Chapter 5- Charlotte

Sam's combat boots thunked on the pavement with every step she took. The sun beat down and her sweat stuck her clothes too her back as the ocean wind whipped her hair constantly in her eyes. 5pm was nearing and she was most defiantly lost, suspecting she had gone in the wrong direction from the cafe. She was passing the docks when her phone rang. Looking down a photo of Danny took up the screen. She smiled weakly as she put it too her ear.

"Hello?"

'Hi Sam!' Danny replied.

"What time is it?" She asked, sitting down on the edge of the dock where no boat was. Her combat boots dangled above the water.

'3am, can't sleep,' he paused for a moment. 'I really miss you.'

"I really miss you too," Sam replied. "Australia is shit."

'I'm sure it thinks your shit.'

"I hope it does," Sam laughed, "It might kick me out."

'Then you could come home.' Sam smiled weakly.

"I miss Amity Park. I even miss... Dare I say it... Casper High."

'Woah, what have they done to you?' Danny asked.

"Brain was-" Sam was cut mid sentence by the roar of an engine. She looked up to see a boat pulling in to the vacant spot. A girl with red hair blowing behind her steered the small dinghy. "I've got to go Danny," Sam said, standing up. "I'll call you tomorrow, at a more decent time." They said their goodbyes quickly as the boat engine flipped off. Sam turned to leave but the girl spoke first.

"Seeing as your here, care to give me a hand out?" The girl asked. Sam awkwardly bit her lip, but reached out a hand to pull the girl onto the dock. "Thanks," the girl said as she regained herself. "Sam right?"

"Yeah," she replied uneasy.

"Thought so, I was in your first class today," she explained.

"I'm Charlotte."

[line break]

"Sure you don't want me to stay?"

"Bye Lewis." The boy huffed as Rikki pushed him out the front door as the clock hit eight. Kim had been moved from the bathroom into the lounge where she had eaten a dinner of toast. Emma had frozen all the doors closed as they sat around watching the tv and keeping a close eye on Kim. They needed a plan. Emma refroze the knob as Lewis left, and sat herself back down as Home and Away began.

"Oh my god, turn it off," Rikki demanded. Cleo began flipping channels, causing a silence to fall about the room.

"Tell me how it happened," came Kims voice from the arm chair. Cleo lowered the volume.

"How what happened?"

"How you became mermaids." The three girls looked at each other. Silently they agreed they needed to make something up, or who knew what Kim might try and do.

"Well," began Cleo.

"You remember..." Continued Emma.

"That girl, Charlotte," Rikki interrupted. Shocked glances fell on Rikki, who smiled weakly. "Well, her grandmother Grace was a mermaid," Rikki explained, "and she passed the gene to Charlotte." Cleo was clearly sweating across the room while Emma and Kim axiously awaited Rikkis next words. "Charlotte had the powers all three of us have, and wanted us to join her in a mermaid coven, much like her grandmother had once had. She hit us with her powers but in the wrong way. It was a full moon so her powers lost control."

"So basically, Charlotte turned us into mermaids," Emma interrupted.

"So she's one aswell?" Kim asked.

"Well, no," Cleo informed. Kim's eyebrows furrowed.

"Because she wasn't in control she gave us everything, and lost her own abilities," Rikki explained, "that's why she hates us." Kim turned back to the tv, she actually looked satisfied. The girls smiled behind her back. "So how long are you going to keep me locked up here?" Kim asked, still facing the tv.

"Until were sure you won't tell a soul," Rikki replied.

"The ONLY person I will tell is Elliot," Kim persisted.

"You can't tell my brother!" Emma a argued.

"Fine, but you can't keep me here forever."

[line break]

"Why are you over at the boat docks? The rumour was you were living in the big scary 'Haunted Mansion'," Charlotte asked sarcastically. Sam smiled.

"Yeah I am," she replied.

"Well, your pretty far from it," Sams smile dropped. "Where are you heading anyways?"

"Um..."

"Are you lost?" Sam bit her lip. She didn't want to admit it but that was the truth. Charlotte read her face. "You are," she giggled. "You want a lift?" She pointed across to the road where a small red car was parked.

"Yeah, sure," she agreed. Charlotte smiled and lent down to tie her boat up.

"What were you out on the sea for?"

"Went out to that island there," Charlotte replied, pointing out to the barely visible blob on the horizon. "Mako Island." Sam screwed her eyebrows together.

"Why?"

"Well the adrenaline rush riding out there is the first thing, and ofcourse the awesomeness of the island," Charlotte explained. "There's beach, forest, even a volcano cave."

"Cool, I'd like to see it," Sam replied.

"Well," Charlotte smiled. "I'm heading out in a few days again if you'd like to come."

"When?"

"Saturday night," Charlotte informed. "The next full moon".