Lewis McCartney positioned the microscope, focused on the sight of that intriguing cell, when the sound of his cell phone echoed through the empty laboratory.

He abruptly turned away, letting out an irritated snort. Lewis removed his glasses, leaned back in his chair and picked up the handset. He was still wearing his white lab coat, although there was no one there at the time, and he looked tired and frustrated. Work was not easy.

Lewis ran a hand through his light, sandy hair and let out a sigh before muttering a "hello". He was so busy that he hadn't even bothered to look at the display.

However, as soon as he heard the harsh familiar voice on the other end of the line, he felt his body freeze.

"Finally. This is the tenth phone I've tried to reach. I was about to giving up."

Oh, God.

"Wait. Rikki? Is that really you?" Lewis had already disentangled himself from the chair, his eyes wide.

"Sure, silly. Who else would it be?"

Lewis laughed, in sheer disbelief. How much he missed her!

"I don't believe it! How did you get my phone number? Wow, it's been a long time. Where have you been?"

"Lewis, I admire your concern, I'd like to catch up too, but there's no time for that now. I have urgent business with you, especially since I need help getting in touch with the others. It's very important. Can you talk now?"

"Um, sure. Wait a minute."

Lewis stood up, put his glasses in his lab coat pocket, and headed out of the lab, his thoughts racing a thousand times as to the reason for the all-important call. It certainly wasn't good.

"Okay, you can talk now. What happened?"

"Well, I knew because I saw the news spread. Her parents are spreading the word. I even got a call from Will, after all these years...so you can get an idea of the level. It was last week that..."

"Wait, Rikki, slow down", Lewis said seriously, frowning and trying to concentrate, standing in front of the lab. He glanced around to make sure there was no one else there, then spoke again: "Speak slowly about the details. Will is the diving boy, right? Bella's boyfriend?"

"Yeah. I hadn't talked to him in years, until I got a call. I was already getting a sense of what happened from the media, since I have a lot of contact with her because of my work. Will kept talking, a lot of nonsense, even though today I don't doubt anything anymore. He seemed desperate. As if he were the same boy I knew years ago. And what's worse, it wasn't even that. It was the result of it all. Because as soon as I knew what was happening, I realized that it might have a big connection to us, Lewis. Especially with the girls. And I think we need to come together to better understand what's going on and be able to find her."

"Rikki, I don't understand. Get to the point. What happened? Who needs to be found?"

Lewis had already rested one hand on his waist, completely stunned by the amount of information she had thrown at him and the fact that he was talking to Rikki Chadwick again, just like old times, when he heard her sigh on the other end of the line. Just then, Rikki revealed seriously, in a somber tone:

"Bella, Lewis. She disappeared two months ago."

Lewis felt as if he had been slapped. His body suddenly heated up, with sheer terror. Bella. The mysterious girl Cleo and Rikki had met after Emma's departure. The most experienced mermaid among the three; the one who had carried the burden of the two lives the longest. Always so sweet, friendly... and now she was missing.

The last time Bella had disappeared, even for a short time, her friends had found her in the moon lake, trapped by the water.

What are the chances that, now, her disappearance was not related to her secret again? Her parents would hardly find her without knowing she was a mermaid. That much was obvious.

If Bella was missing, they had to find her. Even if they hadn't seen each other for more than five years.

Lewis let out a breath, closing his eyes for a moment. Then, low and steady, he said:

"Tell me what the plan is."