"Girls, could you come down here, please?" Don called up the stairs.

Cleo didn't hear him. Her door was closed, and she was sitting cross-legged on her bed listening to music from her CD player rather than using headphones. She was contemplating her fish and wondering if it would be too weird to write fan fiction about their little fish lives. She had some really nifty ideas, but she would die of shame if Kim ever snooped into her room and found the stories.

Kim knocked on her door. "Cleooooo! Dad wants us downstairs."

Cleo rolled her eyes, and rolled herself off the bed. She paused her music and followed Kim downstairs and into the living room.

Instantly, she knew something was wrong. Mom sat on the sofa, her hands on one knee, looking tense. Dad, standing by the window with his arms folded, had a certain vibe of forcing himself to be casual.

"Girls, come sit next to me," their mother said.

Kim didn't appear to be picking up on anything, but Cleo's alarm bells were going off. Both girls were puzzled. They sat on either side of their mother. Don sat in a chair.

Their mother took their hands and began weeping.

Cleo's heart pounded. She'd never seen either of her parents cry.

Parents weren't supposed to cry.

"Cleo, Kim, I need to tell you something very important," their mom said. "We've tried to hide it from you as best we can, but...your father and I have been having trouble in our relationship for some time. And, as of tonight, I am moving out. At least for a while. Perhaps forever."

How could the world explode while remaining perfectly frozen?

"Mom?" Cleo asked, her voice trembling. She glanced at her dad to find him weeping, too. What is happening? she screamed inside.

"Now, sweetheart, I know this is upsetting," her mom said. "But it's actually for the best. Please try to understand."

Cleo glanced at Kim, who looked shellshocked, her face almost stone.

"What did we do?" Cleo asked, her voice almost a whisper.

"Oh, honey, you didn't do anything!" her mom said. "This isn't your fault. It has nothing to do with either of you! It's only between me and your father."

Cleo was too much in shock to register her words. "What...what can we do? What can we do to make it better?"

Her mom just smiled at her through her tears. "Nothing. Again, it has nothing to do with you!"

Some part of Cleo registered that Kim was still silent, hardly moving.

Cleo's breath came in tiny gasps. "No," she squeaked. "Please don't go! Mom, please don't go!"

"Sweetie, I have to," her mom said, barely holding it together. "You're not quite old enough to understand, so I can't explain. Hopefully someday you'll understand. I love you both-"

That did it. Saying she was leaving and that she loved them in the same breath.

Cleo darted for the front door. She was barely thinking. The world was spinning.

"Cleo!" both of her parents called.

Cleo was out the door, down the street. She ran, and ran, and ran, then she was swimming, faster than she ever had.

 

After Cleo bolted, Don quietly and respectfully got up and closed the front door. He and his wife knew Cleo would be back once she calmed down.

"Kim," their mother said.

Kim just shook her head, her face expressionless. "I want to be alone, Mom," she whispered.

"Of course, sweetie," her mom said, and kissed her head.

Mr. and Mrs. Sertori respectfully watched as Kim woodenly trudged up the stairs. They heard her door close. They heard the music come on. They knew it would be loud enough to cover the sound of sobbing.

 

Neil picked up the kitchen phone, wondering why Don Sertori was calling him at almost nine at night. "Hey, Don."

"Hi Neil. Uh...Cleo was incredibly upset this afternoon and ran off, and she hasn't returned. I was wondering if she was there, or if Emma knows where she is."

Emma was on the sofa watching The Little Mermaid with Elliot. "Emma, do you know where Cleo is?" her father asked.

"No," Emma said. "Why? Is something wrong?"

"Emma doesn't know where she is," Neil said. "Is this only a little bad or a lot bad?" He and Don ran relaxed households. They both trusted their children, and understood that teenagers often needed to stay out late to have fun, enjoy their youth, and burn off energy.

Don sighed. "I don't know. I'm sure she's okay, it's just that...what upset her was earth-shattering. It wasn't trivial. That's why I'm worried."

Neil didn't pry, of course, but he hadn't been blind to the Sertoris' problems. Reading between the lines, it wasn't difficult to guess what the earth-shattering news had been. Neil's heart went out to the other man.

"I don't know what to tell you, Don. Have you tried Lewis?"

"His mother says he's on his way back from a science fair and won't be in until late."

"I see."

