Terrified, I ran past her, out of the bathroom. I fumbled with the door handle, trying to unlock it. I couldn't get it open. There was more knocking coming from the other side. A key turned in the lock and the door flew open.

I fell to the floor.

"Be careful," Erma cackled as she pulled the key out of the lock. "I brought your change from the hundred your husband gave me." She dangled the money out as I scurried to my feet.

"Run!" I said gasping for air. But right then Brigitte grabbed me by the shoulder and swung me around. Her face was back to normal, as beautiful as ever.

"Thank you," Brigitte sang in her soft enchanting voice as she pulled the bills from her hand. "Such a lovely seaside home you have."

The wrinkly middle aged woman's eyes glazed over. She seemed entranced by Brigitte's melodic voice. Her usual cranky demeanor lifted. "Well, *er, thanks," she responded. "It was pa.s.sed on to us through my family. All hunters. Generation after generation. Many tales about this *er forest and its game." Her expression was surprisingly light and dreamy.

Brigitte's hand grasped my shoulder firmly.

"Remember dinners are on the house," the woman continued.

"We'll keep that in mind," Brigitte whispered gently as she slowly began shutting the door, carefully pushing Erma out of the room. And then the door shut.

"Please..." Brigitte turned to me now that the woman was gone. "...drop that towel down the laundry shoot for me."

"Certainly," I mumbled as I turned to walk back to the bathroom.

"I'm sorry about that, Grace. Your blood cells are potent. I was caught off guard. You were right to run."

"I should have thought about that," I responded, not really knowing what to say. "I guess we still have to get used to each other. Are skin cells a problem too?"

"All human cells attract the mer, but blood cells are the most potent. They vibrate with the highest life frequency. I should have known better than to grab your towel. It's just that I haven't had a lot of close contact with humans. For those reasons we tend to keep to ourselves."

"Why do you and the other exchange students attend high school? Laurent said you are all over two hundred years old. I would think high school would bore you and the risk is greater for losing control around so many people."

"We try to fit into society as best as we can. Visually we look like teenagers, so high school is the safest choice."

"Why do you pretend to be exchange students?"

"Fewer questions are raised if we come in as exchange students from another country because people expect peculiarities from foreigners and we have trouble hiding ours. We only stay a few years and then leave before people notice that we never age."

"You just move from city to city?"

"Yes."

"That must get tedious never settling."

"It's the only way. There have been times that we've settled for longer periods of time on remote islands and lived off the land, but we prefer the luxuries of city life. We love movies, theater, concerts... The pleasures of modernization excite us." She tilted her head to the side and looked at me. "Let me complete your makeover. I'm just about finished. Call me when the towel is down the chute."

I nodded and headed toward the bathroom hesitantly. I was afraid of what had happened and didn't want a repeat episode.

My adrenaline rush settled as I discarded the towel. I opened the big window set before the tub to air out the room. I was being paranoid, but I just didn't want there to be any trace of my blood cells present in the air. Even though I knew the idea was illogical, I felt better taking a safeguard.

"You can come in," I called out as I caught my reflection in the mirror. I was shocked at how good I looked with the makeup she had already applied. She really was a master artist.

She must have felt freer around me now that I had witnessed her in predatory form, because her movement reminded me even more of a sea creature now. Her arms moved in an almost flowing manner reminding me of the tentacles of an octopus as she glided into the bathroom.

Upon entrance, she caught me looking at myself. "Pleased aren't you?" she asked with a knowing grin.

"You're amazing at this."

"All mers possess the talent." Her arms rested at her sides now as she watched me with her head tilted to the side.

"You should work as a makeup artist for movies."

She laughed charmingly. "Marine and I have done that, but it attracted so much attention. Two young girls with talents greater than Michael Angelo. We only do those sorts of jobs when we need to build up our finances. Right now we are in good standing."

It was difficult for me to fathom having such talents. Most everything about me was ordinary. I don't think I had ever excelled at anything aside from academics. And even with that, I wasn't exceptional in any subject.

She finished up the makeover and styled my hair. After, I was even more shocked.

"Can't believe you look better than most film actresses, can you?" She giggled enchantingly.

