Requested by Izi Wilson—Thank you for your reviews! The Zac/Mimmi relationship isn't too strong in the show, which is why this was more on the difficult side to write, especially since the show hasn't developed the brother-sister relationship as much as they could have.
I'm so sorry this took so long to get out. I got a raging case of writer's block, which I'm fixing as much as I possibly can. It's not just that, but I try to make these as long as I can for you guys. I'm expecting this one to be pretty long, as I'm spending a lot of time developing it into a real story, like something that could easily be a real Mako Mermaids episode length if it was actually played out.
Regarding Zac and Mimmi again and how they aren't as close at this point in the show, I'll probably write more about these two as I get more comfortable exploring what Zac and Mimmi have to offer as family.
This one solidifies the bond between brother and sister. No matter the fights, no matter the troubles, family always comes first.
Title: Collison
Characters: Zac and Mimmi
Time Period: Set after 2x26, "The Chosen One"
Summary: Zac and Mimmi develop more as brother and sister, but this winds up causing more disagreements and pointless arguments. However, when a new teenager is introduced who has a mysterious power, it puts Mimmi in trouble, and only one person can save her.
Rating: K+
The front door slammed shut. The impact echoed all throughout the house. Sirena groaned.
Ondina continued to paint her nails, unaffected by the commotion. However, when she heard angry footsteps above her, she looked up in alarm.
"Are they at it again?" Ondina asked Sirena.
"Probably," Sirena sighed, grabbing a bubblegum pink polish.
As suspected, the passageway to the grotto opened soon enough, and in came a fuming Mimmi.
"Weird. Before Zac came along, she'd never really get angry about anything," Ondina murmured to Sirena, just quietly enough so Mimmi couldn't hear.
Mimmi stomped down the stairs and plopped herself onto a nearby ledge, folding her arms tightly against her chest.
"Oh, what happened, Mimmi?" asked Sirena sincerely, putting down her nail polish to turn and talk to Mimmi.
"He just always has to be right, it drives me mad!"
"What did he do?" Sirena asked.
"We were at the café, and David needed help totaling something. I got the answer first but he interrupted me! Obviously, I told him his answer was wrong and that David was asking me. He told me to stop being a brat and that the world didn't revolve around me… so I left. David wound up having to total it himself."
"Oh, Mimmi, I'm sor—"
"What did the total end up being?" Ondina asked, interrupting Sirena. Both Mimmi and Sirena turned towards Ondina and glared daggers at her, in which she innocently replied, "Sorry, just wondering…" to.
"I just… I thought finally having family would be fun! But he treats me like dirt..."
"He doesn't mean what he says, Mimmi, he doesn't," said Sirena.
"Then why does he say it?" Mimmi asked, though it came out more like a statement.
"Well, Aquata and I used to fight. She'd always steal my comb and I'd get really mad. I'd say things I didn't mean. Maybe it's because I knew that no matter what, she wouldn't be able to ditch me like friends could. Overall, though, we're still family. We still love each other a lot," Sirena said.
"Yeah. I guess," Mimmi said. "I'm going to try to clear my mind for a bit."
"Ooh, wanna go to the café with Ondina and I?"
"Sure, that sounds nice," said Mimmi, offering a small smile.
"…Actually… I don't think I'll be going. Not for a while," Ondina said, not looking up from her nails. "Nobody who works there knows what I like anymore."
Sirena and Mimmi exchanged a look, but shrugged it off, linking arms and leaving.
~.x.x.x.~
Mimmi and Sirena sat at a table outside, looking out at the sea. Mimmi's happy mood began to fade as soon as her thoughts landed on Zac. She knew he didn't mean what he said to hurt her, but nobody from the pod had ever called her names or treated her badly at all.
"Oh, hey Sirena, Mimmi!" Carly called, bouncing from table to table. "I'll be with you guys in a second."
"That's alright, take your time," Sirena said kindly, waving her hand dismissively.
Mimmi sat upright, still staring out at the sea. Her eyes moved to the dock and she saw a group of children running around, and a teenage boy who was very tan and built standing on a corner, probably looking after the kids.
Suddenly, she heard a voice in her ear.
"Hey, Mimms," said her brother with a wide smile. He sat in the open seat of the girls' table.
Mimmi continued looking out at the sea as if he wasn't even there.
"Oh, so you're giving me the silent treatment, huh?" Zac said, face cringing up. "How mature."
