Chapter 1: Gone
It was Friday and late in the evening. The four families had gathered together for a dinner again. They had this tradition to always gather together on Friday evenings. This time they were at the Doves house.
Emma and Ash were living at Emma's old house and had two beautiful daughters at the age of 14 - Serena and Louise. Louise was like a replica of Emma while Serena was just like her father, taking not only his looks, but also his love for horses. Emma was working like a lawyer, and Ash owned a big farm with horse stables and it turned out everything that included horses was a realy well-paied thing. Emma's parents had moved to a small house at the other side of the town, and even though they reassured Emma like about a hundred times it was perfect, she knew they missed their old house.
Eliot had married Kim, who had changed a lot. She still loved fashon magazines and shopping maybe a little too much, but she was now a loving wife, and was working as some famous fashon designer's assistent. She and Eliot had a 4-year-old daughter called Rose and they loved being parents. They often visited Cleo and Emma, but never showed up at the Friday dinners, because they were always "busy" with something. The truth was they knew it was Emma, Cleo and they friends' thing and respecting that really a lot, they didn't want to disturb them.
Cleo and Lewis were the first to arrive for the traditional dinner along with their 15-year-old son Jasper. Jasper was blond like his father, but had his mother's eyes and her character. Cleo was working at the Marine Park and was promoted to a Dolphin Trainer, and Lewis was working there too, but as a marine biologist. Cleo's Dolphine show had become the most popular show in the whole world and now people from all different countries were coming to see it. It was exausting, but Cleo loved her job. She was happy to work with her husband at the same place and their salaries were big enough to cover their bills and their needs.
The Benjamin family was the second to come leaving the Bennetts to be the last. Will and Bella had a 16-year-old son named Peter and Rikki and Zane had a daughter at the same age as Peter called Julie. Peter had taken his dad's looks and passion for diving. Will actually had renewed his diving career and was now a successful diver with a couple of champion titles that helped him earn good money and take care of his family. Bella was a successful singer at "Rikki's" and she and the group had signed contract with one of the big music companies(thanks to Zane's help and his connections), coming up with more and more albums. Thanks to Rikki and Zane's hard work, "Rikki's" had turned out to be the most successful cafe not only at the Gold Coast, but in Sydney too and at the whole Australia itself. Their daughter Julie was just like her mother, inside and out. She had her mother's blond curly hair and blue eyes, making her as beautiful as Rikki, and most of all she had Rikki's strength and stubbornness ( which was driving her dad crazy most of the times).
Serena, Louise and Julie were mermaids, just like their mothers, but Peter and Jasper only had their mother's powers. That's why they were a bit jealous of the girls, because they loved the ocean just as much and they wished they would be able to swim for ages like their mothers and the girls. However they managed to hide that pretty well. Actually, though they'd never admit, Jasper had a crush on Serena and Peter couldn't keep his eyes off Julie.
The dinner went like usual: everybody was talking about mermaid stuff, then school stuff, then the typical questions followed like who was doing what lately and how the things with their lives are. The four families were like one big family and were telling each other everything.
After the dinner the talks were moved from the dining room to the living room and lasted a few hours, until Emma noticed it was going late and reminded all the children that they had school the following day. They groaned.
"It was just starting to get interesting." Serena murmured breaking the conversation she, Louise and Julie was having.
"Your mother's right, sweetie." Cleo told her gently. "It is late."
Cleo, Bella and Rikki stood up from the couch, followed by their husbands. Numerous hugs followed, because of everybody hugging everybody and finally the McCartneys, the Bennetts and the Benjamins left the Doves house.
"I didn't think I'd ever say that, but I like these Friday dinners." Rikki told Zane, while they were driving to their house.
Julie was at the backseat writing a message from her phone.
"Yeah, me too. It's a good way to catch up with everything that's going on." Zane nodded.
Rikki turned to look at her daughter and smirked.
"Who are you chatting with?"
Julie lifted her head to look at her mother.
"No one interesting." She said and looked down again.
"So it's a boy, then." Rikki sated.
Her daughter didn't responded to that, nor she lifted her head again, but red color rushed to her cheeks and gave her up.
"Who is he?" Rikki asked. "Anyone we know?"
"No." Julie said shortly, but her mother didn't bought the lie.
"It's Peter isn't it?" She asked.
That's when Zane talked up.
"Answer your mother, Julie." He said with calm voice, taking a glance at her from the mirror for back sight.
"Ok, fine, it's Peter." She murmured. "But don't try anything on him."
Rikki smirked.
"I won't, but your dad's other thing."
Zane shot her a look.
"It turns out Peter took his father's taste for girls too, huh? What is it with all the Benjamin boys that they always fancy the wrong girls?!" He commented and Rikki's smile vanished immediately.
Her dad's comment made Julie shot her head up.
"What do you mean Peter took his father's taste for girls?"
"Nothing." Rikki said quickly before Zane could even open his mouth. "Your dad was just joking."
"But it's true isn't it?" Zane said giving shooting Rikki a look.
She sighed.
"I thought you were over that."
"I was." Zane said without thinking, but then he quickly covered his mistake. "I mean I am. I just wanted Julie to know that…"
"That what?" Rikki interrupted him. "That her dad can't control his jealousy and imagined something that's impossible?!"
