you for your offenses,” she relented with a grin.

As they neared the end of the hall, whoops and hollering began to echo from behind the closed set of double doors that led to the pool room. They were wood doors, but most of the middle was replaced with frosted glass, and there was a rubber bottom to help keep moisture out of the rest of the home. Despite the glass, two large sets of blinds had been hung on the inside of the door and were drawn closed so that no one could see inside. Katie appreciated that it offered privacy if someone came to the home unexpectedly.

“Sounds like there’s a party going on in there,” Jax commented as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and glanced at her. There was a slight spring in his step as he walked that betrayed his eagerness despite his poor attempt to sound cool and aloof about the notion of meeting the other Mer.

“It does sound like there’s quite the ruckus going on,” Hannah agreed. “Are you sure we’re not going to be interrupting anything?”

“Not at all,” Katie refused with a toss of her head. “Though I do wonder what is going on.”

“Riley, probably,” her mom replied with an amused sigh and a toss of her head. She made a shooing motion. “Go ahead and find out, I’m sure the distraction will put an end to any roughhousing that might be going on.”

Katie grinned and shrugged. Riley probably was right in the middle of the commotion. She could definitely be heard from behind the door.

With permission granted, Jax stepped forward and pulled on the door handle. The door swung open with only a soft dragging sound as the rubber dragged over the floor tiles. He then made a dramatic sweep of his arm. “Ladies first,” he teased.

His sister stuck her tongue out at him, but then made no further hesitation as she hurried into the room. Katie felt light and fuzzy as she smiled and followed her friend back into the room. Her mom and Ruth were not far behind, with Jax bringing up the rear.

Once they were all inside, Katie could survey the situation. Karina and Nero were still cuddled up together on the far side of the room, with their tails dangling in the water. Katie did not see Kierin, but Karina’s fins were folded tightly over her chest once more so Katie assumed the baby was either nursing or sleeping.

The noise they had heard from behind the door was coming from Luna and Riley, who were locked in a wrestling match, rolling across the floor and laughing hysterically. They were so focused on one another and trying to gain the upper hand – although Katie suspected Riley was going easy to prolong the fun – that they had not seemed to notice everyone entering.

Hannah’s loud gasp of delight brought their roughhousing to a halt as Luna’s head shot up and Riley took advantage of her surprise to flip Luna onto her back and pin her. “Never get distracted in a fight,” Riley whistled.

The lack of English meant that no one else would understand them, but Katie could hear the taunting words and she leaned forward in her seat. “Hey, you two want to break up the tussling and come say ‘hello’?” she called back in the same sharp clicks Riley was using. When she settled back in her seat, she found Hannah and Jax both staring at her with furrowed brows. “What?” she checked.

“Uh, what was that?” Jax inquired.

“I guess Mer don’t speak English then?” Hannah queried. “How long did it take you to learn to speak their language? Was it hard?”

Katie shook her head. “It was actually way easier than you would think,” she replied. She glanced back at the two Mer cousins and found them making their way over. Katie had never really known Riley to be shy and the girl did not disappoint in dragging herself across the floor and plunking down in front of them with a wide, toothy grin on her face. Luna hung back a little more and ran her fingers nervously over her braid.

Despite her shy approach, Hannah’s attention was glued to Luna and she slowly got down on her knees on the floor and waved at Luna. “Her name is Luna, right?” she checked. “Katie will you…will you tell her that it’s nice to meet her? She looks nervous, we’re not scaring her are we? Jax, maybe sit down,” Hannah urged.

It was sweet that her friends were suddenly so cautious, because at his sister’s suggestion, Jax plopped down and crossed his legs, even though it put him incredibly close to Riley and her wide grin. Katie knew from experience just how intimidating Riley’s fangs could be. Deciding to keep the conversation private for now, Katie addressed Luna once more. “Are you okay?”

Luna forced a shaky smile and nodded once.

“Luna’s not scared,” Katie reported in English once more. “She’s just a little shy. And she can understand you, so you can talk to her directly if you like."

