Battening Down the Hatches
Chapter Two
Walk on Thin Ice
"Hello Rikki, dear."
Rikki started at her mother in complete disbelief. It could not be reality that her mother was standing right in front of her, it could not, simply, be true. She hadn't seen the woman for so many years and suddenly, there she was, standing right in front of her without a heads-up.
It wasn't like she didn't want to see her mother or anything. Her mother was so very important to her, and they'd kept in contact since her parents split up. She regularly sent pictures and updates from her life, especially because she wanted her mom to know how good they had it now. And her mother often wrote back, they even spoke on the phone about a month ago. But it was still surreal seeing her right there, in front of her very best friends.
Rikki could just about see how her friends were reacting to this new revelation. She'd never once talked about her mother or shown them a picture of her. She didn't think it was necessary. She'd had troubles enough letting them meet her father, it would be too much to go all out. But they all looked pretty surprised to find out who they were talking to (not that Rikki had any idea as to why they'd be talking to her in the first place). Rikki didn't blame them.
She absent-mindedly handed Lewis back his wallet and crossed her arms across her chest, "What are you doing here, Mum?" she heard herself ask, but it didn't exactly feel like she was the one talking; it was like she was looking down from above, watching this weird, crazy scenery, and she couldn't quite explain it, but there was something off about it, there was tension.
Katherine gave her a stiff smile, "Well, I came to see you, sweetheart." she said, as a matter of fact.
Rikki breathed out heavily, scanned the faces of her friends once more, but then looked back at her mother, "Well..." she didn't exactly know what to say. It was alright that her mother was there, it was kind of nice to see her, but it would have been nicer if she had known about it so she could have prepared in some ways, because meeting like this was just very irritating, "Hi then." she finished with a sort-of wave and let her arms fall to her sides.
Katherine looked at her for a few seconds before she turned around slightly and glanced once more towards the five people behind her. She then reached out and corrected a straw of Rikki's wild curly hair and placed it behind her ear, "This is probably not a very good time, but I do need to talk to you, Rikki darling." she said and smiled at her, and Rikki smiled back, even if she had a weird feeling about this, "I will call you and perhaps we can get together later?"
Rikki didn't know what to respond to that, so she gave a short nod and her mother turned to leave again, without sparing another glance at Rikki's friends. Rikki felt though, that there was one more thing she should ask, knowing how important it was. She said it, before she could even think of phrasing it differently, "Does Dad know you're here?" Her voice came out harsh and quick, but she just had to know, knowing that her parents hadn't gotten along since the divorce and her father would rather she never talked to her mother at all.
Katherine stopped abruptly, and for a second Rikki had a feeling that the answer to her question would be, without a doubt, no, but then her mother spoke, softly, "Yes, Terry is very aware that I'm here, Rikki. Spoke to him on the phone earlier myself."
Rikki didn't reply to any of that, so her mother started walking again, and soon was out of sight. Rikki swallowed loudly, now knowing why her father had been so upset earlier when she and Zane got there to eat supper. She had told him that she was in town. For what, Rikki had no idea. In the past it had always been enough for her to have a relationship with her daughter only through emails, letters and phone calls. She never seemed to have wanted more and Rikki had made her peace with that from the minute it turned out that way, and that was why it worried her that suddenly, there her mother was, saying that they needed to talk.
"That was intense!" Rikki heard Emma say, and the blonde turned around to fully face her best friends, "Rikki, are you okay?" Emma continued in a concerned voice.
Rikki nodded, not quite sure whether or not she really was okay. She wasn't quite ready to deal with her friends, not quite there at the Juicenet café, because her head still hadn't wrapped around the fact that her mother was there and that what had just happened, had actually happened and wasn't some part of a cruel nightmare of some sort.
She felt Zane's arm wrap around her waist as he pulled her closer. She dropped to his side and he hugged her tightly, "Could you maybe respond to us, Rikki?" he suggested her; his voice was kinder than usual, even with her, not a trace of his obnoxious ways was left.
