Karen: And so... THE SEQUEL IS FINALLY HERE!

Cast of Mako Mermaids: Woohoo!

Sirena: You changed your name from Nexus to Karen?

Karen: Nexus was the old internet me, Karen is the new one ^_^

Nixie: So we left off with everyone starting their new lives, but did you really have to move me to America? It feels like you're pushing away my screen time...

Karen: Don't worry, I'm not pushing away your screen time. Your moving to America was what I call a strategic move on behalf of this team for the sequel

Nixie: As long as it pays off then fine by me

Zac: Who was that voice at the end of the story then?

Karen: Oh that voice... yeah... our villain, kind of obvious...

Zac: Great, you just had to give us another villain, first a Sea Demon, now... I don't know... care to give us any hints?

Karen: I'm not just going to flat out tell you! But I can say... actually I can't say anything yet, sorry

Zac: How about moving on with the first chapter instead of babbling then?!

Karen: Sorry! Right, here's chapter 1 of In Trouble Once Again

Chapter 1: New Beginnings, new friends

Life was all well and good for everyone. It had been a week since Cam and Nixie had moved to California and during that time, not much happened. Sirena was on land with David and was even working a few shifts at the Ocean Cafe to keep up a little bit of her living. Lyla was living with Rita, just enjoying her general life, but now without any troubles. Zac and Evie had settled into the pod pretty well. Everyone was actually really nice to them, and Evie made one best friend, a mermaid called Coral who was going to be Evie's mermaid school teacher.

- The morning of Zac's new job -

"Zac? Zac? Come one Zac, wake up!" Evie said as she shook his shoulders, desperately trying to wake him up. Luckily, Zac eventually opened his eyes, stretched, and let out a massive yawn.

"Took you long enough," Evie complained as she swam away from him.

As for where they were, the moon pool held more than one secret. On the very bottom of it's floor was a strange silver mark. The silver mark was a door seal, one that could only be opened by merpeople of the Mako Island pod, Zac and Evie being taught the magic code for the seal. Mermaid Marks were very handy as they could be used for a various number of things. The Mako Island pod used one as a lock for a door that lead to a massive open room, filled with seaweed beds. The pod has gathered a lot seaweed and kelp and use their powers to turn them into beds that were surprisingly very comfy.

Zac leapt out of his bed and literally tackled Evie to the floor. "Morning," he said in a happy tone.

"Morning," Evie replied sounding a little pissed off. "Do you have really have to do that to me every morning?"

"Just trying to train your reflexes is all," he replied in return. He turned her body over and brought her in for their usual morning kiss.

"So, you have your first ever job today, don't you?" Evie asked.

"Yes I do, and you have your first ever day of mermaid school," Zac replied, pulling her up off of the floor. He created a white portal that would lead him straight to the mermaid council. "I'll try not to be gone too long. Just take care of yourself." He gave Evie one more hug before swimming through the portal, landing on his feet on the other side. This time though, the portal lead straight to the main room.

"Morning Zac," Seiger said cheerfully as he threw his hood down, Zac doing the same.

"Morning Grandad," Zac replied, with a smirk on his face.

"How many times have I told you to just call me Seiger you cheeky boy?" Seiger asked, a grin eventually appearing on his face. "Matter aside, you have your first ever job today."

The Higher Mermaid Council had quite a strange form to it. There was now a total of 32 merpeople in the HMC, Zac, Seiger and the other 30 mermaid including Maya and Aquata.

Seiger's job as the head of the Council was rather easy. He acts as a father to the mermaids, giving them advice on which jobs they should try to handle, unless of course the job was from Seiger directly. He himself never really went out beyond the confinement of the HMC, and never did any jobs for himself, he just took care of everyone else.

When I say jobs, there is usually a list of orders that come from the normal Mermaid Council below them. When matters are too large, they are sent to the HMC and the mermaid choose between them which jobs should be taken on by which mermaids. After all, each mermaid has roughly a different skill set. For example, Aquata and Maya are good at stealth like jobs as they can hold up their invisibility much longer. As for mermaids like Calypso and Star, they are more suited for jobs that include killing or catching people due to their combat skills and great stamina.

Seiger saw Zac as an all rounder, great in combat due to his number of powers and very good control over them, but also great at holding up invisibility and getting himself out of tight spots, as proven with the case of Joanna and the Sea Demon.

"And what is my first job going to be?" Zac asked excitedly.

"Nothing too tough for your first day here, we have two new mermaids joining our pod today, and it is your duty to show them around and also to make sure they have the magic code for the Silver Seal," Seiger explained. "That's all."

"That's it?" Zac asked, a little disappointed.

"I know, I know. You were expecting a bigger job than this. But this is an order from me. I'll make sure your next job is something from the Council below us."

Zac looked up at him and smiled. "So, who are these two new mermaids?"

"Their names are Tanya and Isis, they moved out from their previous pods because we, the HMC, just recruited them," Seiger explained.

