She thought she was the only mermaid. She never expected her best friend to be one too - or to fall for the same boy.
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You were born a mermaid. You never knew your father-your mother only said he'd been a fisherman she once loved, and that things had ended badly. She never explained more than that, and eventually you stopped asking.
Your mother had been... complicated. Loving, protective, sometimes overwhelmingly so. Thinking about her made something tighten in your chest, so you avoided it. Life was quieter now. Simpler. Your only real family were the fish you swam with at sunrise and your aunt, who claimed to hate humans yet had lived among them for more than a decade.
It was a full moon tonight. The kind of night that always tugged old memories to the surface. You pushed them down. You were trying to start fresh.
Tonight, at the JuiceNet Café, the girls left early. It ended up just you and Lewis at the table, the neon lights painting everything in shades of blue and purple.
He watched you over his smoothie, too observant for your comfort. "So," he asked casually, "where exactly are you from again?"
Your heart skipped. "I told you. Near the coast."
"Which part?"
You tried to keep your voice steady. "A few different places. We moved a lot."
He tilted his head. "Because of...?"
You forced a laugh. "It's complicated." He didn't say anything after that.
But his silence was worse than his questions. He just looked at you-really looked at you-like he was piecing together a puzzle you didn't know he had.
When you both got up to leave, he offered to walk you home. You didn't want him to, but saying no would've been suspicious. So you accepted, and the whole walk felt heavy, thick with questions he hadn't asked yet.
Your aunt wasn't home when you arrived, and you barely stepped inside when Lewis said:
"Mind if I get a drink before heading back? I'm thirsty."
You nodded, trying to seem normal, and handed him a glass of water. You were relieved he wasn't asking anything else-so relieved you didn't notice how his eyes followed every move you made.
He was talking about school homework-something ordinary, something harmless-when it happened. He "accidentally" tipped the glass. Ice-cold water splashed across your shirt, your arms, your skin. You gasped, stumbling back.
"Lewis, no-!"
You turned to run before the change could take hold, but he grabbed you-arms around you, almost like a hug but stronger, firmer, holding you in place.
"Don't," he whispered. Not cruelly. Just... certain. The shift hit you instantly.
Your legs buckled as silver scales rippled across your skin, brighter than moonlight. Your tail unfurled in one long, smooth arc, glistening on the floor like liquid metal.
Lewis didn't flinch. He didn't scream. He just stared-eyes wide, amazed-and a slow smile spread across his face.
"I knew it," he breathed.
Your heart hammered against your ribs. Because your greatest secret, the one thing you had spent your entire life protecting, wasn't a secret anymore.
---
You were on the sofa now, wrapped in a blanket because your tail had finally dried and disappeared. Lewis sat beside you, still looking like he couldn't decide whether to apologize or brag.
You stared at him, processing everything he had told you.
"Wait-so they are mermaids too?"
Your eyebrows shot up, disbelief and shock twisting together in your voice.
Lewis nodded, hands gesturing everywhere because he was terrible at staying calm when he was excited.
"Yeah, I mean, their tail is a bit dif-" You didn't let him finish.
A sound burst out of you, halfway between a gasp and a laugh, and before you even realized what you were doing, you threw yourself at him.
You practically tackled him on the couch, arms around his neck. Lewis let out a surprised laugh as you crashed into him, the two of you falling back into the cushions.
"I was waiting for this my entire life!" you squealed, laughing breathlessly against his shoulder.
Lewis laughed too, his hands instinctively holding your waist so you didn't fall. "I figured you might be happy but-wow-you're really happy."
"I'm not alone," you whispered, still laughing, still hugging him. "I'm not alone."
When you finally leaned back, you realized where you were-on his lap. And you realized how he was looking at you-like the moonlight was still on your skin.
The air between you shifted. Your laughter faded into something softer. Your breath hitched. His eyes stayed locked on yours, warm and intense.
Your faces were close. Too close. His hand was still on your waist. And for one dizzy second, it felt like you were going to kiss him. Like he was leaning in.
Like everything you'd been holding inside was about to spill out-
The front door opened.
You jumped off his lap so fast you nearly tripped. Lewis scooted an entire foot away, suddenly very interested in pretending nothing had happened. You smoothed your hair; he straightened his shirt; the awkwardness was instant.
Your aunt stepped inside, keys jangling. "Oh. I didn't know we had company."
"He was just leaving!" you said quickly, voice a little too high. "I'm gonna walk him to the door."
Lewis stood, nodding politely. "Uh-yeah. I was just heading out."
You guided him to the doorway, heart pounding, cheeks burning. When your aunt disappeared into the kitchen, you leaned closer to him-really close-and whispered: "We definitely need to talk tomorrow. With the girls too."
Before he could reply, you pressed a soft kiss to his cheek.
"Goodnight, Lewis." You closed the door softly. For a moment you just stood there, hands pressed against the wood, breathing in the quiet.
Your aunt moved around in the kitchen, humming to herself. Everything looked normal. But you were not normal. Your life was not normal. And tonight had changed everything.
You went to your room, shut the door, and collapsed onto your bed, you were practically vibrating with energy. You curled onto your side, hugging your pillow, your heart beating too fast to settle.
You weren't alone.
You weren't alone.
The words spun around your head like they had wings.
Other mermaids existed. Girls your age. Girls you knew. Girls you LAUGHED with. GIRLS you sat with every day at school. Girls who lived the exact double life you had been living completely by yourself. Cleo. Emma. Rikki. Mermaids.
You let out a tiny, breathless laugh you couldn't hold in. It bubbled up again and again until you buried your face into the pillow so your aunt wouldn't hear you giggling like a maniac.
Lewis had seen your tail. Lewis knew your secret. Lewis hadn't run. And tomorrow... tomorrow you would finally talk to the girls.
Your chest felt warm in a way you couldn't describe. Like the ocean itself was wrapped around your heart.
You stared at the ceiling, eyes wide, mind racing. Sleep didn't feel possible. Not tonight. Not with the moon still bright through your window and your whole world suddenly wide open.
You weren't alone.
For the first time since you were a little girl, the thought didn't hurt-it felt like hope.
And you smiled into the darkness, unable to stop, unable to calm the wild excitement inside you.
