An unexpected reunion

"So I guess everything is back to normal then?" Cam stuffed part of his sandwich in his mouth as he finished his question. Classic chicken with mayo sandwich, homemade by Cam himself, two minutes after he was meant to leave the house if he wanted to make it to school on time. He ended up nabbing a lift on the back of his neighbour's bike to get three quarters of the way there and on time.

The fish chicks seemed more settled these days, Zac didn't look so mopey and Santos had been back at the school for two weeks now. The rumours that flew around the school during her absence only got worse once she came back but even that seemed to ease now. Probably helped that everyone was now talking about that year eight girl who was definitely pregnant and had been caught behind the gym with her boyfriend.

"I guess so?" Zac shrugged. "I mean there's still the Trident but Lyla said she'll help with that."

Lyla. There was something about her that Cam just didn't like. The fact that she was hurting Evie's feelings helped too. The other two weren't bad. Sirena was sort of sweet and David was absolutely head over heels for her, then there was Nixie. Nixie was… cute, and his type but she had hardly been around recently. While Lyla and Sirena had been at the cafe a lot, Nixie was never with them or at least not when Cam was there.

"Evie know Lyla's 'helping' you?" Cam put air quotations around that with one hand, the other still holding his sandwich.

"It's not like that and you know it."

"Yeah, but to Evie and to everyone else it looks like you're blowing her off to hang out with some other girl and won't tell her why. It looks sus man."

"It's just for a little while longer. Lyla said she'll help me through the Moon Spell and then we're all fine. Things can really go back to normal."

"Whatever you say man. Just don't count on Evie still being around if you keep this up."

The edge of the balcony wall was ice under her hands despite the warm spring night and the slight breeze chilled her right through to her bones. Mako loomed on the horizon, clouds masking the Moon but she could feel its power even still. From here she could hear the waves breaking on the shore and the muted city noises drifting through the 2am hush.

She couldn't sleep.

Some nights she managed to sleep easy enough but then nightmares woke her up. It was the same vision every time - the inescapable dark void of water. Then some nights sleep evaded her entirely. She went for a swim once to try to help but the dim night water was too similar to the dead water in her dreams and it sent her spiralling. She honestly couldn't remember getting back to the house or drying off but she woke up late the next morning on the couch in the living room with fresh nail marks down her arm.

She hadn't swum at night since.

Tonight was a 'sleep evading night' and Rita was beyond exhausted. She closed her eyes for a second, just a second, to rest them. The next thing she knew she was back in her bed with someone - Nixie most likely - pressed in beside her. Rita let her eyes close again, feeling sleep finally take over.

To say Veridia was over surprises would be an understatement. That week on land after Rita's accident had been filled with enough heart-hammering moments to last a lifetime. Yet here she was faced with another one.

She had left the Pod late into the night to avoid being seen by scouts or any late sleepers, meaning by the time she made it back to land it was the middle of the night. It had been two weeks since she was last here and she had thought about Rita everyday and what it would have been like if she had chosen to stay. Or if Rita had come with her back to the Pod. The latter was the nicer of the two thoughts.

Veridia surfaced in the pool under the house to dim lights and no one there, not instantly alarming - Rita said she sometimes slept in the water, sometimes on land. She must just be upstairs.

Veridia hauled herself out of the water, the weight of her tail making it a task. How Rita did this everyday was beyond her. Drying off was easy enough, one flick of the wrist to pull all the excess water off then a two second 'steam dry' and her tail was gone, replaced with legs but it was the effort of getting out of the water to begin with.

The stairway up into the house had every second light on but every light in the grotto was off. The main house was the same, apart from one light in the sitting room, the one leading to the balcony. Veridia was about ready to ignore the light and continue on through the house when that horrible cat walked past her towards the balcony. He meowed at her then trotted out the open door. A door that shouldn't be open.

Veridia followed the cat outside.

Rita was standing at the wall facing out to the sea.

"Rita?"

The Mermaid gave no indication that she heard her. Alarm crept up on her as Veridia crossed the balcony to where Rita stood.

"Rita?" Veridia lightly touched her arm.

Rita looked towards her but not at her. Veridia reached out tilted Rita's face to look at her, the Mermaid's eyes unfocused and not quite seeing her. She looked like she was half sleep where she was standing.

"Why don't we get you to bed?" Veridia asked softly. She got no response so she slipped an arm around Rita's shoulder and guided the Mermaid back inside ready to catch her if need be.

In the light of the house Rita looked so pale, her skin was already cold even where Veridia had her arm around her shoulder. At least she was walking fine. She talked to Rita all the way through the house but got no sign that Rita heard any of it

Rita fell asleep the moment she was settled in the bed. The Mermaid all but collapsed the second Veridia got her to the bed and pulled Veridia down with her. Rita instantly attached herself to her arms tight around Verida.

Not quite the reunion Veridia imagined.

Rita woke up in an overwhelming sense of panic. The last thing she remembered was being on the balcony, now she was in her room with no idea what time it was or even what day and there was someone lying behind her with their arms around her middle.

Rita turned over to see blonde curls and sat up bolt upright disrupting the Mermaid attached to her - Veridia. Veridia hadn't been here last night. Was she still asleep and this was some weird dream or hallucination?

"Morning."

So not a dream then.

"What are you doing here?"

Veridia left to go back to the Pod. There was no reason for Veridia to be here unless - Rita crushed that thought the second it bloomed. She had no room for false hope in her life right now.

"I came to see you."

Was that a 'just a flying visit' kind of "I came to see you" or a 'I-left-the-pod-and-now-I'm here-on-land-to-stay' kind of "I came to see you"? Did she really want to know? Every day Veridia had somehow been in her thoughts and now she was here, right in front of her.

Rita decided she could wait to find out the answer as she cupped Veridia's face and pulled her into a kiss. She could taste the salt from the Sea on Veridia's lips, could feel Veridia's hands against her neck and down her back and the fabric of Veridia's dress under her own hands.

For that short time there were no negative thoughts, her mind completely focused on Veridia's lips against her own and wandering hands.

Veridia's hand slipped up her top, running up her waist, up her ribs on the un-scared side. Then her other hand caught the edge of the fabric lifting it up. Nope, nope, nope. Rita caught Veridia's hand and pushed it away.

"I don't want to," Rita whispered, "not today."

"That's okay," Veridia's withdrew her other hand, "we don't have to."

Rita kissed Veridia again, keeping her close against her. Hugging was just as nice. She was comfortable enough with Veridia's hand against the small of her back and the faint echo of Veridia's heartbeat under her own hand.

Rita was seconds away from sleep, proper sleep for the first time in a while still draped over Veridia. She had no idea how much time had passed. After a brief catch up on the last couple of weeks, with the worst of it carefully omitted by Rita, they'd settled into a comfortable quiet.

"What happened last night?" Veridia asked.

"Hmm? Last night?"

"You were on the balcony when I arrived."

She did remember going to the balcony. Then waking up with Veridia. Everything in between was gone from her mind.

"I couldn't sleep so I went for some fresh air. Next thing I know I'm waking up here."

"You seemed out of it when I found you."

Probably sleep deprivation. Or maybe sleep walking. Either sound about right.