HAPPY BELATED 2020!... Damn, I started this story in 2014 and it's almost 6 years since! Man, I need to hurry up and put y'all out of your misery for good! Good thing that's my New Years Resolution.

And BTW: I found Brittany's Byrnes' Instagram account. Since I don't do that site, feel free for those who do to recommend this story to her! A fan dedicated 6 years to the redeeming the character she STILL gets flak over? She deserves to know this fic exists!

Charlotte's POV

Have you ever felt like something was wrong but weren't sure what?

An ominous shadow, intangible but pronounced, a warm, summer day where the ever-present breeze swiftly flushes into a turbulent of a drowning hurricane.

A constant presence of which only I can be aware of if I acknowledge its darkness.

As I watched my friends around me. Rikki and Emma were conversing as Cleo and Lewis had left to clean up from the party, the phrase, "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is", comes to mind. It was getting pretty late and the full moon was on the rise, but that wasn't what was wrong.

After the party, Cleo said that that the fun wasn't over yet and that tonight, during the "special" was going to happen, and I would effectively be apart of it, like a Rite of Passage.

Flashback...

"Rites of Passage?" I asked after the video ended. Cleo had gotten up and quickly called for me and the girls' attention.

"Exactly," Emma nodded. "You see, it's no secret that before you got here, we'd have crazy experiences during the Full Moon. Cleo was a literal Siren, I was, as I was told, a carefree version of myself that was stuck in my tail for a whole night. And as for Rikki, she was Charlie McGee in Firestarter!"

Rikki snorted. "Real classy, Em. But you forget unlike her, I had no control whatsoever that day. Want proof? Ask Zane! It took him a while to recover from that inside-out sunburn I gave him that night!"

I snapped her head towards Rikki. That was the first I'd heard of this. "Wait! What!? How did you burn Zane from the inside out?"

All the fiery mermaid just did was give me a mischievous expression on her face and winked. Sometimes, even after earning her respect, she still scares me.

"It's a long story!" Cleo interjected. "But basically, things happen during our first year and we try not to judge each other for that. Kind of like your first full moon."

I couldn't help but wince on the inside. How could I forget?

It was practically after I terrorized Nate (still no regrets). We had been on the outs and arguing, and to be frank, I was being a bitch about it and nearly ruined Lewis's birthday. And following, I and Cleo had a huge fight and I wasn't in the best mental state, not even knowing she almost ran away because of it. But when my first full moon hit, the girls had tried to warn me that this one was dangerous and that I needed to be with them that night. But I was being petty and ignored them (and may or may not have lifted Rikki in the air when she pissed me off) and still got moonstruck that night.

I didn't remember much that next day, only that I was tied up in one of the girls' garages with them sleeping around me in sleeping bags. When they woke up, Cleo was the first to rush towards me and hug me, saying "Thank God you're okay", while the other two untied me. And what I heard made me sick:

I had damn near flooded Emma's house and tried to lure them into the moon pool. It was the annual 50th -year full moon that took away my grandmother's tail and I tried to take their tails as well, calling myself a Supermermaid, which was just plain ridiculous! They almost took my tail until Lewis intervened and declared that this was pointless. We were only fighting because I did something reckless, and they were being hypocritical since they had done similar things in the past. It was no point trying to seem like I was the bad guy when we all were guilty of doing something that put us at risk and endangered the Secret.

According to Emma, she realized that he was right. I did nothing but al least try to befriend them and at the very least, they didn't meet me halfway.

"It makes no sense punishing you if we're just as guilty for putting you in this position anyway," Emma had said.

I looked around and recognized the sincerity in their eyes. Emma had been genuine, Cleo had looked like the clouds had finally cleared from her eyes, and Rikki begrudgingly admitted defeat. And almost like a switch, the moment the moon pool stopped bubbling (signaling the end of the alignment), I felt like I was centered again and started brawling my eyes out.

They all hugged me and I realized: I didn't have to be alone...

..

"Char...Charlotte!?"

I jumped out of my flashback and blushed awkwardly now that I was back at the party again.

