Mom and I are in the nursery in our underwater cave, getting my new brothers and sister ready for the baby shower. I've come down to Pacifica from school for the occasion. I can't believe my parents let me miss class for a party! They are obviously weakening!

The nursery is as big as the girls' bedroom back at West Marin Heights. There is netting swathed over the ceiling, with tiny shells and mother-of-pearl captured in the mesh. Stalks of kelp, coiled in strands of white fairy lights, climb the walls. Nurseries have to be kept clear of animal life as merbabies cry, and we cannot have them inadvertently transforming species. Even though the water is cold, I relish the feeling of it against my skin and scales after all this time landside.

My new siblings have short gold hair and gold tails. The green doesn't come in until about the age of two. They have rainbow eyes, of course, but Coranne's have a mischievous magenta gleam.

"Mom, they're amazing," I tell her, struggling to tie on Coranne's new bikini top, which is decorated with tiny red hearts, bows, and arrows. It's a gift from Cupid. He also got one for Mom and me. He said shell tops are barbaric and even worse, 'so last year.' Coranne complains and does not 'get' why she has to wear clothing. Merbabies are born with the ability to swim and communicate telepathically. Fingerling thoughts are usually fairly simple: hungry, cold, scared, happy, but my new siblings are obviously exceptional. I think Kipper is already smarter than I am. Dart's thoughts are pure activity, vibrating, and dynamic. And then there's Coranne. With her stubbornness, I'm sure she is going to grow up to run the Merfolk Council.

Mom is trying to catch Dart, who is zipping around the room.

"Coranne, stop fighting, and let me get you dressed," I say to my squirmy sister. "Mom! A little help, please?"

"Your sister reminds me of someone else I know," Mom says, suppressing a smile.

"Very funny!"

"Maybe Kipper would like to have a look at your pretty top," I say to Coranne. Kipper is floating near the ceiling of the cave, sucking his little thumb, and contemplating the ridges of a pink and brown cockleshell. He's trying to figure out where the animal that created the shell has gone.

"Kipper?"

I hold up the top to him, but he says, "No," and goes back to studying his shell.

"I give up," I say, tossing Cupid's baby gift.

Dart zips by and snatches the top. Coranne doesn't like this, so she takes off and chases her brother. They are adorable and exhausting.

"Oh, Wave." Mom puts her arm around me, and we gawk at the gorgeous, crazy fingerlings like idiots. I bury my head in her shoulder. "I'm so happy you're home at last. I did not like being away from you. And now that Dad's not working at West Marin Heights any longer, you can stay here! You can fingerling-sit for your new siblings and finish high school at Pacifica. You'll be back with Carla and your other friends. And we can all be together again."

"Not go back to West Marin Heights?" I say back in alarm. Noooo! I have to go back. I can't be apart from Pierce, and I still need to help Fintan and Pickles!

"You told us you didn't want to go to school there, Waverly. I thought you'd be happy about this."

"Mom?"

"Yes, dear? Dart, no!" Mom yells as Dart yanks his sister's hair.

I swim up, separate them, and snatch the top away. "I mean, I love you and Dad very much, but ..."

"Wave, don't decide yet. Think about it. You'll see Carla and Finn at the baby shower. And we might move to a warmer cave near Carla because your Dad has a new job working for the royal family. He's going to be an accountant!"

An accountant? Can she really be that gullible?

"Pierce and your new friends are welcome to visit anytime," she adds.

Dart and Coranne are swimming in circles so fast that the water in the nursery is filling with bubbles.

"Come on, guys, please stop," I say.

"Oh, no! Kipper!" Mom says, as she scoops him up right before his head hits the wall of the cave from the churning water. The whole time he never lets go of the shell he is examining.

Pierce pushes in the flap at the entrance to the nursery. He's been helping my dad set up the largest cavern in our cave for the party. Pierce is in Hawaiian-print bathing shorts (another Cupid gift), his gorgeous chest and six-pack on full display. His hair is dark and getting pretty long. I love the way it moves in the turbulent water. Sigh! I swallow hard, trying to block my thoughts. "Hey, Pierce."

He grins. Of course he's 'heard' me. Why do I keep letting him have my blood? Oh, right. Because I love it! Must stop! Maybe tomorrow.