Rikki felt much better with his arm around her, and his firm chest as her support and she told herself to talk to the people who were actually concerned about her well-being. She looked up then, putting a small smile on, just for show, "That was Mum." she simply said, not sure what to say or how to phrase herself – they probably had figured out who that woman was (unless they were really dense, but Rikki was pretty sure that that wasn't the case with any of her friends) from their conversation.
Cleo raised an eyebrow and turned to her, "Yeah, but what is she doing here? I didn't even know you had a mother!"
Rikki bit her lip, falling into her own thoughts again, contemplating exactly that. What was she doing here? What did her mother want? It was a little too weird for her liking.
"Of course she has a mother, Cleo." Emma said in that certain-sort-of-Emma-way as she glanced briefly at the brunette, before looking at Rikki again, "Everyone does, but that does not explain the tension."
Lewis gave Rikki a curious look as well, "You haven't seen your mother in a while, have you Rikki?"
Rikki shook her head, still wondering how to explain everything to them. It was pretty easy; she'd talked to Zane about this before, told him how her parents had divorced because of money, how hard it had been on her, but yet still – it was different with her mother, she had never once mentioned her before.
Just then Wilfred placed a tray on their table, six juices on it, and Ash thanked him kindly, before all their attention was on Rikki again.
"Rikki?" Cleo questioned once more. Now she was sounding very worried, and Rikki knew she had to say something soon, otherwise her friends would go crazy.
"Yeah..." Rikki softly responded, and she could hear a sigh of relief from some of her friends – she wasn't quite sure who, though – and it made her smile, because, after all, they were just worried about her. "Uhm," she swallowed, finding this harder than it probably should be; but she knew why, she never let people get too close, and talking to them about her mother was definitely closer than she was prepared for at the moment. She really, really wasn't ready for this; she wasn't quite sure if she ever would be, but she needed to think clearly, she – she needed a.... swim. "I've gotta go." she told them, and before anyone could respond to that, she had pushed herself out of Zane's loose embrace and left the Juicenet café in a hurry, aiming for the dark water, just right outside.
–
"I don't like this." Cleo stated as they stared through the dark sky, their eyes not reaching Mako at all. The sea was dark too, and who knew what kind of creatures that would be hiding in there? Sharks usually liked the dark, didn't they? Were they not awake at night? After her own shark-experience where Lewis had managed to safe her, Cleo did not like the thought of Rikki swimming around alone when she was upset like she was right now.
Zane gave them all a look; Cleo could tell that he was worried too, but he also understood Rikki better than anyone else, and he was trying to be cool about everything, "Relax, will you?" he said to her, in his usual obnoxious tone, not bothering to be nice to her when Rikki wasn't there. "Rikki's a big girl, she probably just needs time to think things through."
Ash, who had his arm around Emma, shook his head, "I don't like it either, man, she shouldn't be alone right now. She should talk to someone."
They were sure that she had gone swimming, because they had heard a splash as they had scrambled to follow her. No one else had been out there, so they were good at that point, but Cleo still thought that even if Rikki usually went on these swims to be alone, she shouldn't be alone right now. She needed to talk this (whatever this was) out with someone, and Cleo had a feeling that perhaps Rikki needed she and Emma more than she needed anyone else. They were best friends after all, they supported each other, told each other everything, as Emma so often had stated.
"I know Rikki, alright?" Zane said, letting them all know that he disapproved of the fact that they were even discussing this, "Look, the last time she took off like that, she really just needed time to think. She'll be at the moon pool, no harm done."
Emma gave Zane a sceptical glare, "The last time she took off like this you came to us so we could follow her." she informed him, and Cleo remembered that too; Rikki had been annoyed that they came to see her at Mako, but it had been the right thing to do, even if she was upset. If they went out there now, perhaps she'd tell them what this was all about.
Lewis nodded in agreement and pushed Cleo slightly forward, "Which is what you should do now – just to make sure. She's our friend."
