Sam went upstairs to see the problem. She gasped as she saw Cleo lying on her stomach in the middle of the bathroom floor.

"Sam," said Cleo's dad, "call an ambulance."

"No!" Cleo shouted. She turned onto her back and sat up. "No, you don't need to call an ambulance. I'm fine."

"B-but…this." He gestured towards her tail.

"Is nothing. I've had it for two years."

Don was speechless. Kim joined them now.

"I knew it! I knew she was a fish!" Kim shouted.

"Kim, stop it!" Mr. Sertori scolded. He turned back to Cleo. "Wh-what do I do?"

"Get me dry," Cleo replied.

Once Cleo was dry and had her legs back, the family returned to the living room.

"Explain. Now."

Cleo sighed. She crossed her legs under her before she began speaking. She told her family the need-to-facts about her being a mermaid. She didn't tell them about Rikki, Emma, and Bella.

"S-so that's why y-you've been acting strange?" Don stuttered. Cleo nodded.

"Show me your power!" Kim demanded.

Cleo spotted Sam's neglected drink on the table. She held her hand out and began twisting it, willing the water to grow. A tower of water rose and almost touched the ceiling. "I don't know where the extra water comes from—it just grows and grows," Cleo added. She made the water shrink back to its normal size. "I can also do this." She twisted her hand again and wind blew through the room. Cleo stopped moving her hand and the wind stopped instantly. Now Cleo became serious. "You. Can't. Tell. Anyone," she said clearly, stressing each word. She looked at Kim.

"What? Why are you looking at me?" she asked.

"If anyone finds out about this, goodbye to me, I'll be dissected!"

"She's right, Kim, nobody can know. If you tell a single soul you'll be grounded for six months and I'll take your mobile away permanently," said Mr. Sertori.

"I have to go," Cleo said. "I'll be back for dinner."

Cleo dug her mobile out of her pocket. She sent three words to her three best friends: moon pool. now.

She instantly got a text from Emma. I'll meet you there.

Not long after that, she received a reply from Rikki. y? In response, she sent, its urgent

Next she got Bella's. ok

~ (A few minutes later, Moon Pool) ~

"So, what's so urgent?" asked Rikki.

"My family knows I'm a mermaid." Gasps came from all around. "Kim poured water on me and I couldn't make it upstairs in time. They saw me and I had to tell them."

"You didn't have to tell them. You could have lied."

"And said what? That I changed into a costume in under three seconds? There was no other option. And I'm actually kind of relieved that I don't have to keep it from them anymore."

"Do they know about us?" Emma asked.

"No, I didn't tell them everything. Just some of it. I left you guys out of it."

Emma breathed a sigh of relief. It was bad enough that they knew Cleo was a mermaid, but for them to know that all of them were…

~ (Charlotte's house) ~

Charlotte pointed her hand at the glass of water, hoping it would move, freeze, boil, do something. But nothing worked. She had lost her powers for good, but Charlotte wouldn't give up. She had a feeling that she didn't lose all of her powers. Charlotte tried again. The water shook within the glass. She smiled and tried again. The water didn't shake, but when she felt the water, it was cold. Charlotte tried one last time; she was getting exhausted. Charlotte pointed her hand at the water and it became warm.

Coming up:

How will the Sertoris act around Cleo now that they know she's a mermaid?

Are Charlotte's powers really back or is it just her imagination?