Notes!: I decided to wait a while to update this, deliberating if I should actually add another event at the convention. I didn't, but it does set up the next couple of chapters. That is why it is short as well. Hope you like this one!

Chapter 5

"Morning," said Sirena as she got up from her sleeping bag. It was nice to not wake up to fighting, but rather to Mimmi and Evie who were already waiting for her to wake up. Not only that, but Evie had prawns with her name on them. Both girls were sitting at the table eating and occasionally looking at the phone.

That's right, today they were going to call Emma. They had decided against calling all of the girls all in one day to avoid getting their stories confused and a chance to get away from the fighting for one day. Mimmi already called Cleo and she called Bella. There was only one girl left to be called.

"We have to do it before my shift starts," said Evie uncomfortably as she flipped a pancake. It was her turn and the calls were already awkward before. She didn't want to make a fool of herself while on the phone. Evie had decided to treat this as if she was going in for an interview for the magazine.

Mimmi chewed on a prawn as she eyed the phone herself. Hmm, this was going to be an interesting encounter on the phone and in person. Mimmi, herself, wasn't even sure what would happen when she will meet four more girls turned into mermaids. How did they miss them hanging around Mako Island? Then again…. Never mind, she shouldn't be thinking of that. It was an embarrassing part of their history.

They had helped clear the table after eating before Evie couldn't take it.

"I have to be at work soon and Mimmi has to be at work. I say we just do it now," said Evie as she found the number in her folder. According to the little information she could gather, Emma had a job called corporate psychologist. Evie didn't want to bother trying to explain to the other girls what it meant. She had managed to get the personal number from the secretary posing as someone wanting a private conversation with her psychologist. Surprisingly enough, the secretary had agreed and got the number.

She pressed the numbers in and waited for the woman's voice.

Riiiiiiing

Riiiiiiing

"Hello, this is Emma," said a crisp voice on the other end of the line.

"Hello Emma, my name is Evie McLaren," she said keeping her voice from getting excited. "I'm calling about a friend of yours Rikki Chadwick."

The phone grew quiet before the woman spoke a little stunned. "Rikki?"

"Yes, I work with her and we are throwing her a party for her. We are an extending an invitation to you. That is if you don't mind," she said promptly.

"Sure," she said as Evie gave her the instructions on where they were meeting. All of the girls did a little victory cheer. Evie didn't even really lie about the meeting. She could have easily called Bella or Cleo about the party.

Evie turned her phone off with a satisfied smirk on her face. They had a plan and at this time it was almost fully executed. Now all of them had to be here and go without a hitch. Count down one week to go.

"Well, thanks for the sleepover," said Sirena as she picked up the bag she had an extra dress in.

"Yea, thanks Evie," said Mimmi as she already had her uniform on. "I'll walk with you if you want Evie."

"It's alright Mimmi, I have to drop lunch off for my dad at the marina. Thanks for getting together with me to make that phone call. I thought they would see right through us," said Evie as she turned and walked out the door with them.

Evie had excused herself and started walking in the direction of the marina. Both Mimmi and Sirena were nothing but a speck in the distance. She smiled happily as she walked down to her dad's boat. This was going to be a surprise to him.

She heard a distant hum in the breeze. Then the sound of a song coming close to where she was standing.

Into the sea
Hold you close to me
Slide 'neath the waves
Down into the caves
Kiss me…

Breathily sang a young girl. Evie looked around at the singing mesmerized and looked over into the water. The older woman had summoned a large tentacle out of the water that reached for the disorientated Evie.

Zac had gotten up and waited around at the marine park waiting for the events to start. The other mermen started to show up 4:30 and he got here an hour early. He wasn't sure when the others were going to show up or from where. He watched the people walk around the dolphin tank as he watched them as well. Dr. Ross said that one of the dolphin's name is Heidi.

He watched a lady in a wide sunhat walk by. A mother with two fighting kids ran by. A couple on a date walked by holding hands. Then he eyed two marine biologist walking by. They weren't very interesting until he noticed a stone around the woman's neck. That looked like the stone in Mimmi's ring, except it had been tied off by a leather cord. Zac turned and positioned himself to hear what they might be saying.