"I can't believe the image in the mirror is me." I wasn't as beautiful as Brigitte or Marine, but with all the makeup, I looked better than I could have ever imagined.

"I can't wait for Laurent to see you," she sang.

I was surprised how natural I looked with all the makeup and styling. Her artistry was impressively subtle.

"When do you think he will be back?" My heart was aching at the mention of his name.

"He should have already returned by now." She fluffed my hair in the mirror and fastened a string of pearls across my forehead and around the back of my head.

The new information concerned me. I felt a tug at my heart.

"We'll leave a note and I'll take you out for recreation," she blurted out suddenly. I was guessing she sensed my melancholy.

Brigitte was growing on me, but I missed Laurent something awful. I was worried about him. What if something bad had happened to him? I tried to push that thought out of my mind. "Where will we go?" I tried to seem interested.

She tapped her chin in consideration. "There's a big fair down south. It'll be fun."

I couldn't help but sigh. What if Laurent returned while we were out? He would worry. Maybe he would even go looking for us and get into more trouble.

"Don't worry," she whispered. "Laurent's fine. Though he's out of range, I sense his well being."

Now my sigh was of relief. I wondered how she could know such a thing. I got the feeling that being part of the same school connected them somehow. It didn't seem like the time to ask about that.

She wrote a note for Laurent and we headed down the gloomy stairs into the stuffed wild animal room. The bear seemed to stare at me with wild eyes. I could never get used to this room. It was just way too creepy. w.i.l.l.y and Erma weren't home, so we left without questioning, which was a relief.

Because of my mood, the fair wasn't any fun at all. I just wanted the experience to end so we could get back to the bed and breakfast to see if Laurent had returned. Maybe he had killed Sabine. Then we could get back to school and normal life.

As we walked around the fair, I was surprised how many people stared at Brigitte and me. I had never received so much attention in my life. We must have been hit on by a hundred guys at the Ferris wheel, the duck shooting booth, the petting zoo, etc... And they weren't only interested in Brigitte, but also me. Makeup and a beautiful dress can do wonders!

How odd. The attention made me uneasy and caused me to miss Laurent all the more. Boy, I had it bad for him. I was feeling really vulnerable and out of control.

It was dark by now. The crowds were dwindling. Most of the families with young children left for the night and now teenagers and childless couples were in rule. A mixture of carnival music, bells, and chatter sounded in the nighttime air.

We turned down a row of concession stand booths. The neon signs were flashing bright colors. The smell of popcorn and hotdogs started to irritate me.

I just wanted to go back to w.i.l.l.y and Erma's place. What if Laurent had returned and we weren't there? He would be all alone. Maybe he would return to the ocean and I would have to wait all over again.

I was surprised to see a little girl about seven-years-old ordering a cotton candy. I guess her parents didn't mind keeping her up on a school night. She reminded me of Lucy with her pigtails. My heart ached. I had to let my parents and Agatha know I was okay.

We came upon a booth that sold fried seafood. "Oh!" Brigitte exclaimed suddenly. "Calamari!" Her arms sort of flowed in the air for a moment. "Maybe they'll sell it to me raw." Her face lit up at the thought.

"You order that," I said. "I'll be right back. I have to go the bathroom so bad."

"I'll go with you," she insisted.

"Oh, no. You better order before they close. Look." I pointed at the hours written on a sign dangling over the window counter. "They're closing in five minutes."

She hesitated for a second. "Okay. Just hurry back."

Moving Fast "I will-don't worry." I rushed over to the restrooms near some art exhibits and made a collect call to Agatha's cell from the public phone.

As I heard the ring, my body tensed up. I was trying to figure out what to say.

A woman's voice came on the phone and asked Agatha if she would accept a collect call from Grace. Her voice quivered and then lifted, "Yes!"

"h.e.l.lo? Grace?" Agatha asked excitedly.

I could picture her adorable face and frizzy hair in my mind. "Agatha," I responded in a rush.

"Is it you?" Her voice sounded shocked and thrilled at the same time.

"Yeah, it's me." I held the receiver tightly.

"Where are you? We've been so worried." I sensed the panic in her voice now.

"Tell my parents and Lucy that I love them and that I'm fine. I can't explain now, but I can't come home."

