Kavya crosses her arms with a smug smirk. “My thoughts exactly.”

“Where are they?”

Kavya points to my wet bathing suit. “You’re gonna want to change. Then we’re headed to the pier.”

     Ross     

It doesn’t take long to lock up the bungalow. I printed out the few welcome instructions for the next Journeyfin and put them on the counter, like the merperson who came before me (but with no heart i’s). I’ve been updating notes on human behavior my entire trip, now with a complete section on emoji etiquette. I washed and dried the towels so that a huge fresh stack was ready on the next merperson’s first day when they’d for sure slosh around too much in the tub and send gallons of water to the floor. Clean sheets, clean dishes, trash out. I reset the cell phone so that whoever comes next has a clean slate for their own contacts and friendships. Maybe even their own partner.

All it takes is one afternoon to wipe away my time on land as if it never happened. Everything is done.

Everything except seeing Sean one last time. Trying again to let him know how sorry I am. To tell him that it wasn’t a mistake that the Blue brought us together, that he showed me humans could be kind and thoughtful and care about something other than themselves. That even if I can never see it again, I’ll remember the movie he made of our time together for the rest of my life. That he showed me it was possible for merfolk to fall in love with one of his kind, and that’s a lesson I’ll take back with me to Pacifica. Maybe working on that love could be what finally ends this rift between our species and allows us to protect the Blue together.

I run to the beach as fast as I can, foregoing my last moments to wear heels for sneakers instead. I’ve got to move quickly, and besides, if I only have an hour left of being human, I’m going to put these legs to work. Mostly, I run to get to Sean sooner.

The pier is totally packed. Carnival games and food vendors line the sides of the humongous wooden dock, and there are dozens of people in front of each stand, waiting to snag a fried taco or win a giant stuffed mer toy from a ring toss game. How appropriate for what they’re about to see.