The creak of a cupboard door, then a clink of a cup onto a hard surface, pulled Cordelia from her deep sleep. Please don’t let it be morning. As she y drifting, a footstep followed by the scrape of a stool being pulled out confirmed that her family was up. Great!

  She blinked twice, and with the help of a small amount of light that broke through the heavy curtains, Kai’s empty bed with rumpled bnkets came into focus. How te was it? With a groan, she rolled onto her back. Her arm reached out for her phone, and she peeked at the time. Another groan. . . Noon.

  Well, that wasn’t surprising; after all, it had been very early in the morning before she had fallen asleep. How could one fall asleep after what she’d learned? She was part mermaid!

  Of course, that didn’t mean anything since there was a good chance that she wouldn’t be able to change into one, but it was still cool to think about. Something that clearly made her different from most everyone she knew. Yet not something she could share with anyone.

  Incredibly unfair.

  A soft knock followed by the twist of the doorknob, “You awake?”

  Cordelia pushed up on her elbows, looking over at her mother framed in the doorway. Today her mother wore her usual happy smile framed by her curly auburn hair and a white sundress. “Trying to,” Cordelia responded with a yawn.

  “Well, it is afternoon. It might be Saturday, but we need to help with preparations for the barbecue tonight.” Her mother leaned against the doorframe, grinning as she went on, “We also have some rooms to clean, as a handful of the guests took off early this morning. Then there is the kitchen post-brunch.”

  With a frustrated sound, Cordelia dropped back, grabbed the comforter, and pulled it over her head, mumbling, “Actually, I’m still asleep. This is a terrible nightmare.”

  A hearty ugh, “See you in twenty minutes or I’ll send your brother to find you.”

  Ugh.

  The door clicked shut, yet she y looking up through the muted light at the covers over her. Her breath expanded her chest; the heaviness that pulled at her neck and shoulders all week released. There were more questions than answers at this point, but that was better than secrets and lies.

  She threw off the bnket and dropped her legs over the side, sitting up. Stretching big, arms reaching toward the ceiling, she grinned. At least she got to sleep in.

  * * *

  Charcoal smoke and the rich smell of grilled chicken curled around Cordelia as she stood next to the industrial-sized grill out on the patio. Fat hissed and popped as it dripped onto the coals. She waited for the next batch to finish and found her eyes drifting across the patio.

  Many familiar faces from the night before were once again enjoying an evening of good food and drink. The tables were littered with now empty ptes and gsses that caught the fading light of the afternoon sun. Laughter rose above the crash of waves as people lingered at the tables.

  But today it was different. Gone was her anger at her mother and her suspicion of her grandparents. She was still really worried about what her dad was dealing with, but at least felt on steady ground for the first time in a week.

  The change was also there in her family, who talked openly in front of her. No longer calling her away or sending her off on some errand to keep her from interacting with the guests or asking questions about some comment. Well, everyone except her brother, who was as oblivious as always.

  Before going to bed st night, her mother asked her not to say anything to him. He needed to be older before he could be trusted with the truth. “Think of it as practice at keeping this secret,” Silka suggested.

  Hearing her mother’s ugh, Cordelia looked over at the table just off the patio on the beach. There her mother sat with all but one of the people from st night. Cordelia had formally met them all earlier before she had to help with the event. They were warm and friendly, excited to meet her, and soon they were reminiscing about her mother’s youth.

  “Your mom had this red sequined fpper dress, fringe falling below her knees, that she wore to the jazz clubs on Friday nights.” The group ughed, and Silka rolled her eyes. “Your mom loved jazz.”

  Fpper dress? Jazz clubs? As in the 1920s. No way.

  “Didn’t it have feathers on the shoulders?”

  “It did not,” her mother protested with a smile.

  Her mother’s friend Nadine piped in, “I think I have a picture on my phone.”

  “You digitized it?” Silka gasped.

  “Of course,” Nadine replied, not looking up from her search.

  “This is how secrets get out,” Silka reprimanded.

