A Wish on a Full Moon
I do not own H2O: Just Add Water or any of the characters.
Happy 4th of July everyone! Sorry it took so long to update…
Chapter 26: Sink or Swim (part 1)
As soon as Rikki heard the door close behind her in the hallway, she sighed and turned around to face Zane. "Alright, Zane. What do you –?" She never got to finish her question as Zane sweeps her into a kiss, surprising the hot-tempered blonde. Eventually, she returns it and embraces him in a hug, missing him by her side. Finally, after several moments, they separate from the kiss and look into each other's eyes. Rikki looked up at him with a small smile forming on her face as she finally finished her sentence. "Want?"
Zane chuckled, continuing to hold her close as he smiled down at her. "I wanted to do that since we first got here." "Ah ah ah, you know the rule. Emma and Cleo can't know about us." "You know they're going to find out eventually, right?" Zane questioned her.
Rikki sighed, glancing down before looking back up. "Yes. I know. But not right now they won't. They can't. They just, won't understand." "Maybe they will. But I guess you're right," Zane sighed, looking away and separating from Rikki. Or is that your fear talking?
"So anyway. What did you want?" Rikki asked, plopping her hands to her sides as she looked at him. "Why?" Zane asked, pacing back and forth quietly in the hallway for several minutes. "Why what?" Rikki asked, looking confused. "Why did you save me? You hated me back then. So why?"
Rikki looked away, a hint of redness coming to her face. "I guess, I thought you didn't deserve it. To get hurt I mean. I might've hated your guts back then, but it didn't mean that I wanted you to get hurt," she said, giving him a small smile as she saw him quit pacing and slowly look over at her.
"And also, if I didn't, I never would have seen that other side of you."
"What other side?" Zane said, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion. "That night, of the incident. You seemed completely different. Not just because your fears were shown, but you let your walls down.
You showed how much you were hurting on the inside, how you had so many other emotions other than anger. And when we talked at the docks, you didn't act like you were looking down on me, but as if it were a normal conversation. Heart to heart. Completely honest."
The smile grows bigger on her face as Zane slowly starts walking towards her, a smile beginning to form on his face as well, with a hint of a blush. "And when you smiled, it didn't have no wicked intentions behind it. It was genuine, it was good. It was real. You were real. In that short moment, you showed me the real you," Rikki chuckled as she thought about it some more. "That was why I decided to give you a second chance. You let your walls down, and finally let someone in."
Zane wasn't sure what to say, he never heard this side of her before. Never heard this much emotion from her before. He wasn't complaining. He liked it. He liked her. He loved her. And that was the only thing he could think of as he wrapped his arms around her again. Her. This whole other side of him is all because of her. She was good to him, and she made him a good person. Or a better person at least. And he didn't want to lose her.
"I love you," he whispered, leaning his head against the top of hers and she leaned into his chest. He felt her tense up for a moment, probably because she wasn't expecting him to say that, then the tension released as she relaxed and hugged him tighter.
"I love you too," she whispered back. His smile grew wider as he heard those words. It was something he hadn't felt in a while. They stayed like that for several more minutes until Zane decided they should probably head back.
He went to let go of her, but she pulled him back, and they remain where they were, holding on to each other. "Can we, just stay like this for a few more minutes?" Rikki asked, her voice a little quiet. Zane was a little surprised, but he stayed where he was anyways, his arms wrapping back around her. "Of course." It stayed quiet like this for several minutes, just those two embracing each other, before Zane decided to disrupt it.
"… Oh, by the way. Were you the one who saved me from drowning before?" Rikki's eyes widened, but she quickly recovered as she gave him a smirk. "You'll just have to see for yourself." "Oh come on!"
After they watched the disappear through the door, Lewis leaned in closer and starts a quiet conversation with the two; making sure no one else could hear them.
"Is it just me or do those two seem friendlier than usual?" Lewis asked as he pointed two fingers to the door. They both look at the door before looking back at him. "They do seem comfier with one another now," Cleo pointed out. Emma shook her head as she looked back at him. "No. I'm sure it's just because they dated before. They might be exes now, but it doesn't mean they can't talk to each other. Right, Cleo?" Emma said, looking over at Cleo with a raised eyebrow.
Cleo awkwardly looks away, biting her lip at getting hit with such a question. "… Right." Lewis glanced down, feeling like that was being directed towards him as well. "And besides, Rikki told me that when he came back, they talked and decided to just go back to being friends. She never told him about our little 'fishy return' either. She wouldn't lie about any of that," Emma said as she turned back to Lewis, putting all of her faith into Rikki to not break their secret to him.
"Emma's right. I trust Rikki. She wouldn't keep something like that from us. I'm sure there's nothing going on," Cleo said, giving him a small smile. Lewis glanced downwards, thinking about what Emma just told him. "Then why would Zane want to talk to her?"
"Probably because she saved his life and he didn't know. Maybe he wants some answers as to why. Who knows, he might do the same to Emma once he finds out who saved him from drowning," Cleo responded. Emma sighed, and shook her head, tossing that thought out of her head. "Hopefully not."
"Alright then, what about the way he's been acting. Earlier I heard him make a comment during the whole Rikki fiasco. He said 'please hurry' when you were following her after that Barry guy. He sounded worried," Lewis said, bringing up another problem. "Wouldn't you be worried about your friends?" Emma shot back at him as she slightly nodded towards Cleo's way when she wasn't looking. He gulped and looked around nervously. "I suppose so."
