The net tangled around her. Mera tried to pull it off of her, tried to tear the ropes with her teeth like she was used to, but these ropes wouldn't break. She wasn't underwater, but on land, standing in an empty field. The only one there was her. The only company she had was the suffocation of the net.

She had to get it off. If she didn't get the net off, she knew she was going to die. If that was how it worked below the surface, that's how it must work here.

Free yourself, Ira's voice hissed in her ear. Only you can get yourself out.

"My friends will come," Mera told the voice. "They will come and save me."

She heard their laughter first. A smile spread across Mera's face. She tried to turn toward the sound of their voices, but she couldn't move. When she opened her mouth to call out to them, nothing came out. Panic started to settle into Mera's chest as her breathing began to speed up.

Her friends walked across the field and she finally caught sight of them. A smile spread across her face. Knowing she couldn't call out to them, she pulled and pulled and pulled against the rope. With every ounce of effort she put into the rope, she felt the strength leave her body.

To her horror, Mera watched as her friends walked right past her, not a hundred yards away. They laughed and joked and shoved each other, but they did not see her. Her cries were silent, her pleas unheard.

"Please see me," she begged, her mouth making no sounds. "Please help me."

They walked farther and farther until they were no longer in sight. Eventually, Mera couldn't even hear their voices anymore. She tried to pull herself from the net, but her energy was draining quickly. When even the weight of the net was too much for her, it pushed her down to her knees first, tears brimming on the edges of her eyes.

"Come back." Her voice was like gravel as the rope net pushed her farther and farther to the ground. "Don't leave me."

Once her face pressed into the dirt, she let out a quiet sob, finally letting herself realize that they weren't coming back for her.

"Mera," a voice called to her. "Hey, Mera."

"JJ?" She tried to lift her eyes, to find where his voice was coming from. "Help me. Please don't leave me."

"Wake up, Mera," he said. She felt her shoulder shake. "I'm right here, just wake up."

Mera squeezed her eyes shut, shaking her head as the rope started to shove her deeper into the dirt, the earth swallowing her.

"Help me," she whimpered, barely opening her mouth as dirt started to bury her.

"C'mon, Mera," JJ's voice said. "Wake up."

The dirt covered her completely, pouring into her mouth, her nose, her ears. She could feel it tear down her throat, ripping through her stomach. She let out a quiet cry. There was no more light, just the darkness and the dirt and the rope digging into her skin.

"Mera, you have to breathe."

Mera shook her head. She couldn't. She couldn't breathe.

You cannot rely on your new friends. Ira said, voice booming and ear-shattering. Mera moved to cover her ears with her hands. You left us for them and look where you are now.

"Mera!"

Her eyes snapped open suddenly, sucking in deep gasps. A low light flitted in through the window, illuminating the floor bed around her. Trying to steady her breathing, Mera turned to find JJ looking down at her, a hand on her shoulder.

"You good?" He asked, sitting back as she pushed herself upward. Mera nodded slowly, her mouth dry.

"Just a nightmare." She ran her hands through her hair and tried to smile. "I haven't had one of those in a long time."

"You got me good there," JJ said, leaning his head against the headboard. "You stopped breathing for a bit."

"I didn't mean to scare you," she said, trying to get her breathing to steady.

"Nah," JJ closed his eyes and shook his head. "I get 'em too. What did you dream about?"

Mera glanced up at him before looking back at her hands. She wasn't sure if she should tell him that she was dreaming about him and his friends walking away when she needed them, after all they had done to help her. She didn't want to sound ungrateful.

"I was tied up in a net," she said, breathing slowly. "I couldn't get out. I tried to, but I got weaker and weaker until I was in the ground, choking on dirt. I couldn't breathe."

JJ nodded his head, lips twitching.

"The suffocating ones are always scary," he said. Mera looked up at him again. She tried to remind herself that even if she saw him walking away in the dream, he was the one who had pulled her out of it. Whatever happened in the dream was a lie.

"Rise and shine!" John B burst through the door with a smile on his face. When he saw them both sitting up, his smile faltered. "You're awake?"

JJ cocked an eyebrow as he turned to look at John B.

"Yes," Mera said, sliding out of bed. "I will change, John B."

"I can make something to eat," JJ said, jumping up and pushing past his friend in the doorway.

"What was that about?" John B asked Mera as she dug through the bag of clothes for a shirt befitting meeting someone who would give her employment.

