Chapter 2

"Did they give you much grief?"

Lyla glanced briefly at Zac as he asked the question. She was currently with Zac—again—and they were hanging out in his house. Though Lyla didn't want to get caught with him alone by Nixie and Sirena, she liked his house. It didn't provide too much privacy as it was sweltering, and the door was wide open. Lyla smiled at the cute boyish grin on his face. "Yeah," Lyla admitted. "They chastised me more than I would've liked, but"—she paused to meet his gaze—"I'm glad you weren't there to witness it."

"Ha, I wish I were there," Zac said, grinning. "So... is it a secret?"

"What?" Lyla said nervously. She felt guilty, but she wasn't sure why.

"What they said!" His smile widened, showing extremely white teeth against his tanned face. "And what you said," he added.

Lyla blushed—she couldn't help what her face did—and turned away from his gaze. His unnervingly disconcerting gaze. Lyla wondered if he knew what effect he had on her. She wondered if... Lyla cut her thoughts short. There was no way Zac had feelings for her. But it didn't even matter if he did. Their relationship had to remain platonic, as the others continuously reminded Lyla. "It's not a secret, but... I don't want them to get mad at me for oversharing again." Again, that meant two things: one, it was true—she didn't want the others to find out—and two, she didn't want to explain how they had chastised her about her close relationship with Zac. It would be embarrassing, and Lyla would be beyond mortified if he found out.

"Oh, well, that's too bad," Zac said mournfully. Then, his eager gaze was on her once more. That smile was dazzling, and Lyla froze, wondering if she would give everything she felt for him away if she spoke. His gaze was affectionate, and Lyla felt heat encompass her as his gaze pierced through her—right past through her heart and into her soul. "But I wouldn't want to get you in trouble."

Lyla sighed, frustrated. For someone who claimed that he didn't want to get her in trouble, Zac was already getting her in a lot of trouble. Not that she'd ever admit it. Lyla wondered what his eyes said right now... Those dark eyes that were the perfect shade of brown. They were endless and deep, and Lyla could've sank into them forever. If there was a forever. "Enough talk about me," Lyla said in a teasing tone. "What about you? Any idea what you want to do with your tail?"

"Actually, I was thinking about the trident," Zac said. He quirked an eyebrow at Lyla. "You tried to take it off me." The tone was almost accusatory, and Lyla could detect the blatant annoyance in his tone. Lyla ignored it and didn't speak. "Do you think it can do anything?" His tone was upbeat and innocent. He was genuinely wondering what the trident could do.

"It's powerful," Lyla offered and immediately regretted her words when she saw the ambitious gleam in Zac's eyes. "But it's dangerous," Lyla added quickly, shifting uneasily at his gaze. Not as dangerous as the look you're giving me, Lyla added silently. "I don't think you should go near it."

"Why not? I could learn so much from it!" he protested.

"I'm just telling you what Rita told me," Lyla said, shrugging helplessly.

His gaze brightened, much to her disdain. "Then let's ask Rita!" Then, he frowned as he realized the double meaning. "Rita Santos..." he said quietly. "She's a mermaid, isn't she?" His gaze was thoughtful. Then, he noticed the horror in Lyla's gaze. "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone." He offered her a small tentative smile. "But do you think she knows anything?" he inquired eagerly.

"She'll tell you the same thing," Lyla warned. "Something like the trident isn't to be messed around with, Zac. You could get seriously injured. Besides, we don't even know what it can do. It could do many terrible things, and I don't... I don't want you to get hurt."

"But you said it yourself: we don't even know what it can do," Zac argued. "And I'm not going to get hurt." She remained silent, and some of the excitement died from his eyes. He frowned. "Don't you trust me, Lyla?" Oh, he was cheating with that annoyingly sweet gaze, but Lyla didn't think he was doing it on purpose. He wouldn't take advantage of her being all flustered around him, right?

"Of course I trust you!" Lyla exclaimed defiantly. "It's the trident that I don't trust."

"But things were fine last time," he argued.

"We got lucky last time!" Lyla retorted.

His gaze went cold. "I thought you wanted to help me."

