Credits

(The movie theater. Dylan and Shannen exit, and start walking around, talking and laughing.)

Dylan – So, what do you want to do now?

Shannen – I don't know.

(Shannen looks around for something to do, and Dylan reaches for her hand timidly. Right before he takes her hand, she raises it and points at a little store.)

Shannen – Oh, look! How about we go there?

Dylan – (trying to hide his disappointment) Ok, sure.

(They head towards the store. Scene change)

-)-(-

(In the ocean, by a reef. Jason, in merman form, is swimming by. Suddenly, he sees three figures approaching. Quickly, Jason swims over to a large coral and ducks behind it. The three figures slow down, and can be identified as Emma, Cleo, and Rikki. Their backs are to Jason. Jason peeks out from behind the large coral, and his eyes widen as he sees that only one of the mermaids has brown hair, and the other two are blond. The three mermaids, after having looked at something, swim away. Jason comes out from his hiding place, and swims in the opposite direction. Scene change)

-)-(-

(Jason is running up the beach, heading towards Markus, who's waiting impatiently near the street.)

Markus – (annoyed) What? What's so important that you had to tell me now?

(Jason arrives at where Markus is, and bends over, struggling to slow his rapid breathing.)

Markus – (frustrated) Well?

Jason – (between gasps) I was out… for a swim…

Markus – What? That's it?

(Jason holds up a finger, indicating that he's not done yet. He takes a few breaths before continuing.)

Jason – And I saw them-

Markus – (interrupting again) The girls? They didn't see you, did they?

Jason – (shakes his head slightly before continuing) But, it wasn't all the girls, or, at least, not all the ones we thought.

Markus – (confused) What do you mean?

Jason – I saw two (emphasizes) blond mermaids, instead of just one.

Markus – (shocked) You mean, Emma-?

Jason – Yes.

Markus – So, Shannen's not a mermaid.

(Jason shakes his head.)

Markus – So we sent Dylan to make friends with Shannen for no reason?

(Jason nods.)

Markus – (pulling out his cell-phone) I'm calling Dylan. (he dials Dylan's number and waits until the other boy answers) Dylan, Jason and I have to talk to you as soon as possible. (he pauses as Dylan says something) We'll see you then… usual place. (he hangs up and turns to Jason) Let's go.

(Both boys begin to walk away. Scene change)

-)-(-

(Emma is jogging to the Café, wearing her uniform. She checks her watch, and ducks through the beads in the entrance. As she heads towards the counter, she hears an odd noise. She turns to see one of her coworkers sitting at a table, obviously crying. Emma changes her direction and heads over to her.)

Emma – (worried) What's wrong, Grace?

Grace – (crying) Ash fired (sniffles) me!

(Emma sits down on the seat next to her coworker.)

Emma – Why?

Grace – (wailing) I don't know! He didn't tell me!

Emma – (patting her coworker's arm reassuringly) It's probably just a mistake.

Grace – (looks at Emma hopefully) You think so?

(Emma smiles at Grace as Ash steps out of the 'Staff Only' section. Emma sees him and gets up.)

Emma – I'll be right back, ok?

(Grace, seeing where Emma is going, nods quickly and begins dabbing at her eyes with a napkin. Emma walks up to Ash.)

Emma – (quietly to Ash) Why did you fire Grace? She's one of the best workers we have!

(Ash sighs and hangs his head slightly. Emma keeps talking, not seeing her boyfriend's reaction.)

Emma – She's usually on time, knows the menu well, and is a quick smoothie-maker. I can't see why you would fire her, unless it's a mistake. (she notices Ash's expression and her tone becomes tentative) It isn't a mistake, is it?

(Ash nods regretfully, and Emma quickly glances at her coworker, who's currently looking at her reflection in a spoon.)

Ash – (sounding tired) Emma, I'm not going to lie to you. The Café's having a hard time, and we've had to cut back on a lot of things, and staff is one of them.

(Emma's eyebrows rise and her mouth opens to exclaim something. Ash sees her expression and shakes his head vigorously.)

Ash – No, Emma. The Café isn't bankrupt enough to lose its best employee. You're not fired, don't worry.

(Emma sighs in relief and looks over at Grace.)

Emma – So, what do I tell Grace?

(Ash shrugs. Emma cautiously heads back to her coworker, smiling comfortingly all the time.)

Ash – (muttering grimly) Here come the waterworks.

(Ash ducks back into the 'Staff Only' area before Emma reaches Grace. Scene change)

-)-(-

(The cave in which the boys meet secretly. Markus and Jason are already there, and Jason is looking at his watch. Dylan suddenly runs up, looking frustrated.)

Dylan – (to Markus) Why did you want me to come? I was just about to get even closer to Shannen, like you said I had to!