Luna lifted one hand and waggled her fingers slowly. Hannah mimicked the motion.

“Uh, hi.” The uncertainty in Jax’s voice made Katie turn her head. He was leaned back and fidgeting as Riley leaned closer to inspect him with her jaws parted. Katie knew she was just scenting, but she was not surprised by the next words out of Jax’s mouth. “Uh, Katie, she’s not going to bite me right? Because those fangs look really deadly and…” he froze and trailed off as Riley growled at him. “Katie, help,” he begged.

Katie shook her head and bit her lip to stifle laughter so that she could appear serious. “Alright, knock it off,” she scolded. Riley met her gaze evenly and a challenge shone in her icy gaze, but Katie shook her head. “Seriously, stop scaring my friends.”

At the instruction, Riley leaned away from Jax and propped her weight up on her hands. “Oh, alright,” she sighed dramatically in English before huffing a breath of air at the bangs that were falling in her face. It did not work and she ended up swiping them back with frustrated fingers and another growl.

“Oh, you can speak English then. I was a little worried Katie would have to translate for us,” Hannah said as she extended a hand. “My name’s Hannah, and this is my brother – Jax – what’s your name?

“Riley,” Riley offered up as she took Hannah’s hand and flashed her a more genuine grin than the taunting one she had given to Jax. “It is nice to meet you both.”

“I suppose I did not really offer proper introductions,” Katie acknowledged. “This is Luna, Riley is her cousin and a…really good friend. Over in the corner is Luna’s brother – Nero – and his mate’s name is Karina. They just recently had a baby, and Karina’s not the most comfortable around strangers yet so just give her a bit of space, okay? Luna’s parents are not here right now. Riley, Luna, Jax and Hannah are good friends of mine from before I met you. We have been really close since I was really little.”

Riley’s grin widened. “Then I am especially glad to meet you both. It is nice to meet some of Katie’s friends. That so much was lost with what happened has been hard on her.”

Before Katie could add to Riley’s statement, Luna crawled up over her cousin’s tail and drew in close until she was pressing her forehead to Katie’s. She hummed softly and laced their fingers together. “Things are getting better now,” she murmured so quietly that Katie was fairly certain not even Riley would have heard.

“Yeah,” she agreed. “They are.”

“Okay, now that everyone knows each other, let us all go for a swim,” Riley interrupted.

Katie rolled her eyes and twisted away from Luna long enough to blow air in Riley’s face, which made the blonde scowl and her nose crinkled up. “Are you even capable of sitting still for any length of time?” she taunted.

Riley’s scowl morphed into an impish smile and she poked the tip of her tongue out between her teeth and winked. “I believe I did so this morning without complaint, if you recall.”

The tingling sensation returned as heat rose in Katie’s cheeks and she felt herself flush. She ducked her head and coughed as she realized that Riley was referring to the time Katie had spent lying on her. A shiver crawled up her back and her sail fluttered as she recalled the warm sensation of Riley’s gliders around her and the other girl’s steady heartbeat and strong scent. “I uh…I suppose that is true,” Katie agreed with a hoarse cough that sent Riley into a fit of cackling. Katie felt her blush deepen and knew she looked noticeably flustered. She coughed to clear her throat and slid from the wheelchair back to the floor as she hoped no one else would notice her discomfort.

Riley already had and was taking immense pleasure in it, and Luna was looking at Katie with a strange look that made the heat in her face grow worse. She had not told her little sister yet, had not been sure what to say, but based on the look on her face, Luna suspected now. She was not the only one.

“Katie, why are you so red…wait…wait, no way!” Hannah exclaimed. “I knew it. I always knew it.”

“Knew what?” Katie asked, though her voice cracked in her throat as she risked glancing at her friend.

Hannah was waggling her eyebrows and she winked at Katie before spreading her arms wide. “That you had rainbow written all over you when we were growing up.”

“Oh shove off,” Katie retorted, but she ducked her head.