Zane shot Lewis a look, but he didn't say anything, so Cleo gave Emma a questionable look, which the blonde nodded to, agreeing. They should go look for her, just to make sure that she was alright. The two girls gave the three guys reassuring smiles, before they sprinted forward and jumped into the water, heads first.
At first, Cleo felt disorientated in the dark water which seemed to be all around her; she couldn't even see Emma. She splashed and moved her arms and legs in a momentarily state of fear, but when she felt the familiar feeling in her body, the feeling she had felt so many times before, she relaxed and let her tale grow out. She blinked, once, twice, and suddenly everything was much more clear around her. Emma gave her a smile beside her and pointed upwards. Cleo nodded, and the two mermaids moved their tales in unison, until they broke the surface, looking up at the three boys on shore.
"When we find her, we'll probably be a while." Emma said, implying that Rikki was very stubborn, which all of them knew, so no one questioned her statement.
Lewis held up his cell phone in saying gesture, "Call me when you get back. We'll hang here for a while, but eventually we will have to go home if you haven't showed yet."
Cleo smiled warmly at him, "Sure. We'll talk to you later, guys."
Without another word, the two of them turned away from the three boys, ducked their heads into the cold water, and with a splash of their tales, they were both off.
Cleo was nowhere near afraid anymore. She could see everything clearly as they gracefully moved through the water with enormous speed. She could only see flashes of fish as she pushed herself to stay at Emma's speed, knowing that everything was better as long as Emma was right next to her; she wouldn't be this calm if she was swimming now alone.
But it felt good to know that they were doing something for Rikki. Had they stayed back to drink juice she would have felt uneasy. She was not sure what would happen once they got to Mako, but Emma always figured something out, so Cleo was certain that she would again. The former swimmer would lead, and eventually Rikki would talk, because that was how it always was with them. Sure, sometimes they'd have to let Rikki be for a while longer, because neither Cleo herself nor Emma believed that pushing someone was the way to get them to speak, but this time they might have to do just that. They needed to know what this was about, because it was just a little bit weird.
As they got nearer to Mako Island, Cleo focused on the water once more, just to make sure that no shark was trying to attack her. She saw plenty as they propelled through the water, but none of them dared to get near the two speeding mermaids and Cleo felt better, because that meant Rikki would have gotten there safely as well. When she was upset, she speeded through the water as well.
The two slowed down and dived deeper into the dark water, swimming towards the underwater entrance to the moon pool, knowing exactly where it was after about a year and a half of doing this. They swum slower, Cleo pushed her tail up and down while she felt the anticipation in her stomach; hoping that their assumptions were correct and that Rikki, indeed, would be at the moon pool.
The water was lit up due to the shiny stars that reached them through the top of the volcano, so it was slightly clearer than the water had actually been out at sea, and Cleo could tell that Rikki was there; she could see her tail, flopping helplessly from side to side, Rikki's back against the entrance, as she rested against the side of the pool, holding herself up by her elbows.
Emma grabbed Cleo's hand to get her attention, so Cleo turned her head to the side. Emma smiled at her, clearly relieved that they had not raced out here for nothing, and she pointed upwards again, indicating that they would have to face a furious Rikki at some point.
They pushed themselves upwards and broke through the surface, immediately taking a place on each a side of their friend, who did not once look up from what she was doing; tracing a finger through the sand, absent-mindedly.
"We had a feeling you'd be here." Emma said, as she broke the silence, knowing that they'd have to talk eventually.
Rikki did not look up from her 'art', "And I had a feeling you'd follow me." she replied. Cleo couldn't tell whether or not she was angry or if she didn't care at all, because most of all – she just seemed quite sad.
She flopped to the side, resting only on one arm, "We were worried about you." Cleo softly spoke up, brushing a piece of brown hair out of her face. She didn't like the frown on Rikki's face, it was so different from anything they usually saw perked across the milky skin.
Rikki didn't reply to that.
Emma and Cleo shared a look above her back, before Emma spoke up again, "Do you mind telling us what just happened back then, just now?" she asked their friend, curiosity perked across the tip of her tongue, "It seemed rather... odd."