Markus – Jason saw something today, while he was swimming.

Dylan – (turning to Jason) What did you see?

(Jason opens his mouth but Markus interrupts him before he even says anything.)

Markus – He saw that Shannen wasn't a mermaid.

(Dylan freezes in shock.)

Dylan – (stuttering) Bu-but that's not possible! We watched them for ages, and we made sure it was them!

Markus – (coldly) We got two of them right, but it seems like we failed where Shannen is concerned.

Dylan – (protesting) Shannen's definitely a mermaid! She's got a secret, and powers, and everything!

Jason – Whatever she is, it's not a mermaid. I'm positive of what I saw.

Dylan – (stubbornly) There's no way we were wrong. Shannen is definitely special.

Jason – (trying to calm Dylan down) Would you feel better if we made sure of Shannen's not being a mermaid before we continue with the plan?

Dylan – (shakes his head violently) We don't have to make sure, because I know that she's a mermaid. I'm sure!

(Dylan runs away from his friends, who don't do anything to stop him. As soon as Dylan is gone, Jason turns to Markus.)

Jason – What do we do now?

Markus – We test her anyway. As soon as Dylan sees that he's wrong, we can fix our mistakes.

(Jason nods. Scene changes)

-)-(-

(Cleo's bedroom. Cleo, Rikki, and Shannen are hanging out and discussing something. Rikki is standing by the window, and Cleo and Shannen are both sitting on the bed.)

Cleo – (curiously, to Shannen) So, how'd your date go?

Shannen – (looking at Cleo) All right, I guess.

Cleo – You guess?

Shannen – (shrugs) Yeah. It started pretty well, but, near the end, he looked rather disappointed.

Cleo – (unsure of what to answer) Oh.

Shannen – Yeah.

Cleo – Why didn't you just read his mind?

Shannen – (looks at Cleo, obviously scandalized) I'm not going to use that power on him! It could ruin everything!

(Rikki rolls her eyes and turns to face both of her friends.)

Rikki – Well, if you're not going to use your powers, what's the point of them?

(Shannen looks away. Rikki sighs exasperatedly.)

Rikki – Around when did he become disappointed?

Shannen – What does that have to do with anything?

Rikki – If you're not going to use your power, then we'll have to dissect the situation like normal girls.

Shannen – Oh.

Rikki – So, when?

Shannen – Like I said, near the end.

Rikki – (heading to the bed) No, I meant what happened before?

Shannen – Well, we'd just left the movie, and I thought it would be nice to go to a little store.

(Rikki thinks for a moment, as Cleo seems to brighten.)

Cleo – Maybe he thought he'd have to buy you something.

Shannen – I doubt it. It's not like I asked him to or anything.

Rikki – Well, guys are weird. Maybe he thought he had to get you something at the store.

(Shannen shrugs once more as a voice is heard calling out to them. Cleo stands up and heads to the door.)

Cleo – That's Emma. (she opens the door and yells) It's open!

(A door is heard opening and then closing. Footsteps are heard approaching, and soon Emma rushes into the room.)

Emma – I just got away.

Rikki – (raising one eyebrow) From who?

Emma – Grace. (she joins Shannen sitting on the bed)

Cleo – The girl you work with?

Emma – Yes.

Rikki – Why'd you have to get away from her?

Emma – It's a long story.

-)-(-

(Outside of Cleo's house. Jason and Markus are sitting nearby, reading the same book Dylan has used to cast mermaid spells before.)

Jason – You're sure this thing will work?

Markus – Yes. It'll just put whoever's not a mermaid to sleep. Easy.

Jason – So it should only work on Shannen?

Markus – Unless there's someone else in that house who's not a mermaid, yes. You did check that the girls are the only ones in there, right?

Jason – Yes. Cleo's dad and sister left an hour ago.

Markus – Then this should work perfectly.

(Jason nods.)

Jason – So, how do we do this?

Markus – We just have to get close to the house and throw this (he points to something on the page) inside. Of course, we have to do a few things with it first.

Jason – Ok.

Markus – (rubs his hands together) Let's get to work.

-)-(-

(Cleo's bedroom. The girls are still talking.)

Cleo – (looking upset) So the Café is in trouble?

(Emma nods sadly.)

Cleo – That's too bad. It's such a great place to hang out.

Emma – I know.

(They're all silent for a moment. Suddenly, a small green ball comes through the window and hits Rikki on the head.)

Rikki – (exclaiming in surprise) Ouch!

(All girls glance in surprise at the ball, which rolls on the floor for a bit before letting out a steam which fills the room. The girls start coughing, and the steam starts to fade.)

Cleo – (between coughs) What was that?

Rikki – (waving her hand in front of her face, trying to get rid of steam) Hell if I know.

(Cleo goes over to the window and opens it more. She looks outside with Rikki.)