“Katie, what does that mean?” Luna murmured.

“Yes, your friend does know that your scales are purple, yes? Not multi-coloured?” Riley checked.

Katie choked and glanced between Riley and Hannah, who now looked equally confused based on her pursed lips and furrowed brows. Katie shook her head. “Luna, Hannah is just teasing me is all,” she assured her younger sister. “And she is not talking about my scales, Riley, she is making fun of us. Well, mostly me, but regarding us.”

“It’s all in good fun,” Hannah added hastily when Riley’s intense stare was rapidly levelled at her. “I’m not making fun of you, really. I was just joking with Katie cause there was always that feeling that she was probably going to be gay is all. I’m just not surprised.”

“What does ‘gay’ mean?” Luna asked.

“Oh…umm…well, you know…if a girl likes other girls or a guy likes other guys…” Now it was Hannah’s turn to flush. She ducked her head and her cheeks turned a darker, glossier shade before she awkwardly cleared her throat. “Katie, help me out a little here. Do Mer have a different term for it or something?”

Katie shook her head. “Honestly, from what I have been learning, I do not think the concepts of sexualities exist among Mer at all.”

“I still do not understand,” Luna admitted.

“I would like an elaboration as well,” Riley agreed.

Katie pursed her lips and mulled it over. “I do not know if there is a way to explain it that is going to make sense. Humans have terms to describe different types of romantic attraction and typically if a relationship contains a man and a woman, it is referred to as a straight relationship, whereas if it is two men or two women together, the relationship is referred to as gay. There are more types than that and it can get really complicated, so that is just a really crude, broad explanation, but I think that is the best we can do.”

Luna – who was always relatively quick to accept there was no easy way to explain something – simply nodded and scooted herself back a bit to purse her lips and likely mull what she had learned.

Riley, on the other hand, was clearly not satisfied because she huffed and waved a hand in the air. “I understand what you are saying, but I do not understand why it matters or what it has to do with a rainbow.”

Katie clapped her hands together. “So how about that swim?” she redirected. “Did you guys bring swimsuits?”

The cackling laughter that began to rip from Hannah’s throat startled Katie and she jerked back from her friend and quirked a brow. “Are you okay?” she checked.

Hannah nodded but continued laughing for a few minutes before she sobered. Then she peeled up part of her shirt to reveal her bikini top. “Rule number one in the Katherine Water’s handbook; always bring a bathing suit. Even if there’s no fathomable reason why you would ever possibly need one, always, always have a swimsuit. The number of times I’ve ended up in a river or pool or off the side of the boat because of you, wishing I’d thought ahead enough to wear a swimsuit whale watching or hiking is ridiculous. It’s bad enough you dragged me into the bush on a hot day, much less then make me trudge back in wet clothes. I learned pretty quickly to just start wearing it whenever I was going to hang around you.”

Katie shrugged and ducked her head. “I like the water,” she argued, though there was no energy in the protest. Hannah was not wrong about the past in the slightest.

“I know,” Hannah agreed. “Actually, despite how not cool what happened is, I couldn’t think of a better person for it to happen to. You’ve always been a fish, you just didn’t always have the tail.”

“Hannah has a point,” Jax agreed. “Eight out of every ten times we hung out, water was involved. We were at the beach or cliff-jumping or snorkeling or hiking upstream. I think movie nights and the occasional trip to the iced cream parlor were the only times away from the water that you weren’t squirming to be anywhere else. Your hair is wet in nearly every picture we’re all in. It should have been your choice, but if anyone in the world was destined to be a mermaid…Mer,” he corrected hastily. “It would definitely always be you. It suits you.”

Katie shrugged. She supposed they both had a point. She had always loved the water, even before becoming a Mer, and she knew that it would be hard to go back to being human now even if it was possible. She was not so sure she would want it even if it was offered. She was not keen on a life permanently out in the ocean away from her family, but there were too many things influencing her desire for the tail to give it up now.

