I had never been so weary, exhausted, and hungry in my entire life. My back was bruised and scraped, my feet were scuffed and dirty, and my body felt like it had been tossed in a blender at high speed. My hair, still sopping wet, was plastered against the nape of my neck and soaked through my tank top.

"Are we almost there?" Mara groaned, resting her chin on top of Mom's shoulder. I glanced over and saw Mom grit her teeth, hoisting Mara higher up on her back. Though I had offered several times to carry her, Mom refused every time, even though it was clear she was on the point of exhaustion.

"I think the trail is just up ahead," I announced, pausing to survey our surroundings. I reached up and shielded my eyes from the bright sunlight with one hand. All I could see was an endless stretch of rough, rocky terrain to our right, and the glittering ocean hundreds of feet below to our left.

"Rayne!" Mom suddenly gasped. Her lips curved up into a slight smile. "Is that what I think it is?"

I strained to see what she was looking at, but the blinding sun made it nearly impossible to make anything out. The harder I stared, though, the more I thought I could see a dark shape in the distance.

"It's been years," Mom murmured, "but I wouldn't miss that sight anywhere."

"Our house!" I exclaimed. "We're almost there!" I let out a cry of excitement and pressed on with renewed strength. With each step I took, freedom seemed more tangible in the sultry afternoon air. It felt like days had gone by since I left Dad and Luke standing on the private beach, watching me disappear underneath the waves in hopes of rescuing Mom. I had dreamt of returning to the private beach with Mom and Mara in tow, proudly showing off our shimmering tails from the water, but hiking a few miles after a frightening underwater chase worked just as well. As long as we get home safely, I thought with a smile.

The three of us were exhausted yet overjoyed by the time we finally reached our destination. I had never been happier to see that pathetic little goat-trail winding its way down the cliff face.

"Finally," Mom sighed, relieved. She carefully slid Mara onto the ground before plopping down next to her. Meanwhile, I peered over the edge of the cliff in search of Dad. I spotted him sitting on the private beach directly below us, with Luke pacing the sand next to him.

"Dad! Luke!" I hollered. At the sound of my voice, the two of them suddenly whirled around, wondering where I was.

"Up here!" I called. Mom and I waved as Luke and Dad got to their feet and stared up at us, raising their hands to shield their eyes from the glaring sun.

Dad let out a cry of excitement that ricocheted up the walls of the cliffs. He sprinted over to the goat-trail with Luke on his heels. They made it to the top of the cliff in record time, looks of pure joy on both of their faces. Dad's brilliant smile overpowered everything else, lighting up his countenance with a glow I hadn't seen since Mom disappeared.

"Wait!" I giggled as the three of us quickly ducked behind a nearby bush. Mom placed a hand over her lips to keep herself from laughing. Apart from our scanty tops, we had no clothing.

"Wait," I repeated breathlessly. "I know we're all excited to get this reunion going, but can we put some clothes on first?"

The guys immediately froze in their tracks. A slight blush crept up on Dad's cheeks. "Oh!" he said, laughing nervously. "Right. Of course."

Fortunately, Luke had had the sense to grab my clothes before making the trek up the cliff. He tossed my shorts and overcoat behind the bush, where I unsnagged them from a few branches. Then I quickly slipped my shorts on while Mom helped Mara pull on my coat. It was so long that it nearly reached her knees. Meanwhile, Dad tossed his own coat over to Mom for her to wear. As soon as the three of us were presentable, we emerged from behind the bush.

I immediately rushed over to Dad, who wrapped me in a tight embrace. "Rayne," he sobbed, squeezing me securely against his chest. "I'm so proud of you. I was worried out of my mind, but you did it. You really did it." He pulled away and stroked my hair lovingly. "Thank you, honey."

I smiled, but quickly wiggled out of his arms. "Don't mention it. Besides, I think there's someone else you really want to talk to right now."

Dad gently pulled away, and his gaze automatically locked onto Mom's. She smiled and tried in vain to stop the tears that were streaking down her face. "Clark...it's been ages," she half-murmured, half-sobbed, suddenly overcome with emotion. She rushed over to Dad and wrapped her arms around his neck. They embraced for a long time, crying and laughing, not even pulling away after a good thirty seconds had passed.

Dad finally took a step back and pressed his forehead against hers. With gentle smiles, their lips met in a tender kiss.

I was beyond happy. When I turned away from parents, my gaze suddenly met Luke's. It was an awkward moment, and we immediately glanced in opposite directions.

Mara, who had been sitting on the ground the entire time, suddenly cleared her throat. Mom and Dad pulled away with soft smiles, blushing like two high school sweethearts. "We have a lot of catching up to do," Mom told him. "But I almost forgot—you need to meet Mara!"

Mom helped the girl to her feet, and she stood with her whole weight leaning against Mom's. "Hello," she said shyly.

"Hello, Mara." He bent down and embraced the shivering girl, but an indecipherable look had crossed his face. His gaze flitted from Mara, to Mom, and over to me. "You're right, Miranda," he said after a moment. "We have a ton of catching up to do. Let's head over to the house and get you girls some fresh clothes. Then we can all eat a big lunch and talk things over at the table. How does that sound?"