"Look Lewis, if something ever happens between them again, I'm sure Rikki will tell us all about it. She wouldn't do that to us again. I trust Rikki and I know that she will make the right decision," Emma smiled. Lewis sighed in defeat. "Alright."
"Oh, speaking of earlier actions. Lewis, guess what? Apparently, Emma has a new power," Cleo spoke up, leaning in closer. Emma sighed and rolled her eyes as Cleo brought up the jelly again. Lewis frowned and stared at the blonde as Cleo explained what happened that night.
"You what? Since when? Why didn't you tell me before?" "Since last night apparently. And we did this morning, but you kept complaining about the lack of sleep. But here's the thing. I don't think it was me," Emma shrugged. "That doesn't make any sense. I thought we found all your powers after the last full moon," Lewis said, shaking his head. "Exactly. It could be like how Rikki can do both lightning and fires. Maybe now you can do snow and gelatin," Cleo told her. "I already said that I don't think it was me. It just didn't, feel right. Like I know that it wasn't my magic. You get what I mean?" Emma said, trying to figure it out herself.
Right as Cleo was about to reply, the door to the dorm rooms opened again, and out walked Rikki and Zane, the latter fast walking to his seat as Rikki slowly made her way to hers. Cleo looked back at them and lowered her voice even more as Rikki got closer. "We'll discuss this whole power thing with Mrs. Chatham later." The two nodded in agreement as Rikki sat back down.
"What did I miss?" "Oh nothing," Emma shook her head. "What were you two discussing?" "Oh, he just wanted to, talk about me saving his life. No biggie," Rikki waved it off. Emma nodded and grinned at Lewis, proving she was right. Lewis shook his head and looked back at the screen.
"Alright, shall we move on?" Terry asked. Zane and Rikki nodded, and Lisa took that as a sign of approval as she politely took the remote from Terry and pressed play. A blue light forms around the screen before fading as the screen lights up.
[Byron walks into the Juicenet café, and heads for Emma, Cleo, and Rikki's booth; the latter two sitting on the other side of the booth. Emma looks over at him as she sees him approaching.]
Emma: "Hi, Byron." The other two look up from their menus and look at him as well.
Byron: stops in front of their booth, looking at her. "I was thinking about talking to ya, but maybe not right now?"
"Talk to you about what?" Neil asked suspiciously. Ever since the last time he was shown, during their first full moon, he hasn't completely trusted Byron. Lisa nudges him in the side, and he shrugs it off. "Don't worry dad, he didn't do anything wrong. He just needed a little help," Emma sighed, trying to not grind her teeth as she remembers what this day was.
She'll be fine. After all, she did live through this once. Seeing it again won't be as bad. Right?
Cleo: they look at her and she shrugs. "It's ok. We won't listen." She and Rikki look down at their menus, pretending they were looking for something to eat or drink.
"You two couldn't have just gotten up out of your seats to give them a bit of privacy?" Bev asked. "I agree with your mom, you could've given us some space," Emma said, not noticing Cleo take a deep breath at the mention of her mother. Even though she's around now, thanks to Kim's wish, she still worried that she might just up and leave them again somehow. She really didn't want that happening once more. She hated seeing her dad being heartbroken.
"Yep, she is definitely my sister," Kim chuckled.
Byron: sits down next to Emma and smiles at her. "Next week is the school swimming sports, and I really want to beat Zane in the hundred meters. But he always beats me." Rikki glances up at them while facing her menu at the mention of Zane's name.
"Ah so this is what this is about," Zane said, realizing it. Great, now they're going to see me lose. Amazing, he sarcastically thought.
"I thought he was into surfing?" Charlotte said. "So you're paying extra attention to him now?" Annette whispered to her teasingly. Charlotte quickly hushed her. "He is, but he is also on the swim team like I was," Emma mentioned.
Emma: "It's ok to come second."
Byron: shrugs. "Or third or fourth, yeah, but – I can't explain it, I've developed this need to win."
"Sometimes it is, but when it happens every time, it almost feels like your goals need to be set higher," Will commented, thinking of his sister, knowing she would berate Emma if she ever heard her say that.
Emma: "I know the feeling. Or, at least I used to."
Emma's smile slowly falls at the reminder that she wouldn't be able to get that feeling anymore, at least publicly. Hey, at least she could still beat Cleo and Rikki in their races to Mako.
Byron: "You were the swimming star until you quit – which, by the way, is quite a mystery to me. You're like this quality skateboard that's just sitting in the cupboard."
"Did he just compare you to a skateboard?" Kim asked. "Yep," Emma blushed.
"To be fair, I thought similar things when she told us she was quitting. It always felt like a mystery too," Elliot spoke up. At least we know the real reason why now.
Rikki: looks up and crosses her arms on the table. "I've always thought her the same way." Cleo nudges her in the arm and gives her a look. Rikki winces as she realizes she broke their silence. "Sorry. Not listening." Goes back to the menu. Emma gives her a look as she flips her hair back.
They snicker at her reaction. "Way to be sneaky about it," Zane chuckled. "I forgot what we were doing," Rikki said. "Snooping?" Kim commented, smirking. "No. Maybe," Rikki corrected herself when Emma nudged her in the side.
Byron: "I need you to teach me how to beat Zane. Gimme that killer instinct. But temporarily. I don't want to be hooked on winning on a permanent basis. So will you help me?"
"How would it be temporarily? Once you get that killer instinct, you don't go back," Ash said.
Emma: looks over at the other two, who glance over at her while keeping their heads down, and they slightly shake their heads no. Emma glances down, feeling bad, before looking at Byron again. "Sorry, Byron. I'm not into that, whole competitive thing anymore. it was a former life. I can't."
