Dealing with a mermaid-turned-human was like dealing with a baby deer. Joy struggled with walking so much so that her gait made her look like a decrepit old woman. While Niylah ransacked a nearby clothing line, Joy practiced her walk. She complained the entire time about how useless human legs were. She claimed she could swim the ocean forever without tiring, but standing alone exhausted her. Joy was literally a fish out of water.

“Here,” Niylah said as she approached the mermaid. She held out a t-shirt and a pair of shorts. “We'll have to find you some shoes or something later.”

Joy took the clothes and examined them. She turned her attention to Niylah's attire and tried to copy putting them on. Niylah realized she'd need help. She grabbed the shirt from Joy and held it so it was easier to put on. “Put your head through this big hole,” she directed. Joy followed her instructions and soon the mermaid was dressed.

“It is difficult,” Joy said. “No need for clothes in water.”

“You'll get used to it. You'll get used to walking too.”

From the look that crossed Joy's face, she was doubtful. Or, at the least, wary.

“I do not stay for long. Save fish, save my family, leave.”

Niylah nodded as she listened to her list of their strategy.

“I think we're going to need a little more of a detailed plan than that. C'mon,” Niylah waved Joy towards her. “We can go back to my Dad's and think of where to go from there.”

Joy didn't make any protests as she followed Niylah's lead. Niylah guessed that it had to do with experience. Joy didn't seem to have much – or any – experience on land. Joy was putting her trust in her.

The girls made it back to the house. It took a lot longer than Niylah wanted but she knew she was working with an unsteady pair of legs and an unsure mermaid. At one point, Niylah thought she might have to pick up Joy and carry her. Her legs were cramping and she stumbled and tripped more times than Niylah could count. Just getting home seemed like a near-impossible feat. How the hell were they supposed to stop over-fishing?

“I'm not sure where to start,” Niylah admitted as she led Joy inside. Niylah was glad that Tom wasn't home. He was probably out on the boat. She grimaced at the thought. That was exactly what they didn't want. She was hoping that having Joy here on land was making it safer for Tom to be out on the ocean. Hopefully, Joy's fish friends would leave him alone.

Joy was busy examining the house. She used the walls and pieces of furniture to hold herself steady as she explored her surroundings. The siren picked up a picture of her and Tom when Niylah was just a child. Tom was grinning as he crouched next to Niylah. Niylah's face was bright and beaming. Niylah remembered that day. It was one of the few summer breaks she had with him. They had decided to spend the day at the beach, discovering tide pools and building sandcastles.

“Is this you?” Joy asked. She brushed her fingertips over the portrait.

“Yes,” she answered as she came to stand next to her. She had to look around her as Joy's shoulders blocked her view.

“You are baby.” Niylah didn't think she was a baby. She was probably around seven or eight in the photo, but perhaps that's what Joy learned what to call young humans. Joy turned her attention from her to Tom. A low growl rumbled in .

“What is it?” Niylah furrowed her brows.

“This man. He takes our fish.” Niylah dropped the picture on the floor. The glass shattered and the siren leaped back from it. She was already turning her attention to something else as Niylah scrambled to pick up the pieces. She was careful not to cut herself as she collected the glass and threw it away.

“That's my father,” Niylah said. “He isn't a bad man. He fishes so he can keep me safe.” She wasn't quite sure how to explain that to a mermaid. She didn't think Joy knew about employment and tried to keep it simple. “He wouldn't hurt anyone on purpose.”

Joy didn't seem like she was listening. While Niylah was taking care of the broken picture, Joy was examining the tv remote. The different colours were fascinating. Curious, the mermaid pressed on the buttons and the tv came roaring to life, displaying a news broadcast. The sudden change caught Joy off guard and she let out an inhuman shriek. She was instantly on guard as the screen flickered and a news broadcaster appeared. She crouched low, her arms behind her back, and her teeth bared threateningly.

“It's okay,” Niylah assured. “He's not real. It's just a tv. Humans watch it for entertainment.” Niylah lowered the volume – Tom always played the news loud, she never understood how he could fall asleep to it.

