A whole week had passed since the girls had been turned into mermaids. Lucy and Erza were having the time of their lives swimming in the ocean but Juvia was still too scared to even go into the shallow end of the sea. Lucy and Erza tried to convince Juvia to join them when they swam but she refused.
"You can't hide from water forever." Lucy told her.
"I can try." Juvia said.
"Juvia we know how scared you are of it but you can't just let fear rule your life. You're a mermaid, the sea is apart of you."
"I never asked to be a mermaid."
"It's not as scary as you think." Erza said. "And you're in no danger of drowning, we can breathe under water."
"I just can't do it. Why can't you two just leave me alone about this?"
"Because we don't want you to miss out on something amazing."
"I don't want to talk about this. If you two can't let this go then I'm going home."
With that said she left the juice bar and headed back to her foster home.
"I should probably get going too." Erza said. "Mom's working late so I gotta watch my sister tonight."
"Alright I'll see you tomorrow? At the beach? Same time?"
"You know it."
Erza was very relieved that Lucy didn't ask to see where she lived. Truth be told, Erza lived somewhere at the far end of Magnolia in a trailer with her mother and her eight year old sister. She came from a very poor background and far as long as she could remember she had always been pushed around by other people for it.
"Wendy I'm home." She said walking into the trailer.
"Hi Erza." The pig tailed girl greeted.
"Did Mom already leave?"
"About five seconds ago. She said that she won't be home til nine."
"She must have a client who owns one of those great big expensive cars."
"You think she'll make a lot of money off of this one?"
"Let's hope so." Erza opened the cupboard and pulled out a frying pan. "How does a grilled cheese sandwich sound for dinner?"
"It sounds great."
While Erza started cooking their dinner, Wendy waited by looking through one of their mother's magazines.
"Wow! Hey Erza take a look at this!" Wendy pointed to a page in the magazine which had a picture of a cute but expensive blue sundress that was just Wendy's size. "Isn't it pretty?"
"Sure is."
"I wish I could have a dress like that."
"You'd look awfully cute in it."
"And you would look so beautiful in this one."
She pointed to another page which displayed a gorgeous knee-length red lace dress with asymmetric cut, and suspenders.
"Me? In a dress? Are you kidding?"
"Don't you like it a little bit?"
Erza would never admit but she did like the looks of that dress but it was way more expensive than the blue one Wendy looked at. She knew the neither she or her mother could afford it so she wouldn't waste her time wanting it.
"It's nice but it's not my style."
"Hey Erza can I ask you something?"
"You just did." She chuckled. "But seriously what do you wanna ask?"
"How come you don't ever go to parties or go out with your friends
"Well for one thing I don't get invited to parties and I don't have any friends."
"Then who are those two girls I saw you with yesterday?"
"Have you been spying on me?"
"I wouldn't call it spying I would call it catching glimpse of you with them while I'm helping Mom get groceries."
"Mom knows about them too?"
"No. She was too busy to notice. So who are they?"
"Alright they're kind of like my friends but I don't think that we're close enough to call each other friends."
"How close do you have to be to become friends?"
"To tell you the truth Wendy I don't really need friends."
"That's silly, everybody needs friends."
"Not me. No, you and Mom are all I need."
"Then why do you hang out with those other girls?"
"It's a complicated matter which I can never tell you because you're too young to understand and that's end of this conversation."
"You're just like Mom. She never tells me anything either."
"And for good reason too. Now let's eat I'm starving."
Back at the local foster home, Juvia was up in her room writing in her diary. She always did it when she was stressed.
Knock-knock!
"Mind if I come in?" Gray asked on the other side of her bedroom door.
"Sure."
He opened the door and sat down beside her on her bed.
"Lucy told me about the argument you had with her and Erza."
"Let me guess you've come to tell me that I'm wrong?"
"Not exactly but you have to admit they do have a point."
"Gray I'm scared. I mean it's like every time I get in the water all I can think about is that day. That awful day where my mom and dad were taken away from me forever."
"Juvia I know how you feel, I was there remember? And I lost my parents the same way but you know I'm not scared of the water. At least not anymore."
"What exactly is your point?"
"My point is I lived through the same trauma as you and I was able to get passed my fears. Why can't you? You're amazing and you can do anything."
"Just because I have these powers doesn't mean I'm amazing."
