A/N: Needless to say, it's been awhile. I could give a list of excuses and reasons of my absence, but it would be a long one. But have no fear! I'm back with a new chapter, which I literally just finished and was so excited that I posted it here immediately.
There's plenty of drama ahead so be forewarned.
Now have fun and enjoy the chapter. And be sure to review! I'd love to see your reactions... :)
The rain continued.
Despite the crashing sound of it against the home's wall and windows, the only thing Cleo could hear was her heart racing and her panicked, uneasy breathing. She paced back and forth in her living room, worrying and wondering. How could someone have possibly entered her house? Who would want that CD so bad? Why would they take the CD and spare her?
Was she next?
With a sudden clash of thunder, Cleo shrieked. Trembling, she raced towards the stairs and grabbed her dad's golf umbrella in the adjacent closet. She sighed in relief; at least she had some sort of protection now. Though walking into the kitchen calmly, she still couldn't shake the fear that plagued her. She wasn't safe… nobody was.
Cleo then stopped in her path. Her head turned towards the front door where shadows were lingering just outside of it. A figure placed its hand on the handle and jiggled it furiously. With a small cry, Cleo clutched the umbrella handle tight and braced herself for anything, hiding herself from view.
The door creaked and opened.
Silently walking out of her hiding place, Cleo looked at wide open front door. Nobody was in sight. Carefully she walked up to it and glanced outside at the pouring rain. With a sigh, she shut the door.
"What are you doing?"
"AH!" Cleo whirled around with the umbrella raised over her head, prepared for an attack. She sighed in relief when she recognized the friend in front of her. "Rikki!"
Rikki looked at her with confusion. She wore her blue raincoat and hat, both of which were wet from the downpour, and rain boots. Carefully, she removed the hat with a towel from the kitchen. "How about you lower that umbrella now?"
"Right," Cleo followed her friend's suggestion. "Sorry. I'm still a little jumpy."
"Understandably. After you called Lewis, the next thing I knew he was at the trailer, banging on the door for me to hurry up and come see you."
"I appreciate you guys coming. Especially this quickly."
"Well what did you expect us to do? Leave you here by yourself?" Rikki retorted with a smile.
"Where's Lewis?" Cleo looked over by the door.
"Parking the car. He let me out as close as he could to your door." Rikki said as she began steam drying herself. "It's really not that easy having a mermaid out in the middle of a rainstorm."
"Tell me about it. If it wasn't raining, I would have run after the person." Cleo looked over at the backdoor and sighed.
"I'm glad you didn't," Rikki confided. "Who knows what Denman would have done if you followed her!"
"You just automatically assume it's Denman?"
"Well, who else could it be?" Rikki threw the now dried hat and raincoat on the floor. "The woman just happens to appear when Emma's gone missing and suddenly someone broke into your house to steal the only evidence we have against her?"
Cleo looked down uncomfortably. "I—I really don't think it was her…"
"Oh sure. Go ahead and defend the crazy psycho!"
"It—it almost looked like Emma." Looking back at Rikki, Cleo saw how wide her eyes had got.
The door opened again both either could say another word. "Cleo!" Lewis frantically ran over towards his girlfriend to ensure she was okay. However, he was forced to restrain himself when he realized he was dripping wet. He stopped just short of her. "Are—are you okay?"
"I am. Thanks." She answered quietly, looking into his concerned eyes. Cleo then turned her direction over towards Rikki, who was still trying to process Cleo's remark. "Any word on Bella?"
Rikki just shook her head, still unable to say anything. She did, however, manage to steam dry Lewis off.
"No, we haven't. I called to ask if she wanted a ride, but she never picked up." Lewis answered, finally wrapping Cleo in for a hug.
With great concern, Cleo took a deep breath. "I'll try her mobile again." Letting go of Lewis, she quickly dialed Bella. She waited but to no avail. "It went straight to voicemail."
"Bella is not our biggest concern right now," Rikki interjected. "It's that CD."
