So, I didn't want to leave you on a cliffhanger. That's why I'm releasing this chapter much sooner than expected. So, here we go!

Chapter 11: The Other Mermaids

Sara stared at the three mermaids floating in front of them in the Moon Pool. The head one had dark brown hair and olive skin. She seemed gentle, yet powerful. The one to her left had golden blond hair, a little bit darker than Sara with tan skin and gleaming blue eyes. On the opposite side was a pale girl with platinum blond hair who seemed quite fiery and confident.

Mia was staring right at her, fear and confusion in her eyes. "Y-you… You're Rikki Chadwick… You're dating my cousin. But… You're a mermaid. You're all mermaids…" Mia stammered, barely making it through the sentence in her shock.

Rikki smirked. "And the winner of this round goes to Mia Hobbs for her correct answers," she quipped sarcastically. "Congratulations! You are the gracious recipient of the Captain Obvious award."

"Oh come on Rikki, be nice to Zane's cousin," the brown haired one snapped.

"What Cleo? I'm sorry, I'm just trying to make a joke here. Any problem with that?" Rikki spat back.

"W-who are you? What are you doing here? Why are you… mermaids?" Sara fired all at once.

"My name is Cleo, this is Rikki and Bella. This is our home." Cleo spoke. She seemed confident and unnerving.

"Your home?" Katy asked, breaking out of her shock.

"You must realize by now that you three aren't the first girls to fall into the Moon Pool on a full moon. It was Rikki and I four years ago who fell into this pool and became mermaids. We met Bella here two years later after she fell into similar moon pool in Ireland." Cleo spoke.

"What do you want from us?" Sara spoke up, feeling courageous.

"We want to find out how you became mermaids, what you've been up to since then. As well we want to guide you on how to best use your abilities." Bella answered. "Since we all share the same secret, we want to make sure that you all go down the right path."

"Well I'm pretty sure it's obvious how we became mermaids," Mia spat.

"Ah yes and didn't Zane tell you to avoid Mako Island that night yet you completely disobeyed him?" Rikki shot back.

"Thanks Mum! And, oh yeah sure how was I supposed to know coming here would turn us into mermaids? Zane never said why to avoid it so how were we supposed to know?" Mia defended. "From what he told me you had a rebellious streak as well. So don't put all this shit on us."

"Girls please. Can we please make peace and work together," Cleo pleaded. "Does anyone else know about your secret besides us and Zane?"

"No. No way," Sara denied, "We've been extremely careful. Absolutely no one else knows about our secret."

"Good. But you've only been mermaids for a month, there may be a lot more problems that develop," Bella added.

"How do you know it's been that short?" Katy asked.

"Zane's figured out a lot more than you might give him credit for," Rikki put in. "Good thing we can trust him."

"Trust? Ha! I doubt that," Mia snided.

"Give Zane a fighting chance, he's actually not that bad," Rikki added.

"Ok. Sara, Mia, Katy, if you could give us a total recap over the last month. Like how you got your tails, how you've done avoiding water, that kinda thing. That'll give us more information on how it's been for you." Cleo spoke.

"I don't think we're gonna do that," Sara challenged. "We don't know anything about you and now you just want to delve into our pasts? I'm sorry if you don't see how I'm a bit hesitant."

"We only want to help you. But, we need more information," Cleo put in.

"You all figured it out on your own! Why can't we?" Mia questioned, frustrated.

"Because we had to. And, we got lucky. A lot," Bella responded. "We want to help you to make it easier on all of you. And since it could compromise us as well if one of you accidentally gets exposed, we need to make sure you can handle yourselves."

"I agree with Mia." Sara stood firm. "We're doing fine on our own."

Rikki sighed. "Look, I get it. Four years ago I was in your shoes a well. Like you said, I was rebellious. I wanted to be on my own as well, think for myself. But, I learned that you have to be willing to accept help when it's offered."

"How about a compromise?" Katy spoke up. All eyes turned to her. "Look. We're all a bit tense and angry right now. We thought we were the only mermaids until this moment. How about you give us a day or two to decide what we want? Let Sara, Mia, and I go over it ourselves and make a decision on our own."

The others all seemed an agreement. "Ok. A few days to decide. Just so you know we're only going to be here for a few months. Then, we go back to California for University. Just to consider." Cleo stated. "If you ever need us, come to Rikki's Cafe. We can meet there."

And with that, Cleo, Rikki, and Bella slid underwater, flying away from the Moon Pool. Silence deafened for the remaining girls. Nobody wanted to speak. That day had been arduous for the three of them, and there were so many questions left unanswered. "What do we do now?" Katy asked.

