Days were starting to blur together, and Beck was having a hard time remembering what legs felt like. He flicked his tail lazily as he swam around the small tank. He had enough space to do tight laps and he used it to keep himself sane. The fish had learned to fear him, and he took little pleasure in it. They'd become food to him, being forced to eat the sea life around him. Denman had stocked the tank with common tropical fish he was used to finding when he'd go fishing. So, while he was used to eating them, it usually wasn't sashimi style.

He had been stubborn at first, refusing to eat the fish that shared his tank. It wasn't until they threatened to let him dry out if he didn't eat that he complied. Begrudgingly he had learned to catch the wriggly fish with his bare hands, banging them against fake coral to stun and then kill them. He wasn't the best at it, but he was able to eat enough to keep himself going. And admittedly, while the texture had taken some getting used to him, he was beginning to enjoy the flavor. A thought that still disturbed him. Just another sign that his humanity had been transformed.

At least Dr. Denman had slowed down on her experiments. Beck had to assume it was because she'd gotten more data from him than expected. Sometimes she would make him come to the edge and she'd draw more blood and take more samples. He didn't try talking to her. Any time he tried to ask questions she'd give him withering looks. Instead, his mind wondered over what she had done to his parents, but he could only imagine.

The one piece he thought he'd put together was what she may have done to his dad. Denman had mentioned her first methods had been unrefined. He thought that maybe she was the reason he had gotten his bone disease. Had she done the same thing to him and tried to turn him into a merman? It must have failed, leaving him crippled instead. It made sense. His dad had always seemed like an excellent swimmer. When they hung out in the pool, he had no trouble moving around, easily keeping up with him and his mom.

Beck stared back at his own tail. His dad had it better. He may not be able to walk but he could at least get around in a wheelchair. People just assumed he was paralyzed. If people saw Beck now, he'd become a sideshow attraction. He was a freak. How could he ever go back to living a normal life?

Though there were still pieces that didn't fit. Like the talk of the moon pool and the moon fever. And the strange crystal that had momentarily given him magic powers. How did that play into any of this? He knew he had to be missing the biggest parts of the picture.

Slowing from his seemingly endless laps he chased after a fish, his stomach growling. He'd almost caught it when he heard the door to the lab open. Letting the fish slip away, he turned to watch Denman and her goons walk in. They carried a stretcher between them, and Beck felt himself start to panic. He didn't know how long he'd been here for, but it wasn't a good sign that they were once again wanting to move him. Was he going back to the big tank? His tail was mostly recovered, new scales having grown back quickly, but the thought of pulling himself along that wooden platform made it ache in memory.

Walking to the tank Dr. Denman signaled for him to surface. He hesitated only a second, knowing resistance would only lead to eventual pain. Gulping he flicked his tail easily, controlling his movements with unhindered ease. Surfacing, he glided towards the edge of the tank, stopping a few feet back from where the scientist stood.

Without saying a word, she nodded back at the four men, and they placed the stretcher on the ground. With a sharp gesture they motioned him closer, and Beck got the hint. They wanted him out of the tank. Swimming up to the glass, he hoisted his upper body out of the water, leaning precariously over the thick ledge. The men grabbed him roughly by the upper arms and pulled him out the rest of the way, letting his heavy tail smack painfully against the cold, cement floor. Beck bit his lip to stop the gasp of pain.

Wriggling, he pulled himself on top of the yellow plastic of the stretcher, his scales making a strange squeaking noise as he moved. The men strapped him down, lashing his arms to his sides and his tail tightly to the board.

"Take him to the van. I'll gather what I need here," said Dr. Denman.

Beck was roughly hoisted into the air, his long tail flopping over the edge of the stretcher. It felt weird being out of the water and he didn't like it. His stomach clenched and he gulped for air. He was beginning to feel anxious. Where were they taking him?

Walking down a shorty dingy corridor they entered a large warehouse type room where a beat-up white pickup truck sat next to a sketchy looking white van. If he had to wager, he'd guess that was the van they used to kidnap him. Three of the men bore his weight as the other slid the van door open. Roughly he was carried inside and then placed on the floor. Straps were attached to the stretcher keeping him locked down tight. Two of the men climbed up front and one of them hopped in back with him.