Coming to the realization felt like a weight lifting off Katie’s chest. This had been healthy, had showed her that the people in her life could accept her as she was now. And she wanted to be a Mer. She wanted to learn what that entailed, she wanted to pursue a relationship with Riley, and she wanted to explore the oceans without an air tank and a timer strapped to her back. There was still a lot of pain and uncertainty, but Katie found herself smiling so brightly and genuinely back at all four of her friends that it almost hurt.

“I have trunks too,” Jax added. “But they’re in the car, so I’ll have to go get changed.”

“There’s a bathroom just down the hall,” her mom offered. “Why don’t you all head outside. It’s warm, the water’s pretty calm, Lewis is out there barbecuing, and you can all take to the cove if you like. We don’t have any dive gear here, but I can definitely fish out some snorkel masks,” she offered.

“That sounds like fun,” Hannah agreed.

“A chance to explore would be nice,” Katie agreed. “I have not gotten to see the cove yet either, but I want to.”

“Yes!” Riley exclaimed. “Let us leave the confines of the house. I desire more space. Luna and I have a match to finish and then we shall see how well your human friends can swim.” Katie did not miss the mischievous glee in Riley’s tone, and neither did Hannah or Jax, because they both exchanged a concerned look.

Then Jax cleared his throat and stood up while clapping his hands together and then rubbing them. “I suppose I’d better go get changed then,” he decided. “I’ll be back.”

“We will meet you outside,” Luna decided. She offered Hannah a small smile. “Do not worry, we will not let Riley drown you.”

Riley scoffed. “I would never do such a thing,” she argued. Luna merely stuck her tongue out in response. It was nice to see the younger Mer coming more and more out of her shell. She and Riley seemed to feed off of one another and Katie was glad it was giving Luna distractions and energy back. She needed time to heal and a chance to explore herself.

“I will come with you,” she decided as she met Hannah’s gaze while the other two Mer began making their way towards the pool and the underwater exit that it offered. Katie nodded at the back door on the opposite side of the wall.

“Do you need help back into the chair?” Hannah offered.

“Nah, I am not going to bother. I actually prefer not to use it, it is such a hassle.”

“Okay, let’s go then.” Hannah rose and Katie flipped onto her belly to follow. Her mom was already over by the door and when Katie glanced over at the water, she noticed that Karina and Nero were gone too. She was not overly surprised. Even if they did not seem overly keen on partaking socially for now, there was no reason to linger alone inside when they both seemed to be more comfortable outside. Besides, Katie suspected Nero was keeping watch over Luna while their parents were gone and she did not expect he would allow her out of his line of sight for very long.

Just as she began to follow everyone else outside, Ruth cleared her throat softly behind her and Katie paused to glance over her shoulder. “Hang back a minute, Katie. I was hoping to talk to you."

Katie nodded and twisted back onto the butt of her tail. She pulled the limb up close to her torso and wrapped her arms loosely around it while Ruth crouched down and settled herself into a seated position in front of her.

The woman’s posture was slumped and her face pinched with creases, while her lips were pursed. The gentle rat-tat-tat of her nails on the floor made Katie’s heart squeeze. Ruth was a little stricter than her mom, and pushed Jax and Hannah pretty hard to succeed, but she had always been a kind woman with a level-head and a slow-burn temper, so seeing her in obvious distress ate at Katie’s nerves.

Ruth took a breath. “Your mom’s been filling me in on a few of the details about what happened,” she began finally. “Oh, Katie, I’m so sorry. That’s too much for one girl to have on her shoulders and it makes me feel ill to think that we were there, that we saw you but…didn’t actually see you.”

“It is alright,” Katie assured her, though she could not manage to elevate her voice above a whisper. “I do not think I would have seen through it either. No one sees a creature in a tank and makes the connection to a recently deceased person they know. It is improbable. I do not know how anyone did see it, but especially those closest to me probably could not, did not want to let grief play tricks on their eyes. I do not blame you; there is probably not much you could have done either way.”

