"I dunno. Look up," Rikki replied. "It's gone, whatever it was. This is completely insane. Nothing makes sense. I feel like we fell down the rabbit hole into Wonderland, if Wonderland was awful." She waited in the water with him, figuring she would try to heft herself out of the pool after he got out. Mostly because if he was out already and she couldn't manage it, then maybe he could help.

While Ben coughed up more water, Rikki crossed her arms on the edge of the pool, lifting herself a little so that she could rest her chin on them. "I don't understand what the point of all of this is. If they're going to dissect me, then I wish they'd just get to it, yeah? I hate being scared. I don't like horror movies, I don't like haunted houses; I don't want to be afraid anymore. I hate it."

There it was. That was Rikki's biggest fear and she was certain, now, that that was the end game for her in this place. Why wouldn't it be? Why else would she keep being forced into her mermaid form over and over? Were they trying to be sure that she would still consistently turn? Was it just an obnoxious coincidence? "Come on, then, let's get out. I'll dry us off and we'll try again. If we're in here, then there's a way in and wherever there's a way in, there's also a way out. We just have to keep looking, yeah?"