"Where are you going?"

I paused and turned at the sound of Dad's voice. He watched me, arms folded over his chest, while I stood awkwardly in the doorway.

"Um...nowhere?" I replied.

"Rayne—"

"I was just going to hike the trails and do some schoolwork," I explained, the lie rolling off my tongue smoothly. I patted my backpack for emphasis, though in reality it contained a large towel and a few snacks.

Dad mulled this over in his head before speaking. "All right," he said after a few seconds. "But call me as soon as you get there."

"Okay." I headed to the door.

"And when you leave!" he added.

"Dad..."

He took another step forward. "Please be careful. I don't know if you heard, but there was a kidnapping the other day."

Now he had my attention. "A what?"

"A kidnapping," Dad repeated.

But this was Shady Cove. I couldn't imagine anything happening other than a small-scale theft, vandalism, or minor traffic violation. But a kidnapping...?

"Make sure you stay within sight of the house, okay?" Dad instructed.

"Sure," I said before he could change his mind. "You don't have to worry about me, I'll be safe."

He sucked in a deep breath. "I know all those crisscrossing trails are fun to explore, but please stay close."

"Yeah. I'll be back soon." I gave him a reassuring smile before heading out the door and making a beeline for the nearest trail. Knowing that he might be watching me from a window, I stopped at the edge of the cliff. I dialed his number, as promised, but as soon as our call ended, I leaned over and gazed down at the ocean.

There was no way I was staying up here. With one last guilty look at the house, I scurried down the rest of the trail, my whole body buzzing with excitement until I reached the private beach.

I dropped my backpack onto the soft, golden sand before making my way to the water's edge. I let the tide tickle the bottom of my toes as I stood precariously at the shoreline. I winced when I remembered the intense pain from yesterday, but my excitement quickly won over. I wanted to experience the thrill of swimming as a mermaid once again. A little pain wasn't going to stop me.

I shimmied out of my jacket and tossed it onto the sand behind me. Goosebumps immediately sprouted on my arms, but I tugged my shorts down anyway. Then I quickly darted into the water and dove under the first wave that came my way. The freezing cold pierced my skin, but only seconds later, it was followed by a familiar tingling sensation. I hurriedly swam out to deeper water where the waves didn't break. Then I closed my eyes and prepared myself for the excruciating transformation.

It was certainly painful, but not nearly as painful as the first or second times. Though my bones popped and snapped as they rearranged themselves, it hurt significantly less. I smiled with relief when the transformation was over, leaving me with my shimmering blue tail once again.

I stared at the beautiful turquoise scales that adorned my tail. When I turned around, the scales glistened as they reflected the sunlight streaming through the water. It was amazing—wonderful—unbelievable!

I aimed towards deeper waters and pumped my tail furiously. I immediately shot forward like a bullet, stirring up clouds of sand with my powerful flukes. My long black hair streamed behind me and glided over my tail in waves. No human could ever experience what I was experiencing. The sensation of swimming underwater, unhindered by legs and feet, was a sensation like no other.

Swimming with a tail was still a little tricky, of course. I had trouble picking up speed from a complete stop, but once I did, it felt like I could glide through the water forever. Unfortunately, stopping or slowing was also a problem. My huge tail felt awkward when I was positioned right side up, with my head near the surface and my tail near the seafloor. Only when I stayed parallel to the ground could I easily float in place.

After an hour of swimming, my tail started to grow sore again, so I headed back into shore. I had to time my exit perfectly, since it was nearly impossible to drag myself out of the water. I pumped my tail in rhythm with the waves before shooting forward just as one broke overhead. The foaming whitewash carried me straight to shore, where I washed up onto the damp sand with the tide. I laughed and shook my hair out of my eyes.

Now my legs should come back, I thought. But after about a minute with no sign of my tail transforming into legs, I started to grow worried. What if I had stayed out longer than I was supposed to, and I wasn't able to change back?

Technically, I didn't mind staying in the ocean longer, but that was beside the point. Dad still didn't know I could transform into a mermaid, and I had no idea how to tell him. But if I was stuck with a tail, would he ever find me?

Suddenly, just as I was debating whether or not to slip back into the water, the tingling sensation began. I let out a sigh of relief, and within half a minute my tail had magically transformed back into legs. I quickly grabbed my shorts and jacket and pulled them over my wet, shivering skin.

"Wow," I breathed. I sat in the sand for a few minutes, quietly watching the waves breaking on the shore. The ocean glimmered in the warm afternoon sunlight. Everything looked so peaceful and breathtakingly perfect. I closed my eyes as a soft breeze tousled my hair.

Suddenly, my ringtone blasted through the thin material of my backpack, jerking me out of my reverie. I quickly stood up, brushed the remaining sand off my shorts, and darted over to my backpack. I pulled out my phone, desperately hoping the caller wasn't who I thought it would be.

