p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"Cleo/span/p
hr style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);" noshade="noshade" size="1" /
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"For a month, we talked to this group of mermaids. We learned more about their history and how full time mermaids live. We even learned about their powers - which we soon found ours to be inferior to./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"We taught them of the little we knew, and the history of mermaids we knew of. We told them stories of our adventures, and they told us of theirs./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"We talked and laughed and enjoyed ourselves. And somewhere along all these mermaid relations, we became friends. They were all so likable, even Rikki couldn't help but enjoy them and their company./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"But we couldn't quite figure out what happened during that full moon. How and why it effected us - Zac and I. The full moon doesn't effect you unless you look at it. Neither Zac nor I was anywhere near it. And why did it effect just us? Why were none of the other girls moonstruck?/span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"So many questions, and yet no answers. We were absolutely clueless./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"The only day we were thought to get any answers was the next full moon./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"We all decided to spend it where the girls lived. They lived with another mermaid they knew who had been cast out, named Rita. She was the principal at Zac and Evie's school. The girls didn't like to spend the night on land, but they did it on occasion to spend full moons with Zac. So all seven of us merfolk spent the night in Rita's grotto./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"The moon came up - which was right when both Zac and I had gone berserk the full moon before - and nothing happened. All throughout the night, we talked, avoided the moon, and soon enough, relaxed. We didn't realize how high the tension had been until it was gone./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"The next morning was a surprise to us all, when we realized we had all survived the night. This was a good thing, but it left us a bit angrier and didn't cure our cluelessness. We still hadn't found out about any reasons as to why the last full moon had done what it did to Zac and I. But we were both very relieved to have stayed away from it's grasp that night./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"That morning, we all went out to breakfast together. I got fish - shrimp, cod, tuna, etc. Whatever they had at the cafe at the time. When my food came, I scarfed it down in five minutes flat and was still starving. I tried to drink the chocolate breakfast shake I ordered along with it, but the chocolate made me gag. Bad. And everybody at the table saw./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""Cleo, what's wrong with you this morning?" asked Rikki, looking very concerned./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"I didn't know. I just didn't feel right. I turned to Zac and asked, "are you feeling any different?"/span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"He shook his head. "Not in the least bit. Do you think this was the full moon?"/span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"I shrugged. "I could just be coming down with something," I said. I added that Kim had been sick two days before, and I had probably just caught what she had./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"But the thing was, I was still starving. I looked around and nobody's food at the table looked good. Waffles, yogurt, eggs…yuch. Not appetizing in the least bit./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"So I looked around the room for Carly, the waitress. When I found her, I kinda tried to wave her towards me. She came and asked, "is there anything i could do for you?"/span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"I smiled. "Yeah, may I have another fish platter? Or two? Thanks."/span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"She gave me a weary smile before scratching something down on her pad of paper and saying she'd get it right away. After she walked off, everybody turned and looked at me./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""Okay, there has to be something wrong. You never eat this much. And you barely even emlike/em fish!" said Rikki./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"I thought about it. My dad has been a fishermen my entire life. I've had more fish than any other food. There is not a day that goes by when there is not at least a bite of sea food eaten in my house. Fish is a food that is very easy to get tired of. So why was I suddenly wanting it so bad?/span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"I just looked at Rikki. I had no idea. This was a bit weird…but I mean, come on. I'm a mermaid! I see more "weird" each day than any human will see in their entire life./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""Not to mention it's morning, and everybody else is having embreakfast/em," added Zac./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"I sighed. "Can't I just eat my breakfast in peace? Without being judged for my eating choices?" I asked./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""Sorry," mumbled Rikki weakly./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"Carly brought me my food a few minutes later, and I made sure to eat it slower this time, to show that I was fine, just a bit hungry that morning./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"And that was the end of that affair./span/p
hr style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);" noshade="noshade" size="1" /
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"For a month, we talked to this group of mermaids. We learned more about their history and how full time mermaids live. We even learned about their powers - which we soon found ours to be inferior to./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"We taught them of the little we knew, and the history of mermaids we knew of. We told them stories of our adventures, and they told us of theirs./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"We talked and laughed and enjoyed ourselves. And somewhere along all these mermaid relations, we became friends. They were all so likable, even Rikki couldn't help but enjoy them and their company./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"But we couldn't quite figure out what happened during that full moon. How and why it effected us - Zac and I. The full moon doesn't effect you unless you look at it. Neither Zac nor I was anywhere near it. And why did it effect just us? Why were none of the other girls moonstruck?/span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"So many questions, and yet no answers. We were absolutely clueless./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"The only day we were thought to get any answers was the next full moon./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"We all decided to spend it where the girls lived. They lived with another mermaid they knew who had been cast out, named Rita. She was the principal at Zac and Evie's school. The girls didn't like to spend the night on land, but they did it on occasion to spend full moons with Zac. So all seven of us merfolk spent the night in Rita's grotto./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"The moon came up - which was right when both Zac and I had gone berserk the full moon before - and nothing happened. All throughout the night, we talked, avoided the moon, and soon enough, relaxed. We didn't realize how high the tension had been until it was gone./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"The next morning was a surprise to us all, when we realized we had all survived the night. This was a good thing, but it left us a bit angrier and didn't cure our cluelessness. We still hadn't found out about any reasons as to why the last full moon had done what it did to Zac and I. But we were both very relieved to have stayed away from it's grasp that night./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"That morning, we all went out to breakfast together. I got fish - shrimp, cod, tuna, etc. Whatever they had at the cafe at the time. When my food came, I scarfed it down in five minutes flat and was still starving. I tried to drink the chocolate breakfast shake I ordered along with it, but the chocolate made me gag. Bad. And everybody at the table saw./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""Cleo, what's wrong with you this morning?" asked Rikki, looking very concerned./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"I didn't know. I just didn't feel right. I turned to Zac and asked, "are you feeling any different?"/span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"He shook his head. "Not in the least bit. Do you think this was the full moon?"/span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"I shrugged. "I could just be coming down with something," I said. I added that Kim had been sick two days before, and I had probably just caught what she had./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"But the thing was, I was still starving. I looked around and nobody's food at the table looked good. Waffles, yogurt, eggs…yuch. Not appetizing in the least bit./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"So I looked around the room for Carly, the waitress. When I found her, I kinda tried to wave her towards me. She came and asked, "is there anything i could do for you?"/span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"I smiled. "Yeah, may I have another fish platter? Or two? Thanks."/span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"She gave me a weary smile before scratching something down on her pad of paper and saying she'd get it right away. After she walked off, everybody turned and looked at me./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""Okay, there has to be something wrong. You never eat this much. And you barely even emlike/em fish!" said Rikki./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"I thought about it. My dad has been a fishermen my entire life. I've had more fish than any other food. There is not a day that goes by when there is not at least a bite of sea food eaten in my house. Fish is a food that is very easy to get tired of. So why was I suddenly wanting it so bad?/span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"I just looked at Rikki. I had no idea. This was a bit weird…but I mean, come on. I'm a mermaid! I see more "weird" each day than any human will see in their entire life./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""Not to mention it's morning, and everybody else is having embreakfast/em," added Zac./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"I sighed. "Can't I just eat my breakfast in peace? Without being judged for my eating choices?" I asked./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);""Sorry," mumbled Rikki weakly./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"Carly brought me my food a few minutes later, and I made sure to eat it slower this time, to show that I was fine, just a bit hungry that morning./span/p
p style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.701961); font-family: UICTFontTextStyleBody; font-size: 14px; -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(130, 98, 83, 0.0980392);"span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"And that was the end of that affair./span/p