"I had a nightmare," Mera said. She saw no point in keeping secrets, especially from John B. He was her 'cousin' after all and she was living under his roof. "JJ was just trying to help."

John B nodded his head slowly.

"I wanna talk about Ward Cameron real quick," John B said, picking something off of the nightstand and fiddling with it.

"The man we are going to talk to?" Mera asked as she pulled off the tank top she was wearing. John B's eyes widened and he looked back down, blushing.

"I, uh, yeah." He stammered for a bit, trying not to look up at her. Mera pulled on something that looked at least slightly fancy, not really noticing John B's discomfort. "He's, uh, rich guy numero uno, but he's been pretty good to me since I started working there."

"He sounds respectable," Mera said, untying the elastic on the sweats she was wearing. John B's cheeks reddened even further and he turned around.

"I really shouldn't be here."

"I thought you needed to talk about Ward Cameron?"

"Yeah, maybe when you have some clothes on."

Mera stopped in the middle of pulling the jeans back onto her legs. She cringed and finished pulling them on.

"I'm sorry, John B. Privacy was not a luxury on my ship. I should have thought about it first," Mera said.

"No problem," he said, chuckling nervously and waving a hand through the air. "Just don't go around taking your clothes off in front of other people, yeah?"

Mera smiled at the back of his head.

"Yeah."

"You decent?"

"Yes." John B turned around. "Is this appropriate to meet Ward Cameron in?"
John B nodded his head, trying not to stare for too long.

"Now, we need to come up with a solid lie that we never go back on, alright?" John B walked across the room and threw an arm around Mera's shoulders. "For example, where does your mom live?"

"I am unfamiliar with the current geography of the world," Mera said as he led her out of his bedroom.

"So, let's say California. It's on the other side of the continent," John B said, to which Mera nodded. "Next question. What does your mother do for a living? We have to think of something that would keep her from coming with you, so she always has to be busy."

Mera's shoulders sagged. There was so little she knew about this world, how would she manage to ever get anything done? Even if she worked for Ward Cameron, there was no way she would know how to handle the technology the current world was surrounded by.

"What about a lawyer?" JJ offered as they walked into the dining room. When Mera looked up at him, he was spreading what looked like thick, brown butter across a piece of bread. "Lawyers are busy."

"Good!" John B snapped his fingers. "Your mom is a defense attorney with cases stacked taller than her head so she couldn't make the trip down."

Mera nodded her head. The words from her dream flitted back into her mind. Only you can free yourself.

There was no way Mera would have ever survived if it wasn't for these people, her friends. She would have died on the beach yesterday morning. Mera was slowly starting to realize that humans weren't solitary creatures for a reason. They needed each other and she needed her friends, it was the only way she was going to get out of the net.

"Defense attorney," she said, her mood rising. "California."

"She needs a name," JJ said, setting one piece of buttered bread down on a plate.

"What about Amarylis, after my real mother?" Mera offered.

"That could work," JJ said, pointing the knife at John B. "My dad always says the best way to lie is to mostly tell the truth."

"There is very little truth going on here," Mera said. JJ shrugged.

"Amarylis..." John B mused, dropping his arm from around Mera's shoulders and walking over to the table.

"Cael," Mera said, eyes fixed on the floor. "Her name will be Amarylis Cael."
JJ and John B glanced at each other.

"That's fine by me," John B said, hopping onto the table. "And that means that your name will be Mera Cael."

Mera smiled.

"I can live with that."

"Perfect!" John B clapped his hands together "If Ward asks you any other questions just remember what you said to him and tell us later, so we don't have any cracks in our lie."

Mera nodded as JJ turned around, balancing three plates of bread on his arm.

"Peanut butter toast," he said, offering a plate to Mera. "My specialty."

"Thank you," she said, taking the plate and sliding into a chair. Taking a bite of the toast, Mera was unsure at first what to think. The peanut butter was sticky and thick, making her teeth feel funny. But it was good. And the toast was just bread, but warm.

"This is good," she said, covering her mouth as she tried to finish chewing. JJ smiled, chewing on his own piece.

"At least someone appreciates my cooking," he said pointedly to John B.

"It's toast, JJ. That's not cooking."

Mera smiled again and continued to eat. There was a moment of silence between the three of them.

"How did you guys sleep last night?" John B asked, hiding a smirk by taking a large bite of his toast. JJ kicked John B under the table and Mera let out a laugh. John B kicked JJ back and soon enough there was an entire foot war underneath the dining table.

"I believe that it is time for us to go," Mera said, rising with her empty plate.

