The girls burst into Cory's bedroom. Shoes flying off, dresses unzipped, and placed on hangers. Cory's bedroom fits her to a T, a blaze of colors. Turning around makes one dizzy because each wall is a different color: red, yellow, purple, and teal. Mermaids on teal, a red dresser on the red wall, the sun and sunflowers on, you guessed it, on a yellow wall, and her bed against the purple wall with a purple bedspread to match. Cory's bed with the trundle pulled out and a large air mattress was enough sleeping space for the 3MT+1 (three musketeers plus one) to sleep comfortably, but sleep was a long way off."

"What's up, Cory, with Charlie following you all night?" Seana asked.

"Mrs. Parish said we should hang around together since we are playing Romeo and Juliet in the spring play. He is attached to my hip everywhere I go."

"Do you like him?" asked Juliana.

"Ugh! He is not my type. I am an actress. I will 'like' him until the spring play. I am not looking forward to the kissing scene. It is hard to pretend to kiss someone you are not crazy about."

"Seana, what about that senior who had his eye on you all evening?
Do you know him?" questioned Sophia.

Juliana piped up, "he's in my French II class."

Cory had a puzzled look on her face, "Shouldn't he be in French III as a senior?"

They all looked at Seana. She shrugged, "I don't know him at all."



***

Corey's mom woke the girls up at 9:00 a.m. She enticed them with the smell of bacon and eggs. They came to the table, still rubbing the sleep out of their eyes.

"Remember, girls, you must be at Seana's house for her birthday brunch at noon."

With only one shower, it took the girls hours to prepare for the birthday brunch. There was much squealing and giggling as they prepared.

Mr. Nelson pulled the car out of the garage into the bright sunlight. H e opened the back of his four-door pale-yellow Studebaker station wagon. The girls filed out of the house, digging in their bags for sunglasses.



.
***

Seana opened the door to her house to an explosion of Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen, all in her favorite color, teal, and mixed shades of green and blue.

"WOW!" Yelled Cory as she entered behind Seana, Sophia, and Juliana, "oohed" and "aahed" as they took in the decorations. A Happy Birthday Sweet 16 banner hung on the wall above Seana's chair. Helium-filled balloons were secured to her chair. The centerpiece, yes, you guessed it, Sweet Sixteen, with blue and green crepe-paper seals on gray rocks surrounded by the blue sea.


"Sit here, Seana," said her mom as she pulled out the chair at the head of the table. Juliana, Corey, and Sophia filled in the other chairs, leaving one for Seana's mom.

Lucy served a delicious lunch of fried cod with french fries and coleslaw. Everyone knows she makes the best coleslaw around. The girls ate and talked and talked and ate. When finished, they helped clear the table and returned to their seats. Lucy disappeared into the kitchen for a few minutes. She returned with a flaming birthday cake and started singing Happy Birthday as the girls joined in.

The cake was before Seana, and everyone yelled, "Make a wish." Seana took in a deep breath and blew. She snuffed out all sixteen candles.
Seana cut the cake and took the first piece for herself. Lucy served the girls and herself.

Lucy sat down and cleared her throat, "ahem."

"I Have something to share with the four of you."

"Seana is half mermaid."

Seana's blue eyes widened in disbelief, and her mouth made a perfect circle before she covered it with her hand. Cory started breathing fast and shaking her hands,

Juliana said, "Oh! My God."

Sophia jumped up and ran around behind her chair. "Are you kidding me?"

Lucy sat quietly with her hands folded in her lap. Her brow wrinkled, and her lips were in a straight line. She waited for the girls to settle down.


"The rule for being a part mermaid is spending time under the sea during your sixteenth year. After that, she can decide if she wants the sea or the earth."

Seana looked befuddled, "How does that work?"

"We'll talk about that later."

"This needs to be a secret. There is a box in front of each of you. You may open it."

The girls picked up the blue velvet box on the table. Inside was a silver chain with a sea horse charm, just like the one Seana always wore.

Lucy said, "Seana will be gone on the weekends. Kids will ask what happened to her. I am not asking you to lie. Just be evasive. Take a moment, rub your sea horse charm, and an idea will come to you."

Seana, fingering her sea horse charm, asked her mother," How does that work?"

"You and I will talk about it later. It is one secret of the sea. There are many more you will discover."