It only took a month and a bit but I finally finished this chapter.

Summary: The Full Moon is almost upon them and everyone's on edge.

Zac sat down on his couch facing the door and opened up his laptop. A week's worth of homework was due and he hadn't looked at it. His mind had been too scattered to do anything and he'd broken his promise to himself of trying almost immediately after walking out of the classroom.

Maybe Evie would help.

She'd forgiven him for his odd behaviour at the disaster of a lunch and she had loved the make-up present he'd gotten her - a seashell bracelet Sirena had made. Although Evie was another source of guilt right now, he was still lying to her about his tail. He wanted more than anything to tell her and confess everything.

The door to the boatshed opened and Zac looked up expecting one of parents, but instead Cam darkened his doorway.

"Full moon tomorrow," Cam said and leaned against the doorway.

"Yup," Zac pretended to look at something interesting on his screen. He was well aware the Full Moon was approaching. He'd woken up in a cold sweat from a nightmare. He'd been back in that pool he turned in, the Trident in his hands and blood in the water. He hadn't gone back to sleep after that.

"You going to Mako?"

"Hadn't planned too." It had been the last thing he wanted to do.

"You know you're missing a really big opportunity here Zac?"

"What do you mean?" He was too tired for this bullshit. His sleep schedule was fucked and this week had been so excruciatingly draining.

"I mean the Trident. The fish chicks are a bit .. preoccupied at the moment, they won't be there to stop you."

The Trident. Locked away in a chamber of water on Mako. With a large blue stone that glowed like a Moon Ring. Only stronger.

"I hadn't thought about it," Zac lied. While he hadn't spent much time on it, one thought kept him up at night. The Mermaids were telling the truth when they said it was dangerous. If one little Moon Ring could cause that much damage what could the Trident do?

"Really Zac?" Cam left the doorway and stalked forward.

"I've been … busy."

"Come on Zac, this is what you wanted," Cam took the seat beside him and Zac turned his laptop away.

"I'm not so sure I do now."

"Are you serious right now? This could be the biggest thing of your whole life."

"I don't want it."

Cam sighed and slouched in the seat.

"A lot has happened Cam. Look what happened last week, I almost killed someone and that was a Moon Ring, imagine what the Trident could've done. I can't - I can't do that again."

"That wasn't your fault Zac."

"That's the thing Cam, it was."

Cam sighed loudly and shrunk further back, "Then the Trident can stay where it is."

Zac furrowed his brows and looked at Cam. Cam had changed his mind awful quick. It was probably a ploy.

"You forget," Cam said tilting his head towards Zac, "they left me with her while they got that potion thing."

"I did forget that."

"Did the fish chicks say anymore?" Cam asked slowly.

Zac nodded, "she's awake but I've heard nothing more. Lyla was here yesterday but didn't say much."

Lyla stopped by everyday to see him and escape Nixie. She was a welcome break but everytime she left he felt worse.

"That council Mermaid still here?"

"Lyla said she's leaving soon, either today or tomorrow."

"The council mermaid leaving right before the Full Moon, it's a sign Zac."

"Cam."

"Sorry, sorry," Cam sat up, "seeing as you're not planning a party on Mako, how about going to David's Halloween party? Your girlfriend's going."

"Halloween party?"

"In the cafe? The one David puts on every year? Dude, you forgot about Halloween?" Cam threw up his hand in an exasperated motion. "It's my second favourite holiday."

"I didn't forget," Zac defended. "Not exactly."

Halloween was fun when they were kids, they'd dress up, go round all the houses in his street, Evie's, and Cam's, getting a boatload of sweets then going back to one their houses and eating as much as they could. It wasn't as fun as a teenager, no one gave them anything but strange looks.

"You going?" Cam asked.

"Why not?"

It could be fun, a nice distraction from the rest of the bullshit.

"Yes, Zac!"

The house was quiet when Nixie returned. The same quiet as those rare times she found herself being the only one at home. Back then it had made her happy, being alone was such a rare thing, but now it made her frown. It shouldn't be this quiet.

Nixie stopped in the grotto doorway on her way up to the main house - empty. She pursed her lips and continued upwards. She activated the sliding bookcase door and stepped into the carpeted hall.

Poseidon came running up to her meowing loudly.

"What do you want?"

Poseidon hated her, actually hated her. He growled whenever she went to stroke him and more than once had hissed at her for going near Rita while the Mermaid had been unconscious.

He brushed against her legs and meowed again.

"Get off," Nixie nudged him with her foot.

He obliged and trotted off. Then stopped and looked back at her, meowing again.

"What?"

Poseidon came back to her, wound himself around her legs and trotted off again and stopped to meow again.