"I do, but I don't want you to get hurt," she said, turning away from his gaze. She shivered. She didn't want him to get angry, and she didn't want their friendship to be destroyed, but she needed him to see reason. "Please, Zac. Listen to me and stay away from the trident. Please." She had said the words plaintively, but she wondered if he would listen.

He sighed and sagged in resignation. "I wouldn't want you to worry... but I have to do this, Lyla." His intense gaze was so overwhelming as it hit hers fiercely, which added more effect than usual. "It's, like, destiny. This might be my chance to find out if it wasn't a fluke when I fell into the moon pool." Lyla had told him yesterday, albeit hesitantly, about what had happened when he gained his tail. She had explained to him how they left him on the island. She had blatantly left out the part when Zac was trying to show his powers to Cam on that first day he learned he had powers. She didn't think he would be too pleased.

"I guess I can't stop you."

"It would be better if you were there with me," he said. He sighed, frustrated. "Why can't you do this with me?"

"I don't want you to get hurt," Lyla repeated.

He stood up. "I'm going to go to Rita's if you aren't going to tell me anything." She remained silent, and he left. Lyla swallowed hard as she watched his silhouette disappear. She replayed their conversation in her head, thinking of how she much better she could've played it. Maybe he wouldn't be acting so aloof towards her then... But one question continued to jump back to Lyla.

Had she caused a rift to appear in their friendship?

"Face it, Sirena," Nixie scoffed. "She's not coming. She's probably with Zac. Again."

"I guess so," Sirena said mournfully. They were currently at Ocean Cafe. They had waited a while for Lyla to join them, but the mermaid hadn't come. Sirena glanced at Nixie, who still wore that mask of disdain on her face. Oh why couldn't her two friends be less hostile towards each other? Sirena felt a smile spread across her lips as David met her gaze. He flushed a little and smiled that cute smile of his. Thoughts of Lyla and Nixie melted away from Sirena's head, and she smiled. Then, she turned back to see Nixie staring at her disapprovingly. "What?" Sirena said innocently.

"Let's go to Rita's," Nixie said. Sirena heard the double meaning: let's get you away from David.

Sirena grinned helplessly at her friend, and the two headed out of Ocean Cafe. They leapt into the ocean and sped off towards Rita's grotto. Once they had propelled themselves upward, and once their tails had dried, the two stood up and headed into the grotto. "Lyla?" Sirena called, but she soon realized that her friend wasn't here. Sirena tried a different tactic. "Rita?" Again, no answer.

"Not here," Nixie commented.

Sirena shrugged, and they headed out of the grotto. They walked into Rita's kitchen when they saw Rita, a steaming mug in one hand and a book in the other. The older mermaid looked up and smiled warmly at them when they entered. "Sirena, Nixie," Rita greeted them curtly, still smiling. "I thought you two would be at Ocean Cafe."

"Lyla was a no-show," Nixie retorted furiously, eyes blazing.

"I'm not surprised," Rita said, setting her book down. "I bet Zac has lots of questions for her."

Sirena opened her mouth to speak when there was a sharp knock on the door. Rita frowned and set her mug down before striding towards the door. She opened the door and smiled. "Zac, what a pleasant surprise!" Sirena saw Rita shift to look behind Zac. "Is Lyla with you?"

"No, she's busy," Zac said quickly.

"Well, then," Rita said, voice sounding a bit suspicious, "come in then."

Zac entered and sat down in one of the couches. He smiled a little at Sirena and nodded in Nixie's direction. Nixie blatantly refused to acknowledge his presence. Oh well, they would work on her. Sooner or later. Sirena watched as Zac's gaze moved from the ground to the ceiling to the ground again before finally settling on Rita. "I was wondering if you could tell me about the trident."

Rita frowned. "Zac, that's not something to be taken lightly with," she said, still frowning. A hint of steel was injected into her voice, mixed with disapproval. "Didn't Lyla tell you that already?" Sirena watched Rita appraise Zac carefully, waiting for some sort of reaction. She got it. Zac looked so lost, and Sirena could see the sadness in his gaze. Something had happened.

