Rikki dashed down the street after leaving Lewis's house, the box clasped tightly in her hands. Once she had gotten far enough away to know she wasn't being followed she knelt on the pavement and opened the box. The little ring glittered inside. Rikki reached for it and slowly slid it onto her finger.
Rikki loved being a mermaid, really she did, but the temptation of being able to jump into a pool or walk through the cafe without worrying was too much for her to resist. She checked her watch. It was just after 4am. She probably had 4 or 5 hours to play before Lewis woke up and noticed the ring missing.
It ended up only being one hour before Lewis woke up and checked his bag. He'd been too excited to sleep in and had woken up practically in the middle of the night. He'd thought he would go ahead and run a couple basic tests before trying to go back to sleep. Now he reached for his phone frantically.
"Lewis?" Cleo barely managed to speak. She was still practically asleep.
"Cleo!" Lewis practically shouted. "The ring is gone!"
"Wha- gone?" Cleo furrowed her brow.
"Yes, gone." Lewis panicked.
"Are you sure you brought it home?" Cleo murmured, still trying to wake herself up.
"Yes, Cleo." Lewis said exasperatedly. "Yes I brought the ring home."
"I'll call Bella and Rikki, you call Zane and Will." Cleo sat up, stretching her arms over her head. "One of them probably knows where it is."
"Ok. Call me after you've spoken to them" Lewis ended the call and immediately dialed Will's number. He didn't really expect the boys to know anything but he didn't have any other ideas.
Cleo dialed the phone and held it to her ear. She figured that Lewis had either left the ring at Will's shed by accident or had just misplaced it at his house, but she was willing to try to help.
"Hey Rikki, it's Cleo." She said quietly, trying not to wake her family.
"Hey Cleo! What's up?" Rikki's voice was way too bright and too chipper for that late at night.
Cleo frowned slightly. "Lewis can't seem to find the magic ring, do you happen to know where it is?"
" I sure do!" Rikki said boldly. "It's right here on my finger!"
"Rikki!" Cleo practically shrieked. She quickly lowered her voice. "What are you thinking?" She hissed. "Lewis is freaking out, we don't know how that ring works yet, what are you doing with it?"
"Not too much." Rikki said vaguely. "I just wanted to sit on the beach for a bit. Without changing." She added.
"Where are you?" Cleo was fully awake now.
"Oh come on, Cleo." Rikki whined. "I'll bring it back in just a bit, I just wanted to hang out for a bit."
"Rikki..." Cleo pulled on her shoes and a jacket as she spoke. "Where are you?"
Rikki sighed. "I'm beside the dock outside the cafe, ok?"
"I'll be right there." Cleo said as she dashed out the door into the warm early morning air. "Do not use that ring!"
"Yes, mom." Rikki said sarcastically as she flipped the phone shut. She looked down at the ring on her finger, admiring the way it shone in the moonlight. She was sitting just a few feet away from the water. She had found herself nervous now that she was here. She hadn't touched water without changing in over two years, since the night they tricked Dr. Denman into thinking that their powers were gone. The blue gem glittered, casting a reflection on her face.
Rikki made up her mind. She stood and walked carefully right to the edge of the water. She took a deep breath and stepped one foot in and waited, eyes closed. Nothing happened. The tiniest of smiles crossed Rikki's face. She was standing in the water. Just standing there. And it felt surprisingly good.
Rikki checked the stone in the ring. Still blue. Rikki sat down in the wet sound, not minding the fact that her clothes soaked through in seconds. She checked her watch. The sun would be rising before too much longer. Rikki knew Cleo would be there soon to escort her back home. Sure, if she wanted to she could get up and go elsewhere, but Rikki didn't really want to cause too much trouble. She just wanted to sit in the water for a bit. She checked the ring again. The stone was slightly darker but still mostly blue. Rikki relaxed and watched as the sky began to lighten.
Cleo ran the whole way to the cafe, only pausing long enough to catch her breath. Relief flooded over her when she spotted Rikki's blonde hair at the edge of the water. She jogged up behind her, panting as she tried to catch her breath. "Rikki." She gasped.
"Hey Cleo." Rikki said casually, not bothering to turn her head.
Cleo collapsed on the sand, a few feet behind her friend. "What were you thinking? Stealing that out of Lewis's bag?"