"What do you want, cat?" Nixie took a step towards him and he moved away from her. He meowed, softer this time.

Nixie walked towards him and he took off. He was probably just hungry. Without Rita looking after him every day he'd missed a meal or five and complained bitterly every single time it happened.

As she followed him through the hallways, passed and beyond the kitchen, worry grew in her stomach. Poseidon spent all his time with Rita. The only time that cat had left her was when Sirena remembered to feed him and when Veridia made him leave. Even then he would sulk outside the grotto going back and forth until he stopped being shooed away. He wouldn't willingly spend time away from the Mermaid.

Poseidon yowled loudly outside of the door to Rita's room and circled around on the spot.

"What's wrong?" Nixie asked him softly. In truth she was scared of the answer. Why was it always her who had to deal with this? The horrible fear every time something went wrong. Sirena and Lyla didn't have the same fear. They were never here. Even now they were still hiding from Veridia in their guilt.

The cat stared at her before stretching up on his hind legs and scratching at the door.

Nixie opened the door and Poseidon shot through ahead of her.

The room was empty with no sign of anyone. There was a plain wooden chest of drawers with one drawer, the third one down, partially open. The teal blue curtains were open and the sunlight shone in, lighting up the room without any need for the light to be on.

Yet the lightbulb was flickering, just like earlier in the hallway and buzzing ever so slightly too.

Meow, meow, meow.

Poseidon ran over to Nixie from a closed, white door on the other side of the chest of drawers and yowled at her.

Time slowed with every step Nixie took closer to that door. Her legs were on the verge of collapsing and each second trickled by like a lifetime.

She didn't even realise how her hands were shaking until she gripped the silver handle on the door and tried to push it down.

Her hand slipped off the handle. Poseidon yowled at her again.

Nixie took a deep breath and pushed the handle down once more. She pushed the door only for it to rattle in it's frame. She pulled it towards her with the same result. Nixie shoved the door and slammed her fist uselessly against it.

"Nixie what are you doing?"

"Something's wrong and I can't get the door." Her voice was thick, and every word was an effort.

Veridia held out her hand and the lock clicked. Not waiting for the other Mermaid, Nixie shoved the door open and stumbled into the bathroom.

Lyla let her legs dangle over the edge of the dock. The warm sun beat down on her back and there was an ever so slight breeze carrying the scent of the Sea in over the land. She'd come to see Zac again but he wasn't there.

She had gone to the dock to leave by the water but ended up sitting instead when she saw people on the other side of the canal sitting with their feet in the water. Anyways, it was a nice day for sitting and she had nothing better to do.

Lyla closed her eyes and tilted her head up to the sun, letting the warm rays clear her mind of the stresses of the past week.

The violent splashing to the side broke the reprieve.

A single Bull shark thrashing in the shallows, it's tail sending water flying in all directions. Lyla pulled up her legs as the shark turned and swam back out into the deeper water. The people across the canal shrieked and scrambled away from the edge, running back up their garden yelling about the shark.

Lyla stood up and walked along the dock back to the ground. She'd come back later and see Zac. For now she needed a swim. Somewhere without land people and wandering Bull sharks.

"Veridia!"

Veridia was through the door in an instant. Nixie was on her knees on the floor, beside Rita lying on her side not quite unconscious judging by the way she recoiled when Nixie touched her bare shoulder.

Veridia dropped down beside her and pressed two fingers against Rita's neck, feeling for her pulse. Her heartbeat was stronger than it had been but beat faster than normal.

"She needs to sit up," Veridia said. She stood up and pulled down a thin, light grey robe from a hook from the back of the door. She also needed something to cover the Mermaid with.

Veridia turned back around and Nixie had gotten Rita to sit up and had the Mermaid leaning against her. Veridia kneeled down beside them and draped the robe over Rita's shoulders. When her hand against her skin, Rita flinched under her touch.

"What happened?" Nixie demanded, "you said she was going to be fine. This is not fine!"

Veridia stood up and picked up the jar of salve she had given Rita earlier. It sat half empty, with no lid on the edge of the sink. She must have used it.

"What was in that?" Nixie asked.

"Nothing that should have caused this," Veridia forced her voice to remain calm. "It's a commonly used healing salve, this hasn't happened before."

Mermaids, from hatchlings to the oldest of Elders, used that recipe with no ill consequences.

"Is she allergic to anything?"

"No. Nothing that's in it."

"Well what's in it then?"

"Neutralised Moon jelly, Irish sea moss and bubbled anemone," Veridia set the jar back down, "nothing that harms." Moon jelly was a commonly used base, sea moss was just a plant and an anemone's sting couldn't even be felt by a land person, let alone a Mermaid.