Emma – (urgently) You guys!

(Rikki and Cleo turn to see Emma pointing at Shannen, who's lying still on the bed, her eyes closed.)

Emma – I think the smoke did something to her!

(Emma puts her hand on Shannen's forehead, while the other girls approach worriedly.)

Cleo – What's wrong with her?

Emma – (confused) I think she's asleep, but she won't wake up.

(Rikki ducks down for a moment, and then stands up, the ball in her hand. She inspects it.)

Rikki – It looks like a bunch of leaves, all tied together.

Emma – (holding out her hand) Let me see that.

(Rikki hands the ball over and Emma looks at it.)

Emma – Rikki's right. I guess this combination of leaves makes that steam.

Cleo – But why did only Shannen fall asleep?

Rikki – (shrugging) She probably got the full blast of it.

Emma – (shaking her head) No, that's not it. I was close to her and I'm still awake.

Cleo – Do you think it has anything to do with us being mermaids and not her?

(Emma, Cleo, and Rikki look at each other, fear on their faces. The doorbell rings.)

Cleo – (confused) Did any of you guys invite anyone else?

(Emma and Cleo shake their heads. The three girls rush downstairs. Scene change)

-)-(-

(Entrance to Cleo's house. Cleo opens the door, Emma and Rikki are right behind her. On the other side of the door is Dylan.)

Dylan – Is Shannen here?

Cleo – Um, Shannen?

Dylan – Yeah, her mum said she was here. Is she?

(Cleo stops for a moment, trying to think of something. Rikki steps in.)

Rikki – (lying) Oh, you just missed her. She went to get some… (her voice dies down)

Emma – Some more chips! Yeah, we ran out.

Dylan – Oh, ok. Could I wait for her here, then?

(Dylan steps inside, and Cleo nods reluctantly.)

Dylan – (heading towards the living room) Will she be back soon?

Emma – Well, I don't know. There might be a long line at the store.

Dylan – (mumbling) Maybe I should just call her.

(Dylan takes out his cellphone, dials a number, and holds it to his ear. Faintly, a ring is heard upstairs. The three girls look at each other before Rikki runs upstairs. After a short while, the ringing stops. Confused, Dylan lowers his phone and stares at the screen.)

Dylan – That's weird. She switched her phone off.

Cleo – She must have left it at home or something.

Dylan – (sighs) Yeah, she must have.

(Dylan sits on the couch, tapping his feet against the ground anxiously. Emma and Cleo sit near him.)

Emma – What's wrong?

Dylan – I just really had to tell her something, that's all.

Cleo – (curiously) What?

Dylan – (looks at the girls for a moment before talking) Well, I think she got the wrong idea from the way I acted on our last date, and I just had to clear it up.

(Emma and Cleo exchange glances as Dylan continues.)

Dylan – I was just so nervous, and she must've noticed something was off. I just really want to tell her the truth.

(Rikki descends the stairs.)

Rikki – (lying) You guys, Shannen just called. She said she's not feeling well so she's going home.

Dylan – (confused, to Cleo) But didn't she leave her phone at home?

Emma – (covering up) Yeah. She must've called from a payphone. (meaningfully) Right, Rikki?

Rikki – (getting it) Oh, yeah. She did.

Dylan – (not looking convinced, getting up) Well, I guess I'll just go back to her house, then.

Emma – Oh, no! She said she wasn't feeling well, so you should probably let her rest.

Dylan – (shrugs) Alright. I'll see you girls later.

(Cleo opens the door and Dylan leaves the house. Cleo then closes the door and leans against it.)

Cleo – That was close.

Rikki – Too close.

Emma – We should see if Shannen's awake now.

(The three girls rush upstairs. Scene change)

-)-(-

(Outside of Cleo's house. Dylan is walking, his hands in his pockets. He seems downcast. He catches a glimpse of something, and trots over to where Jason and Markus are sitting.)

Dylan – What are you doing here?

Markus – (grinning) Proving that Shannen's not a mermaid.

Dylan – (worried) What did you guys do?

Markus – Relax. We only did a little spell.

(Dylan starts looking angry.)

Jason – (quickly) It's only meant to make anyone who's not a mermaid fall asleep. I promise we didn't hurt her.

(Dylan doesn't look too convinced.)

Dylan – I keep telling you guys, you're wrong!

Markus – No, we're not. The spell worked. Who did you see at the house?

Dylan – Emma, Cleo, and Rikki.

Markus – (satisfied) Well, that proves it!

Dylan – That doesn't prove anything!

Markus – Shannen was obviously affected by the spell, and the girls didn't know what to do.

Dylan – (doubtfully) They said that Shannen had left.

Jason – We've been sitting out here for hours. She didn't leave.

(Dylan sits down, looking upset.)

