Aren't you glad I post so quickly? I know, I know, you love me. It's going to my head. BUT…I need help. The next chappie contains a fight between friends and a wicked kool revelation. I need a title. Review for me, buds, and give me some ideas! AFterall, interactive writing rocks! (Oh, and for those of you who hate my tiny little chappies, the next ones will be some of the longest so don't get angry.)

P.S. I'm reposting this because of complaints about inconsistencies. Please, feel free to tell me more.

3: Waking Wonders

"Any idea what happened to her?"

"I dunno. I'm just glad the tail's gone." Emily groaned, images blurring over her vision as she opened her eyes.

"Emily? How are you feeling?" A pale green face swam into view. She focused on the motion below her, using it as an anchor to reality. The face settled into focus.

"M-marlin?" she stammered weakly. The merboy's face lit up and he called out the door, his words a strange string of syllables to quick for the healer to decipher. "What's going on?" Emily pushed herself up, the thin blanket on her shoulders sliding from her slight frame and resting in a pile on the floor.

"Shhhh…" Marlin gently pushed her back onto the cabin bunk and replaced the blanket. Kara, Adriane, Zach, and Ozzie squeezed into the small room. "Now, what do you remember?" She levered herself up into a sitting position again, resting her back against the wooden wall.

"I…I remember mermaids. I remember falling under their spell and something was off and I called for you. And then," Emily shuddered, wrapping her arms around her abdomen," I remember pain…excruciating pain." She looked up at her friends. Kara and Adriane glanced at each other and Zach shifted uncomfortably. Marlin's eyes remained locked on her face. "What happened to me?" she asked in a bare whisper.

"Well…you changed." Kara frowned in concentration. "A lot." Emily raised her eyebrows and opened her mouth but closed it again when Zach cut in.

"It would be better if you saw for yourself," he said quickly.

"Ye better get yer webbed hiney out here, merboy! We've made land at de cove I told ye 'bout," Cribby called out. "In fact, ye all best git out here." They slowly filed out and Emily pushed herself off the bunk to join them.

"Nope," Adriane shook her head. "You need to rest." Emily met her coal black eyes with a fiery glare.

"I'm fine, now let me out." She tried to shove pas the warrior, but Adriane pushed her firmly back onto the cot.

"Sit." Emily grudgingly obliged. "Now stay. Sleep." Adriane smiled at her. "We'll get you in a couple of hours, before the sun goes down. Then you can come out and," she trailed off, leaving Emily to wonder what would happen. Soon after they left, however, she found herself tired, exhausted even. Maybe they were right. The redhead curled up on the thin mattress, her blanket pulled up to her chin, and sank into dreams of deep water and sinister eyes.

2 hours later a shriek and a thump pulled Adriane and the others out of their hushed conversation on the deck. Immediately they were inside the cabin to find Emily in a tangled heap on the floor, her eyes wild and her body trembling. She flinched away from their touch and curled protectively over her stomach, a series of dry heaves leading to much back rubbing and soothing words. Tears pricked Emily's eyes when she looked up despairingly at her friends.

TBC