"You're trying to talk to me about maturity?" Mimmi snapped, standing up and facing her brother. "You still play with your stupid land toys! You're the most childish person I know!"
Zac also stood up.
"At least I have a girlfriend! That makes me much more mature than you, girl who's never even kissed a guy!"
"What I do with boys is none of your business," Mimmi said, disgusted. "And me knowing that my personal affairs are none of your concern is quite mature! You flaunting off the fact that you're dating someone is extremely immature!"
At this point, the sibling's bickering had cause attention from neighboring customers.
"Not here, guys, please," warned Sirena. At this, Mimmi nodded and sat back down. Zac stood his ground.
"So now you're just giving up? I have such a coward for a sister. Stop being such a brat," Zac sneered. Mimmi immediately stood up and marched away from her friends and towards the dock, avoiding any kind of contact with anyone else.
Mimmi plunged into the water and sped away towards Mako.
Little did she know that there were a pair of eyes who watched her dive into the water, and watched her grow a tail.
~.x.x.x.~
Zac lay on his bed, hands on his forehead. Mimmi was posing a real problem for him. Of course, he was excited to finally not be an only child, but now he knew having a sibling wasn't all it seemed. Zac and Mimmi argued more than they talked.
What was her problem? He'd tried to talk to her earlier and all she did was ignore him.
Zac's mouth scrunched up at the thought of her. He'd never understand girls and their screwed up logic.
He heard his open door creak and he sat up. There stood his best friend, Cam. He sighed and lay back down.
"What's up with you?" Cam asked.
Zac gave another long sigh and sat up. He looked at Cam with a smile.
"Nothing. Hey, wanna do something?"
~.x.x.x.~
Mimmi floated atop the mysteriously blue waters of the moon pool, looking up at the day-lit sky. She sung quietly to herself a song that Sirena taught her.
After a while, she swam over to an edge of the pool and lay against it. She stared at the water as if it was endless, like her thoughts. Sometimes, when she was alone, she'd wonder about her mother. Sometimes all she could ever think about was how badly she wished she could meet her. She had so many questions.
Suddenly, she heard a rumble behind her. Quickly, she turned to the source of the sound.
On the land part of the cave stood the teenage boy she had seen at the dock earlier. He was staring right at her. She was now exposed to him as a mermaid, and her face was tied to the tail.
She contemplated leaving, swimming out of the cave and back to Rita's. But what would that do? What if this boy grew curious and searched for more mermaids? There were plenty all around Mako since the pod had returned, Mimmi knew.
Plus, now that he had a face, he could easily expose her for what she was. Everyone could know her greatest secret.
So she stood her ground and stared up at the boy, thinking of what to say.
"Please don't leave," the boy said quietly. As she'd noticed earlier, he was very tan and muscular, but along with that came a pair of amber eyes and golden-red hair.
"Who are you?" Mimmi asked.
"Hayden. Might I ask you the same question?" the boy said, squatting down to Mimmi's level.
"I'm Mimmi…" Mimmi said.
"It's a pleasure," Hayden said.
Mimmi stared up at him, and he stared down at her.
"I'm sorry, this is probably weird for you…" she said.
"No need for an apology. Believe it or not, I've come across quite a lot of weird things in my time," he said. She gave a small nod.
"How did you get in here? I thought the only entrance was through the underwater tunnel," Mimmi asked.
"Well, I-I found another one," said Hayden hesitantly. "Had to clear some rocks to get in…"
Mimmi, not having explored the island too thoroughly, believed this.
"So you also have legs? Can you turn into a mermaid at will?" Hayden asked, desperate for a change of subject.
Mimmi shook her head.
"I WISH it was at will! No, it's once you hit water, then you're bound to transform," she said. She looked down, and then back up at the boy, concern in her eyes.
"Please," she said. "You can't tell anyone else about this, about me. Believe it or not, you're the first that's caught me like this…"
"I won't tell…" he said, scooting closer to her. "If you answer a few things. Are there more of you?"
"Mermaids..?" she said. "Yes."
"Are there mermen too?"
"Yes."
"Locally?"
"…Yes."
"How many?"
"A lot all around here, but their power relies on this island. I have a few friends who are like me, though, who live on land too."
"…Who are they?"
"Their names are Sirena, Ondina, Evie, Zac, and Rita…" Mimmi said quietly. She looked at him with pleading eyes. "Please don't tell. About me, about any of us."
Hayden smiled.
"I wouldn't dream of it."
~.x.x.x.~
Sirena and Ondina stood on Rita's porch, admiring the scenery from the tall view.
