Well hey! It's been a while, hasn't it? I was recently hit with a wave of nostalgia when I went back through some of my old Google Docs only to be reminded of the fact that my 2017 fanfiction H2O: Crystal Conduct was totally a thing and... oh boy, with six years of retrospect, that story can be best described as unhinged. Despite that, it still holds a pretty special place in my heart; after all, it was one of the first fan-works that I ever produced and published online. So, I found my old log in to this account and... took the last week to rewrite the first chapter?

Odds are, I won't ever get around to actually expanding past the plot I wrote- heck, I may not even be able to rewrite all the chapters I had initially published. However, for now, I've been enjoying revisiting this passion project of mine, and I hope that you do as well! I'm going to try to take this story in some pretty exciting directions that are both faithful to the original and more representative of my current writing style.

Thanks for sticking around! 3

"As absurd as it sounds, I'm going to miss that place," Rikki declared as the sounds of blaring stereos and high school graduates swaying to music reverberated around the café, the telltale signs of a successful Graduation Party. The teenagers in her company–Cleo, Lewis, Bella, and Will–turned to meet her gaze, confusion laced in their expressions from the sudden, offhand remark. She rushed to clarify. "South Coast High, I mean."

"Oh? Where's this coming from? This morning you told me that your diploma would be a reminder of the, and I quote, 'miserable years you spent swallowed by angst and pubescent sweat.'" Cleo drawled, brown locks flying while trying to imitate Rikki's dramatic flare.

"Don't get me wrong, I loathe the entire system and the petty snobs that it enables," she ascertained, "but it's grown to be a familiar space. Not a good or a bad familiar, but just… I dunno, it was virtually the only sense of normalcy that we had. Now everything seems like it's on the cusp of changing, and I don't know how to feel about it."

"Woah, Rikki Chadwick? Afraid of change? Are you sure that I haven't flown into some sort of wormhole on my way here?" Lewis smirked. Something in Rikki panged with wistfulness, and a smile crept onto her face in spite of herself. She'd really missed the back and forth that her and Lewis would have.

"Bite your tongue, science boy," the curly blonde responded pointedly. "Saving the Earth from an extinction-level event makes you, sorta… reevaluate some things. I have a right to want everything to stay the same for a little while."

"I don't know about you, but I for one want a nap," Bella let out a muted chuckle. She stirred the contents of her smoothie in amusement. "All the exhaustion from holding up a giant beam of water is really starting to do me in. I definitely get what you mean though."

"Hear hear," the brunette assented, rubbing the back of her neck at the very thought of their feat yesterday. "I feel like once I get home, I'll be zonked out for a week at least."

"I still can't believe that you guys pulled something like that off. And that you didn't think it important enough to tell me beforehand! Where's the trust?" Lewis interjected, practically vibrating in his seat. His leg bounced rapidly underneath the table, prompting his girlfriend to clasp onto his shoulder to secure him in place in amusement.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I guess we could have squeezed in two minutes to chit chat before the planet was blown to smithereens. We'll keep that in mind for the next global catastrophe," Rikki retorted with a roll of her eyes. Cleo sent her an arid look.

"What Rikki's trying to say," she revised, "is that we were sort of pressed for time. The 'Tower of Light' was a huge Hail Mary after the Moon Pool lost its magic. Time zones didn't really help matters, either."

"Well, I certainly wouldn't mind seeing it again, albeit under less… dire circumstances" Will confessed bashfully. "I caught a glimpse while Ryan, Sophie, Zane and I were about to head off Mako. It was…absolutely breathtaking."

"Sorry Will, but in all honesty, I hope we never have to do that again. It's bad enough that Ryan and Sophie had a front-row seat to a light show that, by all technical accounts, shouldn't even be possible, but there's also a chance that other people could have seen it from the mainland- or worse, caught it on a satellite," Bella disclosed, shooting the diver a glum smile. The rest of the group grimaced.

Cleo sensed her blood momentarily run cold as the implications of that comment settled with the mass of an iceberg in her chest. "I hadn't even thought of that. We basically created a giant beacon leading people straight to Mako and our secret. Oh god, what if someone tries to investigate? What if they swarm the island? What if they find the Moon Pool and try to mine even more crystals? What if they track everything straight back to us, find out we're mermaids, stick us in a governmental facility, and turn us into weapons of war? What if-"

"Annnnd that's enough catastrophizing for one day," Rikki proclaimed after shoving a palm over the worried mermaid's mouth before the latter could hyperventilate. "Seriously, I wouldn't be too pressed about it right now. We did what we had to to keep everybody safe, and that's what matters. We'll handle whatever consequences there are as they come."

