Lewis and Sophie rode together in silence during the short boat trip out to Mako Island. Sophie jumped out the second the skip touched sand, leaving Lewis to tie it off by himself.
"I knew there was something strange about that cave." She was muttering as she shoved aside branches along the path she knew well.
The sun beat down hot on their shoulders once they'd cleared the coastal trees. Sophie was still the leader of their twosome, though Lewis had made the trip ten times more than she had. It wasn't much longer before they'd reached the rocky land entrance.
"After you," Lewis said with a phony politeness to his voice as he gestured down the passageway.
"Damn straight." Sophie breezed past him and disappeared into the blackness.
Lewis rolled his eyes before following. He got angrier and angrier with every step. Will had really messed things up for the whole group. Not only had he become a merman without telling anyone, but then he'd let Sophie, of all people, find out about it. Lewis clenched his jaw as he burst through the tunnel and out into the moon pool.
Will stood on one side of the stone cavern. Bella and Cleo stood on the other. The three had been pointedly not looking at one another, but their focus shifted instantly as Sophie and Lewis entered the moon pool cavern.
Sophie stood awkwardly, clearly waiting for someone to speak. When no one began, she huffed before opening her mouth. "All right. I'm here. Now tell me how to become a mermaid." She crossed her arms tightly across her chest. She widened her eyes, turning to look at Will. "Tell me."
Cleo stepped forward, holding one hand up to silence Sophie. "I," She stood a little taller, "will be the one telling you, Sophie."
The redhead raised an eyebrow."Why not my brother?"
"Will's been a merman for barely two days." Cleo took no time at all to answer. "I've been a mermaid for five years. So I'll be the one doing the telling."
Bella breathed deeply as she watched Cleo. They had had a brief debate over who should do the talking. After all, Bella had been a mermaid far longer than Cleo had, but in the end Bella just hadn't felt up to facing Sophie. She was still dealing with Will's revelation. All of this had happened so fast.
"Fine." Sophie sounded more than a little exasperated. "I don't care who does it, but someone had better tell me how to become a damn mermaid or I-"
"It's the pool, ok?" Cleo stepped up angrily. "You have to be here, in the moon pool just as the full moon passes directly over this cave. You'll be a mermaid the next day. Ok? Now you know." Cleo set both hands firmly on her hips, standing triumphantly in front of Sophie.
"There's no way that's it." Sophie said skeptically, her eyes flickering to Will's before landing once again on Cleo.
"It's true." Will took a small step forward.
Cleo held her hand up gently to Will, gesturing for him to stop. "Sophie, we don't know how or why it works, but it's the truth." She sighed. "Be in this water next full moon at midnight. That's all it takes."
Sophie paced thoughtfully. "But the next full moon isn't for almost a whole month."
"That's right." Cleo nodded. "There's nothing else for me to tell you, Sophie. You'll have a month to decide if you really want this." Cleo took one step closer. "Because it is permanent. You won't be able to get rid of it once you grow tired of it. It's forever."
"Stop talking." Sophie inhaled and glanced at the others around her. "So you're telling me there is absolutely no way to make this happen before the next full moon."
"You're right." Cleo crossed her arms.
"She's telling the truth, Soph." Will again stepped forward, and this time Cleo let him speak. "Look at when I changed. It was a full moon. That's when it happened."
"Ok." Sophie's tone was sarcastically chipper. "Take your month. But I will be there on the next full moon. And if I don't change after?" She smirked. "You'll all be instant celebrities."
"That's fine." Cleo shook her head from side to side gently. "We've told you the truth, so you can't intimidate us. Come back here on the next full moon, you'll see."
Sophie clicked her tongue. "Fine then, I will. Enjoy your freedom." She spun on her heel and promptly marched out of the cave.
The rest of the group remained still and silent until Sophie's footsteps had long faded away.
"So you guys decided…" Will was the first to speak up.
"Yes." It was Bella who answered. "We decided to tell her the truth."
"We have no way of knowing if she'll tell about us." Will spoke monotonously, lost in his thoughts as he watched down the tunnel. "You know, even after she becomes a mermaid. She could still expose us."
"I know." Cleo sighed as she sank onto the sand. "Look, Will, we've talked about it." She sighed. "This was going to end up happening. Sooner or later someone was bound to find out."
"Looks like it's 'sooner.'" Will kicked at the dirt around his feet.
"We can't keep the secret forever." Bella said tiredly. "Let Sophie handle the news crews and the press."
Will swallowed, a knot tightening in the pit of his stomach. None of this was right. He needed to talk to Sophie. He shoved his has into his pockets as he walked over to Bella. "So, um…" He began awkwardly. "I'm going to head back to the mainland. But, please, Bella. Can we talk later? Just us?"
"Oh." Bella seemed too lost in her own thoughts to have really heard him. "Uh, no thanks, Will. I have absolutely no interest in talking to you." Bella turned to face the wall, clearly not wanting to continue the discussion.
Will hung his head, turning to look at Cleo before diving into the water and heading towards the shore.
"You've got to talk to him eventually, you know." Cleo's voice echoed through the silent cave.
"Not yet." Bella shook her head adamantly. "Just not yet."