"Who's that other girl they're always with nowadays?"

"Rikki?"

Emma was ignoring the TV, absorbed in the half of the conversation she could hear from her father.

"Yeah, that's the one. Do you know how to reach her? I know almost nothing about her."

"You know, neither do we," Neil said thoughtfully. "But I know Emma knows how to contact her. Listen, we'll look about a bit, okay?"

"Thanks, Neil. I appreciate it."

"No problem, Don. We'll be in touch."

The moment her father hung up, Emma asked, "What's happened?"

 

Emma and Rikki surfaced into the moon pool.

Cleo lay on the ground by the wall, facing away from them and huddled up against the cold. She was wearing only a tank top and shorts, and the temperature in the cavern had dropped after sundown.

"Cleo," Emma said softly.

No answer.

They pulled themselves out of the water and Rikki dried them. They walked to Cleo and knelt beside her.

Cleo was shivering, but snoring ever so softly. Her face twitched a tiny bit every few seconds, like she was lost in a nightmare.

Emma and Rikki looked at each other grimly, then Emma gently shook Cleo's shoulder.

Cleo let out a small yell, startled from sleep.

"Hey," Rikki said. "Your dad's worried about you."

But my mom isn't! Cleo thought. At the mention of her parents, her face dissolved into tears.

They held her and kept her warm as the story came out, bit by bit. They never let go. They never stopped comforting her.

 

It was almost eleven when Emma said, "We need to get back. They are worried, you know."

"I don't want to go back to my house," Cleo said. She had managed to pull herself together but her lip still trembled.

"If you want to sleep over at mine, I'm sure everyone will be okay with that," Emma said, and looked at Rikki. "Rikki?"

Rikki nodded, indicating she was up for a group sleepover.

"Thanks, guys," Cleo said. "I don't know if I've ever told you how much I appreciate you both. I don't think I could have survived this day without you." She gently held her locket for a moment, grateful again for its symbolism; grateful to see that, as ever, the others still wore theirs. All three of them hardly ever took the lockets off.

"You'd have survived," Rikki said. "Just with deeper scars."

"There's just one thing, Cleo," Emma said. "Even though you often don't get along...I guarantee you, Kim's hurting just as much as you are. Maybe more, because she's younger and this will hit her harder. She'll need her big sister, even if neither of you realize it. You may have to be strong for her."

Cleo nodded. "I know. But right now, I can't even be strong for myself."

"That's why we're here," Rikki said with a smile. "Come on."

"I don't have any of my things," Cleo said. "My jams, my toothbrush..."

"I'll swing by to get them," Emma said. "It'll be all right. I know your dad will understand."

"Thank you," Cleo whispered.

Emma and Rikki helped Cleo up, and held her hands until they reached the pool.

They dove in.

 

Emma and Cleo arrived at the Gilbert house a little after eleven, while Rikki swung by her own house to get her things. Phone calls were made, everyone was relieved. While Cleo was in the bathroom, Emma whispered to her parents a quick one-sentence explanation, confirming their suspicions.

Rikki arrived. She stayed with Cleo while Emma went to the Sertori house to get Cleo's things.

Don opened the door with a pleasant smile. He may have been dying inside, but he was man enough to be strong for his daughter and her friend. Nevertheless, it was an awkward moment.

"Hi, Mr. Sertori."

"Hey, Emma. Thank you so much for finding Cleo and making sure she's safe."

"Hey, always," Emma said with a smile. "I'm...sorry she didn't want to come by." She looked embarrassed. She didn't want to pry into the Sertoris' privacy.

"It's okay, I understand she doesn't want to be here right now. I get it. I'm giving her all the space she needs, and I want her to understand that." He handed her a sack. "Here are her pajamas, toiletries, and a change of clothes. Please tell her I fed her fish, and I will continue to do so as long as I need to."

"Thanks, I will. I'm sure she'll be okay."

"Me, too. Thanks, Emma."

"Good night, Mr. Sertori."

"Good night."

 

Cleo felt a little better in the morning. Though she felt shattered, the support from her two best friends still made the day feel special, somehow. They walked along the beach, grabbed a drink from Juicenet, and walked along the beach some more. Lewis called, but Cleo let him go to voice mail. She would talk to him that evening, but not right now. She knew he would understand when she explained.

