A look of anticipation on her young face, Stefanie turned to rush down the hall. Emily’s eyes were wide, and she stood there, rooted to the spot, her mouth moving silently, searching for something to say. She’d never seen any of this coming. The day had been nothing but one shock after the other, ever since Melissa had arrived with a mermaid tail. That alone was hard enough to believe, but all of this? Her sister’s imminent transformation…hell, the fact that her sister was a lesbian? How could anyone deal with this many things at once? It was maddening. She wanted nothing more than to wake up, to find that this was all a dream.
She glanced at Melissa. She felt a mix of anger, pity, and a slight pang of jealously. Sure, she’d thought about it before. Melissa was beautiful. But she’d never acted on it, or anything. Besides, she liked guys too much for that. Tears were falling from Melissa’s pink eyes, but she had a look of determination on her face.
“Emily!” Melissa gasped. “Stop her!”
With a jolt, Emily turned and tore down the hall. Stefanie had just reached the bathroom door, and was reaching out to open it, when Stefanie collided into her, slamming her against the wall. Stefanie let out a surprised shout, and then Emily dragged her sister down, forcing her to the carpet. She placed her knees against Stefanie’s back and then pinned her wrists to the ground.
“Get – off!” Stefanie cried, trying to twist herself free. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!”
“Me?!” Emily cried. “What the fuck is wrong with YOU? What do you think you’re doing?!”
“Get off of me damn it!”
“Hell no!” Stefanie continued to struggle. The girl was strong – all of that cheerleading no doubt – but Emily was stronger. She managed to keep her grip. Panting from the effort, Emily continued. “For fuck’s sake, I’m not going to let you do this to yourself! I’m not going to let you turn yourself into some kind of freak! I’m not…I’m…” She broke off, immediately regretting her choice of words, hoping that Melissa hadn’t heard, and knowing that she had. “I didn’t…I…”
Stefanie looked livid. “Hear that Melissa?” she shouted down the hall. “Your own friend thinks you’re a freak! But me? I think you’re beautiful!” She struggled even more. “Damn it, let me go! I want to do this! I want to be a mermaid, even if it’s only for a little while!”
Emily still felt bad about what she’d said, but she’d apologize later. “God damn it, NO! What if the bitch that did this to Melissa was lying about it? We don’t even know if the curse is transferred…or if there’s even a curse to begin with! We just don’t know! Maybe something else will happen! Serenity lied in the first place!” Stefanie continued to struggle, muttering curses. “For fuck’s sake, Stef, think about it! What would our parents say?”
Stefanie stopped struggling. She looked hurt.
“Like they would even care,” she murmured.
Emily looked away, feeling angry and sad. “Alright,” she muttered. “Fair enough.” There was a reason that Stefanie spent so much time here, after all. “But…what about everything else? School? Cheerleading? Your friends? Think about it!”
“Fuck school! I hate that place…but I bet none of them would call me a freak!”
“Stef! I didn’t mean…”
“And it’s not like this will be permanent! I could just pass the curse on to someone else right?”
Emily narrowed her eyes. “Yeah? To who? Who would you pass this on to? What, are you going to trick someone, like Serenity tricked Melissa? Would you really do that to anyone?”
“Of course not. I didn’t intend for this, but now that it’s happened, I want to happen. I’m sure there’s others out there that would want the same thing.”
“Be reasonable Stef!”
Stefanie let out a frustrated shout. “It’s going to happen eventually, damn it!” Her voice broke slightly, and for the first time, Emily could see the slight fear under the defiance. “Right?” Stefanie went on, her voice under control again. “I mean…if the curse did get passed on, then no matter what, eventually, I’m going to end up like Melissa. I can’t avoid water forever, unless you never want me to wash my hands, or take a shower, or take a drink…”
“That’s not…that’s not the point,” Emily insisted, though she knew it was a moot point. Stefanie was right. She couldn’t avoid it forever. “If I can find Serenity, if we can find a way to reverse then, then maybe you can avoid it altogether.”
Stefanie was silent for a moment. “There’s one thing you’re not consider. You either, Melissa,” Stefanie said, speaking down the hall.
“Stef…” Emily said warningly.
“Just let me speak. Look, if I transform, that means that Melissa should transform back, right?”
Emily frowned. “I don’t see what you’re—“
“And what the means,” Stefanie continued, speaking over her sister, “is that Melissa would be able to go with you, and help you look for Serenity! Do you really want to go after this girl alone? What if she does something to you, too? Neither of us can really go after you if it’s raining. I’d transform, and Melissa is already transformed.”
Emily opened her mouth to protest, and then closed it. Damn it, but there was too much logic there. Going after Serenity was a daunting prospect, and having someone help her would make things easier if it came to a fight. But at the same time, the idea of letting Stefanie transform and leaving her behind, helpless…that didn’t sit well with her at all. No matter what Stefanie might say, she wasn’t really thinking things through. As always, the damn girl was being impulsive. And at the same time…
Emily didn’t know what the right thing to do was.