Chapter 3: Rikki's Agreement

Rikki Chadwick awoke in her large, comfortable bedroom. She had a large bed but she always stayed curled up to one side, she grew up on smaller beds her whole life. She could barely believe she was as lucky as she was.

Rikki turned over to cuddle with her boyfriend, Joshua. She was surprised to find an empty spot on the bed. She huffed in disappointment as she remembered they were no longer an item.

"It's not that I don't like you, Rikki." Joshua had said to her in the bathroom of a gala. "I just feel like I don't know anything about you and Haley is just…"

"Fine." Rikki had replied. "You pick her over me, I get it. Why don't you just go home?"

"We can still be friends." He tried to reason.

"You sleep with one of my best friends and you still want to be friends?" Rikki asked. "Ha, no thank you."

"It's more than just sleeping together." Joshua said. "I love her… I think."

Rikki was doing everything to hold herself together. That's what her boyfriend was doing when she was out of town? He said he was hanging with his mates or working. Nope, he was just fucking her roommate.

"Get out." Rikki said in a low voice.

Joshua received the message loud and clear. Rikki exited the bathroom and watched him walk out of the front door. She still had a speech to make, she couldn't go home and cry her eyes out just yet. Once the evening was over, Rikki rushed up to her room, throwing all the pictures of the pair across the room. He had been her one serious boyfriend since she had been in high school. Her bosses were asking when they were going to get married and Rikki allowed herself to fall for the fantasy. Her world came crashing down that night and she felt like a lovestruck fool.

Rikki sighed as she laid on her back, staring at the ceiling, picturing that night over and over as she was wont to do. Rikki had the next few days off of work but she tried to be anywhere but her apartment. Haley was moving out, seemingly to Joshua's home. Rikki's other roommate, Claire and Claire's boyfriend Nathan, had been texting her updates so she knew when it was safe to return. Rikki was happy she at least had the pair on her side. She thought she could trust Haley and was even close to telling the two girls her secret identity. She was glad she decided not to.

Joshua had told Rikki he was tired of her secrets. He tried to get to know her better but she wouldn't let him. She supposed that's why this and several of her other relationships had failed. Then again, she had a secret that was almost unimaginable. A secret she had had to keep close to her since she was fifteen. She, Rikki Chadwick, was a mermaid. She had a few close calls but only a small handful of people found out about her identity when she was younger. With so many years of practice, she was able to keep the secret with much more ease than she once did.

Rikki turned over on her side to check the time on her phone. She had just gotten back into town from a dive in Sydney late last night so she hadn't checked it since the morning before. She would have the next few days off so she didn't expect any missed calls or texts. She shot up in bed as she saw she had a missed call from a name she hadn't seen in such a long time. A name that still sent shivers down her spine.

Rikki unlocked her phone to see he had left her a voicemail that was over a minute long. She initially wondered if he had misdialed but she didn't think he would leave her a minute long message if he had. She felt her hands shaking wondering what in the world he had called her about. Was there something they missed with the cafe they once co-owned? Did something happen to one of their high school friends? Was it possible he was calling to admit after all these years he still had feelings for her? Rikki finally calmed herself down and pushed the play button on her voicemail.

"Rikki, it's Zane Bennett." He said. So he clearly meant to call her. "I know this is weird, we haven't talked in so long but I didn't know who else to turn to. I… um… well I've had a daughter since we last talked, I'm not sure if you've heard somehow. Anyway, she's fifteen now, she's great but… something's happened. I'm sure you knew but there was a full moon a few nights ago and Liv, my daughter, I guess she was mad at me and she took my boat out to Mako. I've told her not to go out there because… well, you know. Anyway, Mako Island, full moon, I'm sure you know where this is heading. I don't even know if you're still in Gold Coast or if this is your number but I would really, really appreciate your help. I think Liv would too. Call me if you can make this work. I know it's a lot to ask."

Rikki paused the voicemail. Zane Bennett had a daughter. He had a daughter that was now a mermaid. Rikki was sure her seventeen year old self who just broke up with a selfish boy would have found this hysterical. Now, she had a million questions running through her mind. If he had a daughter, did that mean he was married? Would she simply be some third wheel wandering around his home, babysitting his daughter? How would his wife feel about his ex-girlfriend hanging around their home and their daughter?

Rikki stood from her bed and started the tap on her bath. Her heart was racing a million miles a minute. She tried to calm herself down as she soaked in the tub, her orange tail sticking out of one end. Her efforts were to no avail. Zane usually had this effect on her, she shouldn't be surprised. On the upside, it did take her mind off of Joshua. Then, her cheating ex entered her mind and Rikki sighed as she thought about the two men who had broken her heart. She had the worst luck when it came to love.

Rikki exited her bedroom once she had gotten dressed. As expected, Claire and Nathan we sitting side by side at the kitchen island, feeding each other fruit.

"Ugh, do I have to wake up to this every morning?" Rikki asked with a groan.

"Nice to see you, too, Rikki." Nathan replied.

"There's some coffee on for you if you want it." Claire said. The girl always tried to excuse any PDA between her and Nathan, especially since Rikki and Joshua had broken up.

"Thanks." Rikki replied as she went around the opposite side of the island to fetch it.

"So, how was your dive?" Nathan asked as he started putting his and Claire's dishes away.

"Oh, you know the usual." Rikki said as she poured her coffee. "Sydney's waters are starting to get murkier and murkier due to the pollution. But I found the statue in no time."

"What was the missing item this time?" Claire asked.

"A statue sculpted by an artist during the Resonance period." Rikki replied.

"Those are the most beautiful." Claire replied. "Nothing out of the ordinary happened though?"

"Nope." Rikki replied, simply. She was doing a terrible job lying, she could tell.