"It wasn't my—"
"Don't even try that one, Cleo." Rikki retorted. "It was the only thing we had on Denman."
Cleo's head whirled towards Rikki. "Don't you dare put this one on me! It's not like I wanted the CD to get stolen!"
With a large exhale, Rikki continued. "I know that. I'm just… frustrated." She paused. "I just want Emma back so badly."
"As do I. We're going to do all that we can."
"Cleo's right. We know Denman must be guilty to some degree. We'll get more evidence on her. We just need to be a little more patient... especially at 3 in the morning," Lewis tried.
"We don't have time! Who knows where the hell Emma is?! We need to help her and get that damn CD back! We can't just sit here and wait."
"We know that but—"
Rikki cut her off. "I don't think you do! With every minute we wait, another minute Emma is in hellfire. If I could just look into the eyes our CD thief, I'd… I'd…."
With a sudden burst, the front door opened. Then closed. Then a large thump. Then "ow".
"Bella?" Cleo guessed, running into the entrance with Lewis and Rikki behind her. They found Bella collapsed on the floor with her tail.
"I'm so sorry I'm late!" Bella began to explain. "I got the first message but then my phone died. Rikki, would you mind drying me off?" With a nod, Rikki bent down to dry her off.
"I looked for my charger so I could respond. Of course, I couldn't find it. I must have left it here from earlier. But I digress. I couldn't walk here from the rain and then had to wait for my dad to get home from the hotel to give me a ride. And then—" She was cut off during her transition back. Soon she was standing again and fixing her dress. "—there was no umbrella in the car, hence why I had to run to the door or face growing a tail on your front porch." Bella took a deep breath after her long story. "Okay, so what did I miss?"
"Miss Responsibility lost the tapes." Rikki said pointing to Cleo.
"Cleo! How could you?" Bella asked in shock.
"Oh, sure, like it's my fault the tapes were stolen!" Cleo retorted.
"It was! You should have kept it in a safer place!"
"I didn't expect anyone to come into my room and steal it!"
"You should have thought about that before!"
Cleo took a deep breath, trying to settle the tension. "Rikki, you're blaming the wrong person. I'm not the bad guy!"
"Please tell me that you guys made a copy of the tapes…" Lewis finally spoke again.
With a huff, Bella replied with "I wish we did."
"I told you we should have made an extra copy!" Rikki interjected.
"No you didn't." Bella and Cleo quipped in unison.
"Sure, take Cleo's side. Just keep in mind that I wasn't the one who lost the CD…" Rikki muttered.
"I didn't lose the CD!"
"It was stolen. Yes, we got it. Ladies, please…" Lewis rationed. "This really isn't the time to argue with each other. Especially at a time like this."
"It was the only piece of evidence we have on her! Damn her…"
"You think Denman's behind this?" Bella questioned.
"Of course, since Linda Denman is the devil herself." Rikki spat. "She's the one who took it. She's the one that's going to pay."
"Rikki, I told you. It didn't look like Denman…"
"Then who did it look like?" Lewis and Bella asked in unison.
Cleo looked down and tried to push it off. "It's silly, really. It was dark and I couldn't really see and I think I was just too frightened to comprehend things."
"Maybe if you could, we'd still have the CD." Rikki muttered.
"You're not helping, Rikki." Bella retorted back.
Bella's comment only made Rikki angrier. "If you were actually on time, Bella, then you'd know what was going on and be able to understand the situation."
"It's not my fault I was late. It's not my fault my phone died."
"Are you implying that it's my fault I lost the CD?" Cleo said.
"YES!" Rikki and Bella replied.
"Don't come crying to me if Emma did take the CD! DVD! Whatever it was."
"No wonder you lost it!" Rikki's voice escalated. "You don't even know what kind of tape it was!"
"Hold up, you think Emma took the CD?" Bella asked.
"She's deluded. It was totally Denman." Rikki pushed the claim aside.
