Will powered himself rapidly through the water, flipping his monofin as quickly as he could.
Bella giggled slightly as she flew past her boyfriend in the water. No human contraption could ever hope to match the power of a mermaid fin. She paused briefly, looking over her shoulder at the boy she loved.
Will kicked harder, ignoring the pressure on his lungs as he swam. He hated having to swim to the surface for oxygen. It was weak and it embarrassed him, especially when he was swimming with the girls. He wished he could swim the way Bella did, free and fast under the waves.
Eventually he gave in, rising to the surface reluctantly. He gulped in fresh air quickly, trying to minimize his movement, before ducking back under the surface to swim.
After what seemed like an eternity they finally reached the dock outside his secluded boat shed. Will pulled himself out of the water with shaking arms, collapsing onto the sun-heated wood of the deck.
"Are you alright?" Bella's smiling face appeared over his.
"Fine." Will panted, unable to keep himself from smiling as he looked at the mermaid. "I just need to catch my breath for a moment."
Bella used her power to easily raise the water level and gently slide onto the dock beside Will. She hardened the water clinging to her and broke it off, becoming human once again a few seconds later. She let her head roll to the side, watching Will breathing heavily.
Bella hopped to her feet and grabbed a bath towel off the clothes line. She tossed it to Will. "Hurry up and dry off so I can actually touch you." She said with a sparkle in her eyes.
"Yes ma'am." Will obediently began toweling the water from his skin, trying hard not to be jealous of the fact that Bella didn't even seem the least bit tired. In a few moments he was dry enough. "Now come here." He reached an arm around Bella's waist and pulled her to him tightly.
Bella had just closed her eyes and was leaning in for a kiss when a high pitched beeping ruined the moment.
"Shoot." Bella grabbed her phone from her back pocket. She turned back to Will with apologetic eyes. "I'm sorry." She said regretfully. "I completely forgot we had band practice today. I'm late, I'd better run."
"Need a ride?" Will knew what her answer would be before she began to speak.
"No thanks." Bella hastily grabbed her keys off the porch. "I'll just swim over and use our room, it's way faster."
About a month ago, Zane had fenced in a secluded bit of beach off the pier and built a tiny shed around it. The girls could use the tiny room to dry themselves in after they pulled themselves out of the water. Their 'room,' as they called it, was kept locked at all times, and the only keys belonged to Zane and the girls. No one payed much attention to the little shack, and since it was located right outside the cafe it made traveling back and forth much quicker for Bella.
"I'll stop in to see you later-" Will started, but was interrupted by a large splash. He sighed as Bella disappeared down the canal towards the cafe.
Will watched until he couldn't see her anymore before turning to head into his tiny boat shed. His phone rang shrilly as he closed the door behind him.
"Hey Sophie." Will said, unenthusiastically holding the phone to his ear. "Yeah, I know. I'll be there in half an hour."
Will clicked the phone shut and tossed it onto the couch before collapsing onto it himself. Right after graduation a local company had offered to sponsor him if he decided to return to competitive diving. Sophie had begged him for weeks before he finally agreed to start competing again. Now things were just as they'd always been. Sophie pushed Will too hard, and Will trained for hours every single day. He loved swimming, but diving for a prize just didn't make him happy.
Will's head rolled to one side, his eyes landing on the long shelf hung on the wall that housed all of his swimming and diving trophies. It used to make him so proud to look at this collection of his accomplishments, but lately something had been... missing somehow. Will's eyes landed on a framed picture of Bella, Rikki, and Cleo that sat on the side table. A smile came to his eyes as he gazed at his girlfriend. Ever since he'd met the mermaids he'd been completely unsatisfied with regular swimming. Now that he knew there was more to life than just training he was eager to make changes to his life. He gave himself a mental pep talk as he set the picture back down.
Re-energized, Will quickly changed clothes, clung his bag over his shoulder, and headed out the door to meet Sophie for training.
Rikki and Cleo arrived at the cafe around a few hours later that afternoon. They quickly located Bella and waited for the band to finish their song.
"Hey you guys." Bella hopped off the small stage. "Is it that time already?"
""Yup. 4:10 on the nose." Rikki answered with a grin.
"And the moon comes up when?" Bella tied her hair back into a ponytail as she spoke.