Byron: sighs, looking down, then shakes his head to forget about it. "It's cool. I understand." He gets up and leaves. Emma sighs once he's gone.
"I doubt it. No one could've understood the real reason," Bella said. "What makes you say that?" Rikki asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow at her. "It, just uh, makes sense. I mean we understand why now. But he didn't," Bella quickly replied. "Mm-hmm," Rikki slightly agreed, sure that's not the only reason behind it.
She was serious about the former life though, Denman thought, feeling a bit bad for her, now understanding that there were things they just couldn't do anymore thanks to their new life.
Mrs. Chatham sighed, knowing that feeling of wanting to help, but at the same time, knowing that you can't due to having to save your own behind. It was so conflicting.
Rikki: glances at him walking away then back at her once she knows he's gone out of hearing distance. "You did the right thing."
Cleo: shakes her head at Emma. "We can't risk swimming pools."
"Ah so you two were listening in," Kim smirked. "We couldn't let her help him. It was too risky," Cleo said. Even if she ended up doing it eventually.
[Emma gets up and leaves. Rikki and Cleo look at each other and sigh, returning to their menus in defeat. Right as they do, Lewis comes up and sits down in Emma's seat, with his glasses on and a notepad in hand.]
Lewis: "I've been looking everywhere for you guys."
"We're always in the same place, Lewis," Rikki sarcastically answered. "No, you're not. You literally go everywhere," Lewis scoffed.
"What were you looking for them for?" Don asked. "Ugh, you're about to find out," Rikki groaned, rolling her eyes at Lewis.
Lewis: "Uh, I need a hair sample."
"What?!" Don and Terry yelled, glaring at Lewis.
"You're still going to experiment on them?" Lisa said, looking at him with a hurt tone in her voice. "They wanted me to. It wasn't the bad kind of experiments, and I wasn't allowed to take samples anywhere else without their permission," Lewis said nervously, slowly sliding down into his seat to get away from the shocking and angry stares thrown his way. After everything that happened with Denman, he completely understood.
"It was completely safe, and it was only experiments that wouldn't harm the girls. You've seen me sample a toenail before, what changed?" "The scale and the problems it caused with her," Kim nodded towards Denman, who scowled after being reminded of the sampling.
"Don't worry guys, he did it with permission," Cleo told them. "Not by me," Rikki said, crossing her arms in annoyance. "You were outvoted," Emma smirked. "Still didn't like it. It was like being treated like a lab rat," she muttered back.
Wow, after everything they've been through so far, especially with the scientist, and yet they were still willing to let him experiment on them. I know I wouldn't have, Bella thought.
[After the Juicenet café, the two mermaids walk down the beach, discussing today's events so far. Rikki holds her shoes by the shoestrings while walking down the sandy slope with Cleo, who is holding her sandals.]
Rikki: "How dare Lewis expect pieces of us. Him and his little experiments are really starting to bug me."
Cleo: "He's just trying to help."
"Thank you, Cleo," Lewis said, giving her a grateful smile for her support.
"If it bugged you so much, then why did you let it continue?" Harrison asked. "Because Lewis kept telling us that he needs all three of our samples to see if there were any difference in them," Rikki sighed. "He does make a good point," Max said. "Were they?" Denman asked. "No. Unsurprisingly, they were all the same," Lewis answered.
Rikki: "I doubt it! He likes annoying us."
"I do," Lewis said. "You are trying to help, or you do like annoying them?" Charlotte asked. "Yes."
Cleo: "You're angry."
"Wow Cleo, you know me so well," Rikki sarcastically replied in a playful manner.
"It was obvious," Ash chuckled.
Rikki: "He'd be angry too if he was a guinea pig."
Cleo: shakes her head. "I don't know. I've known Lewis since I was five and I've never seen him get angry."
Rikki: "Yeah? Well, we'll see about that."
"Ah, so this was how it all started," Lewis laughed. "How what started?" Bev asked. "You'll find outeventually," Lewis smiled.
"Hey, at least it worked," Rikki beamed with pride. "It sure did," Lewis muttered, hiding his smirk.
"You've, known him since you were five?" Charlotte asked quietly. "Yeah, we've been best friends ever since," Cleo smiled, not hearing the sad tone in Charlotte's voice when she asked that. So, I basically have no chance then. No wonder he likes her, they've known each other forever. Maybe they were meant to be then, Charlotte thought, feeling hopeless. But wait, they were dating before, so why did they break up? Did something happen?
[In the living room at her house, Emma sits on the couch, going through old swim team photos in her picture book. She stares at one photo of her on the swim team by the pool holding a trophy, missing those days, when the doorbell rings. She looks over at it and goes to answer the door, where Byron stood.]
Emma: "What are you doing here?"
Byron: walks in. "I've been thinking. Maybe I shouldn't have compared you to a skateboard." They walk into the living room, leaving the door open behind them. Emma gives him a small smile at his comment. "I didn't mean any –."
"That's what his first thought was? He must've not been very bright," Kim chuckled, earning a look from her dad. "Hey! For the record, he's a lot smarter than he looks. And besides, he didn't know about the secret," Emma remarked.
Lisa tilts her head, sighing as she looks at the photos being displayed on the screen. She remembers those photos. It was Emma's last tournament before she quitted. She must've been a bit upset that she wouldn't have been able to compete at the time. It must've been hard on her, to hear him beg.
She wished she could've helped her at the time, but she didn't know about the secret then. What could she have done? It wouldn't have been much comfort if she didn't understand what she was going through.
