Chapter 3: One stupid mistake

The moon pool looked as beautiful as always. The girls had cleaned it all up and it was almost like before.

Rikki was swimming for an hour when she decided it was time to go the moon pool. When she went there there was still no trace of Zane so she decided to wait.

While she was waiting for him she was lying in the water with her eyes closed, thinking about the past, about her whole life. She remembered about South Africa, about Derek and their small band. Four boys and herself. But she acted so not girly that the boys admired her and secretly had a crush on her. Then she remembered when she had to move on. All the boys told her that they'll gonna miss her so much.

She remembered her first days in the new town and in the new school. She remembered the beginning. She remembered she took something of Zane's zodiac just to annoy him. He thought it was Cleo who took it, and tried to trick her, but then Rikki saved her, jumping in the zodiac. She remembered Emma's words when the asked her to go for a ride with them "Are you licensed?", "Are you my mother?", was Rikki's reply. She smiled. She loved these memories. She remembered when Cleo fell in the cave leading to the moon pool. And then she remembered the moment their life changed forever.

She was so deep in her memories that she didn't noticed when the time had passed and she didn't heard Zane's steps. When he came to the moon pool he saw she was still with closed eyes and she was smiling a bit playing with the water with her hands. She was more beautiful than ever. He couldn't help with smile. What's more for a moment he even forgot he was angry and jealous. He was there with her and only that mattered.

"I'm glad you're here." He said.

Rikki opened her eyes and looked at him.

"You asked me to come. I came. Now spill. What's all this about?!" And she moved, putting her arms at the edge of the pool.

He didn't know how to begin, but he knew what he wanted to say.

"Rikki, look I love you."

"Please, don't start again." She said annoyed and with a grimace of boredom.

"No, let me finish, first. Riki, I love you, you are my life. You are the only thing I can think about, every day. When you're not around I don't know what I'm doing. When you're not around…it's like a piece of me is missing. Like a part of myself is gone. I can't live without you. Today when I saw you holding hands with that guy and when I saw him kissing you…it hurt me. Of course I was jealous and angry, but above all this, my heart was bleeding, because I couldn't bear the pain of losing you. I wrote you the note and I wanted you to come here, because…because I wanted to ask you to give me one more chance. One last chance. Please, that's all I'm asking for."

"Zane, I'm sorry if I'd hurt you kissing Derek, really. That's the last thing I wanted to do. But you have to understand that I'm trying to move on. The way you felt today when you saw us, was the way I felt when I saw you kissing Sophie. I still care about you…but only as friend. I still love you…but I'm not in love with you anymore. You have to understand me and let me go. I'm tired of us repeating the same things again and again. Please, just leave me alone once and for all. I can't take this again and again anymore. I just want to carry on with my life. And I'm sorry if I've hurt you with what I said, but that's my last word. This is it, Zane. I'm done with it."

She tried to smile at him, but he looked away.

He couldn't believe that she could say something like that. He loved her more than his own life and he thought she felt the same for him. Obviously he was wrong. In the depths of his eyes, small tears started to form.

"If that's what you really want, than fine. I'll leave you alone. But like I said I can't live without you. And I won't."

He pulled out a gun from his pocket and pointed it at his head. For a moment Rikki froze.

"Zane…what the hell are you doing?"

"Well it's obvious, isn't it? I'm going to put an end. If I can't be with you, I don't want to live. I'll set both of us free."

Rikki pulled out herself from the water and dried off quickly. Then she stood up and looked him in the eyes.

"Is this some stupid plan to make me go back to you? Because if it is, it's not going to work."

He lowered the hand with the gun for a moment. He couldn't believe how distant she had become.

"How can you even say that?" He asked her shocked.

"Because it looks like it. Besides you'll never do this." Rikki nodded to the gun and made a step closer to him. "Now, stop with this nonsense and don't push my buttons."

"So you think I don't have the guts to do it?" He put the gun to his head again.

"I think you're beating a dead horse and you should give up." A nd she tried to pull the gun from his hand.

For a moment the whole situation became a complete chaos. Zane was so shocked of how cold she acted so he lowered the gun again. She decided to take advantage and tried to pull it away from him, but he didn't let her. Then the sound of a gunfire echoed, followed by a loud scream "Rikki" by Zane's mouth.

His eyes were wide open. He dropped the gun because of the shock. In less than a heartbeat Rikki was lying on the ground, her chest covered in blood. Zane fell on his knees and took Rikki in his arms. Warm tears started to fall from his eyes. For a second Rikki's eyes found his and she looked at him: blue in brown.

"I'm so sorry." He said crying and shaking. "Forgive me."

Rikki smiled and fondled his cheek. It was hard for her to breathe, because of the pain, and he could see it, but still she barely managed a few words.

"It's ok."

Then she closed her eyes and her head leaned helplessly to one side, with a small tear falling down her cheek. The hand fondling Zane's cheek thudded to the floor and Rikki moved no more.

"No!" Zane screamed.

He bursted into tears, but after a while he noticed something; vshe was still barely breathing and her warm blood was still gushing from the wound.

He lifted Rikki in his arms and hurried back to the entrance and back through the island to his boat. He gently put her in, taking her head in his lap.

"Hold on, Rikki, please, just hold on. I know how strong you are, you can get through this, you can't die." He told her gently.

Warm tears were falling from his eyes. He leaned and whispered in her ear, "Please, don't leave me."

He gently touched her lips with his. He was fondling her hair crying. She had to live. He couldn't imagine life without her.

He took out his phone and quickly dialed first Cleo and then Bella.

When they reached the shore he lifted Rikki in his arms and ran to the nearest hospital. There the doctors rushed Rikki to the operating room. He had to sit down and wait alone. After a few minutes Cleo, Bella, Lewis and Will ran into the hospital and straight to Zane. He was sitting with tears falling down his cheeks, shaking and staring in the empty space. He was covered with Rikki's blood.

"What happened?" Cleo asked.

"How is she?" Bella questioned.

He didn't move. Gilt was filling him all over.

"I…shot her." He said without looking at them and without moving a muscle.

Another tear fell down.

"What?" Cleo shouted.

She, Bella and the two boys slumped in the chairs next to Zane. Tears started falling Cleo and Bella's cheeks too.

Zane buried his head in his hands. He still couldn't assume what has happened. All he knew was that because of one stupid mistake he could lose Rikki.

His stupid mistake.