"Like him?" Lewis not-so-discreetly motioned towards a figure weaving their way through the crowd that looked suspiciously like a certain geologist.

"What's he doing at a graduation party? I hardly believe he's here celebrating getting his second diploma or something," Will remarked and let out a silent snicker at the prospect. No one joined in.

"I might have an inkling of an idea why," Cleo exhaled dismally as soon as Ryan locked eyes with her and paced over to the booth where the gang was situated. They immediately stiffened as he evaluated them with searching eyes, noting how he lingered on Will before ricocheting back onto the girl in question.

"Cleo, hey! Might I steal you for a few minutes?" he inquired with a raise of his eyebrows.

"Hi Ryan," Cleo answered robotically. "Perhaps another time? I don't want to leave my friends hanging."

"It'll only be for a moment, I promise," Ryan insisted with a tug at the collar of his button-up shirt. "I won't keep you any longer than necessary."

The brunette glanced back at her friends, seeking out any signs of confirmation. Lewis squeezed her hand while the others provided tight smiles of reassurance. With a disguised sigh, she lifted herself from her seat and was ushered by her reluctant acquaintance to the beaded exit of the café.

"So, um, what… What did you need to discuss with me?"

"I, uh, was hoping to talk to you about your rock sample. The one with qualities comparable to rocks from the moon?" Ryan exposited as if under the assumption that she'd forgotten all about it. She willed herself to nod nonchalantly. "I may have… no, I'm pretty sure I found a match for it."

"Oh really? I appreciate your dedication Ryan, but you didn't have to keep looking into it for me. My teacher ended up giving me a good mark on the project. I would have been content with leaving it as one of life's many unsolved mysteries," Cleo replied coolly, if not a little apprehensively.

"It wasn't any trouble at all. I think I continued in order to satiate my own curiosity more than anything. It's not every day that you come across a specimen that's so… out of this world," the geologist admitted enthusiastically. "And, well, I thought my findings would be of special interest to you, given your history."

"My…history?" she echoed back hesitantly while crossing her arms. In the background, she could hear the opening melodies to one of Bella's songs, and her stance shifted ever so slightly.

( You almost lured me in, hook, line, and sinker,

As I hung off your words with bated breath.

You pushed me under yet your hands still lingered,

Like I was out of my depth, yeah )

"That sample is nearly identical to the rocks that make up the interior of a volcano on Mako Island. It encases a… a sea basin that's directly aligned with the volcano's crater." He paused briefly to give Cleo the chance to digest this information before continuing. "From what I understood from Kim, you and your friends used to frequent the island, yes?"

"Um, yeah, maybe a few times a couple of years ago, but we quickly grew bored of it. There's only so long that you can be surrounded by trees and small streams until you feel you've seen everything it has to offer," the mermaid supplied. "A-are you sure it's from Mako? You might be mistaken."

"Yes, I'm actually very certain of it," Ryan stated, a persistent grin consuming his expression that unnerved Cleo to no end. "And what's more, behind the rock facade is a layer of crystals that have a striking resemblance to the stone on your necklace."

"Well, that is somewhat odd, but, as I told you before, I received this necklace as a gift, so I wouldn't be able to verify that for you," Cleo returned tersely.

"Perhaps you could let me take a closer look at it then," he suggested. "I can't imagine that you aren't the tiniest bit curious to see if there's a connection."

"No, I can't say that I am," the brunette deadpanned. She stole a brief glimpse at the crowd inside the café cheering on Bella and the Band while Lewis beat out an elaborate drum solo, and the ghost of a soft smile graced her lips. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go enjoy my friends' performance. It was nice speaking with you, Ryan."

Ryan gripped her wrist, uneasily. "Wait, please. I really want to give you the benefit of the doubt here. When you came to me about this project of yours, I could see how excited you were about it. But things aren't quite adding up, and I need to know if you're aware of more than you let on."

"Ryan-" she had begun when, suddenly, her jaw clenched at the sensation of a cold liquid spilling onto her waist and bleeding through her bright pink dress. The shock caused him to release his hold on her as she dashed back into the building, through the sea of teenagers, and into the manager's office, ignoring the hurried apologies of the person holding the beverage. She felt the squad's gazes on her amidst the chaos and cringed internally when a distracted Bella began the chorus slightly off-tempo.

