It started with a feeling of incredible warmth, then morphed into a strange slipping sensation that had Katie’s eyes shooting open just in time to tip sideways with a yelp. She landed on top of Riley as they both toppled over and winced as their heads knocked together. The blow stunned her for a moment, but unfortunately had the opposite effect on Riley, who bolted upright in surprise and dumped Katie on the floor in the process.

“That was unpleasant,” Katie complained.

“Your head is like a rock,” Riley grumbled in response.

“You have said that before.”

“Well stop hitting me with it then!”

Katie forced herself up onto one elbow and rubbed the sore spot on her head. “This was not my fault,” she protested. “You are the one who fell asleep on me.”

Riley huffed. “And then you fell asleep as well and we fell over. It sounds like your fault to me,” she teased. She flicked her fins and stuck her tongue out.

Katie growled softly at her. Annoyance prickled along her spine because she did not have a counter-argument. Riley would have still been sleeping normally if Katie had not woken her earlier in the first place. But she still hated to yield to the other girl. Riley tended not to let her victories go and Katie did not feel like listening to her continued teasing and poking.

Riley waggled her eyebrows. She already knew Katie had no counter to her statement.

“I do not know how long either of us were asleep before we fell. How do feel?” Katie inquired. “You were rather out of it earlier…do you even remember much?” Katie wrung her fingers nervously and ducked her head. She felt the heat rise in her cheeks as she waited for a reply. She hoped Riley remembered. The last thing she wanted was to learn Riley had not been in her right mind at the time.

Riley’s smile softened from taunting to warm and she nodded. “I remember everything,” she replied. Her jaws parted in a wide yawn that showed off her teeth as she stretched her arms out and arched her back. “But actually – attempted concussion aside – I feel quite well-rested. Are you alright?”

Katie nodded. “Yes,” she confirmed. “Mom mentioned earlier that we have company. Should we be antisocial or go out and see what is going on?”

Riley wrinkled her nose and pursed her lips. “I do not know what your inclination is, but I will brave a crowd. Now that you are well and I have slept, I am famished.”

Katie pulled herself closer and leaned against Riley. “You should have been taking better care of yourself,” she scolded. “I am grateful for everything that you did, but please, do not put yourself at risk like that.”

Riley scoffed and swept one of her gliders up over Katie’s head. Katie ducked, trying to avoid it, and was punished for her distraction as Riley knocked into her and flipped her over. The Mer’s eyes sparkled with mischief as she grinned down at Katie, and Katie felt her heart stall in her chest. Riley’s hair hung down and tickled at Katie’s cheeks and nose, and Katie squirmed beneath her. Riley leaned in close until their noses touched. “I will do as I please. Besides, you were worth it,” she whispered.

Despite how Katie’s heart was pounding in her chest at the endearing words and their proximity, she forced herself to grin back as she puffed a breath up into Riley’s face. “How sentimental. Admit it, you act tough, but you are really all soft and squishy in the center,” she teased as she poked Riley’s collarbone.

Riley caught her hand and pressed it to the floor. “You revoke that statement right now,” she growled playfully. Her eyes had narrowed and her lips pulled back, but it was more of a smile than a snarl.

“Or what?” Katie countered.

Riley growled again. “Or I will make you regret saying it.”

Katie stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry at Riley. It was silly and pointless, but it felt nice to just play around. That was all Katie really wanted for the moment, was just to have some downtime to breathe and relax, and just enjoy the company of her friends and family.

Riley huffed and scowled. “Listen here,” she warned. “I am not cute, and I am not soft either.”

At first, Katie tried to scoff, but the noise broke off early as Riley began to tickle her ribs and Katie squealed. She twisted side to side and jerked her tail. “No,” she gasped. “No, stop it! Riley, stop!” Tears began to roll down her eyes as she tried to shove Riley off, but the other Mer was stronger and relentless. “Okay, okay, I take it back, I take it back,” she howled.

Riley chuckled and relented.

