When Vi first moved in Owl Point Reef Light, she was pleased to discover that her tiny bathroom was equipped with a comfortable bathtub. What she hadn't imagined was how she would put it into use.

Nothing could prepare her for having a mermaid splashing her ginormous tail inside the small tub's water.

Apparently though, mermaids could only survive this long on Earth without suffocating. When Caitlyn started choking on - apparently - plein air in the middle of the night, Vi panicked. At first, she didn't know what she was supposed to do and then Caitlyn started making wild gestures towards the sea, until it dawned on her. Vi now found herself standing at the bathroom's door, back pressed against the door frame, not sure what to make of the sight in front of her; Caitlyn's tail protruding out of the tab while her head was under water. Every once in a while, she would pull it out and every time she would return Vi's whimsical look. It was the following morning after the suffocating incident and only a couple of days after Vi had found the mermaid bleeding out at the coast. Needless to say that the last few days had been surreal for both of them.

When Caitlyn pulled her head out of the water again, Vi decided to speak. "Are you sure you want to do this? I can go have a look myself."

"While I do trust that you can accomplish such a task, I need to be certain that your information concerns the right location."

"I'm no expert, but perspective is different from below the water," Vi pointed out matter-of-factly. "How can you be sure?"

"I think I will know," Caitlyn assured. "Please, I have to be certain. I cannot afford any mishaps."

In truth, the real reason why Vi discouraged Caitlyn from tagging alone wasn't because she didn't believe she could be useful, but because she was worried about her condition. Her wounds had healed in a surprising speed, and Vi wasn't sure if she should attribute that to Caitlyn's different biology. Still, she could not be sure that her condition would not deteriorate if she pushed herself too hard in pursuit of Seraphine's alleged kidnappers.

"A'right," Vi mumbled. "I've pinpointed two spots in the town. When you are ready, we can go."

"I am." Caitlyn placed her hands on the sides of the tub but Vi stopped her before she could move.

"Wait!" Vi turned red. "Let me get you some clothes first."

"I have no use of earth-made fabrics," she argued.

Vi rolled her eyes. "And you can't go around butt-naked, cupcake. Wait until I get you something decent to wear."

Truly, Vi didn't own very fancy clothes or anything too formal. Most of her clothes were chosen specifically for their comfort due to the nature of her job. She finally chose a pair of jeans and a white shirt alongside some underwear before she returned back to the bathroom. "Here, these are for you." She placed them on a small stool in the corner. "I'll be waiting outside."

Perhaps Vi misinterpreted or didn't heed enough attention to Caitlyn's previous statement about her not needing "earth-made fabrics"; it was true that she did not need clothes underwater, which meant that she had never touched a piece of clothing in her life. This omission on Vi's part left her completely unprepared for the sight that came before her as the bathroom door swung open; Caitlyn's arms neatly through the jean trousers, the bra and underwear hanging from one ear like earrings and one foot stuck through the sleeve of the white shirt. The sight was amusing at best and hilarious at worst. It was like watching a toddler figuring out clothes for the first time. "What?" Caitlyn asked, watching Vi choking behind her palm. "What's so funny?"

"My God," Vi giggled uncontrollably through her tears. "Please, let me help you."

It took all of Vi's self-control not to continue laughing as she helped Caitlyn into her clothes. She was careful enough not to touch her somewhere inappropriately and cause her discomfort or accidentally insult her. It was really hard not to stare, but Vi was better than that. Caitlyn had a kind of innocence, almost childlike, but Vi didn't want to make her uncomfortable under any circumstances.

"There you go," Vi hummed as she finished buttoning Caitlyn's shirt. Vi pretended like she didn't notice the mermaid staring at her or how their breaths mingled in such a short distance. "Take my jacket too, it's kind of chilly out there."

"Thank you." Caitlyn thanked her, tracing her fingers across the leather surface of the jacket, inspecting it with the scrutinizing gaze of a leather expert.

Vi grabbed her keys. "Come on then."