"Screw those three. And screw Zane especially. He ratted us out to those girls, and now we're put in this awkward position. God I hate him," Mia fumed.

"Mia. This was he meant by him waiting to play his hand. He knew his girlfriend and her friends were mermaids, and he wanted them to help us." Sara explained. "This is his way of helping out."

"Mia, we've only been this way for a month. We barely know what we're doing here. We need help. I know you're trying to put on this tough girl persona, but we do need some assistance." Katy added in.

"Ok fine. I'll think about it." Mia gave in. "But, let's at least sleep on it tonight. It's getting late, we've had a busy day, and I don't want to make any big decisions right now."

"Agreed. Let's all meet up after school tomorrow and decide fully whether we want to go through with this," Sara affirmed.

"Well, looks like we're not the only ones on 'Team Mako' anymore," Katy joked, trying to lighten the mood. It wasn't very helpful. Sara, Mia, and Katy went underwater and left the Moon Pool, going back home to rest.

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After leaving Mako, Sara ended up back at home, walking into the front door, viciously tired. From school, to her date with Farley, and now the reveal that they weren't the only mermaids, she was exhausted, and all she wanted to do was go to bed, despite it only being close to 8:00 pm.

Her father was sitting on the couch watching some TV when she entered. "Sara! How are you?" he asked, getting up and embracing her in a hug.

"I'm fine Dad. Just don't crush me please," she joked half-heartedly.

Paul released her. "Please come sit down. Let's have a talk," he spoke, walking back over to the couch and taking a seat.

"Dadddd….. Do I have to?" Sara complained.

"Come on Sara. What kind of father would I be if I didn't ask my daughter about the boy she went on a date with?"

"A father that knows to respect her daughter's privacy?"

"I wish it were that way. Come sit. I promise I won't ask too many questions that go into too much detail." Paul patted a spot next to him on the couch for her to sit down. Sara just rolled her eyes and slowly strolled over to that place and taking a seat.

"Where's mom?" Sara asked innocently.

"She's on an errand. And don't change the subject. Now, I do know his name is Farley. You have a project you're working on with him yes? I briefly met him one time before. What's his backstory?"

"Ugh… Do I have to answer?"

"This was your first real date Sara. A big moment for you and a scary moment for me as your father. You were never really interested in boys back home in Gibbon."

"That's because a lot of them were hillbilly hicks, and that was never something I was interested in. Farley's Australian. That makes him much more special and interesting." Sara explained.

"Oh... I see. Do you like him?"

"I guess so…" Her father raised an eyebrow at her. "Ok, I kinda like him. I want to maybe actually date him. Happy now?"

"Welllll….. Yes and no. Happy for you absolutely. Now that just makes me worried about my daughter growing up."

Sara reached over and hugged her father. "I'll still be your little princess." Sara released the hug. "Good talk Dad. I'm going to go take a bath now." And she was upstairs before Paul could react either way.

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The next day, life seemed to continue as normal. Sara went to class, trying to ignore the thoughts of the other mermaids. She met up with Farley during lunch, and they ate together by the same tree as usual. Sara noticed that they were closer together than usual sitting on the bench. She gave a half-smile when she made note about how their feelings had changed for each other.

After her final class, she walked out with Mia and Katy such as all days. They both seemed in a more cheery mood than when they all left the night before. "Another day in the books!" Sara joked to the two of them. "If there's one thing I've learned, high school is just as boring here as it is back home."

"I'm pretty sure that's the same with every country ever. It's a requirement for high school to be boring." Mia joked back.

Sara looked out over to her left. She noticed Farley and Blake talking next to the tree that she sat with Farley at lunch for. Farley caught her eye, smiling at her and blowing a kiss. Sara immediately smiled as well, growing red. Her heart fluttered once. "So are you and Farley like officially boyfriend and girlfriend now?" Katy blurted out in a whisper.

"What, no! I mean not yet." Sara sputtered.

"Sara, you're blushing!" Mia exclaimed. Sara tried to cover her face as best as possible to no avail. "Come on spill. What did you two talk about? I know you both eat lunch together."

"We are still working on it. Nothing is decided yet. We both really like each other, but like I don't know. Nothing is official yet." Sara tried to explain.

"Oh just be a couple already. It's obvious how much he wants it, and it's easy to see the same in you, despite your attempts to hide it!" Katy put forth.

"In more pressing matters, we need to talk about the new… mermaids… that have shown up here," Sara said, trying to take the subject away from her and Farley.

"I see you trying to change the subject Sara…" Mia quipped, "But I do agree, we need to talk about our plan with this."

