Chapter 2: The Mermaid Hunter's Suspicions

Liv woke up feeling well rested the next morning. Instead of dreaming about her mum, she dreamt about exploring the sea. Maybe that was something related to the mystery of Mako Island. Still, it was beautiful, cutting through the water like a blade on ice. All the multi-colored fish, graceful turtles and even the dangerous sharks were stunning. She wished she could swim amongst them like she did in her dream.

Liv even woke before her alarm went off. She figured it would be better to be early today since she had been late to her class yesterday. She thought for a moment if she would want to dive off the pier as she always did. She wouldn't be able to try out for the diving team until next year. She could take some time off and grieve her loss if she wanted. It was so routine at this point, she reckoned it wouldn't hurt. Liv changed into one of her wet suits and laid out her clothes she wanted to wear that day.

It was beautiful outside and Liv thought this would be the most perfect day. Yesterday was one of the worst in her life, there was no where to go but up. Once she arrived on the pier, she set her towel down and stepped on top of the railing to do her dive. She decided on a simple front dive. If she couldn't try out for a team until next year, she might as well work on the basics. She felt the wind in her face as she plummeted into the cool water below. This water was much cooler than the water in that strange pool in the volcano was. Liv surfaced and took in a breath, the once warm weather suddenly feeling cold. She started swimming to the latter when she felt the transformation happen.

At first, she felt as if she couldn't move. The sensation terrified her and she wondered if she would perish at the bottom of the sea. Then, she didn't feel as if she was made of of skin and bones but rather became water. Once that spit her out, she felt normal again. It seemed to happen in slow motion but Liv knew it must have only been a few seconds, if that. Thank goodness she felt normal again. The only problem was she wasn't normal. Her wet suit had been replaced with an orange, scaly bra and a matching tail.

She, Liv Bennett, was a mermaid. What the fuck?

Liv knew she couldn't stay in the water forever. There had to be a way to change back into a human. Maybe if she was dry her legs would return. Liv swam to the bottom level of the pier. She used to be able to lift herself out of the water with ease. Now, she had to muster all of her strength to get her new tail fin out of the water. Once she arrived, she realized another problem; her towel was up on the second level. She groaned as she realized she would have to drag herself up the stairs. She hoped no one would notice her. It was early, it was likely the neighbors and her dad were still asleep. Finally, she made it to the second level and she began drying herself off. This was going to take forever. She found she was getting dry quicker than she usually would. Eventually, she felt the paralyzing feeling and felt her body turn to water again. She looked down and saw her human legs. She huffed and then ran back to her house.

Liv was up the stairs before her father was awake. She closed and locked her bedroom door again as she began pacing her bedside.

"Okay, you're fine." She reassured herself. "You're still dreaming, that's all. That's the only logical explanation to all of this."

Liv then thought of the pool in the volcano. The water bubbled under the full moon and there was a weird, magical sensation happening. Maybe that was why she was a mermaid now. She shook her head. No, this was all some very strange dream. She would wake up any second.

Liv stepped into her bathroom to take a shower. She needed to clear her mind. She stepped under the warm water and not ten seconds later, did her tail appear again and she fell against the side of the small area.

Liv found a way to complete her shower even in her new mermaid form. She dried off and exited the bathroom to change into her school clothes.

"You're ready to go early." She heard once she entered the kitchen. Her dad was sitting at the breakfast nook eating toast and enjoying a cup of coffee.

"Yeah," Liv replied. "I had more time this morning without… you know."

"Liv, I'm so sorry about the diving team." Zane said. "They don't know what their missing out on-"

"It's fine, Dad." Liv cut him off. "It ended up working out anyway."

"What do you mean?" Zane asked.

That was when it hit Liv. Unless she could find a way out of this mermaid life, she couldn't be on a diving team again. Not unless she wanted to be whisked away by some scientists every time she touched water. Her career was over.

"Liv?" She heard her dad ask.

"Sorry," Liv said. "I mean I'm just not feeling well today is all."

