Next chapter! I don't think I will update this story next week because I've got some important tests and a talk to prepare. You know, school stuff. So I might not have the time to write but I'll for sure try! Anyway, i hope you enjoy this chapter! Make me happy and leave me a review!
Louise's POV
Everybody looks at the door. There's this man, looking like he is just about to explode from anger.
"That's the owner, Mr. Bennett" Christina whispers in my ear. I study him curiously. I've seen people like him before, the rich guys who think everything belongs to them. When my father brought home other professors for dinner or sponsors of his various projects, I got to meet a lot of them. I look at Lorraine and just can't imagine her mother to be with that man. He looks like, well, like everyone Lorraine would hate. Next to Mr. Bennett there's this blond woman who winks at some bartender. Poor boy.
"Zane, you can't just kick her out" the keyboard player whines.
"Shut up Nate. Bella, leave" Mr. Bennett orders and give him a warning look. The watch-out-or-I-will-fire-you-look.
The woman on stage, Hope's mother I guess, sighs.
"Zane, I thought we were over this. You can't keep pushing everyone who knew her away"
"You didn't know her. You were just friends with her because of this whole… water… thing" he answers.
I stare at him confused. Are they talking about Rikki? And if they are, does the fact that Mr. Bennett mentioned water mean he knew about the mermaid secret? And obviously Mrs. Benjamin must have known, too.
"I was friends with her because I liked her, okay? But you won't understand. No offence, but you're not really an expert on how to make friends"
"Don't talk to me like that!" he yells, now really angry.
"Don't yell at my Mom!" someone demands. When I look around to see who is talking, I spot a little boy, probably my brother's age, standing on the table with his hands on his hips.
"Rick, come down!" a girl next to him hisses.
"No! I will defend my family's honor! Dad, let go!" he protests as the man behind him simply lifts him down.
"Sorry. I gave him some old novels about knights" he apologizes.
"Will" Mr. Bennett says coldly. "Should have known you brought your clan and the oh-so-lovely Miss Chadwick" he adds when he spots Lorraine sitting on the table, too. She rolls her eyes and gets up.
"Should have known a party at your stupid café would suck big time. I'm out of here. See you at school, Hope. Don't let dickface over there ruin you your birthday" Lorraine grins and pats Mr. Bennett's shoulder as she walks past him, but before she can get outside the woman who was with him steps in her way.
"Not so fast" she chirps "I don't like the way you treat my husband"
Oh. So that's Mrs. Bennett. By her appearance I would have thought she was just his one-minute girlfriend because honestly, her purse is definitely fake. Maybe he's not even nice enough to buy his own wife something cute.
"Do you have to stand up for him? He's quite a little boy isn't he? But as cute as a bulldog. You fit him perfectly!"
Oh, Lorraine. That wasn't necessary, was it? Besides he looks nothing like a bulldog! He looks like a … a… whatever.
"Oh you didn't say that!" Mrs. Bennett screams and grabs a drink from a table, just to pour it all over Lorraine who backs away screaming.
"You fucking bitch!" she cries and clenches her fists. Suddenly the lamp over her head flickers then explodes in a ball of energy and electricity. The sparks rain on Lorraine's head and it smells like burned hair and ozone. Mrs. Bennett starts to scream after a brief second of shock. Lorraine curses, then seems to remember that she's been wet for almost five seconds and flees the scene. Christina immediately goes after her, probably to make sure that she gets to the ocean, before she turns into something fishy.
I bet I'm looking like a complete idiot right now, because I keep staring at that stupid lamp. That lamp that doesn't exist anymore, just to specify that. It just exploded! Right over Lorraine's head… Why do I have this weird feeling that she had something to do with it? From a scientific point of view, I have to admit that this wouldn't be possible, but after all I've seen today I honestly have my doubts in science. Or maybe this is just a dream and tomorrow I'll wake up and nothing ever happened. I probably got some kind of fever, exactly that's it. I'm still in my tent on Mako Island and I just imagined this cave and…
Oh, I know that's not true. This is as real as anything can be, so there must be a way to explain. Explain our tails and that explosion. I step forwards to have a better look on the crime scene. On a near table blazes a small flame without anyone noticing.
"Fire!" the girl that told Hope's brother to get off the table then screams. Everybody stares at her, but nobody moves.
