"Where are you moving again, Hayley?" Lewis asked for the third time as he sat down on the sand that covered the stone floor of the cave.

"Forks, Washington. It's where my stepbrother lives. My mom's new job is there, and she also wants to go see him and his fiancee again. Supposedly she's great," I said back, a smile tugging at my lips. As much as I hated to leave Australia, I did want to see my step-brother again. I haven't seen him for the past few years, after my mom had a falling out with my dad. My dad was originally married to a woman named Rachel, but then they divorced, and my dad married my mom. He already had a son named Sam, and so when they married and had me, he became my step-brother. But three years ago, they got a divorce, and my mom and I moved to Australia.

"I still can't believe that you're leaving tomorrow. It's going to be so weird without you here, and I'm going to miss you!" Cleo said, her tail making the water splash as she swam over to me.

Did I forget to mention? Three of my best friends and I are mermaids. About a year ago, Cleo, Rikki, and Emma went to Mako Island. After they went into the moon pool during a full moon, they transformed into mermaids. The next time there was a full moon, I was swimming there, and I turned into one too. I found them swimming a few days later, and we all became friends soon after that. 10 seconds after we touch water, we change, unless we can get all of the water off of us by then. It's been hard, but it's also been amazing.

"I'm going to miss you too, Cleo. I'm going to miss you all," I said as I gave each of them a hug. "Why don't we enjoy what time we have left? Race you to the docks!"

I could see the fins of their tails as Emma and Cleo raced out of the moon pool, and sand went everywhere as Lewis ran out of the cave. Right before Rikki left, I grabbed her arm and told her stay. "Can you do something for me, Rikki?"

"Sure. What do you need?"

"I know that you're going out with Zane again." Rikki's face turned into a shocked expression and her mouth hung open. "I know that he knows about us again too. Can you just tell him that I'm going to miss him? I don't think that I'm going to have time to tell him."

Although Zane seems like a jerk on the outside, he was my first real friend here. My mom and his mom were friends when they were in high school, and so when we moved here from Forks, they started to hang out again, and me and Zane were dragged to their parties. When your the only two teenagers at an adult party, you start to form a relationship.

Slowly, Rikki closed her mouth and said, "Su-sure. I can do that."

"Thanks Rikki," I said with a smile on my face, but I was surprised on her stumble. She was usually the strong one in our group, the one that didn't get intimidated or anything like that. But I guess that she was surprised that I found out. I have to admit, they were good at keeping it a secret, but with Zane talking about her to me, it was obvious that they were boyfriend and girlfriend again. "Now come on, we don't want them to win this race!"

Rikki and I swam out of the moon pool and raced as fast as we could to catch up with Cleo and Emma. We didn't want them to beat us and have them mocking us for being last again!

"Mom! I'm home!" I yelled into my house as I walked inside. I took the key in my hand and placed it on the kitchen counter, despite it being covered by the large, brown boxes.

Rikki, Emma, Cleo, Lewis, and I had said our goodbyes once we got out of the water. Rikki was never really one to show her emotions, but I knew that she cared for me and was sad that I was leaving, and Emma and Lewis took it hard, but Cleo and I took it the hardest. My mom and I lived in Australia for a year while she was still married to my dad, and me and Cleo became best friends during that time, so it was amazing when I got to see her here again. We share everything with each other, and during that period of time that she was a mermaid and I wasn't, I knew that keeping the secret was killing her.

"Great! Can you help me put all of these glass figurines in the boxes? They're the last things that need to be packed." My mom's usually tamed brown hair was frizzy and scattered above her head. She had oil on her shirt and grease spots all over her face.

"Sure," I said. I grabbed the glass piano and started wrapping it in the gray paper. "Where you trying to fix the car up?" I asked my mom.

"Yeah. It's finally done," she told me with a smile on her face. "That beat up car is finally fixed!"

"Good for you mom," I laughed. Silence filled the air as we wrapped up the last of the glass figurines.

"There. We're done," my mom said as she put the last one in. "They moving van will be here in an hour to get all of the stuff, and we'll have to leave tomorrow at four in the morning so we don't miss the plane. Why don't you take a shower and then go to bed? You're going to have a long day tomorrow."

"You sure you don't need help when they come?"

"I'm sure honey."

"Alright. Night."

I walked up the stairs and headed towards my room. As I was walking, I looked around my house. This was the last time I was ever going to live here. I opened up the squeaky door and stepped inside the purple room. Everything was packed away in boxes downstairs, and the only thing that was left was my double bed and a pair of clothes for tomorrow and PJs. I walked into my bathroom and turned the bath water on hot. As I watched it fill up the tub, I took off my jean shorts and blue cami.

Stepping into the hot water and sitting down in the tub, I soon felt the familiar feeling as my legs transformed into a tail. I smiled as I looked at my orange tail. This was the one thing that made me different from most people. It's what truly changed me.

After washing my hair, I let the water drain out of the bathtub and I pulled myself out of it and onto the rug next to it. I took the fluffy towel that was on the counter and dried myself off. Soon enough, my tail was replaced with legs.

I walked out of the bathroom and put on my light blue cami and stripped pants, and then went to go turn off the lights. I climbed into bed, and soon felt sleep consume me.

Tomorrow everything was going to change.

Again.