What she could do though was be there for her now, as she laid a hand on Emma's shoulder, who surprisingly accepts it with a slight nod.
Emma: "You weren't that wrong. I feel like I'm sitting in a cupboard, sometimes." They sit down in the living room, facing each other.
Byron: "It's been spinning me up, wondering why you can't swim anymore. And why you can't help me. And it came to me, you can't get wet."
"Wait, what?! I thought you said he didn't know!" Neil exclaimed as Lisa and Elliot look on in shock. "He didn't. And he still doesn't," Emma laughed at her family's reaction. "Then how –?" Lisa asked. "Just let him finish," Emma sighed, cutting her mom off.
Emma: her eyes widen, shaking her head slowly in fear. "Who told you?"
Byron: "You have swimmers ear. You know? Ear infection." Emma slowly looks away, a little annoyed that she thought her friends had given away her secret.
"Don't give us heart attacks like that, Em," Rikki said, letting out a breath and holding her hand to her chest, making sure her heart was still beating while Cleo takes a deep breath. "How do you think I felt when he said that? I nearly died," Emma joked.
"That actually is a good excuse," Ash pointed out. "Yes, and it was a good one he thought of for me to use on the swim coach," Emma smirked. "Clever. I'm beginning to like you," Kim smiled a little wickedly.
Byron: nods his head, looking away. "Either that, or you don't like me that much. But, if that was the case, I'd be, kinda sad." He looks at her a little mopingly as she looks away guiltily, when someone knocks on the door, which was still open.
"Oh, I'm sure that's not the case," Cleo said, winking at Emma who blushed at the little hint thrown her way. "He's just a friend," Emma sighed, knowing that at the end of this episode, it was her choice to do so. And she would have to live with that.
[Zane walks inside, carrying a box. He stops as he turns and sees Emma and Byron sitting on the couch and walks over to them. Byron turns his head around and sucks in a breath. Not expecting to see the last person he wanted to talk to at the moment.]
Zane: "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"You always come at the wrong times," Emma muttered, slouching down. It would've been the perfect time to admit her feelings to him, even though she did turn him down in the end.
Emma: "No."
Byron: "Sup."
Zane: walks into the kitchen and puts the box on the bar. "A gift for Mrs. Gilbert from my dad." He puts his arm on the box and shows it to them: a brand-new blender. "He bought it for his girlfriend Candy but anything more complicated than picking up a phone and ordering a pizza is beyond her skills."
The room erupts with laughter at hearing his little snide remark for his dad's girlfriend. Even Harrison was cracking up at it. "He isn't wrong about that," Harrison laughed. Zane smiled at hearing his dad approve of his joke. Maybe he'll move on from her one day. He was getting really tired of her anyways.
"It's not that hard to use a blender," Annette said, sounding a little surprised that there was someone out there who refused to cook. "Oh, for her it is," Zane replied.
"Why me though?" Lisa asked curiously, wondering if it had anything to do with what happened that week before. Though he wouldn't have known anything about her revealing his little secret. "Because I knew you could cook. Especially since we are old family friends as you said," Harrison told her. It will probably be 'were friends' instead of 'are friends' once they find out the truth about what happened between us and the girls.
Zane: "For your mom." Pats the box and heads for the door again.
Emma: "She'll love it."
"And I did. It was a wonderful gift. Thank you, Harrison and Zane," Lisa said, giving him a gracious nod. "You're welcome."
Zane: stands beside them, confused. "What's going on here?"
Emma: looks at Byron, who she noticed was uncomfortable, before looking back up at Zane. "Nothing."
Zane: notices the picture book open to the one of Emma with her trophy, and smirks as he understands, even if it were a misunderstanding. "Right. The race. You're not getting tips from the old swim champ, are you? You are." Byron clenches his jaw, and Emma notices the tension starting to form in the room. Zane scoffs and heads for the door. "Waste of time, Byron. She can't help you. You'll never win. Not while I'm around." He walks out the door and closes it behind him.
"And I was so happy to wipe that smile off your face," Emma grinned, looking down at Zane, who shook his head at the memory of the race.
"Now I really hope he did beat him," Will huffed. He might not like free-diving races very much, but it doesn't mean he would want to be trash-talked without fighting back. "Oh, don't worry. He did. With my coaching that is," Emma stated proudly. "I thought you weren't going to coach him," Sam said. "I changed my mind. You can thank Zane for that," Emma laughed.
Emma: shakes her head, anger seething through as she clenched her jaw and looks at Byron. "I've changed my mind. I will be your coach. I'm going to turn you into a swimming machine."
"You sure changed your mind quickly," Lewis said. "That's all I needed to hear from him," Emma told him.
"Of course all it took was for Zane to talk to change your mind," Rikki muttered.
Byron: smiles. "Cool."
Emma: leans in, holding up a finger. "On one condition, this has to be our secret. No one can know, especially not Cleo and Rikki."
"That just makes it sound even more suspicious," Kim said.
"You weren't worried about him being curious as to why?" Bella asked. "Not really. He never really asked much about details," Emma shrugged.
"You could've at least told us. So that we could talk about it. You know we wouldn't have ridiculed you," Cleo told her. "Not that much," Rikki said, earning a look from Cleo. "I know. And I should have known. I guess I was just so worried about getting backlash that I didn't think straight. I'm sorry guys," Emma sighed, rubbing her head in frustration. "It's ok," they both say in return, giving her a slight hug. "Just tell us this stuff next time something's bothering you, got it?" Cleo asked. "Got it," Emma replied as they turn to the screen.
