When Journeyfin have truly helped someone, they get their Journey Mark and can return to the ocean on the Blue Moon. As a gift, mer are granted their own magic upon returning home to continue to make the Blue a better place.

“So, that about covers it,” Ross says.

Kavya blows a raspberry so big that some of her spit lands on my neck. It’s disgusting, but I literally can’t lift my arms to wipe it away. She’s lunged across me to get at the keyboard, my arms pinned beneath her body.

“That does not about cover it. We haven’t even gotten to the best part,” she says, then clicks to the final slide. It just says KAVYA, and underneath that is a picture of her doing jazz hands.

She finally gets up off my lap and smooths down her vintage TLC sweatshirt. “Kavya. That’s me. Daughter of a mer who chose to stay on land and the human woman she fell in love with. I am in no way mer by blood because Mummy, my human mom, used her egg and a spank bank donation from a sperm donor, and as far as I know they didn’t get any mer semen to impregnate her with. Hey! Do you think that’s spelled S-E-A-M-E-N? Because mer live in the sea? Anyway, I’m human, but have been given the rundown on all things Blue and told to keep my mouth shut. Which I have, up until now, but I think your bestie dating a merperson gives the go-ahead to start talking about it.” She looks to Ross for permission. “Right?”

They nod. “Sounds about right to me. And merpeople don’t have semen, so never mention that again.”

“Got it, Captain.” Kavya turns to me, an extra spark in her eyes that isn’t usually there. Not that she’s a sad person to begin with, just that she’s been so off. Even last night, when she was talking about Coraline, she seemed . . . sad? But what could be so sad about having a mom who used to be mer? Maybe it’s just a complicated mix of emotions having the weight of keeping a secret lifted off her shoulders. I’ve been keeping Ross’s secret for only a week and it was so stressful having to make sure I didn’t blab about it to Kavya.

“How long have you known?” I ask. “About your mom.”