H2O: Just Add Water X 5.5
Summary: Emma, Cleo, Rikki, Jenna, and Eric have stopped Dr. Denman from revealing their existence to the world. Now with their tails back, the five face new obstacles. New powers, love, heartbreak, and a new mermaid who is bent on destroying the five of them. Can they win? Or will they fail? Season 2 of H2O but with my two OC's added in.
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Chapter 4: The Gracie Code Part 1
Location: Mako Island, The Moon Pool, Time: A Few Months After the events of "In Over Our Heads"
Eric's POV
It had been a few months since Rikki and Jenna received the reward for finding the artifact that sank with a small yacht off the coast of Mako. Since then, Emma began to date a boy named Ash, and they're relationship was okay, but Ash had a sense that Emma was hiding something. Me, and Lewis were studying the magnetic field of the moon pool as Rikki and Cleo sufaced.
"Lewis? What are you doing here," asked Cleo.
Lewis looked over to the girls.
"Eric and I had a sudden inspiration. Kept us up last night."
Rikki looked at the fishing pole which hung a magnet over the pool.
"I'm not even gonna ask."
Lewis explained that we were studying the magnetic fields in here. Eventually, Rikki grew bored, and wanted to leave.
She turned to Cleo.
"You coming?"
She nodded.
"Yeah...I probably should get going...and..also..good luck you guys."
The girls dived under and swam away. I turned to Lewis.
"Just realized, I got a date with Jenna at the JuiceNet. I'll see you later, Lewis."
"Alright. See ya."
I quickly dived into the water and swam away.
Location: The JuiceNet, Time: Later That Morning
Later that morning, I went to the JuiceNet with Jenna. As we sat down with Rikki and Cleo, Lewis rushed in. He was carrying his laptop.
"Hey, guys. There's something in this."
He sat down, and Rikki looked at him sarcastically.
"Great. See you later."
"You're gonna want to hear this," replied Lewis.
"Pretty sure I won't."
"Pretty sure you will."
Cleo sighed.
"Rikki. Hear him out. Please."
Rikki stopped and made her way back over. She sat down.
"This better be good."
Lewis sighed.
"Okay. There is a connection..and I'm not the first person to look at planetary cycles on Mako. Fifty years ago, someone did the same research as me."
Rikki leaned back.
"Okay..mildly interesting.."
"According to this article," continued Lewis. "Someone by the name of Max Hamilton did work on planetary influence and tides in 1957. I'd love to get a copy of his work. I've searched the whole net, but it's just..it was just never put online."
I sighed.
"They didn't have internet back then. Of course it wouldn't be online."
Rikki looked over at Lewis.
"Do you mind?"
She took the laptop and typed a few words before speaking again.
"Is that a Max K. Hamilton?"
"Yeah," replied Lewis. "How'd you know?"
"Online directory. There's his address."
Lewis looked at the address.
"He's living right here on the coast. Guys, this is brilliant. I'll talk to you later."
Lewis closed the laptop and headed out the door. I turned to Jenna.
"I probably should go with him."
Jenna smiled.
"Alright. I want to come too. I like your hobbies, and who knows? We might learn something new about our other sides."
I smiled, and took Jenna's hand, pulling her out the door.
"Lewis, wait up!"
Location: Max's House
Lewis knocked on the door of Max's house. Nobody was answering. As we walked away from the door, we saw a man fishing on the beach, and we went over to him. However, Jenna and I stopped a good few feet away as we didn't want to get wet. Lewis went to introduce himself. As the two began to talk, Jenna and I sat down on the sand. Just then Lewis came over.
"He isn't talking. About Mako."
I stood up.
"What do you mean?"
"He was as friendly as ever until I mentioned Mako. Then he clammed right up."
I sighed.
"Well, that's just great. Come on, Jenna. Let's go."
Me and Jenna went off on our own way, while Lewis headed back to the JuiceNet. We didn't notice Max following Lewis or looking at Jenna's locket and recognizing it.
Location: Boat Dock, Lewis and Eric's fishing spot, Time: Next Morning
Me and Lewis were sitting on the boat dock when Max came onto the dock.
"You'd have more luck if you cast off along the other end of the jetty. Let the lure drift down with the tide."
I shrugged.
"I didn't think we'd see you again. How'd you find us?"
"Give it a try."
I shrugged.
"I don't fish anymore. Lewis does though."
Lewis grabbed his rod and went over to the other side of the jetty as Max began to talk.
"So who were those girls I saw you two with the other day? They're your girlfriends?"
I frowned.
"The girl with me? Her name is Jenna. Why? You following us?"
Max shrugged and turned to Lewis.
"I'm guessing the girl at the Juice Bar is your girlfriend?"
"Uh, her name is Cleo, and not she's not my girlfriend," replied Lewis.
Max looked at both of us.
"What do you know about the lockets around their necks?"
My head snapped up, and I was about to speak but Lewis spoke up.
"Nothing. Is there something we should know?"
Max chuckled.
"Pity we don't trust each other more."
I frowned.
"Why is that?"
"Just say I did have some research on Mako Island. That's the thing I could only show to someone I trusted."
Lewis looked over.
"You can trust us."
"I'd need to see the lockets first."
I shook my head.
"No way. Can't be done."
Max chuckled.
"You know where to find me."
Max left and suddenly Lewis got a bite on his fishing rod. We were both shocked. Later, Lewis got Cleo's locket, and I managed to get a picture of Jenna's. I could only hope it was enough. We sat down at a table at Max's house.
Max took Cleo's locket and looked at the picture of Jenna's.
"It's been such a long time. I knew I recognized them."
"How," I asked.
