Marcus woke up slowly, the dregs of the night still apparent in the window. The sun had not yet peeked above the horizon and he fell back onto his back. A small sound of annoyance caught his attention and he turned his head to see Ondina staring at him grumpily. "Good morning." He smiled, running the back of his hand across her shoulder. "Did I wake you up?"

"Yes." Ondina complained, shoving his shoulder playfully. "You know I don't like getting up early. The water is too cold."

"The water?" Marcus frowned. He took a deep breath to inquire further when he felt his lungs suddenly spasm. Cold water rushed into them just as he inhaled and then the bedroom fell away around him. Ondina was still there, smiling at him as though nothing had happened. "What's going on?" Marcus demanded, grabbing at his chest as his lungs continued to throb in pain.

His tail appeared then and the water ceased to hurt as he breathed. Ondina slid her arms around his chest and pulled him close. She looked up at him with such tenderness that he had never seen before and smiled. "It's alright, it's just a nightmare." She told him calmly. She then frowned and added, "But I'm not sure why I am in your nightmare."

Marcus shot up in his bed, his heart hammering and his breath quick. His gaze darted around the room and he pushed aside the blankets to see his legs. He took a deep breath and slapped himself across the face, hard. Certain he was now awake, he fell back onto his bed and stared up at the ceiling. The sun had risen high into the sky and beams of light streamed into his window, stinging his eyes. Marcus checked his cell phone out of sheer habit and saw a voicemail from David flashing on his screen. He played the message and put the phone to his ear, trying hard to focus and not fall back asleep. "Hey, Marcus, I know I told you that you could have today off but Carly called in sick. Would you mind coming in?" David had ended the call then.

Marcus sighed and got out of bed, throwing on a pair of shorts and his work shirt. He threw a load of laundry in the washer before he left, working carefully around the water. He had managed to avoid growing a tail for several days now and his dream only made him even more hesitant. He tossed the keys in the potted plant as he walked down his steps, checking the time on his phone as he walked. David had called only a half hour ago, so Marcus figured that he had every justification to take his time heading to the café.

"Hey! Marcus!" He glanced towards the source of the noise and saw Evie hurrying out of Zach's house. "Good morning! What are you doing up so early?"

"David called me. Carly's sick." He yawned and shook his head. "What about you? I thought you didn't open your shop for another hour?"

"I like to set up early on Saturdays." Evie told him. "Mind if I walk with you?"

"Not at all," Marcus shrugged carelessly.

"So how are things going? Liking it here?" Evie asked him.

Marcus looked at her curiously as he considered his question before he burst into laughter. When the mirth finally subsided he shook his head and answered her, "You know, I forgot that I've only been here for a few days." He gazed out over the sea and shook his head again, this time I disbelief. "I've already gotten so used to this whole Mako Mermaid thing, I guess it's just normal to me."

Evie smiled back at him and rolled her eyes. "Everyone else feels the same way too." She told him conspiratorially. "It feels, I don't know, normal I guess, for you to be here. Like you were here all along."

"I'm hoping to stay here for a little while." He told her happily.

Evie frowned at him. "What do you mean? Why wouldn't you stay?"

Marcus waved a hand dismissively. "My parents like to say that familiarity breeds sloth. They keep me moving from place to place pretty regularly. Actually, the boarding school I was at before here was the longest I've ever been in one place." He frowned as he stopped speaking. "You know, considering I was only there a few months before I was thrown out, that's actually kind of sad."

"You don't think that they would make you move again, do you?" Evie asked him.

"They'll probably try." Marcus admitted. "But I like it here. If they try to make me move again, I'll refuse. They won't try after that."

Evie sent him a searching look. "Are you sure they won't?" She inquired. "I mean, my parents-."

"Your parents are actually good parents." Marcus cut her off. "I haven't seen my parents for a couple years. There are months when I don't even talk to them. Their business dealings keep them pretty busy."

"That's awful Marcus." Evie said, apparently shocked and appalled. "How do you manage that?"