Zane didn't answer to that. The remain of the drive was silent. When they arrived home Julie went straight into her room and Rikki and Zane went to their bedroom, but it could be heard easily they were arguing.
At the Doves house, Serena and Louise were helping their parents to clean up.
"It's nice when we're all gathering together, but not so nice when we do it here and we have to clean up after that." Ash commented jokingly.
"Yeah, well, that's why we're taking turns." Emma said giving her husband a smile.
"You know what? I'm beaten up. Let's leave the rest for tomorrow." He told his wife.
"No, I'll finish here, you go to bed." Emma said gently.
"Fine." He said, putting the plate he was holding in the dishwasher.
After exchanging "Good Night"s with his two daughters he kissed Emma (Serena and Louise pretended they were puking behind their parents' backs, but they were actually happy for them) and went upstairs.
"Girls, you two should head to your beds too." Emma told them. "Just stop doing what you're doing, wash your teeth and go to bed."
The girls rolled their eyes.
"Ok, mom." They said heading lazily upstairs.
Emma only rolled her eyes and smiled. She loved these three people more than her life.
At the McCartney's house Cleo and Lewis had to prepare for the following day and Jasper went in his room, but instead of getting some sleep, he preffered playing some coputer games on his laptop.
"Tomorrow is going to be a big day." Cleo told her husband.
"Yeah, another bunch of screaming people wanting to see your show." Lewis commented.
"You're saying it as if it's something bad." Cleo frowned.
"It's not bad. But I just hope they will be there only to watch the doplhins tomorrow."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing."
"Are you...jealous or something?" Cleo started laughing.
"Nope." He lied.
"Liar!" She accused him and then gave him a kiss. "Don't worry." She whispered in his ear. "They can stare at me as much as they want. But there's only one I can stare at." And she leaned to kiss him again...
"Good to know." He commented before picking her up and carrying her to their bed.
At the Benjamin's house Peter had took his place in front of the TV, sitting next to his parents. Still, he couldn't get his eyes off his phone, and was checking it at every few minutes, occasionally writing something short to someone. Will and Bella noticed that and his father joked.
"Is this some girl you're chatting with, so enthusiastically?"
Peter didn't answer, but his cheeks went bright red. His mother smiled.
"I saw the way you were looking at Julie tonight, by the way." She said softly. "You like her, don't you?"
"So what if I do?" He bit her.
"Nothing. I just think it's sweet." She answered lovingly.
"Mom!" He rolled his eyes, his cheeks becoming even redder.
"I'm sorry, I'll zip my mouth." She smirked and they went back to watching the movie.
The next morning Julie walked into the kitchen and saw her father making breakfast.
"Good morning, dad." She said.
"Good morning, sweetheart. Did you sleep well?"
"Yeah."
"I think the breakfast's ready. Why don't you go wake up your mom?"
"Fine." Julie groaned and went upstars.
She knocked on the door of her parents' room, but when she didn't get an answer she pushed it open.
"Mom? Are you awake?"
She looked around, but the room was turned upside down and was empty. So was the bathroom. "Weird", Julie thought when something caught her attention and she leaned to take it. She then recognized it and ran downstairs.
"Dad, something's wrong. Mom's not upstairs and your bedroom and the bathroom are a complete mess. And...I found this." She stretched her hand showing her father the silver locket with the red gem stone she had found in the bathroom.
"What?!" Zane grabbed the locket and ran upstairs.
Julie could her him calling her mother's name without getting any response at all.
He ran frantically from one room to another, but Rikki wasn't there. In his desperation and frustration he threw the locket against the wall causing it open while falling down. He reached and grabbed it. In there instead of the photo he found a small piece of paper. He pulled it to read what was written on it. It said only "Help". He then ran back downstairs and grabbed his phone from the kitchen table, dialing Rikki's number. Her voicemail was on and he started panicking.
"Julie, get your things, I'll take you to your aunt Cleo and uncle Lewis, ok?!"
"Dad, what's going on?" She asked, getting worried too.
"Don't ask questions, just do as I say!"
She ran upstairs to get her things. Zane grabbed his keys and once Julie was ready they got in the car and drove off. When they got to their destination, Zane jumped out and rang at the door bell. Cleo opened the door and it seemed she had just woke up.
"Zane, for goodness sake it's six in the morning!" She groaned while yawning.
"Cleo, I'm sorry, I know it's early but Rikki's gone and-"
"What?" Cleo's eyes suddenly went wide open when he said that. "What do you mean she's gone?"
"Look, I don't have time to explain but can Julie stay with while I'm looking for her mother?"
"Of course!" Cleo said and she gently pulled Julie inside and turned to look at Zane. "Are you sure you don't need any help? I can wake up Lewis."
"No, thanks but, no." Zane nodded. "Oh, and take this." He gave Cleo the locket with the note. "I found it in the bathroom, it's the only thing left from her. Keep it safe, while I'm searching for Rikki, it might be an important clue to what happened with her." He said, while getting into the car and he drove off into the light of the sunrise.
This was the last time anybody saw him.