Ruth sighed and shook her head. “You’re such an understanding kid. Listen hon, I pulled you aside because I want to talk to you about something important, but I know this subject is probably really hard for you. Do you feel strong enough for it?”

Katie sighed and glanced down at her tail. She picked absently at one of her scales. It was not loose, but with the way her tail was bent, it jutted up a little and she could not help fiddling with it. “Yeah,” she answered after a moment. “I can handle it.”

“Just let me know if that changes,” Ruth insisted. “Sophie was telling me about your blackmail plan and it does sound pretty solid. Dirty politics has always rubbed me the wrong way, but I completely agree that you need to do whatever you can to protect yourself now. But I wanted to know if you would want to go public with any of it.”

“Go public,” Katie echoed. “Like…on the news or something, you mean?”

The grim twist to Ruth’s smile and the slow nod of her head made the entire situation feel that much more burdensome. “Yes,” she confirmed. “Katie, I think the blackmail is a good start and I understand why coming forward would have been hard previously, but I think it might be a good insurance plan. The world knows that mermaids are not so mythical anymore. But they don’t know that they’re a people or anymore sophisticated than unique, magical dolphins. Your story could change the way the Mer are viewed, how they’re treated going forward, and put you in a more well-known position that would make it harder for someone to attempt to abuse your situation again.”

Katie licked her lips and took a moment to process all of the information she had just taken in, but the thought made her gut squeeze. “I-I do not know,” she whispered. “That seems so daunting…I-” she broke off and swallowed a thick lump in her throat. “I do not know.”

Ruth’s hand was warm and gentle as she reached out to squeeze Katie’s arm. “I know, and it’s a lot to ask of one girl who’s already endured so much trauma. But I can help you. News teams would pick up the story like wildfire to tinder, and I can help you and your mom draft up the contracts. The firm would take it pro-bono in a heartbeat if I asked them too. I can see to it personally if you like. I just think the world needs to know what happened so that it can’t happen again.”

It felt like there was a clamp on her chest, squishing her lungs and squeezing her heart until tears stung in her eyes. “I know,” she whimpered. “I agree and I want to, I really do, but…I cannot. Coming forward is such a daunting thing. It means telling the truth over and over again and getting asked a million different questions that I do not think I can handle. My life blows up after that. If they take me seriously…the outcry, the number of people who will want to know, to see. What if they came here? I just…I could not handle that.”

“We’d make sure your safety was the top priority, Katie, you know that. This wouldn’t be some business venture. You’re practically family, I would never let anything happen to you. Besides, you know that anyone coming here would have to get past your mom first.”

Katie nodded. “I know. I know, I just…no. No, not right now. It is too soon. I want to learn to be a Mer properly, I want to get settled, there is so much left to resolve and afterwards…I desperately just want some peace and quiet to spend time with my family. The wounds have barely begun to heal, I cannot tear them all back open now. Not yet. Later, yes, I think I will have to bring it all to light, but I need more time,” she admitted as the tears began to flow. “I am sorry that I am not stronger.”

The cluck of Ruth’s tongue was immediately followed by her hand rubbing over Katie’s arm. “Sweetheart, no, you are so incredibly brave for enduring all of this and still putting a smile on your face. It’s okay. I wasn’t trying to upset you or make you feel obligated. Of course we don’t have to jump into anything now – or ever – but I wanted you to know that you have options. You and all the other Mer, if any of them want to put the truth of their sentience and their people out there. Take all the time you need, Katie. No one can tell you how to overcome this, you need to tell us what to do for you, okay?”

“Uh-huh,” Katie agreed as she choked on the lump in her throat. She really did not want to cry again.

As if summoned by her emotional distress, Riley popped her head back up from the pool and was near instantaneously out of the water and at Katie’s side. She did not resist as Riley pulled her into her arms and folded her gliders around her torso. Riley pressed her nose against Katie’s neck as she held her. “I cannot leave you for a few heartbeats,” she sighed. “Are you alright? What happened?”

