"That last ride really scared you, huh?" Rosemary teased, watching Alyssa moan and shudder. "We can stop if it's too frightening for you. Don't worry."

"It isn't!" Alyssa protested hotly, glaring at her. "I just need a moment to recover. I didn't know there'd be spiders."

Rosemary instinctively put her arm around her to steady her. Alyssa tensed up in response, before relaxing, her face heating up from the intimacy. "You're scared of them, aren't you?"

Alyssa sighed. "Ever since my cousin put one in my bed when I was four, and it bit me. Ever since then, I avoid them at all costs. Along with my cousin. I never forgave him for that, even though I probably had it coming. It was revenge for something I did to him."

"Oh," said Rosemary. "I guess that makes sense. It's a bit lame to still be scared of them, though."

"Well, you were scared as well!" Alyssa retorted, punching her in the arm. She didn't retract it from around her waist, to Alyssa's relief. "I heard you screaming when the coffin closed, even before the spiders came."

"I'm scared of the dark," Rosemary admitted.

Alyssa burst out laughing. "That's a rather childish fear, isn't it? At least being scared of spiders makes sense."

"I can't help it," Rosemary insisted. "When it's pitch darkness, I feel so vulnerable. I can't see anything or anyone, including myself. It feels like I've lost power and control."

"It felt the same when that spider bit me," Alyssa quipped. "I definitely lost power and control over my leg. It hurt like a... uh, it hurt a lot."

"That does sound scary," Rosemary admitted. "I'd probably be scared of them too, after that happened to me. Your cousin sounds like a real jerk. How could you do that to a four-year-old?"

"He didn't know they could bite," said Alyssa. "And he was the same age. Actually, he was younger. And afterwards, I beat him up. I got in trouble for giving him a bloody nose, but he deserved it."

Rosemary burst out laughing. "Now I feel less bad for you."

"How many rides have we gone on?" Alyssa ducked away from Rosemary's arm. She hadn't realized that she had still been holding her. She blushed.

"Well, I think this one was the clincher," said Rosemary. "It got us to admit we're both scared of things."

"Well, my fear is more logical than yours," Alyssa argued. "So I think I win. Besides, I screamed less on the rides."

"No, I did," Rosemary insisted. "You were screaming your head off on the Bottomless Canoe Ride, but I wasn't."

"Well, you were screaming your head off on the A Nile-Ator, but I wasn't even a little," Alyssa retorted. "Then again, that's because I'm used to it. I've gone on it at least three times in my time here. I guess because my aunt's from Egypt."

"Your uncle's an undersea explorer," Rosemary reminded. "So why were you screaming so much on the Bottomless Canoe Ride?"

"I haven't gone on that before," said Alyssa. "And my cousin screamed more. I'm surprised he even had the guts to go on. He's such a wimp. He's terrified of the ocean, despite his dad being an undersea explorer. How lame is that?"

Rosemary laughed. "I guess that's dumber than both of our fears."

"You can say that again," Alyssa agreed.

Rosemary watched as her mom walked up to her. "Rosie, I think you really better come back to Stagger Inn now."

"Yeah," agreed Rosemary. She smiled at Alyssa, not a mocking smile like the ones she often gave her, but a genuine one that made Alyssa's heart beat faster. "I had fun with you, Alyssa. You were braver than I thought. I made fun of you a lot, but you weren't scared of a lot of the rides. Maybe we can hang out again."

"Yeah," Alyssa agreed, waving goodbye to her. She smiled slightly, her heart fluttering.

Carly Beth frowned as she led Rosemary away. "I really don't think you should've gone on more rides, dear," she said. "James was too terrified, just after hearing what had happened."

"He was terrified from the moment we came here," Rosemary quipped. "Anyway, the whole experience just made me more confident. Kind of like you were braver after putting on the mask. And I didn't even put it on."

"You don't need to become braver," said Carly Beth, running a hand over Rosemary's hair. "You already are. Much braver than I was."

"I can't believe that, Mom," said Rosemary. "You always say you used to be a scaredy-cat, but you seem so brave and fearless now."

"Well, I have to be, to put up with you and James," Carly Beth joked. Then she smirked. "You really seemed to like that girl. What was her name, Alison?"

