Seria awoke to the sound of sweet birds chirping. When she turned around, her brother Jake was still sleeping beside her. 

Seria giggled and sat up. She crawled out of the tent and stretched her body across the sand. Seria yawned. "That was a good night's sleep." Seria jumped up. "Caleb!" Seria ran down to the beach. Caleb was laying across a rock sleeping. "Caleb?" Seria walked over to him and shook him awake. "huh? Oh...Seria. Hi." Caleb sat up and crawled back into the ocean, his head the only thing Seria could see. 

"Good morning!" Seria smiled. "Wanna go for that swim now?"? Caleb held his hand out to Seria. "Yep!" Seria said slipping her clothes off, revealing her bathing suit. Seria took Caleb's hand as she walked into the cold water. "It's really cold!" Seria whined. "It'll get warmer. Trust me." Caleb said as he pulled Seria into deeper water. 

"Ah!" Seria shouted right before falling forward into Caleb and the water. Seria's head jumped out of the water, gasping for air. Caleb's head popped out as well. "Sorry..." Caleb apologized, blushing. Seria pushed her long hair out of her face. "It's fine..." Moments later Seria and Caleb were giggling together. 

"This is funner then exploring, although i like to explore a lot." Seria smiled. "I think it's 'more fun'..." Caleb chuckled. "What?" Seria crossed her arms. "I think it's 'more fun' not 'funner'." Caleb laughed. Seria followed. "I guess i need more grammar classes. But i am only 5, so..." Seria whispered. "Did you say...5?" Caleb smiled. 
"Yeah..." Seria nodded.
"I'm almost 7 now. Next month is my birthday." Caleb smiled. 
"I have my birthday in two days. That's what this trip was for. For my birthday. We are staying here for the rest of the week, or another six days." Seria smiled. "My brother is so thoughtful."

Caleb sighed. "Your brother and i have known each other for about two years now. He was so thoughtful to me as well." Caleb smiled. "Jake was, and is, my best friend. We met two years ago at your hometown..."

"Jake! Be back for dinner!" Jake's mother hollered from the kitchen. "Yes, ma'am!" Young, 12 year old Jake yelled from the door. "Bye." Jake said as he closed the door and started running down the sidewalk to the beach.

Jake huffed as he leaned on a rock. He had made it to the beach in time; right as people were leaving. "Yes!" Jake ran through the crowd of people and to a boulder, there he hid until the beach closed.

Once the beach closed and all of the lifeguards had gone home, Jake pulled off his shirt and hiked up his swimming trunks. "Let's go for a swim, hmm?" Jake smiled as he ran down to the water-front.

Jake jumped into the water. Instead of coming up, though, he stayed under, just staring into the deep. Then he saw a figure. Jake swam up to the surface shouting, "SHARK!!!" Then Jake saw a head. "RUN! SHARK!" Jake swam over to the boy. "Uh?" Jake looked into the water; the boy had a tail. "A...t...tail?" Jake stared at the boy's tail, then at his face, which was drenched with tears. 

"You weren't supposed to see...no one was..." The boy sounded delusional. "Are you...okay?" Jake shrugged. The boy held his hand up. "No...no...i'm fine. Really. I'm Caleb." The boy...or... Caleb smiled. Jake took Caleb's hand, and shook it up and down. "Jake." Jake nodded. 

"I'm Jake..." Jake snatched his hand back. "So you're really a fish?"  Jake asked. Caleb chuckled. "yep!" Caleb nodded. "Let's go...for a swim..." Caleb smiled. Jake nodded. Caleb dove under, Jake followed.

All Jake could see were fish, seaweed, and Caleb swimming around. "Hi.." Caleb blubbed as bubbles floated out of his mouth. Jake's eyes got wide. "Yes, i can talk underwater." Caleb smiled as he swam back up to the surface. Jake followed. "Take a long breather, 'cause we're going deep!" Caleb grinned.

"But at the time, i didn't know about mothers, fathers, or family. So i didn't know anyone would come to get him." Caleb sighed. "Then y'all's mother came down to the beach while we were swimming around. She saw my tail..." 

"Who's your friend-AHHH!" Jake's mother screamed. "Mom? Mom calm down..." Jake said as he swam over to the shallower end. "Mom? What's a 'mom'?" Caleb whispered to Jake. "What? Oh...It's somebody who takes care of you until you're old enough to do it yourself. But never mind that! Look!" Jake pointed to his mother, who was dialing something on her phone. She pushed three buttons. "Hello? Help there's a monster who has my son!" Jake's mother screamed.

"Uh oh... Caleb you need to swim away from here." Jake stared at Caleb. "But where?" Caleb asked.

"Uh...um...OH! There's an island about a mile away from here that way," Jake pointed out to sea. "I could pretend to take camping trips to come visit you!" Jake smiled. "Now go! Before the cops show up!" Jake slightly pushed Caleb into the sea. "Bye, Jake." Caleb said before diving into the water and swimming out into the sea. "Whew." 

Jake walked onto the beach and grabbed his shirt. Jake walked over to his mom. "Oh thank heavens!!!" Jake's mother said breathlessly as she hugged him. "Mom i'm fine. I was never with a 'monster'." Jake frowned and pulled away from his mother. "Jake..." Jake's mother whispered. Jake plodded up the sandy beach and up to his house. His mother followed.

Caleb sighed. "I never saw his mother again. And i have always been stuck here." Caleb looked down at the water. "Well i'm sorry. But i'll make a promise to you!" Seria held out her pinkie. "If i ever get the opportunity to live here with you to keep you company, then i'll take that opportunity!" Seria smiled as Caleb took her pinkie with his. "Deal..." They said together.

Seria poked Caleb's cheek. "Caleb?" Seria asked. "Huh?" Caleb grunted. When Caleb lifted his head, Seria's head was right in front of his. "Caleb?" Seria smiled.

"Y...Yes?" Caleb blushed. 
"What are you blushing for?" Seria rested her hand on Caleb's shoulder.
"i...i...don't...k...know..." Caleb turned into a tomato.
"And you're stuttering...Why?" Seria whispered. 
"What are you doing?" Caleb's breathing was shaky.
"I don't know. But i'm trying to keep this moment...going..." Seria said.

Seria rested her other hand on Caleb cheek. "Uh..." Caleb began. "Shh..." Seria whispered. Seria looked up into Caleb's eyes; they were really wide. Seria stood on her tippy toes and kissed Caleb; her first kiss.

"Seria! What's going on?!" Jake shouted from the shore. Seria pulled away from Caleb. "Nothing, Jake! I just fell in the deep end and got...um...caught on some...seaweed. Caleb saved me!" Seria grinning and giggled nervously. "Okay?" Jake said.

"Well have fun playing! I'll make breakfast soon." Jake said. Jake turned and walked back to the tent, going into it. "Whew..." Seria sighed. "What was that?!" Caleb said swimming over to Seria. "What was what?" Seria shrugged. 

Caleb's hand rose out of the water and up to his lips. "That kiss...Why'd you do that?" Caleb blushed. "I don't even know! I just thought it was the right thing to do." Seria smiled."What does that even MEAN!?" Caleb couldn't help but chuckle. "I don't really know..." Seria made duck lips, rested her finger on her chin, and looked up.

"ARG!!! You frustrate me so much!" Caleb shouted, looking up at the clouds. "Because?" Seria asked. "Because of the things you-" Caleb heard a splash. Caleb looked back at Seria; she was under the water, holding her knees. "Seria?" Caleb dove under and sat next to her.