Katie shook her head and allowed herself to sink deeper into Riley’s embrace. She did not want to feel this weak, but at the moment, she never wanted the hug to end. “Just…please do not let go,” she whispered.

“I am here,” Riley replied as her grip tightened. “Just breathe. You are safe.”

Katie knew it was just soothing words meant to calm her because she was never in any danger with Ruth, but she did feel safer in Riley’s arms. She knew she should not depend on that, she respected Riley’s reasons for wanting to wait, but for now, she just needed to feel secure. “Thank you,” she murmured. She earned a hum from Riley in response before she sat up a little more and turned to face Ruth, who’s eyes were glossy.

“I didn’t mean to distress you, Katie,” the woman whispered. “This was never meant to pressure you.”

“I know,” Katie agreed. She set her jaw even though the emotions clawing at her still threatened to cause a meltdown. “I appreciate it and I do want to go through with it, but I need time.”

Ruth nodded. “You let me know if the time ever comes, okay? In your own time, we won’t discuss it again unless you feel ready and want to. I’ll give you two a minute and meet you outside, alright?”

Katie hummed and nodded. She waited as Ruth left the room, and then twisted in Riley’s grip to hug the girl back. “You are always coming to my rescue,” she acknowledged.

“I do not mind,” Riley whispered back.

Her fingers were trailing idly over Katie’s sail and it was beginning to steal a purr from her. “Thank you,” Katie murmured. “I do not know what I would do if I did not have you as a friend.”

Riley clucked her tongue and shook her head. “But you do, and you always will. Now smile,” she instructed. “It is a good day after a series of hard, scary ones, and I refuse to allow you to dampen it with your sour emotions. And you accuse Luna of getting lost in her head, I almost think you are worse. Let us rejoin our friends and family and enjoy the remaining sunlight.”

Katie took a breath and nodded. “Okay,” she agreed. She swallowed back some of her rising anxieties and forced a grin. Riley was right. This was a good day and she wanted to be happy.

***

By the time they made it outside to rejoin the group and then waited for Jax to get back, they had to put any games on hold as Lewis started passing out the food. Katie had no complaints because she was feeling ravenous now that she had woken properly. She had felt a little too ill that morning for much of a meal but now she craved it.

Juice ran down her chin and dripped into her lap as she tore into chunks of chicken and thickly sliced peppers and mushrooms. It was delicious and novel getting to sit on the dock with her fin in the water, munching down a meal impaled on the kabab skewer. It was her second one, and the first had been licked clean of any remaining meat and veggie residue.

Jax and Hannah were making quick work of their own skewers, and Luna’s hums of pleasure at the hunks of grilled mango and pineapple on hers were the source of a lot of hushed giggling among everyone. Karina and Nero could not be convinced to partake in the cooked meat due to Karina’s concern about how any strange foods might affect Kierin while he was nursing, so they were making a dinner of raw fruits and the leftover clams from the bag Lewis had pulled out to skewer for Riley.

Riley had not left her side and had her hand settled lazily on Katie’s scales while she used her other hand to hold her skewer and lick pieces off the end into her mouth. She was making an even bigger mess of herself than Katie was, but at least they were right at the water.

“Hey Katie?” Hannah broke the relative silence as everyone ate, and Katie jerked her attention towards her friend. Her mouth was full, so she hummed to let Hannah know she was listening. Her friend chuckled, then smiled. “I’m really, really glad you’re okay and that you’re back. I’ve missed spending time like this. We need to do it more. And we need to get you back online so we can have a group call with everyone still back in Australia. You know they’ll flip over this.”

Katie nodded. She had no doubts about that. “Today has been really nice,” she admitted. “I needed to reconnect. But I do not think I am quite up to sharing with a large group just yet. Soon though, I promise. I just need a little more time.”

Thankfully, Hannah’s expression did not fall to disappointment, but instead her smile only grew wider. “I get that. Take all the time you need. I’m just glad I have my best friend back. And it’s been really great to meet you guys too,” she announced as she gestured to Riley and Luna.