"Are you trying to skip detention?" Zane asked with a knowing grin.

"No," Liv replied, instantly. "No, Dad, I really don't feel well."

"Well, maybe you should stay home today." Zane suggested.

"Yeah." Liv replied. "Now that you mention it, I think I will."

"All right." Zane said. "Grab a glass of water before you go back upstairs."

Liv walked to the refrigerator to grab the water pitcher. She was about to grab it when she noticed all the condensation on the cold glass. Would even a drop of water cause her to grow a tail or would she have to be fully submerged in water? It didn't matter, she couldn't be too careful.

"Dad?" Liv asked. "Would you mind getting the water for me?"

"What are you talking about?" Zane asked. "The pitcher is right in front of you."

"Yeah, but…" Liv started. She would pretend to pass out but seeing that was how her mother's illness started, it wouldn't be at all appropriate. "I just really liked the way you pour it."

"It's water, Liv." Zane chuckled. "What are you so worried about?"

"Nothing." Liv replied, shaking her head. "I don't need it. I just remembered I have water upstairs."

Liv ignored her father's strange look as she dashed up the stairs. She walked into her bathroom, locking the door behind her to test out her method. If she didn't transform with just a simple touch of water, she could go back downstairs and get some water. She turned her tap on a put her hand under the running water for just a moment. Once she turned it off she flung her hand to remove some of the excess water and took a seat on the floor so she wouldn't collapse if she did transform. She thought she might be in the clear but then she felt the familiar feeling and her legs disappeared beneath her, replaced with her orange tail for the third time already.

Liv dried her hand off and transformed back to normal. She was thankful she didn't grab the pitcher or else she would have transformed in front of her dad. Could he know about this? She knew he loved her no matter what and he was good at keeping secrets. If there was one person in the world she could trust with this, it was him. She didn't think simply dumping water over herself and letting herself transform would be the best way to tell him. She'd have to think of another way to go about this.

Liv curled up in her bed after changing back into her pajamas. She began thinking of how she could tell her dad she was a mermaid. Maybe she was worrying all for not. Maybe this was just temporary. Maybe she needed to get back to Mako Island and she could change back to her human form. She made a note to try to make that happen tonight. She could sneak out again, it had been easy last night and her dad was none the wiser. She thought for a moment if she would want to stay this way. No, if she was a mermaid permanently, she would have to give up diving. That had been her only solstice during her mum's death. She needed to find a way around this. It seemed unlikely but maybe her dad could help.

Maybe this was why he didn't want her going out to Mako. Liv chuckled to herself. How would her dad know? She would be surprised if he had even been to Mako Island. He was always so occupied with work he never had time to be adventurous. Liv remembered when she and her mum went on vacation to the States without him because he needed to stay home. He was quite boring and work-obsessed. There was no way he would know any of this.

Speak of the devil, Liv heard a knock on her door. Zane entered carrying a glass of water and a few binders.

"Hey," Zane said to her. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm okay." Liv replied. "I should be able to go back to school tomorrow."

"Well, I brought you some water in the mean time." Zane said as he handed the glass to Liv. She gratefully took it before realizing it was covered in condensation, just like the pitcher had been before. Liv quickly set the glass on her bedside table and then did her best to dry her hand off under the sheets. Thankfully, no transformation happened. She didn't miss the odd look her dad gave her though.

"I also brought these for you." Zane said, gesturing to the binders in his arms. "They're photo albums. Your mum loved making these. I'm not sure what is in all of them but it felt right for you to have these."

"Thanks." Liv replied as she took them. "It will give me something to do today."

"Sounds good." Zane said. "I'll leave you to it then. I'll be in my office if you need me."