Despite Caitlyn's claim of her familiarity with the human world, she was still too shocked when Vi's old Honda Accord came into view. It wasn't even that impressive of a car; it was just that she had never seen a car up close before.

"I've seen boats and ships but never anything like this," Caitlyn admitted, walking around the vehicle, like a curious child.

"Sorry to have your very first view of a car be this old wreck." Vi opened the door for Caitlyn. "After you, m'lady."

Caitlyn furrowed her brows, but eventually figured that all she had to do was sit inside the car. Vi joined her from the driver's seat and pulled out her keys. The other woman was startled by the engine's roaring, which caused Vi to laugh. "You'll get used to it," she promised.

The drive to New Meadow was uneventful, except for the fact that Caitlyn kept asking random questions. The farms that were sparsely built outside the town were just as unfamiliar as Vi's car, with animals that were so strange in the mermaid's eyes. Vi needed to keep in mind that things she considered granded in her world weren't as such for Caitlyn. She answered her questions patiently and explained everything to the best of her ability. Caitlyn's constant inquiries brought to her mind her childhood, with her younger sister trailing behind her, a bubbling source of life who had just acquired the ability to speak and could not, for the life of her, shut up. Vi clenched the wheel with agitated fingers. Those sudden memories made her stomach feel empty. Caitlyn seemed to notice the tension rolling off her in waves.

"Are you okay?" She asked.

"I'm fine," Vi lied, refusing to elaborate and Caitlyn, God bless her, didn't pressure her. They fell silent until they arrived at their destination and Vi pulled over.

"Here we are," she announced and winced at how raspy her voice came out her throat. "Let's have a quick look before someone takes us for burglars."

The pair exited the car and found themselves in a yard swarming with grass that reached VI's knees surrounded by a wooden fence, pieces of which had fallen to the ground from the earthquake nonetheless. Rose bushes and shattered pots surrounded the well, built with cobblestone that was covered with moss. It was a scenery right out of a fairy tale, except for the house itself. It was missing its roof and reconstruction had already started, but there was still a long way to go before it was finished. Another reminder of the destruction the earthquake had left behind. Vi had to remind herself to focus.

"Does this mean anything to you?" She asked Caitlyn, who in the meantime had approached the well to inspect it.

"It doesn't seem to have a bucket," she observed. "I don't think we're on the right place-"

"Oi! What are you youngsters doing in my yard?"

Vi flinched at the voice of the old man, but was quick to recover from the initial scare. Caitlyn stared at the man like she had seen a ghost, refusing to speak. "Good afternoon, sir," Vi jumped in. "Sorry to bother you, we just wanted to take a picture here in your well."

Jacob Wilkinson narrowed his eyes, still not buying her lie. The atmosphere thickened quickly with an abundance of apprehension. Vi, however, didn't lose composure and retrieved her phone from her pocket. Caitlyn, as puzzled as she was, had no idea what was going on, and when Vi grabbed her waist, she yelped in surprise.

"Come on, babe." Vi didn't forget to emphasize the word "babe", cringing internally. "Smile at the camera," she lowered her voice as she addressed the clueless mermaid. Thankfully, Caitlyn finally caught on and played along. Mr Wilkinson watched them the entire time without a word. He sighed heavily.

"Oh, to be young," he whined. "I built this well for my wife some forty years ago, you know. It wasn't like we needed water supply, no. She just wanted a nice place to take pictures and draw. She used to spend a lot of time out here."

Vi slowly let go of Caitlyn while the old man continued his rumbling. She glanced at the mermaid who seemed too enamored with the old man's story, her palm placed gently over her heart. "That's really nice of you," she commented, voice soft as starlight.

"Too bad I have not been able to maintain this garden like I used. My son doesn't come around very often. I hope she isn't too upset with me..."

Vi noticed how Caitlyn's eyes swelled up, the tears glistering under the sun just like the sea on a sunny day. Perhaps what was most formidable was how she dipped into sympathy for the old man - even if she barely even knew him. Vi's ribcage ached in a way it never had before.