"You gotta brush your teeth first, Mera," John B said.

"My...teeth?"

"Yup." John B stood, shoving his plate toward JJ. "I've got an extra toothbrush you can use."

It was a strange situation for both of them. Mera had never brushed her teeth using a toothbrush before. Sure, they had things to keep her teeth clean and from falling out, but a toothbrush was completely foreign to her. It was strange for John B to be teaching a girl his age how exactly to use a toothbrush.

By the time they came out of the bathroom, both of them were relatively uncomfortable. Mera's mouth felt minty and strange as she shifted her jaw and ran her tongue over her teeth.

"We're going to head out, JJ," John B said, throwing up a hand to wave.

"See ya," JJ said, not looking up at them as John B and Mera headed for the door.

"Thank you for breakfast, JJ," Mera said before she walked out. He turned to her with a smile, but she could see that it was forced.

"Anytime."

The sun shined down on her once she stepped outside. Mera took a moment to breathe in the light, the smell of the water. John B waited silently as she soaked it all in. She was able to step away after a few moments, following after John B again. When she looked back at the house, she saw JJ turning away from the window.

"You sit up front on that side," John B said. Mera nodded and walked around the van. It was strange to her; made of orange metal, with small wheels made out of something that wasn't wood. There were no horses to pull it along, no animal at all.

"It's got an engine," John B said, as if reading her mind or maybe just her facial expression. "It's in the front and helps it go forward. I can explain more on the way."

Mera tried not to feel sick as the van sputtered when John B turned the key.
The drive to Ward Cameron's wasn't as horrible as Mera thought it would be. With John B explaining how exactly a car worked, she realized that the feeling in her stomach was similar to the one she felt after months on the sea. She would just have to get used to it again.

"There is so much in this world I don't understand," Mera said, the wind blowing her hair around. "What if Ward Cameron asks me to do something I don't know how to do?"

"I'll help you," John B said. "We'll figure it out."

His vague optimism wasn't really helping the queasiness of Mera's stomach feel any better. Still, she appreciated his effort. When they pulled up to the house where John B worked, Mera immediately remembered what JJ had said about the kooks, the filthy rich. The word seemed fitting.

The Cameron house was large and white, brooding over the small people who worked outside it. People owned houses like these while there were others on the street who had no roof over their heads. The thought rotted in Mera's stomach.

"This way, Mera," John B called from the other side of the van. She turned and followed after him, taking her eyes away from the large building. John B led her to the docks, toward what Mera assumed was a modern age ship. It was small and ugly, the sunlight glaring off of the white surface. She grimaced at the sight of it. If her mother saw what ships looked like now, she would roll in her grave.

"Mr. Cameron?" John B called, cupping his hands around his mouth. In a few seconds, a man popped his head out of the presumed cabin, a smile on his face. His hair was short, a peppered beard on his face. He looked far too kind to be the captain of any ship. Ward Cameron walked over to the side of the boat, a smile on his face. Mera suddenly remembered what she was doing here and forced herself to smile despite her disgust.

"John B!" Ward Cameron said. "You're here early."

"Yes, Sir," John B said and put a hand on the upper part of Mera's back. "I wanted to introduce you to my cousin, Mera. She's staying with me and my Uncle T."

Ward Cameron leaned down and offered his hand for her to shake. This form of greeting was much more common now than it ever had been before.

"Ward Cameron," he said. "Wonderful to meet you."

"Mera Cael," Mera said, her smile growing hearing the sound of her father's name come from her own lips.

"So, you're staying with John B?"

Mera nodded.

"Yes, Sir."

"Why don't you meet my kids, they're just inside the boat. Come on," Ward waved for them to step onto the boat.

"Rafe won't say anything," John B assured Mera when she glanced back at him. He hopped onto the boat and then helped her climb inside after him. Even just standing on the boat felt like sacrilege. If Mera's mother saw her now....

"This is my son, Rafe," Ward Cameron said. Rafe turned around and Mera was satisfied to see a bruise running over his nose.

"We've met before," Rafe said, clenching his jaw. Mera didn't let her smile waver. She kept her gaze steady, watching his eyes shift under hers.

"Why didn't you say anything, Rafe?" Ward Cameron asked, clapping his son on the back.

"It was a brief meeting, Mr. Cameron," Mera said, tilting her head to the side. "Uneventful. He probably forgot it happened as soon as I walked away."

"Please, call me Ward," he said as he moved farther into the cabin. "Sarah, Wheezie! There's someone I want you to meet."