Sirena turned to Ondina.
"What are you thinking about?" she asked.
Ondina looked down, then back up at the world in front of them.
"I don't know."
Sirena leaned over to Ondina and put her arm around her back, side-hugging her.
Behind them, there was the sound of a door opening, and Sirena and Ondina broke apart and span around.
There stood Zac and Cam, a fishnet and a jug of temporary blue dye in their hands.
"We want to prank Mimmi," the two said with big smiles. Ondina and Sirena looked at one another, then back at the boys, eyebrows raised higher than anyone could have ever remembered them to be.
~.x.x.x.~
"So how did you become a mermaid?" Hayden asked, standing across the room from Mimmi.
Mimmi, now in her land form, leaned up against the moon pool cave's walls.
"I was always a mermaid," she responded, looking up at Hayden. "I used a ring to grow legs, though. It's kind of confusing, but I already told you about my ring. I mainly live on land now."
He nodded.
The pair had been talking for hours about Mimmi, her powers, her friends, and mer-people in general.
Hayden walked over to Mimmi.
"Mimmi?" he started.
"Yes?" she responded.
Hayden smiled and grabbed her hands.
"Do you trust me?" he asked.
She nodded.
"Yes, of course. Especially since I told you all of this."
"Good, that's good," he said, nodding.
He moved her hands behind her back and pressed her closer to the wall.
"W-what are you doing?" Mimmi said, voice quivering as he got closer.
"I really like you, Mimmi," Hayden said, still smiling, as he leaned down and touched his lips to hers.
He pulled away around five seconds after leaning in. He could feel Mimmi become less tense.
"…Wow…" she said slowly, smiling.
"Yeah," he said. "Mimmi… if you trust me, don't move a muscle. I want you to close your eyes."
"…Okay…" she said, closing her eyes, remembering briefly when she asked another guy to do the same for her.
Hayden removed his hands from hers, backing away slowly. He reached into his right pants pocket and pulled out a lighter. Careful not to let the flame go out as he lit it, he set his finger on fire. For a second, his entire body glowed a mix of red, orange, and yellow, but then his body returned to its original hue. He slipped the lighter back into his pocket.
He braced his legs and held his hands up. Slowly, he began pulling the oxygen from the room. He wasn't going to kill the girl, but merely knock her out for a while.
He noticed her breathing becoming quicker and more unsteady as he sucked away more oxygen.
"Everything alright?" he asked, taking a moment to look in her direction. Her eyes were still closed.
"Yeah, I'm just a little… lightheaded…"
And just as she spoke, Mimmi fell to the ground. Hayden stopped removing the air and grinned.
He slowly approached her limp body, retrieving sections of long rope from the loops of his shorts.
~.x.x.x.~
"Okay, aaaaaaaand… there," Zac said, successfully tying a bucket of temporary blue dye to the net.
"So, how's it work?" asked Cam, admiring the finished product. The fishnet was draped all across the top of Rita's pool so it covered any way of entrance; tied to it was the bucket.
"So, when she comes in later, she'll get caught in the net, and pulling on it will tip over the bucket so the whole pool will fill with blue dye! She'll turn blue!"
"You do realize that, if this stupid plan works, she'll only be blue in her mermaid form, right?" Ondina snapped.
"Ah. Didn't think about that. Oh well. A blue mermaid's better than a regular one!" Zac said, laughing.
"But what will happen when the water gets filled with dye? How long will it be like that?" Sirena asked.
"Not long," Cam responded. "After a bit, it'll just dissolve, fade. Probably overnight."
"I really don't think this is a good idea…" Sirena said quietly.
"Think? It's a horrible idea!" Ondina said, walking over to the two laughing boys. "Oh, shut up. Call me when it backfires on you like it's bound to."
She walked up the stairs and out of the room.
~.x.x.x.~
"Hello, Mimmi," Hayden said when Mimmi opened her eyes.
She was laying on the ground, hands and feet bound so that they were unmovable. It took her a minute to remember what had happened. She shifted herself to lean against the wall.
"Why am I tied up?" Mimmi asked innocently.
"Don't you get it, Mimmi?" Hayden said. "I did this. So glad you decided to trust me, because now, you're going to help me."
"H-help you do what…?" asked Mimmi, now tensing up in fear.
"Eliminate all of the mer-people around Mako. If you play your cards right, you'll be the last to go."
Mimmi's scared eyes moved into a frown.
"Why are you doing this?"
