Your name is Victoria but friends and family had a preference to call you either Vic or Vicky in endearment while being the youngest of your parents’ three children at 14. Chris or Christopher as the middle child was currently 17 while Jessica had not long ago had her 20th birthday. Compared to them though you were something of an oddball, being a fashion disliking tomboy mostly compared to Jessica who was studying fashion design.
The reason though you were asking was of course not wanting to try the famous merfolk transformation alone, after all already from where you were standing you could already see various people enjoying the place as both merfolk and human. Plus Chris’s snap at this ‘Call of the Sea’ being the reason of Alexis’s departure was very misplaced.
You and your parents knew the truth though from your dad’s job as a therapist. How Alexis mother was violently abusive mixed in with a liking of drinking, her dad though was a kind yet somewhat obsessive to redemption guy that couldn’t stop trying to get his wife to seek help...
...sadly as her mother’s beatings started becoming apparent at her school the authorities quickly and constantly jumped the gun at Alexis’s dad being the abuser, arresting him while starting the chain of actions for divorce. Your parents and Laura agreed it was best with Alexis’s dad and managed to convince him to go through with it. Problem was the judge and Laura’s parents got main custody granted to Alexis’s mother and worse not only did the beatings start getting worse but again the police deluded themselves away from the reality mothers could be just as bad, getting Alexis’s father’s custody revoked and sent down... and as Chris learned from Laura when she learned Alexis had fled, shacked in a riot.
“So you think this might be the reason your girlfriend’s folks aren’t ever planning on coming here anymore?” Jessica asked Chris. “Well you know how close Laura’s mum and her sister are. Point she ignores her drinking and violent actions” Chris assured “Heck Laura and mine’s relationship has to be low seeing as dad got Ms Jordon arrested after Alexis fled” Chris answered. “After what happened I had to break confidentiality and inform the bar association of everything” your dad assured.
“So are you interested in being a mermaid now and again Vicky? Must admit it looks interesting at first glance” your mother guessed while joining you in the view. Seeing things like what looked like a mother as a mermaid building a sand sculpture at the shoreline with her still human 6 year old. A pair of identical twins lounging in the water with only one sporting a tail. A merman lifeguard easily going about keeping non-merfolk swimmers safe in the water. “Well...” You started. “That needs to wait. we do need to get everything packed away in the house you know” your dad then stated. “Sorry” You apologise as everyone returns to collecting the luggage from the car and getting it into the summer house: