Bella's P.O.V

Bella stared across Rikki's Cafe, where Teri and Lalita were exchanging hushed words. She tapped her foot impatiently, as Lalita stood up and they walked over to her.

As they stepped up in front of her, Lalita crossed her arms. "We'll let you help us tonight. If I like you, maybe we can be friends or something."

Bella shrugged. "Ok. You meet me at my place? My dad will be out of town, at a diving competition, so if you get moonstruck, nobody should see you."

Lalita tilted her head. "What if you get moonstruck?"

Bella snorted. "I won't. I've been a mermaid my whole life. I don't get moonstruck anymore."

Lalita pursed her lips. "Ok. See you at your house, then."

OoOoOoOoOoO

Bella sat at her desk, flipping through a magazine. A knock startled her, and she stood quickly wandering down the stairs to the front door. Unlocking it, she took a deep breath and plastered a fake smile on her face. "Hi! Come on in." She said,

Lalita and Teri stepped into her house, dropping their bags next to the door. "Wow." Teri gasped. "Are you rich or something? Also, what is that boat house next to your house?"

Bella laughed. "To your first question, I guess so. To you second question, my dad used to live there, so he built this house next to it for nostalgia."

Teri nodded, satisfied with her answer. She looked up with a snap. "What's for dinner?"

Bella smiled, a real one, and answered. "Pizza. What toppings do you like?"

"Cheese and mushrooms." Lalita said instantly.

"Really? That's my favorite." Bella said. She turned to Teri.

"Just cheese." Teri replied.

Bella nodded. "Be right back. You can take your bags upstairs to the third door on the left. Check any other room out except for the one all the way at the end of the hall. And the first one on the right. Those are my dad's." She turned and padded to the kitchen, where Miriam, her chef, was reading the newspaper. "Cheese and Mushrooms, and Cheese." Bella said, before trotting upstairs.

Teri and Lalita were admiring her trophies. Lalita turned to her. "You're in ballet?"

Bella nodded. "Have been since I was four."

Teri smiled. "We saw your ballet room."

Lalita turned back to the trophies. "It's very impressive. As are these trophies."

"Thank you." Bella said, surprised.

Bella walked over the floor to ceiling windows and pulled the black curtains closed, and using duck tape sitting on her dresser, taped them to the walls. She sat back and admired her handywork. "looks good." Bella remarked to herself. Glancing at her phone noting it was 24 minutes until the moon rose.

"Food!" Miriam called from the doorway. All three girls darted over, and Bella gently took the pizzas and set them down at the small round table with three chairs in the middle of her large room. She picked up a mushroom price and took a small bite, before sighing in delite.

Lalita Did the same, and Bella shot her an amused look. "This is really good!" Lalita defended herself.

Bella shrugged. "It really is." She glanced at her phone, and shot up from her seat. "The sun has set, and the moon has risen."

Teri groaned. "And I really had to go to the bathroom."

Bella smiled. "It's ok. I boarded everything. You can go. Next room down."

Teri stood up and darted out. Lalita sighed. "I have to go too."

"There's another. Upstairs, first door you see."

Lalita walked out, shaking her head. "There's another floor? She mumbled.

Minutes passed, and Teri came back. She and Bella finished their pizza in a peaceful quiet.

As Lalita came back, she seemed off. "You guys," she said dreamily. "The moon is so beautiful."

Bella gasped. Teri spun around to look at her. "I thought you boarded all the windows up!"

Bella thought for a moment. "The bathroom she went to has a skylight!" She cried. Both dove for Lalita, pinning her into the chair. Instead of struggling, she sang about swimming and the moon. After several hushed minutes, Lalita was tied down in the chair. She barely glanced at her restraints, and just stared at Bella and Teri.

"Will you let me swim?" She asked hopefully.

Bella scowled. "No, you will not be swimming."

Lalita pouted, slumping down the most she could. "Not fair." She grumbled, sounding very much like a five year old.

Bella turned to Teri. "For the rest of the night, we are not moving for anything."

OoOoOoOoOoO

Lalita's P.O.V

Lalita opened her eyes slowly, panicking as she realized she was tied up. She gave a short scream, awaking Teri and Bella.

Bella walked over quickly, untying her. "Do you remember anything from last night?"

Lalita furrowed her brow. "No. The last thing I remember was going to the bathroom, and seeing a glimpse of the moon in the mirror." Realization dawned on her. "Ohhh."

Bella nodded grimly. "Thought so." She glanced at her watch, gasped, and grabbed a duffel bag in the corner. "I have ballet practice now, so pack up. You can let yourselves out. Don't worry about locking the door." She waved and walked out the door of her bedroom, and Lalita heard the door slam moments later.

Lalita and Teri stuffed their blankets and pillows in their bags. Lalita held the door as they ran down the hall and out into the bright sunshine. They hugged, and Teri jogged down the sidewalk. "See you at the moon pool later!" Lalita yelled as she took off to her home in the opposite direction.