Coranne stops swimming and stares at Pierce. She even bats her little golden lashes. I have no problem at all picking up Coranne's thoughts. She is besotted with my boyfriend. Coranne swoops into his arms, thinking love thoughts at him, and cannot understand why he isn't answering her. I try to explain that he isn't mer and cannot read her thoughts unless he's tasted her blood. She wants him to bite her, but I absolutely forbid Pierce from snacking on any of my family members.

The flap pushes open again. It's Carla, bobbing in the entry, her green hair fashioned in a complicated knot of braids. "Waverly!"

"Shut the flap!" says mom, as Dart flits toward the exit. Dart almost escapes, but in a flash, Pierce, still cradling my sister with one arm, grabs the tip of my new brother's tail with his other hand. Mom looks super impressed. She's thinking about what a good fingerling-sitter Pierce would make, even if he is a bloodsucking denizen of the night.

"Carla! I've missed you so much!" We swim toward one another and embrace. It feels amazing. A lump swells in my throat. It's not until now that I realize how much I've missed my oldest friend. It's as if an ache I hadn't realized existed is now gone.

"You're back! Thank Poseidon!"

"How are Finn and your parents?" I ask, but she isn't paying any attention to me because she has spotted Pierce.

She gasps telepathically. "Oh. My. Gods!"

"I know," I say. "Carla, close your mouth. You're gaping like a codfish."

"But, he's ... I mean ..."

"I know."

"He's a vampire."

Pierce releases Dart, who has been wriggling like mad. Then my boyfriend takes the tiny bikini top from me and pretends to ignore us while slipping it over Coranne's golden head and tying a perfect bow in the back. I can tell he's been listening to my end of the conversation with Carla, because he is smiling full-on. Holy crab, I love those dimples.

"I know, but I was wrong before," I say. "Not all vampires are our mortal enemies. As a matter of fact, the person who tried to kill us was part mer. Well, and part demon. But anyway, I've learned a lot at West Marin Heights. More than I ever thought I would."

"I'm really glad West Marin Heights wasn't as awful as you thought it would be. But your mom says you're back now, which is the main thing. School has sucked without you. We haven't won a single water polo match or debate since you left! But with you, we will start winning again! And you and me and Finn can go to the boardwalk every weekend, and you'll be here for Grad Night at Six Flags! All our dreams will come true. Right, Mrs. Fishwater?"

I glare at my mom. "You told Carla I was staying in Pacifica?"

Pierce raises his eyebrows and mouths, "What?"

"Don't worry!" I say.

"Waverly, why don't you introduce your friends?" my mom says, totally avoiding my question.

I bite my lip and nearly manage to keep from rolling my eyes! "We will talk about this later, Mom." But I do have some manners, so I introduce Carla and Pierce.

Pierce shakes Carla's hand. Merfolk don't really shake hands, but Pierce isn't aware of our customs. He tries to take his hand back, but she seems mesmerized and doesn't let go. Coranne is clearly jealous and tries to bite Carla.

"Coranne, we do not bite," says Mom.

But it's too late. Coranne has accidentally bitten Pierce. Blood swirls in the water near his hand. Coranne sticks out her little tongue and tastes the water.

"Coranne, no!" I say. "Merfolk do not eat blood."

She smiles at me and then gazes at Pierce. "Nice man. Love you. Love, love, love you," she says to Pierce. "Glad you love me too."

How cute! She says this as if they are having a telepathic conversation.

"Want to go swim with you!" Coranne says. "Not later. Now!"

Pierce's eyes open wide.

"Is she hearing your thoughts?" I ask him. He nods.

"Coranne Elizabeth Fishwater," Mom says. Uh, oh! All three names. "I said, we do not bite our guests. Ever!" She takes Coranne from Pierce. Mom looks over her shoulder toward the flap leading to the main room. People are arriving.

"We're going to meet your new admirers now. Carla, can you please apprehend Dart?"

"Sure thing, Mrs. Fishwater," says Carla. "C'mere, buddy." Dart swims easily into her arms, like a little angel. Both Coranne and Carla look longingly at Pierce. "I'll see you in a sec, Wave." They head out of the room through the flap I wove out of seaweed when I was a fingerling.

