I have Questions: Part 2
What do you guys think of the new title of this series?
Rated T for swearing at the end
Word Count:1,513
Enjoy part two!
EDIT: As with part one, some serious editing has been done. Not quite as much as part one but still an amount worth mentioning.
Hey everyone, so an update from my last blog - I finally have explanations for all the craziness that's been happening. My friends filled me in on everything and answered all my questions and there were a lot XD I mean I did find out more than I bargained for but tbh I'm just glad to be included again. I felt really distant recently but we're all good now. They trust me (well not sure about Ondina) and that means everything.
Anyways, till next time, Carly signing out!
#carlysblog #carlyandtimmi #crazylife #aboutme
"Where do you guys sleep?" Carly asked. "In the water? On land?"
"Usually in the water. We sleep in the Moon Pool, the rest of the Pod have caves or stretch out on some soft coral or a kelp forest," Sirena answered," it's pretty comfortable."
"I prefer land, not adjusted to floating in the water yet, and you know bed's are just too comfortable." Zac commented.
"One day, dear brother, you will change your mind," Mimmi gently nudged Zac with her elbow.
"Don't count on it," he retorted with a smirk.
Evie walked carefully over to the table carrying another jug of iced tea as Carly continued on asking questions.
"The Pod; how is it structured? Do you all have different roles? Who leads the Pod?"
"The Mermaid Council controls the Pod," Sirena explained. "There's the Higher Council - Veridia's the head and then there's Cordelia and Misako. The rest of the Council is made up of another 13 Mermaids, including my sister, Aquata."
"Veridia's the one who gave me my Moon Ring," Evie said, setting the jug "You might get to meet her."
"That would be so cool!" Carly beamed.
"She's kinda scary," Zac whispered to Carly.
"Once we tell her you know about us," Sirena said slowly, "she'll be fine though, once we tell her how you helped."
"Moving on," Evie prompted, "aren't there teachers and what not in the Pod as well?"
So Carly wasn't the only one who had felt the slowly shifting mood with Sirena's comment.
"Yeah and there's also carers who look after the hatchlings; hunters, although we usually find our own food; gatherers who collect supplies for potions and spells; and jobs that every Mermaid does like maintaining the reef, keeping an eye on marine life, and warding humans away when they get too close to protected areas," Mimmi listed while counting off on her fingers.
"Is there like Mermaid school or something?" Carly asked, teachers meant schooling of some form. What would Mermaid school be like? Mermaid school must be so much better than normal human school.
"Unfortunately," Sirena responded.
"We're taught how to use our powers, about marine life, how to navigate ocean currents, ocean languages," Mimmi elaborated.
"plant identification, star navigation, Moon Rings," Sirena continued.
Mimmi and Sirena shared a look, both trying to think of anything else.
"There is more stuff, but I can't think of anything right now," Mimmi said with a laugh.
"It sounds so much better than high school, just chill in the ocean all day," Cam said.
"It's still school, although we can drift in and out when we want, we still get taught useless things. Nixie complained so much when Rita tried to teach her this thing - volume reduction. I missed that lesson but Lyla complained about Nixie complaining and -" Sirena stopped as she realised what she'd done.
"Rita taught you... Mermaid powers?" Carly questioned, "you said she wasn't a Mermaid."
It was a slow silence that came down over them. Mimmi looked at Sirena wide eyed.
"I'm sorry," Sirena whispered softly.
"Ondina lied last night," Evie broke the silence and met Carly's gaze, "Rita is a Mermaid, like Mimmi and Sirena."
"It wasn't our secret to tell Carly," Mimmi said.
"No, I get it. It's different for her than it is for you guys, I mean we're friends but she's my high school principal. Totally different dynamic," Carly waved her hand dismissively before finishing the last mouthful of ice tea in her glass. They were still lying to her. That stung.
Mimmi sighed in relief.
"Is she really your aunt?"
"No," Sirena admitted "but she took us in when we first arrived on land. There's no way we would've made it on land without her. Remember that coin, me and Nixie tried to pay for our clothes with?"
"Oh yeah, that Spanish coin. You know that was literal pirate treasure right? I looked it up."
"Nixie stole it from Rita, after Rita told us we can't go around stealing clothes."
"You stole clothes?" Evie asked.
"We put them back, after Rita took us shopping to get some of our own. She gave us the money to pay for the ones we bought from you as well."