"She told me that it was dangerous, but she didn't explain how," Zac said stiffly. "She said she didn't want to help me with something that would hurt me." He glanced at Rita before turning back to the ground. "So, tell me: how is the trident dangerous?"

"Zac," Rita said, "if the trident is so powerful, how come no one took it already? Maybe, it's because no one who took it survived."

"Unless no one knows about it," Zac quickly pointed out.

"Zac, you shouldn't take that kind of risk," Rita said. "Lyla was right. You shouldn't meddle with things you can't possibly understand."

Zac looked frustrated. "I thought you could help."

"Zac, we have no real idea what might happen," Rita said. "Maybe the trident won't hurt you, but it's dangerous to us. It affects us differently than it does mermen." Then, Rita frowned again. "Where's Lyla? You two usually work together on this sort of thing."

"She..." Zac swallowed hard, and Sirena found her heart racing. Had something happened to her friend? "We had a disagreement. She's probably in the moon pool." At the astonished face of everyone's, Zac shifted uncomfortably. "She told me how I gained my tail. She thought I deserved to know. But she didn't tell me exactly where the moon pool was. She said it was like a place to escape."

Nixie shook her head defiantly. "No way. We're not taking you to the moon pool."

"I need to talk to her," Zac protested.

"Then find her yourself," Nixie retorted.

Zac looked like he might protest, but he thought better of it. He got up. "Actually, that's a pretty good idea. I think I will go ahead and find her. Plus, I want to talk to her alone." He glanced at Rita. "Thanks for your help, but I'm going to get the trident next full moon." He nodded and headed out the door. Sirena frowned and couldn't help but wonder exactly what he wanted to say to Lyla.

"It looks like it's harder for their relationship to stay platonic," Nixie commented as soon as Zac was out of earshot.

"Well, Lyla avoiding him is... smarter, I guess," Rita said.

"But we can't let their relationship develop," Sirena said, shaking her head sadly.

"But if they fight, it might tear them apart..." Nixie suggested.

"We're not making them fight," Sirena said automatically. She turned to Rita. "We have to trust that Lyla will keep her relationship platonic, right?" She watched the older mermaid carefully. Rita frowned a little and sighed. She shifted uncomfortably and nodded. "But this is going to be problematic."

"We have to trust Lyla, Nixie," Rita said.

"I can trust her and think she's crazy at the same time," Nixie pointed out.

"Then trust that she'll make the right decision," Rita said quietly.

"I trust Lyla," Nixie said. "Just barely." She shuddered. "It's Zac I don't trust."

Zac felt like he had searched the entire ocean for the moon pool. It took so long. But he considered himself lucky that he found it at all. It was hidden deep in tall shadows, and Zac would've missed it completely if he hadn't seen the glimmers from the seashells below it. In fact, he had passed it several times before he noticed it, much to his chagrin. The silhouettes of seaweed and coral pretty much concealed the moon pool. Of course, Zac streamed into the entrance. He smiled as he noticed that Lyla was in it. He had guessed correctly. She whirled around just as he entered, and Zac wondered if she could sense him or something. Her eyes widened as she saw him. Of course she was surprised. He didn't blame her—he couldn't blame her. He would be surprised if he were in her shoes—tail.

"Lyla," he said, murmuring her name. It brought a flush to his cheeks, and he hoped that the moon pool was dark enough to conceal that.

"Zac." Her answer was curt, and her face was completely devoid of any sort of emotion.

"Look, I'm sorry," he said desperately, hoping that her pretty face would show some emotion. "I had no right to jump on you like that. I practically tried to force you to tell me, but I should've let it go." His fingers sought out hers, and he squeezed. She remained silent, and it was maddening enough to drive the most patient person crazy. "I should've listened to you. I should've respected your wishes."

She remained passive.

"Look," he said, a bit frustrated now, "I'm sorry. I don't what else to say to make it better, but I really am. I know you're mad, so just... can you forgive me? For what I've done." He was acutely aware that his voice was rising in desperation, but he was past caring.