  Nadine shrugged, unbothered. “With all the AI pictures these days,” she scoffed. “No one would even give it a second gnce.” With that, she fshed up a bck-and-white photo of her mother, arm around Nadine and another woman. Silka’s curly hair, a bob about her ears, had a thick headband holding it in pce while a double-roped beaded neckce graced her throat. Just as described, she wore a dark-colored dress with no sleeves and long fringe along the bottom that fell to just below her knees. No feathers.

  “See no feathers,” Silka crowed.

  The picture was old. How old was her mother?

  The group had the most interesting stories. However, one member tried a little too hard to “get to know her”. Warren. Her mother had stammered out the introductions, and he’d immediately unched into questions about school and hobbies, nodding eagerly and jumping in with follow-up questions before she could even finish.

  She mentioned her dad in every other breath. How great they were as a family. That he was a renowned professor. Warren’s smile pinched.

  During one story that the group had happily shared, he’d slipped in that he’d dated her mother. Like she hadn’t figured that out. After all, he was consistently at her mother’s side, leaning close, offering to get things for her. Obviously, he still liked her.

  “Pay attention,” her grandfather reminded her as he put some chicken breasts into the pan she was holding. She gripped it with both hands as it began to wobble.

  Scanning the beach again, her eyes fell on Kai as he moved through the crowd collecting trash and clearing dishes, then picked up her grandmother, stopping at various tables, checking in and making sure everyone had what they needed. Maria left friendly ughter in her wake.

  A movement in the distance behind her grandfather caught her eye. Was that Hector?

  She moved to the side, trying to see around him. “What are you doing?” her grandfather growled.

  “Sorry,” she squeaked.

  The person picking up the beach area was too far away to make out clearly. Still, she squinted toward the figure. She’d been looking for Hector all day. They hadn’t had time to talk st night, and although she no longer needed his help, she wanted to talk to him again.

  “Done,” her grandfather announced, giving her a slightly disapproving look.

  Fshing him a grimace, she turned to the tables. So she was distracted, but she was making an effort. Taking the fresh food over to the buffet-style table, she used the serving tongs to replenish the trays.

  “Cordelia?” came a voice.

  “Yes?” Cordelia said, looking up. She recognized the woman immediately - the woman from the fish market.

  “Nice to meet you,” was said with a nod. “I’m Andrea. Your grandmother’s closest friend. I saw you when you came into the market the other day, but you left before I could introduce myself.”

  Cordelia's eyes widened. Of course! She had wondered at the time why the woman had been invited to dinner st night. “I actually just recently learned about my family history.”

  “I wondered,” the woman beamed at her. Looking her up and down, “You’ll fit in just fine.” The woman selected a chicken thigh, saying, “I’ll be looking out for you in a couple of years. We’ll see if you shake things up.” With a chuckle, she moved on.

  As that thought settled into Cordelia’s mind, she surveyed the group, realizing there was no one even close to her age. The words from dinner on the first night.

  Our “kind” has trouble having children.

  Were she and Kai the only young ones? Another question to add to her growing list.

  It wasn’t long before the sun’s light glistened low on the horizon. Yet guests lingered, hanging over patio rails or out on beach chairs, sipping drinks and sharing stories. Cordelia, along with her grandfather, cleared away all the food and stored it inside. The kitchen staff had completed their work and left for the night before Cordelia could check if Hector had been one of them.

  Now, she sat on a lounger, Kai across from her, eating chocote ice cream out of the container. A soft, warm breeze drifted along the beach and ruffled her hair. It was a perfect Saturday night.

  “And then the dog pulled her several feet through the mud,” Kai went on, ughing about some YouTube short he’d watched earlier today. She only half listened.

  Shuffling came from the right, and she turned her head. “Ready to head to the cottage?”

  “I guess,” Kai grumbled, and Cordelia smiled. Despite the early hour, she was ready for bed even though she’d slept te.

  Cordelia swallowed the st bit of ice cream and then stood up from the lounger. Kai and her mother walked a pace ahead. Nearing a trash can, she dumped the container and caught up with them. They walked in peaceful silence.

  At the door, Kai rushed in, but her mother stopped, looking back at Cordelia, “A few of us are going out to swim again tonight.”

  “Okay.”

  “Stay in the cottage,” Silka warned with a raised eyebrow.