Rikki glances down for a second, thinking about the relationship she has decided to keep hidden from them, feeling guilty for a split second for not telling them. How would they feel once they do find out? How would she feel once they find out in a way she wouldn't want them to know, like these past events being shown? Should she tell them? She shook her head, getting rid of the thoughts as the screen continued playing.
[The next day at the training pools, where we first met Emma, she walks up to it, looking around, with a towel in hand. Byron walks up next to her, rounding the pool, and stands in front of her.]
Emma: "You're late."
Byron: "I am?"
"It doesn't hurt to be a couple of minutes late. What's the big deal?" Kim shrugged. "You shouldn't be late no matter what. And besides, he asked her for help. He should be more committed to it," Sam mentioned, nodding towards Emma.
"And it wasn't just a couple of minutes late. It was much longer than that," Emma sighed.
"What's with the towel?" Lisa asked. "In case I accidentally got water on me," Emma said. "You, didn't. Did you?" Cleo asked warily, worried that Byron might have gotten suspicious. "I did. But don't worry, he didn't notice anything," Emma whispered to her. Cleo nodded, letting out a breath in relief.
Emma: "Fifteen minutes."
Byron: "You would never believe what happened –."
Emma: "No, no, no, I expect you to be on time."
"Okay, I see your point. Not many excuses for showing up that late," Kim said, widening her eyes.
Byron: "Sure thing, coach." He strips down until he is just in his swimsuit, taking off his sweatpants and jacket. Emma looks around awkwardly, trying not to blush until he gets done.
They chuckle at her reaction. "Well, wasn't that a sight to see, huh Em?" Rikki smirked, raising an eyebrow at her. Emma looks at her shocked and elbows her in the ribs. "Ow!"
"Kind of like you were with Dr. Baywatch – Ow!" Zane muttered to Lewis, which also earned him an elbow to the ribs.
Emma: waits till he gets done to start talking again and looks at him. "Okay! Let's start with twenty laps."
Byron: "Right now? Usually I like to have a bit of a stretch first. And then, a bit of a float, and then seven or eight laps tops."
"You asked for her help. Not suggestions. Just do what she says," Zane said. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but thank you Zane," Emma surprisingly said. "Hey, I trained the same way you did basically," he shrugged in reply. "He is way too relaxed, and needed to get out of his comfort zone in order to win."
"He sounds lazy," Bella commented.
"He's way too laid-back. He should listen to Emma. She's been doing the same routine for so long and she never lost because of it. She is a pro," Elliot said proudly. Was a pro. Now I'm just a mermaid who can only swim secretly, Emma thought, a little bummed out about it.
Emma: lets out a little laugh. "Those days are over." She hands him some goggles and he slowly takes them. Putting them on, he climbs onto the diving board. "Your time starts, now." He jumps off the board, but before he lands into the water, in the air he turns around, hanging his tongue out, and grabs one knee, acting silly, before making a big splash into the water. Emma raises her hands up to protect herself, but one drop lands on her hand. Emma quickly turns around and grabs her towel off the bench and wipes her hands dry. She lets out a breath in relief and goes back to the pool to watch Byron.
"He's reckless. How could you possibly train someone like him?" Ash complained. "With a lot of hard work and effort. It took some time, but he eventually got it," Emma nodded.
"It's probably a good thing he doesn't know then. As Ash said, he is reckless," Cleo stated.
"It's a good thing you did bring that towel, that was a close one," Neil said, a little worried.
Will glances down for a second, thinking about his sister. In a way, Emma kind of reminded him of her. They both worked hard for their goals and wouldn't let them slack off a bit or have some fun. It was all about winning to them, never letting them have fun while doing it.
[Meanwhile, at Cleo's house, Lewis walks over to the dining table, where Cleo and Rikki sat, with some scissors. He stands next to Rikki, who looked very annoyed, and leaned down to cut off a piece of hair. Before he does, Rikki hands him a bit of blonde hair to him.]
Rikki: "I cut it for you myself."
"Well you don't look happy," Terry pointed out. "Would you be happy if you were being treated like a lab rat?" Rikki scowled. Terry slightly shrugged, understanding, but was hoping that little comment might cheer her up a bit. It didn't work.
"But you cut your own hair by yourself?" Charlotte asked, a bit surprised. "I cut a hair," Rikki smirked, as Lewis pouted, a little upset that all his time went to waste, but he wouldn't let Rikki know that.
Lewis: accepts it and smiles. "That's a big help. Thank you." Rikki watches him walk over to the bar. He puts the scissors down next to some ziplock bags and puts the hair sample inside the bag and closes it up.
"That seems suspicious," Harrison said.
"And you actually believed her?" Emma asked. "Unfortunately," Lewis sighed.
Rikki: "Lewis." He looks over to her and she waves at him, as Cleo turns around to look at him. "Bye!"
Lewis: "Yeah, yeah, and I'll see all tomorrow for the – for the saliva swab." He turns around and leaves and Cleo waves bye to him as well and turns around to look back at Rikki.
"Ew! Gross!" Kim gagged. "That's disgusting!" Charlotte grimaced. "It's not as bad as it sounds!" Lewis tried to reason. "No, no. That is exactly how it sounds," Cleo said, making a face.
"You really wanted him to leave," Zane said. "I couldn't stand a minute longer of it," Rikki said, shaking her head.
Rikki: waves around. "See? We're just specimens to him. That guy really needs a wake-up call. And he's gonna get one."