( Surprise, surprise! I'll take your advice,

I'll go search for something special and not-so ordinary,

Won't get pulled back to you 'cause I'm not like the tides,

You'll find me swimming in the moonlight and not in those cerulean eyes! )

Cleo exhaled in relief at the sound of the door locking into place as she collapsed onto the hardwood floor, golden fin in place of her feet. She gaped up at Zane, who'd raised himself from the seat at his desk at the sound of the commotion and was now studying her with equal parts amusement and concern.

"I'll… go grab a towel," he announced slowly.

"That won't be necessary," they heard Rikki huff in exasperation after the door swung open once more. Her eyes flickered to Zane with rehearsed acknowledgement, then bounced back to her friend currently sprawled out on the ground. "Did someone order a steam dry?"

"Thanks Rikki, you're a godsend," Cleo said breathily in gratitude. She flipped onto her back so she could converse with the fiery blonde, who knelt down so her fist could hover over her tail. "No one tried following me in, did they?"

"I take it you mean Ryan? No, you were in the clear. He made himself scarce as soon as you ran off," she explained offhandedly, fingers curling to generate heat.

"Wait, Ryan dropped in?" Zane's head perked up, alert. He tried his best to brush off the wave of shame that crept onto his face in subtle shades of red as the girls side-eyed him warily.

"So, what sort of intel did that sorry excuse for a Lewis wannabe try to get from you?" Rikki directed at Cleo with a pointed arch of a brow. Cleo's lips pursed and she blew out a faint trill.

"I guess nothing too egregious. He told me his hypothesis on the origins of the rock sample, linked it back to Mako and his excursion, then asked to see my necklace. He has a hunch that they're the same as the crystals he located at the Moon Pool. A hunch he's right about, but I didn't let him know that."

She took their silent deliberation as an invitation to continue, her voice becoming increasingly heavier with guilt. "I'm trying to keep feigning ignorance, but ever since my sister let it slip that we've been palling around at Mako, he's gotten the idea that I'm holding things back from him and that everything I say is a veiled secret. I don't know what to do."

The applause outside of the room swelled with the final notes of the song, and Rikki peeked over in the direction of the door, anticipating Bella and Lewis's entrance at any second. When the doorknob remained untouched, she focused her attention back on Cleo with faux confidence. "We'll do what we always do- fly by the seat of our pants and narrowly avoid the repercussions."

Nate had scarcely finished his keyboard riff when Bella and Lewis wordlessly dipped off the stage, their sights set on Zane's office. Lewis was the first to jiggle the door handle with a hurried "It's us" and swiftly given a sliver of space to squeeze inside before Bella was intercepted by Sophie, of all individuals. She seemed to bore into her with an unexpected genuineness that caught Bella off-guard.

"Oh, uh, hi Sophie?" the singer greeted quizzically, her tone hitched between surprise and confusion.

The redhead aggressively rolled her eyes, reached out to drop her hands on Bella's shoulders, and then proceeded to push Bella towards the back of the juice counter, taking care to avoid actually shoving her or compromising her balance. An employee working behind the bar mustered a perplexed look but scurried off as soon as Sophie roared at them to "Go do something else productive!" She glanced back at Bella with a vindictive grin that promptly fell when she noted Bella's reservation.

"I needed the space to converse with you," Sophie clarified defensively. Her arm perched on the countertop and her foot tapped on the wooden floor and, for the first time ever, it dawned on Bella that the usually despotic waitress was nervous. Around her.

"Yeah, um, sure, what's up?" Bella questioned as she ducked her head to avert a potential incoming glare. Sophie sighed.

"I… I wanted to apologize. To you," she finally revealed in a low voice. "I recently had a pretty huge wake-up call from my brother about how I've been acting. He helped me realize that the way I've been treating him–and the way I've been treating you–wasn't always for his sake."

She chuckled bitterly. "If I'm being frank with myself, I suppose that I felt intimidated by you. Somehow, in the span of a few months, you were able to swoop in and be a support system for Will that I couldn't in the past eighteen years of his life. Not only did that make me jealous that he could confide in you, but I was also worried that you'd set him up to get hurt. And that, when we had to relocate for the umpteenth time, he'd leave a part of himself behind that he'd never get back."

"It's not very often that my brother opens himself up to new people. That's why I've always encouraged him to dive competitively, you know? It gave him something to work towards so that he didn't feel stifled by all the moving around. It fostered a purpose outside of himself, something for him to be remembered for as we went from place to place. At least, I thought it did…"

"And then you went and dissuaded him from doing that," the redhead growled out. "Everything that I had worked for to make him happy- the countless hours that I spent researching the best dive techniques and the extra money I pitched in to make sure he had the best equipment, the best meals…to know that it had all been for nothing made me feel devoid of any worth."

