A Wish on a Full Moon

In Too Deep (Part 2)

Julia: "When I thought the time was right. You gave me this and ..." She holds up the love letter to him, but Karl takes it away from her.

Karl: scoffs. "I didn't ... I gave you this, not a fish." Karl tosses it on the ground and walks away from her, breaking her heart.

Rikki glanced down at the ground, a little glum. She was relieved that it never happened to her, but still felt bad for the former mermaid who had to go through that, all because of who she was and what she wasn't.

"Oh, man. How awful," Max shook his head, glaring at the man that was supposed to be their classmate. He wasn't there that day, but he wished he was. If he was, he could've stopped that mess before it turned for the worst. He could've been there to help his friend, to be there for her. But he wasn't, and there was nothing that could change it.

"What a jerk!" Sam shouted.

"How could she fall for a guy like him?" Ash scoffed. "Because she thought he was falling for who she truly was. But she was wrong. In the end, all he saw her as was a monster," Mrs. Chatham said, tears shining in her eyes. "But she's still the same person, just with a few added features," Elliot pouted. He didn't want anyone to treat his sister like that. He hoped that Byron wouldn't either if they ever ended up together. "Unfortunately, he couldn't see that," Mrs. Chatham sighed.

Zane stared at the screen in shock. How could he do that to her? He should've loved her no matter what, legs or tail. It shouldn't matter. But it did to that guy. Zane promised himself he would never turn into that guy, never again. And he plans on sticking to that promise.

"I'm surprised he didn't think she was crazy," Denman remarked. No one believed her for a while either. "Because everyone thought he was crazy for believing that the sea creature that saved the fisherman was a mermaid, even his own father. Karl was willing to believe any information he got. Including about her," Mrs. Chatham explained.

Mrs. Chatham: "He wouldn't see her for a long time."

"Maybe he needed some time to think it through," Bella said but felt only false hope. "That's what Julia thought too," Mrs. Chatham replied sadly.

Mrs. Chatham: "And then one day he called, wanting to meet. We begged her not to go. But ..." Another vision plays of Karl slowly pacing back and forth on the same pier, hands behind his back. He paced and paced, until he looks down and sees Julia pop up in the water with a bright, loving smile, and a tail. "She thought she could trust him. She thought he understood." Karl leans over to get a better look at her, seeing her tail for the first time. "She was so terribly happy. And so terribly wrong." Karl brings his hands forward and reveals a camera that he was holding behind his back. He holds it up to his face and immediately starts taking pictures of her, the flash marking each pic he took. The smile drops from Julia's face and shock takes over. As the camera continues flashing, she swims away, even more heartbroken than before. Karl was able to snap one more picture of her tail before she left. "He wanted to expose her to the whole world."

The theater gasped in horror. The girls glared at the man yet felt fear for the reminder that it almost happened to them. At the time they could only hear of the stories, but now they were seeing it from Mrs. Chatham's perspective, of everything that happened to them so long ago. And the visuals only fueled their anger, including many others in the room.

"Using her feelings against herself. He's the real monster," Charlotte muttered under her breath, though she was very thankful that it didn't happen to her grandmother. Her and Annette both.

Max fumed upon seeing this. Again, he wasn't there for her at the time, and he really wished he did so he could save her and protect his friend, but he couldn't. He wasn't. Luckily for them, the other two of the group were able to stop him in time. But it still didn't stop the guilt.