It took a moment for the group of merpeople to recover from their utter shock, but when they finally did, it was like someone had lit a firecracker underneath each one of them and they all immediately sprang into action. The group of eight found their way into the ocean pool (either diving or sliding, as Mimmi and Zac were already transformed) and swam as fast as they could due east to the Mako Island moon pool.
As they resurfaced in the pool, they all kept their guard up with their powers ready to be used or their moon rings held out in front of them. But looking around they already knew that they were too late. The moon had long since passed over the cone of the volcano, the water in the pool was still with no signs of the magic bubbles that came to the surface every month, the dragon showed no signs of being near and, worst of all, Chris was nowhere to be found.
Mimmi called out his name a few times to see if he had gone through the land entrance to the cave, but he did not emerge from their either. "What are we going to do?" She asked the others helplessly as they looked upon her with pity.
"We're going to find him," Evie spoke up with all the confidence that she could muster. "Ondina, why don't you and Mimmi stay here to make sure that someone is here in case he comes back? Sirena and Weilan can search through the jungle. Cam, Zac, David and I will split up into groups and search the beaches and the lagoons. We'll meet back here right after sunrise, if nobody has found him yet."
Mimmi sniffled and nodded, not wanting to think about what would happen if all of their searches turned up empty.
The merpeople split up into their respective groups and began their search. They were all thankful Mimmi and Ondina had stayed back, they didn't need the frantic mermaid with them in their search party and if she could be calmed down by anyone, it was her best friend.
Sirena and Weilan climbed over the ledge of the pool, dried off and exited through the land entrance, using the light of the full moon and their moon rings as additional flash lights to guide them through their trek through the jungle.
David, Evie, Cam and Zac swam out through the underwater entrance and took off in different directions. David and Cam turned left and Zac and Evie went right. All of the merpeople looked as hard as they could, not only for Chris but for their friend Mimmi as well.
David and Cam continued their search well past sunrise, despite Evie's plan to meet back at the moon pool. Something kept them determined through the whole process, may it be the bond that brings people together when they go from human to mythical creature or just sheer compassion, but they were not going to return empty handed. They wanted to find Chris before he touched water, whether it would be on purpose or by accident.
Luckily, around the next bend of beach they saw a form lying on the waves of white sand. Immediately the two mermen knew that it was Chris. When they got closer they could see that he was already starting to stir, he coughed a few times softly to himself and his exposed skin was tinged pink with a sunburn from lying undisturbed for a few hours.
David and Cam pulled themselves as far up the beach as they could before turning around to dry themselves off. After being able to stand on two legs again, they walked over to their friend. David crouched down into a squat and put a comforting hand on Chris' shoulder. "Hey, Chris." The curly haired merman said softly.
Chris' eyes fluttered open and, slowly, he sat up with a grunt. His head swiveled to get a better look at his surroundings, "Wha? Where am I? What happened last night?" He asked groggily.
Cam and David shared a look before attempting to explain. "We're on Mako," Cam began, "We- we couldn't stop the dragon last night. I'm sorry man."
"So, that means that I'm a—. Well, I went into the moon pool and now I have a—" Chris tried to force the words from his mouth but they didn't come very easily.
Cam and David only nodded in response. Chris shuffled to his feet and backed even further away from the ocean than they already were. The two more experienced mermen went back over to their friend and tried to calm him down. "Hey, that's why we're here. We're going to help you through this. You are really not alone, there's so many more of us that know exactly what you are going through." David said soothingly.
"But, my life is going to change so much! My dream job is literally being a dolphin trainer and I don't have a prayer of doing that," Chris ranted, coming to the realization of the major changes that this would have on his life.
"Nothing comes without a little sacrifice." Cam said, thinking about his own situation with his relationship with Carly. "You should come with us though, Mimmi had been waiting for you all night and she's really worried."
David and Cam forged forward into the waves but Chris stopped just short of the water line. The next wave that washed up just stopped an inch short of his toes. Chris looked out at the water and saw his friend's heads poke above the surface, their long blue tails could easily be seen swishing back and forth in the crystal clear water. He swallowed hard.
"I know this is difficult, Chris. We both do. But it's best that you try and get this over with now." David tried to coax him in.