A woman stormed out from the house, looking frantically in her yard and visibly relaxed when she noticed the man. "Quit telling people I'm dead, Jacob!" She exclaimed. "I'm so sorry, dears. Sometimes he seems to forget that I'm still at home," she apologized to Vi and Caitlyn as she strutted closer to them. Mr Wilkinson winced at the woman's touch as she tried to get him back. "Who are you, you witch?"

Mrs Wilkinson sighed in exasperation. "Your wife of fifty years, Jacob. Come in now, you're going to get a cold."

"So sorry for intruding, we didn't mean to upset him," Caitlyn apologized. "We should have asked for your permission first."

"Oh, it's quite alright, dear. Lots of people that pass by our yard have wished for a picture with the well. It's surely quite nice out here," Mrs Wilkinson noted with a smile that beamed like it held a secret unbestowed to neither of them. "Feel free to take as many photos as you want. Beauty is meant to be shared, not be locked in a box and tossed away so no one can find it."

"Thank you," Vi thanked her, watching the couple disappear inside their house before releasing an unsteady breath. "Well, that could have been worse. Shall we get going?"

Caitlyn nodded. "Yeah, let's not waste time."

They were immediately back on the street, heading to the Wilson manor, a large villa that used to belong to an eccentric businessman who spent his summers in New Meadow and whose premature death had left his heritage scattered between heirs that could not make an agreement between themselves. It had been decades since anyone had lived in the manor and the place had slowly fallen to rumble. The road leading to the manor was in no better condition; no asphalt, just dust and numerous puddles that made transportation challenging even for the most skilled driver. Vi struggled a good distance before she gave up with a frustrated sound in the back of her throat.

"I don't think I can get her any further without damaging her," she blew a strand of hair away from her face. "Do you mind walking?"

Caitlyn shook her head. "Not at all."

Vi parked the car on the side of the road and they continued on foot, with the wind flapping at their clothes. Vi was sure glad she had given her jacket to Caitlyn. The sun was warm but its teeth were sharper. Sharper was the silence that fell between them, the tension reaching an unprecedented level since the incident in Wilkinson's yard. Vi had acted in the haze of the moment, not considering the consequences of suddenly touching Caitlyn like that and pulling her closer and she had definitely not considered the sudden desire that burned at the end of her fingertips during that moment. Vi shook those thoughts away, or at least tried to. She had no business thinking about the other woman whom she barely knew like that.

They walked a good ten minutes through tall trees, birds chirping and jumping from branch to branch, before the manor finally appeared in their peripheral vision. Despite it being covered in wild ivy, the manor still held some of its former glory. As they drew closer though, Vi realized something wasn't right.

"Wait," she forced Caitlyn to stop with a fleeting touch on her arm. The mermaid gave her a look of confusion. "Something's wrong. There aren't supposed to be people here."

"What do you mean?" Caitlyn asked.

"This place used to belong to some rich fellow that died ages ago, or so I've been told," Vi explained. "None of his heirs have shown up in New Meadow in decades. But look," she pointed towards the manor and the cars that were parked outside. Caitlyn followed her finger, eyes growing wide at the dawn of the realization.

"We need to be careful," said Vi. "Especially since according to you these people are potentially armed." Caitlyn nodded in agreement. "Let's not go through the main door. There must be some other way in the estate."

They left the main road and walked through the thick vegetation that surrounded the manor, branches, leaves and thorns getting stuck on their clothes as they pushed through. Vi found a long stick thrown to the ground and used it to clear the way, but it did little to help them. The buzzing insects that flew around them lazily did nothing more than agitate both of them. Vi kept waving them off and she swore she heard Caitlyn curse in terms that were completely unfamiliar to her. Somewhere to their left they could still have a view of the tip of the roof of the manor which acted as their guide as they moved through this jungle of unattended trees and bushes. A few voices could be heard, but as they moved further in, they faded away.