"Six." Cleo spoke up. "Plenty of time to get the apartment ready for a night in."
The three girls had moved into an apartment together right after graduation. Bella and Cleo were taking a few classes at the local community college while Rikki was focusing all of her attention on running the cafe full time. Zane had decided to attend a prestigious business school on the other side of the country, leaving Rikki to run their business.
For months Zane had tried desperately to convince Rikki to take him back but she had refused. Eventually he had given up, but he never seemed to fully recover from the break up. Deep down, Rikki felt that Zane's decision to go so far away from school was more about losing her than a desire to learn business, but she had let him leave without saying a word to stop him. Nowadays they spoke on the phone fairly often, and their friendship was slowly repairing itself. Rikki hoped they could be friends even if their relationship had gone stale.
"Great." Bella grinned. "I'll tell Nate we're out of here."
Rikki was giving a few last instructions to the night manager of the cafe when Will pushed his way though the beaded doorway. "Hey Will!" She called to him. "Bella's talking to Nate right quick. You coming by the apartment tonight?"
"What?" Will blinked his eyes distractedly. A second later comprehension spread across his face. "Tonight's a full moon."
"Damn straight it is." Rikki smacked him playfully with her clipboard. "I mean, we aren't expecting any excitement or anything but I still think it's a good idea to be as careful as possible and stay out of the moonlight-" She paused, narrowing her eyes as she looked at Will. "Are you ok?"
Will tried to make himself focus, but he was lost in his head. "I'm fine," He lied, still deep in thought. He checked his watch. "Tell Bells I'll call her later to check on you guys."
"Didn't you want to talk to her now?" Rikki's brow furrowed. "She's just over there-"
"Ah, nah." Will hastily picked up his back and tossed it over his shoulder. "Be safe tonight, Rik."
Rikki watched Will as he made his way towards the door. There had been something in his voice that seemed really off and she couldn't help but wonder if he really was ok.
Will hurried out of the cafe without another word. He had just made up his mind about something and he just knew that if he saw Bella he'd blurt it all out. Heck, it had been really hard not to tell Rikki about his plan. More than that, Will knew that if he did tell them what he was up to they would try to talk him out of it and they would probably succeed. Will looked out at the horizon, where the sun was beginning to set. Setting his jaw, he hurried off towards his boat shed to prepare for a night he hoped he would never forget.
"Was that Lewis?" Bella hopped onto the couch next to Cleo, who was clicking her phone shut.
"Sure was." Cleo couldn't help but smile as she talked about her boyfriend. "They're loving him over there. And he is loving the work."
"Of course they are." Rikki joined them. "He's working at a great big science place. In America." She rolled her eyes. "What more could he possibly want?"
"Thanks!" Cleo flicked Rikki on the arm as she walked past her into the kitchen.
"Aw, my bad." Rikki called after her. "You! He wants you!"
"Expert save, Rikki." Bella laughed sarcastically.
"Come on, it's not like she doesn't know he's nuts about her." Rikki flipped on the television.
"At least I'll get to see him in a couple days." Cleo chuckled. "He gets a week off, thank goodness. And the moon is up... now." Cleo walked back into the living room. She tapped her watch. "We're in for the night, ladies."
Minutes later the three girls had settled on a movie and were settling in with some warm popcorn, blissfully unaware of what Will was doing behind their backs.
Will's small boat powered quickly through the water on the familiar route to Mako Island. He watched the moon as he traveled, admiring the slight blue tint at the edge of the glowing white circle. He reached the coast of Mako in only a few minutes and quickly pulled his boat far up onto the shore, completely out of the tide.
Taking in a long, deep, breath, Will realized he was nervous. No... not nervous. Excited. Trying to keep his heart from beating out of his chest, Will hurried up the land path to the moon pool. He had about thirty minutes before the moon would be directly overhead.
"That was, without a doubt, the dumbest movie I've ever seen." Rikki threw a piece of popcorn at Bella.
"It was romantic, Rikki." Bella tossed a piece back at her.
"Exactly. Dumb." Rikki snickered.
"Oh cut it out, you two." Cleo held up two DVDs. "Which next?"
"You two choose whatever." Rikki yawned. "I'm headed to bed." She paused, smiling. "Have I mentioned lately how much I love our apartment?"
