Chapter 1

Cleo's POV

"Remember the old days, with Rikki? I wonder what she's up to now" I jumped at the sound of Bella's voice.

"Are you ok Cleo? You look like a ghost just jumped out at you!"

"Haha, very funny Bella."

"No, but seriously!"

"Fine, if you're going to be nosy I was just drifting off. It's so unfair Will's always just at his boathouse and Lewis still has another 426, wait 427 days left at his science program. That's 10,224 hours which is 613,440 minutes which is 36,806,400 seconds until he comes back. Why?" I buried my head into the pillow in front of me.

"It's what he likes doing. Just remember it's about him this time, not you Cleo."

"Bbbbut..." I couldn't even talk now. My face was soaked with tears.

"Ummmm... Cleo!"

"Oh god, what the fuck is it now..." I never swore unless I was angry or just couldn't control myself.

"Sorry, I was thinking of what to say but then you changed because of the tears on your face."

"SHIT! Dry me off please?"

"It won't help, you'll just change several times because you'll keep crying. I'll help you when you stop."

"Whatever."

"Anyways, I had a fun day planned for us, are you still up for it? C'mon Cleo!"

"I'll just get changed."

"It's almost lunch so we can just stay around here I guess, just the marine park and Mako, but it's better than nothing, I guess."

I could tell that Bella was disappointed but for my sake, was trying to hide it. I always had these random outbursts. I would suddenly just get upset over the whole Lewis thing. It was a complete disaster. At least Will and Bella were happy and their relationship was as perfect as I could dream of. I had finished drying myself off and still had to change. I looked at what I was going to put on, remembering that Lewis had once told me to throw it out when I was doing a closet clean up. I started thinking about those days, the good and fun days but another voice in my head told me to just snap out of it. I could barely hold myself together now and it took all my willpower to keep together.

"Cleo, you ok in there? You've been a while." Bella sounded like she was pacing.

"Yeah I'm fine, I'll just be another minute." I yelled back at her. I heard her sigh but ignored it. I just couldn't be bothered.

I finally came out and we set off to the marine park.

Bella's POV

I was happy to finally leave Cleo's house and we did with no interruptions except a pleasant smile and simple 'have fun' from her stepmother, Sam. I noticed that as we headed into the marine park Cleo kept glancing at what she was wearing and several places in the area. I assumed it had something to do with Lewis and she could not cry here because it wasn't a private place. People would see a mermaid. I had to try and make it so she wasn't focused on Lewis.

"So, Cleo, which ride first?"

She looked as if she was in a trance but then snapped out of it.

"Oh, I'm not sure, let's just go to the dolphin show. It should be on around now."

Cleo had quit her job as an assistant dolphin trainer here last year because she has found a 'better job'. But I knew it was because she had gotten wet once and was half a second away from turning into a mermaid with Laurie right next to her, but thanks to me, he didn't see and she got a way. It was a close call and she now worked indoors in a museum with strict no-liquid-no-food rules.

We walked to the top of the stands so that no water would get on us. Thankfully, it was a Thursday. On Monday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, they would spray everyone with water with some fancy act. But for everyone who did not enjoy getting wet, there was Tuesday and Thursday to see the show. We sat down in the audience and two rows in front of us I saw some platinum blonde hair which really stood out. I ignored it and just continued watching the show. Minutes later, I heard the girls voice. I knew I recognized it form somewhere, maybe just a girl from high school. I listened closely but I didn't hear anything. The next time she spoke, it came to me. That girl was Rikki. Cleo and I had always had a tight relationship but Rikki had drifted after she had disappeared for six months. No one knew why she left but she vanished from our sight for six months. We didn't keep in touch or anything so we had drifted apart.

After the show, I went and tapped her on the shoulder. She seem surprised but kept on walking and ignored it. I screamed 'RIKKI!' but she ignored me again. Finally, I ran in front of her and held her there. She was fumbling, trying to get out of my grasp but Cleo helped me hold her in place.

"What do you want?" She screamed in pain.

We released her but were close enough so she couldn't run off. Rikki looked tense, stressed. Cleo was brave enough to speak at that very moment.

"Here, we'll take you to my house, we can talk there and you can recover." Cleo stated confidently.

"Sure. Whatever. Anywhere but here." Rikki grunted.

I drove them back and we arrived back at Cleo's.

"So, what were you doing at the marine park and for the last six months?" I asked with no emotion in my voice.

"Well this is going to be a long story. Okay, so for the last six months I've been in Auckland. I tried this blind date thing which required you to stay three hours and my date was Zane. I was attempting to get over him at that point. He just spent the whole tim begging forgiveness and it worked. I believed him. And he also convinced me that the problem was you guys every time and being mermaids and all that. So we went to Hawaii and I found some sea caves but one of them has an opening which is like Mako and the sea cave in Ireland where Bella changed. Anyways, it was my 'Mako' for the six full moons and all that. It was fun but within the fifth month I saw Miriam and that was a disaster. I caught him cheating on me with Miriam in the sixth month, so I left with zero notice. I went back to my dads house and that's it. I was at the marine park because, well I don't know, I was bored I guess..? But that's the short version for your sake and my sake."

Rikki sighed and I was still trying to process everything she said. I glanced around the room to see Cleo looking down at the bed and Rikki playing with her necklace. I was surprised that she still wore the necklace Will gave her instead of the ones that she, Cleo and Emma had received from the generation of Mako mermaids before them. Cleo interrupted my train of thought and broke the loud silence which was intolerable.

"So, friends again?"

I was surprised that Cleo would ask that so soon, so abruptly. I saw Cleo had held her hand out and Rikki hesitantly putting her hand in. I didn't quite feel like myself today so I just put my hand there. The three of us were once again reunited.

Rikki sighed "So, I left out one thing to my story..."