"Hang on, do they really have to move out here? Couldn't they just create a portal over here?" Zac asked.

"Sorry Zac. The HMC is situated here in Australia and the portals can only travel as far as the ocean around us, no other place in the world has a close enough access. Mermaids originally all came from here until the world expanded, so naturally the HMC was built here."

"Even so, wow powerful are these mermaids then?" Zac asked in wonder. If these two were recruited by the HMC, they must be something.

"Tanya is a powerhouse, incredibly skilled in all of her mermaid arts. She comes from a Russian Pod, the only pod known to have Ice magic, much like you, but they are not mermen. They use this to their advantage and are rather used to the cold, I think she'll be very handy for some of our long distance missions. As for Isis, she comes from a British Pod, a pod that also had one unique skills. Much like Tanya having Ice Magic, this pod is home to Thunder/ Lightning Magic, as well as being incredibly skilled in the art of storms and weather, why do you think they have such terrible weather over there? Because of their pod, practising."

Zac was taken back by the info Seiger gave him. Two mermaids with unique powers that were supposedly only possessed by mermen, and yet two pods hosted mermaids with these powers. And to think, one of them was the reason that Britain had such crap weather. "Is Tanya's pod the same reason why parts of Russia are so cold and get a lot of snow?" Zac asked, his voice crackling.

"Yep, right on the money," Seiger replied, grinning.

"Man, they must really be something," Zac said to himself.

"They'll be arriving at the Ocean Cafe at 10am. If you are wondering why we picked a land location, it's because these two mermaids are like you, they are very used to the land. Also, all members of the HMC are required to have legs, as you can see, so that we can handle missions on land. I want you to give them a

little tour of your home area and then show them the direct route here to Mako Island. Make sure to teach them the Silver Seal code, and bring them back here once you are done touring." Seiger created a white portal next to him. "It leads out to the shore of Mako, you'll know where to go from there."

Zac smiled and walked through the portal, instantly running for the ocean once he was on the beach, diving into the water.

- At the same time in the Moon pool -

Five mermaids in total were in the Moon Pool. There was Evie and her teacher Coral, as well as three other students. Felicia, Julia and Leila.

"Morning my class, welcome to your first day of mermaid school," Coral said as she waved to each of her students. She was a very lively mermaid, with blonde hair that was not much longer than Lyla's hair. She had blue eyes and very full pink lips and had two small starfish like earrings. All in all, she was a very pretty mermaid. "For your first lesson, we will be studying the basics of your water powers."

Coral began with a demonstration of the three main powers. She created a snake of water and began sending it all around the Moon Pool. Right when it had reached the volcano's peak, she changed her power and froze the water solid.

"Water is indeed in the essence of our spirits. It has the mystical power to heal, and yet also to cause damage. You must learn to control your powers so you can filter between its two forms. It has one more purpose and nature though, and that, is beauty." As she said the last word, she turned her hand very sharply and clenched her fist, the ice exploding into small crystals, falling like snow back into the water. She very quickly created the snake of water again but this time held it in the air and boiled it, steam rising out of the volcano as the water evaporated.

"Now, copy exactly what I do and your powers should do the same." Coral held her hand out flat towards the water. As she raised it up into the air, a pillar of water followed. The four mermaids copied her hand movement, all of them very happy when the same pillars of water were created as well.

Coral then pulled her hand back before giving it a push towards the water, freezing her pillar. The four students copied her, the same result happening.

"And now, the beauty." She twisted her hand and clenched it, her pillar exploding into millions of tiny crystals again. As for what happened when the other four did the same, the results were rather different. Felicia, Julia and Leila managed to explode their pillars, but Evie had set her pillar on fire, the ice surprisingly not melting.

"That wasn't supposed to happen was it?" Evie asked in shock as she looked at the burning flames.

Coral very quickly doused the pillar with water, the flames dying out. She finished off by exploding the pillar. Coral couldn't believe it, one of her students carried blood from a elemental mermaid, and from an supposedly non-existent one.

"Evie, I must know, who was your mother?" Coral asked seriously.

"I- I don't know. I was told she died giving birth to me," Evie replied sheepishly.

"Coral, why was Evie's pillar set on fire?" Leila asked shyly. Leila was almost the spitting image of Coral, a good reason being that she was Coral's younger sister. The only difference, was that Leila's hair was almost dip-dyed aqua blue at the ends.

"I'd like to know why myself Leila," she replied. "Did your father ever tell you your mother's name?"

"Yes, she was called Lucy, but my father told me her real name was Lacrima, and that Lucy was what she preferred to be called by." Evie remembered.

"'The' Lacrima!?" Felicia asked excitedly. Felicia has long bright red hair, almost the same colour as fire, with a pair of eyes the same colour to match. She is also highly intelligent and has a vast knowledge of mermaid history. When she was a little older, she would most definitely be joining the HMC.

"Felicia?" Coral turned to her, her face practically asking for more info.