Liv sighed once her father exited the room. She put all but one of the photo albums on her desk. She opened it and figured this must be her baby photo album. She had seen most of these pictures before, they had nearly all been taken at her parents' loft she had no recollection of. She knew she was born in England when her parents were still attending Oxford. She was why they moved back to Gold Coast. Both parents struggled between their new lives and classes, they barely passed and they figured their best chance at providing a good life for her would be for Zane to get a job at what was then her grandfather's company. Liv was constantly told she looked like a good mix of her parents. They both had dark hair but she inherited her mum's bright blue eyes and her dad's crooked smile. She saw herself so much in her mum in these pictures. Liv didn't realize she had started crying until a tear hit an image of herself and her mum, holding hands in a park. Liv closed the binder and curled back up in her bed, hoping sleep would take her away again.

Zane was suspicious of his daughter's actions. Maybe he was worrying for nothing but she didn't seem like herself today. Liv had never been afraid or resistant to water. In fact, it was all he could do to get her out of the water. Now, she stated her not making the diving team was for a good reason, she didn't want to touch a pitcher of water and she wiped her hand off as soon as she touched condensation. These were habits Zane only could recall four other girls doing in his lifetime. They had good reasons though, they were mermaids and they needed to keep that a secret.

Maybe he was reading into this too much. It's not as if Liv had any of the tell tale signs of being a mermaid. Her life was changing a lot recently, maybe she wanted to explore another sport or no sports at all. Maybe she really did enjoy how he poured water for her. Maybe she didn't like the feeling of her hands being wet. How would she have made it to Mako anyway? Zane received his answer when he looked out of his office window and saw his boat. It looked the same as ever but that would get her to and back with no problem. This boat was much larger and more heavy duty than his old Zodiac had been, it would have been an easy trip. He had taught Liv how to drive the boat in case of emergencies. He was glad he did given the situation she had ended up in with her mother. Still, she knew she wasn't supposed to drive it on her own. Either Zane himself, her mum or another adult they approved of had to supervise her.

Zane needed answers as thoughts were swimming in his head. After a meeting with the board of directors, Zane grabbed his boat keys and ran down to the dock where they parked the boat. The odometer would tell him all he needed to know. He knew Mako was about fifty miles, to and back from the island. Not to mention the gas tank might reflect her recent trip if she forgot to refill it. Zane jumped into the boat and turned the engine over. Low and behold, the gas tank was near empty and the odometer had about fifty more miles on it than the last time he remembered checking on it. His suspicions grew more and more.

Zane raced up to his house needed to check one more thing to confirm his suspicions. He used to be well aware of the moon's cycle, knowing when a full moon would be coming. He hadn't checked that in ages though. Occasionally he would see the full moon in the sky and wonder how a certain curly haired blonde was fairing that night. If it wasn't a full moon, his worries would be somewhat pointless. Regardless, he had a good feeling Liv had gone to Mako Island last night.

He searched up the moon's cycle on his computer, hoping for anything but a full moon. He supposed she could have gone earlier in the week too. If anything, he hoped for a new moon last night. That would mean the full moon hadn't happened in the last few days and it was unlikely Liv had transformed. His worst fears were confirmed as he discovered last night had been full moon.

Fuck.

Zane raced out of his office and towards his daughter's room. He didn't know what he was going to do. Could he simply ask her if she was a mermaid? Should he throw a glass of water on her to prove her guilt? Should he try a stealthier approach and just ask her vague questions until he got an answer? Zane's problem seemed to solve itself as he heard a loud thud from inside Liv's room.

Liv woke up from her nap feeling the urge to use the bathroom. She did drink all of her water before she went to sleep, this was to be expected. She felt like the walking dead as she closed her bathroom door behind her. After she was done, she turned on her tap to start washing her hands, forgetting about recent developments. She was able to wash her hands with soap before she felt her legs give out and she collapsed on the ground yet again.

"Liv!" She heard her father's voice from right outside her bathroom door. He was in her room and she had forgotten to lock her bathroom door. She had never really needed to before but she made a note to do that from here on out.

Liv realized she might be too late as she saw the doorknob start to jiggle. "Don't come in!"

"Why not?" Zane asked. "I heard a thud, are you all right?"

"Yeah," Liv replied as she tried to reach her towel. "I'm fine, I'm just clumsy is all."

