"Wake up, Lillian, it's you special day!" I woke with a start. My mother was leaning over my excitedly, so it was hard not to feel happy. "It's your sixteenth, sixteenth, wonderin how anything, anything, could get better than thiiiiiiis..." my mother, Julia, was humming to herself. It was my sixteenth birthday, but frankly, Julia seemed more excited about it than I was. I managed a smile and slowly got out of bed. We hadn't planned anything for today, or for my sweet sixteen, for that matter. "So, honey, what do you want to do today? It's your choice." I blushed, wanting desperately to tell her what I wanted, but knowing the repercussions. "I was thinking we could, maybe, go to the beach?" I asked quietly, resembling a mouse politely asking a cat not to devour her just yet. My mother's face hardened, then softened again. I had never been allowed near water. Was never allowed to go outside when it was raining, never allowed to join the community pool that all my friends joined, never allowed to go to the beach. "If that's what you really want, honey. We can eat at Michael's then head over to Stinson." Michael's was my favorite diner. They served spaghetti and meatballs for breakfast, so what's not to like? But I couldn't believe that Julia was going to take me to the beach. "Are you serious? Are you really truly serious?" "Yes, Lily, I'm serious," she replied. "Now head into the kitchen, I have some presents for you."

I got dressed and headed into the kitchen. On the table there were three packages wrapped in brown paper tied with red bows. I picked up the first one and opened it carefully. Inside it was a beautiful notebook. It was blue with a tree design, branches reaching over the hard cover. But it looked used. "Open it," said my mother. I did, and inside, instead of writing, there was drawings. Drawings of fish, sharks, whales and, most surprisingly, mermaids. "Who drew this?" I asked. "You'll find her soon," was my mom's only  reply.