“That was mean,” Katie protested.

Riley clucked her tongue. Then she leaned down and Katie stiffened as she felt Riley’s lips press to hers. Her heart fluttered in her chest. Up close, she could see every single freckle that dusted Riley’s cheeks and nose, and she hummed with delight and leaned up into the kiss. She honestly had no idea if they were doing any of this right, but she was fairly certain that she did not care. All that mattered was that Riley was warm and she was happy.

When Riley finally pulled away, her fang hooked on Katie’s lip and pulled on it, but when Riley stuck her tongue out, Katie wondered if it had been on purpose. “I thought…you said that we should wait?” Katie questioned.

Riley inclined her head. “I did,” she agreed. “But I wanted a turn. You make it very difficult to be patient.”

“Where did these feelings even come from?” Katie wondered aloud. “I am happy for them, but I feel blindsided. We have not known each other that long and we spent most of that time in seriously stressful situations.”

“They did sneak up,” Riley agreed. “Those early few turns were a lot of fun.” She sat up off Katie and offered her hand. Katie clasped it and pulled herself upright. Then she tackled Riley to the floor once more.

She knew she could not actually hold the other girl down, so she sprawled out instead and hummed with delight when Riley wrapped her gliders over the small of Katie’s back. She flopped her head on her chest and her hum deepened to a purr at the soothing thud of Riley’s heartbeat. Tingling heat rose in Katie’s cheeks as she laid there. Not too long ago, she was mollified at the idea of falling asleep on Riley – though she wondered if that was because she just had not realized her feelings yet and was feeling subconsciously shy – and now she did not want to leave. “Riley, earlier…it just seemed like you already knew, already wanted this…when did you first realize?”

Riley clucked her tongue and shifted her weight. One of her hands settled on Katie’s back between her shoulder blades, and her fingers began to rub around the base of Katie’s sail. Warmth shot up and down Katie’s back and her purr deepened. She felt her sail ruffle beneath Riley’s touch. It raised slightly and then settled back into place.

“I suppose I first experienced them when you and I were out in the water and you hugged me. I struggle with acceptance. I want it, but I never understand why when I am given it. What you said, about choosing your loved ones…made me feel like I finally had a reason, and I treasure that. But I do not think I was quite aware of my emotions at the time. It was not until later, when I returned and found out where you and Sophie were and what was going on. Something in me just…There was a drive I cannot explain urging me to abandon everything and rush to you both. My freedom meant nothing if it could not be spent with the family I had found. But I did not just go for Sophie. I went for you, for those emotions. I wanted to talk to you about them once I knew. It was hard to keep them at bay and still interact with you, but I knew it would not be fair to put that on you – both because of our situation and your lack of adjustment time – you still need time to learn and grow into yourself before you make any choices like that.”

Katie frowned. “Wait…so you were just going to what? Let me fumble around and hope I figured things out?”

Riley shook her head. “Of course not. You are going to learn everything you need to. No one was ever going to leave you to flounder alone in the depths. And I would have told you, Katie, I just did not want you to feel pressured into feelings you did not share or understand. Mer mate for life, Katie, and if we are lucky, that is a very long time and a very serious commitment. It is not just a promise we make, it is a physical and emotional connection that is nearly impossible to sever once it has been forged.”

Katie pursed her lips. She wanted to say that it made sense, that it was what everyone hoped for with love, but there was an urgency in Riley’s voice that made her doubt herself.

Her internal conflict must have shown on her face because Riley smiled grimly and shrugged her shoulders. “When you grow up in the ocean, all of this makes sense,” Riley began. “I understood a mate bond when I was young, despite never experiencing one or even having the opportunity to witness it up close. I only had Iliene and she was hardly a role model. But it is deeply ingrained in our culture. You do not have that. You were born and raised differently and have to learn it now. None of that is your fault, but it is why it is so important that you have patience now; that we both do.”