"I ought to be able to. I made them."
Lewis and I were shocked.
"Fifty years ago," continued Max. "I made four of them. Each one slightly different."
Lewis pointed to Cleo's locket.
"One of the hinges is a bit loose."
Max looked at it.
"Huh..Well, I can fix that."
Then he noticed my pocket watch around my neck.
"That watch...it has almost the same design of the lockets...could I see it?"
I nodded and unhooked it from my neck, handing it to him. He studied it.
"Who made it?"
"My biological grandfather. I was adopted by the Gilbert's."
"Ah..yeah..the one with the..swim champ...what was her name?"
"Emma."
"Ah...well..your grandfather seemed to be quite the craftsman. If you hadn't told me he made it, I would have mistaken it for my own. Here you go."
He handed it to me before Lewis spoke up.
"Why did you make four?"
"One for each girl. This one's my favorite."
He held up Cleo's locket.
"I made it for someone special."
"A girl?"
"Not a girl. The girl. But you two know about that already. Cleo and Jenna."
Lewis shrugged.
"I already told you. Cleo's not my girlfriend."
Max gave Lewis a look.
Lewis sighed.
"She was once. But we were just kids then. So how do you know when she's the one?"
Max smiled.
"She's the person who can't stop smiling when she first sees you."
He stood up and began walking back to the house, and Lewis went after him.
"Hey, what about the trust thing? You were gonna tell us about Mako?"
"Oh, yeah."
I came over.
"So what do you know?"
"Everything. Later, at the jetty. I'll share it all with you two. Trust me."
Max headed inside with the locket, and me and Lewis headed off on our own ways. Soon, we met back at the jetty and we're loading the boat when Max came down the ramp.
"I used to have a boat just like this when I was young."
Lewis looked up.
"Yeah? What say you, your friend and I take a trip out to Mako Island?"
We both looked over at Max.
I spoke up
"Mako Island? No."
"I know what you two are after out there. I know you want this. My research. All of it,"
He held out a small saddlebag. Lewis tried to reach for it, but Max pulled it back.
"Take me out to Mako right now, and it's all yours."
Lewis and I looked at each other. On one hand we had to protect the secret, but we couldn't help me or the girls if we didn't ask for help.
I sighed.
"All aboard."
Lewis nodded.
"Climb in."
Max and I climbed in and soon we were sailing out to Mako. Once we arrived, Max suddenly took off and raced inland. Lewis and I quickly went after him. As we raced after him, we neared the hole that me, and the girls fell down when we were first transformed. We quickly followed him, and found him talking to Cleo, who had swam into the pool a few minutes before we arrived.
Cleo looked at us.
"Guys, what's going on?"
Lewis spoke up.
"Cleo, this is Max. He..he kind..of fell in...accidentally."
Max looked around in awe.
"It hasn't changed."
Cleo looked at Max.
"You know this place?"
"Yeah..we used to come here all the time. So..what are you dong here, Cleo?"
"I came to meet Lewis. We come here quite a lot."
"Really? How did you get here? I didn't notice any boats."
"Oh..a friend dropped me off. I got here a few minutes before you three did."
Max paused.
"That's funny. I didn't see you up top anywhere."
"I swam in."
"All that way? Underwater? Remarkable."
Max kneeled next to the water.
"Quite magical the water is. Don't you think?"
Suddenly, he stuck his hand in the water, and flung water at Cleo, getting her legs wet. She dived into the water.
"I had to know," replied Max.
Cleo surfaced. Her tail was drifting behind her.
Max kneeled next to her.
"I'm sorry."
"What do you want?"
"Nothing. I just needed to be sure. Please stay. I don't mean you any harm."
He held out his hand.
"Please?"
Cleo grabbed his hand and he pulled her out. Once her tail was dry, we sat talking. Max sat on a nearby rock, and was shaking with excitement.
"I didn't know I could still feel this way."
"Which way," asked Lewis.
"Excited. But you're not the first mermaid I've ever seen, you know."
Cleo looked at Max with a curious look.
"You knew Miss Chatham."
Max nodded.
"Louise, Juila, Natalie..and Gracie. We were the best of friends. I knew they were hiding something from me, so one day I followed them. I was the first one to know their secret. The others didn't like it..but Gracie was glad I finally knew. She felt relieved. Gracie was the one for me. We were so happy together...and then it ended...Gracie took the fact that she was no longer human the hardest. I tried my best to help her...but I couldn't. I made the lockets for the four girls and I hoped Gracie would embrace what she'd become..but..it didn't last long. She threw her locket into the pool."
I sighed.
"And hat's where Emma found it. Where Gracie threw it."
Max nodded.
"It laid there undisturbed for fifty years."
Cleo looked over.
"What happened to Gracie?"
Max stood still almost if he was having a flashback.
"I need to leave."
Cleo went to comfort Max, while I spoke up.
"Max...I don't know if there was a way for this to have happened to you, but you should know the truth about me as well..."
I dived into the pool, and resurfaced, my bright red tail floating behind me.
Max smiled.
"Well, I'll be damned. You're a merman?"
"Yeah."
I pulled myself out of the pool, and dried my tail with a towel from my mom's towel stash. Soon my legs returned and I walked over to the group.
Max smiled.
"You're secret is safe with me, Cleo and Eric. I need to leave now."
I nodded.
"Alright. I'll see you around Max."
Lewis led Max out of the Moon Pool, and I dived back into the water, racing away, curious about the whole situation with Max and Gracie, and what secrets laid in their past.
And that's a wrap! Stay tuned for "The Gracie Code Part 2" Until next time, this is Saber The F4U Corsair, signing off!