They visited Ms. Chatham at the rest home for a bit. They sat in the communal area, a large covered patio with tables and chairs, next to the sports and gaming area. A chirpy young woman who worked at the rest home tried twice to get Ms. Chatham and the girls to join the shuffleboard tournament, because it's grrrrrreat to be active! Each time, Ms. Chatham just smiled and said, no, she and her friends were good where they were.

No one mentioned Cleo's problems, but the way Ms. Chatham looked at Cleo, they all had a feeling she knew.

Ms. Chatham somehow always knew.

Just before they left, Ms. Chatham held Cleo's hand and said, "You still have spirit, just like I told you before. And your friends have come up aces, as I always knew they would. You will be more all right than you think."

"Thank you, Ms. Chatham," Cleo said, and hugged her.

Somehow, Cleo actually believed her.

 

Cleo didn't call ahead. She simply walked into her house with her things, around four in the afternoon. Her dad was at the kitchen counter, sipping coffee and reading the paper.

"Hi, Dad," Cleo said, almost as if nothing had happened. But she strode to him and hugged him tightly.

He didn't say a word. They held each other for a long time.

Cleo finally pulled back and said, "How's Kim?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. She won't talk much. She came down just long enough to get a late breakfast and pretended nothing happened."

"Is Mom gone?"

He nodded.

"Where?"

"She's staying with Lucy and Reggie." Lucy was Mrs. Sertori's sister.

Cleo nodded and hugged him again. "I love you, Daddy."

"God, I love you too, sweetheart. More than you can ever know."

 

Cleo knocked on Kim's door. It felt odd to do so; 99% of the time, it was Kim knocking on Cleo's door. Or the bathroom door. Or any door, really. It suddenly occurred to Cleo that Kim had never met a closed door she didn't hate, unless it was her own.

No answer. Cleo tried the door. It was locked.

"Kim, may I come in?"

"Go 'way," came the voice from inside.

Cleo gently banged her head against the door a few times. "I won't stop," Cleo said. "You know how stubborn I can be."

The door opened. Kim glared at her.

"May I come in?" Cleo asked.

"I said go aw-"

"Great," Cleo said, walking past her and sitting on her bed.

Kim turned to face her and folded her arms. "What do you want? I'm not loaning you any of my clothes!"

Cleo was just barely old enough to realize Kim was just lashing out to cover up what was going on inside, but Cleo lacked the maturity to articulate this.

"I just wanted to see how you're doing," Cleo said pleasantly. And honestly.

Kim gave her a look of disgust and disbelief, and took a few steps forward. "You've had twelve years to play the loving older sister. Don't you dare start pretending now."

Cleo tried not to get choked up. "Maybe I'm not pretending. Maybe I'm hurting, too, and I'm trying to be better, and trying to do the right thing for once." She paused. "Maybe I've been forced to grow up a little since yesterday afternoon."

"You and me both." Kim said it with pain and accusation in her voice...

But it was still a connection. Something they shared.

Cleo held out her hands. "Come here."

Hesitantly, Kim stepped forward and held Cleo's hands.

"I know we live in two different worlds," Cleo said. "And that will always be the case. Our lives just don't overlap very much. I don't know why, when we live under the same roof, just thirty feet apart. As much as I've been a terrible older sister, you've been a bratty younger sister, so there we are. But I care about you, and if your heart is broken-"

Cleo had to take a quick breath to choke back her emotion.

"-if your heart is broken as much as mine is," she continued, "then I want to help you heal it. Even if I'm not old enough to know how to heal my own."

Kim's face worked with emotion. Two tears escaped, despite her best effort.

Then she stepped forward and hugged Cleo. Cleo hugged her back, rubbing her hand up and down Kim's back.

After a few moments, Kim pulled back and said, "Thanks, Cleo."

Cleo nodded.

"But if it's all the same to you...I want things to be as normal as possible," Kim said. "Normal is good. And I love you, I really do. But if we can get back to hating each other as soon as possible, that would be great."

Cleo laughed, and Kim laughed with her through her tears.

Cleo took her hand again. "If that's what you want, I think we can manage. Just as long as you know I'm here for you, whenever you need to call a truce because you need someone to listen."

"Likewise," Kim said. "Now get out of my room!"

Cleo laughed and rushed out the door, which slammed behind her.

And with that, life in the Sertori household continued.