"That sounds perfect," I said automatically.

Dad carried Mara in his arms while the rest of us walked to the house. We meandered down the narrow trail in a comfortable silence.

My heart was overflowing with happiness. I felt like I was in a dream as I entered the house. I floated upstairs, into the shower, and into my bedroom. The remainder of the day was spent around the dining room table, with everyone sharing stories about the events from the past few days as we snacked on turkey sandwiches, chips, and lemonade. Mom was horrified (and Mara enthralled) upon hearing Luke's tale of being stranded at sea. Mara was especially curious about everything, from staircases to electricity to bathrooms. Because her entire childhood had been spent trapped in the underwater cave with Mom, dry land was a foreign world to her. She explored every inch of the house with childlike fascination while my parents chatted away for hours at a time.

Well, Mom did most of the talking. Dad hardly spoke. He had this goofy smile on his face as Mom and I took turns explaining our dangerous escape from the mermen. He never once looked at me, though—he had eyes only for Mom. Every chance he got, he would wrap her in a hug and place a tender kiss on her forehead, as if to make sure she was really there.

Luke and Mara also remained quiet throughout most of the day. I was still a little puzzled over Mara herself, since Mom had never told me the full story about her. So before I headed off to bed, I pulled Mom aside to satisfy my curiosity.

By now, nighttime had descended on Shady Cove. Millions of stars were scattered across the inky black sky. A sliver of moon barely illuminated the scenery outside as I stared out the window, quietly stirring my hot chocolate.

Mom stepped over to me and gave me a quick hug. Her scent lingered in the air for a few moments before she pulled away and took a seat on the couch. She was wearing a pair of my sweatpants and one of Dad's large sweatshirts. Her long, sweeping hair was pulled back in a tight bun just like mine.

"I was just thinking," I said, "about Mara."

"Yes, I've been meaning to talk to you about her, too."

I glanced up. "You have?"

Mom nodded, her eyes flooded with concern. "I have a feeling you don't quite understand."

I stared down at the clumps of powder swirling in my hot chocolate. "No," I admitted. "I don't know why she calls you her mother."

Mom let out a deep sigh. A ghost of a smile was on her lips. "Honey, she doesn't call me that because I adopted her or because we were imprisoned together, but because I am her mother."

My jaw dropped. "Really?"

She smiled. "Yes."

"So that makes Mara and I—?" I couldn't finish the sentence. A tiny part of me had suspected as much, but it was too unbelievable to be true.

"Sisters," Mom finished for me.

"No way," I exclaimed. "But how is that possible? Is she my half-sister?"

"She's your legitimate sister, Rayne. Clark's daughter. The reason she's alive is because I was pregnant when I was captured."

My breath caught in my throat. "What? Are you serious?" That meant, if Mom had never been captured, the two of us would have grown up as normal sisters. It was staggering—all my life I had believed I was an only child.

"I gave birth to her and raised her inside the cave with me," Mom explained. "She had never experienced what it felt like to swim in the ocean, unrestricted by walls. She had never even seen humans or completed her first transformation. She was despised as a traitor to her race, just like I was. But, against all odds, they never killed her."

Mom trailed off into silence. She stared out the window, deep in thought. "But all that's over now," she continued in a brighter tone, tears sparkling on her cheeks. "Thanks to you, Rayne, your little sister can experience life to the fullest. We can truly be a family again."

I smiled. The thought of having a younger sister was overwhelming, but somehow it made sense. I felt as if a bridge had been crossed—I felt like Mara and I were closer than ever, even as I heard her light voice laughing from the other room. "You're right, Mom," I said. "We are a family again."

Mom laughed as I plopped into her lap, nearly spilling my hot chocolate in the process. When Dad, Luke, and Mara trailed into the room a few moments later, the joy on everyone's faces was indescribable. Even Luke shared in the happiness that surrounded our family. Everything was finally falling into place.

"Hurry up, Rayne! You're going to be late for school!"

I sprinted down the stairs, grabbed my backpack, and dashed out the door. Dad was sitting impatiently in the driver's seat with his hand on the gearshift.

I breathlessly slid inside. "Sorry! Mom wanted some last-minute details about school."

"I don't blame her for prying into your academic life, but she has to understand that school starts at eight." Dad shook his head at his wife's antics before pulling out onto the dirt road.

I glanced over my shoulder at Luke, who was sitting in the backseat. He was staring thoughtfully out the window.

"Hey," I said.

He turned and smiled at me. "Hey yourself."

"You look sad."

"Yeah, well, after everything that I've been through, it's hard to leave your family. You guys are so inspiring...and you have way too much fun together."

I grinned. That much was true. "But your own parents are worried sick. They haven't seen you in days."

