"Lisa, dear, calm down," Neil tried to soothe his wife as she frantically paced Emma's room.

"I can't calm down! Emma's been missing for hours!" Lisa panicked, fumbling with her spiky, graying hair. She had realized her daughter had been going through some depressed state lately, and had even acknowledged that traveling the world might've been the biggest mistake they have made. She was even considering persuading her husband to halt their trip, so that they could return to the Gold Coast for a little bit, just so Emma could visit her friends. However, Lisa hadn't expected to come home to an empty, silent house, with no sign of Emma. She realized Emma had left her phone behind and used Emma's passcode (she had instructed Emma to give her her phone's passcode so she could confirm, from time to time, that she wasn't doing anything inappropriate) to go through her recent messages. However, there was…

"Nothing! Nothing!" Lisa exclaimed, terrified.

Neil was crawling around the room, looking through notebooks that could possibly hint Emma's whereabouts. He had come across a sparkly blue journal with a feather pen placed neatly beside it. He flipped through the pages to discover the last sentence on the page, which said, "I wish I could be back at the Gold Coast with Rikki and Cleo."

"Uh, darling?" Neil said, scratching his head.

Lisa turned around immediately, "Yes?"

"I think Emma went back to the Gold Coast."

Lisa was shocked. She hadn't known that Emma was capable of committing something so rebellious. She snatched the journal from her husband, and reread the last sentence over and over again. "Oh, my!" Lisa gasped.

Neil placed a comforting hand on his wife's shoulder and whispered gently, "I think we should ask some of her friends, alright?"

Lisa shakily said, "Yes… Of course.."

Together, they went to alert Elliot of what they were about to do. However, if they looked any closer at the journal, they would've realized that one of the reasons why she wanted to return to the Gold Coast was to swim with her friends. As a mermaid.

"So, of all the cool places in the world, Emma went back? Back to the Gold Coast?" Elliot questioned incredulously.

"How did she get back?" Neil wondered, tapping his chin.

"Did she steal your credit card? Or some cash to buy a ticket? We are pretty close to the local airport," Elliot soliloquized. Emma escaping back to the Gold Coast was one of the most interesting things that has ever happened to him, since he realized that he had the opportunity to admire new locations and experience a diverse set of cultures. He was so immersed in trying to unravel the mystery that he didn't notice his mother with a grave expression.

"Lisa, dear? Are you fine?" Neil asked.

"No!" Lisa practically screamed, "No, I'm not fine! My baby girl has been missing! Do you think I would be fine?"

Neil was about to intervene, but Lisa continued her screaming fit, "Why did we have to go, Neil? Why did we have to leave everything behind? Now, Emma has been extremely heartsick for the last few months since we have left! Do you know why?"
"I know she misses her friends, I understand…" Neil said quietly, placing a hand on his son's shoulder for comfort and support.

"Yes, but she also misses the home she's known all of her life. I do, too! So, what was the point of leaving? Just to abandon everything?" Lisa tearfully yelled, dabbing a handkerchief she kept in her pocket to her eyes.

"NO!" Neil bellowed with clenched fists. It seemed as if he was pushed to the breaking point. He was quivering with anger as he turned to face his sobbing wife.

Elliot knew better than to interfere in his parent's arguments. He went to relax by one of the shrubs as he watched his parents work out their pent-up emotions.

"What?" Lisa whispered.

"Yes, you heard it, Liz! I didn't want to leave our family back at the Gold Coast, but I had no choice!" Neil exclaimed.

Lisa narrowed her eyes, "What are you talking about? There is always a choice."

"No, not for this. Not for this," Neil closed his eyes, as he said, "In the Gold Coast, I was pressured. Pressured to be this perfect father to Elliot and Emma. Pressured to be this perfect person at my job. Pressured to be a perfect member in a loving family. When Zane's father came up to me the day I pitched the idea, he somehow knew of the pressure. He told me that he had reputable sources who have told him secrets of mine. How I sometimes wished I was apart of another family, not the Gilbert family. I was actually planning on leaving under the guise of a business trip, but I considered never returning. I know, that was so selfish, but then, my judgement. was clouded by hate and anxiety. He knew that you would be angered by this proposition, and he… threatened me. He said he'd tell you what he heard I said, unless… I left. I left my business for him and traveled the world for a few years. If I decided to come back, I could. He would return my business to me, but I know there will be a catch. So, I kept running and running. I'm sorry, Lisa. I was a coward, but I couldn't risk endangering my family to Harrison."

Lisa answered, "You are right. You were a coward." Neil looked up in shock; he was expecting comfort not scolding from his wife, "However, you had your family's best interests at heart. For that, I love you." She wrapped an arm around her husband, and kissed him.

Elliot squealed in disgust, "Stop it! We're in public!"

Giggling, the couple swept their son into their arms and said in unison, "Let's go find out daughter."