Irene leaned against the counter and stared at the wall. "Why is it always me who gets caught up in all the weirdness..." She said with a sigh, finishing off the ice cream and setting her bowl in the sink.

"Maybe you're like a weirdness magnet. But then again, she is living here, not your house, so if you don't want anything to do with her, that's fine. Just go home and forget. Although I'm not sure you can forget this." Lia said glancing at the door, on the other side of which Nikki lay on the couch sulking.

"Oh yeah. I'll just go about my day completely oblivious to the fact that THERE IS A SEAL PERSON LIVING IN YOUR HOUSE!" Irene shouted, her formerly calm expression disappearing.

"I know it's a lot to take in. Believe me. She's living here, and it's hard to believe even after seeing her behavior. But what if it's true? I mean, if your brother really took her skin, if we get it back, she should be able to go home and be free. At least according to the legends..." Lia said, her mind already spinning with ideas.

"Oh, yeah. Yeah great plan.. THEY ARE CALLED LEGENDS FOR A REASON! BECAUSE THEY ARE LEGENDS! NOT REAL!! HOW DO YOU BELIEVE THIS. AND WHY DOES IT MAKE IT OUR PROBLEM TO FIX???" Irene said, running her hands through her hair in a stressed motion as any attempt of appearing calm failed.

They were interrupted by angry-sounding rap music coming from Irene's phone. She scowled at it before answering a call with a dismissive "what do you want?"

After several minutes of dialogue, during which Irene became increasingly irritated, she ended the call.

"Your mom?" Lia guessed, knowing how Irene treated her mother.

"Yeah, telling me what to do again! I'm old enough to not need her nagging me every second of every day. Wanting to know where I am, who I'm with, who I talked to, what did we talk about. Seriously! Invasion of privacy! I have rights!" Irene fumed.

Lia just nodded, knowing that once Irene got stressed she would rant and become angry easily, lashing out at people. Lia didn't find it necessary to point out that she had overheard the phone call, and it seemed to her like it was just a concerned parent wondering where her daughter was, and asking if she was having a good time with whoever she was with. Since Irene still lived at home, her mom worried if she came home after she usually did, especially since Irene's step-brother had such bad habits and Irene's mom didn't really want it rubbing off on Irene.

"Well I should probably go... have fun with seal-girl and I'll see you tomorrow at school." Irene said, angrily shoving her phone back in her pocket.

"She does have a name you know." Lia said. Sometimes Lia wasn't sure why she was friends with Irene. Irene could be really sweet sometimes, but other times she could be rude and just downright insensitive. She also seemed to feel superior to everyone else.

"Yeah, I know she has a name. See you." Irene said, marching out the door and shutting it loudly behind her. Lia sighed and walked back into the living room, finding Nikki asleep on the couch, her messy hair falling across her face. Lia glanced at the photo of the baby seal on the wall, and sighed. Nikki had been looking at it before with such loneliness. Lia walked into her room and lay on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. She hadn't gotten much sleep the last few days, between schoolwork and everything that had happened with Nikki, so she was exhausted. Before she realized it, she fell into a fitful sleep.

                                                                 *******

After what seemed like only moments to Lia, she awoke to the sound of people moving around in the house and quiet conversation. Lia stretched and sat up, running a hand through her sleep-disheveled hair and yawning. She walked into the kitchen where Jen and Luke were sitting and talking.

"Lia, I'm sorry. Did we wake you up?" Jen asked, turning as Lia entered.

"No, It's alright... How long was I asleep?" Lia asked, walking over to the kitchen table and sitting with the other two.

"We've been home for several hours. I'm not sure how long you were asleep before that. We wanted to let you sleep." Luke said, getting up and walking to the stove. "Would you like some tea? I just boiled water." He said, pulling down a mug.

"Sure, that would be nice." Lia said, stifling a yawn with her hand. She graciously accepted the steaming mug of black tea and took a sip, enjoying taste and the caffeine.

"I think I know where Nikki came from." Lia said, in a more quiet voice as she set her tea back on the table.

"Really? Does she need a ride home? Is it close?" Luke asked, joining Lia and Jen at the table again.

"Well... I guess you could say it's very close but very far." Lia said, glancing out the large window through which the sea was visible with moonlight glinting off the waves.