"Finally calmed down from last night?" Katy asked.

"Er… Enough. I still don't like it. But, unfortunately, they're right. We have no idea what we're doing, mostly, and they've been mermaids for years. It could be useful to hear what they have to say," Mia explained, humbling herself.

"Ok. So we go to the Cafe now, talk with them, see what they have to say. I just hate having to share Mako Island with them. But, then again, they were here first," Sara remarked.

"Agreed," Katy and Mia replied.

It could be said Sara was very nervous as they approached Rikki's Cafe. She didn't know what to expect. The past week had been very strange, from the full moon, to her date with Farley, and now they were meeting other mermaids who've been that way for years. It was a lot for her to take in.

They entered into the Cafe, all on edge. Nothing seemed out of place, and Zane wasn't working the counter. Sara, Mia, and Katy took a seat at a booth out of the way. They didn't want to attract any attention yet. "Where are they?" Mia whispered. "They were supposed to be here. This is getting bizarre."

"They said to find them here. I guess we just wait until they show up." Sara added.

"And what, wait all evening?" Mia remarked sarcastically. Then, out of the office came Zane in a fluster. He immediately saw the three girls sitting down. He beckoned them back to his office with a sense of urgency. Sara shrugged, and the three of them stood up and followed Zane back to the office.

In the office were Cleo, Bella, and Rikki, standing quite nonchalantly. Zane sat down at his desk staring outwardly. Behind the older mermaids stood two men, arms crossed. Both were blond, with the one on the right being much taller as well as more tan and athletic. Sara's heart immediately began to pound. She didn't know who the two men were, and they were almost intimidating.

Cleo stepped up first once the office door was closed. "So, have you girls thought about our offer?"

"We have," Mia spoke up. "We think… it's a good idea to get some advice from you."

"Smart move. We want to give you experiences and assistance, basically what information we wish we had when we were in your shoes," Rikki added.

"Ok before we go on," Sara interrupted. "Who the hell are these two guys?" Why are they here?" She motioned to the two blond men standing behind.

The shorter one stepped forward. "I'm Lewis McCartney. I'm just your average mermaid scientist." He shook Sara, Mia, and Katy's hands each in succession.

"You're a… mermaid scientist?" Mia asked, quite confused.

"Well kind of. I've done a whole bunch of research on the other three girls over the years as well as Mako Island to understand the extent of mermaid powers." Lewis explained. "I'm also dating Cleo, hence my involvement."

"And who's the other bloke?" Katy asked.

The taller blond man stepped forward. "I'm Will Benjamin. And I am not a mermaid scientist," he joked, shaking their hands as well.

"Oh, and what do you do then?" Sara expressed sarcastically.

"He's my boyfriend," Bella spoke up, "And he's trustworthy."

"Good for him then," Mia said, "Great that we can trust our secret to the trustworthy boyfriends."

"Everyone in this room has proven that they can keep this secret. That's why they are allowed in here. Believe me, they can be trusted," Cleo remarked.

"Ok whatever. Back to it, what do you want from us?" Sara asked, honestly annoyed.

"First off, I'm guessing you all have powers. Which powers do each of you have?" Cleo responded.

"It's actually quite interesting on how powers somehow reflect personality. I'd like to see if that holds up with you three. It'd be good for my research even if…" Lewis began to ramble. Cleo shot him a death look, and he promptly closed his mouth and went quiet.

"I can control water," Sara spoke up. "Mia can boil it and Katy can freeze it. That's about all we know right now. As well Mia and I can use our powers to dry ourselves off quickly."

"How do you do that? Mia I understand, she can steam the water directly off of her, but what about you?" Lewis asked, increasingly interested.

"I just collect all the water on me at a single point, then pull it off me all at once. Almost instantaneous," Sara explained.

"You already learned how to do that?" Cleo asked in disbelief. "It took me a few years before I learned how to do that trick."

"Maybe we should be the ones teaching you then," Sara joked.

Over the next half hour, the group went back and forth asking Sara, Mia, and Katy about their time as mermaids, such as how they got to Mako, what they discovered on their own, and how they've lived since they became mermaids. Sara was slightly disgruntled about the questioning, but Cleo, Rikki, and Bella didn't get too much into their personal life if it didn't have to deal with being mermaids. So, at least that was something. Lewis added some scientific context whenever necessary, almost giddy about his research.

"What's next?" Katy asked when the three of them had finished their story.

"Live your lives as normal as you can," Cleo stated. "You've done decently well so far, almost surprisingly so."

"If you ever need help with anything, make sure to text us. We want to give you any assistance we can," Bella added.