"I know. I miss them terribly." Luke sighed as he shifted in his seat. We had all gotten so caught up in this adventure that we hadn't given as much thought to Luke's parents as we should have. But we finally decided that our safest route was to come up with a story to tell them. We couldn't exactly say that Luke had been kidnapped by a group of mermen, stranded on a buoy as bait, and rescued by a mermaid. Instead, the past few days had gone something like this: Luke had walking on the beach, and when it became too dark to see, he accidentally slipped and hit his head. I had found him the following morning, unconscious, so I brought him back to my house to treat him from his concussion. Since Dad had been on away on a business trip, I was unable to retrieve any information from Luke or bring him into town.

So maybe it wasn't the most believable story, but we were banking on Luke's parents being so worried that they would believe anything.

As we sped down the dirt road into town, Luke gave my father directions to his house.

"Rayne, why don't I drop you off at the school on the way?" Dad suggested.

"No, we still have plenty of time," I said. It's not that I minded being early to school, but I wanted to talk to Luke and thank him for...for...

I frowned. Luke had certainly helped around the house these past few days, especially by encouraging me to go after Mom and rescue her, but why else were my thoughts so focused on him?

"I just don't want you to be late," Dad warned, jerking me back to reality. "You've already missed three days of school in a row."

But our conversation was cut short—we had reached Luke's house. Dad pulled over the curb. "You can walk him to the door, Rayne, but you have three minutes," he instructed.

"Okay!"

Dad said a few more words to Luke, and they shook hands warmly. Then Luke and I filed out of the car and onto the sidewalk. Dad had accidentally parked a tad too far down the street from Luke's house, so before I could turn around and head toward the front door, Luke suddenly grabbed my arm.

"This way," he said, pulling me in the opposite direction.

"Where—" My question was suddenly cut short as Luke took off running towards the pier, which was at the end of the street. Caught off guard, there was nothing I could do but run after him, glancing over my shoulder at the little blue house waiting expectantly for us.

"What are you doing?" I cried breathlessly, my bun bobbing against the top of my head. As soon as we hit the wooden planks of the pier, our footsteps became loud enough to attract the attention of some fishermen going about their business.

"Just wait!" Luke called.

We slowed our pace to a walk. Our cheeks were warm from the short sprint, and my heart was beating rapidly in my chest, though it wasn't necessarily from running.

Luke leaned against the railing and beckoned me over. I stood in front of him, trying to catch my breath, my thoughts awhirl.

"Rayne," he said, so quickly that his words ran together, "after staying with your family, I've had a lot of time to think."

We stared at the shimmering ocean before us. The glistening whitecaps sparkled like millions of crystals in the pink morning glow. "So have I," I said truthfully.

"Well, I've been thinking about us," he clarified.

Oh. This was something that I had wanted to think about, but never actually had the courage to pursue. "Right," I said lamely.

The faintest of smiles appeared on his face. "Well, about that..."

His smile suddenly disappeared. My stomach twisted into a knot when I realized he looked sad. Maybe spending time with my family hadn't been such a good thing after all—maybe what he meant to say was that this had all been too overwhelming for him.

"Rayne, I don't know to tell you this, but..." He seemed at a loss for words. "I've never really had a friend like you before. I've never clicked with someone so soon, so easily. And I think we get along really well. I—"

The corners of my lips curved into a smile. "What are you saying?"

"I'm trying to say that I value your friendship," he laughed. "There!"

I laughed along with him, but inwardly I wondered why that had been so hard for him to say. Had he been meaning to tell me something else?

I immediately thought of Sage. "Luke, I'm so sorry for letting you down," I apologized. "It was a terrible move on my part to ditch you at the Café."

He shook his head. "No, no, don't even think about that. It's in the past. I think we've grown a lot closer since then—a lot closer—and we have more important things to think about."

I studied him carefully, but the friendly twinkle in his eyes betrayed no other emotion than sincerity. Luke certainly was an invaluable friend. He had proved himself in many ways, especially as the only outsider who knew my family's deepest secrets. We were all indebted to him.

Suddenly, a loud splash from the water below jerked our attention to the ocean. We rushed over to the opposite side of the pier and leaned over the railing. Water swirled and foamed below us, hinting that whatever had made that splash was now below the surface.

Fear suddenly gripped me. I had imagined this scenario before, many times, over the course of the past few days. What if it was one of the merpeople? Had someone been sent to spy on me? I swallowed nervously as Luke and I continued to peer at the water, searching for any sign of a creature.

Just as we were about to turn away, a large, gray animal suddenly burst out of the ocean. I pulled back in surprise, but a huge smile lit up my face when I realized it was a dolphin—and not just any dolphin, but Nora! A few seconds later, Nicky also breached the water in a glittering spray that arced above his flukes.

"Whoa!" Luke exclaimed.

"It's them!" I cried happily. They were safe after risking their lives against the mermen.

The dolphins continued to splash in the water, putting on an entertaining show of acrobatics. A few fishermen glanced over and frowned at them for chasing away any potential catch.

Suddenly, my phone pinged from my back pocket. I pulled it out and groaned when I read the text from Dad: Time's up.

"I have to go back." I sighed and shoved my phone away. I waved at Nicky and Nora, who