"Alyssa," said Rosemary, blushing again. "She was pretty cool. We tried the rides together. It was like a competition. We'd see who could go on the most rides and get the least scared."

"Well, she was very pretty," said Carly Beth. "Don't you think so?"

Rosemary nodded. "Yeah. And brave. And funny. And tough."

"You really like her, don't you?" Carly Beth smirked.

Rosemary groaned. "Moooom..."

"It's fine," Carly Beth assured. "I had a feeling you liked girls."

"I like boys as well," said Rosemary. "I had a crush on Jack Greene when I was in first grade."

"I like girls as well," said Carly Beth. "I used to date Sabrina."

"I know. Aunt Sabrina told me. Not as long as Uncle Steve, but still." Rosemary laughed. "I guess it's kind of weird for me to call them Aunt and Uncle, huh?"

"Not really," assured Carly Beth. "I'm just friends with them now. We still have memories of when we dated, but we don't have feelings for each other anymore."

"So we both like boys and girls." Rosemary blinked. "Huh. What a coincidence."

"It is," said Carly Beth, smiling. "You like the African-American girl now, don't you? Oh yeah, Alyssa. Very pretty name."

"It doesn't suit her much," said Rosemary, somewhat randomly, but wanting to change the subject from her attraction to the girl. "It's too delicate and pretty-sounding. She's so tough and cool."

"Well, your name suits you right now," Carly Beth teased. "Your cheeks are definitely rosy." Rosemary blushed even more, raising her hands to her face as it heated up.

Janessa winced as she headed through Horrorland, covering her ears. She had never been good with noise. She knew that was due to her condition. Thankfully, her sister never made fun of her. But she didn't function well in crowds, especially in amusement parks like this. She did like the rest of the park.

Selena put her arm around her. Usually, Janessa didn't like to be touched, but when it was her twin sister, it was different. Despite their differences and how much they clashed, she felt a close bond to her. Her touch soothed and calmed her.

"I liked telling them about the dummy Mom and Dad met," said Selena with a little giggle. "Did you see their faces? Their jaws dropped to the floor."

"Well, we looked the same way when they were telling us about the mermaid and that scientist," Janessa pointed out.

"Yeah, probably," agreed Selena. "Why couldn't Mom and Dad have met a mermaid? It would've been so much nicer than an ugly, evil dummy." Janessa rolled her eyes. That was such a Selena thing to say.

"Where are they, anyway?" Janessa squinted. They were searching for the Stagger Inn, having forgotten where their mom and aunt were.

"Oh, there's the Stagger Inn," said Selena, pointing. Janessa let out a sigh of relief. Unfortunately, it was especially loud near the hotel. She winced as she heard the Horrors growling and the little kids shrieking. One of them, a little Asian girl with headphones, started crying, and her dad scooped her up and yelled at the Horror. Janessa smiled at the sight.

"It's just my job," the Horror was saying.

"Who do you think you are, scaring my daughter like that?" the man snapped, hugging her to his chest.

"I doubt she can even hear me, with those headphones she's wearing," the Horror shrugged. "So what's the big deal?"

"Well, you still scared her," said Steve.

"Those headphones look familiar," muttered Selena.

Janessa nodded. Her mom had given them to her when she was little, but she didn't use them anymore. It would've been useful to bring them to the park, but they were too small for her now.

Janessa watched the little girl cry and clutch her dad. "That looks familiar as well," said Selena jokingly. Janessa playfully punched her. She had often acted like that when she was little and something upset her, and occasionally even now.

Her crying was getting on Janessa's nerves, though. She winced, her ears throbbing.

"Let's get inside," Selena urged, grabbing her arm and starting towards the entrance of the Stagger Inn.

Janessa didn't move. She continued to watch the girl. The Horror had left, and her dad was hugging her and patting her back, muttering soothingly to her. Usually, Janessa didn't like talking to people, and she was the last person to go up to someone and start talking to them. But now, she felt a sudden urge to.

It was probably one of the only times in her life she had done so. Janessa went up to the pair and said, "Um, hi."

They didn't notice her at first. Then she said louder, "Excuse me."