After a few minutes he could hear Dr. Denman calling to them but couldn't make out what she was saying. Squirming against the growing dry feeling on his scales, he waited anxiously for something to happen. Eventually he heard the truck doors open and shut, then the van rumbled to life. They were going somewhere, but where? After a minute an explosion sounded nearby, and the van rocked in the aftershock. What in the world was going on?

Did Dr. Denman just blow up her own lab? She seemed unhinged enough to do something so drastic. Just maybe…a small glimmer of hope ignited in Beck's chest. Maybe Dr. Denman was moving him because his parents were close to finding him. Why else would she move him and then destroy the evidence of what she had been doing to him? The hope fizzled as he thought of other scenarios. There could be other people involved – those who would love to get their hands on a genuine merman. Who else could she have talked to? He really didn't know. But he wanted his first theory to be true. Even if it meant his parents seeing him as this half-fish freak he'd become.

Either way it didn't matter. There was no escape for him. As he felt himself start to dry out, he closed his eyes and let himself zone out to the thrumming of rubber on asphalt.

-t-c-o-m-

Jeremy pointed at the computer screen as he, Bella, and Will huddled around the kitchen table.

"We think that's where he is," Jeremy said. "The enchantment the Elders put on the moon crystal seems to be leading us there."

"I'm glad you had the foresight to track him," said Will.

"Well, after what happened to Lewis, the pod has learned to take precautions with pod members who live on land."

Bella was shaking her head, tears brimming in her eyes. "But he's not part of the pod."

Will placed his hand over hers where it was clenched against the table. He didn't know what to say.

"What did the police have to say?" Jeremey asked.

Bella felt the tears brim over and Will pulled her closer.

Clearing his throat, he stared at the map. "The van had fake plates and they lost it on the cameras. They've run out of leads. Whoever took him knew what they were doing."

Jeremy nodded slowly. "I'm going with a few other pod members to see if this is where Beck is." He looked at Will, a grim frown on his face. "Depending on how we are able to get away, he may learn more than you wanted."

"We're past that point," Will said. "We just want him found and brought home."

Bella sobbed and collapsed into a chair.

Jeremy gave a curt nod then closed the computer. "He's already been missing for two weeks. Once I get back to the pod we are going to head out." He paused and then took a deep breath. "The Elders have asked that I bring him to Mako."

Bella shook her head. "No. He needs to be brought home."

"Why would they want him there? What are they thinking happened to him?"

"I didn't want to worry you," said Jeremy, "but I looked into the warehouses in that area on the map. One in particular stood out as it used to be an exotic fish business. That means there's probably tanks there. Tanks large enough to hold a merman."

"But our son is not a merman!" Bella growled and slammed her hand against the table.

An awkward silence fell across them.

"Look," Jeremy finally said, "I know this is hard on you. But denying what is happening to your son isn't going to help. If he was kidnapped, it's probably related to what happened to you and the others. We've been able to track everyone from back then besides Linda Denman. Her complete disappearance has always worried the council." He paused the looked Bella straight in the eyes. "The Elders fear she may be behind this."

"That's a stretch," said Will. "How would she even know about Beck? Why would she even want him?"

Bella had grown quiet and horribly still. "She wants to finish what she started," she whispered.

Will turned and looked at her. Her face was pale and her eyes wide with fear. "Finish what?"

Bella looked at him with hollow eyes. "What she did to you. Sophie always said that she rescued you from what Denman had planned next. What if she found a way to continue what we stopped?"

His stomach dropped and Will felt like throwing up. No. He shook his head violently.

"We don't know if this was actually her," Jeremy reminded them. "But if it is, you can see why we might need to take him to Mako."

"And if it is her," Bella asked, "what will you do with her?"

"We'll apprehend her and take her to the council." Jeremy crossed his arms. "If it is her, this will be the last time she messes with the Mako pod."