Rafe tightened his fists once his dad's back was turned, but Mera simply raised an eyebrow. She felt John B tense next to her, prepared for whatever was to come. But Mera knew boys like Rafe. They talked big and acted big, but beat them once and they generally never come for you again. Generally.

A series of footsteps could be heard coming from down below. Ward walked up to Rafe again, a wide smile on his face. Two girls emerged from below deck. There was an older girl, who looked an awful lot like a sister Mera once had beneath the water, and a younger girl wearing what looked like glasses.

"This is Sarah and Wheezie," Ward said. Mera finally broke eye contact with Rafe to interact with the girls.

"I'm Mera Cael," she said, shaking both of their hands.

"How long did you say you were staying here for?" Ward asked. Mera breathed in a deep breath and then let it out. Lie by telling the truth.

"I'm not sure. We never really had a set date for my return home," Mera said, glancing over at John B, who gave her a tiny nod.

"Well, it's wonderful to have you here, Mera," Ward said. "Sarah, Wheezie, Rafe, why don't you take Mera inside and show her around for a bit while John B here gets started on his work?"

John B opened his mouth to protest, but Mera spoke first.

"That sounds great," she said. John B looked at her but she nodded her head. "It'll be fine."

"JJ told me not to leave you alone," John B muttered to her as the Cameron family started to shuffle around.

"Have you ever listened to him before?" She asked, raising a brow. John B sighed, hands on his hips. " I'll be fine, John B."

"If you get your work done ahead of schedule, I'll let you go early," Ward said, his smile ever present. John B nodded his head, looking back at Mera one last time before following Ward back out onto the deck.

"So, Mera," Rafe said, walking toward her. "Where are you from?"

"California," she said.

"You're pretty pale for living in California."

"God, Rafe, don't be such a freak," Sarah said, pushing past her older brother to stand in front of Mera. "Forgive him, he's been diagnosed with chronic jackass. I can lead the tour."

"That would be wonderful." Sarah linked her arm with Mera's and led her out. Mera sent a look back at Rafe, who glared at her, hands shoved into his pockets.

Sarah helped Mera off of the boat and didn't wait for either Rafe or Wheezie before heading off toward the house. Mera spent half of the time wondering why it looked so familiar to her. Sarah showed her almost every room in the house, including all the rooms. Rafe tried to keep his door shut, but Sarah shoved it open.

"What are you hiding in here, Rafe?" Sarah asked with a mischievous grin as she stepped inside.

"Sarah, get out of my room," Rafe growled. It felt wrong to invade his personal space, rude as he was. Mera stood outside with Wheezie while Rafe tried to pull Sarah out of his room.

"Did you do that to his nose?" Wheezie whispered to Mera. Mera looked down at her, mouth open. "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone. He did cry about it for a bit though."

Mera smiled, arms crossed over her stomach.

"Are you really John B's cousin?" Wheezie asked. "You're way too pretty."

Mera tried not to say anything that would make things awkward, so she just laughed, looking down at her feet.

"Yes, Wheezie, John B is my cousin. I do appreciate the compliment though," Mera said with a wink.

Eventually, Sarah walked out of Rafe's room. He slammed the door with a huff, glaring at his sister, who was still smiling like a little devil.

"Let me introduce you to Rose," Sarah said, taking Mera by the hand, leading her back downstairs. Wheezie followed close behind, Rafe dragging his feet. Rose, Sarah's stepmom, was in the kitchen, pouring a glass of yellow liquid for herself. When she saw the kids walking in, Rose looked up with a smile.

"Who's this?" She asked, her lips painted in a perfect red.

"Rose, this is Mera. She's visiting from California," Sarah said, sliding into one of the chairs at the bar. Mera was in awe of the kitchen they stood in. She recognized almost nothing inside, but she tried to cover up her shock.

"It's a pretty kitchen, isn't it?" Rose asked, a proud smile on her face. Mera looked back at her and nodded, flabbergasted. The gally of the pirate ship was the only kitchen Mera had ever seen, but this one was larger than the entire lower deck, it seemed. "It definitely cost a pretty penny."

"Come sit," Sarah said, patting one of the chairs beside her. Mera complied, startled when the chair started to swivel beneath her. She swallowed whatever surprise she felt and sat as still as she could so it wouldn't move again.

"Want some lemonade?" Rose asked, lifting the pitcher.

"I would love some," Mera said, admiring the glass that the lemonade was held in.

