Maury told them to have a good time and not to worry. He’d be waiting in the parking lot at nine and, like most people who’ve seen mermaids, even from a distance, he could be depended on not to tell.

Hailey and Claire borrowed a hammer they found in one of the abandoned cabanas to open the boarded-up cafeteria. Once inside, they swept the layer of sand from the floor and dusted the cobwebs off tables and chairs. After that was accomplished, they set out the dinner Hailey had thought to bring along, a carefully planned menu of tuna-fish sandwiches, seaweed salad, and sardines on toast. There was spring water for Raymond and a glass of saltwater, perfectly chilled for Aquamarine.

When they got to the pool, they saw that the water had turned so murky that the shallow end resembled a tidal pool. Purple snails climbed the metal rungs of the stairs and seagulls dived to scoop up the little silver fish that swam past the mosaic tiles. Aquamarine was waiting for them. She was even more faded than she’d been the day before, her tail withering to white, her complexion turning chalky, but when she saw the dress they held up, she turned blue with delight.

“Come and get me out,” the mermaid demanded, and then she thought better of what she had said. “Please,” she amended. “Help me.”

“How do we get her out?” Claire asked Hailey.

“We have to go into the pool and carry her,” Hailey said. “There is no other way.”

Claire turned cold at the very thought. “But I don’t swim,” she reminded her friend.

“You don’t have to,” Hailey assured her. “All you have to do is wade into the shallow end.”

And so they went into the pool slowly, and only as deep as their waists. But even in three feet of water, Claire was fearful, especially when the moon jellies floated near. Still, the girls managed to carry Aquamarine out, and they lifted her onto the wheelchair. After that, they helped her get dressed in one of the abandoned cabanas. When they cleaned off the mirror and Aquamarine finally saw her reflection, she made a sound that was somewhere between laughter and a wave breaking.

“Oh, thank you,” she said, completely delighted. “I look like a real girl.”

As they wheeled Aquamarine to the cafeteria, the sun began to set. Thankfully, the air was turning cooler — still being on land had begun to affect the mermaid. Out of saltwater, she was rapidly drying up. Claire had to collect the trail of scales that were shedding from her silvery tail.

“What if he doesn’t like me?” Aquamarine worried. “What if I’m all wrong?”

But she had nothing to worry about. Hailey and Claire knew that for certain because the moment Raymond saw her, he looked as though he were drowning.