"A long time ago, back before the existence of mermen came around, there were four mermaids who possessed elemental powers. There was Elicia of Lightning, Marina of Ice, Aria of Air, and Lacrima of Fire. Each of these four mermaids owned a pod and taught them alone the secret to each of their elemental powers. The four pods are from England, Russia, America and Egypt, running in that order. When the leader died, their soul didn't die with them. The soul was then transferred to a newly born mermaid and they were given the same name. This way, the four elemental mermaids lived on. Marina, Aria and Elicia are still alive but Lacrima is a different story. Her pod was unfortunate because of the time Lacrima's soul needed to be transferred. There were no newborn mermaids in their pod at the time, so they had to safeguard the soul until one was born. Sadly, another mermaid pod in Egypt wanted their powers and attempted to steal Lacrima's soul for themselves. During their battle, Lacrima's soul was destroyed by the opposing pot once they saw that they would not be able to get their hands on it. Since then, fire magic should have died out amongst mermaids since Lacrima was the only one who could teach it to other mermaids," Felicia explained.

"But it still doesn't explain why Evie has fire magic," Julia pointed out. Julia had medium length electric blue hair that almost faded in with the water and had a pair of Ocean blue eyes. Julia was a rather blunt mermaid, not good with emotions but she's a wonderful peace maker and organiser.

"Give me a break. I may know a lot about mermaid history, but the info that I have won't explain the current situation," Felicia fought back.

"Sorry," Julia replied plainly. "Coral, I think you should take Evie to see Seiger about this. He needs to know."

Coral created a white portal behind her. "Julia's right, the lesson is held off for today. Evie, come with me."

Evie happily followed Coral through the white portal, landing on the other side in front of the white door with Coral.

Coral knocked on the door, Seiger asking, "Yes? Who is it?"

"Master, it's Coral. I have urgent news for you."

The gates opened up, Evie and Coral walking through to greet Seiger, hood down. Coral took hers down, followed by Evie.

"Well, what's so urgent?" Seiger asked impatiently.

"During mermaid school, we discovered something rather shocking," Coral said, leaving Seiger on the edge. "Could you create some water for us?"

"Okay," Seiger said slowly. Even though Seiger didn't use his magic much, it was quite spectacular. He could create water out of thin air, something that Zac had yet to learn. He created a small ball in front of the pair.

Coral yet again demonstrated her powers, creating a pillar of water, freezing it, and then exploding it.

"Your point?" Seiger asked disappointedly.

"When pretty much every mermaid I've ever taught has done this, the result has always been the same. Evie is a different case," Coral replied, gather the crystals of ice back into the ball of water. "Show him."

Evie did exactly what she did in training, creating the pillar of ice. She was reluctant for a second to twist her hand, wondering if the same result would happen. As before, the pillar was set on fire, the ice still not melting.

"No way," Seiger said in disbelief, as he doused the ice pillar and exploded it himself.

"I couldn't believe it myself at first. I asked Felicia for some information on elemental mermaids, learning that the fire mermaid was called Lacrima, a mermaid with the same name as Evie's mother," Coral explained.

The name struck a nerve for Seiger. "I was hoping that it wasn't true. Lacrima's soul was torn apart so there should be no way for her to be alive. And yet, your mother Evie, shared the same name, and no-one is allowed to call a mermaid Lacrima unless the mermaid contains her soul. It just doesn't make any sense!"

- Meanwhile, on land -

Zac walked through the doors of the Ocean Cafe, getting a happy greeting from the staff behind the bar.

"Zac!" Sirena and David greeted happily.

"Hey, if it isn't my favourite couple," Zac replied, giving handshakes to his friends.

"What you brings you here?" Sirena asked. "You never usually come to this place any more."

"Work," Zac replied plainly. "Seiger sent me here to greet two new member of the HMC, they'll be arriving at 10."

"They must be strong if they're joining the Council, what are their names?" David questioned.

"Isis and Tanya. Isis is from Britain whereas Tanya is from Russia," Zac replied. "As to how I know who they are, Isis has a sharp triangular scar over her right eye where as Isis has a lightning bolt scar over hers."

"Huh? That's, different," Sirena pointed out.

"I don't have time to explain their back stories but I promise I'll explain it to you soon," Zac promised. He turned around to go take a seat at a table, just as two unfamiliar women walked through the door.

"We're looking for Zac Blakely, anyone know who he is?" One of the women asked.

Zac shyly raised his hand up, catching their attention.

"Aha, just the man we're looking for," the other woman said excitedly.

Karen: And done!

Seiger: Thanks for actually establishing some ground rules, things didn't make too much sense in the last chapter of In Trouble

Karen: That's why this chapter ties some loose ends up, and also introduced a small start for out story

Evie: I... set a pillar of ice- on fire, and it didn't melt... what the hell have you done to me!?

Karen: Just giving you a decent focus in this story is all, you know, since you had barely any focus in the last one...

Evie: Well thank you

Karen: I don't know when Chapter 2 will be out, but I'll try my best to get it out quicker than I usually do! Love y'all!