"Rayne!" Dad exclaimed as soon as I answered the call. "Where are you? It's been nearly two hours—"

"I'm sorry, Dad," I said, cringing. "I wandered out on another trail, but I'm fine. Don't worry."

He heaved a long, relieved sigh. "I thought I told you to stay within sight of the house," he said.

"I know, I got a little carried away," I admitted. "I'm heading home right now."

As Dad rambled on about kidnappers and being safe, I reached down and grabbed my towel, then proceeded to dry myself off. "Bye, Dad," I mumbled when he finally finished his lecture. After shoving my towel and phone into my backpack, I took one last wistful glance at the ocean before heading up the trail.

_ _ _ _ _

It was Wednesday—the day Madeleine Hansen came back from her three-day suspension. I had a mild suspicion that she would be even angrier with me than before, but I had other things to worry about—things like quitting the swim team. I had given it a lot of thought, and I figured that it was the saltwater that had caused my legs to transform into a tail. Only when I was fully immersed in the ocean did the transformation take place. On the other hand, nothing happened when I simply showered or bathed, because that wasn't saltwater. Unfortunately, the Shady Cove High pool was filled with both chlorine and salt, so I didn't want to take any chances.

I had mentally prepared a little speech to give to Coach Hansen. At the same time, I hoped my absence would get Madeleine off my back too. Sage and Marley might be disappointed that I was leaving them, but I would still see them at other times during the school day. I knew it was all for the best.

I coasted to a stop in front of Shady Cove High School on my bike. But no sooner had I chained it to the bike rack that whispers began sprouting all around me. I couldn't even walk to my locker without students murmuring about me behind my back. I began to grow anxious. What if someone had spotted a mermaid yesterday, saw the familiar long black hair, and figured it was I? Did the entire school know?

Fortunately, my suspicions were denied when I slammed my locker closed, revealing Marley standing directly behind. "So I heard the Mad Hansen's going to beat you up!" she declared brightly.

I jumped. "Goodness, Marley, you scared me!"

"Yeah, it's my first day back in a long time," she said with a grin. "I'm finally getting over my cold."

"Rayne!" Sage came barreling over to us through the crowd of students. "Oh my gosh, Rayne, is it true?"

"I heard it's gonna happen during lunch," Marley butted in.

"What? What's going to happen?" I asked, confused.

"No, I heard it was all going down after school, behind the gym," Sage countered.

"You really think so?" Marley asked doubtfully.

"What are you guys talking about?" I repeated, lost.

"But I heard it from Madeleine herself," Sage demanded.

"Heard what?" I asked.

"But why would she wait all the way until after school?" Marley argued. "That doesn't—"

"GUYS!" I hollered. My two friends paused and turned to look at me. "Can you please stop talking and explain what's going on?"

The girls exchanged a look. Then they said in unison, "Madeleine's going to beat you up."

I narrowed my eyes. "There's no way—"

"After school," Marley added.

"No," Sage corrected, "I overheard her talking with her friends. She's going to beat you up during lunch."

"I don't care when she's going to beat me up, okay? I just want to know if this is for real," I said, massaging my temples worriedly. "Are you guys serious about this? Is Madeleine really that angry at me?"

"Yeah. She's probably mad because you were the one who got her suspended," Marley said.

"Whoa, whoa, that was totally her fault, not mine. She's the one who started the fight."

"That's not what she says," Marley pointed out.

I sighed and buried my head in my hands. "Look, guys, can we stop talking about this? I mean, school hasn't even started yet and rumors are already going around about Madeleine wanting to beat me up. Well, I say she's not going to beat me up. She's just a troublemaker with a big mouth. I'm not even scared of her."

Marley narrowed her eyes. "You don't know who you're dealing with here, Rayne. The Mad Hansen is completely psycho! You're going to get your butt kicked."

"Not me," I said firmly, with more conviction that I felt. "I already stood up to her once, remember?"

"Yeah, and she was all in your face before the teachers had to pull her off! You can't handle her. You just can't." Sage stared at me with wide, pleading eyes. I suddenly remembered the story she had told me about what happened between her and Madeleine years ago.

I sighed. "Okay...so maybe I can't take her by myself."

"Well, don't ask me to fight her with you," Sage said dryly.

"Oh, no, of course not. If Madeleine's going to pick a fight with me, then it's only between the two of us."

Sage sucked in a deep breath. "I think I should tell the authorities about this."

"But what if Madeleine finds out you tattled on her?" Marley pointed out.

Sage's face paled. "Oh. No way. I am not going through that again. You're right, I can't tell the authorities. If they find out through the grapevine, then so much the better. But if they don't..." She gave me an apologetic look. "I guess you're stuck, Rayne."

"Whatever." I shrugged, even though my heart had started to beat faster at the thought of confronting Madeleine again.

Sage gave me a weak smile. "Okay. See you in Spanish."

"See ya."