Rikki's face was stern, "I don't wanna talk about it." she replied. She seemed deeply in thought, thinking to herself about everything, and Cleo knew that whatever it was, must have effected her more than they'd thought, because she wasn't just upset about something silly, like after an argument between her and Emma, this was really serious, she seemed very distracted.
"Well, you're just gonna have to!" Emma said, voice firm. Usually she wouldn't push Rikki like this, she'd wait until Rikki was ready to tell it herself, but this was like when they found out that Rikki was dating Zane, the first time, where they'd been sure he was only out to expose them. Emma had been firm about her opinion back then, telling Rikki that it was either him or them, and she was just as firm now.
This, Emma telling her what to do, really seemed to tick Rikki off more than usual. She turned and shot Emma a hurtful glare, "You don't tell me what to do!" she said, voice just as firm as Emma had just been.
Cleo didn't know what to say; she pulled back slightly, away from the fight between her two best friends. She leaned herself against another side of the moon pool, just where Rikki had playfully splashed water from just a few hours earlier, and watched the interaction between her friends with open mouth.
Emma moved slightly back too, only so she was out of touching-distance in case Rikki got really angry, "We're worried about you, Rikki." she tried to continue in a softer voice, though it was still very clear what she thought of everything, "That was obviously something enough to get you this upset, and your-" she paused briefly because the word was weird regarding Rikki, "-mom... well, she seemed to know about us. And truthfully, we just wanna know the story. So – spill."
Rikki glanced briefly at Cleo through her wet lashes, she gave her a questionable look, probably wanting to know whether or not Cleo felt the same about this as Emma did.
Cleo gave her friend a short nod, "We just wanna help you, Rikki." she said, didn't demand anything, simply just stated the truth.
Rikki seemed to think about it for a few seconds, and Cleo held her breath in anticipation, only hoping for the best. Emma looked hopeful as well, a smug smile playing across her face. Rikki finally breathed softly out, having reached a decision. "Alright," their friend – the rebel – said, "I'll tell you the story, but you have to promise just to listen and not judge me," she shook her head as she glanced at them both again, "because I've lived very differently than you two have."
Cleo could tell that it took a lot of her to tell them this. She hadn't seen Rikki like this before; this unsure, this uncertain about things. She seemed almost a bit ashamed and it was frustrating, because Cleo had always viewed her as someone who'd be able to go through anything, and it would do no matter.
"We would never judge you, Rikki." Emma assured her quickly, and Cleo knew that it was the truth – no matter what (well, almost no matter what) Rikki had done in the past, they wouldn't judge her. They knew that everything hadn't always been easy for her, and so they were going to listen, hear what Rikki had to say.
The girl with the milky skin turned slightly, and the starlight hit her skin and gracefully caressed her every feature, "My parents split up because they were always fighting, fighting over money, they were always the problem." she started telling; she seemed off somewhere in her own world, her voice didn't focus particularly on anything, as she gazed her and there, not meeting either one of their eyes, "We never had that much money, and my mother hated it. Dad thought that what we had was pretty good, and I was a happy child. When I think back, I don't see my childhood as something horrible. I thought it was wonderful; we always moved, got to new places, met new people. I'd always have plenty of new friends in no time, I was a lot more like that when I was younger."
Cleo bit her lip and tried to hide her smile; Rikki definitely wasn't a people-person now, but it was nice to know that she once had been.
Rikki continued without noticing anything, "Dad would do his best to make Mum happy. He'd work so hard, and she'd spend all his money on useless things. She always cared about all the materialistic things, she cared about appearances – I guess I'm sort of like her in that way, even if I would never really admit it." she paused and finally Cleo felt like she was really there, "You know... like I didn't want you to meet my father or see my place. It scares me that I'm like her in that way, because my father hated that about her, at the very end, he couldn't stand it."