  Cordelia rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry. I don’t want a repeat of what I saw st night.”

  Her mom knocked her on the shoulder, and they both ughed.

  Sleep came fast as she snuggled into her covers. She imagined floating on the waves beneath a dark sky full of twinkling lights moments before turning to dive deep with a flick of her tail.

  * * *

  Bright overhead sun beat down on Cordelia as she surveyed the beach. In the distance, her mom was shaking out a bnket; the two of them were the only ones still out setting up. Nodding as she looked around, she thought the patio and adjoining beach looked festive with the rge red-and-yellow floral tablecloths matched with centerpieces of trailing vines.

  She pulled out her phone to see what time it was. Only 1:30pm. The picnic they had been preparing for all morning would start at 2:00pm, and with all her tasks complete, she’d have time to run back to the cottage and rex. Waving to her mom, she took off, happy to have some time to jump in the shower. Sweat was dripping off her forehead and had gathered at the center of her back. She must smell awful.

  Setting up the tables on the beach, complete with umbrels and cushions in simir yellow and red, had been harder than she thought. Then they’d repositioned loungers and id out bnkets to give the few remaining guests options for enjoying the te lunch.

  Grabbing a sundress she’d thrown into her luggage and clean underclothes, she slipped into the hall bathroom and started the shower. As it warmed up, she brushed her teeth and stretched. The fog on the mirror blurred her image. Even so, the eyes that peered back at her no longer gred with anger and hurt.

  Before this week, she had lived a sheltered and generally happy life, not considering the world around her. Then she’d been shaken awake and felt unsteady for days. But here, right now, she could honestly say that it had been good for her. Of course she wished her parents could have been honest with her. But if she had been in their shoes, would she have done something different?

  She couldn’t imagine how her mother must have worried over whether the decision they had made was the right one. How many times had her mother wondered if giving up her parents was worth it?

  Realizing the mirror was completely fogged, she pulled open the shower stall, and a cloud of white steam drifted out. Maybe a little too hot. She adjusted the handle, lowering the temperature slightly, and tested the water with her foot. When it hit the perfect temperature, she sighed and slipped beneath the warm stream. It washed away the st tight knot in her neck. The citrus smell of the shampoo refreshed her senses as her hands thered up her long auburn hair. For a few quiet moments, the steam soothed her. When the spray turned lukewarm as it washed away the st of the conditioner, she startled at how long she must have been standing there and hurried to finish.

  Stepping out, the cool air felt good on her heated skin. She toweled off, throwing it onto the sink when she finished, and slipped on her clothes. Hair and makeup followed before heading back to her room to check the time. Her phone sat on the bed. Five minutes until the top of the hour. Hurry! Reaching under the bed, she pulled out sandals, picked up her phone, and skipped out the door.

  Arriving back at the beach, she located her mom with Kai on a beach bnket under a rge umbrel. Their faces were animated as they ate, looking out at the waves. Since they already had food, she headed over to the buffet table and piled a pte with a hot dog, chips, some sad, and a brownie. One of her grandfather’s friends was standing next to the drink cooler; he smiled at her as she walked up.

  “What are you having?”

  “Is there a Fanta?”

  “The orange kind?”

  “Yes, please.” He handed her the drink, and with a quick thanks, she strolled over to where her mom and Kai sat.

  Silka and Kai both looked pleased to see her and made room for her on the bnket. Kai was thinking about trying to go for a swim ter and asked if she wanted to join. Honestly, she wanted a quiet afternoon involving nothing more than tanning in the sun.

  A shadow fell over them, and looking up, Cordelia saw Warren. Her smile fttened.

  He squatted down to talk to them, “How is everyone’s afternoon?”

  “Fine,” Cordelia and Kai responded together, although Kai’s response contained his usual enthusiasm and Cordelia made sure hers sounded bored.

  “Well, that is wonderful.” Warren pointed at her pte, “Looks like some excellent lunch there.”

  Before Cordelia could respond, her mom jumped in, saving Warren from Cordelia’s snide remark. “I’m gd you’re still able to make it out here. I know it’s quite the drive from Mississippi.”