Eventually, after pursuing this track for another ten minutes until they came across a tall brick wall on their right. Vi placed her hand on the brick, looking for any potential weak spots where they could sneak in through, but the wall was solid on this part.

"The garden must be behind it, but I don't see an easy way in. We can't go around it or through it, so the only way is over it," she mused. "Cupcake, can you give me a hand?"

"Of course. What do you need?"

"I need you to help me up the wall." Vi pointed upwards. Caitlyn gave her a very strange look, as if she didn't believe Vi had just requested that.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I'm strong enough to do that."

"No, no, you don't have to be. Listen, I'll show you." Vi took Caitlyn's hands gently and forced her fingers to intertwine. "You want to hold your hands like that. Then, you're gonna lower yourself a bit so I can put my foot in here. All you have to do is push upwards to give me some momentum. If my sister could do that when she was seven, so can you."

"Alright..." Caitlyn still seemed unsure, but she didn't voice her concerns. She lowered her knees according to Vi's instructions and waited for her next move. Vi put her left foot onto Caitlyn's waiting hands, preparing herself to jump and grab onto the wall. "Now, push!"

Caitlyn struggled a bit to lift Vi, but the latter managed to use that momentum to grab onto the top of the wall and pull herself up. Vi laid on top of the brick wall before she slowly arose, swinging her legs on its side. She gave a quick glance to the garden that unravelled before her eyes; it was quiet. Once she was certain no one could see her, she extended her hand to Caitlyn.

"Come on now," she invited. "You are tall, it's not going to be too hard for you to get up here."

"If you say so," Caitlyn murmured, grabbing Vi's hand. Vi used all of her strength to help Caitlyn up, using her other arm as well to hold her better. Caitlyn managed to get on top and remained lying, breathing heavily.

"See? It wasn't that bad." Vi grinned, swinging both of her legs on the other side before she jumped down, crunching a leftover branch that had fallen from a tree. "Come on!"

Caitlyn looked down on her with eyes widened, as if she could not believe her ears. She tried to shift her body to a more comfortable condition before descending, but she ended up slipping and falling on top of Vi with a yelp.

"Ouch... Oh, I'm so sorry."

Vi found herself laying on her back, watching stars swirling in her peripheral vision until they faded, giving their place to Caitlyn straddling her lap, the faintest of blushes dusting the tips of her ears. Vi herself felt her cheeks being set aflame. "Uh... It's okay. Just... be careful next time."

"Okay..."

Vi bit the inside of her cheek. "Could you...?"

Caitlyn realized what she meant. "Right! Sorry!" she chirped, finally pushing herself off Vi and standing up to clear her clothes. Vi mimicked her and continued avoiding her gaze as she glanced around. They found themselves inside a garden that was in no better condition than what was going on on the other side of the wall. The only difference was that there was a cobblestone path that led to a fountain with no water pouring out of it.

"Let's hurry up and find that godforsaken well," Vi muttered and marched forward.

When they reached the fountain, Vi gestured at Caitlyn to slow down, pointing at the back door and windows of the massive house. It was hard to tell if anyone was watching, but they couldn't wait there all day. After she made sure no one was coming, Vi motioned at Caitlyn to follow her. The path interchanged towards four different directions from the fountain; one towards where they had just come from, the other towards the house and the other two towards unknown locations. They chose the one on their left and continued their search in silence. There, by the far end of the garden, was a well, in a far worse condition than the one Mr Wilkinson had built in his garden, yet it still maintained some of its former elegance like the rest of the manor. The well was surrounded by tall pines, taller perhaps than the house itself. The grass here easily reached their knees and Vi cautious of coming across snakes.

Caitlyn approached the well, placing her palms on the mossy cobblestone as she gazed down on the bottom. It was hard to see as it was deep and the well was filled up half way up. Vi noticed the rope and slowly started pulling up the bucket, which was unnaturally heavy. How big is this thing? Vi struggled for a few more moments before she finally managed to get the silver bucket out and placed it on the side, water spilling everywhere.