"Then why did this happen?"

"I don't know," Veridia admitted. She kneeled down beside Nixie again.

"She's shaking," Nixie said, her own voice shaking, "and she feels really hot."

Veridia placed her hand on Rita's forehead. Her skin was burning.

"Fever."

Of course she had a fever. From an infection most likely. She should never have taken the bandages off, or given Rita that salve. The salve. It shouldn't have done this. A salve couldn't cause a fever to come on this quickly.

"I need to have a look at her shoulder," Veridia said.

Nixie just nodded.

Veridia pushed back the robe, slipping it off Rita's shoulder and inspected the wounds. They looked irritated but that was to be expected. The swollen lines however, were not. Veridia pressed her fingertips against the largest burn across Rita's shoulder then lightly pressed beside the wounds.

The Mermaid whimpered slightly and opened her eyes.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Veridia placed one hand on Rita's cheek and looked at her eyes. They were unfocused and glassy.

"Cold," Rita whispered.

"She's burning," Nixie said.

"It's the fever. It makes you so hot you feel cold."

"You need to lie down and rest," Veridia said to Rita, "We'll take you through."

She turned to Nixie, "can you help me get her up?"

"Yeah," Nixie nodded.

Veridia wrapped her arm around Rita's waist and helped Nixie get the Mermaid to her feet.

"Can you walk?"

Rita shook her head.

Veridia supported the Mermaid's weight against her, just like when she helped Rita down to the water. This time the progress was far, far slower. One step at a time back through into the bedroom and over to the bed.

"Just sit," Veridia kept her arm around Rita's shoulder as Nixie slowly stepped away, and guided her to sit down on the bed. The Mermaid sat heavily and Veridia could've sworn she was seconds away from falling asleep.

"Can you get some water?" Veridia asked Nixie.

Nixie nodded and slipped off.

"Lie down," Veridia placed her hand on Rita's uninjured shoulder.

"Okay." Her voice was quiet, hardly more than a whisper as she lay down.

How long ago was it she'd had to fight with Rita to get her to stay still? It felt like days. She'd do anything to have that back. She might have been one of the most annoying patients Veridia had had to deal with in a long time but at least she'd been seemingly getting better. Now it was like they were back to square one. Thank the tides Rita was actually awake this time.

Veridia laid the blanket from the end of the bed over the Mermaid before placing her hand on Rita's forehead. She was so hot. Mermaids have naturally lower temperatures anyway but even by land people standards her temperature was far too high.

"I missed you."

Veridia froze. It was just the fever talking. There's no way she actually …

"Go to sleep," Veridia took her hand away and moved to leave, she wanted to take a look at that jar. She stopped when a hand caught her wrist.

"Don't leave me."

Don't leave me

It always came back to that with them. Always. It had done before and it would again.

"I won't."

"Stay with me."

She'd heard that before. She'd said it before. When Rita left the Pod. She'd begged her to stay.

"Don't leave. Please don't leave. Stay with me."

Rita pulled Veridia in and Veridia collapsed into her.

"You know what they'll do to me."

The pain in her voice. Veridia knew what that meant. It was goodbye. The tears that burned in her eyes broke free.

"Don't leave."

Rita sobbed. Veridia pulled away and took Rita into a hug.

"I don't want to go. I don't want to leave."

"Then stay. Please."

"I can't."

She'd been so angry after Rita left. Angry at Rita, angry at her mother who sat on that Council, and angry at said Council's rules. The Council may have given her a choice but it was never a real choice. If she had stayed she would've had nothing. Rita wanted to be a teacher. The Council would never have allowed her to teach. She would have been forced to be a scout or something else she would've hated.

It wasn't fair. Veridia had lost her twice before because the of the Council's stupid rules. Now she could lose her again, just when she thought the danger had passed.

"I will."

Veridia sat on the bed beside Rita and held her hand until she fell into a fever fuelled sleep.

I can't leave.

Her impending departure had hung over her constantly but now that thought echoed in her mind, not letting her think about anything else. She couldn't leave. Not with Rita in this state. She was head of the council, what she said went. More or less. If she said she wasn't coming back, the rest of the council and the Pod would have to accept it.

The full mystery of the jar was originally planned for being revealed in this chapter but I ended up moving a huge chunk of this chapter, over 2,000 words, into the next chapter to save this one being too long.

Chapter 13 is coming up for 3,000 words so as long as I can focus on it, it shouldn't take too long to get finished. Also I have changed my chapter aim from 12 to 15 chapters but it may still go up depending on how it goes.

Hope everyone is doing well and staying safe and hope you enjoyed this chapter.