It was a sunny morning on the Fairy River Bridge when Cleo Sertori received a call.
Still staring at the laptop screen laid out on the table next to a single cup of coffee, Cleo picked up the phone and held it to her ear, not bothering to see who the call was from. This sort of thing happened all the time.
"Hello?" said Cleo, taking the opportunity to type with her free hand.
A squeak was heard on the other end, followed by a slight movement. Cleo was about to hang up when a voice intoned from the phone line:
"Cleo?"
She knew that voice. She would always recognize it, no matter how much time passed.
Surprise struck Cleo's face, and with eyes wide in curiosity and shock, she leaned back violently against the chair in the small waterfront restaurant.
"Oh, my God. Rikki, is that really you?" asked Cleo in disbelief, the joy hitting her immediately at speaking with her old friend.
"Yes, it is me! I've been trying to get in touch for a few days now," Rikki explained, her voice sounding mature and professional, with a touch of confidence that didn't exist back when Cleo knew her. "Are you busy right now? We need to talk."
The serious tone in her voice caused the smile to fade from Cleo's face. Suddenly, she knew her friend was about to deliver some bad news. It had to be. Why else would she get in touch so many years later?
"What happened? Is everything okay?" asked Cleo immediately, worried.
"Yes, of course, don't worry. It has nothing to do with me. It's about Bella."
Cleo turned serious, preparing to hear what Rikki had to say. With a heavy sigh, Cleo announced firmly:
"I'm all ears."
*
Cleo couldn't believe it.
It had been such a violent shock that it had left her dizzy, lost in questioning that apparently no one knew how to answer. It couldn't be true. No. Certainly not...
It had been a few hours since Rikki had called. However, Cleo was still in the same position, leaning on the railing of the Fairy River bridge, staring at the sea.
Bella was missing.
How was this possible? What the hell had happened, anyway? Bella was not the type of person to get into trouble. Of course not. All of them had always been very secretive, because their secret demanded it of themselves. And now this news? Falling on their heads just like that?
According to Rikki, Bella had last been seen near the Yarra River Bridge in South Australia. According to witnesses, the young woman had jumped, which indicated that a suicide might have taken place. However, Cleo knew that this was not true. Bella was a mermaid, after all. The oceans had always been their way of connecting to the other world. But jumping off a bridge like that, in the middle of everyone... it just wasn't Bella's thing. That story was strange. Something had definitely happened.
A bird flew by in front of Cleo, its feet tapping lightly on the water before making its way through the air. Affected by the news she had received, the young woman remembered Rikki's words during the call.
"I've already talked to Lewis and let him apar of the situation. I will call Emma right after you. Will is updating me on everything, but you can tell how bad he is about the situation. I can't imagine the pain he must be feeling..."
Even if only slightly, guilt hit her as she heard this. While Will had remained by Bella's side, they had all left her. Cleo didn't even know if the young woman was experiencing any problems, if something bad might be happening in Bella's life. She feared that her disappearance had something to do with some emotional issue. There was no other reason, after all. Or was there?
When Rikki had talked about the importance of everyone getting together, Cleo readily agreed to a meeting. She would do what she could to help find her old friend. Even if her work was a little hampered by it.
Cleo's cell phone rang, and she reached for it from her pocket, reading the name on the screen. Robbin. With a guilty sigh, Cleo declined the call, returning the cell phone to her pocket and walking away from the bridge. She knew she had more work to do, she knew she needed to concentrate, but at the moment she was capable of neither. Her mind was plagued by Bella, millions of questions chasing her relentlessly.
And cleo knew that there was only one thing she could do now.
She needed to swim.
Abandoning her laptop on the car seat and leaving the car parked near Ben's little shop, her friend from college, Cleo walked to the far end of the beach and, still wearing the formal collar from her meeting this morning and her platform shoes from the latest collection, ran towards the sea.
It was only when her legs turned to bubbles and the refreshing liquid of the sea kissed her skin that Cleo could think more clearly.
It didn't matter how much time had passed. They were still a team, still them against the world. Mere girls blessed by the ocean.
And when one cried out for help, the gang would always be there to rescue them.