Hayden chuckled. He put his hands behind his back, and suddenly, a ball of fire rested in his right palm. He threw the ball over his shoulder to his left hand, and from there, tossed the ball into the moon pool.
"Woah…" Mimmi said quietly, scooting further away from the boy.
"You see, Mimmi, all I want is to rule the world. For a teenage boy, there aren't many options right now, but what I can do… is rule Mako. It's an island with all sorts of powers that I will use to rule everyone locally, and then I'll move up to becoming the leader of the world!
"See, the problem, though," Hayden said, stepping closer to Mimmi. "Is that mer-people like you are all over, living at this island. The only way for me to claim the island as my own is for all of you to either leave… or die. And since they're obviously not going anywhere…"
"No," Mimmi said. "I'm not going to help you. Please, if you could just let me go and I'll tell the pod to leave—"
"Oh, Mimmi," Hayden said, laughing once more. "I believe that's not possible. Your friends will want to fight for their island. Normally, I'd be able to take on quite a few mermaids, but with all of them attacking me, I'll lose. That's why I'm going to kill them, one by one. It'll take a while, but with your help, I'll have the island in no time."
"I'm not going to help you," Mimmi repeated more sharply than before.
"Hmm hmm hmm, now that won't do…" said Hayden, kneeling down to face Mimmi. "If you don't help me, I'll target your closer friends first. Maybe Evie… or Rita… Sirena… Ondina, didn't you say she was your best friend? Or Zac… your brother."
"NO! NO! DON'T YOU LAY A HAND ON THEM! LET ME GO!" Mimmi shouted, squirming around in her binds. Hayden laughed devilishly.
"So here's what's going to happen," he said. More fire appeared on his hand, and he held it like it was an object. He began to move it close to Mimmi's face. Right before it touched her, he pulled back.
"I'll give you ten minutes to make up your mind. Either you help me… or this," he said, holding up his fiery hand. "Is your other option."
~.x.x.x.~
As Zac sat on Rita's porch with Cam, Sirena, and Ondina, he couldn't help but wonder where Mimmi was. He hadn't checked the trap in ten minutes, but he had a feeling she still hadn't shown up yet.
He looked over the scenery from Rita's porch. Suddenly, he saw something that didn't belong. He jolted back.
He was in the cave inside of Mako. He saw a boy who seemed to be around his age kneeling down in front of him. The boy was holding fire as if it was an object. He neared it closer and closer to Zac's face, and all Zac could feel was fear…
He blinked and saw the familiar view of Rita's home. He immediately stood up, realizing that this vision had to be his sister's if it wasn't his.
"Zac? What's wrong?" Sirena asked, standing up as well. Their other two friends followed suit.
"Mimmi's in trouble. I'm going out to save her. Nobody come along," Zac said, heading back inside the house and down the stairs to the front door.
"Wait! What if something happens to you?" asked Sirena.
"Sirena, Ondina, if I'm not back in around half an hour, come to Mako," Zac said hurriedly. He looked out at the water, then back to his friends. "Hopefully it doesn't come to that."
Zac began running, plunging into the sea of water nearby.
"I'm always so important in situations like these," murmured Cam. Ondina smacked him on the back of his head, and he whispered a sharp, "Ow."
~.x.x.x.~
"Time's up," Hayden said, moving to the bound Mimmi. She sat, defiantly staring up at him.
Mimmi kept her glossy blue-gray eyes set on Hayden. She let out a long sigh. Her heart was beating a mile a minute.
"What's your decision?" asked Hayden, re-spawning a fireball in his hand.
"My friends… my brother…" she said quietly. "I'll will not let you hurt them! They… they're my family. I love them so much. So… if that means you kill me right here and now, that's okay. But you're not going to kill them."
"What makes you so sure?" Hayden laughed, tossing a fireball at Mimmi's head. It hit the area right above her head, causing a small part of her hair to singe. Her eyes were closed tightly as she embraced what was going to happen to her.
Suddenly, Hayden was lifted high into the air. He moved up to the top of the dormant volcano where it opened, and then he dropped hundreds of feet into the pool below.
Mimmi, wide-eyed, rolled herself over to the pool to see where Hayden wound up. He floated gently on the water. She was unsure if he was still alive, especially since he was kind of made up of fire.
Zac twisted his hand, causing him to be visible again. He grinned up at his sister from the water.
"Zac," Mimmi said, smiling. "You're here."
"I heard what you said, about me and our friends. It's amazing that you'd do something like that for us. Thank you, Mimmi."
"No, thank you. I wouldn't be alive if you hadn't shown up," Mimmi said, eyes becoming slightly watery. Zac stretched up and hugged his sister, who couldn't return the hug due to her hands being bound.
The hug had gotten Mimmi slightly wet, so quickly, Zac untied her feet and helped her slide into the water.
Once she was in the water and in her mermaid form, Zac undid her hands. Mimmi noticed a lighter lingering halfway out of Hayden's pocket. She grabbed it and banged it against the wall several times, breaking it.
"What do we do now?" Mimmi asked, looking over at Hayden.
"He might still be alive, so I'll keep him here for a while. I want you to go back to Rita's and find Sirena or Ondina—they're at her place. Then, I need you to go warn the pod, talk to the mermaid council about the situation. I'm sure they'll sort everything out. For now, someone has to stay here and make sure he doesn't get away, but I don't want to leave you alone with that guy again."
Mimmi nodded, giving Zac a smile.
"Thank you. I couldn't ask for a better brother."
The pair exchanged another hug, and once they broke apart, Mimmi gave Zac another smile and exited the pool.
As Mimmi swam back to Rita's, she almost reached Rita's grotto entrance, but she ran into Ondina and Sirena before she could get there, who were heading to Mako on Zac's request. She signaled for the girls to surface.
"What happened?!" Ondina said immediately when they were exposed to air.
"There's a guy… he can control fire. He's out to destroy all mermaids so he can rule Mako, and one day, I guess, the world. Zac's holding him down at Mako right now—don't worry, Zac's fine—but we should go to Veridia and tell her about him. Maybe she'll be able to take care of it so nothing like this happens again."
Mimmi's two friends nodded in unison. The trio swam out to where the pod usually floated around this time of day. The three girls spotted the mermaid council and made their way over.
"Hi, Veridia, we have a situation," said Mimmi.
"What is it?" asked Veridia sternly. Mimmi opened her mouth to respond but was interrupted when a smaller mermaid pounced on Ondina.
"Hi, big sister!" Neppy squealed, clinging on to the girl she grew closet to in her land stay. Ondina couldn't help but smile, wrapping her arms around the young girl.
"Hey, Neppy, it's great to see you," she said. Neppy released her and looked over at the three girls.
"What brings you here again? I know you guys sometimes pop in and out but I thought you said you'd be gone for the week!" the younger mermaid exclaimed.
"Yes, we were planning on staying on land this week, but something bad happened that we need taken care of," Ondina said.
"Ooh! Can I help?!" asked Neppy.
"Well," said Ondina, turning from Neppy to Veridia. "If it's okay with Veridia, I think we could really use the help of a brave, strong girl like you."
~.x.x.x.~
Zac, Mimmi, Sirena, and Ondina swam to Rita's, but swam above-water instead, doing doggy-paddles so they could all converse.
"I wonder where they took him," said Mimmi.
"I'm more surprised that Neppy could cast a spell on him like that! She's learned a lot," Ondina chuckled.
"Guess she took your advice to take mermaid school seriously," Sirena shrugged.
"Well, wherever he is now, I'm sure they're making sure he's never going to harm another person again," Zac said, smiling.
"I'm ready to go back to the grotto," said Mimmi. "Can we race?"
"Sure!" Zac said, smiling.
Ondina and Sirena exchanged a look, remembering Zac's trap and realizing he must have forgotten about it.
"Actually," interjected Ondina. "I wanted to show Sirena and Mimmi something at the café. We'll meet you back there really soon, though!"
Sirena had a wide smile, and Mimmi just looked confused, but Ondina gestured for the girls to follow her. Zac shrugged and began to swim to Rita's.
"What do you have to show us?" asked Mimmi when Zac left.
"Nothing," Ondina said. "But we're going to want to be inside the grotto before Zac gets there, but we have to use the land entrance. Come on."
~.x.x.x.~
As Zac entered the grotto, he was suddenly trapped underneath a net. Blue dye made its way around the pool. Zac groaned, only just remembering he was the one who set this up.
Looking down at him were the three girls, all giggling, and Cam, smirking.
"Zac'd intended for that to be for you," Cam said to Mimmi. Mimmi began to laugh even harder.
"I guess this is why we need to stop fighting as much. Right, Zac?" Mimmi said, giggling again at her brother.
"Right," Zac groaned, helplessly looking up at his friends.
Please leave your thoughts on this one, and, as always, don't forget to keep requesting!