"What?" she exclaimed. "Where are you? It sounds like you are at a party."

"I love you Agatha. Please don't worry about me. I'm in good hands. And please tell the police that Laurent didn't kidnap me. I left of my own freewill."

"Is Laurent with you?" she asked in a panic, eager to get more information.

Right then I saw a manicured finger press the lever on the payphone to hang it up. My body froze as I turned to see Brigitte.

"You should know better!" Her soft voice was harsh as she turned me around.

"I'm sorry. I just called Agatha. I wanted to clear Laurent's name with the police," I explained.

Her head was shaking. She looked really mad. "You could get all of us killed instead, Agatha included. Did you tell her where we are staying?"

"No, of course not."

"The police could have Agatha's phone tapped. Sabine and her school could be listening in as well."

"How could she do that?"

She rolled her eyes. "Didn't Laurent tell you?"

"What?" I looked confused.

"When mers focus on a location, they can hear every sound regardless of the distance between them and the emplacement. Sabine probably has her school listening in on Agatha and your parents. She could easily recognize the sounds of the fair if she was eaves dropping on your conversation with Agatha. Mers have acute clarity in hearing. This is probably the only fair going on right now in California. She'll figure out where we are in no time."

My shoulders fell. "I'm sorry. It was stupid of me."

"We better go." Her voice was tense. "Don't talk. She'll be scanning the fairgrounds for your vocal sound waves.

I furrowed my eyebrows, frustrated that I couldn't speak.

"Stay with me," Brigitte demanded. As she took my hand, I noticed her nostrils flare while the fine hairs rose on her sleek arms. I hoped she didn't transform like she did earlier when we were in the bathroom back at Erma and w.i.l.l.y's place.

She led me out of the fairgrounds in silence. We trekked across the huge parking lot, past the horse racing tracks and barns, down a steep hill, and came out onto the beach.

My stomach got queasy when she started leading me into the ocean. I pulled back. The idea of going deep within the water with her was terrifying. I knew she was on my side and wanted to help me, but I wasn't as closely bonded with her as I was with Laurent. I sensed that he would rather die than put me in danger. But I hadn't developed that sort of trust with Brigitte. Maybe she would lose control and tear me to shreds unintentionally. I felt like I was being led into the ocean depths by a shark. Only a fool would comply.

"You must come." She pulled me close to her and whispered in my ear. "It's the only way. Sabine will be listening for you on land. The water is our protection. We'll take it back to the hotel."

There was no way I was going with her. If she let go of my hand deep within the water, I would drown. There were so many possible dangers. I would be out of my element.

At once, I struggled with all my might. I must have thrown her off guard because I broke free. In a rush, I ran down the beach. My breath was rapid and my heart pounded in my chest.

But in no time she caught up to me and grabbed me forcefully by the waist and threw me over her shoulder. I was shocked by her strength. I hardly had time to struggle before she ran with me into the ocean and dove under the waves.

We were moving deep fast. I gave up my struggles. My adrenaline was rushing, but I could breathe easily in her grasp. Once I gave in, she let me swim beside her, only our hands connected.

"Stay with me, Grace. You are safe."

I had no choice but to succ.u.mb now. We were too deep. If I let go of her hand, I would drown. And if I was released from her grasp for too long, my body would be crushed from the impact of the depths.

The water was black around us. I could not see anything. When I lagged behind, losing my momentum, Brigitte pulled at my hand gently.

"You ok?" she asked in her musical voice.

"I'm afraid to swim too fast for fear of the dark."

"I'll fix that," she responded softly. I could tell she was more comfortable in the ocean than on land. Though the tension of our circ.u.mstances was still present, her voice resonated more gently. "We're almost at the ocean floor."

I tried to push myself ahead with my free hand held out before me like a blind person. One of my many fears was that I would b.u.mp into a predatory sea creature or smash into something hard like a coral reef or a huge boulder.

Suddenly the ocean floor lit up. Brigitte's hand was held out before her directing light ahead as we swam. Now the plant life glowed in many vibrant colors as it had with Laurent. A school of dull gray fish swam into the light exuding from Brigitte's hand. The entire school turned bright blue, orange, and yellow. They were beautiful.