"Sorry, dozed off. Now, what were you saying?" I asked hastily, instantly backing out of my flashback. I was never proud of the past, but it felt good to at least not be burdened by it.

I noticed Rikki raised an eyebrow but let Cleo continue. "One way or another, the first year of being a mermaid gets pretty insane, but thankfully, it gets better. Like being able to control yourself during a full moon!"

"So, if I can control myself now, what does it have to do with this so-called '"rites of passage"' you're talking about?" I wondered.

And that's when Lewis's eyes twinkled in amusement, pulling a bag I hadn't noticed out, and revealing a bound diary to hand to Cleo, who handed it to me.

I opened the first few pages and started flipping through until I came across a familiar name.

"...Julia Walker...?! Wait!? Is this the Julia!? The one Gracie and Louise were friends with!?" I inquired, now fully immersed in the diary itself.

Funny how it always comes back to diaries, huh?

I heard Rikki laugh. "Yeah. We already know about Louise Chatham, and thanks to you, what happened to Gracie, so it left me a little curious as to what happened to Julia."

"But didn't she die of old age too? After all, you found her locket after it had been put up in an estate sale. How did you guys manage to find her diary?" I asked.

"That's because we tracked it down," I heard Lewis behind me, wrapping his arms around my waist. "We went back to the jewelry guy who had it first, and after a little convincing, manage to find a relative of hers who kept the journal. Funny enough, he was her brother and admitted to selling her stuff since he was in a bit of a jam for quick cash. Anyways, he recognized Rikki's locket right off the back, said he almost kept it for his granddaughter but didn't exactly say why he had to sell it. However, he did keep her diary but as a storybook for his grandkids because, frankly, everything she wrote felt like something out of a fairy tale."

I snapped my head up, looked at him, and back to the journal to keep reading until I knew what he meant.

"Are you saying she...she wrote about the Secret?!" I gasped. "And he didn't suspect anything?"

"Well, we'll know when her grandniece is old enough to get here," Lewis muttered under his breath. And I didn't know why, but I felt the intensive urge to smack him.

He raised his hands up in defense. "Hey, you found this place! Why not her?"

"That's only because you guys suck at lying and we're so blatantly obvious that only the truest form of human ignorance didn't see right through you...That and the fack you constantly underestimate modern technology," I smiled cheekily, grabbing his cheek to kiss it.

I turned my head in time to see Rikki mimic a vomit at us. She claimed that he and I are worse than when he and Cleo were dating. I don't doubt it.

"Besides the point," I started, pulling my eyes back to the diary, "are you guys sue we won't get any unsuspecting visitors after your visit?"

"Nope, the guy was as clueless as to the '"truest form of human ignorance"' could get," Rikki started. "Now keep reading!"

Waving my hand away at her, I continued. I had already passed the part where the 50s mermaids split ways, but though she never gave up her powers, she stated she stopped using them so much (HA! Like we could get Rikki to do that!). But here's what's surprising: The next entry wasn't for a few years. Around 1963-64, she started writing again, detailing her hiatus right where she left off...Tonight, October 31st, 1959.

She just happened to be in the cave alone when the moon pool started bubbling and she hopped in, figuring it couldn't be a repeat of Gracie so soon. But that's this full moon was different. She could feel it. She described it as feeling "bound" and "intimate" as if she never felt closer to the ocean than she had for the last 2 years. When it was over, she continued to swim around the island until she got tired and dragged herself unto the beach to dry. Like Rikki, Julia used her powers to dry her tail until...

Nothing happened.

She kept drying and drying herself until she felt like a baked fish in the oven! But her legs weren't coming back. Julia didn't hesitate to go to Max and Louise for help, but they were at a loss.

This was sounding like the complete opposite of the Eclipse where the girls had to lose their tails to get a scientist off their radar, but similar to when Emma told me she got stuck in her tail and more like the incident Rikki just mentioned!

Julia had chosen to wait it out for weeks until the next Full Moon. She was mostly island-bound, with only Louise and Max to keep her company while darting the fishermen that came around. But the isolation wasn't without benefits. She was in awestruck of the ocean and its mysteries, finding a new appreciation for its depts and its secrets. But no matter much she had come to respect it, she still looked forward to having her legs again.

But unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. When the next Full Moon appeared, she immersed herself in the moonlight, describing it between "euphoria" and "delirium", but found herself still stuck in her tail. Sadden but determined not to keep herself from feeling marooned, she had decided: She would traveling the seas.

Max and Louise tried to talk her out of it, but Julia didn't see the point. She had no idea if she'll ever regain her tail, her family was continuously searching for her, and she had these special abilities that could only go so far on land. And she didn't even want to risk being discovered on Mako! She had written a letter to her family (a rather pathetic one, she admitted) that she had gone away and had no idea when, but she fully intends to return. It was all she could say or do, hopeful that if she ever returned, she could repair the damage she'd inevitably left behind.

Saying goodbye to her only friends, the ones who knew where she really was, Julia set out to journey the open oceans. The only thing she had brought with her was a compass locket, strung on a chain by Max, to help her find her way home.

Going deeper and deeper into the journey, her story was astounding! It was no surprise to hear she got ill, stole and amongst a few other things she regretted doing at the time, but she made up for it with knowledge. Using her heat powers as a tool and a weapon, she was able to live off the ocean and fend for herself. She fed on the sea creatures but also protected them, had a fairly distant relationship with sharks, more than occasionally had to drive off or divert fishermen or tourists to protect her secret, and to my surprise, trusted a few humans with her secret when she was in trouble! From her recollection, she progressed to New Zealand, then Fiji and next traveled north to the Pacific Islands, where she had letters carefully entrusted to be sent home along with souvenirs she procured from destinations she's visited. She was even sure she found more moon pools! By the time she made it up to the coasts of Asia seas, she moved onto the Pacific Oceans and made it to...California!

The mentions of this sent chills up my spine. It was a feeling of dread, but also of...fondness? I didn't know why, but when she got to the part where she mentioned swimming with a pod of dolphins, a picture formed in my head.

It was a baby dolphin, and judging by the viewpoint, I was riding it! was strange but so real, but I shook myself out of it. I still hadn't managed to work on my fear, so that was a distant dream!

As I kept on reading, despite her numerous adventures, I couldn't help but be sorry for her and her family. Notwithstanding having any control over the outcome, they'd been separated by supernatural means and only by chance of those letters did they get any solace of Julia's safety. What must have she'd been feeling for all those years? Was she homesick? Did she ever consider turning around and swimming back? Obviously, she did return, but what to? Somehow, more and more, perhaps I was reading between the lines or maybe I was projecting but...

Did she ever understand exactly why Gracie chose the land over the sea?

Following her tour there, she made it to the other side of America after swimming -literally- around South America, and spending an extended time in the Caribbean Sea, before making her way up to Canada, where she found...

Before I even realized what I was doing, the diary was thrown from my lap and inches from the moon pool.

"Are you serious!?" I shouted out.

"HA!" Rikki hollered, pointing at Emma and Lewis. "I TOLD you she'd freak out!"

"No fair!" Lewis muttered, reaching into his pocket and pulling out $20. "She was handling everything else swimmingly!"

I watched Emma do the same while looking like she was trying her best not to smack that smug look off Rikki's face. Should I be offended or not, I'll save that for later. I had something more pressing on the mind!

"Mermaids...She met actual, real mermaids..." I murmured, trying to wrap that around my head. In logistics speaking, it should have been plausible that we weren't alone. A mystical pool like ours, the very idea of there being others like us rang true. But in theory, we always believed the moon pool made mermaids from any human who found it.

The idea that the real deal, actual-born mermaids, were out there was mind-boggling...and yet, it felt like total sense. As if an alarm didn't have to ring in my head.

Like I already knew this.

And that's what unsettles me.

Quickly, I scrambled the diary back into my lap and quickly read on from where I left off.