Emma was about to say something, but Cleo shot her a glare, and the former swimmer kept quiet and let Rikki continue,
"So they got divorced which ripped us for everything we really owned. It was nasty; Mum wanted whatever that was left after paying for everything, and Dad was happy as long as he just got me. That was his only request." she smiled briefly at this, probably very happy that her father had gotten his wish, "So when she was out of our lives, we took off, trying to settle down somewhere, my father had to find a job, something that could pay the bills, and I had to enrol in a new school, it was very important to Dad that I never missed out on anything."
There was a brief silence in her story, and Cleo could see that Rikki was loosening up a little, though she still seemed sombre, and not like her usual self.
"The years went by," Rikki continued in a low voice as she moved slightly in the water, her fingers playing against the rocky side of the moon pool, "and so did Dad and I. We never did settle down properly, there was never enough time for me to make new friends before we'd pack up and leave again – we'd always end up skipping town. That's why I stopped trying to make friends, I'd just be me and that'd be enough because I knew we'd never be anywhere for a very long time." she pulled in a shaky breath, "I never told you this before, but... My dad and I – we would run from a lot of things. There'd be bills left unpaid, things left behind, I don't know how we've managed to get away all these times, we always managed to run.
"I always kept in touch with my mother." Rikki said then, and Cleo could feel that the story was coming to an end soon, "We'd email each other whenever I could get near a computer in school. We'd call each other up whenever Dad and I had time on our cell phone. Mostly we'd write letters though, I'd sent her pictures if something special came along on the way. After we settled here, it's been quite easy to stay in touch with her. It's pretty cheap living in the trailer park, so we've got more money for other things. I've been sending her pictures and telling her about you guys. And Zane, of course."
Cleo smiled warmly at her friend as their eyes locked. She had never known how important they really were to Rikki. She didn't know that Rikki felt so close to them. But she could see now that they were. Because she didn't usually have a lot of friends, and that she'd tell her mother about them was just proof that this was something big for her.
"How was your mother, then?" Emma dared to ask.
Rikki turned to her, her blue eyes saddened by her past and the fact that she'd just shared it with them, "She was always good. She found herself a boyfriend, he's rich and she's been living off him ever since. Not giving me anything, mind you, but whatever."
Cleo couldn't help but chuckle lowly. Rikki seemed to be getting back to her old self, even if this had been hard on her. It was nice that she'd done it though, because it answered a lot of her questions. It was nice to know how Katherine had recognized Cleo herself and Emma earlier; because of the pictures Rikki had sent her of the three of them; and it was nice to know these things about Rikki's past, though it stunned her a bit to hear her use the term 'skip town' – it sounded like they were criminals, running away or something. But Cleo decided not to think further about that, because it'd just worry her.
The brunette moved closer to Rikki through the water, placing a supporting arm around her friend, "Thanks for sharing, Rikki." she felt the need to say, just to let her know how much they appreciated that she did this for them.
Emma had another question to add though, "So what's she doing here now?"
Rikki shrugged, "I have no idea." she said, slightly shaking her head, "I guess that's what she wants to talk to me about at some point. I just wish she hadn't come."
The other two girls didn't know what to reply to that since they had no way of knowing what it was like to be in Rikki's shoes, but at least they were there for her, showed her that they supported her.
Rikki glanced upwards for a second, just shortly, before she said, "Well, we better get back, I've got a few things to sort out."
"I'm getting cold anyway." Cleo agreed and pushed herself away from the side of the moon pool, so they could all dive into the water again.
Rikki shot them both a sneaky smile, "And I'm getting pruny!" she announced, before she dived under, and was the first one out of there.
–
Rikki felt ruefully out of place as she sat there in the company of her mother, her father and Zane, dressed in her only formal dress (thanks to Zane she actually owned one), high heels and wearing more make-up than she'd ever been before. Her hair was pulled back in a buckle, so different from her usual braids or the bun she tended to make in the back of her head.
Her mother had asked them all out for dinner at some fancy place in town, a place where Zane had probably dined plenty of times, but Rikki had only walked by, not sparing it a glance. She knew that this was not to please them or make them happy, that her mother had done this, it was only because she wanted something; she showed off in front of her father, letting him know how much better she had it than him.