The doorknob jiggled again and Liv continued reaching for her towel. She turned her attention to the doorknob but it was too late. Zane opened the door before Liv could get to either of her targets. He was greeted with a sight he hadn't seen in a long time.

"Liv," Zane all but whispered. "What have you done?"

Liv ignored him as she continued reaching for her towel. Once she got it, she dried her hands off and felt herself transform back to normal. She pushed past her dad as if he wasn't there and took a seat on her bed.

"You went out to Mako Island last night, didn't you?" Zane asked.

"Yes." Liv replied, softly. "I don't know what you are worried about. It was beautiful and it's not like anything happened."

"Really?" Zane asked. "You call transforming into a fish every time you touch water nothing?"

"I'll just stay clear of the water then." Liv said as she tucked her legs under her blankets.

"Perfect plan, love." Zane replied. "You know that means you can't join a diving team again?"

"Maybe it's not permanent." Liv suggested. "Did you ever think of that, Dad? If you could just let me go back tonight-"

"'Go back?'" Zane asked with a scoff. "No way. I think you've done enough damage there. By the way, this is permanent. There's no turning back."

"How would you know?" Liv questioned.

"Why do you think I didn't want you going out to Mako, hm?" Zane asked.

"I've seen you swim, Dad." Liv said. "I know you're not a merman."

"No, but I knew… I knew someone who was." Zane said. "Four someones to be exact. Life wasn't easy for them so don't think this is going to be a cakewalk."

"Well, if I have to quit diving I'm already aware of how difficult this will be." Liv said as she felt tears stinging her eyes yet again. "Diving was my only distraction I could use to get my mind off of Mum. Now that I can't do that, I don't know what I'm going to do."

Liv felt herself break. She cried into her own hands until she felt her dad sit down next to her and offer her his chest to cry into instead. Liv had been through so much in the past few weeks, so much more than she deserved. Zane was still mad at her for defying his orders but he didn't need to to yell at her now.

"Why don't you get some rest?" Zane asked her once she pulled away. "I'll make you something for lunch."

"Thanks, Dad." Liv said. "I'm sorry I didn't listen to you."

"It's okay, sweetheart." Zane replied. "Just think about this next time you don't want to listen to me. I'll help you with this though, in anyway I can."

"Thank you, Dad." Liv said before he closed the door.

Zane leaned against the wall as he felt tears form in his own eyes. He was stressed. He had been stressed for the past few weeks and now his daughter was a mermaid. Part of himself felt like the fifteen year old boy who arrived to the moon pool for the first time, excited to finally see the mermaid he had been hunting only to be incredibly disappointed. He wished Liv had just listened to him but he should have known, she was exactly like him. If his father had told him not to go somewhere under any circumstances, you might as well have given Zane a golden invitation to the location. Still, it wasn't like he could let Liv on that island. He knew what could happen to her. Yes, he had helped the girls keep their secret many a time when they were younger but this felt more and more high stakes. This wasn't just a girl he had been acquaintances with his whole life or even a girl he thought he was going to marry someday, this was his daughter. He had just lost his wife, Liv was the last thing he had and losing her was simply not an option.

Zane knew some things about mermaids but not everything. He knew she would transform every time she touched water. He knew she would have to stay locked up in their home the night of a full moon. He knew she should have powers. He didn't know the best ways to prevent an exposure if she happened to touch water in public. He didn't know the best ways to prevent a full moon from being seen. He didn't know when or how her powers would harvest and how to go about controlling them. Zane pulled his phone out of his pocket. Thankfully, he knew four someones that did. Three of those girls had been deleted from his phone. He hadn't had a need to talk to them in the better part of fifteen years. There was one he still had a phone number for. One he couldn't bring himself to delete from his phone. It had been fifteen years, he didn't know if she had the same number or not. It seemed unlikely but it was worth a shot.

Zane heard the phone ring for a minute before it went to voicemail. He was greeted by a voice he hadn't heard in so long. Something about it still brought some level and joy, relief and regret. Once he heard the beep, he got started with his message.

"Rikki, it's Zane Bennett."