"Hold your moon ring out in front of you and focus on connecting your energy with the fish in the bowl." Rita instructed. She was in the middle of teaching a lesson to Sirena, Mimmi and Ondina. Today's topic was reading the minds of fish and being able to communicate telepathically with them.

Mimmi did as Rita instructed and felt her energy reach out toward the goldfish in the bowl a few meters in front of her. Sirena watched intently while Ondina just sat there with a bored expression on her face.

"This is stupid!" Ondina huffed, "Why would we even need to talk to fish? It's not like they have anything interesting to say."

Mimmi sighed and let her arm drop, concentration now lost.

Rita turned to face Ondina and said matter-of-factly, "Well, if you were in trouble and needed a quick get away, a quick chat with a pod of dolphins might save your tail. Or if you come across a sea turtle that was trapped in a fishing net then you might be there to help him stay calm while you cut the net. Or-"

"Okay, okay. I get it." Ondina sighed.

"Why don't you try again, Mimmi," Rita encouraged.

Mimmi lifted her arm, but they were once again interrupted by the sound of the doorbell coming from upstairs. "You girls keep working. I'll go and see who that is." Rita said as she hurried off to answer the door. She descended the stairs that lead to her front door, after she opened it Rita was greeted with the sight of three teenage boys standing on her doorstep.

Rita smiled warmly at him, "Zac, Cameron, David. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

David peered behind Rita eagerly, hoping to catch a glimpse of Sirena inside the house. Cam silently stood in the background unable to meet Rita's gaze. Zac was the one who spoke up, "Rita, we need to discuss something with you." Then quietly added, "In private."

Rita's cheery attitude was quickly replaced with a grim look, "Come with me." She opened the door wider as to let in the boys and then closed the door behind them. Zac lead the way to the bookcase which held the secret entrance to the grotto. Rita pulled the decoy book on the shelf and opened the hidden door. David's jaw dropped as Rita lead them down into the underground cavern.

Sirena's eyes lit up as she saw David enter the grotto after Rita, Zac and Cam. She rushed over to him and gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I didn't expect to see you here," she said excitedly.

But before he could respond Rita spoke up, "I'm afraid that I'll have to cut this lesson a bit short. The boys and I have some important matters to discuss."

"Whatever they need to say, they can say in front of us." Ondina said annoyingly.

Mimmi looked over at her brother, "Zac, is everything alright?"

Zac nodded reassuringly, "Yeah, everything's fine. We just need to talk to Rita about some school stuff. Nothing that you guys would be interested in." He lied. Rita, was not only the mentor for the younger mermaids, but she was also the principal of the local high school.

"Why don't you girls go out for a swim and we'll finish the lesson later." Rita said, it seemed like more of a demand than a request. Reluctantly, the three young mermaids all left the grotto and disappeared through the pool that connects to the ocean. She motioned for the boys to join her siting on the couch that was carved into the rock. Zac and Cam sat down immediately, but it took David a few seconds because he was so in awe and engrossed with the items in the room.

"Now," Rita began after they were all settled, "I suspect that you three did not come here to discuss school work." The three boys nodded silently, all not wanting to be the first to speak. "Why don't you tell me what this is all about."

"Well, for once, it's not actually about me," Zac said, "It's about Cam."

Rita's gaze shifted to the blond boy standing in the background, her breath hitched. "Last night was a full moon..." She said quietly.

Cam's stomach churned as he saw the realization hit Rita. Cam decided to speak up for the first time since entering Rita's home, "I didn't mean for it to happen I swear!" He said defensively. "I don't even remember anything from last night."

"And how did you find out about this?" Rita directed her question to David, she ignored Cam's pleas. From her personal experience she knew that the pull of the full moon was strong and she almost couldn't blame Cam for being affected by it.

David opened his mouth to respond but Cam's answer came first. He explained how he didn't plan on telling anybody because he knew it would be too hard for anybody to trust him again. But how at the cafe Zac and Cam were splashed and that was how Zac found out and then David came across them laying out in the cool room.

Rita nodded staying oddly calm during this whole ordeal, "It looks like you'll be needing some practice avoiding water, Cameron, as well as using your powers. But in time you'll grow to get used to this lifestyle."

"That's actually why we came to you." Zac interjected, "We were wondering if this was reversible. Like the spell that my birth mother used on me to hide my tail. Can we do the same thing for Cam?"

Rite solemnly shook her head, "The spell that your mother preformed on you, Zac, was very ancient complicated magic. It would be almost impossible to replicate, if I could even get my hands on it."

Cam's heart sunk into his stomach, I knew I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up, he thought to himself.

"Cameron, I'm sorry to say, I'm afraid that you're stuck like this."

Heyyyy, look at this! I stuck to my promise, more than one upload in a day. That's a new personal record!