At this very point, Vi was fairly certain that her little endeavors in the open sea had left her with a nasty concussion that the doctors in the hospital had probably missed. Her first thought was to head back to the lighthouse, give Jayce or Ezreal a call to take her to the hospital and get her brain checked before she started hallucinating the entire Lost Atlantis. The last thing she wanted was to become the crazy lady of the town. Instead of proceeding with that plan however, which was the only logical thing to do, Vi remained at the exact same spot. This hallucination seemed way too real for her liking.

But as moments passed and the sea kept crashing on her feet, Vi had this terrible thought, that this might not actually be a hallucination. She didn't want to believe that. Mermaids weren't real, they were just a local myth, a tale to entertain the little children and to discourage them from being reckless in the water.

But the eyes. Those eyes. They seemed so very real! Another part of Vi wanted them to be real, because that would finally put an end to her night torments. It would mean that she didn't just miraculously survive, although being saved by a mermaid wasn't exactly a satisfactory explanation either. At the very least, Vi ought to help this… creature, or whatever it was classified as, as a gesture of good will. She reached inside her jacket and retrieved a pocket knife that she always carried around. But as soon as the blade came into light, the mermaid seemed to enter panic mode and her fight against the fishing net became even more intense. If she kept that up, she would get herself hurt. Vi quickly kneeled next to her and started working on the net, in hopes that she would understand her intentions soon enough.

"Please, stop moving!" Vi begged. "I don't want to cause you harm by accident."

Her words had little effect and Vi wondered if the mermaid could even understand her language. However, the more Vi worked, the less she struggled, until she stopped entirely and finally let Vi cut the net on all the crucial parts, watching somewhat with curiosity Vi work. Vi tried her best to not feel nervous under her intense and perhaps scrutinizing gaze. It was slightly awkward when she tried to cut the net around the tail, considering that she wasn't sure if she could touch her or not. It was actually a rather peculiar thing, not having the greenish vibe Vi had in mind. It had a more violet tone and it matched the hair and the eyes. WIth careful and steady hands, she cut the last pieces of the net that immobilized the tail and slowly tagged it away. As soon as she realized she was free, the mermaid pushed herself into the water and swam away.

"Wait!" Vi cried out to the waves. "At least, tell me your name!"

But the being didn't even spare her a glance. A big, blue tail splashed against the waves before it disappeared underwater. The crashing of the sea against the shoreline was almost mocking in Vi's ears. She stood there in defeat, until it finally sunk that whatever this creature was, it was gone forever and with her, she took away her only source for answers to Vi's torment. With admitting her defeat, Vi walked away from the spot with her hands deeply shoved in her pockets. She couldn't, however, help herself and kept looking over her shoulder, in hopes that the mermaid had changed her mind and had chosen to give her a second chance. It was only when she reached the staircase that she finally accepted that she was not coming back.

If the whole situation hadn't been so intense, Vi would have been convinced it was a feverish dream, caused by her latest traumatic, near-death experience. It felt surreal. Perhaps then all the sailors in New Meadow that spoke of mermaids weren't so crazy after all… But what did that mean? Was there really a secret civilization living underwater? Was the myth of the lost Atlantis not much of a myth? Vi didn't even want to begin unpacking all that.

That night she didn't sleep at all. All she could think about was the mermaid and the way she had looked at her. Her eyes were a crystal blue, the prettiest Vi had ever seen with her own gray ones. She was certain that she would be able to recognize them between thousands of other pairs of eyes. Everytime Vi closed her eyes, all she saw was those eyes, painted with panic and later curiosity. What she would give for a chance to see them again!

Days passed. Vi went to the beach every single day and spent hours waiting. She wasn't sure what exactly she was waiting for. All she knew was, she had to go there no matter what. It was getting worse every single day, to the point that she almost neglected her duties. Almost. When Sunday arrived, it was almost as if Vi had woken up from a slumber. She took the Honda Accord and drove away like she normally did every single Sunday and she didn't return until noon. When she went to bed the same night, she decided not to go to the beach again, or at least until the incident with the mermaid was erased from her brain.

A couple of weeks passed, and the mermaid was almost completely forgotten. A small malfunction in one of the integral parts of the lighthouse kept Vi busy for several days and she didn't have the time to ponder about mythological creatures. Working pushed her back in a routine which was only disturbed by the children visiting the lighthouse, although even their visits became more scarce. The weather became colder and more rainy as they dwelled well into autumn and marched towards winter. As such, Vi didn't go to the beach anymore either, staying true to her word.