Rikki could it see it in her face, but she was used to it. Her mother was that kind of person, and there was nothing she could do to change that. And it didn't matter how much her mother tried to show off or pursue them with her money, because it'd never bite on them. Rikki wasn't demanding, she didn't care if she was rich like her mother was – all she wanted was to make a decent amount of money, at least so she'd be able to give her children (because she saw herself with children in the future, even if she wasn't that fond of them right now) something more, more than she had had with her father.
Not that she was whinging, but she did want her children to live in an ordinary household.
She could feel Zane's presence next to her, their hands locked beneath the fancy, white tablecloth, and she was securer with him right next to her; no matter what her mother threw at her this evening, she'd be sure to get through it. Also because, now, she felt like she had a reason to actually care, there was someone important waiting for her, no matter what happened.
"So Rikki darling," Katherine begun as their dinner was served. Her smile was dazzling, but Rikki tried her best to ignore it and glanced to her food instead, silently wondering what it was that she had just been served. She glanced to the side and saw that Zane did not question it, so he probably knew what it was. "I asked you here for a reason." her mother finished.
Rikki glanced up again and licked her lips quickly, "Sure you did." she simply said, not sure if she wanted to hear this, "What for then?" she questioned win a whatever-voice and reached for her glass of sparkling water, knowing how careful she had to be when she took a sip of it.
Katherine's smile could possibly not have been bigger, she seemed very pleased that her daughter would ask that question. She glanced around their small table with her head held high, "I'm getting married next month."
And before Rikki could control herself, she spat out every content of her mouth, water cascading onto the table in front of her. Her eyes were wide in surprise, completely in struck with what she had just been informed of. She could feel drops of water prickling down her skin on her chin as she didn't move, and she was about to reach up and dry them off with her bare hands, but Zane beat her to it.
"Here you go." he quickly said, his voiced hurried and nervous as he wiped her chin off with a napkin as if she was some little child. Only seconds after his hand had retired to lie beside his plate, did Rikki realize what he'd just saved her from. She glanced thankfully at him with a small smile, before she turned back to stare at her mother with open mouth.
"What-?" she paused, confused beyond beliefs. Her mother had lived happily with her boyfriend (she was not sure what his name was) for so many years now – why on earth would she feel the need to get married?
Katherine did not seem phased at all. She offered Rikki another smile, "We're getting married. We thought why not, it's silly to not make it completely official."
Rikki stared at her with wide eyes, completely aware of the fact that her father was holding back a laugh across from her, and that Zane was unusually quiet. She, herself, did not know what to say either. What did her mother expect her to say? There were no words for how she was feeling at the moment.
Terry was greatly amused, "He's marrying you?" he said to her, not a hint of tease in his voice; he seemed serious, serious enough to make fun or her, simply because he found the situation extremely hilarious, "That's some brave man!"
Katherine gave him a dead-glare and Zane snickered in his seat, "Hush would you, Terry? Just stay out of this, I don't even know why I invited you along." she turned back to look a Rikki, then completely at ease, "Rikki dear, perhaps it should just have been you and I, mhm?"
Rikki glanced softly at Zane; she did not want to say this aloud, but she felt better having him with her. Her mother knew of their relationship, but she didn't know just how important Zane had become to her lately. Their relationship had reached new heights since they last exchanged happenings.
The blonde mermaid simply just shrugged, not aware of any polite sayings that would fit the moment.
"I was thinking," Katherine continued again. If she was annoyed that no one answered her and everyone seemed to be greatly amused, she did not let it show, "that since we're getting married and we're going to live in this perfect house with this perfect garden with perfect trees and flowers and a perfectly decorated kitchen and living room, I'd like to tell you in person, it'd make it just the more perfect."
Rikki grimaced, "That sounds..." a slight pause, "...perfect."
Again, Zane held back a laugh, and Rikki bit her own lip, because this was just extremely stupid.
