"Okay," Dr. Saltzman said as he straightened from his crouch. "We have a pageant to put on. Lizzie, can you continue to oversee the storing of magical artifacts and items? Josie, start preparing for our guests. Hope and Rafael..." He paused, looking at the mermaid in the tub of bloody water. "Could you...find somewhere for our aquatic friend?"

Lizzie and Josie cast us lingering looks as they headed back out. Dr. Saltzman looked at the mermaid, his gaze speculative.

"I'm going to find Dorian and see what the research has turned up. Let's keep her somewhere private for now, preferably without the fins." He looked into her eyes, and his face softened a little. "Are you healed? Can we take you out of the water?" The mermaid nodded slowly, her eyes serious. I dipped my arm into the deep tub, passing her smooth, scaly tale, and pulled the plug on the drain. As the water drained, her tail came into view. I watched as it split in half again, the fin disappeared, and the scales gradually disappeared into her smooth, pale skin. Almost as miraculous as her tail turning into legs, the huge gash in her side that the propeller had left had disappeared, not even leaving a faint scar. Her abdomen was smooth and unmarked, and only the red residue from the blood on her skin indicated there had been any trauma.

Dr. Saltzman handed me a towel, and I waited for her to stand from the tub so I could wrap it around her. She gripped the sides of the tub and moved to her knees, then planted a foot on the bottom of the tub and pulled herself slowly up. The slow speed did nothing to help her - her legs wobbled, and she collapsed with a crash back into the tub.

"Here," I said, wrapping the towel around her while she was still in the tub. The fluffy white towel was quickly stained by the residual blood, and it was soaked as well from the leftover water as I fashioned it around her and tucked the edge in at her bust. I took her arms and braced her as she wobbled to her feet again. I held up most of her weight as she swung her legs out of the tub and then stood, shakily, on the ground beside me. "Are you okay?" I asked her. She tentatively took a step forward, and my arms and Rafael's caught her quickly.

"Whoa, whoa," Raf said gently. He wrapped one of her arms around his neck and wrapped his arm around her waist. I mimicked him on her other side so that we both braced her and helped her from the bathroom. It was slow work getting her upstairs to my room. When we finally got there, we helped her sit on the bed. She ran her fingers over my comforter admiringly, then looked at me expectantly.

"Um, I've got it from here, Raf," I said. "I'm going to help her get dressed."

"Right," he said. He squeezed her hand. "I'll see you later." She nodded, and Raf walked quickly from the room. After the door clicked shut behind him, I looked at the mermaid and sighed.

"Okay. Clothes," I said. I turned to my closet and began rifling through the contents. "How about this?" I asked her as I pulled a pair of dark wash jeans and a lavender top out. The mermaid nodded and I grabbed a pair of underwear and a bra for her as well. "Do you know how to put this on?" I asked, gesturing to the clothes. She had a determined look on her face, so I turned and busied myself clearing the herbs and grimoires from my desk. My paints were still strewn across the floor from the morning when I had knocked Landon into them, so I tidied that as well. When I turned back around, the mermaid was tangled in the shirt and bra, and had the pants on backwards with the underwear on top. Her face was frustrated and I chuckled despite myself at her. "You're hopeless," I said. I smiled, so she wouldn't take offense. "Here," I said as I helped her untangle the shirt. "The pants are backwards. And the underwear goes beneath them." I peeled the waistband from my body so she caught a peek at my green panties. Her eyes lit in recognition.

She stripped and started over, pulling the underwear on first followed by the jeans. She managed to do it sitting down and laying on the bed, so she didn't have to stand on her shaky legs. When she got to the bra and shirt, I showed her how to slip her arms through the straps and fasten the back. Then I showed her the tag on the shirt and how it was supposed to rest against her back, so she pulled it on the correct way.

"You look nice," I confirmed as I looked her over. My clothes fit her reasonably well. I tilted my head as I looked at her, unsettled that she hadn't spoke the entire time we had known her. "Can you speak, or is that not something mermaids can do?" She tilted her head, mimicking me, her face unreadable. "Do you have a name?" I asked. "I'm Hope. And you know Rafael - the guy that found you and helped me get you up here."

She extended a hand to me, and I took it. She pulled me down beside her on the bed, and cupped my neck. Her hand was smooth and cool. I hesitated as she pulled our faces close; I was with Landon. But she touched her forehead to mine, and I felt a soft whisper in my mind.

Marina

I startled away from her, confused by the telepathy. She pulled on my neck again, insistent.

We communicate differently.

We were interrupted by Lizzie bursting into my room. We jumped apart, and Lizzie opened her mouth to make a snide remark before she shook her head, eyes closed, and started over.

"Whatever. I came to give you your job assignment. You're competing in the pageant."

After a lengthy conversation with Lizzie and quite a bit of convincing and information on the pageant, I gave a long look at Marina and sighed.

"I'm going to be tied up most of the day, but I'll send Rafael in to keep you company. Just don't leave my room," I explained to her. She nodded once, and I followed Lizzie from the room to prepare for the competition.