"I think we can handle it, but even so, thank you," Mia told them flatly, trying to be more courteous.

"We'll keep in touch," Rikki spoke. "Just don't be surprised if you see us on Mako every now and then. It's our home as well, mind you."

"It's gonna get crowded with all of us in the Moon Pool," Sara joked. She alongside Mia and Katy said their goodbyes, leaving Zane's office and back into the main room at Rikki's Cafe. "They're an odd bunch," She stated to Mia and Katy when they were out of hearing range.

"Are we so different? We can relate to them with the whole tail thing. I don't know. I like them, especially since they want to be there for us," Katy spoke.

"Mostly they just want to help us for their own purposes. They want to make sure we don't lose our secret because that'll certainly affect them," Mia added.

"Well, I certainly am gonna try and live my life without worrying about them," Sara responded. She turned forward and exited the Cafe.

She slammed directly into Farley and Blake coming in from the opposite direction. "Oh… H-hey! How's it going guys?" She asked awkwardly. God damn it Sara! Get it together!

"Pretty good," Farley responded, smiling at Sara. "Blake and I just got done with a run, and now we're gonna get some juice for a cool down."

"That's great! You've been really getting into this fitness thing. It suits you."

"Thank you Sara. It's perfect to hear that from you." They both made eye contact. Sara loved the gentleness in his soft brown eyes.

Their moment of bliss was interrupted when Blake clasped Farley's shoulder. "Hey I'm gonna go get a juice. I'll give you some time." Blake told him, and he went inside, gesturing to Mia and Katy to join him, giving Farley and Sara some space.

Farley and Sara walked away from the Cafe, meandering along the edge of the harbor. "So what's new with you?" he asked.

"Since lunch? Not much really. Just hanging out with Katy and Mia as per usual." Sara fell silent for a moment. "Ok, so really I think we should talk."

"Oh… Is it, like the date yesterday was fun but you don't see it going anywhere?" Farley seemed genuinely upset when he spoke. "Damn. I thought it went well, but if it's not something you want…"

"No no no no! It's nothing like that!" Sara stammered through, "I… That's the thing. I loved the date as well."

"Then what's troubling you?"

"So many things have been happening since I arrived in Australia. Good things yes, but I've been here barely over a month and there's so much that has been going on. It's almost crazy."

"That's the beauty of it. Take the chances that come to you and don't give them up!"

Sara laughed. "Now, you're beginning to sound like Blake a bit."

"Unfortunate side effect of his friendship." They both smiled at each other. Sara turned, staring out over the harbor. It was beautiful, so much more than what she experienced in Gibbon. All that had happened to her, she wouldn't take it back for the world. Farley, slipped his hand into hers, enjoying the moment together. Sara loved the feeling being next to him.

"Ok. You know what," Sara spoke, turning to Farley. "I really do want to go out with you. Be officially your girlfriend. And I'll be damned if I'm gonna let this opportunity pass me up."

"Then, I would be happy to date you," Farley replied. He reached down, bringing his lips to hers. Sara could barely contain her excitement. She now had an Australian boyfriend, and she couldn't be happier.

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Some time later, Sara swam towards the moon pool. She had a bit of time after supper before the sun went down, and she wanted to meet Mia and Katy at Mako, hopefully in the absence of the other mermaids. She surfaced, already seeing the two others waiting for her in the Moon Pool, leaning against the rocks. "Hey friends! How's it going?" She asked cheerfully when she approached the two of them, bright smile on her face.

"Somebody's quite cheery this evening," Mia noticed, "What's got you so happy? You didn't seem as elated when we stopped talking to the other mermaids at the Cafe."

"Oh you know, I'm just happy to be swimming out in the ocean, and being in this Moon Pool with my two best friends," Sara replied.

"Quit your bullshit," Mia stated flatly.

"What's the problem?" Sara questioned.

"Oh come on Sara. This is about Farley isn't it. Last time we saw you, you were chatting up with him, and now you come back excited and cheerful. What happened with him?" Katy spoke up, getting interested.

"What? No! It's not that… Nothing happened!" Sara stammered, looking for an excuse. Katy and Mia just looked at her in complete disbelief. "Ok ok. It's about Farley. We've… agreed to be officially a couple."

"That's awesome Sara!" Katy exclaimed, hugging her. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Awwww…. You both will be so cute together. I'm already gagging," Mia teased.

"I'm making Mia feel sick? That just makes it so much sweeter," Sara joked back. The three of them shared a good laugh. But, Sara was quite content. She had two awesome best friends, she had a gift few others had, and now she had her first boyfriend, and an Australian no less. Her first month on the Gold Coast had been a complete success.

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