“Likewise,” Riley agreed.

As soon as she spoke, Hanna sat up a little straighter and jabbed a finger in her direction. “Alright you, we have to have a talk about my girl here,” Hannah announced as she dropped an arm over Katie’s shoulders and nearly knocked her kabab from her hands.

Katie fumbled with her food and shot a glare at Hannah before her friend’s statement sunk in. “Uhh…”

“Alright,” Riley agreed. Her voice echoed low in her throat and a strange sort of smile was pulled across her face. Her brow was raised and her pale blue gaze was fixed attentively on Hannah. A shiver ran down Katie’s spine as she observed the deadly calm in her friend, whose only twitch was a slow, methodical flick of her fins. “Speak.”

Hannah seemed to sense something dangerous in Riley’s tone because the wind left her sails and her confidence visually sagged. “Err, well…” Katie watched her take a breath and set her jaw and straighten up again. “Katie is my best friend and I take the role of best friend very seriously,” Hannah began after she recovered from her fumble. “And she’s never had a crush or been in a relationship before, and whether she likes girls or guys is completely irrelevant. If you hurt her in any way, I will have no choice but to beat you up and quite possibly kill you,” Hannah threatened. “So watch your step…err…stroke? Whatever, you know what I mean. Watch yourself!”

As Hannah’s speech progressed, Katie hastily removed her friend’s arm from around her shoulders and she leaned back. It was sweet of Hannah, she knew – if a little on the nose – but she also knew that challenging Riley could be a dangerous thing and she did not want to be in the middle of it. Intervening would also probably wound Hannah’s feelings, so it was best to just lean back and hope not to get dragged into the center of whatever was about to go down between the two of them.

For a few heartbeats, silence stretched between them, and then a low growl built in Riley’s throat and she launched herself over Katie to tackle Hannah to the deck before any of them could stop her. She bowled the other girl over with her fangs bared and leaned over Hannah, whose eyes were wide with terror and her lips were parted as her breath hitched in her chest. But then Riley began to chuckle darkly. “I assure you that you would lose,” she warned. “So you should refrain from starting a fight that you cannot win.”

“Hypocrite,” Nero called from across the dock.

Riley’s gaze darted briefly to him and she huffed in his direction before she returned her attention to Hannah and her grin widened even further. “But you do not have to worry, I have no desire or intent to do anything harmful. Katie is a close friend to me too. I would never jeopardize that.”

Hannah nodded, though there were lingering traces of unease in the creases of her features. “That’s good, I’m glad. Be sure you keep it that way. Now can you let me up?”

Katie winced and pursed her lips. “Ooh, so the wrong thing to say,” she cackled as Riley’s grin turned sly once more.

The Mer flicked her fins and shook her head. “Get up if you want up so badly,” she taunted.

Jax began to howl gleefully. “Katie, I like this girl,” he informed her before he flopped down on Riley’s back. It earned him a solid ‘oof’ from the blonde Mer, and then a squeaky wheeze from Hannah as Riley’s arms buckled and hers and Jax’s combined weight collapsed on top of Hannah.

“Get off!” Hannah complained as she twisted beneath the two. “Jax, I am going to murder you when I get up, just you watch. I’m going to be an only child again and have absolutely no regrets, do you hear me?”

“I second that notion,” Riley growled, though her tone was light.

But before she could buck Jax off – which Katie had no doubts about her being able to do – Katie flopped down beside him and tousled Riley’s hair. “Nah, I think this is better,” she teased. “Hannah said nothing to me about picking on you and I really think I owe you for some teasing anyway.

Riley growled at her in response.

“How come I ended up at the bottom of this?” Hannah protested. “Shove off, all of you.”

Katie grinned down at her pinned friend and shrugged her shoulders before another weight landed on top of them all and Luna’s gleeful giggles rose from the top of the heap.

“I win,” she declared cheekily.