"Would you two mind picking up in here?" Mom says, waving her hand at the mess of shells and broken bits of kelp floating in the water. "The guests might want a look at the nursery. But don't dawdle. I have a surprise for you, Wave."

"What?"

"You'll see."

My mom, Coranne under one arm, Kipper under the other, nods at Pierce, and then she winks at me before swimming out and leaving me alone with my boyfriend. It's times like this that I realize she has the potential to be a very cool mother, especially if I can get her to stop wearing those horrid, totally out-of-style shell bras. I bet Cupid could help with that.

As soon as she's gone, I grab Pierce's shoulders and shake him. "Coranne tasted your blood, and now she can read your mind?"

Pierce winces and claps his hand over his mouth.

Oops! Maybe I shook him too hard?

Pierce nods. I pull his hand away and see a drop of blood in the water near his lip. He must have punctured himself with a fang.

I'm sorry, Pierce.

My hot, hunky vampire licks his lip and shrugs.

I grasp his hands gently. So if I want to know what you're thinking, all I have to do is drink your blood? I gulp. Blood! Urgh!

Pierce shakes his head and mouths, "No way!"

I smile and nod my head.

He releases my hands.

Why not? I think.

In a heartbeat, he is on the other side of the cave. "You'll laugh," he mouths.

I would never laugh at your thoughts, I think, attempting a serious tone.

I hit turboswim, not usually a good idea in a confined space, but it's the only way I can catch him. I pin him beneath me on the cave floor. I kiss him, tasting his strawberry-flavored blood. Almost immediately, I detect faint brain-waves coming from Pierce. They buzz over my consciousness. It differs from the thoughts of another mer. Like tasting new food from a foreign land. His thoughts gradually coalesce into something more distinct.

I love you, Wave. I love you so much. Please come back to Marin. I need you. I want you. I want to hold you and kiss you forever.

I do not laugh. Instead, I kiss him again. When our lips touch, a current shoots through my body as if I've been shocked by a thousand electric eels. My tail is flipping inadvertently! It is mind boggling to feel Pierce's attraction to me at the same time I am feeling my own attraction to him. Somehow our passion is more than doubled. Time stops, and the kiss goes on infinitely. Neither of us needs to breathe underwater, so we could basically do this forever or until someone notices we're not at the party. I'm running my hands down his cool, muscular arms, and he is doing the same with my back.

Please tell me you're coming back to Marin, he thinks.

Of course, I'm coming back, Pierce. Mom will be okay without me for a while. Plus, I have to help Pickles and Fintan, and I promised the queen I'd look after the prince, which won't be easy with Cupid there! But the main reason I have to return is there's no way I'm ever giving up these kisses.

"Waverly Marie Fishwater!" It's my oldest brother, Gav.

Pierce and I break apart. "What?" I say.

Gav is standing in the doorway, looking at us, basically horrified. As if he's never seen anyone kissing before! He has fingerlings of his own, for Poseidon's sake. "Guests are arriving, Wave."

"Come on, Pierce. It's time for you to meet the rest of the Fishwater clan."

"I love you, Wave!"

"I know. I love you too."

The cave is filling up with so many of my relatives; it's hard to even move. There are a lot of Fishwaters! And even some of our neighbors and friends have come to ogle the fingerlings.

And though Pierce cannot communicate with my family (except for Coranne), he fits right in as if he's always been there. He's holding Coranne in the crook of his arm, and she's sound asleep, sucking her thumb, dreaming of dashing princes on golden seahorses. Mom has apparently been telling her the same stories she told me as a child. Pierce smiles at her and is nearly as besotted with my sister as she is with him. Dart jets from one guest to the next. He's flagging but refuses to rest. Kipper is with my oldest sister, Monika, who is a marine biologist. She's explaining something scientific about the conch shell and bivalves and filtering mechanisms and the life of the animal that once lived inside.

"Congratulations, Mrs. Fishwater," I hear a familiar voice say in my head. I spin around to see Shelly and her mom.

"Thank you, Shelly," Mom says. "Avalon!" Mom embraces Shelly's mom. "Thank Poseidon, you are alright."

"Thanks to Waverly!" thinks Mrs. Sharkweather. "Is she here?"

"Oh, yes," Mom says, looking around the room for me.

I grab Pierce's free hand and take him with me to greet Mrs. Sharkweather and Shelly.

