Chapter One: Morning on the Gold Coast dawned bright and cheery with hardly a cloud in the sky and the bright sun shining down. The white boat was still docked off of Mako Island, but there were no signs of life on board. In the meantime, speed boats were crossing the channel between the harbor and the small island, each carrying a dozen or so men in working clothes. They reached the island and pulled their boats onto the sand, beaching them quickly and deftly. Without pausing to dry off, the men took off into the forest where their machines were waiting for them.

Unbeknownst to any of them, three girls were crouching behind a rock, watching. They were horrified at what they saw. The three of them exchanged glances, before taking off into the water. As soon as they'd dove into the sea, the water, in contact with their skin, transformed them. Their shirts were replaced with an orange bikini top of scales, and their legs disappeared inside a long, orange mermaid tail. This metamorphosis didn't faze any of them, and three torpedo-like mermaids swam into a small cave on the side of the island.

They surfaced, one at a time. First, Rikki Chadwick took a breath and leaned tensely against the rock within the moon poll. She was followed closely by Cleo Sertori, who joined her. Both girls turned and watched Bella Hartley surface and the three girls faced each other, their eyes wide with uncertainty and anxiety.

"Why were all those men coming to Mako?" asked Cleo nervously. None of them enjoyed the idea of anyone else being at Mako Island. The more people poked around Mako Island, the more questions they asked, and then they never left the mysterious island alone.

Rikki scowled, displaying her fear to the other girls without needing to express it aloud. "This isn't good, whatever it is," she declared unhappily, her voice aggressive. "We need to run them out, get them all away."

Shaking her head, Bella interjected. "Shouldn't we find out why they're here to begin with?"

"No matter what the reason is, it can't be good," said Rikki stubbornly. "Think of our past encounters with people on Mako." In the past, everyone who had been to Mako either learned their secret or became a huge problem, what with their investigating and poking around. They were all hard to deter.

"Rikki's right, but I think we should find out why they're here as well," put in Cleo quickly. "We don't want the island damaged anymore by anyone." They had had enough trouble in the past with Sophie, Ryan, and Zane; they didn't need any more trouble to deal with.

"We can't do anything about that now, and we should get going," said Cleo softly, breaking the other two girls out of their thoughts. "We'll investigate it; maybe Lewis knows something." The other two nodded, and one by one, they sank under the water and shot out of the pool like a rocket.

Unnoticed to any of them, there were two eyes following them, curious and inconspicuous. The owner of the eyes was hidden behind the reef, but as soon as the bubbles from the others' mermaid tails disappeared, so did the eyes.


Mariella Westwood was in love. She was in love with the Gold Coast, and she was happier than she could say to be there. It was the first time in her life that things seemed to be going okay.

The summer holiday was warm and inviting, and Mari was anxious to discover the popular hang outs of kids her own age. Her mother had told her to make some friends like her, and that was exactly what she intended to do. Being a stranger in a new place wasn't easy, but Mari welcomed it. She loved the sounds and the smells of the Gold Coast, and she made her way down the beach. Keeping her feet in the soft, warm white sand, she soaked in the sunshine the best that she could.

Many people were enjoying their summer holidays, laying out on the beach or tossing a Frisbee along the beach. Groups of teenagers, families—everyone seemed to be spending the day at the beach.

The only place that seemed more crowded than the beach was an aqua park not far from the beach, along the shoreline. The Gold Coast was filled with tourist traps, but they were nice. The aqua park, for example, was a quaint little place with rides, shows, and animals of all kinds. It was nice.

A crowd flooded into an arena, and Mari followed curiously. A dolphin show! Her eyes lit up when she saw it: she loved dolphins, and dolphin shows. The show was packed, and she took a seat near the back.

There was is girl around her own age, maybe a little older, who was leading the show. She was very good, and the dolphins all responded well to her commands. They seemed to follow her every move, and answered accordingly with flips and tricks of all kinds. It was a very good show, Mari had to admit.

She was the last one to leave the arena. Walking down by the water, she was pleased when one of the dolphins broke away from the pod and greeted her. Mari jumped back when he splashed, and glared at the playful dolphin. He seemed to smirk at her, and she shook her head at the creature, but smiled nonetheless.

"Wow, Ronnie really seems to have taken a liking to you."

A voice made Mari turn around quickly, to find herself looking up at the assistant dolphin trainer—Cleo? That was what her name had been... right? Mari smiled up at the taller girl.

"I've always loved dolphins," she said with a shrug. "Great show, by the way. The dolphins really love you."

The tanned girl smiled at the compliment, a pink tinge appearing on her face. "Thanks, that means a lot. I'm Cleo," she introduced herself and offered a hand for Mari to shake. With a grin, Mari complied and gripped the other girl's hand firmly before letting her hand drop back to her side.

"Mari," she offered. "I just moved here with my mum."

"Welcome to the Gold Coast, then!" said Cleo with a friendly smile. She looked up, beyond Mari's shoulder. Mari glanced behind her to see two girls walking towards them. "It was nice to meet you, Mari, but I've got to run."

Mari nodded in understanding. Hanging out with friends was definitely better than talking to a stranger. "I guess I'll see you around, then?" she offered uncertainly. But Cleo smiled and nodded, before waving goodbye and heading off with the two blonde girls who were waiting for her.


Author's Note: Thank you all for the reviews! I loved them, and I'm really glad that you all like the story so far! So here's the first official chapter! Hope you like it, and please review! Favorites, alerts, reviews... they're all awesome! I'll update soon, promise.

- double heart