A/N Firstly, I can't actually believe people are reading my story. Thank you so much, it means a lot to me that you guys are reading and reviewing, you guys all get cookies! (and a really quick update, yay!)

I'm going to update some more now because real life will soon get in the way when I go back to university, sigh. Until then, I'll try and write as much as I can!

Mako Mermaids is owned by Johnathan M. Shiff. Not me. Unfortunately.

CHAPTER THREE

And now I wish to God,
That the earth would turn cold,
And my heart would forget it's made of glass.

"What am I going to do?" Lyla asked Rita in frustration as she looked out to the ocean from her balcony.

"The mermaids have forbidden a merman into the pod, and I'm scared that they'll leave again. I even told Zac that they would accept him… I'm so stupid." She sighed and hid her face in her hands.

"I… I thought they wouldn't have a problem. I thought that when they realised that Zac was a good person after that whole trident thing, he'd just be allowed. But they won't budge. I just don't know what to do." She repeated glumly through her fingers. Rita prised Lyla's hands away from her face and embraced her, tucking Lyla's head in between her head and shoulder.

"Shhh, I'm sure we can figure something out. But Lyla, you need to tell Zac the truth. He's dealing with so much right now.. He really needs to know the mermaid council's decision" Rita explained, softly stroking Lyla's hair. Lyla pulled back and looked at her.

"I guess you're right, but I still feel awful for getting Zac's hopes up." Said Lyla, making her way back inside. Rita followed close behind.

"Would you like a strong tea?" asked Rita, but before Lyla could give an answer there was a knock at the door. Lyla rushed down the stairs and peeked in through the living room window. Through the frosted glass she saw Zac kicking a stray pebble around Rita's front porch. Lyla quickly drew back from the window and replaced the curtains, hoping that Zac didn't see her. Lyla looked behind her and saw Rita standing in the doorway. She gave her a sad look before Rita advanced towards the door with every intention of opening the door.

"No don-" began Lyla but her plea was silenced by the sound of the front door opening. Zac's figure walked through the doorframe and into the carpet, bringing in trail of sand and the distinct crisp smell of seaweed with him. He wiped his shoes on the doormat as Rita closed the door behind him, and then looked up to see Lyla standing in the walkway between the entrance and the living room. He smiled at her, although she only gave him a blank stare in return. He was about to ask if there was anything wrong, but before he got the chance, Lyla turned around and walked back into the house without a sound.

"Lyla, wait!" said Zac, but it was too late, she had already vanished around a corner. He glanced at Mrs. Santos looking for an explanation, but she just looked at him with a pained look on her expressive features.

"There's nothing I can do, Zac, there's really nothing." She said vaguely and turned in the other direction to Lyla to sit outside in the afternoon sun. Zac was left standing in the entranceway, a puzzled look on his face. He walked slowly up to the bookshelf that revealed a secret passageway to an underground section of Mrs. Santos' home, a living memorial to the life she lived as a mermaid, and also to her long lost human lover. He scanned the room, looking for a girl with blonde hair and bright eyes. He found her, sitting in a corner fumbling with a blue ring that could hold the powers of the moon within its gemstone.

"Lyla, are you okay?" he asked quizzically, he really had no idea what's going on.

"Zac.. I.. I don't know if I'm okay or not. I just don't know." She said and she looked at him sadly. "Nothing I do or say is even right…" she continued, gesturing to the space around her. "You can't join our pod Zac, I wish you could, but they won't be persuaded. Nixie won't even talk to me anymore when I go near there since I refused to join with her, and she keeps saying these awful things about land people, like they are some kind of disease, and it's making Sirena upset, because I know how much she loves David, and, well, she knows how much I like you." She said, placing her ring back on her second finger.

Zac looked at her in a mixture of confusion and disbelief, he had no idea the reason Lyla decided to stay on land was because of him. He took a step back and he tripped over a small table, sending the items resting on it crashing down with him. He landed in a heap of red velvet and seashells. Lyla laughed and rescued him from the clutches of the heavy fabric. He flinched away and walked into the next room, which contained a pool full of seawater that tunnelled out to the sea.

"Lyla, why, no wait- when… Lyla, I..." he trailed off with a shocked look on his face.

"Zac, I'm sorry, I um, I thought you knew. But I'm really sorry." She apologised over and over again, her face becoming red.

"I just wanted you to be with me forever, in the sea with me. Living the dream life you once told me about. I clearly thought…" but she stopped then as her eyes became wet and she ran past him and dived straight into the pool, swimming so quickly Zac didn't even have time to watch. Once again, Lyla had left him alone. Zac didn't know what to think, or feel, or even do. His whole body became paralysed with the thought that Lyla liked - even fancied - him, and he didn't even realise. How could he have been so stupid this whole time? It all kind of fit into place now; the reason why his and Evie's relationship wasn't working out, the reason why he stopped going to school, the reason why Lyla stayed and tried to convince the mermaid council to accept him as a member of their pod and the reason why he now spent more time without legs than with them. It was her, and he had ruined everything by being so stupid. He wanted to hit himself for being so dumb.

He jumped into the water and felt himself transform for what was the umpteenth time into a creature of the seas. His powerful tail undulated behind him as he streaked through the water like some kind of twisted, underwater cheetah. He had a feeling he knew where Lyla was, for she had shown him a pod of dolphins just the other day that had migrated to the warmer waters just off Mako's shores for the summer. One of the younger dolphins, he thought (or more accurately, Lyla translated dolphin language for him) considered him a friend of sorts, but he couldn't really be sure.

He felt something come up beside him and race him to the dolphin's hideaway. He turned to face the side with a pang of nervousness, thinking it was an enemy, but instead it was that young dolphin, racing him back to the dolphin pod with a wicked glint in his eye. For they aren't tame dolphins, Lyla's voice whispered through his head. They might try and be your friend, but you cannot treat them as a pet. Treat them as equals. Zac looked back at the dolphin with and even crazier gleam in his eye and pressed forward, feeling the dolphin beside him doing the same.

All too soon, the race was over, as soon some other young dolphins playing in the water that had just been warmed by the sunlight came into their vision. Zac had just beaten his competitor, turning around to see the young dolphin swimming eagerly behind him. Zac smiled at him and continued on his search to find Lyla. He swam through the pod of dolphins, careful to not disturb any conversations, and feeling elated when the dolphins acknowledged him. I really might belong here, more than the human world, at least, he thought to himself. He saw a flicker of orange fin and he turned to see a large orange tail disappearing behind some of the young dolphins. He followed it and Lyla turned around and saw him. Her eyes flickered sadness and tension as she looked over at the person, - no, merman – that had stolen her heart.

She was about to swim over to him before a loud noise startled the entire pod of dolphins. The noise was then directly followed by a cloud of red, and Lyla saw Zac falling through the water, his eyes closed with a shocked expression on his face. The young dolphin that was just before eagerly racing him was falling down with him, slashing the water with his fins. Lyla looked up and could see the silhouette of a land-people boat reflected in the top of the water. She frantically looked back towards Zac, who had finally come to rest at the bottom of the ocean with the dolphin, his arm wrapped loosely over the mammal's body. Lyla looked at him, and then the boat again frantically. She had no idea what to do.