Chapter 1-New Beginnings
"You and I walk a fragile line. I have known it all this time. But I never thought I'd live to see it break." ~Excerpt from Haunted, Taylor Swift
A/N: I know that the cover reveals a lot of what might happen. I made the cover thinking I could create a story of Zac/Lyla, but I wanted to include other characters and add more drama and suspense, so this is what it came to. Be sure to expect some rough romance between Mimmi/Chris, Ondina/Erik, David/Sirena, Cam/Nixie, and, of course, Poseidon and some random she-cat. I'm just kidding! ;) I meant the Lyla/Zac/Evie situation. But seriously, no one focuses on our little kitty, so I think I'll make Poseidon have a love interest! I will try to at least focus on at least one chapter for each pairing. If it doesn't come now, it will eventually come later. Anything that's exactly like season 2 is an accident as I seriously didn't watch it.
Anyway, my job is to show you how it will happen. My take on how season 2 should be. Even though I didn't watch it. But what if Lucy Fry (Lyla) and Ivy Latimer (Nixie) didn't leave? Would things have turned out differently? (Though Lucy Fry was awesome as Lissa Dragomir in Vampire Academy: Blood Sisters, I wish that she could've still done Mako Mermaids; RIP; though I can see how it was impossible. I think that the producers of Mako Mermaids didn't want just one mermaid to travel away, so... yeah. But if you haven't checked VA out, it's on YT. Just type in: Vampire Academy Full Movie Free.) Enjoy. ;)
Zac still had his tail.
It didn't seem possible, that through everything, he still had his tail. Sure, he loved it. Sure, it was sleek and smooth, cutting through the waters with a unique precision. And sure, he loved swimming and loved being able to hold his breath underwater for a long time. But still, if things had gone as planned, his tail would be gone. And Lyla's pod would be back...
The thought of Lyla brought a smile to his face. She was such a good friend. And thinking about her made Zac think of Evie. His smile widened. His girlfriend was perfectly fine with him being a fish. The two most important people in his life had his back: Lyla and Evie. His parents... well, that would be another day. He wanted to tell them that he was a fish, but... it never seemed to be the right time.
But somehow, in the back of Zac's mind, he knew that he would never want to leave his ocean life.
He loved having his tail, and he loved that had Lyla, Rita, Sirena, and Nixie to help him. Okay, he had second thoughts about Nixie, but... she had best interests at heart in trusting Cam, right? Besides, everyone made mistakes. No one was perfect—though Zac liked to think that he was so close that it was crazy. His life before had been seemingly perfect. His tail complemented his life even more. There was nothing—nothing—like swimming through the churning waters. It was an incredible feeling.
And it was even better when Lyla told him that he wasn't separate to the ocean.
"Hey, stranger."
Speak of the devil. Zac turned to smile at the mermaid. "Hey."
She took a seat by him on the dock. "How're you?"
Somehow, the mermaid had an uncanny ability to calm Zac's restless mind. "I'm doing okay," he said, his smile widening. "What about you?"
She smiled wryly. "Did my smile not tell you enough?"
He laughed. "I suppose I could be more observant."
"Yes, yes you could," she agreed, but Zac detected a double meaning in her words. She had on a flirtatious attitude, and Zac supposed that he bore one, too. He thought about telling Evie but promptly dismissed it. They were just having some fun between them. Fun between good friends. Lyla was a good friend—someone that Zac trusted irrevocably—but Zac didn't harbor any romantic feelings for her... right?
No matter.
She was a good friend, and Zac was lucky to have her. But, he couldn't help but wonder what would happen if Lyla actually had feelings for him. He flushed at the thought. There was no way the mermaid had feelings for him. Besides, even if she did, Zac was with Evie. And Evie made him happy. Zac shoved his troubled feelings aside—figuratively, of course.
"Are you meditating?" Zac felt Lyla's arm brush against his.
Zac's eyes flew open though it had little to do with what she said. He glanced at their arms. It felt electrical. Almost like lust. The expression on her face told Zac that it was like Christmas had come early—not that she knew what Christmas was. He felt a smile playing on his face. "No, I'm just sleeping. I'm sleep talking right now."
She laughed at that. "With your eyes open?"
"Yeah," Zac said, smiling. His dark gaze landed on Lyla. The wind billowed through her long, golden-blonde hair, and the dying light of the sunset cast gold streaks across her hair. Her ocean-colored eyes seemed to glow with infinite depths of blue: azure, aquamarine, cerulean, cyan. She was a lovely sight, one that Zac didn't ever think he'd tire from. He had the sensation that she was pulling him closer to her, but in truth, all she was doing was smiling. "You know, I'm sorry about putting you in this mess."
She exchanged a glance with him briefly. "Don't worry about it."
"But I do," he murmured softly. "I worry about it all the time."
"Then you're no good to anyone being upset," she teased.
"Who said anything about me being upset?" Zac murmured.
"Your expression," she answered haughtily. Then, without warning, she shoved him directly into a water. There was a mighty splash as Zac tumbled into the ocean. When he surfaced, he saw that Lyla had stepped back to avoid the splash. Her face was alight with triumph. Zac spluttered indignantly, but Lyla laughed—not in the mean way, of course. Just amusement and the slightest of smugness.