When Julia came across these mermaids, it was completely by accident. She had met one while saving her from a squid who, in her words, '" Couldn't keep its tentacles to itself"', and with her help, caused it to escape after it squirted ink. Upon reaching the surface to speak, the mermaid literally yelled at her for harming it so callously, which caused her to retort in saving her life, which resulted in them fighting until others arrived. Initially, they'd believed she was a natural mermaid and asked if she'd been "cast out" by her pod. At the time, she had played along and affirmed it, since, in her eyes, she was cast out of something! From there she'd been welcomed into their pod (a group of mermaids) and allowed them to travel with them further up the North Atlantic. She had trouble keeping up with the lie though, especially when she got sick and literally sneezed fire! That raised some questions, which resulted in one of them deducing she's from one of the Southern Pods, so colder weather wasn't good for her. Then, came time to display other acts of powers and spells (literal spells), that came only until she felt tired of the lies and guilty enough to admit she's not a born mermaid and her past.

To put it simply, they didn't take it well and she lost their trust in her as a result. By technically, she should have been cast out but she worked her tail off to prove otherwise! She spent a lot of time trying to regain her trust, that, it was almost a year (she guesses) before they forgave her. She learned plenty about them and when she felt like she had to leave, they offered her a moon ring (and for some reason, said ring only came up this once as far as the pages go). She refused it because she still felt guilty about lying her way into the pod and swore no one else would know of their existence (which is ironic, since I'm reading this!) Because they were so knowledgeable about spells before she left, she told them the circumstances of the night she lost her legs. (To my surprise) The mermaids had actual awareness about this alignment and whipped up a green potion to counteract it, before putting it in her compass. She was advised to only open it during a Full Moon once she returned to Mako's moon pool. Anyplace else, and she'd be stuck wherever she ended up human at.

(Safe to say, Julia guarded that locket with life!)

Leaving them, she traveled to cooler waters and ended up in Europe, sojourning there after swimming through the Strait of Gibraltar to the Tyrrhenian Sea, picking up enough Spanish and Italian to last a conversation, in the Mediterranean Sea where she visited Greece (and hinted a secret connection between sirens and mermaids) before turning around and swimming back through the strait and diving down the coasts of North Africa (where she also met the pod of North-East African mermaids off the Gulf of Guinea, who lowkey chased her off... can't help but wonder if those 400 years of slave trade hade something to say about that). Upon getting off the tip of South Africa(where this other pod of black mermaids was more friendly despite turbulent waters), she successfully made it back to the Indian Ocean, when after spending years away, she finally made it back to Australia.

From there, in my interpretation of Julia's homecoming, she scared the crap out of Max! He had been fishing, of course, when Julia grabbed on his fish hook and pulled him into the water in a faux drowning. But he almost nearly drowned himself by screaming and taking salt water into his lungs! Julia quickly rose him to the surface where he coughed it all up and the reunion was a mix of slight anger and overwhelming happiness that she had returned. Louise literally ran into her underwater that day and all 3 met at Mako, where they recapped on what had happened while she was gone. Her family got her letters and souvenirs from her travels (her mother keeping a pearl necklace close to her, as intended), awaiting her in her old bedroom. And on Julia's part, she filled them all in on what occurred during her undersea tours (without mentioning the presence of born mermaids). She chose not to tell them of the potion hidden in her compass to help keep her new secret but told them that she would stay for good now.

And when asked how she'd stay if she's permanently a mermaid, all she did was say that they'll know when '"...Magic happens at the right place, at the right time."'

(So THAT'S where Max got it from!)

Because the northern mermaids taught her how to track time using the stars, Julia knew her arrival was just in time for the Full Moon. So that night, as she felt the familiar bubbles rise into the night sky with the moon brightly glowing above, she opened her compass and watched as the green potion swirled around her actively in a seaweed-green hued, double-helix as she felt apart of herself separating from her grown-intimacy with her tail, her bound with the ocean gently float away from her until the helix gave away and moon was no longer above her. And when she looked down...

Her tail was gone.

"Wait, so she was tricked? I don't get it," I admitted honestly, though my brain was already hammering out the details.

Julia was tricked? In theory, it made sense. She was technically an honorary member of the pod she stayed with (assuming the ring was a part of the initiation), but she still kept her promise at the end.

Maybe that was the only way she could have returned home while the mermaids ensured she'd never tell her tale. But if so, did they really trusted her to begin with?

Ouch, that was a bad question. They did and she lied, but they forgave her and trusted her again. Perhaps...Perhaps, in this case, it was the ONLY way Julia could return home, human again. Talke about having to lose something to gain something!

Maybe it was at this point that at least someone in that group understood where my grandmother was going through. I kept reading...

Julia wasn't angry.

For one, she didn't want to jump to conclusions. Her tail could possibly return the next day and everything would be fine. According to her Louise and Max, she had been gone for a period of 5 years. How could she had not realized that? But then again, she spent more time exploring those days, diving beneath the deepest reefs, befriending watery ecosystem that she will never take for granted again. So perhaps she lost track of time, she had the rest of her life to make up for it!

The next day, Louise had found Julia sleeping on the cave floor when she arrived through the underwater opening. At first, she was ecstatic to get her best friend back! Julia awoke with her and slowly slipped into the pull beside her, half-expecting to get her tail back.

But when she resurfaced, and Louise discovered what she had to give up... she cried. Julia wrapped her arms around her best friend's sobs and held her. Julia had spent the rest of the night pondering what she could do if her tail never returned, and realized, quite easily, that it didn't change anything now. So what if she couldn't swim the depths on her own terms? She had weathered terrible thunderstorms by herself, even causing them when necessary. She had wandered to places many of her peers have yet to see or never go. She had (cautiously) met a handful of people and seen extraordinary things, creatures possibly yet to discover, a race never to be discovered. Everything that has happened in the past 5 years, she had been through by herself.

She felt better. Stronger. Clearer.

In a way, the Ocean humbled her mind in ways she didn't realize needed humbling. She was just one small fish in a vast ocean. A herring in comparison to a Great Whale.

It reminded her that no matter how big something may feel, it shall pass. For there will always be something bigger in the grander schemes of life.

Max came and rowed her back to civilization, where Louise helped her get dry and clean up before she moved on to return to her family. She wasn't expecting a happy reunion. 5 years is a long time to disappear. She knows there will be shouting, mixed with exhausting anger and joy, her letters may not have been enough to assuage their fears. Maybe her father will lock her in the house in hopes it will keep her close. She's had time to accept the possible consequences heading her way.

Besides, with her newfound maturity aside, perhaps if she had the time, she'll pay Gracie a visit. Max told her, slightly bitter, that she had gotten married to a soldier while she was away. Maybe it's also time to mend the strained friendship, for now, that she could finally understand where Gracie's choice was coming from.

I finally put the diary down, at least finishing off where Julia's supernatural journey had ended.

I find it hard to believe she wrote this with no intention of anyone discovering the truth. Ideally, I can see how her brother thought it would make a good fairytale for his grandkids. Maybe part of her was like Louise, that there was a chance there would be another group of mermaids, and that they'll seek them out one day.

And if that's the case...if Julia and Gracie mended their friendship, why wasn't I aware? But then again, she only mentioned seeing Gracie. They might have not gotten the chance at the time, but Julia sounded hopeful enough.

I had so many things going through my mind that when I looked up, Lewis and the girls were looking at me expectantly, with knowing smiles and anticipation.

"Um...Uh, can I keep this for safekeeping?" I asked, closing the diary and holding it close.

"Sure! I had a feeling you'd ask. It's kind of why part of the surprise the girls have going," Lewis said.

"Speaking of surprise, not that I don't like it, but what does Julia's story have to do with us? If anything, it sounds like a cautionary tale for staying away from the moon pool when you know something's not right," I stated, getting up on my feet.

Rikki groans in the background. "Of course she interprets it that way."

Shaking her head at her best friend, Emma decided to beat around the bush. "Look, after we read her diary, we got to thinking,'"When would a planetary alignment like this happen again?"', and had Lewis do the math. And after he did the math, he told us and noticed how right on time it was."

I burrowed my eyebrows in confusion. "Right on time? What are you..."

And then it hit me, and the reason behind giving me Julia's diary made all the sense in the world.

Furthermore, apparently the look on my face said just as much because Cleo spoke up last.

"Yep, that's right. Tonight's the night that very alignment shines down back on Mako Island...Wanna travel the world, mermaid-style?"

Flashback ends...

Agreeing felt like the easiest thing I've ever done. I should be happy, excited even! I have all that I want...and yet, I couldn't stop the constant shuddering rolling through my spine that's making me feel like I'm standing in the Arctic Circle rather than in the middle of a tropical island in the southern hemisphere!

So let's admit it: I lie better when I'm under pressure!

Something's wrong and I didn't know why I felt that way. I was usually a social butterfly and had loads tot alk about, but as the party was winding down, for the first time, I felt confused.

I quietly moved into a small corner close to the pool and watched on while the time went by. Part of me felt like I should call my mom to check up on her, but electronics always go the fritz whenever something magical is happening in this cave. I found myself being wary of my surroundings and kept to myself.

But unfortunately, my stealthy escape wasn't so subtle. Rikki and Emma caught sight of me and called out.

"Charlotte, what are you doing over there!? The party's over here!" Rikki teased.

"Yes, you're the Guest of Honor for a reason!" Emma reminded. "Feel honored!"

Rikki snorted. "You have no idea how lame that just sounded!"

"It was not!" Emma argued, sending the two bickerings and giving me an out to get out of the cave. Quickly glancing at the exit in case Lewis and Cleo returned, I rushed to my feet and dove straight into the moon pool!

"Charlotte!" I heard the girls' shout, their voices distorting as I swam deeper into the pool. I descended to the bottom and propelled my tail to the underwater exit. I should just swim a few laps around the island to clear my head. Maybe that would help ease my anxiety.

Once I hit the bottom, I swam towards the open exit, but the minute I hit the space between and found myself pushed back from where I came.

What the hell?!

Shaking my head, I tried to swim past the exit, only to be pushed back again and now this was just plain confusing. So, I swam up just against the barrier, stopping a few inches between, and I pressed my hands against it.

Immediately, a biting chill caused me to drop my hands as I watched the barrier preventing my exit soundly turn into an icy wall, effectively locking me in.

It was almost like when back when Emma had confessed to freezing the moo pool to keep me out! I quickly opened my palm and tried heating it, but it wouldn't melt, only in succeeding in heating the water around me to a near boiling point!

I tried destroying it with water, hitting my tail against it and tried launching long icicles at it (believing my ice could break the ice) only for them to shatter, get a glimpse of a crack in the barrier and reinforce itself!

Again...What the Hell!?

I kept beating and striking against the barrier until my tail went senseless, my arms and hands ached, and my voice was sore from all the screaming I did with one last jet of boiling water that was so heated I wouldn't be surprised if it looked like a hot tub at the surface.

Nothing I tried was working and brought me back to the same thought: What. The. Hell!?

I reascended back to the cave, quickly to tell them of the latest development. I tried to think of a rational explanation.

Maybe I was being pranked by Emma again, but while I cold see Rikki talking her into it (barely), Emma's not the type to pull the same trick twice! It would have been an obvious giveaway, but then again, Emma had to have been in the water too, so if she's up there back where I left everyone else, even with Rikki's powers, there'd be no way she's made the trip.

Something was wrong, and those constant chills up my spine, sensations of dread, my "visit" from Gracie, and as of late, knowing or seeing things that appear out of nowhere...

I was in denial, pure and simple. And whatever I was in denial about, I got the eerie feeling that I was just about to find out.

A/N Alright, for the idea of Julia's story, I took inspiration from 3 things:

1. From one of my favorite authors, A.L Knorr, and her siren books, particularly from her series, Mira's Return, which is a trilogy prequel series to one of her Elemental Origins stories, Born of Water, and the series following that story, The Siren's Curse Trilogy.

2. From H2O Wikia, who confirmed that each hemisphere had mermaid pods, but unfortunately deleted which possible countries in those hemispheres mermaid pods reside in.

3. A now-deleted H2O fic I believe was called Nomadic Mermaids, in which all 4 canon mermaids find themselves stuck as mermaids, new power upgrades, and different colored tails and choose to travel the world. If anyone knows this fic or the author, tell me so I can properly credit them!