“Human is not real?” Joy echoed curiously.

“No, it's just pictures.” She walked over to the tv and tapped on it to show that there was no actual person.

Joy crept closer and inspected the tv closely. She relaxed when she was sure there was no threat.

“You're safe here for now. Most people we encounter aren't really a threat. Especially in this small town. Everyone knows each other. It's kind of hard to commit a crime when everyone knows your entire family.” She didn't know how much Joy was understanding but the mermaid appeared to be listening.

“Let's go to my room,” Niylah said. She led Joy into her bedroom and the mermaid took it upon herself to investigate this room too. Niylah let her ease her intrigue. She would be just as fascinated if Joy brought her into her world. She wasn't sure how much Joy knew about humans.

She made herself comfortable on her own bed and watched as Joy stumbled around the bedroom. Eventually, the mermaid found herself sitting on the bed too. She bounced on it a few times as if to test it out.

“It is comfier than any seaweed bed.” She bounced some more.

“I'm glad someone thinks so.” Niylah didn't agree. Her bed back in Colmoore was much comfier too. Though it was no comparison to a bed of seaweed.

“So,” Niylah started. “We need to come up with a plan or something.”

Joy made herself comfortable on the bed. It was much better to lie down than to fumble around on stupid legs.

“First things first, no more attacking humans.” Before Joy could protest, she continued, “The humans here aren't your enemy. Not all of them anyway. If I'm going to help you, you have to promise me that you won't harm anyone else.”

Joy thought it over for a moment before nodding once. “Okay. No hurting humans.”

“Make sure to tell your family that.” Niylah was still concerned about Tom.

“Okay,” she said again. “I tell them.”

The girls spent the day sharing stories about their lives. They were supposed to discuss ideas but both had gotten distracted. One question led to another and soon Niylah was putting on a movie. She wanted to know all there was to know about Joy and what better way than to put on a movie about mermaids? She put on one of her childhood guilty pleasures – Aquamarine.

Joy sneered in disgust at how awful her people were portrayed. Though, she asked a lot of questions about humans. Probably as much questions as Niylah was asking her.

“Do mermaids have arranged marriages?”

Joy's look of utter confusion was answer enough.

The movie continued. “What is that?” Joy pointed. The girl on screen was speaking into a telephone before tossing it outside.

“That is a phone. Humans use it to communicate long distances.” Niylah didn't realize how hard it was to explain mundane things. “We normally don't throw it outside though.”

Joy looked thoughtful at her answer.

When the mer-girl on the screen began jumping up and down on the bed, Joy copied her. Though, she was a lot more unsteady as she nearly collapsed onto the mattress.

They spent the rest of the movie asking questions.

“What is that?” Joy asked as two characters on screen shared a kiss.

“That is a kiss. Humans kiss when they really care about each other.” She didn't have much experience in that field. Niylah never held hands with a boy, much less kissed one. It wasn't something she focused on throughout her schooling.

Joy seemed mesmerized by the oddities humans portrayed. They were more complex than she thought.

“Do you not do that underwater?” It was a harmless question. What other differences did humans and mermaids have?

“No. No need. We do not love.” Joy was serious as she spoke. “We care for each other, but we do not love.”

Niylah couldn't imagine that being a possibility. Humans craved love; they craved affection. There was a whole genre dedicated to romance and the comedy of it. How could a complex species like hers not experience love? Perhaps there was a scientific explanation, but Niylah wasn't going to pry. She wasn't sure how much help Joy would be to answer if she didn't even know what it felt like.

“Humans love all the time. It's messy.” Niylah was referring to her parents.

“I know,” Joy said. “It is how we kill humans. Humans fall in love with our songs.”

Niylah's brows furrowed. Humans fell in love with the siren song. Is that how her father got caught up with her mother? Her biological, mermaid mother.

A/N: Sorry for being a month late in updating. It was a holiday one Monday and I kept forgetting after that. I will be updating with four chapters today to make up for it!