"But the worst of it was today. Will's graduation. I sat right by the aisle in the center row, holding flowers. And when he strode up onto that stage to receive his diploma and shake hands with the dean of the school… he surveyed the crowd and only saw you." She rubbed furiously at her eyes and swallowed.

"I can see that he truly cares about you, more than I could ever begin to comprehend. So, I'm sorry for taking out my emotions on you. Anyone who can make his expression light up the way you do deserves the privilege of being called his partner. I won't stand between you two anymore."

Bella's heart churned with remorse as Sophie's resolve started to crumble in front of her. She could sense the early beginnings of tears prickling at the corners of her own eyes. "Sophie, I-"

"Don't," she snarled warningly, then composed herself. "You're not the problem here, and I don't want you to pretend that you are. I just have to accept the fact that I don't know my brother as much as I believed I did… I'll try to work on that."

Sophie casted a pained, longing glimpse at her brother entering Zane's office, sent Bella a stiff smile, and had begun to retreat to the employee break room when the mermaid called out to her. She turned back with uncertainty.

"For what it's worth," Bella articulated tenderly. "I forgive you. And, perhaps someday we could work towards becoming friends."

At this, the redhead paused, her stare addled with both weary trust and resignation. A beat passed before she walked away wordlessly, leaving Bella with a tiny yet significant semblance of hope flaring within her.

"So, if I'm hearing this correctly…basically the only thing we gleaned from that entire debacle is that Ryan's aware of all the stuff we already assumed he had worked out from his encounters at Mako," Will surmised to the grim nods of the teens who had positioned themselves on the couches and miscellaneous seats in the office. The walls seemed to tremble from the evening activities of party goers as the celebration continued in full swing, including what could only be described as Nate's hapless attempts at stand-up comedy.

"Yep, that pretty much sums it up," Cleo parroted back. She toyed with her hands self-consciously, then peered around the room with newfound intention. "Although it does provide us with one other tidbit of information- even after the events that transpired last night, Ryan still hasn't been deterred from Mako. If anything, he's become even more bold in his efforts to pry details from us. He's not giving up without a fight."

"Well, if he wants a fight so badly, we'll sure as hell give him one," Rikki expressed sharply. "Him and whatever army he decides to let tag along."

"You might need to slow your roll there, Rikki. You three can't exactly approach Ryan with guns blazing and expect him to step down without any blowback. Not only does that out you guys as a threat to his ultimate goals, but it also corroborates the narrative in his head that there's a giant secret being held from him," Lewis expounded to the others as though he were reciting the script of a Public Service Announcement.

"Dude, I didn't mean literally. I just mean that we'll…nevermind," the blonde all-but facepalmed and, despite the tense circumstances, the posse couldn't help the light laughter that escaped from their lungs.

"Oh…! Then in that case, I like your attitude!"

Sobering, Bella opted to hone in on Zane. She planted a loose curl behind her ear. "Wait, did Ryan tell you he was going to be here tonight? Have you spoken with him since the episode on Mako?"

"I had no idea," the café owner avowed, internally swearing as his gaze strayed towards his ex-girlfriend, who shifted around and uncrossed her legs under its invisible weight. "It's been radio silence since we bailed from the Moon Pool. And I don't suppose I'll be hearing from him either, what with my dramatic exit and all."

"And Sophie?" Will postulated. "I could always keep a watchful eye on her as well. You know, make sure she doesn't get entangled with our resident geologist again?"

"Actually, I don't think she will," the singer revealed shyly, causing the other five to glance in her direction, puzzled. "Sophie came up to me just a few minutes ago and apologized for behavior this past year. Call me gullible, but I'm inclined to believe that the whole incident made her want to change for the better."

Something resembling admiration passed over Will's expression fleetingly, yet Bella couldn't quite tell who it was intended for.

"So if he's not reaching out to you or Sophie, that means that his only option is going through the National Park Authority or one of its connected branches to proceed with his research," Cleo pointed out. "Of course, their reception would depend on a lot of factors, one of them being Mako itself, but if Ryan can provide tangible proof of something abnormal happening out there, like just one crystal…"

"We may be dealing with a whole flock of surveyors on the island," Lewis finished for her; in an instant, trepidation began to loom over their heads like a heavy fog that stalled their movements.

It was Rikki who first spoke the sound back into existence, shaking her head vehemently as if it would dispel the anxiety in the room. "Then we make sure that doesn't happen. We just have to remain vigilant, monitor this bozo's every move, and keep up the facade that Mako is your average, run-of-the-mill, snake-infested island that's totally unremarkable in every way…"

"...shouldn't be that hard, right?"