One day however, fooled by the surprisingly sunny weather - one of the last warm days of autumn - she decided to go for a stroll. There was no wind that way which meant that the sea was bound to be calm too. Vi descended the creaking wooden staircase with her hands on her pockets to keep them warm. Her boots slightly sunk on the wet sand but she didn't mind. She thought of walking all the way to the shipwreck, but destiny had other plans for her. Halfway there, Vi noticed what at first glance looked like a corpse, washed out by the sea. Her instinct reaction to run to run to the poor thing's side, awfully aware that dolphins and whales often lost their way and ended up dying on the shore completely helpless.

But it was no beast. Vi's blood froze. It was the mermaid. Again. The very same one she had chosen to forget about in the course of the last couple of weeks for the sake of her own sanity. Yet, there she was again, washed up on the shore in a small puddle of blood. Vi panicked. Was she dead? She quickly fell to her knees and searched for a pulse. She was relieved to find one, but the mermaid remained unconscious. Vi turned her carefully on her back and for a moment she just stared at the delicate face with the long nose and the dark blue hair. Eventually, Vi carefully dragged her out of the water to examine her better and to make sure she didn't have any fatal wounds. There was a wound on the lower part of her torso, near her waist that still bled out slightly, awfully familiar to a gun wound. Vi frowned. She had another gush on her left arm too, as if someone had scratched her. Several bruises decorated her body here and there. Vi wondered what had happened to her, but that was a question for another time. She looked up for a moment, only to realize that the tail was completely gone, replaced by a pair of legs! Vi blinked. Too many things were happening all at once and she didn't know how to function.

She took a deep breath to calm her nerves. Then, she removed her jacket and wrapped it carefully around the mermaid, covering up the upper half of her naked body. Vi was anything but prude, but she didn't want to violate her in any way while she was unconscious, or let malicious eyes pry on her sacred parts. Carefully, she snaked her hands under the mermaid's knees and back and gently lifted her up, carrying her bridal style all the way up the lighthouse. Vi was rather strong and well-built, but the creature was also the size and weight of an adult woman that was over six feet tall. Still, Vi didn't stop for a second.

When they got back to the lighthouse, Vi took the mermaid to her bedroom before rushing to her kitchen to retrieve the first aid kit. Using all the supplies she had, she carefully cleared and patched all the creature's wounds while she remained blissfully unconscious. Then, Vi retrieved some of her own clothes to cover her with and to keep her warm. Vi's house wasn't exactly the ideal place to spend the winter since there wasn't any kind of central heating in the place. After making sure that the mermaid wasn't bleeding anymore, she left her alone to rest.

Being busy treating the creature's wounds didn't leave Vi the time to think about what she would do after she woke up. Now that she was left alone with her thoughts, she realized that she knew terrifying little about mermaids. What do they eat? Do they drink water? How long could they stay on land without suffocating? Would she need to put her in a tab or something? Vi quickly grabbed her phone and started looking for information online, although it was unlikely that mythology and folklore would provide her with the answers she was seeking.

It had been hours later when the mermaid first started showing sights of life. Vi lifted her head from her phone and watched the creature stirring in her sleep. She put her phone to the side and leaned forward, almost slipping from her chair. Finally, the mermaid let out a groan before her blue eyes met Vi's grey ones. An expression of confusion painted her beautiful face before it was replaced by fear. She moved away from Vi, although there was nowhere she could run - if she could even run to begin with.

"Easy there, cupcake," Vi said softly. "It's okay, you're safe. I'm not going to hurt you." The mermaid continued to stare at her, breathing heavily. However, she didn't make another attempt to move away - not that Vi's bed was that big to begin with. "What's your name?" Vi asked.

The mermaid lowered her eyes. "Where am I?" she asked instead, dodging Vi's question.

Ah, so she did speak human language. That was a relief for Vi. At the very least, they could understand each other (also why did a mermaid sound so British? That was beyond her). "We're at Owl Point Reef Light. Name's Vi, by the way."

The mermaid looked around. "The lighthouse," she murmured, not particularly addressed to Vi. "Why did you bring me here? What do you want from me?" she asked suspiciously.

"Funny you would ask that. I found you washed up at the shore bleeding out," Vi explained. "Who shot you anyway?" She vaguely pointed at the creature's wound.

"Shoot… me?"

