"No."

"Emma, I think your parents will take it well. Plus it would be an extra protection for at least one of our parents to be in the know."

"What would you know you haven't been with us for even a year yet..." Emma immediately winced, "Ember, I didn't mean."

"I know." I sat beside her on the bed, "What are you most afraid of?"

"What if they no longer view me as their daughter...just a thing."

I shook my head. Everything I had learned about the Gilberts' over the time that I lived with them made me sure of one thing, "That could never happen."

Emma's shoulders slumped, "Ok, I'm not saying you've convinced me...if you can convince the others then maybe..."

Later...

"Absolutely not!" Rikki shouted.

"Rikki..." Cleo started.

"What if something like Dr Denman happens again but..."

Lewis was interrupted by Cleo, "But nothing happened with Denman though?" Cleo looked curiously at Lewis.

"But it could have. Having adults on our sides could only help." I spoke up.

"Or they'll expose us!" Rikki couldn't settle down and I was worried she might burn a hole into the carpet with how she glared at it.

"Do you think your dad would, Rikki?" I knew how loyal her father was, how much he loved her.

"This isn't about him. You are thinking of telling a doctor who we are!"

We all got quiet.

"What if we feel him out?" I suggested.

"How would you do that without telling our secret?" Rikki at least wasn't shouting anymore.

"I have an idea." I looked her in the eye, trying to reassure her with my gaze.

"I don't like this."

"Trust us, Rikki; we won't say anything unless we think its absolutely safe." Emma spoke up.

——

"You wanted to talk to me, girls?"

As soon as Liam, Emma and I were sitting in his home office she looked expectantly at me.

"Have you ever had to keep a secret to protect someone?"

Liam nodded, "Where is this coming from, girls, are you in trouble?"

Emma and I looked at each other, "Not exactly."

Suddenly I wasn't sure how to approach this, and so Emma took the reigns.

"If I changed in some way that couldn't be explained by say science..."

I cleared my throat, that was a bit too close.

"Are you sick, Emma?" Liam's brows furrowed in worry.

"No...um..." Emma looked at me hopelessly.

Perhaps a different approach.

"You told me that we are family and family protects each other even from the outside world."

Lines of worry wrinkled his forehead, probably all sorts of ideas in his head.

"We have a secret, we've been keeping from you. But its not just ours to share. We are scared it will make you treat us different. That you won't see us as Emma and Ember anymore."

"Nothing could do that."

Emma looked at her father then me.

"You have to promise not to tell anyone outside our house. If anyone else finds out we'll become experiments or worse."

"What's wrong? Emma, please just tell me."

Emma looked nervously at me before taking a deep breath. There was no going back now.

"Do you remember the night we got rescued by the water police by Mako Island?"

He nodded.

Emma dove into the story of that day and night.

"Then when we went for a swim the next morning we found we'd changed."

"Changed how?"

I looked at Emma, "Maybe we should just show him?"

We pulled him out to the backyard to the little dock. I went to jump but Emma held me back, "I'll do it."

With another deep breath for courage, she jumped into the water. I watched Liam's expression as he saw his daughter turn into a mermaid. His eyes widened, his jaw slackened but then he recovered almost as quickly as he watched his daughter pull herself out of the water and dry herself with a towel I'd brought. Emma transformed back.

"So this is the real reason you quit the swim team?"

Emma stood before her father and nodded. I could tell she was nervous to hear her father's verdict.

"You too?" He turned toward me and I nodded. "Rikki and Cleo?"

I nodded again.

"And you haven't told any of the other parents?"

I shook my head.

Emma spoke up, "We were too afraid."

Liam looked at both of us with a thoughtful expression, "Why tell me now?"

Emma looked at her father then me, "Ember thought you and mum should know. She was confident you two would understand."

"And you, Emma?"

She shrugged, tears in her eyes. "I'm not a champion anymore. I'm something else."

"But you are still Emma, my daughter." He pulled her in for a hug, his gaze met might over the top of Emma's head. "Ember, thank you for convincing her."

I nodded.

"No more secrets?"

"Um..." Emma hummed.

"We'll show you inside some bonuses that came along with the transformation."