  He beamed at her, “I’m gd too. I try to make it out here at least twice a year. . . in case you might show up. Just my luck you did this time.”

  Her mother blushed. How much trouble could she get into if she pushed him to the ground?

  “Unfortunately, I need to head back after lunch. It is a busy time of year in the real estate business. I just hired another agent, so I'm still training her.”

  “It sounds like you are doing so well.” Cordelia heard her mother ask him some more questions and his cheerful responses, but she tuned it all out. So he was some big-shot real estate agent and had money. Her father was a professor, and they did well for themselves too.

  “I’d love to have you and your kids come for a visit.” Cordelia heard him say which pulled her attention back to their conversation. She narrowed her eyes. She would never go to visit him, she vowed.

  Before her mom could respond, movement from across the beach caught her attention. She turned her head to look. It was her father walking toward them with a big smile on his face. “Dad!” she shouted, waving.

  * * *

  Warren stood up as her father approached, holding out his hand, his lips clenched and posture stiff.

  “Warren. . . it’s been a long time,” Robert smirked, taking the outstretched hand.

  “It has,” Warren gnced away as Robert sat down on the beach bnket beside Silka, leaning over to wrap an arm around her. She giggled when he pulled her in for a gentle kiss.

  “I was just taking off. Stopped by to tell your family goodbye.”

  Robert looked up, “Goodbye.”

  Silka spped him on the chest.

  “Take care on the road,” Robert added.

  Obviously not friends.

  “Goodbye, Warren. I'm gd we got to catch up,” Silka said with a wave and a gentle smile. Then she turned to speak with Robert, her voice low, “Is everything okay?”

  Warren’s huff drifted to Cordelia as he realized he was dismissed and stormed away. Neither of her parents paid any attention to his departure. Her grandparents were walking toward them, and as they passed Warren, he said a gruff goodbye without stopping.

  They shared a startled look, but neither commented.

  “Everything is fine. False arm.” Robert looked over at Cordelia, who was sitting slightly in front of where he had sat. “Can you and Kai get me something to eat and drink? It was a long drive. I’m famished.”

  Kai nodded, jumping up, moving quickly, considering the sand that pulled at his feet.

  Cordelia didn’t move. She wanted an expnation. Didn’t she deserve it? “I know all about Mom’s family,” Cordelia murmured to her father.

  Robert’s eyes widened as he looked over at Silka. She gave a small nod.

  “I’m sure Kai can handle it then.” He took a breath as he reached for Silka’s hand. “A friend and fellow researcher found a video of what he thought was actual proof of a mermaid.”

  Cordelia’s hand flew to her mouth.

  Robert shook his head. “Normally, I wouldn’t have thought much about it. Being in this field, I get these kinds of requests all the time.” He hesitated, “But he said the mermaid in the video looked a lot like Silka.”

  “Me,” her mother gasped.

  “I was shocked too. I think you only met him once.”

  “Who?”

  “Matt.”

  Her mother looked down, biting her lip. “I can’t think of any Matt.”

  “He’s more of a conspiracy theorist than a researcher.”

  Silka ughed, “So he’s often right.”

  Robert threw her a sideways scowl.

  “Was it Mom?” Cordelia asked. Her grandparents held their breath.

  “He wouldn’t send me the video. Wanted to bring it to me.” Robert squeezed Silka’s hand. “He thought we should view it together.”

  Kostas jumped in, “Was he threatening you?”

  “It felt that way. I took it that way, at least.”

  “Is he that kind of person?” Silka questioned.

  “I don’t know him that well. We’ve run theories by each other over the years. Otherwise, I don’t know him personally.” Robert gnced around at all of them. “After we’d hung up, I kept telling myself that it had been years since you had transformed. It couldn’t be you.”

  “Right.” Silka’s eyes creased. “Plus, I’ve always been careful.”

  Robert grinned, “Except that one night.”

  “You didn’t catch me.”

  He leaned in, giving her a quick kiss. “Didn’t I?”

  Silka smiled back.

  “Of course, who knows how old this video might be. Maybe he lucked onto something.” Robert scoffed, “I rushed home to get everyone out of town in case it was real. My fear was that he’d want to talk to you.” He met Silka’s gaze.

