The darkness seems to go on and on forever until we land in a dimly lit cove on the ocean floor. The room is huge, made of dark stone with algae on the walls. There is a huge air bubble here - we can breathe. Just one problem.

     Lexi's nowhere in sight. I sit up from where I had been strewn on the sand, tears springing into my eyes at the thought of her getting hurt. I look around and hear a soft whimper from the other side of the cove. She's there, crumpled on the floor. The look in her eyes breaks my heart - confusion, fear, worry. She doesn't appear hurt, though.

     Our eyes meet, and she gasps. "Lexi!" I cry, racing to her. We meet in a warm embrace. She pulls away and gently holds my face in her hands. "Are you hurt?" she asks. "No, no," I say, grabbing one of her hands. "I'm okay. Are YOU hurt?" "Who cares?" she says, her voice shaking and her eyes welling up with tears. "I do," I say, gently kissing her. 

     "Where are we? What happened?" She asks. "I-I don't know..." I say in response. The darkness of the cove is eerie and I can't spot the source of the light. I'm looking around when I hear a small noise, like another whimper, and then a thumping noise. I whip around to see Lexi struggling against more of those green strands. The air bubble pops too, and water begins to rush into our surroundings. I hurriedly try to rush to Lexi's side, but more strands appear and grab me too. I feel a tingling in my legs, but I'm more concentrated on struggling and getting to Lexi. By now, we're submerged in saltwater. I look over to see if she's alright - and I can't believe my eyes. Where her legs once were, there is now...

A tail?

     The tail is light pink, shimmering even in the foggy dimness of our surroundings. The green green streaks of magic recede slowly, leaving Lexi hovering just above the floor, staring in shock at the graceful new extremity. It is at this point that I notice that my tail is back too, its normal shade of sparkly blue visible through the darkness. It is also that this point that I notice that I can breathe. And so can Lexi.

     I swim over to her, still surprised. Why...why does she have a tail? Why can she breathe? I look at her. Her dark brown hair is now gracefully floating in the air. She is gaping at her tail. "Lexi..." I say. She blinks. Then lights illuminate her eyes and that smile that I worship returns to her face. "Oceana...do you know what this means?" she asks, giggling.

     I giggle a little. "Wh-what?" I ask. She grabs me by the arms and looks into my eyes. "You're home! And I'm here with you! We can stay here, we can be happy together!"

     This doesn't make sense. But then again, when has anything EVER made sense?

     I laugh. "You're right," I say, smiling. I'll finally be able to be back home, AND I'll have the girl I love.