"It's really hard to believe, but I don't think she's human. Have you heard of the legend of the selkie?" Lia asked, knowing as she said it that there was a good chance Jen and Lia would think she was insane.

"Selkies? Yeah I've heard of it... wait, you're not saying that's what she is?" Jen said, glancing at her husband and then back at Lia.

"Uh... yeah I guess I am saying that." Lia said. "I know it's really hard to believe, but just hear me out."

Jen and Luke looked at each other and shrugged, but Lia was relieved to notice that they hadn't called her crazy. Yet anyway...

"Well there are a few reasons why I think she might be a selkie. And before you say there's no way because it's only a legend, just give me a chance with the explanation. I had a hard time believing it at first too but now I am pretty sure she is. I mean, legends had to originate from somewhere, so maybe there is some truth to it... " Lia began, rambling slightly before pausing for a moment and then continuing. "I found Nikki on the beach in a storm late at night. Most humans would not find that the ideal place to be especially during a lightning storm when the sea is that rough. She also had what I thought at first were cuts on her skin, but I saw them more closely today, and they aren't cuts. They're friction burns in squares. They're the exact pattern of a fishing net. I don't think humans would typically be trapped in one of those either. Not to mention her obsession with fish. Almost all she eaten since she's been here is salmon. She isn't very sure on her feet, she walks clumsily so it doesn't seem like she's walked a lot. She doesn't really know what clothes or a shower are, so that isn't really normal either. Also, get this. Irene stopped by earlier and she said that last night Kyle, her step-brother caught a seal that turned into a girl. Irene thought he was drunk, but when she talked about it in front of Nikki it seemed to really upset her. I'm not sure it's a coincidence we found her only a few hours after kyle found a "seal-girl". She had a wound that healed completely within a few hours too. A really bad wound.  She also said she came from the sea, but she can't go home. That also fits the legend. If a selkie's skin is stolen, they are forced to remain in the human form and cannot return to the sea unless they get it back. She growls at people and shows her teeth, which is what seals do when they feel threatened. I found her earlier today looking at the photo of those two seals on the wall with a very sad and lonely expression. I know it's crazy, but I think there's enough evidence to say that she is probably a selkie." Lia said, finishing in a rush and avoiding looking at Jen or Luke, unsure of how they would react.

Luke let out a long, low whistle. "Wow... I uh.... wow. I guess that is a lot of evidence. And I'm impressed by how familiar you are with the legend. From what I know it isn't a very well known legend around here." He said, shaking his head slightly.

"Well, I guess if she is, I'll have to run out to the store and buy a lot of fish..."  Jen said, seeming to try to get a laugh to ease some of the tension.

Lia offered a small smile. "Yeah, I guess so. You seem awfully calm about all this." Lia told Jen.

"Well, to be honest, when  I was younger, every girl wanted to be a mermaid with sparkly fins and necklaces of shells. They wanted to have a boy fall in love with them like in The Little Mermaid. But I never wanted that. I admired the graceful beauty and elegance of seals much more. I never saw the appeal of being half fish, you know? So when I heard about the legend of Selkies, I thought it was so cool. Their story is tragic, but I always thought it would be so cool to be one. I wished they were real and that I could meet one. I guess as I got older, I knew it would never happen. I forgot about them. But I guess a part of me still is enthralled by the legend. That's probably why I accept it. A part of me wants it to be true, to know they exist out there. Although I feel just terrible for all that Nikki must have gone through..." Jen trailed off, a faint blush on her cheeks.

"Okay, considering we now have a selkie living in our house, what are we going to do?" Luke asked.

"We can let her stay here. Feed her, offer protection,  and try to make her as comfortable as possible. But I think it's important that we also try to get her skin back. I have a feeling she is really missing home by now." Jen suggested.

"I agree." Lia said, "but I think we should keep the fact that she's here kinda a secret. From what I know of the legend, if Kyle finds her, especially if he finds out who she is, she will be cursed to marry him and I have a feeling he would not treat her well. She'd be trapped."

Thank you for reading this chapter! Please comment if you have any feedback and let me know if you have any ideas about what will happen next? What do you think of Nikki's identity? Let me know!