Katherine gave him a look of disapproval, but did not comment on it, "Well, it's not completely perfect Rikki," she said then, her voice growing soft as her eyes locked with Rikki's in a firm hold, refusing to let go, "you're not a part of it."
Rikki raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Huh?"
Katherine reached a hand across the table and grabbed Rikki's free one in a tight grip, "We want you to come live with us." she said, and Rikki felt herself shallow as she looked into the eyes she saw every day in the mirror, those blue, familiar eyes, "We want you to be a part of it. You'll get everything you need with us, Rikki, you'll never have to ask for anything. We'll give you much more than he'll be able to afford in a lifetime." she finished with a sneer in Terry's direction, totally disregarding everyone else's feelings.
Even Rikki's.
Had she known her daughter better, she would have known that saying things like that about Terry did not go down well with her.
Rikki didn't know what to say though, she never tended to be a loss for words, but it did happen occasionally. Katherine was still clinging on tightly to her hand, and expectant look painted across her gorgeous, yet slightly ageing face, "So what do you say?" she breathlessly questioned.
Rikki felt Zane squeeze her hand; whether it was to support her, or out of worry that she might have to go, Rikki didn't know, but she was glad that he was there (once more), and as she glanced up at her mother, she couldn't help but swallow and quickly imagine what it'd be like to be with her, how her life would be, a part of something so 'perfect', it did not look Rikki-proof – she did cause an essential amount of trouble.
"Honey?" Terry questioned too, his voice edgy with worry. He didn't want to loose her, Rikki knew that; she was everything he had, and he'd give up his welfare just to make sure that she was happy.
Rikki glared back at her mother, certain to get the message through, "I don't wanna be a part of any of that, Mum," she said, shaking her head while she heard Zane sight in relief next to her, "because I... I can't be a part of something like that, and I've got – I've got so much to stay here for."
She glanced at her father first, then at Zane, but those two did not nearly explain what she had to live for here. There were Emma and Cleo; the amazing friendship and unbreakable bond she shared with them, and there was wonderfully scientific Lewis, demanding toenail clippings and hair samples, there was Ash, always so cheery, yet very annoying, and there were juices, actually enjoying school when she did have to go, there were sunshine and secrets, and amazing swims to Mako at every hour of the day (or night). She could not leave any of this behind for some life in fancy and perfection. She wasn't that kind of a girl.
Rikki Chadwick could not be bought.
Katherine's grip on her hand loosened slightly as she sat back in her chair and realization hit her face, "You can't be serious?" she said, glancing at the two men in her presence, "Rikki darling, did you not hear what I just offered? We'll give you everything you need, you just say the word and it'll be there."
Her voice was hurried as she strained to convince, but Rikki did not bite. She shook her head yet another time, "No thank you." she firmly said and pushed her chair back, pulling Zane with her, "I'd rather be without any of that, but be here with the people who really care for me." she breathlessly continued, "If you really want a child so much Mum, you can always adopt one. I don't want to be a part of your picture perfect family."
And with those words, she felt Zane's arm wrap around her shoulder as he lead her out of the restaurant, leaving Terry to follow right in suite, Katherine stuck behind with her rage. Rikki felt confident that it'd work out now, that that was probably the last she'd ever hear from her mother, that life would go back to normal, that all trouble was behind her, quickly to be forgotten, but she didn't know her mother...
Because Katherine Chadwick soon to be Madsen did not take rejection well.
This wasn't over. At least not according to her.
Thank you so much for tuning back in. I'm so happy with the reviews I got from you guys, wanting me to go on, I'm really happy you enjoyed the first chapter! Here was the second one, I hope you enjoyed that as well. The last one will be up as soon as possible, hopefully within a week or two :)
Please drop off another comment, I'd like to know what you think of the further progressions in this chapter?
Disclaimer; I do now own H2O: Just Add Water, however, Katherine Chadwick (soon to be Madsen, lol :P) was my own creation. I simply tried to write her out as I imagine Rikki's mother would be like.
