Chapter 12: Ways to Fix the Problem

"What are you talking about?" Rikki quietly asked her sister.

"It's bad. I didn't mean for things to get so bad," Ruthie answered.

"What things, sweetie?" Cleo asked.

"You two have to see this," Ruthie said guiding the two teens out of Rikki's room.

She took them to the entrance of Ruthie's mom's lab. There Ruthie knocked three times on the door. They all waited at least 2 minutes. Then Kit answered the door.

"Oh Ruthie, yes, let's go down," Kit said motioning for the girls to enter.

Cleo and Rikki exchanged nervous glances before following Ruthie down the stairs. As they followed Ruthie they could only think that this was a trap and that they should just run for it. Still they kept down the stairs till they got to the bottom and got their first glimpse at the lab they just stepped into. It was huge, like it was completely under the house the house, and they had not even seen the secret room Emma was in.

"I can't believe how big this place is. This place is huge," Rikki said dazzled.

Cleo couldn't even say anything. The place was too extraordinary. It was like falling into a rich scientist's lab where he/she did work on exterior life forms or well mythical cheaters like mermaids. It felt as if no one could even find a place like this, even if it had a door right in the living room.

"Look I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this but… something bad happened," Kit said pulling the two girls out o their gaze.

"What do you mean by 'Bad'?" Cleo asked.

"Emma fainted," Ruthie blurted out.

"What!!!" Rikki and Cleo said in unison.

Kit took her daughter by the arm and guided her to the door of the back room. She let go and opened the door exposing Emma lying on a cot unconsciousness. Both girls ran in and kneeled down next to their friend. Rikki put her hand on Emma's forehead and whispered, "She freezing."

"The sickness must not have been completely over. If she used her power well… We should call Lewis. He is the only one with the antidote," Cleo whispered.

"What about them?" Rikki asked still in a whisper and pointing to her mother and her sister.

They both fixed their eyes on the two traders standing right behind them. Ruthie kept her eyes on Rikki. She was still too upset about the whole thing to be lessoning in on what they were saying about Emma. Kit, on the other hand, was too worried not to lesson in. It was a good thing she was to far away to hear what the girls were saying in the first place.

"Um… Ruthie… can we talk to you alone?" Rikki asked taking Ruthie by one arm. Cleo took her by the other arm, and they both took her out of the back room.

"What do you know about Em?" Rikki asked as they put her down.

"That she has powers that have something to do with cold things," Ruthie confessed. "Kim did say something about a diary, water, and mermaids. I think it also had something to do with you two and Emma. I was not paying much attention to what she was saying."

"She remembers that," Cleo said while Rikki gave her a good-going look.

"Look, Ruth, we need you to go back in there and make sure your nutty mother dose not do anything to Em," Rikki said. "We need to go and find Lewis. Got it, sis."

Ruthie nodded and watched as the girls ran back up the steps. Then she turned and walked back into the other room.

Rikki and Cleo darted out the front door and down the street to Lewis's house. When they got to his house they didn't even bother knocking, they just ran in as he had done a billion times to Emma's house. It just so happen that Lewis was sitting right there with his little brother.

"Lewis we have a big problem," Cleo told him.

"What kind of problem?" he asked.

"The teenaged kind, ones little kids should NOT HEAR," Rikki said motioning to the little boy sitting next to Lewis.

"Oh, then why don't we talk outside," Lewis said getting up. "We'll read the story latter," he told his brother.

They all went outside. As soon as the door was closed and they were sure that Lewis's brother was out of ear shot, Rikki started the story of how they went to Rikki's, found Ruthie in the closet, and Emma unconsciousness in the huge, underground science lab. When Lewis heard of Em's condition he ran inside, garbed his backpack, and started down the street back to Rikki's. The girls followed as quick as they could.