BREAK
Will flew through the water, heading for the little shack behind the café. He swam through the underwater entrance, dried himself, and burst out into the sunlight. Zane, who had been outside the café wiping down tables, rolled his eyes and marched into the café when he saw Will appear.
Will shook his head. There was no time for worrying about Zane right now. He quickly whipped out his phone and shot a text to Rikki.
'They told Sophie. Meet me at the boat shed in an hour?"
Will tucked his phone into the pocket of his shorts before pushing through the beaded entryway to Rikki's Café. He quickly spotted Sophie seated at a small table in the corner tapping away at her laptop.
Will dropped into the seat opposite his sister, leaning his elbows on the table to get as close as he could.
"Look, Sophie," He began without preamble. "You're my sister, and I love you. Please… can we talk about this?"
Sophie's eyes didn't leave her laptop. "Now you want to talk?" Sophie continued typing. She pursed her lips before finally looking up from her screen to glare at Will. "You're right. I am your sister. And you kept an enormous secret from me."
"I- I only just changed, Sophie." Will protested. "I would have told you-"
"No, you wouldn't have." Sophie shook her head rapidly back and forth. She gritted her teeth as she continued typing. "You knew about Bella and Cleo. You knew what was so special about Mako Island." She clenched her jaw. "You watched me working for hours trying to figure that place out."
"It wasn't my secret to tell." Will said intensely, his voice low.
"I would have told you." Sophie swallowed hard. "It 'I'd found out that something as amazing as mermaids was real, the first thing I would have done would have been to run and tell my brother."
Will's head dropped forward. "I'm really sorry, Sophie. I just… couldn't tell you."
Sophie let out a long exhale. "You're forgiven." She said curtly as she resumed her typing. "You may go."
Will waited, but Sophie seemed to be ignoring him now. "That's it? Sophie, it's not that simple. I want to talk-"
"Well I don't!" Sophie shouted a bit louder than she'd intended to, drawing the attention of several people nearby, including Zane, who'd been watching them thoughtfully.
Sophie immediately lowered her voice. "I'm not interested in talking. You should go. Wouldn't want to get splashed." Her eyes flashed to Will's before returning to her computer screen.
Will sighed as he stood, watching Sophie and hoping for her to change her mind. After a few more moments of waiting, Will walked out of the café and headed to his boat shed to wait for Rikki.
Zane watched Will walk down the path before turning his attention to Sophie. Something was certainly going on. Suddenly, a realization hit him.
"She knows about Will." He said to himself. But what else did Sophie know? Zane wiped down the juice counter as he tried to think of a way to get Sophie to tell him what was going on. She was clearly irritable at the moment, her fingers nailing each key as she typed. Later, he decided. He'd let her cool a bit before bringing up the subject of Will.
BREAK
Rikki was pacing outside Will's boat shed when he arrived.
"You're early." Will called as he walked up. "Or am I late?"
"I couldn't wait." Rikki said anxiously. "Bella and Cleo's phones are off, and I need you to tell me exactly what happened with Sophie."
Will dropped onto the couch, Rikki quickly sitting beside him. Will wasted no time filling her in, telling Rikki all about what had happened with Sophie. Rikki listened without speaking, closing her eyes tight with worry as Will confirmed that Cleo and Bella had gone through with the plan they'd talked about. They'd told Sophie the truth.
"She's really angry with me." Will said worriedly. "I went by the café to try to talk with her and she got really upset."
"Is she going to go through with it? Do you know?" Rikki tucked her knees under her chin, wrapping her arms tightly around her shins.
"I think she might." Will spoke in monotone.
The clock's ticking was the only sound for a few minutes. Suddenly, Will jumped to his feet. "This is all my fault!" He reared back and swung his right fist into the door with a loud bang, startling Rikki.
Will gripped the door jam desperately, the muscles in his arms flexing hard. "I'm sorry." He sounded frustrated. "I'm trying really hard not to lose it right now." He rested his forehead on the cool painted wood, exhausted.
"It's all going to be ok." Rikki had moved to stand behind him. She wrapped her arms around Will's chest and pulled him close, turning her face to rest her cheek on Will's back.
Will's tense muscles relaxed after a few moments, and he allowed himself to be held. The pair stood that way for a long time in a peaceful silence, each lost in their own worries and thoughts.
"Don't leave." Will's voice pierced the silence. He spoke slowly, quietly. "Stay here tonight, ok?"
Rikki didn't seem to react to his words at all. She felt tired, worried, nervous, and… though she hated to admit it… she felt lonely too. "Ok." She said simply.
The pair tucked themselves in a few minutes later, laying facing each other in Will's bed.
"Thank you." Will hoped Rikki could tell how much he meant those words.
"You're my friend, Will." Was all she replied.
Will exhaled as he rolled onto his side to try to fall asleep. He rested his head on this inside of his left arm as he tried to quiet his mind.
Moments later, Rikki mimicked him, rolling onto her side to fit in perfectly behind him. Her knees tucked in neatly behind his as she wrapped her free arm around him. Their skin tingled where it touched, creating a comforting warmth as the blue electricity tingled under the sheet. Rikki breathed in his familiar scent as she felt Will begin to relax in her arms.
Within minutes they were both sound asleep.