Katie huffed as the weight ground her shoulder into the back of Riley’s head. “You sure did,” she replied with a wince.

“Okay, seriously, off now please,” Hannah complained with a groan.

The words had barely left Hannah’s mouth when Luna’s weight disappeared from Katie’s back. She pushed herself up off Riley and Jax did the same. Katie turned to find Luna squirming in Lewis’ arms as he held her up off everyone else. “Put me down now,” she complained.

“No more roughhousing before someone actually gets hurt,” Lewis instructed. “You too, Riley. Up.” He bent to set Luna back down while Riley rolled off of Hannah onto the deck.

“I cannot believe you would betray me like that,” Riley complained as she glared at Katie. “After everything I have done to be nice to you today. I even shared my food!”

“You did not share,” Katie countered. “You nearly took my hand off. Besides, do not pretend like you do not deserve to be picked on back every now and again.” She leaned down and pressed a long kiss to Riley’s cheek, and when she pulled away, she got to enjoy the sight of a deep blush inking its way across Riley’s freckled cheeks.

Riley mumbled something incoherent and looked away.

“I’m glad you all have gotten to have some fun, but we’re probably should be heading off now,” Ruth interrupted. “Jax, Hannah, you should say your ‘goodbyes’ and get in the car. Lewis, thank you for a lovely dinner, it was delicious.”

“No,” Katie whined in protest. “Can you not stay a little longer? Please?”

Ruth pursed her lips but did not immediately respond.

“Katie.” At the sound of her name, Katie twisted to fixate on her mom, who had sympathy sparkling in her jade gaze. “Jax and Hannah can come back. They’re welcome anytime they like, that hasn’t changed. But it’s been a long day for everyone and I think it would be best if we all started settling down for the night. I have a feeling tomorrow is going to be another long day.”

As much as she wanted to argue further, Katie knew that it was for the best. She was tired and she knew when Rebecca and Ixion got back, there was probably going to be a lot of hard emotions and decisions to face. “Alright,” she caved.

Hannah yanked her into a fierce hug as soon as she finished speaking, and Katie wasted no time in squeezing her back just as tightly. Then Jax dropped back to his knees and joined the embrace. “It was really good to see you guys again,” Katie admitted with a warble in her tone.

“Hey, we’ll be back soon to torment you some more, you know that,” Jax teased, though the somber mood that fell was not just affecting Katie.

“And hey, I’ll be taking my road test next month. Once I’m driving, we can see each other all the time. We only live like half an hour out, so it’ll be just like old times, yeah? Your number got disconnected because of the whole…deceased thing,” Hannah murmured. “But if you get a new one, you have to text me, okay? Keep in touch even when we can’t get together.”

“I will,” Katie agreed.

There were a few more minutes of heartfelt goodbyes before Jax and Hannah were coaxed up and back into the house.

Ruth lingered just long enough to rest her hand on Katie’s head. “If you need anything, hon, you know how to reach me. And if you want to look into the things we talked about, your mom thinks it’s not a bad idea either. But it’s up to you, whenever you’re ready to take that step, okay?”

“Okay,” Katie agreed. “Thank you…for everything.”

“Come on, I’ll walk you out,” Sophie offered.

Katie watched as the two women disappeared into the house. She was not certain if she felt like crying or calling them all back, but Riley took her hand and squeezed it, and the warmth was enough of a distraction. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Riley hummed in response, but made no verbal comment on the situation.

Behind them, Lewis cleared his throat and began tapping one foot against the deck boards. He had one brow raised and his hands on his hips. He then gestured between the two of them. “So when did this little development occur between the two of you,” he pressed.

Katie glanced at Riley and then back up at Lewis and grinned sheepishly. “Recently,” she ventured.

Lewis was grinning widely, but he still shook his head and faked an annoyed sigh. “Why does no one tell me anything?”

When Riley began to laugh, Katie could not contain her own mirth and joined in, and soon everyone still outside was descending into a fit of giggles, and it felt really good to laugh.