"I'm not mad," she said, answer still curt. Then, she fell into that unfamiliar silence. Where was Lyla, the girl that shared such an understanding with Zac? After a few more maddening heartbeats, she said, "I'm disappointed." Then, she paused. "A little. But mostly... I feel like I've let you down, Zac."

So, she felt guilty. That made Zac feel more guilty than he already did. And he felt plenty guilty. Disappointed. The word was like a slap to his face. That seemed even worse than her being mad at him. At least then she would show some emotion. "You feel like you've let me down? Lyla, you didn't let me down. You never do. I feel like I've let you down. It's my fault."

Her gaze met his, and Zac could feel the words passing through them. She blushed. Great, if he could see her blushing, she had definitely noticing him reddening earlier. Get it together, Zac! he chastised himself. Then, he turned towards her. "So... do you forgive me?"

"Yes." The word was barely a whisper, but Zac could feel himself getting warm from within despite the cold inside the pool. He suddenly felt shy as he drew his arms around her in an embrace. The tips of their tails brushed. The embrace felt awkward but not displeasing. She leaned into his chest for a heartbeat before pulling out of the embrace. She was so close to him, and Zac's heart was beating so loudly that he could've sworn that Lyla heard. Their lips were inches apart, and Zac couldn't help but admire her beauty. She was a breath away, but a sudden splash made both of them move backwards.

Zac turned to see Nixie and Sirena. Both of their eyes were wide, and Zac smiled a little sheepishly. "Sorry, but I found the moon pool," he said, daring to exchange a glance with Lyla. He didn't regret it when their gazes met, burning with such power and intensity. "I won't remain here any longer," he added quickly. He turned to Lyla. "Thanks."

"Of course," she responded, smiling a little.

He ducked under the waters, the image of her beautiful smile playing in his head. He flushed at the thought as he zoomed through the waters. He wondered why he had acted so strange around her. The thought of her brought a smile to his face, and Zac felt uneasy. He had felt that way before...

So why was he thinking about her so much?

"Lyla," Sirena said uncertainly.

Lyla looked at her friend and shifted her gaze the spot where Zac had lingered heartbeats before. Then, she turned to Nixie, who had that disapproving expression plastered on her face. Lyla frowned. "I didn't tell him where the moon pool was. He found out on his own," she said, even though that was not what they were going to chastise her about.

"So much for your relationship remaining platonic," Nixie retorted sharply.

"It's still platonic," Lyla said, struggling to make her voice neutral.

"Yeah right!" Nixie said, rolling her eyes. Her blue eyes glittering fiercely in the dark. She looked absolutely furious, but Lyla refused to acknowledge that. "When we entered, you two were ready to kiss or something. He looked like he wanted to take you off into the sunset!"

"You're over exaggerating," Lyla said but hearing that made her blush a little. "He was not."

"Sure seemed like it," Nixie scoffed.

"What did you fight about?" Sirena said, looking like her interest was piqued.

"Fight?" Lyla repeated. She frowned and shook her head. "We had a disagreement, but... it wasn't a fight. Not exactly."

"Ha!" Nixie exclaimed triumphantly. "You two obviously can't fight because you two are head over tails for each other! There's no way you can deny that, Lyla! But you can't do this! I'll stop the both of you myself if I have to."

"You can't stop love, Nixie," Sirena said wearily.

"I can if I have to!" Nixie fumed, shooting Sirena a look of betrayal.

"I'm not falling for Zac," Lyla said. "I'm not." Liar. The way you look at him is—shut up, self conscience! Lyla interrupted. I don't need nor want your verdict! I don't need you to tell me how I feel. You're crazy! Lyla's self-conscience simply retorted, Me? Crazy? How about you? Talking to your self conscience like that. I'm ashamed. Lyla bit her lip, hoping the others didn't notice that she was having a quarrel with her self conscience in her head.

"Lyla, you can't stop this from happening," Sirena said in a sort of helpless voice.

"Why can't you listen?" Lyla demanded. "Nothing's going on between me and Zac. We're friends, and I just want to help get rid of his tail so the pod can come back. Just like both you! Don't you want the pod back? And if I have to find out more about Zac's powers myself, I'll do it."