"Waverly!"

"Hello, Mrs. Sharkweather." I hug her. She looks so much better than the last time I saw her in the tank. Her hair is a lustrous golden green. She has filled out and looks like an older version of Shelly.

"Shelly told me all about what you did for me and the others. What you did for the bay! I cannot thank you enough for your bravery and kindness."

"You're welcome, Mrs. Sharkweather. I'm glad you're okay."

"Avalon, have you met my third cousin on my father's side?" Mom asks, leading Mrs. Sharkweather into a knot of merfolk I have never seen before on the opposite side of the room near the kitchen.

"Thanks again, Waverly," Shelly says, looking at the floor of the cave instead of at me. "I was ... was ... horrible to you."

"You weren't very nice," I agree. "But I understand. You were going through a lot. Sorry about your dad."

"He'll be out in a year," Shelly says. She looks shyly at Pierce for the first time since we swam over.

Finn makes his way through the swimming throng. "Shelly?" Finn says. "Hey, Wave! Miss me?" He hugs me, then gives Pierce the once over. Geesh! I remember when I used to go all jellyfish whenever I saw Finn. Now there is nothing there but friendship. After introductions, Finn turns to Shelly. "Shell, ready to go to the boardwalk?"

"Yes." Shelly smiles and takes his hand. Together they swim through the room and out the front of the cave.

"Waverly, they're here!" my mom says.

"Who?"

"The surprise."

The throng of guests separates and in swims Beau and Olga and what must be about a thousand merhorse fry. Holy mother of cod!

"Waverly!" Beau swims toward us. He looks pretty good for having given birth to so many offspring.

"Beau! Olga! It's great to see you guys and your, uh ..." Brood? Herd? Fingerlings? "They are adorable."

"Your mother invited us," Olga says.

"I am so happy she did!"

"Thank you for all you did to save the bay," Beau says. "It's such a relief that we don't have to move the family. We have been working with the Merfolk Council to clean up the toxic waste in the cave. Soon it will all be neutralized."

"We all did it, Beau. Not just me. You and Olga and all our friends at West Marin Heights!"

We spend the next few hours of the afternoon playing with Beau and Olga's fry and my new siblings. Thank goodness, no tears are shed; I cannot imagine how Beau and Olga would handle the transformation of their children into another species. Gradually, the cave empties of guests. Kipper, Coranne, and Dart are asleep in the nursery. It's only my parents, Pierce, and I left.

"Thanks for inviting Beau and his family, Mom."

"Of course! I had no idea there was such a thing as merhorses. It was an honor to meet them. Even Monika couldn't believe their existence has been kept secret for so long."

Secrets! This reminds me of something I have been wondering about since the Halloween party. "Dad?"

"Yes, Wave?"

"About us being related to the royal family. Is it true?"

"Yes. Distant cousins only, though."

"So, we have royal blood?"

Pierce perks up when he 'hears' me talking about blood. I can feel his hunger and my stomach growls! I wonder if he and I can get away for a little while? Or a long while!

"Yep," Dad says.

"So is that why the poison in the bay didn't affect me like it did Shelly?"

"Exactly. Royals have some biological protections," Dad says.

"So why don't we have an equatorial palace or anything? I mean, here I am: royal, and I don't even own a single tiara. That's just not fair."

"Oh, Waverly, I'm going to miss your sense of humor," Dad says.

It sinks in what he's saying to me. "You both knew I would go back to West Marin Heights?"

Pierce squeezes my hand.

"Yes," Mom says. "We will miss you so much. Not just your sense of humor, but your goodness, your bright spirit, and even your stubbornness."

"I'll miss you too."

Mom leans over and kisses my forehead. "Can't wait to see you back here for Poseidon's Annual Birthday Celebration and Crab Feed. Bring Pierce! I know he can't eat crab, but he's part of the family now. He'll have to learn to put up with us!" She smiles warmly, but I can see she's holding back tears.

"Mom, don't cry! Think of our aquatic neighbors—the plants, the animals, the plankton." Honestly, I'm close to tears myself. Better get out of here before we wreak havoc on the ocean.

I embrace both my parents with bone-crushing mer-hugs, and then I kiss my new brothers and sister, who are thankfully exhausted and therefore snareable.