"I dunno." Rikki answered. She reluctantly pulled her legs out of the water and stood, dripping.
Cleo backed up instinctively. Her eyes darted up towards the cafe. People were starting to appear on the streets. "Careful, don't get get me wet."
Rikki looked at Cleo with laughing eyes. "Really, Cleo?" She asked with a smile. "I've had little practice with that, don't you?"
Several people had appeared, very near them, on the beach. They were just locals out for a swim, but they still made Cleo nervous.
"Just come on." Cleo said impatiently. "We need to get you home and get that ring back to Lewis." She turned on her heel and began marching back towards home.
"Should I take this off?" Rikki waved the ringed hand in the air.
"No, shhh." Cleo said quickly. "You can't change right now, there are too many people around."
Rikki dragged her feet but followed Cleo. She held her hand out over her clothes and slowly tightened her fist. Nothing happened. Rikki furrowed her brow. Why wasn't her power working? Rikki remembered the ring, she was still wearing it. The stone had faded to a dark gray, but it wasn't black yet. Rikki wasn't too worried about it, she just kept on walking. She wrung water out of her top, trying to get her clothes to dry a bit quicker.
More and more people were appearing out in public.
"I just can't believe you would do that, Rikki." Cleo lectured as she marched. "I mean, we really don't know much of anything about that ring and here you are out in the open in the water with it. It could stop working at any moment-"
Rikki walked behind Cleo without really listening. She was beginning to feel a little funny, like her stomach was flipping over.
"If Lewis had been the one to find you he would have completely been freaking out." Cleo continued. She didn't notice that Rikki had stopped walking several steps ago. "I just can't believe you would be so reckless. You really need to be more careful from now on..." She finally realized that Rikki was no longer walking beside her.
"Cleo I feel kinda funny." Rikki said with an odd look on her face.
"What kind of funny?" Cleo walked back to her friend.
"The kind of funny we feel when we get wet... only slower..." Rikki was starting to panic slightly.
"Rikki, quick."Cleo said hurriedly. "What color is the stone? On the ring?"
"Ah, black?" Rikki realized she'd made a huge mistake. The ring didn't work when the stone had changed color. It was like it's magic had been drained away.
"We need to get you to the water NOW." Cleo started running. They were about a block inland from the shore.
"I don't think we'll make it." Rikki said uncertainly. She tried to run but her legs were beginning to feel rubbery.
"Rikki, what do we do?" Cleo couldn't reach out and help Rikki run without touching her wet clothes. They made it half a block before Rikki stopped completely.
"Cleo, it's starting!" She shrieked. The tingling was so bad she could barely move her legs, she knew she was only seconds away from transforming.
"Um..." Cleo took a quick look around. There were people nearby, but none were too close and they didn't seem to be paying attention to Rikki. "Come on."
Cleo judged the time it would take them to make it to the water. She grabbed one of Rikki's arms and draped it over her shoulder. Rikki's wet t-shirt dripped all over her. She knew she had about ten seconds to get both of them into the ocean.
Cleo ran as fast a she could manage, dragging Rikki along with her. Rikki's legs had just started to form a tail when they made it. Cleo threw both of them off the dock in a flash.
Both of them sank down into the water, out of sight of anyone who might be watching. Cleo grabbed onto Rikki's wrist with a vice-like grip and dragged her through the water out towards Mako Island.
"Oh thank goodness." Lewis sank down onto his bed. "What does she have to say for herself?" Lewis rubbed his temples.
"I think she feels appropriately bad." Cleo looked at Rikki out of the corner of her eye. "We'll be back soon. With the ring."
"Ok. Be careful." Lewis shut his phone and dropped it onto his bedspread. "Cleo is with Rikki. They have the ring." Lewis flopped down, suddenly exhausted.
"That's good." Will said with a yawn. He'd come over as soon as he'd gotten Lewis's call. Lewis had phoned Zane as well, and he had promised to let them know if he heard anything.
Will's phone rang shrilly, making both Lewis and him jump. His face darkened as he read the display. "I have to go." He stood reluctantly. "Sophie is waiting for me down at the pool."
Lewis nodded. He stood up and stretched his arms up over his head. "I should get dressed anyway. I have a feeling we're going to have a really busy day."