I. When the Light Breaks Through
There was fire underwater.
It was impossible, but beyond the vibrant pillars of coral, near the hunting grounds of the reef sharks, Rikki saw the flickering of a flame.
With a flip of her fin, she angled closer, her powerful tail pushing her through the shallow waters. It wasn't until she'd weaved through the maze of spiraling coral, that Rikki froze, hovering behind a glowing patch of red algae.
She'd been wrong. It wasn't a fire, but a crown of copper red hair that ignited like a flame when struck by the sunlight. The boy to whom it belonged nearly caused Rikki to dive out of sight until―
Another ray of light pierced the waters and shattered against his skin. A kaleidoscope of a million colors exploded into existence, bouncing sharply off the surrounding coral and algae, scattering schools of fish above them and illuminating the turquoise waters with beams of crystal light.
Rikki stared, mesmerized. She'd visited hundreds of coral reefs around the world, but none could compare to the brilliant sight before her. And then―
The cloud cover returned, and the light dimmed. Suddenly, the blue waters didn't seem so vibrant; the rainbow shades of coral weren't so striking.
Rikki gazed curiously at the boy. Without the bright light shining from his skin, she could now see that he wore a simple pair of blue swim shorts and a dark wetsuit top. It was a little underwhelming.
And while she couldn't be sure how long he'd sat at the bottom of the reef, she knew it was longer than any normal person could hold their breath for. He nearly resembled a marble statue, sitting cross-legged, unmoving, eyes shut and palms flat against his knees. The life teeming within the reef steered clear of him. Even the sharks gave him a wide berth.
If it weren't for the flickering of red hair and the modern swim clothes he wore, Rikki might've assumed he was mere stone.
Already she could imagine what her friends might say.
Turn back! Don't put our secret at risk, Cleo would fret.
Emma would be steaming. Not even the sharks are willing to go near him. He could be dangerous.
With a gentle flutter of her fins, Rikki swam forward, until she was close enough to see the curl of his lashes resting against his sharp cheekbones.
Finally, his eyes opened, revealing the strange color of his irises. Rikki was thrilled to notice that the color matched her scales. And then they widened, briefly meeting Rikki's blue eyes before shooting down the length of her rusty gold mermaid tail.
Rikki grinned cheekily and waved at him. Almost robotically, he waved back. If Rikki were able to do so underwater, she would've laughed.
His hand floated forward, hovering curiously above her gleaming scales. Rikki allowed it and pressed her scales into his ice-cold palm. He looked goofy, mesmerized by her tail, and Rikki imagined her expression must've looked identical when she'd seen his skin shatter light like the facets of a diamond.
She wasn't sure how long they hovered in place, curiously studying one another, but it was long enough for Rikki to use up the last of her time. She'd improved by a lot since she'd first become a mermaid, but she could only hold her breath for an hour before needing fresh air.
Rikki met the boy's amber eyes and gestured upwards, before swimming the short distance to the surface. They emerged in unison, but the boy didn't speak up, still gazing at her in awe, red hair plastered against his forehead.
Rikki's grin widened. "What's the matter, mate? Never seen a mermaid before?"
A/N: I'm just in that summer mood and felt like writing about mermaids. Admittedly, I watched H2O when I was in elementary school, so if there's any discrepancies, that's probably why x) And apparently there was a third season? Idk
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