Dylan – I was so sure she was a mermaid.

Jason – (patting Dylan on the back) We all were.

(There is a small moment of silence, before Dylan's face hardens slightly.)

Dylan – (looks up at Markus) Take the spell off.

Markus – Huh?

Dylan – Cancel it, or whatever. Just wake her up.

Markus – Ok. (turns to Jason) Jason?

(Jason pulls out the book and both Markus and Jason start to read it. Scene change)

-)-(-

(Cleo's room. Emma, Cleo, and Rikki are standing over Shannen, who is still fast asleep. Rikki is holding a bucket full of water.)

Cleo – Are you sure this will work?

Rikki – Well, nothing else has. What other choice do we have?

Cleo – What if she doesn't wake up?

Emma – Let's not think about that right now, ok?

(Emma turns to Rikki and nods. Rikki nods back, and begins to tip the contents of the bucket over Shannen. Right before the water hits her, Shannen gasps awake. The water hits her, and she sits up, shocked.)

Shannen – What did you do that for?

Cleo – You were asleep.

Shannen – (confused) What?

Rikki – Yeah. The ball thing that came in through the window put you to sleep or something.

Shannen – What ball thing?

(Rikki looks around, but is unable to find it.)

Rikki – (protesting) It was here a moment ago!

(Shannen looks unconvinced.)

Emma – It was here.

Cleo – It must've disappeared.

Shannen – (quietly) Could I get some dry clothes, please?

Cleo – (remembering that Shannen is wet) Oh, right! Yeah, sure.

(Cleo and Shannen head towards the closet, while Rikki and Emma look around, but don't find the ball. Scene change)

-)-(-

(Outside the Juicenet Café. Emma is in her uniform, walking to the entrance, with Cleo. They're talking.)

Emma – We still haven't found out what happened. And how the ball disappeared.

Cleo – I still don't think it's enough reason to worry.

Emma – But it only affected Shannen, who's the only one who's not a (she glances around before saying the next word quietly) mermaid, (continues a bit louder) so that can only mean that someone's discovered our secret!

Cleo – Maybe whoever did it didn't know it would only affect normal people.

Emma – (shakes her head) It's too much of a coincidence. I think we should really start to be careful. For all we know, someone could have done all this on purpose.

Cleo – For what? It didn't do any harm!

Emma – Something still doesn't feel right.

(Ash walks out of the Café, looking upset. Emma instantly straightens.)

Emma – Ash! I'm sorry I'm late. I was just about to go in, I-

Ash – (interrupting her with a sad smile) You're only half a minute late, Emma. Besides, you don't have to worry about that anymore.

Emma – What do you mean?

Ash – (sighs before continuing) The Café's closed. We just can't afford it anymore.

Cleo – (disbelieving) It's closed for good?

Ash – Yeah. (he turns to Emma) We really tried, Emma.

Emma – (shocked, but trying to hide it) I understand.

Ash – (turning to the Café) Well, I suppose this is it.

(Ash closes the doors to the Café solemnly, as Cleo and Emma watch. As soon as the doors are closed, Emma starts a quick walk towards the beach. Ash moves as if to follow her, but Cleo grabs on to his arm.)

Cleo – No, leave her. She needs to be alone.

(Ash nods sadly as he looks at Emma walking away. Scene change)

-)-(-

(An empty beach. Emma is running to the water, looking very upset. As soon as she's close enough, she dives into the waves. Her tail appears briefly, before sinking into the water. Jason, Markus, and Dylan are then shown, hiding behind some trees.)

Jason – See, I told you.

Markus – Well, this sets us back. (he turns to Dylan) Unfortunately, you're going to have to start all over.

Dylan – I don't feel very comfortable doing that.

Markus – (angry) We're running out of time! Then full moon is next week. If you haven't finished the job by then, we won't be able to use the magic!

(Dylan nods reluctantly. Markus and Jason stand up and walk away, leaving Dylan alone. Dylan turns to the ocean and sighs mournfully, before setting a determined look on his face and standing up. He glances at the ocean one more time before he runs after his friends. Scene fades.)

End Credits

(A/N) Sorry it's been so long! It's been a tough... six months? Yeah, well, applying to college is not easy, and neither is senior year! Besides, a bunch of sad stuff happened and my muse practically died on me. I had to go and dig her up to get this written! I'm so very very sorry for how long it's been. On the bright side, though, it's a pretty long episode! Oh, and the next one will probably be the last one, unless it's too long and I have to split it in two.

Please enjoy, read, and review, especially if you spot any mistakes (which is likely due to the speed at which this was written.)

Once more, be reminded that if I owned this, it would probably be an episode, and I would not be suffering through my senior year.

And, thanks to Boris Yeltsin for giving me the idea of putting Shannen to sleep.