Natalie

Knock, knock, knock. "Natalie?" Vivi's voice sounds behind the front door while I'm in the kitchen, "Can you let us in?"

Us? "I'm doing the dishes. Don't you have a key?" I call.

"Yeah, but," she grunts, "I'm kinda busy,"

I take off my rubber gloves and go to unlock the door. Once I open it, I'm greeted by the sight of my roommate struggling to keep hold on the unconscious, half naked boy in her arms. "What the-!"

"Shhhhhhhh," Vivi shushes, then quietly says, "The neighbors."

"What the heck, Vivi?!" I whisper-yell, then an awful suspicion pops into my head, "Oh my gosh. Did you kill someone? Is this him? I am not helping you hide a body!"

Vivi rolls her eyes, "Natalie, let me iiinnn. He's heavy!"

Not wanting her to wake up our nosy neighbors with a giant thud from Vivi dropping a body, I let her inside. She plops the boy on our couch.

I close the door and lock it.  "Vivian Daniels," I say, turning around, "You've got some serious explaining to do!"

"I had to help him," she says, her eyes big like a puppy's. I cave just a little.

"Fine. What happened?"

She takes a deep breath. Oh boy, here it comes.

"SoIwaswalkingonthebeachandthenIsawthisboylyinginthewaterandhewasbleedingandIwasgoingtocall9-1-1butthenIsawthathehadatailandIknewIcouldn'tjustturnhimovertoabunchofscientiststhatwoulddoexperimentsonhimfortherestofhislifesoIpulledhimoutofthewaterandhewasnakedsoIputmyjacketoverhimandhewokeupforafewsecondsthenpassedoutagainandsoIhadtocarryhimhereanditwasalongwalkandIthinksomebodysawmebutIdon'tknowanywho."

My brain hurts. "Can you repeat that? I couldn't understand a word you said."

"I was walking on the beach," Vivi begins.

"Uh-huh."

"And I saw someone lying in the water."

"Ok."

"And when I went up to them, I saw that it was a boy, and that he was bleeding really badly. I pulled out my phone to call 9-1-1, and that's when I saw his tail."

Wait, what?! "He has a tail?" I say cynically, looking the sleeping boy on our sofa up and down, "I don't see a tail."

Vivi sighs, "He got legs when I pulled him up on the shore." As if I should have known that as a matter of course.

"Mhm." I mumble sarcastically, "Well, while I don't believe half your story, this boy is covered in sand and blood on my couch."

"Yeah, I know," Vivi goes on excitedly, "He needs a bath." She tugs on the boy's arm as if to lift him up again, but I grab her hand.

"Oh no, no, no, no, no." I say, "We're waiting until he wakes up for that so he can do it himself. For now, we can towel him off the best we can and put him in some clothes."

"Oh," Vivi blushes, "Okay."

                                 .............

After Vivi and I finished with the boy, we laid him back on the couch.

"So, does this boy have a name?" I ask.

Vivi shakes her head, "No. But I'm starting to get tired of calling him 'boy' so I guess we'll call him Nemo."

"Like the fish in the movie?"

Vivi sighs, "Nooo, like the captain of the Nautilus. You know, captain Nemo from 20,000 leagues under the sea by Jules Verne."

"Doesn't that name mean 'no one'?"

"It means 'someone' to me!"

"Okay," I say calmly, "Now what was all that nonsense about him having a tail?"

Vivi puts both hands on the top of the couch, "He's a mermaid."

I try to hold back a laugh, but it slips out anyway. "From what I saw when we put your Jean shorts on him, I'd say he's a merman."

Vivi's face turns red. "OK, fine, he's a merman."

"No he's not." I counter.

"You just said he is!" She cries, sounding annoyed.

"Mermen, mermaids, they don't exist."

"Yes, we do." A voice says from the couch.

We both look down in astonishment.

Nemo's awake.