"Lewis, I keep telling you I'm fine. My due date isn't until September and I'm not even showing yet. You should see Bella though, she looks like she's going to give birth any day," said the girl. Zac only sighed as he wished that they would mention something about the stone. He was so sure that it matched the one in the girl's rings.

He heard a shout behind him as he saw Mimmi coming his way. Oh he couldn't tell Mimmi why he was here. Oh hi Mimmi, I'm waiting for a group of some mermen to come by. No, that would not go over well, especially since one of them is Erik. He perked up at the site of his sister. Then behind her Chris, that would be a good distraction.

"Hi Zac, what are you doing here?" she asked as she smiled at her brother. Zac only sent her a knowing look before she felt a pair of arms run around her waist.

"Care if I borrow your sister?" he asked guilty knowing that he didn't hang out with her often enough.

"Go ahead," he said as he saw Dean with Nixie motion for him to come in. He watched as Mimmi and Chris flirted with each other for a moment before sneaking into the convention. What Mimmi didn't know wouldn't hurt her, beside the convention was going to end in another two days. So he could easily get away with it.

Nixie was hiding a smile from a joke that Dean said when he saw them. It was weird to think of Nixie in a relationship with a merman. Or maybe they were just friends with Lyla is with Ryan and Tanner. Never the less, he wished Carly was with him, but she messaged him saying that she had a family emergency.

"Alright, so Erik, Tanner, and Ryan are already in the program room. No Lyla yet but she said she'd be here for the program."

He nodded as he went into a new room for this program. He couldn't help if it would inform of anything else he didn't already know. OH, who was he kidding? Zac knew nothing about his merman heritage.

"Weilan wait!" called out Lyla as she caught site of the Asian girl. Weilan avoided the blond to avoid being called names. Now Weilan really wished that she got out of the house quicker this morning. She hurried up hoping to find Karl again. More free stuff and no more Lyla. Crap, no Karl in site yet.

"Listen," said Lyla as she caught up to the girl. "I'm sorry about everything. Nixie and I aren't like that and I didn't want to give you the impression that we hated you. You seem pretty cool and I want us to be friends."

Weilan only stared at the girl with a stoic look on her face She looked at Lyla, who was trying hard to make up to her. Thinking about it, Weilan didn't understand why she was avoiding Lyla. It was Ondina that made fun of her. She smiled at the girl and slumped her shoulder

"No it's me that should be apologizing you two did nothing wrong. It was Ondina that called me names and not you. I'm sorry for not saying something earlier. That goes for Nixie as well."

"So we're friends?"

"Sure." At least now she didn't have to hang out with Karl today. Too bad she said that she'd meet him here. However, he wasn't around sooo. They could easily do something together. Maybe find Nixie if she wasn't with Dean.

"Want to go to the café? I think I can get Carly to get us free drinks," said Weilan, she had been perfecting her puppy dog face for a while. It just might work on the blond waitress.

Lyla simply nodded as they walked off to the café. That it until they heard someone running after them. Weilan only rolled her eyes when she saw that it was Karl but smiled anyway. He wasn't that bad as she initially thought, but she still didn't like him that much.

She looked around until she saw a familiar face. It was the pizza girl that waited on them just the other day. Lyla couldn't remember the girls name, but she saw a boy with her. His face vaguely familiar, but she saw so many faces at the convention the other day. Lyla waved but the girl didn't see her.

Instead, she noticed that the boy was acting weird. All he did was stand there with a blank look on his face. His dark eyes looked glazed over dark as he stared. The girl poured her water bottle on him, but didn't seem to flinch. Since he was at the convention, he be a merman on the ground right now? Something didn't seem to add up. If she remembered correctly, he was playing with a ball of water with a young boy one day she was there.

"You will not believe what I just saw at the canal near my parents' house," he said as he panted trying to catch his breath. He wished Weilan or Chris had seen this. It was really weird and he really couldn't explain it.