The man looked at her. His features darkened, and he scowled. "I hope you haven't come here to watch my daughter like she's some kind of zoo entertainment."

"No!" Janessa protested. Why had she come up to them? "I was just worried about her. Is she okay?"

His face softened. "She's fine. She had a frightening experience earlier as well. The dude scaring her was the straw that broke the camel's back." He rubbed her back. "It even scared me. The thing that happened before, I mean. The mask he was wearing was seriously ugly."

"Mask?" Janessa said. "Was it green?"

"Yes," he said. "I put on a mask like that when I was younger, too. It was awful."

"And did he keep growling and attacking people?" asked Janessa.

He stared at her. "How did you know?"

"I saw the boy as well," said Janessa. "He gave my sister and I such a fright."

"Oh, yeah," he said. "He must've been going through the park, looking menacingly at everyone. It really scared Ashley, even though she couldn't hear him."

"Because of her headphones?" asked Janessa.

He nodded. "She doesn't like loud noises."

"Neither do I," said Janessa. "This place is too loud and crowded for me."

"Well, why don't you go into the Stagger Inn, miss?" he suggested. "It should be quieter there."

"Why aren't you in?" asked Janessa.

"Ashley started crying, so I thought some fresh air would do her good," he explained. "That was stupid of me. I didn't consider the noises outside would've scared her even more. Don't cry, honey. Daddy was an idiot for doing that." He rubbed her back.

Janessa leaned in front of the little girl. She was aware that Selena was staring at her, probably wanting to yell at her to hurry up. But she thought she could get through to her.

"Hi," she said, in a soft, soothing voice. Ashley took no notice of her.

"I don't think you're going to get anywhere with her," he said. "When she gets like this, she doesn't want to talk to anyone. Well, she usually doesn't, anyway."

"I think I can help," insisted Janessa. "Maybe you could give me a chance."

He shrugged, clearly not believing her. "Okay, sure. Ashley, honey, say hello to..."

"Janessa," she said.

"Janessa," he said. Then he realized she couldn't hear him, so he gently detached her head from him and turned her around to look at Janessa.

"Janessa, come on!" she heard her sister call. Then she heard her turn around and enter the Stagger Inn with an impatient huff. Janessa supposed she couldn't blame her.

Janessa raised her hand and extended it, and Ashley's eyes widened. Janessa kept talking quietly to her, and was surprised when she raised her little hand and touched it to Janessa's. She was still sniffling, but it was dying down. She kept her hand in a tiny fist, but slowly stretched the fingers out, until it spread across Janessa's hand. Then a smile crossed her face. She looked so cute that Janessa smiled back.

"Wow," the man said in awe. "I never saw her calm down so quickly. I didn't know she liked touching hands like that."

"I like it too," said Janessa. "My sister and I did it a lot when I was younger, but not so much anymore. I forgot how much I missed it."

"Well, thank you, miss," the man said solemnly. "You sure calmed her down quick."

"It's no problem," Janessa insisted.

"I'm Steve," the man said, smiling at her. "I'm surprised she even looked at you. She doesn't like meeting new people."

"Neither do I," said Janessa. "I was reluctant to come up to you."

"Well, I'm glad you did," said Steve.

"Your daughter is so cute," said Janessa, smiling wider as she saw her giggle. "And I like those headphones. I had them as well when I was little."

"They're very useful for her," said Steve. "They block out all noise."

Janessa took a deep breath, not sure if she wanted to ask the following question. She really hoped Steve didn't take offense to it, but she had a feeling she was right. She didn't have to ask. She could just say she was glad she could help and join her sister in the Stagger Inn. But she had a feeling that she had to.

"Your daughter..." Janessa hesitated. "Is... is she... I mean, does she..." She couldn't say it.

Steve sighed. "Spit it out," he said. "Go on, ask."

She felt a surge of confidence at that. He knew what she was going to say. "Is she autistic?" she blurted out.

"Yes," said Steve. "She is. She doesn't like loud noises. I'm surprised she calmed down so quickly, let alone interacted with a new person. That's a first."

"It's probably because I am as well," Janessa blurted out before she could stop herself.

"You're what?" asked Steve.

