Chapter 32

Jade Oliver arranged to meet with Bella, Emma, Rikki, Anna and Cleo to have a juice at Rikki's Cafe after work, a few days later.

"So, do you guys still have a phobia of water?" Jade asked randomly. "Oh, sorry if that's too personal," she said after seeing their surprised expressions.

"No, it's alright. I for one still have a phobia of water," Cleo said. Jade nodded but she was not convinced. Jade had figured out that their secret had something to do with water. She had never seen them in the rain or even with a drop of water on them. If they were wet, they would always run away. There was one way to test her theory. Making it seemed accidental; she knocked her juice all over Bella's front. She gasped in surprise.

"Bella, I'm so sorry," she apologised. Bella stood up and after sharing a look with the others, ran in the direction of the cafe's bathroom. "I'm sorry," Jade called after her. Jade stood up to see if she was all right but Rikki stopped her.

"No don't worry; I'll just go see if she's alright."

A few short minutes later, the two women returned to the group.

"I really am sorry, Bella," Jade apologised profusely.

"It was just an accident, no harm done," she replied.

This demonstration with the liquid had just made Jade more suspicious; she had had enough.

"Okay guys, I'm done fooling around. Tell me what's going on." She demanded.

"What?" Emma asked, feigning innocence.

"I know your hiding something...no don't try to cover yourself. I've know you've been hiding something for as long as I've known you. I think it's taken me enough time to notice." She looked at their staged blank faces. "I know it has something to do with water."

"We've already told you, we have an irrational fear of water – are you trying to embarrass us?" Rikki said.

"No. That isn't it."

"What answer are you looking for exactly?" Bella asked.

"I want to know the truth. You can trust me." Jade said. She got no reaction. "Come on, I know you don't live where you said you lived." She turned to Rikki.

"Of course we live there," Rikki said.

"No, you don't. The other day when you closed up the cafe, you did not go that direction you just dived into the water and did not surface. You weren't at your house early the next morning."

"What, are you stalking me now?"

"Not really. More like proving a point." Rikki opened her mouth, "No. Don't try to deny it or make up some funny excuse, I'm done with it. Trust me, I won't tell anyone your terrible secret. I know it has something to do with water, over the years I've caught you diving into the water and not surfacing, whenever you get wet you rush out of the room. I also have had the vibe of being excluded, like you guys are all part of a club that I wasn't invited to. Please, why can't you tell me."

Her speech seemed to have shaken the resolve of her friends, they were staring at each other, unknown to Jade; they were mind speaking to one another.

'She's got us there,' Emma said.

'Why did we never tell her, when she puts it like that it kinda makes us seem like the bad guys,' Bella said.

'She's bound to figure it out for herself sooner or later – it's best we tell her and gain her trust that she won't tell isn't it?' Cleo asked.

'Yeah. She's got enough personal evidence to support her questions.' Anna said 'I don't know her as well as you do but she seems to be trustworthy enough,'

'Thinking about it, we were rather rotten friends in the past, I think she deserves to know,' Emma said.

'Let's tell her then,' Rikki audibly sighed. 'Besides, if she does tell we can take care of her...kidding. We can take care of ourselves.'

They all snapped out of a trance, Jade had been watching them weirdly. All five women nodded at the same time, 'We tell her.'

"Right, we'll tell you." Rikki said, "But more private – down on the beach."

OoOoO

"Before we tell you, we have to contact someone," Emma said, nodding to Anna. She gave another nod in reply.

'Ben honey?'

Anna couldn't hear a mind response. 'Ben?'

'Oh, Anna! What's up, sorry I was just getting down from my scaffolding,'

'You know Jade right?'

'The girls old friend from teacher's college?'

'Yeah, her, we are about to tell her our secret, is that alright with you?'

He paused. 'Yeah, as long as you're all sure its the best decision.'

'We are.'

'Sure, you have my full go-ahead.'

'Thanks sweetie, I'll see you later,'

'See ya, back to work,'

Jade was giving Anna a strange look as she jerked back to reality, she had zoned out while talking to Ben.