-t-c-o-m-

As the van continued to drive, Beck found himself growing woozy. His scales had gone past dry and now felt hard and brittle. He was drying out and having a hard time breathing. He needed water. He tried to ask for help, but only managed a strangled guttural noise from the back of his throat. His vision was blurry, and his head felt heavy. He barely noticed as the van jolted to a stop. Denman's goons were hollering at something, but he was past being able to make out what they were saying.

Around him the van began to sway precariously, and his tail fin cut painfully into the straps holding him in place. With a loud blast the sliding door was pulled away from the van as it bounced on its wheels. He heard shouts from the men and then thuds as their yells were cut off. Beck tried to lift his head to look around.

"He's in here! Hurry!" a male voice called.

Within seconds he was surrounded by people he didn't know. They worked to untie him then gently lifted him. His body was limp, and his head lulled back. He could hear himself gasping for air as his vision tunneled. He was barely holding onto consciousness, afraid of passing out.

The hands holding him let go and cool, refreshing water embraced him as splashed into the salty liquid. Like ice cream on a hot day, relief flooded him as the ocean worked its healing magic. He hung in the water limply as more splashes sounded around him. He couldn't move, his tail injured from being so dried out. Soft hands pulled at him, and he blinked at the halo of brunette hair and vivid green eyes. He knew that face.

"Lilly?" he croaked. His voice sounded funny underwater, bubbly and wavy at the same time.

The brunette nodded, a concerned grimace on her face. She swam next to him, keeping up easily as two other people sped him through the water, bubbles trailing behind them. He didn't take his eyes off her as he took in everything.

First off, she was a mermaid. Like him. Well, the girl version of him. She wore a strange, scaled bikini top that was a brilliant gold with pinkish bronze tones. Where legs should have been was instead a golden tail, stretching out behind her. She swam with ease, her arms pointed in front of her, guiding her steadily forward.

Beck realized he'd been completely wrong. In all the theories he'd come up with, he could never have guessed it had to deal with real mermaids and mermen. Around him swam a dozen merfolk. He could see the unconscious forms of Dr. Denman and her goons being dragged by pairings of the group. Looking at the merman holding him he was startled to realize it was Jeremy, his parents' holistic doctor friend.

Did his parents know their friend was a merman? Did they know about Lilly? His mind began to swim. How much had his parents been keeping from him?

It didn't take long, with their incredible speed, for a beautiful reef to come into view. Beck felt a strange pull in his gut as they got closer. The place called to him, putting him at ease in a way he'd never felt. The reef was teaming with life, and he would have loved to stay and explore it if he hadn't still been feeling so tired and weak. Diving deeper he and those around him entered an underwater cave system, hidden by an overcropping of rocks. If you didn't know it was there, you'd never be able find it.

Within seconds they were surfacing into a large cavern created by what could only have been an ancient volcano. He heard a gasp as he cleared the water from his eyes, then watched as his mum jumped into the water from the rocky ledge. He couldn't hold back his tears as she wrapped him in shaking arms and sobbed into his shoulder. Beck gripped onto her tightly, taking in shuddering breaths.

"Beck! Oh, thank heavens they found you!"

Another splash and then his dad was next to them, wrapping his strong arms around his small family. Beck felt all the fear and anxiety melt away from him. No matter what came next, he was safe.

When they finally let him go, he turned in the water, taking in the enormous cavern.

"What is this place?" he asked, his voice echoing slightly off the rock walls. He had a hundred more questions, but that was probably the easiest one for them to answer.

"This is the moon pool," said Lilly. She hung back awkwardly by a couple other merfolk. "It's hidden on Mako island."

"Uh huh," Beck nodded, then stared at his parents. They looked the same as ever. No tails or scales, just faces full of relief as they tread water next to him.

As Beck floated in the water, he watched his parents as they looked him up and down. They looked sad, but not shocked or scared.

"So," he said, crossing his arms over his chest. "Who wants to tell me why no one is surprised I'm a merman?"

The catfish is out of the bag now! Stay tuned as all secrets are revealed and the pod figures out what to do with Beck now that he's no longer human. Happy swimming and I'll catch ya on the waves!