Another chapter...yay! It's been awhile, though not as long as I expected so I guess that's good. Thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter. Just as a heads up, I'm thinking there will be at least one, maybe two more chapters after this until I finish the story. Anyway, I hope you enjoy reading.

Lewis POV

Lewis watched as she pulled herself out of the water. The action looked entirely too easy. She was supposed to struggle—the weight of her tail and lack of legs working against her. But she didn't have either holding her back.

Her soaking wet pajamas left puddles around her feet as she stood up. She didn't lift her head, hanging it and trying to hide her tear-streaked face. But he knew she was still crying. Though he'd never admit it, if he wasn't so shocked he'd probably be crying with her.

"I didn't want to be right," she whispered as she stared down at her sopping wet pajama pants.

Pity swelled up in him. Without asking, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. He couldn't even begin to understand what she'd lost. Of course he'd been swimming with Cleo a number of times, but he'd never been a mermaid—merman, rather—himself and anyone who saw the mermaids together knew it was something special.

There had been a time where he knew Cleo would have given anything to just be normal again. But that had been when she was afraid of the water. Once she got over her fear, she'd fully embraced becoming a mermaid and all the things—good or bad—that came with it. Being a mermaid was a part of who she was now. He could no longer imagine her without that part. No more than he could imagine Juliette or Leah or any of the girls at the institute without it.

Hopeless began to fall on him. He didn't possess any magic himself. How could he get Juliette to turn into a mermaid again? Technically, there was nothing wrong with her. How could he fix something the rest of the world thought was normal?

Doubt settled in like a trapped animal, knocking around in his head. He really wanted to open a door and let it out, but the probability of failure was now bigger than ever.

No. He'd promised the girls he'd find out what was wrong and he wasn't about to go back on that promise. Even if it meant staying in Florida longer than he planned. Cleo would understand.

"We have to tell the others," he said, stepping out of the hug.

Juliette sniffed and straightened, nodding her head. "You're right," she said. "I think this is a good enough reason to wake up my grandmother in the middle of the night."

He was close on her heels as she marched back up the path, her expression nothing short of fierce. All signs of weakness and despair mysteriously gone with her tail. Lewis felt just as determined as Juliette looked.

An hour later, Lewis found himself on the beach along with the rest of the institute's students and staff. All of the mermaids were lined up near the water's edge, with the exception of Juliette.

She stood beside her grandmother, a perpetual frown on her face.

After he and Juliette told Evette what had happened when Juliette went in the moonpool, Evette had insisted on confirming the occurrence. She wanted to know if this unfortunate turn of events held true for all the mermaids. Each of the girls had been woken up and instructed to go to the beach.

The full moon still shone brightly over the island, lighting up sections of the ocean. The waves crashed in front of them, reminding Lewis of the mysteries the sea held. Though he considered himself a person of science, he knew the existence of mermaids couldn't be the only secret the waters protected. He only hoped he could discover the one that would let him fix this mess.

Leah was the first to step forward, but she stopped just short of the breaking waves. Marguerite walked over to stand beside her friend and took her hand. Together they stepped into the ocean, allowing the water to rush around their ankles. They waited. And waited.

Nothing happened.

Summer, Adelaide, and Cecilia went next. Not one of them popped a tail.

At last, timid but strong Ella stepped forward. She walked right into the water, until it came up to her waist.

Lewis watched as her fingers made ripples across the calmer water. She too remained standing on her feet.

Without a word, he turned and walked to the lab. He went inside and shut the door behind him. He had work to do.

But the first thing he was going to do was make a "Do Not Disturb" sign to put on the laboratory door.

Juliette POV

The emotion on the island was somber at the least. Three days had passed since she'd discovered her tail was gone.

Riley had called her five times, but she hadn't answered. She knew she'd have to talk to him eventually if she wanted to stop him from rushing over, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him what had happened. Somehow, saying it aloud would only make it real. She preferred to think she was living in a nightmare. An irrational part of her also wondered how Riley would react. She knew it wouldn't change how he felt about her. He'd loved her before he found out she was mermaid and just continued to love her after. Still, she couldn't help but think that their relationship might change.