The two girls ignored him but acknowledge it at the same time. He probably saw some kind of interesting fish. They saw interesting fish on a day to day basis, so his news seemed pretty stupid. Lyla was too busy staring at the boy. He shook the ice in his cup and offered the girls a sip of his drink.

"No, it's really interesting," he insisted. "I saw water rise up like it was supported by nothing. It didn't look like that water sprout that Chris and I saw. It looked like it was looking for something."

Both Lyla and Weilan looked at one another. That only had to be a mermaid that was using her powers. But in the middle of a suburban neighborhood? Something had to be going on. What kind of mermaid would use her powers like that? Then again something had to be going on. Both girls thought of jumping into the ocean near the park but thought the better of it with Karl standing there.

"Karl I'll kiss you if you go away," said Weilan as she looked the ocean with some urgency.

"I'm going to need more than a kiss to make me go away that fast," he said as she stared at her and looked at Lyla for a moment. Lyla only looked at the ocean and thought of what could be going on. She had to stop at the convention to ask Zac and the others if they saw anything strange, but that would mean revealing everything to Weilan.

"She'll kiss you twice," said Lyla quickly trying hard to formulate a plan. She thought of lying but decided that she would take Weilan with her. Show her that all mermen were not bad at all.

Karl and Weilan only gave her an annoyed glare. Well, more of Weilan because she was speaking for her. Karl only gave her an amused look as she did not get what she was alluding to.

"Listen, we just have to go the marine park and meet someone," said Lyla shooting her a look that said I'll tell you later. Karl only raised his eyebrows as he looked her over and it clicked in his mind.

"Oh cool, you're like the guys at the convention," said Karl. She probably was a foster kid too. It must have sucked not to know your parents but it was likely for the best. Lyla snapped her head toward him and Weilan gave him a strange look.

"What guys at the convention?" asked Weilan confused.

"Foster kids, there's an annual foster convention going on at the marine park. It's awesome that you get to meet the other kids right?" he said as relief flooded through Lyla. The cover story that they thought of was awesome and convinced people enough.

Karl hummed happily as he heard that. It was cool that Lyla invited Weilan to that. "Well I can walk with you." He threw away his drink as a few drops of the lemonade dripped on the girl's toes by mistake. Weilan really wished that she didn't wear sandals today.

"Listen Karl we have to go," said Lyla as she turned toward the water. Before either girl could make it far, they both grew tails in front of him. His mouth dropped open and his eyes wide at the sight of their tails. He looked around as they started to dry themselves.

"Karl you can't-" started Weilan as Lyla just pulled her away. Lyla seemed to be a mission to go to the marine park. Lyla had to go find Zac, Tanner, Dean, Erik, and Ryan to ask if something was up. She didn't have time to find the other girls having no idea where they might be.

"Wait, I'm coming with you!" he called as they started to race off toward the park. Both Lyla and Weilan were talking animatedly as he caught up to them. Well, Lyla was talking very fast mostly as Weilan looked confused.

"Lyla calm down, what was that about?" asked Weilan as she shared a look with Karl.

"You guys are mermaids?" asked Karl still in awe.

"Have you seen Erik?" asked a new voice. They turned and looked at Ondina who now stood near them. They were all right outside the marine park. "He told me to meet him here."

She saw Weilan and the air started to feel thicker around them. Until Lyla broke the silence.

"I think something is wrong," she said. "And I think Zac, Erik, and all of the other guys might be in trouble."

Ondina's eyes flickered toward her as soon as she said Erik and trouble. Those two words seemed to go hand in hand. Although, Erik being in trouble instead of Erik is trouble was a different conversation all together.

"You should know that something is going on," said Lyla as she told Karl, Weilan, and Ondina about the convention and the mermen. All three of them seemed to react appropriately. "Now I think Zac and Erik and all of the other boys are in trouble. We have to find the others."

Lyla walked into the park with the other hot on her heels. She knew where she was going.