"Ben's alright with it,"

"Sweet." Bella said.

"Wait, how did you contact him...?" Jade trailed off.

"We'll tell you later," Rikki said.

"Alright, this will be a lot to get your head around," Cleo said, "But we need to you swear on your life that you won't tell anyone our secret."

"Okay, I swear I won't tell. What's this all about, you're not being hunted by the government are you," Jade half-joked.

"No. Not...yet," Rikki said.

"Okay, my lips are sealed. Fire away, my curiosity is getting the best of me."

"We are mermaids. And before you start laughing, it is the absolute truth." Emma added quickly. Everyone was absolutely sincere and solemn as Jade examined their expressions.

'Are they trying to pull my leg?' Jade thought to herself. 'But if they're mermaids that would probably explain the water...'

"Explain? How? Why? Can you give me proof?" she asked aloud. All five of them nodded at the same time. That really was getting creepy.

"We will, but not here, let's go to my house, for somewhere a bit more...private." Rikki said.

OoOoO

"So who's is the house really?" Jade asked.

"Technically it is still mine and Zane's," Rikki said, "But we all pitch in to maintain its upkeep,"

"Who lives here?"

"None of ours," Cleo said.

"So, where do you really live then?"

"Mako Island," Anna said.

"Mako? How?"

Rikki disregarded her question and interrupted saying, "All in good time, now do you want proof or not?"

Jade nodded enthusiastically.

"Thanks for volunteering, Rikki," Emma laughed splashing a glass of water over her. Bella went behind Rikki to catch her.

"Gee, thanks a lot Em," Rikki muttered.

Jade's eyes almost bugged out of her head. "You were serious," she breathed, eyes still wide,"

"Duh!" Rikki said from the floor - Bella had gently laid her down. "But seriously, the tail isn't the half of it." Rikki stretched out her hand and steam started billowing from her tail. Anna went and opened the windows to stop condensation building up.

"Are you doing that?"

"Yeah, it's called powers. Cool huh?"

"Yeah, amazing," Jade murmured in response as Rikki's tail instantly became human legs.

"So, what can you guys actually do?"

"Boil stuff and create lightning,"

"Move water, control wind,"

"Create ice and snow,"

"Create jelly and crystallised water,"

"Boil and move water and my husband Ben can move water and create ice."

"Ben? A mer...man?"

"Uh huh." Anna replied. "That's why we had to get his permission to tell you."

"And how may I ask did you do that without a phone?"

"As a mermaid we gain special abilities; mind speaking one of them." Bella said.

"Mind speak?"

"Literally." Rikki replied.

"Were you born this way?"

"No, transformed later on in life."

"How long ago?"

"Rikki, Emma and I have been mermaids for over fifteen years."

"I've been one since I was nine, so over twenty years." Bella said.

"Wow,"

"Ben and I have been mermaids for about ten years." Anna said.

"How?"

"We have no idea – by magic."

The women went on the talk about mermaids more in detail, Jade completely intrigued by it all. She learnt about their kids, powers, and all things mermaid.

"Could I see where you live?"

"Ah, okay, we'll take you over tomorrow. That okay?"

"Yeah!"

OoOoO

"So, how exactly do you live here? I heard a rich family bought the whole place but have reserved half the island for public use..." she finally clicked, "Oh! That was you,"

"Yup. All of us pitched in but when Bella inherited a couple million dollars, It sealed the deal," Rikki said.

Jade was overwhelmed when she saw their water village. Over the years, they had put food colouring in the water so when It was hardened, it stayed that colour. Red, yellow, purple, green and blue were the colours of certain walls depending on rooms.

"How exactly do you create lightning?" Jade asked Rikki as they were walking through the village.

"Like this," with a flick of her hand a lightning bolt fell from the sky hitting the ground near to her friends. Everyone jumped in surprise – especially Jade.

"Rikki!" Cleo chastised, "You could have given us a heart attack,"

"Sorry, just too good an opportunity to miss," she replied sheepishly.

A/N: Please review. Sorry the delay between updates is getting longer, I just don't have as much time as I used to.