"Hey!" Zac exclaimed indignantly, threading water.
"I had to get you to wake up properly," Lyla crowed.
Zac used his powers to drench Lyla in water. She groaned and dove gracefully into the waters, finally joining him. She immediately used her powers to soak him in water, not that he wasn't already drenched. Exclaiming indignantly, Zac splashed her. From then on, it turned out to be a crazy splashing contest. Lyla won by drenching him with a mighty splash of her powerful tail.
"I win," she crowed.
"That's not fair," Zac exclaimed.
"How come? I mean, you could've done the same," she pointed out.
"True," he conceded reluctantly. The adrenaline was leaking out of him system, and Zac quickly propelled himself up. Through his peripheral vision, he saw Lyla follow in pursuit. He appraised her carefully, feeling awkward, as he waited for his tail to dry. He watched Lyla, awestruck, as she began to dry her tail with her powers. "How did you do that?"
"Secrets of the trade," she murmured.
Zac smiled, but his smile faded soon as he saw the faint silhouette of a figure. Lyla followed his line of vision and squeezed his hand reassuringly. But Zac could detect the waves of tension that radiated off of him. "Don't worry about Cam, Zac. He's not a threat to you anymore."
"He knows about you, Rita, Nixie, and Sirena, though. And me," Zac said doubtfully. "Who knows what he's going to do?"
"I don't trust him anymore than you do, which is to say that I don't trust him at all, but if you're right that he's up to something, we'll keep a very close eye on him." Lyla's ocean-colored gaze narrowed as she watched Cam. "A very close eye. Cam's not the type to back down." Lyla shot a knowing look at Zac. "Just like you."
Their tails dried at this point, and they got up. Lyla glanced at the waters for a moment longer, and Zac could see the longing in her gaze. He looked into her deep, azure eyes. She tried to conceal her sadness, but Zac saw right through the meager attempt at stoicism. "You miss the ocean and your pod." He didn't say it like an inquiry. It was a fact.
"Yeah." She didn't bother denying it. She knew it was a waste of time to.
"I'm sorry," he whispered.
"I know," she murmured sadly.
The figure straying to the shadows watched the two merfolk whisper quiet murmurs to each other—no doubt words of comfort by the looks of it. Feeling disgusted, Cam turned his gray-blue eyes to the waters. No doubt they were suspecting him, accusing him of crimes. He didn't care for their verdicts, but they were right about something for once: Cam wasn't down for the count.
Sure, using Nixie to get the trident was pathetically low of Cam. Sure, he didn't mean to care for her, but he did. Okay, a lot of things were wild and crazy in his life, but Cam was certain that he would return to the fray soon. He wasn't the type to give up, and he sure was ambitious. Cam's gray-blue eyes cut through the endless waves of blue, which looked more murky and mysterious in the moonlight. Not that there was much moonlight. Clouds drifted over the moon, concealing its light.
Of course, there was enough light to illuminate Cam's features. Cam welcomed the moonlight as it bathed his face. Dark, twinkling jewels danced around the moon, and it was a beautiful night. Cold, yes, but quite ethereal. Entrancing and wondrous. Perhaps moonlight was powerful in its own way. The moon was full of mysteries. And, though magic probably didn't connect well with physics, Cam had to accept all sorts of things after learning that his ex-best friend was a merman.
Merman.
The word echoed through Cam's head, relentless and disturbing. That had been the very goal Cam had yearned and desired ever since Zac got his tail. Zac. The thought of Zac brought a bad taste in Cam's mouth. Zac didn't value power—and apparently Cam's friendship—enough to do anything for the trident. Instead, he had helped the mermaids. He had saved Lyla's life.
Lyla.
The thought of the pretty mermaid made disgust and hatred coil up in Cam's stomach. He hated the ground that Lyla stood on—though she was a mermaid and wasn't supposed to have legs, that was hardly relevant at the moment—and she hated the thought of him. In all fairness, Cam blamed Lyla for his loss of friendship with Zac. The mermaid had influenced Zac, but Cam could still plot and spark rough turns between the whole situation between Lyla and Zac.
Cam's hands curled into fists. Like that would do anything. Still, he must act before the fish girls went back to sea. It wasn't too late to plan some revenge. It wasn't too late to show them what it was like to mess with him. Still, a pang of regret raced through Cam, faster than lightning. It was regret for what he might've had with Nixie. The thought of the pretty brunette brought a smile to Cam's face. She was the mermaid that Cam liked. She was smart and sarcastic—hardly the choice of a perfect girlfriend for some—but somehow, Cam was attracted to her.
The fact that she was a fish wasn't relevant.
Because, despite Cam's evil, sadistic, power-hungry nature, he truly cared about the mermaid.
But it still might not be too late.
QotD: What do you think QotD stands for?
2nd QotD: What did you think Cam is up to?
A/N: Review your answer to the QotD! Anyway, that was the very first chapter of A Dance With Danger. I hope you enjoyed that. The rest of my stories will be on hiatus (pause) until I finish this story because I don't want any distractions (besides regular stories that I'm working on that haven't been posted on FF yet). This has been quite enjoyable to write, and I hope to update this faster than I update other things.
Well, thanks for reading! Reviews are appreciated (criticism and praise) though not necessary. But what writer doesn't like reviews? ;)
~Darkwind