"Can I have some too?" Rafe asked, sitting on the other side of her.

"You're a big boy, Rafe," Rose said, her sweet words turning to poison. "I think you can get some for yourself."

Mera felt her stomach drop. She tried not to look at Rafe as Rose handed her the glass of lemonade. She wasn't sure she wanted it now. Rolling the glass along its edge, Mera felt her cheeks redden. Without saying anything, she slid the glass closer to Rafe and looked up at him. When he finally lifted his head to look at her, she nodded toward the glass. Did she want to try lemonade? Sure, but there were a million other times she could try it. Sometimes, an olive branch can only be offered once.

But Rafe didn't take it. Instead, he stood up and stormed out of the room.

"What a drama queen," Sarah said with a roll of her eyes. Mera felt the sour feeling in her stomach twist and push its way up into her throat. "Come on. Let's go outside. You can bring the lemonade."

Mera followed Sarah outside, relishing the feel of the sun once again.

"What's it like living with John B?" Sarah asked, tapping her finger against a glass of water. Mera breathed in.

"I've only been there a day," Mera said. "But him and his friends have been wonderful."

"You mean the Pogues?" Sarah scoffed and took a drink of water. "Wonderful isn't really the word I would use to describe them."

"They've helped me a lot since coming here. It is a different world than I'm used to. They took me in as if I was already one of their own," Mera said, the need to defend her friends burning in her chest.

"Look, Mera, I can understand why you feel that way." Sarah put a hand on her elbow. "But believe me, they're a bad crowd."

"And you're better?" Mera hadn't meant to sound so harsh, but Sarah didn't take offense. Instead, the girl smiled at Mera with the same mischievous grin she had in Rafe's room.

"Hell no."

They walked around the property for a bit, chatting about little things, their previous conversation forgotten almost instantly.

"You said you don't know when you're leaving, right?" Sarah asked.

"No," Mera said. "But I want to stay here forever."

"Yeah, everyone does. Well, if you want, I can talk to my dad about getting you a temporary job here or something. I would love to have you around more, especially if it means getting you off the cut," Sarah said, setting her glass on the porch railing. Mera ignored the jab at her friends and smiled.

"Really? You would do that?" Mera asked. Sarah gave her a real smile, a kind one.

"Of course."

"Hey, Sarah!"

Mera and Sarah both turned around to see another boy running over.

"Hey, Top!" Sarah said. He walked up to them with a smile and threw an arm around Sarah. Mera stood by as he pressed his lips to Sarah's. Mera tapped her finger against her glass and looked away, grimacing.

"Top," Sarah said, pulling away finally. "This is Mera. Mera, this is Topper."

Topper smile at Mera.

"It's nice to meet you," Topper said.

"You, too."

Mera noted how Sarah didn't mention John B. That either said something about their relationship or Topper's attitude toward the Pogues. The three talked for a bit, but it was filler talk. They had nothing else to talk about so they spoke to the weather, the end of school, and a number of meaningless things. With every passing second, Mera felt more and more uncomfortable.

"Topper!" Rafe jogged out of the house and Mera almost felt relief at the sight of him. She would rather have a screaming match right here in the grass than listen to Sarah and Topper talk any longer. When Rafe made eye contact with her, he didn't glare. Maybe he had seen the olive branch and, even if he didn't take it, he understood it for what it was.

Rafe stole Topper away to "talk about dude things", leaving Mera with Sarah.

"You wanna go for a swim?" Sarah asked. Mera felt her smile wobble, before pasting it back on.

"No, thank you. I don't really have many clothes right now and I would hate to get these dirty," she said. It was a partial truth, even if her clothes were the least of her worries when it came to the water. She wasn't sure if she would even be allowed to put her feet in the ocean, let alone swim. It wasn't like there was a manual for what a mermaid was to do once they left the ocean. Mera didn't know her limits and she wasn't sure she would test them right now.

"Come on," Sarah said. "You can borrow something of mine. It's so hot out and-"

"I really appreciate it, Sarah," Mera said, tone hard. "But I don't think I should be swimming right now."

Sarah's smile fell for half a second, but eventually she nodded.

"Yeah, of course. We can go back inside, play pool or something until John B is done on the Druthers."

Mera was grateful that Sarah didn't push any farther.

