A/N: Sorry about this chapter being kind of uneventful, but I needed to write something about this so I could get on with the rest of the story - I've got something good coming up! This is about halfway into the story now too, but I'm going to try to make the rest of my chapters longer. Anyway, thanks for reviews/favourites/follows, keep 'em coming. Now, onto the story.
-Kat xxx
Chapter Ten
Emily's POV
"Where have you been?!" my mum, Bella Benjamin, exclaims, running up to me and pulling me into a hug. "We were so worried!"
I breathe in the scent of her strawberry perfume for a moment, then step back. "I was in the moon pool at Mako Island."
She looks at me in utter shock. "What…?"
Mum and Dad don't know that I'm a mermaid. But after I told Mel, Lolly and Becca that I'm one, and that my parents don't know, they persuaded me to tell them. They told their own parents about a week ago, and said that it went perfectly well, so I've decided to tell mine now. Then we can reunite my parents with the others', and the old gang of mermaids will be back together.
"Mum, I know you used to be a mermaid. I'm one too"
"How…?"
"Well, I found out from three girls… You used to know their parents."
I point behind me to where Becca, Mel and Lolly are standing together, unnoticed by my mother.
Mum's eyes widen even more than they already had. She rushes over to my new best friends.
"Are you the daughters of Emma, Rikki and Cleo?" she asks hopefully. They all nod, smiling.
When Mum turns back to me, she's positively grinning, and her eyes are brimming with tears.
"Thank you so much, Emily," she says.
Suddenly, my dad Will and my younger sister Lizzy come outside.
"Emmy!" Lizzy cries, running towards me, her chubby arms outstretched to hug me. I have to smile. Lizzy is a seriously cute four year old.
"Have you missed me?" I ask her, lifting her up in my arms.
"YAY!" she shouts, grinning.
While my parents start a conversation, I carry Lizzy to the other girls.
"Thanks, guys," I say.
"Any time," Lolly says, grinning, then looks down at LIzzy. "She is so adorable!"
"Ugh, you can have her. She might be adorable, but she's a nuisance too," I joke. "Okay, so come over in a couple of hours, with your parents, of course, and Dan."
"Why Dan, again?!" Lolly jokes.
I smile, and the other two laugh.
"Well, we'll see you in a few hours then," Becca says.
"Bye."
"Hey guys," I say as I open the door to see three familiar faces – Becca, Lolly and Mel. Their parents are with them, and so is Dan.
I step out of the doorway and pull the door open wider to let everyone in.
"Bella!" Rikki exclaims, rushing over to her old friend. Cleo and Emma follow suit, and Lewis and Ash go to talk to Will. I close the door while Mel, Becca, Lolly and Dan stand beside me.
"So, another fish, huh?" Dan asks.
"Um… Yeah… I guess…" I say.
"Dan, shut up. Don't worry – he's always a jerk," Lolly adds, turning to me and laughing.
I smile suddenly. "This is totally awesome," I randomly say.
"Yeah," Mel agrees. "I mean, our parents are reunited, and we're all best friends with a wonderful secret. What more could we want?"
"Except ice cream," Lolly chips in and we all laugh. "No, I'm serious. Got any ice cream?"
"Uh, yeah, in the freezer… Is she always like this?" I add as she walks away.
"Pretty much," Mel laughs.
"So… when did you turn into a mermaid?" Becca asks.
"I can't say exactly, but I was thirteen years old, and I had moved here a couple of months before."
"It might have been the full moon after us," Mel says. "It would explain why you didn't get moonstruck on the last full moon, even if you looked at it."
"I suppose."
"How have you kept it a secret from all your other friends?"
I shrug. "I just… stayed dry, I guess."
"Okay."
After a while of standing around, the conversation eases, and it's suddenly as if I've known the other girls since birth. It's nice. I've never had any kind of friendship this strong.
Shortly before everyone leaves, Dad walks over to me and hands me a necklace – a locket with an intricate design.
"The fourth locket for the fourth mermaid," he says.
"Thanks," I say grinning. I had been admiring the other girls' lockets earlier and Dad had probably realised that a fourth one should be made.
I walk back to Lolly, Becca and Mel. "Look what I've got," I say, holding out my hand to show them the locket.
"Awesome," Becca says. "A fourth one. It's nice. Hey, do you think yours represents any kind of power like ours?" I look at her confused, and she explains, "Well, when any other mermaids touch my locket, it feels cold, for example, because my power is ice. You know?"
"Oh. Well I don't think I have a power…" I say doubtfully, and a little disappointedly.
"Why don't you ask Bella what her power was? We all seemed to inherit our powers from our Mums, so maybe you did too."
"Okay, I'll try it. Hey, Mum!" I call out, seeing her walking in the opposite direction, towards the kitchen. She turns around and smiles, walking over to me.
"I was wondering, what was your power when you were a mermaid? Like, with the hand… thingies…?"
"Oh, I just did this," Mum says, and demonstrates how she worked her power. I try to mimic her actions, and she laughs. "No, not like that. Like this."
I don't get the hand movement right at first, but I keep at it until long after all the guests are gone.
"Maybe I just don't have a power," I say, crestfallen, after what's probably my hundredth attempt.
"I'm sure you do," Mum says. "Maybe it's different to mine? Or you could just be doing the hand movement wrong."
Mum demonstrates one more time, and I try again, and something suddenly happens! The water in the glass on the table in front of me suddenly turns to jelly!
"Did I do that?" I ask astonishedly.
"Looks like," Mum says, smiling. "That was my power, after all."
"Yes!" I cheer.
Mum checks her watch as she sees Lizzy fast asleep on the sofa. "Can you take your sister up to bed for me?"
"Sure," I say, and smile as I gently pick up Lizzy to carry her upstairs. She's sucking her thumb, and her tawny hair is covering her face.
"Then get to bed yourself," Mum says. "It's nearly midnight!"