A/N: Hey guys! Sorry about the long wait. I have no excuse, I just got lazy. Hopefully the next chapter will be up pretty quick because I'm kind of excited about writing it. Please review and let me know what you think of this chapter! Have a wonderful day! xxHeartBrokenxx

Rikki's POV

I hugged Cleo and Emma goodbye for the last time. It was the morning I was leaving for New York, and I was about to board my plane.

Zane took my hand and led me a little ways away behind a pillar. He took my face in his hands and kissed me long and hard. "Don't forget about me," he said with a smile.

"Like I could," I returned, burying my face in his shoulder.

He took my hand as we walked back over to the group, holding it tightly.

"You have fun," Cleo said sadly.

"We'll really miss you Rikki," Emma said, putting a hand on my arm. "Call us everyday."

"Maybe," I said, shrugging. They both smiled as I walked away.

Zane's POV

What was I supposed to do with Rikki gone? Hang out with Nate? I guess that wouldn't be so bad…right? I guess there was also Alex. She was cool. But, she wasn't Rikki.

"Hey man," Nate said, coming up from behind me. "Me and a few others are taking the boat out later, wanna come?"

"Yeah, sure," I said.

"Alright. You want to invite Alex?"

"Um, sure."

"Alright, we're meeting at Juicenet at three. See you there." And with that he was gone.

I pulled out my phone and texted Alex, inviting her to come along. Unsurprisingly she said yes, she was looking forward to it.

"Ready?" Nate asked us later that day.

"Yep," I said. We all filed onto the boat and set out. "So are we going anywhere specific, or just floating around?"

Nate looked at me and shrugged. "Do you guys want to go somewhere? We were thinking about Mako."

"Mako?" Alex said. "What's Mako?"

"See that island out there?" I said, pointing to it. She nodded. "That's Mako."

"Are we going?" she asked. I shrugged and looked at Nate.

"Are we?"

"Why not?" he said. So that's where we headed. Mako Island.

"This is so cool," Alex said as we explored. We were walking over rocks, and I was slipping over the water running over them. Okay, I was goo- ah! I slid down a dark hole after I had lost my footing.

"Zane!" I heard Alex call down. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine!" I said, shaking the sand out of my hair. "I'm gonna try to find a way out!"

I stood up, but had to hunch over or I would have hit my head. I walked through a sort of hallway and found myself inside an old volcano. Light shone through the top into the pool beneath it.

It looked as if I could swim under the pool and get out. I stripped my shoes off and stepped into the pool. There was a ledge that I stood on for a moment, looking down at the water.

I jumped in, then came back up for air one more time before I went under to get out. As I was swimming under the wall I saw a large tail flick past. I turned my head saw, hair? Yes, long brown human hair, and a tail.

I kicked up furiously and felt my head break the surface. I coughed out the water I had inhaled at my shock of seeing the thing underwater. It couldn't be a…mermaid? No, there was no way. Mermaids didn't exist.

"Zane!" I heard the group call. I looked over, and saw the boat coming towards me.

"Are you okay?" Nate asked as he helped me aboard. I noticed the look of amusement on his face.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said. Alex wrapped a towel around me and looked at me worriedly.

"You're not hurt, are you? That looked like a nasty fall," she said.

"No, I'm fine," I said. "Really."

First thing I'd be doing once I got home? Researching mermaids.