"Uh... what your daughter is," said Janessa.

"Autistic, you mean?" said Steve. Janessa nodded meekly. "I kind of suspected it, after all the ways you said you resembled her."

Janessa let out a sigh of relief. "I guess that's why I could calm her down so quickly."

"Well, thank you, again," said Steve. "It was very kind of you. It must've taken a lot of courage to come up and talk to us, as well."

"It did," Janessa admitted. "I was nervous to. I don't like talking to people. But I had to help her. I couldn't not help someone else like me."

"Dad, I have something to tell you," said Sam. He looked nervously around at everyone. "Uh, I guess I might as well say it right here. I already told everyone."

"What is it?" asked Billy.

Sheena opened her mouth to help explain, when a splash sounded in the water. Sam groaned internally, not sure how his dad would react. Billy's eyes widened as he saw the beautiful, pale mermaid rise out of the black water with a toss of her pale golden hair, her blue eyes widening as well as she saw him.

"Oh my God..." Billy whispered as he slowly approached her, not diverting his gaze. He reached out a hand and gently placed it on the mermaid's cheek. She cooed softly, a smile crossing her face and sending his fingers higher up her cheek. "It's you... I never though I'd see you again."

"Geez, I'm starting to get jealous," Sari joked, but she was also staring transfixed at the mermaid.

The mermaid splashed some of the water at Billy with her tail, wetting his shirt. He gasped in surprise before splashing some at her. She giggled.

Sari walked up to her as well. "I never though I'd see her at all," she said, raising out a hand. But the mermaid backed away and ducked halfway into the water, peering up at her curiously.

"She's just shy," Billy said, putting his arm around Sari. "She only recognizes me."

"She didn't mind us petting her," Janessa pointed out.

Billy stared at the sisters, his eyes widening. "You... you saw her?"

"Dad, it's okay," Sam assured. "We explained everything to them, and they agreed not to tell anyone. No one else in the park knows." There were more people in Black Lagoon Water Park now. They had gotten over the shock of the hideous-looking mask. It was tame compared to the other sights in Horrorland. There were regularly frightening sights there.

"But... how did she get there?" Billy cried, petting her as she emerged out of the water again.

"I have no idea," said Sheena. "But it's nice to see her again, isn't it?"

"It is," Billy agreed, smiling at her. When Sari tried to pet her that time, she didn't back away.

"You should get down," Sheena told her. "Get under the water, before someone sees you."

"Yeah, there are more people here now," Janessa agreed, wincing at the noise. Selena put her arm around her.

The mermaid seemed to understand the words, or the caution on her old friends' faces, and ducked gracefully under the water with a soft splash.

"Let's hope she stays there," muttered Sheena.

"She's so beautiful," Selena muttered, running her hand along the surface of the water. "You were lucky to meet her. Did you really save her?"

"Well, she saved me first," said Billy. "I—"

"I already told them," Sheena interrupted. "I told them about our encounter with Dr. Ritter, too."

Billy looked at her in disbelief. "Really, Sheena?"

"I had to pass the time somehow while you were gone," Sheena argued. "Besides, they were curious."

"And the sisters told us they had encounters with strange things as well," said Sam, looking at them. "Well, their parents did. It was... what was it?"

"An evil ventriloquist dummy," said Sheena. "Apparently, Mom and Dad both had encounters with the same one."

Billy gasped. "Really? Is that true, girls?"

"Uh, yeah," said Selena, suddenly feeling awkward. "Our parents told us the story lots of times."

"Maybe you could tell us," Sheena suggested. "We told you our story."

"She has a point," Janessa pointed out. "I don't think Mom and Dad would mind."

"Still, I think we should tell Mom first," said Selena.

"She's all the way at another area of the park with Aunt Sara," said Janessa. "I don't think we have time to reach her."

"I want to, just to tell her about everything that happened," said Selena. "It's been a crazy day."

"It has," agreed Billy. "But I have a feeling it's just the first of the shocks Horrorland has in store for us."

Edited to add the bi mother/daughter duo along with the interracial femslash. I'm diversifying everything and you can't stop me. Carly Beth definitely dated both Steve and Sabrina at one point.