"Lewis, hey! You gotta listen to me man!" Colton ran after Lewis on the street.

"Colton, I've already told you, mermaids don't exist! Now will you stop pestering me? I have work to do."

"Lewis, look, look," Colton pleaded. "I have proof, look." Colton held up a picture. It was blurry, but Lewis could make out the orange tail and blonde hair. It looked like—no, Lewis wouldn't think like that.

Colton knew he had Lewis' attention. "She's real, man. They have her in a tank in Sydney. I haven't seen her with my own eyes, but I promise you, she's real. They invited me to go run some experiments, and I just thought you'd like to come to. Isn't it close to your home?"

"What? That picture could be fake for all I know. Come on, man, you know there's nothing left for me in Australia."

"This! This is what's left for you in Australia! Sure, it could be fake, but what if, man? What if you ignore this and I get all the credit for discovering mermaids?"

"IF she was real . . . Why would you even get all the credit? You didn't capture her."

"No, the men I paid did. Listen, man, I can't tell you more until I know you're on board."

Lewis looked once more at the picture. The orange tail looked eerily familiar. He closed his eyes, frustrated. Why couldn't the tail have been green like the Little Mermaids? Or the hair red? Couldn't he just forget those years of his life and move on? Sighing, he nodded to Colton, "I'll pack my things, but Colton, if you're wrong—"

Colton slapped Lewis hard on the back, "I'm not wrong, friend. We are going to be rich!"

He truly hoped Colton was wrong.


Rikki and Cleo walked down the stairs to the living room where Emma sat scrolling through her phone.

"We've decided to make a truce," Rikki announced.

Cleo sighed, "We won't fight anymore," she crossed her arms, "but that doesn't mean the past is forgotten—or forgiven."

"Whatever works," Emma said as she stood up. "We need to start coming up with a plan."

"Let's decide at my place," Rikki replied, "Zane can help us."

Cleo rose her hand into the hair, "How exactly do we know that we can trust Zane?"

Rikki glared at her, "Zane was the one who told me the news, Cleo. If you trust me, you trust Zane."

Cleo glared back, "Good thing I don't trust you.

"Guys," Emma growled.

Rikki looked at Emma and shrugged her shoulders. Cleo was the one holding the grudge. And even after these ten years, they still disliked Zane. It was childish. Zane had given her so much and he loved her, what more did she need? Friends.

It was true, after their friendship had ended chaotically, Rikki hadn't reached out to any other girls. What was the point after all? Friendships just ended in hate.

The girls walked out of Cleo's house and toward the car.

"Would you guys be up to swimming to my house?" Rikki said.

"Rikki!" Emma looked around, "do you really think that is smart considering there is already one mermaid behind a tank?"

"I was just asking," Rikki threw her hands up in the air. "When's the last time you even got in the water?"

Emma stuttered, shocked. "I . . . don't know? What does it matter?"

"I went to Mako last night," Cleo stated.

Rikki and Emma looked at her as if she was crazy. Rikki scoffed, for all the talk she has about the past, she sure didn't seem too worried about going there.

"I didn't get near! I just . . . wanted to see it."

"Cleo," Emma complained, "You could have been seen. This is what I'm talking about! We weren't careful when we were seventeen, and we aren't being careful now!"

"Careful shouldn't mean denying who we are, Em," Rikki whispered.

Emma glared at the nickname. "My whole life doesn't revolve around being a—"

"You can't even say it!" Rikki yelled, "I'm still proud to be a mermaid!"

"Rikki!" Emma and Cleo yelled together, then looked around.

Rikki shook her head. Unbelievable. "Get in the car."

The drive to Rikki's house was awkward and silent. Cleo had stared out the window the entire time, thinking on the events of the day. Even in her wildest, most desperate dreams, Cleo had never thought all of them would be back together—except they weren't all together. Mari was missing.

Mari and Rikki had both been new to their school the year they turned into mermaids. Cleo had never taken the time to say hi to either of them, until Rikki had pulled a prank on Zane and Cleo got stuck in the middle. It was Emma who had introduced Cleo and Rikki to Mari. They had been walking down to the canal together when Rikki and Cleo drove up in the boat.

Funny how turning into mermaids had forced them all to be friends. Cleo didn't they would have stayed friends otherwise, what with Rikki and Emma always fighting about what was responsible, and Mari always trying to help Cleo be more confident. Cleo would never forget how Mari walked with confidence up to guys, asking for their numbers. She still wished she could be more like Mari, despite the fact Mari had betrayed them.

Deep down, Cleo knew it wasn't Rikki's fault their friend group had disintegrated. That fell squarely on Mari's shoulders.

"We're here," Rikki said.

Cleo looked at Zane's house, which hadn't changed in the slightest. Zane, like his father, was still rich.

"Rikki!" a girl yelled as they stepped out of the car. She ran toward Rikki with a smile. Rikki, surprisingly, met the girl halfway and hugged her.

Cleo and Emma glanced at each other, confused.

"Rikki," Emma questioned, "who's this?"

The girl waved at them. "This is my step-sister, Riley. She lives with Zane and me. Riley," Rikki turned to the girl, "these are my friends, Emma and Cleo."

Riley, who looked to be no more than ten, said hello and then ran back into the house.

"Your dad remarried?" Cleo asked.

"Yeah, about ten years ago." She whispered, "But then the bitch left him with Riley and disappeared. Dad didn't fare well, got back into drinking, and, well, Riley lives with us now." Silence fell between them. "Let's go inside," Rikki said as she walked away.

Cleo and Emma followed Rikki into the house. It was extravagant, everything in the perfect place. Riley played a video game in the living room on a curved TV. Zane had an apron on and was baking cookies. Cleo couldn't believe her eyes. Rikki's life truly was perfect.

Zane brought the cookies hot off the tray to them. "Have a cookie before we start talking about the heavy stuff. I've made plenty."

"I love it when you cook, babe," Rikki said as she kissed him on the cheek.

Cleo cringed, then took a cookie.

"Thanks, Zane," Emma commented.

"We can all retire to the dining room," Rikki said while she looked at Riley, "where it will be a bit quieter. Riley, please put your headphones on."

Riley grumped, but complied.

The dining room's ceiling rose so high that it hurt Cleo's neck to look up. There was a grand table fit for at least fifteen, and each placement had the necessary placemats, plates, wine glasses, and silverware.

"Rikki, your house is lovely," Emma stated.

"Thank you, Em. Okay, let's get to business. Mari needs our help. Zane, could you tell everyone what you saw?"

"Yeah, okay, I had just gotten back from a business trip in Perth when I went to drop my thinks on my desk. My building covers a lot of departments, so I don't know much about everyone else's research. But, as I was walking out, I overheard a conversation in the hallway. All I really heard them say was the word "mermaid" and "level 8," so I decided to investigate.