The girls had chosen this precise location for one reason and one reason only. It had no windows. Sure, it was a little dreary, but they kept it well lit. Even a little dreariness a small price to pay to have a safe haven during the full moons. There were still odds and ends that had to be taken care of in preparation for their nights away from moonlight, but it was much simpler than using the boat shed or cafe.
"I'll see you guys tomorrow." Rikki gave a mock salute before heading up the steps to her bedroom. She had a funny feeling in the pit of her stomach that she couldn't seem to shake.
Cleo watched her friend disappear up the steps before turning back to Bella with a grin on her face.
"Rikki's gone." She giggled, holding up two different DVDs. "Tom Hanks or Cary Grant?"
Will paced at the edge of the moon pool, looking grimly into the water. Was he really about to do this? It seemed more and more likely that he was. Will swallowed hard, mentally preparing a pros and cons list for what he was about to do. Ok, pros. He would finally be able to swim the way he'd always wanted to. He could give up competitive free diving. He wouldn't be excluded or teased for being 'only human.'
Now, cons. Will paced as he though. Well obviously he'd have to keep this a secret from everyone, but he could do that easily. He was practically an expert at keeping the secret from helping Bella so many times. Will was fully confident that he could keep this secret. What other cons were there? Will knew the list must be a mile long, but at the moment he didn't care. He wanted this. He'd always wanted this. It just felt right. He could finally be just like Bella, Cleo, and Rikki.
He paused at the thought. How would the girls feel about him being a merman? Will shrugged, shaking out his tense shoulders. This wasn't about them. This was his decision, and he'd made it.
Hesitantly, Will stepped down into the water of the moon pool. He kicked himself out into the middle of the water. floating on his back and staring at the stars, waiting for the moon to be directly overhead.
Rikki tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep. She let out a long sigh, flipping to lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling. Her phone lit up from where it sat on the side table.
"Hello?" Rikki spoke quietly in case the other girls had gone to sleep already.
"I just wanted to check in on you." Zane's deep voice came through the phone. "You know... Full moon and all."
"Ah." Rikki pulled herself to sit up. "Thanks, Zane. We're all fine."
"Good." Zane's voice sounded empty and far away. "I was really just concerned about you, though. Not the others."
"I guess that's kinda sweet." Rikki shook her head slightly as she checked the time. "Zane, it's late. What are you doing awake?"
"Oh." Zane sounded embarrassed. "I've been watching the path of the moon. It's... gonna be over Mako Island in five minutes."
"You're right." Rikki nodded. "You know, it's weird. This full moon is just like every other one, but I just feel like something's going to happen."
"But you're safe?" Zane worried.
"Yes, Zane, I'm perfectly safe." Rikki said soothingly. "I'm in the bed already and I'm going to sleep. Thanks for calling."
"Rikki-" Zane spoke quickly before pausing awkwardly. "Um..."
"Yes? What is it?" Rikki slid back under the covers. "Zane?"
"I miss you." Zane's words echoed through the phone.
"Zane... I-" Rikki paused. She really didn't feel like having this conversation right now. "I miss you too." She said simply. "Goodnight Zane."
"'Night Rikki."
Rikki dropped the phone back onto the table before snuggling back under her covers. The uneasy feeling was gone and she suddenly felt very, very tired. Within minutes she was fast asleep.
Will almost felt like he could drift off to sleep. He rocked back and forth gently, laying in the water there underneath the stars. The warm water felt like a soothing bath on his tanned skin.
Will jumped in surprise as the water started bubbling around him. The moon had just centered itself over top of the moon pool.
"This is it." Will whispered to himself, closing his eyes tightly. His fists clenched as he prepared himself. The water sparkled and frothed around him, filling him with a nervous, joyful anticipation. A few seconds later the water died down, once more returning to the glassy calm of the moon pool.
Will breathed heavily, looking himself up and down in the water.
"I'm still human." He gasped, trying to catch his breath. "Wait." He shook his head. "That's right." He nodded rapidly. "The girls didn't change until the day after their full moon at Mako Island."
Trying to keep his breathing under control, Will pulled himself out of the pool and quickly dried himself off. He wanted to hurry and get back home before anything happened. He rushed outside, practically running. He couldn't wait to get home. More importantly, he couldn't wait for morning to come.