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The ocean had never been bluer.

But for once, Nixie couldn't appreciate it.

She sped through the waters, alone, the echoing silence of the sea surrounding her as her mind whirled.

The Landboy–––Cam. Could she trust him? More than she could trust Zac. Which made Cam her only option.

And for some reason, she felt herself wanting to confide in him more and more.

For the thousandth time, she cursed Lyla and Sirena for not using their heads. Why couldn't they ever see past their over-optimistic views of things? She had never thought of herself as the "downer" of the group, but that was how they treated her now. Couldn't they ever listen?

And now they blamed her for not wanting to be around them. They–––and Rita, too–––were about to throw away the goal they had been working towards for months. They had lost all sense. They couldn't see the big picture, see that they had fallen headfirst into enemy waters, see that they were too attached to Landpeople. But she could. Who would've known that she, who used to like watching humans the most of all of them, would turn out to be the strongest?

One thing was for sure: she hadn't betrayed them–––they had betrayed her.

Oh well, she thought, eyes stinging. If they couldn't see past their own noses, at least she was here to put things right. Then, when it all worked, they'd realize they were wrong.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn't realized she was entering the Moonpool until she was inside and sitting on the shallow rock ledge. Breaking out of her reverie, she hauled herself out of the water and flopped onto dry rock. Within a few minutes, her legs had formed. She sat staring into the water, watching the sunlit entrance to the pool.

Suddenly something blocked out the light. Nixie watched as Cam swam through the gap in the rocks. His head broke the surface, and he spat out his breathing apparatus and grinned at her. Almost automatically, Nixie felt herself wanting to smile back. Then she tensed. It felt wrong for a human to be in the Moonpool–––especially a boy. But soon he was pulling himself out of the bright blue water.

"Nixie? Hello?"

"Sorry, what?" she snapped to attention.

"I said… um, never mind. How do we get to the… cave-water-thingy?"

Nixie rolled her eyes at the sight of him, bulky tank and neon goggles askew, flippers in the air as he pulled off his oxygen tank. The things people did just to spend time in the water. It made Nixie even more proud of her tail. "It's that way," she said, pointing to the water. "Hope you're up for a little more swimming." She leapt into the pool, resurfacing and gazing up at him, challenging.

"Aw, really? I just took off my tank!" Cam blinked at her. "Mind if I hitch a ride?"

Nixie sighed. "Come on. Let's just get this over with." She motioned for him to grab hold of her. No sooner had he picked up his scuba tank and stepped into the water and grasped her forearm than she was off, flicking her tail and speeding into the ocean. She took off, racing like a jet through the reef and into the warmer waters near Mako's shore.

Cam let go and floundered for a moment before finding his footing on the sandy bottom. "Whoa!" He spluttered, gasping. "That was awesome! Christ, you fish can swim fast. God. Hey, slow down!" She was already halfway onto the sand.

"You know, we should do that again sometime." Cam brandished a flipper as he ran up the white-sanded beach. "It's fun out here with you."

Nixie glanced at him, raising her eyebrows, and then began to walk towards the shade of the jungle. Cam struggled after her.

"With you mer… people, I mean. It's fun going so fast. I didn't mean–––hey, wait!"

After drying off, the two of them hiked up through the steamy forest towards the rocks where the secret entrance lay. The trident floated in a vast expanse of water magically hidden somewhere in the mysterious crevices of the island. Finally the two crested a hill and found themselves at the base of the stone formations.

"This way," Nixie said, breaking the silence that had lasted between the two for the entire hike. Cam followed, his shoes crunching on the gravel beneath their feet. Finally they stopped at what seemed like a blank stone wall.

Nixie held her breath. She had never opened the secret door by herself before. She wasn't even sure she had mastered the power of the moon ring she held in her hand. Since she didn't have any of her own, she had stolen the ring from Rita's grotto, hoping that nobody would notice. It made her feel a little guilty. It's for the best, she reminded herself.

She braced herself and raised a fist to the smooth rock surface. Focusing all her energy on the small silver ring, she pictured the stone sliding open, light flooding from inside as it had the first night she'd seen it.

There was a sharp intake of breath from behind her. She opened her eyes. Cam was stepping forward into the tunnel that now yawned before them, leading deep into solid rock. Nixie smiled and followed.

The tunnel quickly got dark, and Nixie wondered if she should use the moon ring to light their way. But before she had a chance to do so much as lift her hand, there came a blue glow from ahead. The trident portal was lit up from inside, as if it could sense them approaching. Nixie shivered. Was it reacting to her–––or to Cam?

As if reading her thoughts, Cam spoke. "Which one of us has to go in there? If it has to be a merman, then… neither of us really fit the bill."

"You're right." Cam turned his head in surprise as she spoke. He quirked an eyebrow.

"That's a first."

"You being right? Yeah, I know."

"No, you admitting that I'm right."

"Well, don't get used to it. I'm sure it won't happen often," Nixie said sweetly, before reaching out to the trident carved in the stone wall. Her fingers hovered above the glowing golden symbol. "Okay. I have to open the portal, but you have to go in. I can't touch the trident–––it'll knock me out, or worse."

"Well. Good thing I brought my gear, then."

"Yeah. You can do it. What with all your Landboy gear. You look ridiculous, by the way." Nixie grinned at him. " Just…" She reached out and toughed the trident mark with a fingertip. The portal rippled out from the center of the rock wall, swirling like a whirlpool. She gestured towards it and took a deep breath. "Hurry."

He looked at her with a mixture of amusement, confusion, and something else she couldn't place. "All right…" Strapping his goggles on and placing the breathing apparatus in his mouth, he stepped closer to her and, without another word, vanished into the churning water.

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