"Does this remind you of anything?" she asked breathlessly.

"I think that's the one," Caitlyn confirmed. "Is it really that heavy?"

"Yeah, and I don't fucking understand why, it's not that big," Vi observed, pushing the bucket gently to empty its contents. Suddenly, something shiny fell out of the bucket and right back to the bottom of the well. "What the..." She pulled the bucket upwards again and reached inside. When she drew out her hand, a golden watch, a golden necklace and other kinds of jewellery glistered under the sun.

"What are all of these? They look precious," Caitlyn inquired.

"They are stolen," Vi realized. "Oh, fucking hell..."

"Stolen?"

"After the earthquake, a lot of people were forced to leave their homes. This was the perfect opportunity to strip them off their belongings. And since the police started patrolling the town, they needed to figure out a way of storing their stolen goods. An abandoned manor with a well in its garden is the perfect solution..."

"But how are they going to sell them away if they are stuck on the bottom of the sea?"

"It's not hard to retrieve them. All they need is a boat and a couple of divers to do all the dirty work. Didn't you say there's an opening underwater?" Vi paused. "We need to get out of here and report this to the police."

"What about Seraphine?" Caitlyn questioned. "This is what we came here for in the first place, remember?"

Vi bit the inside of her cheek. No, she hadn't forgotten, but it felt unlikely that a mermaid was being held inside the manor. None of the clues led to that assumption. It would be too risky to sneak inside, especially since the manor was swarming with ambitious burglars. "I know that, but we can't just go in there, since we already know that these people won't hesitate to kill us if they spot us."

Caitlyn crossed her arms. "So, what do you suggest? Leave it to the police? Don't you think too many people have been involved in this case? They will start asking questions and Poseidon only knows what's going to happen to my people if they start looking for more of us."

Vi wanted to tell her that they ought to stay out of their business if they didn't want to be discovered, but she heard voices. She quickly pushed the bucket back in the well and dragged Caitlyn towards the trees. "What are you-"

Vi shushed her. "Quiet! Someone is coming."

They lowered down and hid behind some bushes between the pine trees as two figures appeared at the beginning of the cobblestone path, walking towards the well. One of them was a man and as they came closer, Vi noticed how deformed his face was, especially his right eye, a manifestation of Edgar Allan Poe's horrible Eye. The dark skinned woman that accompanied him had a prosthetic arm and a cigarette hung lazily from her lips.

"How long is this gonna take, boss?" the woman asked. "That rich boy is putting his nose where it doesn't belong."

"Patience, Sevika. If we want to get maximum profit out of this job, we need to store down here every last bit." The man absentmindedly caressed the well. "And don't worry about that Talis boy. He is an idiot," he added nonchalantly.

"Why would you need to maximise profit out of a smuggling job anyway? You already got her. She's worth ten times all of the things we've smuggled out of town in total."

"Are you questioning me, Sevika?"

The woman hesitated. "No, Silco. I'm just worried we might be wasting our time here."

"Everything is going according to plan," Silco reassured her. "In three days, we will be done. I'll leave someone behind to start exporting the cargo once the situation here in New Meadow is settled."

"If you say so, boss."

"Did you manage to secure the truck as I asked you to?"

"Sure did, boss." Sevika nodded. "Think it's too big for just a fish tank, though."

"It should be fine." Silco waved her off. "It's the safest way of transporting her without raising suspicions. Now, if there's not anything else, I'd like to be left alone for a bit."

Sevika walked away, leaving a thoughtful Silco behind to gaze down at the bottom of the well. He stood there for a while and Vi slowly started getting agitated, her knees hurting. Suddenly he looked up towards where they were hiding and they both shrunk lower, though it was impossible to be seen from that distance. Eventually, he also walked away, leaving Caitlyn and Vi to deal with this dawn of a revelation.

A/N: I was a little bit too proud of myself with the pun in the title and I thought it was befitting to post this when Taylor Swift has just announced her new album. We truly live in the TSCU (Taylor Swift Cinematic Universe)