Chris took a deep breath and before he could lose his nerve, he took a step forward and a wave washed over his feet. There was no going back now. He took a few more steps forward and was waste deep in water before his legs could no longer hold him up. His stomach clenched as it felt like he was being molded from the inside out. Chris tried to keep himself above the surface, but only managed to bob above and below the surface. Cam and David swam over to his side and held him in place, Chris spluttered on as his transformation continued.
Chris kept his eyes clenched shut, refusing to look down at what was happening to him. David and Cam, meanwhile, kept their eyes to Chris' legs which were slowly stitching themselves into a long fish tail. His eyes were clamped shut and he ground his teeth, all the while willing the transformation not to happen, almost as if wishing hard enough could stop the magic from taking control.
As soon as all the changes took place, David prodded, "It's finished, Chris. You can open your eyes now."
"No, I can't," The newly transformed merman refused.
"It's okay, there's nothing more to worry about. The worst of it is over, the first transition is always the hardest and longest. I promise it gets better after this," David tried to sympathize.
"No. I'm scared of it. That's te big issue here." Chris confessed.
Cam sighed, he knew all too well the fear that was consuming his friend. "I know how you feel. We both do," he gestured to David, "I went through the exact same thing two months ago, the only difference is now you have two other mermen who have gone through the exact same thing. We are here for you, we just need you to open your eyes."
Chris gulped, filled with new motivation and slowly lifted his eyelids. The sight that greeted was one that he would never forget, a long blue green tail stretched out in front of him that glistened in the early morning sunlight. He gave it an experimental flick and could feel all the new muscles all the way down to his fin that were just itching to prove how fast they could propel him.
Chris wormed free from Cam and David's grip and tried swimming in long lazy circles; getting used to swimming with one long fin instead of two legs was surprisingly easier than he originally thought. He guiltily found himself enjoying the way he sliced through the water and the way that he could naturally sense the currents and which ways to move.
Cam cleared his throat in an effort to get Chris' attention, "We should probably head over the to moon pool now, Mimmi will be worried sick. Follow us." With that, they dove underneath the surface with Chris in tow. The three mermen navigated their way through the reef until their journey led way to the entrance of a rock cave.
On their way, Chris gaped at the underwater world that surrounded him. He had never seen so many rare fish or brightly colored coral in one place. He could hold his breath much longer than as a human. For once he didn't feel like an outsider looking into this world, but a part of it. Maybe being a merman wasn't half bad…
His thoughts were interrupted when their heads poked above the water in the moon pool. Chris took a moment to look around the this new place, which seemed all too familiar. It did occur to him that he had been there just last night, although he was in a trance thanks to the moon and the dragon.
Ondina and Mimmi were still in the pool where the others had left them a few hours earlier, Zac and Evie were on either side of them. Zac looked like his was trying to give words of encouragement to his twin sister, while Ondina and Evie discussed more search party strategies.
They all looked up when they felt the disturbance in the water when the heads of the three mermen surfaced in the pool. Mimmi whipped around and her eyes went as wide as a pufferfish.
"You guys are okay!" Evie exclaimed to the three boys. "We were starting to get worried."
Other than that, nobody spoke. Chris and Mimmi were frozen in place, until it was like someone suddenly pressed the play button and they both rushed into each other's arms. "Are you alright?" Mimmi said when they finally broke apart. She took a second to look him up and down, admiring the new form he was in.
Chris shrugged, "Well, I just turned into a merman so alright is relative at the moment. But no I'm not hurt." The 'm-word' still felt a bit strange to him, as if he didn't fall within that category but then was suddenly thrust into that grouping.
Mimmi squeezed him harder, instinctively wrapping her fin around his in the comforting way that her mother used to do for her when she was just a hatchling. "I am so sorry Chris. This is all my fault."
Chris pulled away and looked into her eyes, almost getting lost in them before replying, "Don't be sorry, if I wanted to be in this situation with anyone then it would be you."
The mermaid blushed down to the tip of her fin and despite the stick situation that they were in she found herself being filled with a giddy happiness that only a significant other would bring. They were in this together, as a couple, and as a group of friends that were glad to welcome the new member of the Mako Club.
Hope you guys enjoyed this update! For some reason I've been really motivated to do some writing lately, so I decided to take advantage of all my creative energy. Make sure to leave a comment or drop a PM to let me know what you think! Follow and favorite to find out what happens next!
Love you guys:)