"Put it out, Rose" Marc says calmly. "There's an extinguisher on the wall"
"I'll help you" Catherine adds. I hadn't noticed she was here, but she obviously sat in a dark corner.
"Good" Mr. Bennett says without tearing his glance away from the entrance. "Put it out. Good" Then he walks towards the door, like some kind of zombie. I bet he thought of mermaids when he saw Lorraine's reaction to the water. Just like Mrs. And Mr. Benjamin because they seem just as stunned as him. Oh, that's bad!
"The band, Zane" Mr. Bennett's wife reminds him. "Kick them out so this boring gig or whatever it's called will be over. Just do anything but staring at the little brat. She's not Rikki and Rikki wouldn't be worth staring after. Besides, she's dead"
"Get it in your head Miriam. She is not dead, as much as you wish her to be"
"She's in a coma" Miriam shrugs. "That's almost the same thing"
"Actually" I hear Hope say "She woke up a few days ago. Lorraine met her today"
Mr. Bennett stares at her and then asks in a breaking voice:
"She's back?"
"Yes, but don't tell Lorraine you heard it from me"
"Great, just great" Mrs. Bennett throws her hands in the air. "I'm leaving"
"Leaving me?" Mr. Bennett asks confused.
"No, you idiot! I'm going home!" she yells and walks out. On her way she bumps her shoulder against everyone in her way. Someone should teach that woman some manners. Growing up in a rich family doesn't have to mean that you have to act like universe's most stuck up person.
"Lorraine's off to Mako" Christina whispers into my ear. I hadn't noticed she came in again. "What happened to Mrs. Bennett? She looked a little pissed on her way out" she asks curiously.
"Hope told Mr. Bennett that Rikki is back. I guess his wife was a little angry because he didn't pay attention to her almost getting hit by that lamp. Do you know what I think?"
"No idea"
"I think Lorraine did this"
"What? Making the lamp explode?"
"Exactly. I think she has some kind of powers" I answer looking at my friend unsure. I know I sound crazy, but that's what I think. She shakes her head in disbelief.
"That's not possible. Oh, hi Mrs. Benjamin" she quickly says when Hope's mother steps next to us.
"You're Emma's daughter, aren't you?" the woman says with a hint of sadness in her voice.
"Yes?"
"I just wanted to be sure. I didn't know you and Hope were friends"
"Yes, it just came kind of surprising. You know, the friendship-thing" Christina laughs nervously. That would be my cue to say something really smart to make Mrs. Benjamin back off, but just like in all situations of that kind, my mind is completely empty. Hope's mom nods.
"And not only that, right? I saw the way you guys avoided water"
"Who wants to get wet?"
"Nobody, that's right. But if you need help…" She winks. "Hope's going to tell me anyway. There's no chance she can keep things a secret"
"There is no secret" Christina answers and because I don't trust my voice I just nod. Mrs. Benjamin smiles at us a little sadly, then walks over to her family.
"Wait!" Zane calls after her. "Didn't I tell you to get off that stage?"
"That's exactly what I did. You didn't tell me to get out of here, but I'm going anyways" she yells back, clearly annoyed. She bents down and picks up a little girl, who looks slightly like her, so I guess it's a sister of Hope. Her husband, her son, the girl who is called Rose and some other girl follow her. I didn't know Hope had so many siblings. When Hope walks out she waves at us and yells through the entire café:
"I see you at school! Stay dry! Sorry, I didn't say that"
Christina sighs, bangs her head against the wall and mumbles:
"Why? Why does it have to be her?"
Catherine's POV
When I get home from the café I find my mother waiting for me.
"You've never been out that long" she says a hint of disapproval in her voice.
"Sorry. I told you I went to my friend's birthday party"
"I thought you already celebrated on Mako Island?"
"We did, but this was some kind of an official party" I answer and she nods.
"Catherine, I'm glad you made friends here but we're moving once more" I can't help but stare at her in shock. I never had that much of a problem with moving and leaving everyone behind once more, but I never needed friends. Okay, I don't need the girls, but I feel better with Christina and Louise around. They are good at keeping the secret, I guess.