"Oh, wait." She suddenly paused. "Have you seen Luke lately?"

I cringed. "No, the last time I saw him was Monday."

"Oh no." Sage bit her bottom lip worriedly. "I haven't heard from him in two days. I've texted him quite a few times, but he hasn't replied."

She paused, and I knew that we were both thinking the same thing: the roles had been switched. First I had unintentionally gone incognito, and now Luke.

But the way Sage had asked her question made my stomach flip. I glanced down at my shoes, shame written all over my face. "You were right, Sage," I said quietly. "I tried talking to him, but it was useless."

"I'm sorry, Rayne," she said sincerely. "But that still doesn't explain why Luke would ignore me. I wonder...?"

The thought was like a knife to the heart. With no other words to exchange, I said goodbye to Sage and Marley and headed to my first class. I couldn't stand to look them in the eye after what Sage had implied so delicately. Luke was ignoring her because of me. Ever since I had missed our "date" last Saturday, things had spiraled into chaos. Was Luke seriously so upset that he wouldn't even talk to his friends?

I felt sick to my stomach. I sulked through my first few classes and felt even worse when I entered Spanish and found Luke's seat empty. My heart ached to see him again, if only to tell him I was sorry. My mind was a whirlwind of emotions, and the added stress of having to confront Madeleine later today made it even worse. I was a wreck.

Fortunately, lunch passed uneventfully, while Sage and Marley tried to cheer me up and make conversation. But news was buzzing: Madeleine was still on the move.

Upon reaching the pool for swim class, I ran into Coach Hansen on the deck. He seemed rather unnerved to see me, especially since I still hadn't changed into my swimsuit. "Rayne," he said, "how are you?"

"Good, thanks," I rattled off. "Well, I actually have something to tell you..."

I sucked in a deep breath, but Coach beat me to the punch.

"Rayne, you don't have to apologize," he said warmly. "I forgive you."

"Ah..." My face scrunched up in confusion. "Thank you?"

"I'm truly glad that you're a part of this swim team, and I know that you're a hard worker and a kind person," he continued.

"Wait," I blurted out. "I—um—I'm actually not going to be on the swim team anymore."

Coach's amiable countenance quickly dissolved into one of surprise. "Not on the swim team?" he echoed.

"I'm—I'm—quitting." My voice wavered a little when I said it, but it had to be done.

Coach was dumfounded.

"I'm so thankful for all that you've taught me and for all the time you've invested in me, but I can't swim on the team anymore," I added.

"You can't? But of course you can! You're the star swimmer!"

I lowered my eyes. "But my heart's not in it," I said truthfully. "I'm sorry, Coach, but it's not going to work out."

Coach Hansen opened and closed his mouth, but no words came out. He resembled a goldfish trapped inside its bowl. "Let's talk about this," he finally said. "Don't make this mistake, Rayne. You have so much talent, so much passion—"

I saw a few girls trickling onto the deck, and for fear that Madeleine was one of them, I swiftly interrupted Coach. "Okay," I assented, "let's talk about this later. But—please—just know that my answer is final."

He shook his head sadly. I took a deep breath, partly from relief and partly from nervousness, before heading back to the locker room. I walked with my head down, ignoring the stares from some of the swimmers who were still getting ready. Only when I was a safe distance away from the pool deck did I raise my head and brush away a stray tear.

There. I had done it. I never thought I would quit a swim team, but I did. I let out a deep breath and collapsed onto a bench next to one of the classrooms.

Great. As soon as Dad found out what I'd done, he was going to have a long talk with me. He wouldn't understand why I suddenly wanted to quit. And even worse, I still had no clue how to tell him everything that had happened to me.

"Rayne Bennett!"

The smug voice made a chill run down my spine. I glanced up and squinted into the glaring brightness. "Huh?"

"Don't play stupid with me. We have some things to settle, and you know it."

My heart beat a little faster as the Mad Hansen's figure came into view.

She glared at me. "I'm tired of your games," she said bluntly. "You've gotten away with things for too long."

I almost laughed at the irony, but had enough sense to keep my mouth shut.

"So what do you say?" she called. "Or are you too scared to have a little chat with me?"

"I'm not scared," I replied coolly.

"Then prove it."

Sage's words flashed through my mind: "You can't handle her. You just can't." I gulped and rubbed my sweaty hands on my jeans. My eyes darted from side to side. There was nobody around; only the occasional bouts of laughter coming from the pool deck gave away my classmates' presence.

I swallowed nervously. If I did this, I'd be playing right into her hands. I would probably earn another suspension, or worse. But as Madeleine continued to ridicule me, my anger started to boil. What right did she have to keep hassling me? Obviously her father and the school authorities weren't going to do anything about it. Someone had to put her in her place.

I clenched my fists. So what if I got in trouble? Right now, I didn't care.

Witha deep breath, I slid my backpack off my shoulders and stood up.