“Is this your subtle way of telling me that I need to get off now?” Katie inquired. She stuck her tongue out between her teeth and tilted her head. She was touched because Riley was so headstrong normally and yet, she seemed to have considered every risk and planned everything out. It was touching.

Riley sighed and her gliders loosened their hold on Katie. “Unfortunately, yes,” she agreed. She pushed up from the floor and Katie shifted backwards to give her room to sit up. “Though that felt nicer than I anticipated it would. I always thought Nero was crazy, but I understand the merit now.”

Katie hummed in the back of her throat. “Riley…is it okay to ask about your other parent? Do you have a father or another mother? What happened to them?”

Riley glanced at Katie with a pinched expression and glossy eyes. She shrugged. “I do not know. I have never met them and Iliene has never talked about them either. Honestly, we had such a strained relationship at the best of times that I was too afraid to make things worse by asking about something she never wished to discuss. I tried asking my aunt once or twice, but she always said it was not her tale to tell.”

Katie reached out and squeezed Riley’s shoulder. “I am sorry,” she whispered. “Not knowing has to be hard.”

Riley shrugged and inclined her head. “It bothers me from time to time – moreso in my youth – but I have a family now, so I do not wish for the truth quite as much,” she admitted. “Now, I do believe there was something you mentioned about stealing cookies?” She waggled her eyebrows and stuck her tongue out.

Katie rolled her eyes. “Alright,” she agreed. “Let us go get you some food.”

Riley’s grin widened and she nodded towards the far wall. Katie turned and saw two long scooterboard looking apparatuses. They had thin padded tops and four wheels on each edge. “Oh, that is genius,” Katie exclaimed. “That is going to be so much easier than hauling up into a wheelchair.”

She dragged herself over and found it almost effortless to flick her tail up onto one of the boards. She planted her hand in the center of the other one and sent it skidding across the floor towards Riley, who caught and boarded it just as easily. Katie watched as she rolled herself across the room and reached towards the door handle. The handle was a long, pull-handle, but there was also a beaded string dangling from it that Riley grabbed easily without having to stretch far. When she tugged on it, the handle pulled and the door swung open with a soft ‘click’.

“This setup feels really fluid and designed with Mer in mind,” Katie commented idly.

“That is because it was,” Riley replied. “You will see. Now come on, I shall race you down the hall, but be warned; you are going to lose.”

Katie rolled her eyes and chuckled. “Challenge accepted,” she shot back. She pulled herself out the door after Riley and sighed at how easy it was. With her palms pressed to the floor, she could get up decent speed and though she was going to need a bit of steering practice, it was faster and simpler than trying to use a wheelchair. “Ready?” Katie inquired. When Riley nodded, she planted her palms firmly on the floor in anticipation. “Go!”

Despite working her arms, it was clear Riley had gotten a bit more practice with these boards because she shot off ahead of Katie with relative ease. Huffing, Katie pressed her tail to the ground and used it to give herself a bigger shove. She careened widly down the hall and caught up to the other Mer. Katie laughed with delight at the pointless effort she was putting into winning a childish race, but she was determined to win regardless. Unfortunately, just as they were approaching the end of the hall, Luna came around the corner on a board of her own. Her long brown hair had been pulled back into a braid trailing down her spine and she had her tail tilted up to keep her fin away from the wheels of her board.

Riley had already stopped, and Katie dug her fingers against the wood flooring, but she had built up too much speed. “Look out!” she tried to warn Luna. The younger girl looked up just in time for Katie to crash into her. Luna squeaked with surprise as Katie slammed into her and the two rolled over one another onto the floor. Luna’s breath puffed up in Katie’s face as Katie landed on her. As quickly as she could, Katie scrambled back up. “Oh gosh, Luna, are you okay?” she checked. “I am so sorry.”

Luna looked a little dazed lying flat on her back. After a moment, she swallowed and nodded. “I was only coming to check on the both of you. Sophie was going to and I offered.”

Katie winced. “I did not mean to hit you. Are you hurt?”