"We can't move" I say. I can't tell why, honestly not. I should have the wish to get away from this place that turned me into this… thing. I want to get away from my mother's dreams and plans, I suddenly realize. I know that she wishes for me to be a mermaid, I know that I'll fulfill her expectations if I stay here, but at the same time I may also fulfill my dreams, only that one time. I don't want to be a mermaid, hell no, but I want to be on my own. I want to find myself and that's something I just realized.
"Why not?" she asks confused. "Catherine, the last time you had that rebellious phase, you were 13"
I grin when I remember what she's talking about. I was at this really cool school and I had my first crush. I knew that he would never even notice me, but it was enough for me just to look at him.
"We got here a week ago. Don't you think I might want to stay at a place once in a while?"
"I think I started this conversation the wrong way. I've got this once in a lifetime chance that will get us directly into the world of the rich and famous"
"We already are wealthy. I don't think money is everything. Besides, you talked about this place throughout all the years and now I don't even get the chance to explore it. Don't you think that is a little unfair? I like it here mom, just like you" I tell her. It's the truth. I like it here, although nothing will bring me close to the beach ever again. I'm too scared to reveal the secret. Besides, Louise and Christina are cool to hang out with. I never had friends, but those girls are really nice, if there weren't Hope and Lorraine… They are too reckless. If I stay close to them, they will get me into danger. They have to go somehow.
I nod my head. They definitely have to go. I don't know how yet, but I know that I'll do anything to keep myself safe. That's the code to survive in this wrong messed up world were mermaids exist.
"I'm not moving" I tell my mother and turn on my heel to walk out of the room. In the hallway I stretch my arms to enjoy my new-found freedom and confidence. I let all my satisfaction stream out, all of my ambition to make things right. All of my confidence that I'll somehow get rid of everything that bothers me, including Hope and Lorraine. When I touch the vase in the hallway with the palm of my hand, I suddenly feel a cold sensation. Somehow the water in the vase has turned to ice.
Christina's POV
"Hey, baby!" I hear someone call and walk a bit faster. Those guys have been after me since I've left the café. I hate being out all aloe when it's dark. I curse myself for taking a short cut along a deserted street when I knew they were following me.
"Wait up, bitch" I hear the steps coming closer and some evil laughter. Don't turn around, Christina, don't turn around. Walk faster, I tell myself. Someone grabs my arm and spins me around.
"Let go!" I demand, trying to get away from the man who is staring at me. I kick against his leg, but he just laughs.
"Not so fast princess" A few other men approach us. My heart is pounding fast and my breathing starts to get heavier. I'm tempted to scream for help, but no one will hear me. The gang stares at me.
"Want to go somewhere else?" one of the guys asks me. I shake my head and try to pull away once more. They grin. I look around in panic. If I could only reach the nearby canal…
"My boyfriend won't like this" I say, trying to sound confidently and point in a random direction.
"That trick doesn't work on us girlie" The man who is holding me tight says. My hope starts to sink, when I suddenly see a figure coming towards us fast.
"Mom?" I gasp as she steps into the light of a lonely lantern. The gang members stare at her, then someone laughs.
"Two is better than one" he says happily and I can tell that he's licking his lips. Honestly, I don't want to know what's going on in his head. "Get her" he orders and my heart almost stops in shock.
"No, Mom, run!" I scream and step on the feet of the man who is pressing me against his body. He groans surprised and for a brief moment he loosens his grip. That's enough for me to break away and run towards the canal, something they didn't expect. "Get away Mom, I'll be fine!" I yell a last time before I dive into the water. After a few seconds I resurface to see if my mother got away. She's nowhere to be seen, but the gang is still there and one younger guy stares at the canal.
"Needed to cool off because you're just so hot?" he yells and to my horror he takes a run-up to jump into the water. As fast as possible I get underwater again, but I'm not really good at coordinating my tail. Quickly I try to hide behind a bridge pier when I already notice him jumping into the water.
He'll see me! He'll see me in my mermaid form and then everything will be out and over. I start panicking and my childish instincts kick in. I close my eyes and in my head I repeat my mantra. You can't see me. I'm a part of the ocean. You can't see me. I don't exist. I'm water, salty drops in the deep blue sea. You can't see me. Nobody can.
I feel light. Just like feather that is gently floating through the air. I'm not here. I don't have to open my eyes to see the guy's confused face when he sees exactly nothing. I'm not here. I don't exist. I'm just a part of the ocean and I float away as a calm drift, out into the open sea where I belong.