  “You could have just said that,” Silka replied.

  “I didn’t want you to know someone was that close to our secret.”

  “Not knowing is worse,” Cordelia whispered.

  Robert leaned towards her. “I suppose you’re right.” He reached out his hand and squeezed her shoulder.

  “Luckily, I got home before he got to town. I had him meet me in my office on campus. He couldn’t stop talking about what he’d found.” Robert swallowed.

  The fear he felt settled around them all. Cordelia’s hand shook before she balled it in her p.

  “I pointed him to my pyer and held my breath.” A small smile. “The video was grainy. We couldn’t see much. He swore it was better than this and the TV was bad.” Robert chuckled, “I agreed. Told him I’d need a few days to analyze the video with better equipment.”

  Surprised, Cordelia asked, “He wasn’t mad.”

  Robert shrugged, “A little, but I guess he’d already assumed I’d need some time. He’d rented a room down the street. Excited about my assessment of what the tape had captured.

  Her dad paused, looking over at Cordelia, “I was more scared than I had been in my life to look at that video.”

  Cordelia nodded. Silka reached out to touch his knee. “I think I spent most of the morning pacing in my office until I forced myself to work on cleaning up the tape. As I worked, I prepared myself for the worst. I keep thinking of how I’d expin it away.”

  “It was Mom?”

  “Well, it was a woman.” A gasp from her grandmother. “But not your mother.”

  Collectively, everyone let out their breath.

  “She had your mother’s hair color, but that is where the simirities ended. Furthermore, it wasn’t a mermaid; rather, a young woman out swimming without a bathing suit.”

  “That’s probably why he thought it was a mermaid,” Cordelia muttered.

  Her mother gred at her.

  “I was able to sharpen up the image. Gave me what I needed to prove that the woman was not a mermaid. Still, it took a few days, but I got several clear still shots.”

  “Did he believe you?”

  Robert frowned, “Yes. He was disappointed. Apologized for making such a leap and wasting my time.” Her dad looked away, staring out at the ocean waves. “He didn’t accuse me of anything. The picture was clearly from his tape.”

  Silka’s head fell against Robert’s shoulder. “Thank goodness.”

  He kissed the top of her head. “I waited a few days to let the dust settle, made sure he left town, before I headed down here to pick everyone up to go home.”

  Roberts’ eyes again touched on all of them. “I’ve done nothing but thank God for the st few days.” He stopped on Kostas and Maria, “Thank you again for watching out for my family.”

  “Our family,” came the gruff reply from Kostas.

  Chuckling, “You’re right - our family.” The two men shared an understanding look before Robert went on, “With school and work tomorrow, we need to leave in the next hour or two. We’ll use back roads again to keep off the radar.”

  They were leaving. Immediately. “Does that mean we can’t see our grandparents again?” Her lungs spasmed. It had taken a while to get to know her grandparents, but now she couldn’t imagine them not being in her life.

  Her grandmother reached for her grandfather’s arm, steading herself. A wave of anger stiffened her grandfather.

  Robert looked at Silka, but she wouldn’t look at him. Instead, she sat up, reaching to collect ptes and trash on the bnket. Her busy movements were tight rather than graceful.

  A minute ticked by, and then Robert proposed, “I guess a visit or two a year should be possible, or your grandparents could come to visit us.”

  Robert looked over at Kostas and Maria as Cordelia threw herself into her dad’s arms, knocking him slightly off bance.

  Silka reached over, hugging them both as tears ran down her face. Cordelia turned her face against her father’s chest to look over at her grandfather, who smiled down at her with a nod.

  Kai skipped up next to their grandmother, a heaping pte of food held in his hands. “What’s going on?” His lips dropped down as he looked at his sister and mother crying. “I missed something.”

  They all gave a small ugh, “We were just talking about your grandparents coming to visit us.”

  Robert pulled away from both Cordelia and Silka to reach for the pte of food. He gave Kai a reassuring smile.

  “Whoo hoo!” Kai yelled, handing his pte to his dad before throwing his arms around their grandfather.

  Cordelia shouted the same, but inside. She had enough dignity not to shout it out loud.