"What did you do this time?" Terry sighed, hoping another headache doesn't form. "It wasn't anything dangerous, don't worry. It was only something to mess with him," Rikki told him, smiling that she succeeded with her mission. Or so she thought. Lewis and Cleo share a small smile, impatient to see what her reaction will be once she finds out that she failed.
[The next morning at the beach, Emma jogs along the shoreline, with Byron not too far behind. Emma keeps a steady pace as Byron struggles to keep up with her, out of breath. He stops for a second to breathe before running to catch up with her again.]
"Wow. He doesn't train very hard, does he?" Annette asked, grimacing at his attempts. "I'm pretty sure he believes the word training means do whatever he wants," Zane scoffed. Emma shook her head, once again thinking that Zane was right. She wasn't going to say that out loud though.
[At the pool, he's on his last lap as he hits the edge of the wall and comes up for air. Emma stops the timer and bites her lip as she leans over the diving board.]
Byron: pushes his goggles onto his forehead. "I was flying! I must've shaved three or four seconds off my best!"
"Did he?" Elliot asked. "Not that much," Emma shrugged.
Emma: "You hesitate when you hit the wall. You gotta forget it's there. Keep swimming. Try and hit it hard." He nods slightly, breathing heavily as he holds on to the end of the board. "I need to know about your diet. What do you eat?"
She's not wrong. He does hesitate, Zane thought, tilting his head.
"Uh-oh. He's not going to like this," Elliot laughed to himself, shaking his head.
Byron: "Potato chips, corn chips, packet food."
Emma: "That's going to have to change."
"Wrong answer buddy," Elliot sighed, feeling a bit bad for him. He knew what was going to happen for him next.
[After his training, they go back to Emma's house. While he is in the shower, Emma makes him a smoothie from lemons, strawberries, and kiwi that she had on a platter by the blender. While she had the blender turned on, she didn't hear the front door open or the girls walking into the kitchen. They stand at the counter, Rikki with her arms crossed, as Emma turns off the blender and opens the lid. She picks up the pitcher and turns to grab a cup when she notices them standing there, watching her. She lets out a breath and gives them a small smile, before looking over at the stairs to make sure they didn't see Byron.]
Emma: pours the smoothie into the cup. "What are you two doing here?"
"We're over all the time. The usual," Rikki answered.
Rikki: "We rang, you didn't answer."
Cleo: they look at her oddly. "You seem kind of tense."
Emma: tenses up even more and sets the glass down, glancing at the stairs while she smiles at them. "Me? No."
"Yes. You," Lewis said.
"You do seem tense," Lisa said.
"Just tell them. I'm sure they will understand," Bev said. "Yeah. They sure did," Emma muttered, rolling her eyes.
[They slowly nod and decide to change the subject.]
Rikki: "Ok, so I wanted to run an idea past you about Lewis."
[At that moment, Emma sees Byron come down the stairs with his bag. She hangs her head down in defeat.]
Byron: "Awesome shower." Cleo and Rikki's eyes widen as they turn to where Byron's voice came from and watch him walk into the kitchen next to Emma. He looks at the glass and picks it up.
"Oof, bad timing," Ash winces.
"You let him use our showers?" Neil asked, narrowing his eyes. "He needed to freshen up from the training. Besides, he was a guest," Emma explained.
Byron: "This must be mine." They stare at him oddly, and Rikki glances at Emma. He drinks the smoothie and nods towards Emma. "See you at the pool." He smiles at the girls and walks out the door. Cleo and Rikki look at each other, the former with her mouth hanging open in shock.
"You weren't kidding. He does suck at keeping secrets," Bella scoffed. Now she knows who to definitely not to trust with her secret. "Yeah, it was a dead giveaway," Cleo said. "Did he forget the part about the wanting to keep it a secret from those two or what?" Ash frowned.
Emma: grimaces and shrugs her shoulders. "There is an explanation." They nod slowly as Rikki smirks.
"Hope so. Because that little scene there gave off bad vibes," Kim said, gesturing to the screen. Bev gives her a look and Kim scowls.
[At the Juicenet, they sit at the table and listen to Emma's story.]
Emma: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. But I felt more sorry for Byron."
"That's one way to apologize," Lewis mumbled.
Emma: "He's come second three years in a row." Rikki looks away as Emma continues. "And he's been having dreams about Zane."
"That doesn't sound creepy at all," Bella giggled.
Rikki: leans into her hand, making googly eyes. "And he's just got those big brown sleepy eyes."
Emma: narrows her eyes in defense. "That's got nothing to do with it!"
"Yeah, we can tell now. Zane really must've ticked you off for you to break your own rule," Cleo chuckled. "What rule?" Zane asked as he heard his name being brought up. "She didn't want us to risk our safety with water in public by doing risky things. My work, and Emma training Byron for example," she explained.
Emma: "It's only for a couple more days, and I'm being really careful around water –."
Rikki: "I get it."
"You do?" Will asked in surprise. "At that time I didn't," Rikki winced.
Rikki: looking away. "One rule for you, a different rule for us."
"It did sound a bit hypocritical," Lisa said, shaking her hand. "Maybe more than a bit," Rikki said.
Emma: "You're not even trying to understand!"
Rikki: "Why don't you just admit it? You like him. You want to spend time with him."
"Just because I do, doesn't mean I wasn't telling the truth," Emma whispered to her. "At least you didn't deny it," Rikki whispered back.
Emma: "That's not it at all, Rikki!" Rikki rolls her eyes and Emma looks at Cleo. "Right Cleo?" Cleo looks away awkwardly, nodding slightly as she bites her lip. Emma scowls and nods. "Fine. I'm leaving." She gets up and leaves, taking her bag with her.
