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Things are about to get interesting in the next chapter ;)
Enjoy!
By morning, Elizabeth was up and ready to go. She left a 'thank-you' note for Annette and Charlotte for their hospitality and then took her leave. Coming down to the waters by Charlottes home, she jumped in, transformed in to a mermaid, and took off. As she swam, Elizabeth finally took the time to look at the beauty of the underwater world.
The reefs were bright colors as were the schools of fish. She slowed her swimming pace, trying to avoid the talk that she would have to have with General McLean about her assignment. Up ahead, she saw an orange tail swim past a reef. One of the girls was up and about. Elizabeth swam towards the mermaid and found it to be Cleo. She hung near a cluster of rocks and rested on them. Coming close, Elizabeth placed a hand on Cleos' shoulder, causing the girl to turn around and look at Elizabeth. A frown was on her face.
Elizabeth gestured towards the surface, asking Cleo to follow her. The two mermaids surfaced and clung to a rock nearby.
"What's up?" Elizabeth asked.
"Oh...nothing. I was just enjoying a morning swim," Cleo responded.
"Same here. I haven't really had the time to enjoy being a mermaid. But...it's nice so far," Elizabeth replied.
A bright smile spread across Cleos face. That was better.
"You haven't swum leisurely out near Mako Island. It's so beautiful there. Whenever I want to be alone, that's where I go," Cleo added. She held her hand out to Elizabeth.
"You haven't known what it is to be a mermaid yet until you swim near Mako. Come on."
Elizabeth complied and she and Cleo dove back underwater. Cleo swam at a fast pace and Elizabeth had to control her speed so as not to create a tsunami or anything. They reached Mako and Cleo took Elizabeth to her favorite spot to swim. Elizabeth enjoyed it. It wasn't often that she got to see what the underwater world looked like. She avoided the water all the time before this transformation happened to her. Elizabeth allowed herself to interact with the fish and she touched the reefs, feeling their rough edges. There was a certain tranquility to the ocean as she swam in it and for a moment, Elizabeth wished that she could be this way forever with no worries of her career or the lives that rested on her capable shoulders.
She finally followed Cleo to the underwater entrance that led to the Moon Pool and they surfaced. Resting her elbows on the rock in the same manner as Cleo, Elizabeth turned to the girl, who was eyeing her tail. Cleo shook her head.
"It's so weird to look at your tail. I mean, it's green. Mine and the others are all gold," Cleo pointed out.
Elizabeth shrugged.
"I think it's kind of cool, actually. I do wish that I had a top like yours. These seashells make me feel uncomfortable."
"How do they stay on?" Cleo asked out of curiosity.
Elizabeth tugged on a seashell to find out. It was almost as if they were glued on to her B cup sized breasts.
"I'm not sure, really. It must be magic," Elizabeth remarked.
"I don't doubt it. Mako Island is a magical place."
"What's the deal with this place anyways? I mean, the Moon Pool specifically? How did it get here? Who created it? What created it? Is there more to the place? Another entrance? Another chamber? Details are important in my line of work," Elizabeth peppered Cleo with questions.
All Cleo could do was shrug.
"I don't know. Lewis would know, but he hasn't had time to do lots of tests to get answers," Cleo spoke up.
At the mention of Lewis's name, Cleos' expressions became crestfallen and Elizabeth noticed it. She felt her senses rise up and allowed her heart to open up to Cleo.
"Hey, what's going on? I know I'm a stranger still, but I am a good listener," Elizabeth offered.
"Oh, it's nothing really. It's just that...I've known Lewis since we were five. A while ago, we dated but then my powers upgraded, my mother and father got divorced and I felt like I couldn't handle a boyfriend at the moment. I let him go and...I wish that I hadn't. Lewis means everything to me, but now that Charlotte has her claws in him..."
"You want him back more than anything?"
Cleo nodded and wiped a stray tear.
"And there's nothing I can do about it. Charlotte is a bully. She's taken him away from me. I don't know if I'll ever get him back," Cleo cried.
Elizabeth didn't say anything as she listened to Cleos' heartache. She didn't fully know what it was like to have someone she loved taken away like that. No...it was much worse for her. To have one of her first loves' killed in front of her was hard to think about sometimes. But how she felt now with Joshua in her life, brought about something so much more that she needed.
"Does...does Lewis bring about something to you that you never had before?" Elizabeth asked.
Cleo nodded.
"He makes me feel happy. I always smile when I see him."
"Then that's all there is to it. Be with someone who makes you happy; who makes you smile whenever you see them. I mean, yeah you got someone in the way right now, but that's all it is. Charlotte is only an obstacle that you and Lewis both have to overcome to be with each other. You'll find a way around that obstacle. And when you do, you'll find that your relationship with Lewis will only get stronger. Don't let Charlotte get you down."
With that, Elizabeth left Cleo alone to do some thinking. Lowering herself underwater, Elizabeth took off to her motel.
"You've finished up the assignment already?" General McLean asked.
"Well sir, in a way yes, but in a way...no," Elizabeth replied, talking to her superior on her laptop.
General McLean shook his head and furrowed his brow.
"What do you mean?"
"Well it's a funny story, actually. I had discovered the location on the operation but by the time I reached there, it was destroyed. Apparently the docks that it rested on had collapsed with everyone and everything inside it. They're all dead," Elizabeth explained.
'Whoa...how did that happen?" He asked.
She couldn't very well say that she was a mermaid and that she caused it to happen.
"Freak of nature, sir," Was all that she responded with.
"Oh...okay then. Well, are you still okay for that vacation or do you want a new assignment?" He asked with some hesitancy.
"Actually sir, I think I will take that vacation...a really long well deserved one. You're right. I work too hard for just one person, despite my abilities. Can I request a month long vacation?" She asked.
General McLean looked at her with surprise. Well...that was completely unexpected of her to ask. A month long? General McLean let the surprise subside and a feeling of joy spread in to his heart. Finally, she realized that she needed something like this. He was actually happy that she had made the choice to recharge her over exhausted batteries.
"Elizabeth..." He called out.
She looked at him on the screen. He only ever called her that when he was more affectionate towards her. General McLean was like a father to her.
"You go on right ahead. Joshua is busy right now but if you want, I can send him down to join you," He suggested.
She smiled. Spending time with her boyfriend sounded like a great idea. She nodded to him, thanked General McLean, and then ended their video call. Flopping on to her bed, Elizabeths' smile got bigger. This would mean that she could now leave the dumpy motel and find something a bit fancier. She prepared to book a room at a hotel in the city for the rest of the month until the next, and then began to pack. She signed out at the front desk and took the waiting cab down in to the city to the hotel that she booked. Settling in, she left again.
She decided to head back to Mako Island to do some exploring. Maybe she could find answers on her own about the mystery of the place. She would consider it her leisure work while she took her vacation. Walking down to the beach nearby her hotel, she looked around to make sure that the coast was clear before diving in the water and transforming. Her green tail propelled her through the water as she raced towards the mystery island.