"Is that your excuse to spend more time with him?" Nixie asked.

"You're unbelievable!"

"You're delusional!"

"You guys!" Sirena said, glaring at both of them. The glare faltered a little as she sighed, unable to remain mad at them. It just wasn't in her nature. "You two aren't helping by bickering. But it doesn't matter. Lyla's not going to do anything but try and get rid of Zac's powers. She's probably just making him warm up to her so when she tells him that she has to get rid of his powers, it'll hurt less. The logic isn't faulty, and that might be the real reason."

Nixie hesitated at Sirena's words. "You know, Sirena, you might be right." Nixie grimaced and turned to Lyla. "Just... be careful. I don't want to comfort you when the land boy breaks your heart." The words were spoken in a sarcastic tone, but it hit a nerve. Lyla truly did care about Zac... Sirena was wrong about that... but it wasn't like Lyla could just admit it to them. She would never hear it down from Nixie.

"Glad we had that talk," Lyla mumbled, "but I don't hear you chastising Sirena about David."

Nixie looked baffled at that, and Lyla felt smug. The smugness was short-lived though. Lyla, one. Nixie, zero. "Well," Nixie said, "I mean, Sirena and David... he's not a merman. When Sirena leaves him... he'd move on. Eventually. But they'll be fine. Zac's a merman. Who knows what sort of trouble he is? He got us cast out of our pod, Lyla. Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about."

"I know that," Lyla said through clenched teeth. It wasn't Zac's fault, not really. And Lyla didn't blame him. She blamed Nixie. If Zac and Cam hadn't caught that fish, they wouldn't have gone camping on Mako, and everything would be fine. But no, Nixie had a reckless nature. Lyla didn't blame Nixie for her recklessness but for her disregard of the rules.

"Then we agree," Nixie said.

Lyla didn't answer. She couldn't.

Zac was at Ocean Cafe. The music seemed duller, and he was just... bored. Zac turned to his girlfriend, Evie, who was chatting happily with Carly. Zac honestly didn't know why he was at the cafe. He didn't really want to be there. He stood up, and he felt Evie's gaze burning on his back. He turned back to his girlfriend. Her gaze was filled with worry, and she headed towards him.

"Hey, Zac, are you okay?" she asked him.

"Yeah, fine," Zac said, shrugging a little. "I just... I'm a bit tired." That was a lie, but Zac didn't feel like reassuring Evie with empty words. He didn't want her to get upset because of him. He hugged her a little before stepping back. "I'll call you later, okay?"

"I..." Her fingers wrapped around his wrist, but Zac didn't feel the electricity crackle through him like it used to. Weird. Then, Zac supposed that he didn't have a right to judge. He could be 'weird.' In fact, he was. Evie met his gaze, probably searching for any signs of dishonesty. Then, she sighed. "Alright, Zac. But you know, if you ever need anything, I'll be here for you, right?"

"Yeah, I know," Zac said. "But I'm fine," he promised her. "I'll see you later."

Her fingers stayed wrapped around his wrist for a heartbeat longer. "Alright."

And Zac exited the cafe, wondering why things were different between them.

But in his heart, he knew why.

Lyla had left the moon pool after her excruciating talk with Sirena and Nixie. She needed a place to escape, but she craved for Zac's company. The latter won out, and Lyla found herself swimming to Zac's house. It was all so familiar now. Lyla waited for her tail to dry before she headed up to his house. Yes... Running came so easily to her now. Her pace quickened into a sprint, and she stopped abruptly at Zac's door. It was slightly ajar, and Lyla opened it, feeling a wave of relief. That meant that he was home.

He smiled at her immediately when she entered, and she could tell that the smile was genuine. She knew him that well. She could just read him like that. Like a book. "Hey," he said, seeming a little nervous. But his overall temperament was upbeat, thus proving so with his bright smile.

"Hey," she echoed, and if possible, his smile brightened.

"Did they finish chewing you out?" he asked.

"How'd you know they were doing that?" she said, a small part of her wondering if he had heard the conversation.