"To be fair, it did seem a bit unbelievable from their perspective," Annette mentioned. Emma nods, understanding it some. If she were in their position, she probably wouldn't have believed it too.
[Lewis walks in through the beaded curtains and sits down in the spot that Emma was just in.]
Lewis: "Greetings!"
Rikki: "Uh, Lewis? Would you be able to just, um, get my teaspoon down there, please?"
"What teaspoon? I didn't see one on the table?" Don asked, confused. "That's because there wasn't one. It was a part of her 'plan,'" Lewis said, using air quotes.
Lewis: "What, did you drop it?" Cleo looks down, not seeing one.
Rikki: "Yeah."
Lewis: "Just down here?" He looks up under the table, while Rikki quickly fishes an ice cube out of her juice with a fork.
Rikki: speaks quietly. "Yeah. Down there somewhere. You see it?"
Lewis: looks on the ground behind his chair, his back facing Rikki. "No, I can't."
Rikki: "I'm sure it's there." quickly, she bends his collar on his shirt back and lets the ice cube slide down his neck. She quickly places the fork back down and sits up straight as if she didn't do anything. Lewis stops what he is doing as Cleo looks at her in astonishment while Rikki shrugs.
The crowd gasped in shock, before bursting out with laughter. "Rikki!" Terry yelled, slapping his forehead. "There was no reason for that!" "I just wanted to find out what would make him mad," Rikki whined. "It took a while, but eventually I figured it out," she smirked. "Sure, you did," Lewis snorted.
"That's so mean!" Charlotte frowned, not finding her little prank funny at all.
[Lewis looks over at her with a look, while she just grins at him. Suddenly he gives her a small smile and holds up some small scissors. Rikki looks at them, completely confused with what he was going to do next.]
Lewis: "I forgot to get toenail clippings." Rikki slowly looks away, her grin vanishing as Cleo's smile widens at realizing her plan failed.
The theater erupts with even more laughter at Rikki's failed attempt. "Ah I thought I felt a draft," Lewis smirked, crossing his arms. Rikki scowled at him, also crossing her arms.
[Later at the pool, Byron is swimming another lap when he speeds through the water and hits the wall of the pool. Emma, with her arms crossed, takes a step back and stops the timer as he splashes the water, before taking another step forward as he takes his goggles off.]
Emma: "We've been training for ages and you haven't improved one bit."
Byron: leans against the edge and shrugs, goggles in hand. "All I can do is my best. No point stressing about it."
"That's where he's wrong. He should feel stress since he's too relaxed about it, but also take a small break and then try again," Will commented. "How do you know that?" Emma asked in surprise. "I'm a free diver. My sister Sophie trains me. You kind of remind me of her actually," Will chuckled. Hmmm, maybe he's right. I suppose he could've taken a break in between rounds and try to figure out what to do next, but also stress about it to work harder, Emma thought.
Emma: "That's the point! You have to stress if you're gonna be a winner! If you want to be a loser all your life, then I'm not interested in helping you."
"Woah! That was a bit harsh there, Em," Lisa warned.
"You're over pushing your boundaries again, Emma," Rikki sighed. Emma sighed too, slouching back further into the chair. "I know. I went overboard and shouldn't have said that stuff. It was just, hard to get it through his thick curly head," she replied, causing the other two girls to laugh at her last comment.
Byron: "Maybe we should take a break, go and get an ice cream." Frowns and lets go of the goggles as he jumps up onto the edge of the pool, standing up.
Emma: "Typical. Every time it gets tough, you want to have a rest, or a drink, or an ice cream. Not this time. Back in the pool, twenty laps."
"It would be a good idea for him to have a small rest, so that way he doesn't overwork himself. But he shouldn't snack on sodas and ice cream. Maybe water, but that's it," Harrison said.
Byron: "I've finished for the day!" Starts walking away.
Emma: turns around to him. "You can't be finished until I say so!"
Byron: grabs his bag and clothes off the bench, then walks towards her again. "I thought this was gonna be fun, us working together."
"He really didn't know what he was getting into then," Elliot laughed. Lisa covered his mouth with her hand, preventing him from speaking any further so Emma won't get upset. Luckily, she doesn't since she keeps reminding herself that this already happened. She didn't need to get upset over something that already happened.
Although that might make me a hypocrite for being upset about the whole kidnapping thing with Denman and Harrison. But hey, I was exposed and in danger! Wouldn't you be scared and upset? After all, it's a lot more upsetting than some comments. Not to mention, that I don't have to worry about rejecting him again. I have to worry more about the whole exposure risk than that.
Plus, they already talked it out and she was okay with seeing this through again. It didn't make her smile, but she wasn't going to mope about it. At least, not on this part. She didn't know what she was gonna do when it came to the last part of this episode.
Byron: "I thought you were gonna inspire me. But you let me down, man. I never thought you were gonna turn into some heavy training dragon." He leaves, and Emma watches him go with a hurt look on her face.
Neil frowned, not liking the way he talked to her. "I know it might have been a little tough on him, but there was no need to be rude about it," he commented. "Agreed," Lisa nodded. "It's okay dad, we already spoke about it, and we both apologized. So it's alright," Emma responded, giving her dad a small smile. They both stared at each other before Neil decided to let it go and looked back to the screen. He knew she wasn't exactly alright, but if she wanted to move on then he'll let it slide.
"He needs the heavy training. How else does he plan on winning?" Will muttered.
[Later at the school, Emma, Rikki, and Cleo walk away from their lockers as they get ready for their next classes, books in hand. Emma decides to bring up her conversation from earlier with Byron.]