"Yeah. I know a gun wound when I see one."

"A what?"

"Forget it." Vi then realized that the chances of a mermaid being familiar with a gun were little, so she decided to drop it there for now. "Are you hungry?" She suddenly asked. "Here, I made these for you. I uh… don't know if you like them." She offered her a plate with cooked sprats. "You can eat and then you tell me what happened."

The mermaid gave her a curious look. Vi swore she saw a small smile playing on her lips. "Well, we usually eat them raw since we can't cook, but thank you anyway."

Vi let a breath she didn't know she was holding. At least, she wouldn't starve to death under her roof now that she knew what she preferred to eat. Vi watched her quietly eat her meal with her bare hands, not bothering to use a fork. It then dawned on her that she probably didn't know how to use one. Vi honestly didn't know if they used forks under the sea. She had so many questions, and the vast majority of them were not related to her injuries.

"Thank you, that was quite lovely," the mermaid thanked her. "Aren't you hungry?"

"I ate when you were passed out," Vi assured her. "So uh… how exactly did you end up on the shore?"

"I'm not sure I remember," she confessed. She eyed Vi carefully, perhaps trying to decide whether she should trust her or not. "I was following a boat that left from the port earlier today. It led me to a quay away from the harbor and I managed to get closer through an underwater cavern, but that was as far as I could get. When I tried to follow the boat back to the harbor, someone probably saw me. I tried to hide, but it was too late."

"Why were you even following a boat anyway?" Vi asked.

The mermaid chewed on her lower lip, still indecisive to what she should do. "I've been looking for another mermaid," she admitted, eventually. "I've had a hunch that she might have been kidnapped by humans."

Vi's first instinctive reaction was to question the mermaid's integrity, awfully insulted by such an accusation, before remembering that the world was in fact cruel and it wouldn't be that much of a surprise if ambitious fishermen had kidnapped another mermaid to exploit her.

"So, is she your sister or what?" Vi asked instead, not knowing what else to say. "That mermaid you are looking for, I mean."

The mermaid blushed. "No, Seraphine and I aren't of the same kin. Seraphine is a siren and her songs are what keep the reef alive. Without her, the reef is doomed and so is our kind."

That was a lot of information for Vi to digest. She was fairly certain that sirens were completely different creatures in mythology. She furrowed her brows. "Aren't sirens supposed to be half-bird and half-human or something?"

"According to your mythology, yes. Sirens are also mermaids that possess the ability to sing. Very few are born every couple generations. I'm not sure if they were named after your mythical creatures or if it was the other way around," Caitlyn pondered.

"Well, I'll be damned," Vi muttered. "So, a missing mermaid who's the key in preventing an unmeasured biological hazard. Duly noted." she nodded.

"Well, when you put it that way…"

"Is there anything else you might remember?" Vi inquired. "I might be able to help."

"Now that you mention it…" The mermaid paused. "There was a tunnel in the cavern leading to a smaller one. The bottom of the sea was covered with stuff most of which I couldn't recognize. There was this metallic thing, what do you call it… A bucket, I believe? It was hanging from a rope and it kept coming up and down, leaving stuff to the bottom. I heard voices from above, but I couldn't see anything."

"Wait. You were under a well?"

"A well?" The mermaid echoed, looking equally confused as Vi.

"It's a kind of excavation in the ground through which water is supplied," Vi explained. "Gosh, I've never seen any wells in town. Where could that be?"

"Look, that's not your concern. It's mine. You've already done enough and I'm very grateful-"

"I don't know how to tell you this, cupcake," Vi interrupted. "But getting shot isn't a small thing. You could have died."

"I'm capable of looking after myself, thank you very much." The mermaid crossed her arms. "And please, stop calling me that. My name is Caitlyn."

"Sure, cupcake." Vi snorted. Caitlyn rolled her eyes.

"I can't sit idly while Seraphine is out there!" Caitlyn complained. "Don't you understand what's at stake? I need-"

"All you need is rest. You won't help anyone in your condition, not even yourself." Vi argued which was enough to make Caitlyn fall silent. "I'll try to figure out if there are any houses in town with a well in their yards and see where we can go from there, alright?"

"I suppose that sounds reasonable…" Caitlyn retreated. "But as soon as you find something, please let me know promptly!"

"Yes, ma'am." Vi mockingly saluted, receiving a confused look from the mermaid. This woman was able to use words like "idly" and "promptly" but could not understand sarcasm. This is going to be fun, alright.