"Totally wasn't expecting this," Cam said, taking a drink from his glass. Carly couldn't tell if he was serious or not. Or what he was even talking about.
Carly put her list away. She'd asked enough for now.
"So how many Mermaids are there? I mean there's six, seven of you plus Zac on land."
"There's over 150 in our Pod, but there's Pods all over the world and some are much bigger than ours," Sirena said.
"There's about 500 in the Northern Pod but the biggest Pod was around 3,000 before they split off into about ten different Pods in the North Pacific." Mimmi informed them.
"Wow," Carly breathed. "That's... a lot of Mermaids."
"Bigger Pods aren't safe anymore though," Mimmi continued, "unless they live in desolate areas, like the Northern Pod, we're up in the Arctic Sea with no land people for miles. Just polar bears."
"You know, I never thought land animals would be threats to Mermaids," Cam mused.
"Dogs are the worst, if they see us near shore they always start barking, sometimes they try to swim out to us," Mimmi said.
"That happened to Lyla, she was spying on Zac and the dog saw her and ran into the water. It was too shallow for her to get away. It kept trying to lick her face," Sirena told them.
"She was spying on me?" Zac asked.
"It was when you first got your powers and we were trying to take them away. I think it was your dog that saw her, she said she was under the dock by your house."
"Really? Spying?" Cam asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We didn't have legs, we couldn't do much else," Sirena defended.
"Changing the subject, how did you get legs?" Carly asked. She had just assumed they had legs anyways but from what they just said, it didn't seem that was the case.
"Moon Rings. We use their magic to get legs."
"Could you use that to turn a human to a Mermaid?"
"No, they don't have enough Power," Mimmi said," you'd have to use a Moon Pool for it to even begin to work."
"Isn't that how you got your powers Evie?" Carly turned to Evie.
"Evie was hit with the Power of 50 Moons, it wasn't necessarily the Moon Pool," Zac said.
"Power of 50 Moons? How...?"
"Potion," Mimmi shrugged, "Rita had everything I needed to make it."
"Wow."
"Anymore questions?" Sirena asked.
"Probably, I mean potions?" Carly laughed, " but right now I think I'm good."
"Hey, I asked that earlier," Cam piped up.
"Potions are a whole thing, it'd be better do that another time," Mimmi said.
"We actually have a question for you Carly, but we have to ask Rita first," Sirena said standing up, "I'll be right back."
The blonde Mermaid disappeared off inside.
"What's this about?" Zac asked, looking between the door and Mimmi.
"Sirena's going to see if we can show Carly downstairs," Mimmi said.
"Oh, got it."
"I don't," Cam said.
Zac shot him a pointed look.
"Oh right, downstairs."
"Can someone explain?" Carly asked slowly looking at the others.
"It's easier to show you, but we need to make sure it's okay with Rita first, it's her house, so her rules," Mimmi said.
"Okay."
A silence settled over the group.
"Hey Evie, you done that History thing - the stuff on Russia or whatever?" Cam asked.
"You mean the essay on the causes of the October Revolution due for Monday?"
"That's the one."
"I handed it in yesterday."
"Of course. Damn it, my history knowledge is uh - limited, at the best of times. I know a few key names, Ghengis Khan, Nicholas the Second, Jack the Ripper, Rasputin."
"Rasputin was the February Revolution, and I don't think Ghengis Khan or any serial killer will help you Cam," Evie chastised.
"You could always ask Ms Santos, she was a History teacher," Carly cut in.
"Good point. I probably won't."
Sirena came running onto the balcony, out of breath.
"What did she say?" Evie asked.
"She wasn't there, Ondina said she went back out. Sorry Carly."
"It's cool, I have no idea what's going on anyways."
"When she gets back I'll ask her, but in the meantime - how about we finally explain all the weird stuff that happened."
"There was a lot," Cam said.
"What do you want to know first?" Zac asked.
"How about you just start from the beginning? With what happened that night you two went camping on Mako," Carly suggested.
"Well it all began on Mako during the Full Moon..." Zac began.
"Actually it started before that, when you two were fishing. Nixie was messing about with your fishing lines," Sirena interrupted.
"Really?" Cam asked,
Sirena nodded.
"What the fuck guys?"
"It all began at Mako when a young Mermaid decided to mess about when we were fishing at Mako..."
The original ending of this had Carly seeing the grotto, but I think I'll make that into another one-shot. (Three years on and it's still not written. Sorry about that...)
Hope you enjoyed!