Emma: walks alongside Rikki and Cleo. "Am I too tough or too demanding? Am I a heavy training dragon?"
The room remains quiet, unsure of how to answer that. Emma looks over to her family and sees them avoiding her gaze. Elliot was looking anywhere but at her, rubbing his neck, while Lisa and Neil find the wall remarkably interesting to look at right now. Emma slowly turns back to the screen and sighed, chuckling quietly to herself. I knew I was a little tough, but that much? Geez.
Cleo: glances at her. "No way!"
Rikki: "Not possible."
"In some ways you kind of are," Lewis muttered, quiet enough for him not to get slapped again.
Cleo: they walk into the schoolyard. "Although at times you can be a little bossy."
Rikki: grimaces. "And sometimes, you don't really listen to people."
"They aren't wrong," Zane mumbled, also not wanting to get slapped again.
At least she was being put in her place. It needed to be said. After all, she was so cold to people, Rikki thought. No pun intended.
"We were just being honest," Cleo shrugged sheepishly.
[Emma slows down her pace, thinking over what they just said, before turning around and walking off, away from Cleo and Rikki. They watch her walk away, then they turn their selves around and walk forward again.]
Rikki: walks on the other side of Cleo. "Wow. She takes criticism well."
"Are you okay, Emma?" Lisa asked, putting a hand on Emma's shoulder. Emma looks up at her and smiles. "I'm fine now, mom. I just, needed a minute to think alone back then."
Lewis: walks up to them. "Boy, have I made a startling discovery."
"Oh, what?! You found out more stuff about mermaids?" Kim asked eagerly, almost jumping up and down in her seat. Several others, including Denman, Elliot, and Will lean forward, not wanting to miss a single bit of information they are about to hear. "Not about mermaids, maybe a mermaid, Rikki," Lewis hissed, narrowing his eyes at Rikki, who was beaming with pride for tricking him.
Rikki: points at him, acting excitedly. "You're an android!"
Lewis: shakes his head. "No! Far better than that. According to the hair sample you gave me, you are a seven-year-old German Shepherd."
Gasps fill the room, before erupting with laughter at her cruel prank. "Wow, Rikki. That's worse than me," Zane smiled, secretly proud of her. "I learn from the best," Rikki said, tilting her head over at her father, who gave her a look of approval. What? She didn't' want to be a test subject in the first place. If she were basically going to be forced to do so, then she might as well have some fun and do it her way. The Chadwick way. As long as she didn't go overboard that is.
Rikki: grins. "I was wondering how long it'd take you to figure out that, that wasn't my hair."
Lewis: frowns. "About fourteen hours, actually."
"Fourteen hours?!" Charlotte spat, shock covering her face.
Will chokes on a drink, one that he was taking a sip from before that little time frame was mentioned.
"Wow. Dr. Denman was right. You do need a life," Bella said, shaking her head. Lewis blushed from embarrassment and puts his head in his hands.
Rikki: tries not to smile and pouts. "Oh." Cleo gives her a look.
Lewis: "Rikki, what are you up to? Are you scared to find out the truth of –." Looks around then whispers. "About being a mermaid." Puts a hand on her shoulder and she scrunches her face. "It's okay to be scared." She looks at the hand on her shoulder and watches him walk away.
"You interpreted that terribly," Ash snorted. "I didn't know what she was trying to do back then," Lewis explained.
"I wasn't scared, Lewis. You should know that I was the most excited one out of the group," Rikki said, shaking her head.
Rikki: "There has got to be a way to make him crack." Looks at Cleo.
Cleo: "Rikki that was mean, considering all that time Lewis wasted."
Rikki: "Don't weaken on me now, Cleo!" About to walk off when Emma shows up behind them.
"I wasn't weakening, I just thought it was wrong of you to do," Cleo corrected her. "Not to mention she's as strong as you," Kim said, defending her sister. Oh, you have no idea, Kim. Especially now, Cleo shuttered, thinking of her wind power. She was worried about what her family will think since she left that little detail out. But she didn't want to bring it up during their talk. She only hoped that it wouldn't be shown. Although knowing her luck lately, with the wish and everything else, it probably would.
"It was mean of you to do," Charlotte agreed. "Not you too!" Rikki whined.
"Did you ever crack?" Elliot asked. "Yes he did," Rikki smirked, unknowingly Lewis was matching her smirk along with Cleo. This was going to be fun.
Emma: "I'm sorry!" They turn to her and Rikki nods.
Rikki: "It's ok."
Emma: walks up closer to them and shares a look with Cleo before looking back at Rikki. "I may seem tough but – I'm easily hurt."
"You're tougher than you look," Ash told her. Emma looked at him, raising an eyebrow. "I – I mean, with the powers and all," he quickly added, trying to hide his blush. Rikki smirked, seeing where this was going. Sounds like someone has a little crush on our friend.
"It's good that you're being honest about it. That's the first step to improvement," Mrs. Chatham smiled.
Emma: "I'm gonna make sure I'm nice from now on." Looks confident but then tilts her head in confusion as Rikki and Cleo give her a look. "How do I do that?"
Rikki: turns around and starts walking away. "You're asking the wrong person here."
"You've got a lot of learning to do," Max said, putting his hands behind the back of his head. Hey if they were going to be here for a while, might as well get comfy.
"Good for you, Em," Neil said, sounding proud of her, hoping she could do that.
"She's right. You are asking the wrong person," Terry chuckled. "Hey!" Rikki playfully pouted as she crossed her arms and looked at him.