Vi was about to make a comment about how dense Caitlyn was, when she heard voices. Children's voices. Oh no. She cursed under her breath. How on Earth would she explain Caitlyn's out-of-nowhere appearance to them? It seemed like the same thought crossed the mermaid's mind, because she gave Vi a terrified look.

"Stay put, they never come inside of here," Vi reassured her, although she doubted that Caitlyn could go anywhere in her condition. "I'll go deal with them. I'll be right back," she promised.

Vi ran out after making sure the door of her bedroom was sealed and that no prying eye could get through. It was indeed just the children with their bikes, giggling at an inside joke. As soon as she showed up, Zack's face lit up. He dismounted his bike and ran to her, handing her a paper back. "It's for you!" he proclaimed proudly. "It's from my dad."

When Vi opened the bag and found more fish - fresh fish, literally just pulled out from the sea - she wasn't that surprised. She knew that Zack's father was a fisherman, just like a lot of other people in New Meadow. "He said that you can get anything you want from our shop."

That just came in handy, she mused. "Thanks, Zack." Vi smiled. "What are y'all doing out here? Shouldn't you be in school or something?"

"School doesn't start until next week," Andy shrugged.

"Yeah. We thought we'd come to visit before then, because we will be suuuuper busy," Jimmy added.

Vi doubted that, but she appreciated the sentiment regardless.

"And our parents don't really let us come here after Zack's accident…" Nora trailed off while Zack's ears turned crimson in embarrassment.

"That was just a misadventure," Vi chirped in, in an attempt to save the poor boy from any further embarrassment. "Say kids, I've been wondering, are there any wells around here?" She could not pass up this opportunity. These kids were quite nosy and perhaps had something more valuable to offer to her than any other adult in town. The children looked at each other in confusion, scratching their little heads while they attempted to recall any wells in the vicinity.

"Oh, I know!" Andy exclaimed suddenly. "Old man Thomas Clarke has a well in his yard! But I think it's sealed now…" he trailed off

"My dad says that there's a well in that old Wilson manor, but that's way out of town," Nora recalled.

"My grandpa's friend Jacob says he has a well too, but he has dementia, so I don't know how reliable he is," Jimmy added.

"What do you need a well for, anyway?" Zack asked and although it was an innocent question, Vi felt herself sweating.

"Nothing, just wondering," she shrugged nonchalantly. "Thank you, in any case."

The kids soon departed, not wanting to get into any more trouble with their parents, and Vi ran inside to let Caitlyn know about the news.

"Good news, cupcake." Vi grinned as she bursted into the bedroom. "I've got us a lead." Caitlyn gave Vi a rather strange look. The lighthouse keeper felt scrutinized under her intense gaze and for a brief moment wondered if she had accidentally insulted her. "Something wrong?"

"You are really serious about helping me," Caitlyn stated matter-of-factly. "I'm just wondering why. You don't know me and the struggles of my people are of no concern to you."

It was Vi's turn to blush. "Well, you did save my life, so I suppose I ought to return the favor."

"Oh, so you do remember after all… I didn't think you would. You were passed out for the most part," Caitlyn recalled.

"It's more like a hazy dream rather than a memory," Vi admitted. "And besides, a destroyed coral reef may also have severe repercussions for humans too, since it's part of the food chain and the local ecosystem. Therefore, it is my concern as well."

"I didn't think you would believe me this easily," Caitlyn confessed. "Most people cannot fathom the existence of our kind."

"Well, you are here in front of me in flesh and blood. Besides, I can tell when someone is lying to me. You definitely are not."

"Curious. Do humans possess the ability of reading minds, then?" Caitlyn asked, and if she didn't give Vi that look again, Vi would have thought she was mocking her.

"No. There's this thing called life that is the wisest teacher of them all." Vi shrugged, receiving yet a puzzled look from the mermaid. "You should rest. You've had a long day."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'll drive to the city, see if I can pinpoint any of the locations the children gave me. Once you feel better, I can take you to have a look, see if you recognize any of them." Vi checked her watch. "I should be back before sunset."

"Okay." Caitlyn nodded. Before Vi left the room, she heard Caitlyn's voice again. "You know you don't have to do this, right?"

Vi glanced over her shoulder. "I know. But I want to," she grinned.

Then, Caitlyn offered her a smile brighter than the sun, one that would hunt Vi's dreams for the rest of eternity. "Thank you, Vi."