"Well, I just guessed," he said. After a heartbeat, he added, "Plus, I can just read you so well."

Lyla smiled at him and knew that he thought that they were chewing her out for a completely different reason. She took a seat by Zac, and he seemed pleased. Lyla wondered if she had imagined that. "I'm sorry about earlier, you know?" Lyla said, trying to appear cool and not constantly flustered by his unnervingly sweet gaze. "But I would really appreciate it if you won't go after the trident."

"I want to do that for you, but... I feel like the trident wants me to find you." His dark gaze locked with hers. "It's that feeling that you get, you know?"

"Yeah..."

His expression turned thoughtful, and Lyla felt frustrated that she couldn't tell what he was thinking or feeling. Then, she looked into his eyes. They were a very nice, rich shade of brown. Deep and soft as his gaze landed on her. She admired the way the light seemed to dance in his eyes. Then, she realized that his gaze was locked onto hers, as well. Was he admiring her gaze? Lyla had to admit it: she had beautiful ocean-colored eyes that danced with infinite depths of blue. But was he admiring her gaze, too? Was he admiring how the light seem to play in her gaze? Maybe she could think that.

"You have very nice eyes..." he murmured.

So he had been admiring her eyes. "You have nice eyes, too," Lyla said, conversation coming easily to her. The tone of her voice was soft and light, showing a sort of teasing spark in it. Lyla smiled at him, admiring the way his eyes seemed to glow when they landed on her. Or maybe it was the light that shifted towards him when he turned her way. Whatever it was, it made Lyla feel better.

"You know..." he said, voice ever so soft. "We should go swimming some time." His eyes gleamed with anticipation. "I bet I'm faster than you."

"I don't think so!" Lyla said. "You're too much of a land boy to keep up with me," she teased.

"Yeah, right," he retorted, but the playful air still surrounded him. "Well, you've lost your touch after being on land so much."

"You can't argue with the call of the ocean, Zac," Lyla said with a faked solemnness. "I'm a mermaid. You're a fish fresh out of the ocean. I have more experience."

"Is that so?" he murmured, chuckling a little. Tides, his laugh sounded like music. Or bells.

He stood up and extended a hand towards her. Lyla hesitated a heartbeat before taking it, wondering if it was a trap, and he pulled up her up from the couch. The two mer-folk stood face-to-face with each other, and Lyla's breath got caught as she gazed at him. He was so close to her, and Lyla could breathe in his pleasurable scent. And his eyes... Oh, his eyes. She felt like she could've melted in that gaze. His own breathing was heavy, and Lyla wondered if he was affected as much as she was by their close proximity.

"So many choices," he whispered. "But which one is right?" His words were soft, and Lyla wondered if he had meant to say them aloud. The words seemed private, and Lyla dared to look into his eyes. It was a mistake, but the good kind. Her heart was pounding so hard, and she tilted her head upwards so their gazes were full on point. His hands were around her wrists, and his grip slackened as he gazed at her. He made a sort of half gasping noise, but Lyla was past caring.

His hand touched her face, and it felt like fire blazing against her. But this was the fire that was going to protect her from any harm, not burn her. He tilted her face up, and she gasped softly, both at his touch and at her own astonishment. They were now inches apart, and Lyla could feel what she wanted to do. His eyes were full of passion, but there was something soft in there, too. Something indescribable. No, that was not quite true, Lyla thought. There was an emotion, and it could only be described as love. Love, yes, that was the emotion churning within her. The emotion that left her breathless and awestruck.

The emotion that she felt when she looked at him.

He was only a breath away now, and his hand was still on her cheek. "What're you doing?" Lyla whispered.

"I'm going to kiss you."

A/N: I wanted to write that for ages! Yes. When I decided to write this chapter today, I knew that I wanted it to end like this! But now, there's the real question: is he going to kiss her? Yes! I know I'm a horrible person for the cliffhanger, but I just had to do it! What do you think is going to happen? Anyway, reviews are appreciated (criticism and praise) though not necessary. But who doesn't like reviews? ;)