Cleo sought the need to defend herself. "Rikki, I saw what I saw. Denman's too smart to take it herself."
"But she's not smart enough to come back at a perfect timing to when Emma's disappearance is made public! At the exact moment we found out she was gone!" Rikki exclaimed. "She's guilty."
"It's not proven." Cleo grumbled.
"WHY. ARE. YOU. DEFENDING. THAT. WOMAN?!"
"BECAUSE I SAW EMMA."
"Cleo, are you certain?" Bella asked carefully.
"Yes. Well, not exactly, but the person was definitely female and had blonde hair."
"Sounds like Denman to me," Rikki jibed.
"Okay, girls, let's not get too loud…" Lewis tried but he was ignored.
"Please, for all we know, it could be you." Cleo snapped back. "You have blonde hair and you keep putting the blame on Denman without any possible proof."
"And you blame Emma!"
"It's not like I want to!"
"Emma is the one we're trying to help here."
"I know that!"
"Do you really? Because from what I'm hearing, you're just putting her down when we clearly know she's in deep—"
"This isn't helping!" Bella exclaimed.
"NEITHER ARE YOU!" Cleo and Rikki shouted back.
"Pick a side," Cleo decided.
"Pick a side," Rikki repeated. "Mine or Cleo's. Who do you think did it?"
Bella stayed silent in figuring out a way to answer. "I…. I don't know. I really don't think it matters who took the tape. We just need to get Emma back."
"You don't care about Emma," Rikki sneered. "Or else you'd see Denman did the deed."
"I do care about Emma!" Bella replied.
"You've never even met her." Rikki hissed.
"I don't need to meet her in order to care for her. I want her back just as much as you do."
"Good point, Bella." Rikki said without truly meaning it. Instead, she turned her attention towards Cleo. "But if you did know her, you would know that Emma would never do something like this to hurt her friends."
"I'm not trying to condemn Emma!" Cleo shot back.
"YES. YOU. ARE!"
"Girls, look at what you're doing to yourselves…" Again, however, Lewis was ignored.
"You're being idiots," Bella mumbled.
"At least we can make decisions." Cleo taunted.
"And at least I was on time." Rikki added insult to injury.
"My comment stands," Bella retorted, "but at least I didn't lose the CD…"
"HA!" Rikki remarked towards Cleo, who shot daggers back.
"… Or forget to make the extra copy because it was somebody's job to do that but didn't…"
"HA!" Cleo mocked at Rikki, who this time shot the daggers.
"Shut up, Bella, you're just as damned as the rest of us."
"GIRLS! LOOK AT WHAT YOU'RE DOING TO YOURSELVES." Lewis exclaimed, the roaring of the thunder nearly blocking out his cries.
"SHUT UP, LEWIS!" The three girls exclaimed.
"You two are pathetic. And you claim I can't even make decisions. You're turning on each other. I can't believe I came all the way out here just to find you guys. I could probably get Emma back faster than the two of you." Bella mocked.
"I wish what happened to Emma happened to you instead." Rikki snarled at Bella.
"Why did I even waste my time with you two?" Cleo muttered.
"Because nobody likes you," Rikki smirked.
"Back at you there," Cleo copied her expression. "You know what, who needs you two? I certainly don't."
"I don't either. You're all dead to me." Rikki declared.
"I suppose I was wrong about you two. I should have left you two alone and let you be drowned by the tentacle." Bella growled.
"Go die in a hole!"
"Let the sharks bite you to death!"
"At least I could swim faster than you guys!"
"This is beside the point here!"
"At least I didn't lose the CD!"
"Turning it back on me again, aren't we?!"
"I'm done with both of you! Get out of the house now!" Rikki exclaimed.
"IT'S MY HOUSE SO GET OUT." Cleo demanded.
"I MAY NOT HAVE A HOUSE BUT AT LEAST I CAN TAKE CARE OF A SIMPLE CD THAT COULD INCRIMINATE OUR MORTAL ENEMY!"