Lewis had locked himself in the lab. He only came out during meals, not even to go to bed. Juliette was convinced he was actually sleeping in there. He wouldn't let anyone in to see what he was doing, probably because he didn't have any kind of solution. He'd even kicked Mason out.

Juliette didn't particularly care too much. If he found something he'd tell them. But she wasn't going to get her hopes up. While she didn't want to believe this was permanent, she didn't know when she'd get her tail back…if ever. She didn't understand why this was happening to them. For over a hundred years, girls had been chosen to become mermaids at the Crystal Lagoon. Magic like that didn't just run out.

Some girls had already left the island and gone home. Summer and Cecilia had left yesterday and she was pretty sure Adelaide had a flight tomorrow. She'd even caught Marguerite looking up airfare back to Tennessee. She hated to think that they all believed their adventures as mermaids were over. Because it couldn't be over. It just couldn't.

She didn't want to go back. She didn't want to be the girl she was before she became a mermaid. The social outcast that the entire school loathed for one stupid mistake. A mistake she'd been sure to never make again. She'd learned her lesson the hard way the first time—putting your trust in the wrong person can be disastrous. And, although she'd forgiven herself, none of her peers had been able to put it behind them.

At home people refused to look at her, choosing instead to talk about her behind her back. But on the island…she had real friends, friends that actually cared about her and would never betray her. She liked that. It made her feel normal. The irony over the fact that she only felt normal as a mermaid and being around other mermaids was not lost on her. Perhaps that was why things had gone so horribly for her at home. She was never supposed to stay there. Over the past few months the island had become her new home. It was as if she was meant to come here.

Juliette shook her head, dismissing her ideas. Thoughts of things like fate or destiny or predestination were silly. The Crystal Lagoon might have chosen her to become a mermaid, but it hadn't always been written in the stars. And apparently it wasn't now.

But why give her something so magical, so wonderful, only to take it away?

She picked up one of the blue crystals that sat at the side of the pool and glanced up at the blue sky. If things like destiny and fate really existed then she'd have a tail right now. She looked down at her pale, wrinkled toes. The water in the lagoon had shriveled them up long ago. She wiggled her toes under the water. She'd forgotten what it was like to feel liquid flow between them. It felt cool and yet entirely unnatural. She felt like she had too many limbs.

Sighing she rolled the crystal in between her fingers. It was probably just her imagination—her disappointment at the dwindling magic—but she thought the blue rock seemed dimmer. She held it out in her palm so the sunlight could reach it. A ray caught the crystal and sent blue sparkles onto her clothes and arms.

She smiled. At least that sight was still breathtaking.

A cloud moved in front of the sun and the wonder held in the tiny crystal disappeared. Her smile fell. It wasn't enough. She closed her fingers over the crystal, clutching it tightly. It would never be enough.

Why was this happening? Why to her? Couldn't she be happy for once in her life?

Tears pricked the corners of her eyes as her frustration built. Crying again. She hated crying. It made her look weak and was a waste of time. Tears weren't going to fix her problems. She angrily wiped them away and chucked the crystal into the lagoon.

A muted plop sounded as the crystal hit the surface of the water. Juliette watched it, waiting for it to sink to the bottom.

It didn't.

The blue crystal bobbed and floated on top of the plane of water. That was new. She'd dropped enough crystals into the lagoon to know that they sank. Every. Single. One.

She pulled her feet out of the water, tucking them under her knees as she leaned forward for a closer look. She watched, eyes wide, as the crystal in the center of the lagoon began to spin. It spun faster and faster, becoming nothing but a blue blur before it stopped short, seemingly locking in on something. Then it sped across the surface of the water, latching onto one wall in the lagoon.

Juliette stared at the crystal for a couple seconds more, but it stayed where it was. Looking around the area, she found another small crystal. She picked it up and threw it into the center of the pool. It too floated, spun, and then latched onto the same wall. It was like the wall was a magnet for the crystals. She rushed over to the other side, reached a hand into the water and tried to pry the two crystals from the wall. Neither one budged. She hadn't really expected them to.

She stood up and rushed up the path towards the lab. She didn't understand what she'd discovered, but she knew she'd definitely discovered something. Somehow, this had to be important.

Because one thing was suddenly clear.

Not all the magic had died.