Luna rolled over and shook herself. “I am alright,” she agreed after a moment. A grin split her features and she reached out to flick Katie on the collar bone. “But you should be less reckless, someone could get hurt,” she mocked while sticking out her tongue.

“Yes, Katie,” Riley added. “You are not a child, you should not be behaving so foolishly.”

Katie huffed and swatted Riley. “You are not much better. I really am sorry, though, Luna. It was an accident.”

“Of course it was an accident,” Luna laughed. “I doubt you would have slammed into me on purpose; I have not done anything to warrant aggression. Besides, I nearly did the same thing a few turns ago.”

“So that’s what all the commotion out here was.” Katie looked up as Lewis spoke. He was leaning against the wall with his arms folded comfortably over his chest. He nodded at her when he caught her looking. “I’m glad you’re awake, Kate. Do me a favour though? Please stop making me say ‘I’m glad you’re not dead’, okay? These near-death experiences of yours are not healthy for you physically, or for the rest of us emotionally.”

“I will do my best,” Katie agreed.

Lewis nodded. “Good. I’m glad you’re up and feeling better. You had us all really worried again. But you’re both awake and look like you’re doing much better, and that’s what counts. If you’re feeling up to it, we’ve been in discussing possible courses of action and you should both probably weigh in before we go any further.”

“Okay,” Katie agreed.

“As long as there is food involved,” Riley added.

“Are you coming?” Katie prompted Luna. She was beginning to miss her little sister, especially since there were so many uncertainties right now, and she just wanted to spend a little time with her.

Her heart sunk when Luna shook her head. “I have already been included. My father is still in with Sophie and the others, but I am going to go back and join my mother and brother, and Karina. But you will come after? I have missed you,” she admitted. She threw her arms around Katie and nuzzled against her, and Katie squeezed her fiercely. “I was really frightened for you,” Luna added.

“I’m sorry that I worried you,” Katie whispered back. “I will come find you as soon as we are done and we can spend some time. I fancy a swim if it is possible.”

“More than possible,” Lewis agreed.

Reluctantly, Katie pulled away from Luna’s embrace and repositioned herself on the scooterboard. “Let us get this over with then,” she decided. “See you soon?” she added with a glance at Luna.

The younger Mer grinned and dipped her head. “Yes. I want to swim too. In fact, I feel very left out of that race you two just had and I demand to be included in a rematch. In the water, this time.”

Riley scoffed. “You will both lose.”

Luna shrugged and her smile widened. “Perhaps. I suppose we shall see.”

“That we will, little cousin,” Riley taunted.

It hurt to split ways, but Katie found herself looking forward to some friendly competition with Luna and Riley. She was still feeling rather lighthearted and content as she followed Lewis down the hall and through another door into a breezy dining room. The wide windows on the far wall were open and saturating the air with the rich, salty taste of ocean water. It woke a craving deep in Katie’s gut that made her wriggle with the desire to be in the water.

She shook her head to glance around the room. Her mother smiled at her first, and Ixion nodded at her from a chair across the table. Also in the room were three people she did not know. A man and a woman with a striking resemblance, and a Mer perched in a wheelchair and wearing a button-up gray shirt. It was a strange sight since the other Mer she had interacted with all seemed to have a preference against wearing clothing.

Before she could ask for introductions, however, Katie’s gaze fell on the last two people in the room. She had been in Dr. Auldon’s presence just recently and unease prickled down her spine that he was here and in their new home. A quick glance at her mother showed that Sophie was just as uncomfortable with his presence based on the nervous glances she kept shooting him. But he was not her real concern for the moment.

Lukshia was leaned against the back of one chair, silently watching them all, and it made Katie’s skin crawl. Betrayal was still a sharp, stabbing thorn between Katie’s ribs and it was breeding all sorts of negativity in her heart. Her lips pulled back and her sail raised high on her back as she hissed furiously. “Get out,” she snarled without hesitation.