The room with the pool table was bigger than John B's entire house. Mera had played pool once in England when she was trying to scam information about a slave merchant. She wasn't sure she really remembered how to play. Luckily for her, Sarah was more than willing to teach it. Partway through their first game, Topper and Rafe walked in, sitting in the chairs. Topper, naturally, rooted for Sarah, being far more enthusiastic than needed for a pool game. Rafe, naturally, rooted against Sarah, meaning he was rooting for Mera.

But Mera was losing. The one time she played pool, she played it horribly on purpose to get her target's attention. She was starting to realize that maybe she wasn't pretending to be bad.

They had just started their third game when John B walked in.

"Get out," Rafe said, standing quickly.

"Relax, big man," John B said with his hands in the air. "Just here for my cousin."

"Hey, John B," Mera said, brushing the blue powder onto the tip of her pool stick.

"Hey, cos." He walked around the table and bumped Mera's shoulder with his. "Are you winning?"

"Definitely not."

"Sarah, were you not going to tell me that she was John B's cousin?" Topper asked, looking at Mera with narrowed eyes. Sarah looked like she was going to say something, but Mera spoke first, leaning against the pool stick.

"Would you look at me differently if she had?"

"Careful, Top," Rafe said, keeping his eyes trained on Mera. "She might hit you."

Mera glared down a Rafe.

"Let's postpone this game, huh?" John B said, offering a peaceful smile. "I'll take Mera home."

"Sure," Mera said, setting her jaw and not looking away from Rafe. "Thank you for your hospitality, Sarah."

"I'll talk to my dad," Sarah said, taking the pool stick from her. "Just remember what I said about the Pogues, yeah?"

Mera had no intention of doing that, but she nodded her head anyway.

"See ya, boys," John B said as he led Mera out of the room. "Don't let them get to you."

"I want to tear his face off."

"Yeah, you're not the only one."

***

Mera was still fuming when they got back to the house.

"Hey." John B hurried to catch up with her. "Slow down, Mera."

She spun around quickly, furious tears in her eyes.

"They sit in their fancy houses drinking their perfectly clear water and lemonade, bashing you and the others, saying you're bad news, no good. Yet they neglect their own. They have no respect for each other. They have no understanding of forgiveness or compassion or fairness. They are cruel, cruel people living at that house, John B, cruel."

Mera swallowed as she finished, sucking in a deep breath with her hands on her hips.

"I didn't realize it bothered you that much," John B said. Mera shook her head, covering her face with her hands.

"I was fine until they started talking about you and the Pogues. I just don't understand. 350 years, millions of inventions and improvement, and yet the world has gone nowhere!" Mera let out a huff and dropped to the ground.
John B tentatively sat beside her, almost afraid to get in the way of her fury.

"That's just how it is here, Mera," he said, voice soft. "That's how it always is."
Mera sighed, tears gathered in her eyes from her frustration. When she looked at John B, he smiled and she felt the anger start to disappear. She heaved out a sigh.

"So what do you do when everyone else is at work?"

It wasn't until the sun went down that the rest of the Pogues returned. JJ climbed out of Kiara's truck with a large, metal barrel, a grin on his face.

"What's in there?" Mera asked John B, setting his hackey sack down on the ground.

"A bunch of alcohol." John B looked at her with a half-grin.

"Hey, Mera!" Kiara said, jumping out of the car. Kiara threw her arms around Mera's neck and gave her a tight hug.

"How was the Cameron abode?" Pope asked, helping JJ carry the alcohol out of the truck. Mera huffed out a deep sigh and rolled her eyes.

"They're pigs," Mera said. "Except maybe Sarah and Wheezie. But especially Rafe."

"Did he say anything to you?" JJ asked, setting the alcohol down harder than he should have, leaving all the weight on Pope.

"Nope," Mera said quickly. "No, nothing."

"Good," JJ said, walking by her with a wink. "Wouldn't want to drive up there and beat his ass."

"I think if Rafe tried anything," Pope said, trying to carry the alcohol by himself over to the van. "Mera would have beat his ass herself."

"You know it."

"So we're going to bring this kegger to the boneyard and get the party started, yeah?" John B said, finally helping Pope lift the alcohol into the van.

"Do you want to change?" Kiara asked, putting a hand on Mera's elbow.

"Do you think I need to?"

"Well, we end up in the ocean a lot and wet jeans aren't very fun," Kiara said. Another mention of the ocean. Mera shook her head slowly.

"I don't think that I'll be going in the water," Mera said.

"You girls ready to go?" JJ called from the back of the van.

"Coming!" Kiara turned to Mera. "You ready for your first party with the pogues?"

"As I'll ever be."