"When something happens for so often, it becomes normal." He told her sagely. "Besides, it's not that bad. They pretty much let me live my life the way I want to live it, so that's always a plus."

"So when you go home at night…?" Evie let the words hang in the air.

"Occasionally I see the woman who buys my groceries for me." Marcus said brightly. "But other than her, no, it's just me. They might visit one day, but I doubt it."

"That's awful Marcus." Evie told him.

"It's not so bad." He waved a hand airily. "I'm fine with it, really I am. I'm used to it by now."

"Why don't you come by my house tonight for dinner after Rita's?" Evie offered kindly.

Marcus was horrified. "We have magic lessons tonight?" He demanded. "It's Saturday! I have a huge issue with doing anything that even resembles learning on a Saturday. It's criminal."

"You aren't the one learning." Evie reminded him, though she couldn't have been more wrong. Marcus learned as much from the meetings that the others did, though they surely were not aware of it. "So are you coming tonight?"

"Well, I would have to check with my secretary…" Marcus trailed off. He saw the stunned look on Evie's face and scowled. "That was a joke. I don't have a secretary. I would love to join you for dinner, thank you." He smiled at her.

"Great! I'll invite Zach and Ondina too." Evie said casually. "I'll have Dad get the grill ready. How do you feel about hamburgers?"

"I love them," Marcus told her. He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and chewed on his cheek as he thought about what she had said. He shrugged inwardly and sighed before asking, "So why are you inviting Ondina? I thought that she was being antisocial?"

"She is, but I thought with you there she might actually go." Evie said nonchalantly.

Marcus studied her out of the corner of his eye, convinced that she was planning something but unsure of what it was. "You know, that kind of defeats the purpose of what I was invited to the meetings to do." He said hesitantly. "I mean, you wanted me to annoy the hell out of her."

"Annoy who?" A familiar voice asked as they passed by Rita's house.

Marcus's head whipped around as Ondina stepped out of Rita's house. "You." He said immediately. He smiled wickedly at the blonde and shrugged. "I am supposed to annoy the hell out of you."

"You aren't doing a very good job." Ondina told him. "At best you irk me."

"Irk?" Marcus repeated. "Who says irk anymore?"

"I rest my case." Ondina told him. "Evie, what time was this dinner tonight anyways?"

Marcus turned slowly back to face Evie, glaring at her malevolently. "You sly little…." He let the rest hang unsaid in the air, understanding that he had just been played like a fiddle.

Evie winked at him as she turned to answer Ondina. "Right after magic lessons." She told her. "You still going?"

"I think so." Ondina smiled. "Thanks again for the invitation."

"I'm surprised you changed your mind." Evie admitted. "I wasn't at all expecting you to call me yesterday."

"Well, I wasn't going to." Ondina admitted. She glanced at Marcus and a smile tugged at the corner of her lips. "But I get the feeling that someone wouldn't let it rest if I didn't start being social again."

Marcus was not paying attention to the conversation and did not see the smile that Ondina directed at him. He was running through the events of the past few days and quickly realized that Evie had not just played him, she had composed a symphony. He had effectively baited the trap she had set and walked into it as well. If he had it correct in his head, Evie had asked Ondina several days prior to come to dinner. She had refused at first, and then accepted after Marcus had spoken to her. So that's how it is. Marcus thought to himself. Fine. I'll play. But I won't play nice.

"Ya know, I just remembered." Marcus said, clapping his hands together. "I have to work late tonight at the café."

"Oh, don't worry." Evie smiled at him. "I'll talk to David, I'm sure he'll understand. Besides, he has a date with Serena anyways."

"Are you coming too then?" Ondina asked.

Marcus sighed and accepted that he had been outmaneuvered in full. "Yes." He said resignedly, "I'll be there apparently."

He could not miss the triumphant smile that Evie directed at him behind Ondina's back. I don't know what you are playing at, He directed the thought towards Evie, his eyes hard. But whatever it is, I will find out.