She got from her bed, put her diary away, and went to the kitchen to get a drink.
"I didn't mean the powers." Gray said quietly.
In the kitchen Juvia had just started to pour herself a cup of a juice when she was startled by the sudden appearance of her little foster brother Romeo.
"Hi Juvia!"
"Romeo how many times have I told you not to sneak up on me like that?"
"Sorry I guess I'm just real excited."
"About what?"
"Well remember last week when you said that you would do anything I wanted if I did the dishes for you?"
"Yes."
"Well it's time to pay up."
"Oh no."
"Don't worry I'm not going to make you give me your allowance or do something demeaning like Chelia would do."
"I'm surprised you know what the word demeaning is."
"Hey I pay attention in school. Anyway I want you to take me to the beach."
"What for?"
"I wanna try surfing and that guy Natsu is giving lessons."
"I can't."
"You said you would do anything and you know I can't go to the beach by myself."
"But can't you get Gray to take you?"
"I already asked him, he says that he has too much homework. Come on please, you promised."
He gave her the puppy dog eyes and the lip quiver which he knew she couldn't resist.
"I don't have to get in the water right?"
"No you just have to watch me."
"Fine."
Romeo then changed into his swim trunks and swim shirt and they went to down to the beach. Juvia just sat on the sand and watched Natsu give the boy instructions.
"When will I be able to get in the water?" Romeo asked.
"Soon but right now you have to practice on land." Natsu told him.
"Hey Natsu am I doing this right?" One other kid asked.
"Hang on a minute I'm coming. Romeo you keep practicing here and don't go in the water."
Natsu left to help the other kid.
"I don't need anymore practice." Romeo decided. "I bet I could handle those waves."
"Romeo, Natsu said not to go in the water."
"I'll be okay."
Romeo picked up his board at started to run out to sea.
"Romeo come back here!" Juvia called. "I mean it Romeo if you don't come back I'm going to tell Porlyuscia!"
But the boy ignored her and proceeded to swim out. Juvia rolled her eyes at how stubborn the boy could be.
Romeo got on his board and started to paddle toward the first upcoming wave. He tried to stand up but the wave ended up crashing on him and he fell off his board.
"Romeo!" Juvia screamed in terror.
Her horror was even furthered when the board cane back up and Romeo didn't. Ignoring her fear of the water and acting on sisterly instinct, Juvia immediately ran into the sea. As soon as she turned into a mermaid she swam under at an incredible speed, grabbed Romeo, and pulled him back to the sand. He was unconscious and he wasn't breathing so she resuscitated him.
His eyes opened and he began to cough up all the sea water he had swallowed. Relieved, Juvia hugged him.
"Oh Romeo thank God." She said trying not cry. "You had me so scared! Don't you ever do anything like that again?! You hear me?!"
"Juvia?"
"Yes?"
"I feel funny."
He passed out again but he was still breathing. But now she had a bigger problem, she was in mermaid form and she could hear Natsu coming back. She quickly covered herself with Romeo's beach towel.
"What happened?" Natsu asked when he saw the unconscious boy.
"Romeo tried to surf out in the water but he fell off his board." Juvia told him. "I pulled him out and he seems alright but can you take him home?"
"Sure but why can't you do it?"
"Because... Because while I was getting him out a wave knocked off my top. So can you take him back while I get dressed?"
"Oh..." He blushed. "Yeah. Alright."
He picked up Romeo and went to take him back to the house. After catching her breath for a few minutes she came to an amazing realization. During the whole time she was under water she could breathe. Just like Lucy and Erza said and the way she swam, it was faster than any dolphin.
"Maybe swimming isn't as scary as I thought."
With her curiosity peeked Juvia went back into the water. She was a little scared at first but the minute she realized that she was in no danger her fear was forgotten. Before she knew it she was exploring the underwater realms of the deep sea. Observing the pretty coral and shells, she even swam with some dolphins. It was great. She finally understood what the girls were trying to tell her.
"So you actually went in?" Lucy said when Juvia told her about the next day.
"Yep."
"And you enjoyed it?" Erza asked.
"Yep."
"So that means the three of us can finally go swimming together." Lucy said. "That is if you want to Juvia."
"I thought that you'd never ask." She smiled.
So it was that whenever the girls had free time they would get together and go swimming in the ocean where they had the time of their lives.