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44
What Does Water Do?
Katrina
When we came ashore, the look on my friends' faces was exactly as I expected as my goddess friend neared. McKenzie stood mouth agape in awe of Serena’s inhuman beauty. Noah narrowed his eyes in scrutiny, and Russell—Russell nearly stumbled backwards as his eyes widened in surprise.
“Dammit, who are you?” He called through a quivering chin. “What kind of trick is this?” He whipped his gaze to me, his voice cracking and eyes watery.
I stayed in the water as Serena rose up to the shoreline. Her tail effortlessly became legs once more, and she stepped out, the water following her like smoke, swirling around her waist and forming a flowing dress with each step. I stayed behind, tucked down in the comfort of the water as I gave this moment to them.
Russell still stood unmoving, nearly quaking as he watched this girl he believed to be his daughter walk towards him from the waves.
“Serena…” he choked. “Serena, sweetheart, is it really you?”
McKenzie and Noah stepped to the side as she passed, making her way right up to the man she’d called father in at least one lifetime. Her skin glistened in the sun as she reached forward to touch his face, a gentle brush of her palm sending Russell into full tears.
“It’s me, Dad,” she said softly.
Russell didn’t waste time with words. Instead. He threw his arms around her, this grisly old man suddenly becoming soft right before my eyes.
“I don’t understand, but I don’t think I want to. All I care about is that you’re here, now. Somehow.”
Serena pulled back gently from his embrace. “I was bound to land in human form. Valdez returned me to the sea. This is where I’ve always belonged.”
“So…you’re the…the goddess Noah talked about?”
Serena nodded. Noah neared her, blinking in disbelief. “Wait,” he stammered. “So this means you’re like…my aunt?”
“I suppose it does.” Serena laughed with a touch of her hand to his shoulder. “Hello, nephew.”
Russell reached forward to take Serena’s hand in both of his, his jaw clenched as pure resolve and determination settled on his face. “I may not fully understand what’s going on, but I’m here to help you, sweetheart. Whatever it takes to keep from someone taking you from me again.”
Something in my gut dropped as guilt gripped me again—how I had dragged so many people into this. And I worried that might mean dragging them beneath the waves with me if things went under. But here they stood, minds already made up and ready to face whatever destiny held next. And all I could do was let them. That, and try my hardest not to let them get killed in the process.
“Let’s get this started, shall we? Before I change my mind.” Serena’s regal voice broke through as she turned from Russell and faced me.
I shot a pleading look at all three of them, my hair covering most of the front of me. “You guys…I have to get dressed.”
“Oh, right.” McKenzie pulled my clothes from the bag she carried and set them on the ground.
They awkwardly turned their backs to me as I climbed out of the water. My legs returned and I scrambled to put on the clothes. “Okay, I’m good now,” I announced.
As they each turned back around to face me, Serena spoke, eyeing McKenzie. “All right, now it’s time to set things in motion. We can start with my decoy. Because we have a lot of work to do in that area.”
“Yeah,” Noah chimed in, “How exactly are we supposed to pull off making her look like you? There’s no way in hell.”
“Maybe not without my help. But remember Katrina and I control water. And what does water do?”
She was met with a barrage of answers, while I kept silent, trying to think of what she was getting at.
“Umm, flows? Floods? Washes?”
“Drips?”
“Splashes? Drowns?”
“It reflects.” Serena gently guided McKenzie to the water’s edge, where she positioned her with a few nudges and turns. A crystal clear mirror image of both of them appeared on the water’s surface. “Without my power, I can’t perform this. It requires delicate mastery of the water. Detail and steadiness like a painter’s hand.” Serena looked at me. “You’ll have to do this, Katrina.”