"Really?" Claire asked. "You don't sound too convincing."

"Yeah," Nathan chimed in. "I thought you were going to work on being more open after-"

Nathan stopped as he was elbowed in the gut by his girlfriend. Rikki rolled her eyes at the pair.

"We can talk about Joshua." Rikki said. "I'm not some thirteen year old that's going to taboo his name. We just shouldn't talk about him a good manner since he is a piece of shit."

"Fair." Claire replied with a shrug. "I still want to know what happened during your dive."

"Well, it wasn't the dive, that really was normal." Rikki settled on. "It was everything that happened after the dive."

"What do you mean?" Nathan asked.

"Well… I woke up this morning to a voicemail from my ex-boyfriend." Rikki finally admitted.

"Joshua called you?" Nathan asked.

"Not that ex-boyfriend." Rikki said. "You think I only have one ex?"

"Well…" Nathan started, looking to Claire for reassurance.

"I've only known you to seriously date one guy and that was Joshua." She said. "Unless…"

Claire let out a gasp. Rikki wasn't expecting this from her best friend. Rikki was thrown back to when she, Claire and Haley had too much wine one night and Rikki spent the whole evening talking about Zane. Claire and Haley were hanging on her every word. Claire even hoped they would get back together. Rikki said hell would have to freeze over for that to happen.

"It's not wine guy, is it?" Claire asked.

"Who's wine guy?" Nathan asked.

"My ex-boyfriend from high school, Zane." Rikki clarified.

"I love wine guy." Claire said in a dreamy voice. "Wait, what did he want?"

Rikki sighed again. She couldn't tell them what Zane truly wanted, she would have to reveal her mermaid identity and that didn't feel appropriate. Also saying he needed help raising his daughter when he was likely married would be odd. Not to mention, Rikki was far from a natural with children. Saying she was running off to play Maria Von Trapp would be incredibly uncharacteristic of her.

"I don't really know." Rikki replied. "His voicemail didn't make a lot of sense."

"Can I hear it?" Claire requested, going to grab Rikki's phone on the counter. Rikki snatched the phone just in time.

"Oops, I just deleted it." Rikki said as she placed her phone back on the counter. "It doesn't matter anyway, it's probably not important. I haven't talked to him in over fifteen years and-"

"No, this isn't her." Rikki heard Claire say. She turned around to see Claire with Rikki's phone to her ear. Oh no. "This is her roommate but she's right here if you need to talk to her."

"Claire, no!" Rikki whispered so Zane wouldn't hear her on the other end. "Why would you do that?"

"Come on, Rikki." Claire pleaded as she held her hand over the receiver. "You should get back out there or at least see what he wants. This will be good for you."

The two griped for a little longer before Rikki conceded. She used to win every battle due to her stubbornness. Now, Claire might prove to be a bit more stubborn than she was.

"Fine." Rikki replied, still in a whisper. "But I'm taking the conversation to my room."

"Good luck." Claire replied as she handed Rikki the phone. Rikki rolled her eyes as she walked off.

Rikki sighed as she closed her bedroom door and put the phone up to her face. She could feel her hand shaking. "Hi, Zane."

"Hey," Zane replied. "How um, how are you?"

"I can't complain, I suppose." Rikki said. "How about you?"

"Well it's been um… it's been a hell of a few weeks." Zane said. "Did you happen to get my voicemail? Or make out what I was trying to ask? I know it was jumbled-"

"No, I got it." Rikki replied. "Your daughter's a mermaid now?"

"Yes," Zane sighed. Rikki thought she heard a small crack in his voice. In the three years they were together, Rikki could only remember him crying a handful of times.

"Was she alone?" Rikki asked.

"I think so." Zane said. "You know I know a bit about the mermaid life but not near as much as you do. I know it's a lot to ask, and I certainly understand if you don't want to do this but I just thought I'd give it a shot."

Rikki sighed again. She had been lucky she transformed and adjusted to her mermaid life with Cleo and Emma. She wouldn't have known how to go about her life if she had been alone. Still, even with three girls, Rikki felt so alone at times. No one deserved to feel that way. Rikki thought of the girl who ran away from her boyfriend's home after a row with his dad during a business lunch. A girl who thought she was all alone in her secret. No one deserved to feel so isolated.

"Where do you live?" Rikki asked.

"You'll help?" Zane asked, optimism flowing out of his voice.

"Yeah, I'll help." Rikki said. "Look, I still don't know everything and-"

"That's fine." Zane said. "That's more than fine. It would just be nice for Liv to have another mermaid confidant."

"Yeah, me and her both." Rikki mumbled.

"What was that?" Zane asked.

"Nothing." Rikki replied. "When do you want me to come over?"

"Whenever you can." Zane replied. "Are you at work right now?"

"No," Rikki replied. "No, I don't have to go in for the next few days."

"Well, Liv gets out of school late tonight." Zane said. "Maybe tomorrow around 3?"

"Sure." Rikki said. "I can be there."

"Great." Zane replied. "I'll text you the address."

"Sounds good." Rikki said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"See you then." Zane said before they hung up.

Rikki felt her legs give out as she fell on her bed. She was going to see Zane Bennett tomorrow. She was going to see Zane Bennett for the first time in fifteen years. She wondered how he looked. She hadn't even asked about his wife. Were the butterflies in her stomach all for nothing? Maybe Zane was just hiring her as a mermaid nanny while he and his wife displayed their love in front of Rikki. Rikki wasn't sure if she could handle that. Even after all of these years, she still had some feelings for him.

Rikki finally stood and exited her room. She was greeted by Claire standing suspiciously close to her door and Nathan sitting on the couch behind her.

"How did it go?" Claire asked.

"You are way too excited about this." Rikki replied.