Her twin sister, watching in abject horror, paused in her efforts to pull herself out of the surf. Those big blue eyes swiveled to him, wide with concern and fear, as Celeste’s scales disappeared. Only to be replaced by two peach colored legs that ended in dainty little pale feet.
“You’re okay, Celeste,” Reed spoke softly, crouching down to drop the dress over her shoulders. “I know it hurts. The pain will fade in a few moments. You can do this.”
“I-I havefeet!” the mermaid gasped, reaching for her wiggling toes.
Her sister’s voice wavered as she called out. “Was it awful? Did it hurt very much?”
“Yes,” whined Celeste loudly, her frown severe. “Oh, but Lumina, look at my perfect human legs! Do you think I could dance with them?”
She turned pleading blue eyes up toward Reed and he smiled at her. “Give me your hands. I’ll help you stand and show you how to walk.”
“To walk? On land?!” Lumina’s shrill voice grew two octaves higher.
With all the practice he had from the past week, Reed managed to get the mermaid to her feet, despite her lack of coordination and balance. He wondered if this was how he had appeared to the people of Crescent Cove when he had first arrived—surely this was why he had run into Tempest and fallen on his bottom though she barely nudged him.
A fond smile graced his face as he recalled that fateful night, the Moonlight Market, the Boardwalk, and Tempest’s beautiful face. Once Celeste could stand on her own, Reed hurried over to Lumina and offered her his assistance.
They managed to get her far enough from the saltwater to allow her to transform for the first time, and he slipped another one of Tempest’s dresses over her head. The older of the two, Lumina bit back her cries at the pain of the shift, but Reed didn’t miss the tears in her wide blue eyes.
He talked her through the process of standing with quiet, coaxing words until she faced him on the sand.
“I did it!” the mermaid cheered. “Celeste, we did it!”
Properly clothed enough for the beach and Boardwalk, Reed led the two slowly toward the epicenter of Crescent Cove. Both mermaids leaned on his arms, relying on him to keep them upright. They asked a million questions, and he did his level best to answer as many as possible as they walked.
As the wooden pier grew closer and the sights and sounds of the busy Boardwalk reached them, Reed let the pride seep into his voice.
“Welcome to Crescent Cove, starfish.”
He showed them around, taking their time as the mermaids slowly grew accustomed to their new legs. Everywhere they went, eyes followed them - new folks were not very common in town, and two such beautiful women certainly garnered a good amount of attention.
Lumina finger-combed her tresses as her hair dried for the first time in the summer sun. She took in the town, the shops, the shifters with wide blue eyes.
I Love You, Little Storm
TEMPEST
B
y the end of the week, the mermaids had grown fairly comfortable in their human forms. Tempest had given them lessons on how to dress in the appropriate layers, how to care for their hair and bodies while on land. They had been surprisingly receptive to her lessons, which she would be forever thankful for.
The four of them leaned on the banister of the Boardwalk, looking out toward the horizon and soaking up the sunshine. A soft throat-clearing sound caught her attention and Tempestturned. Standing there in the afternoon light were her sisters, Viola and Zinnia.
“You made it,” she breathed out.
“It’s been so long since we’ve seen you,” Zinnia spoke first. “We thought something was wrong. That maybe you were hurt.”
Tempest shook her head, trying to reassure them. “Nothing is wrong. All is well, in fact. There’s someone I want you to meet.”
Both surprised faces turned as she gestured to the darkhaired merman beside her. With a smile, Reed held out his
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hand for them to shake. She loved that he was getting the hang of human customs and wanted to try to put her sisters at ease.
“I’m Reed,” he said brightly. “From the Cascadia pod of merfolk that live nearby. These mermaids are from my pod as well.”
“I’m Celeste,” announced the first, attempting to curtsy. Her sister giggled as she watched. “And I’m Lumina!” “Mermaids?” Viola gasped. “There have never been