"RIKKI, HAVE YOU SEEN YOUR TRAILER? IT'S A MESS!"
"SHUT UP, BELLA!"
"NO YOU!"
"NO YOU!
With every bitter insult and angered scream, the thunder escalated. The rain pounded against the house just as their loud shouts bounced around the room. Lewis stood hopelessly in the corner, backing up to avoid the fight in the middle of the room. There was nothing more he could do but watch and see their friendship being destroyed and torn apart.
The storm grew stronger and stronger just as the argument was. Words that should not be repeated on a children's television show flew around the room, aimed at each other. With one final crash of thunder, the argument and storm subsided with a piercing "I HATE YOU!"
An eerie silence fell on the house. There was no more rain or yells. Only three young women remained, looking at each other with hateful expressions. There was no familiarity between the three of them. They glared at each other like strangers but with such fervent animosity. Friendship is powerful but hatred is a level above it.
Cleo stood firmly, not even looking as Bella went out the front door and Rikki out the back.
As they left, Lewis crept out of his corner and stood behind Cleo. His ears were still ringing from the argument that had just finished its eruption. Carefully he extended his arm and touched Cleo's shoulder. She did not return his gesture and simply pushed his arm away. Without a word, Cleo shuffled up her stairs and left Lewis behind.
Footsteps.
Jingling keys.
Doorknob turning and opening.
Denman checked her watch just before entering a doorway. It was 6 AM on the dot.
Walking into an apartment, she ran her left hand across a long counter that was a part of an open and modern kitchen. She glanced to her left and inspected the kitchen carefully; it was so clean and orderly that it was almost as if it had never been used. There was a stainless steel refrigerator that had no pictures or magnets on it. It, too, looked brand new and seldom used. Next to the fridge, there was a door that seemingly led into other rooms. It was shut, however, and looked like it was shut most of the time. To her right was a long and windowless wall, painted a dull white.
Her hand fell off the counter as it had ended and led into a large living room. Unlike the kitchen, this section of the apartment was cluttered. Clothes were thrown all around and nearly covered the floor. Under a pile of clothes was a white cot that lay on the floor. A few boxes were spread around but were sealed shut. Denman eyed the mess but did not seem to care whether it was there or not. She did, however, care and notice about the black sweatshirt thrown on the cot. And the black sweatpants thrown by the fridge. And the two black sneakers that she almost tripped on. And the black ski mask that was near the large glass sliding doors in front of her.
With the clearing of her voice and a fake smile plastered onto her face, Denman opened the glass door. She looked directly into the back of someone wearing black sweatpants and a hooded purple sweatshirt covering their head. They were leaning over a small balcony that had a perfect ocean view.
"I hope it's been a good morning." Denman cut right to the chase.
The hooded figure continued to look out into the distance, refusing to turn around. "I believe you'll be pleased with the work that's been done."
"So you have it?" Denman asked with hope in her voice.
The hooded figure nodded. "It's in the black sweatshirt pocket on the bed."
Denman smiled and went back into the apartment. She walked over to the cot and fished the CD from the pocket. She held it in her hands victoriously. With pride, she returned to the balcony with it in hand.
"Is everything else going according to my plan?"
"Our plan," The hooded figure corrected with an annoyed expression as Denman rolled her eyes. "But yes, their bond has been severed. For now at least."
"For now? That's not good enough," Denman scowled.
"You and I both know how powerful their bond is. But I believe that damaging severance has been achieved."
"Just keep them apart until I figure out what to do with them."
The hooded figure gave a low devilish laugh. "With pleasure."
"Remember what we've talked about." Denman said hauntingly as she tucked the CD away into her lab coat pocket. With a victorious smile, she patted the CD as if to ensure its safe keeping. Denman looked back up and watched the figure lower their hood to reveal their long blonde hair. Turning around to see Denman, the figure revealed their face.
Denman smiled. "But above all else, think of our endgame, Isabella."
Bella smiled. "There's nothing else I want more."