Chapter 9: Mako Island Part 2

Crystal came up to the surface, slightly out of breath. She lifted her mask and pushed her wet bangs off of her forehead as she floated by the boat. She lifted herself into the boat and tossed her snorkel and goggles to the front of boat. She pulled up the anchor before looking at the screen of her digital camera. She smiled when she saw how great the pictures came out on the camera.

She looked down when her cell phone started ringing. "Hey Riles," she greeted her cousin as she looked out at Mako Island. "I'm at work, taking pictures of fish by Mako...yeah, I can swing back and get you guys, meet me at the docks in five...see ya."

She turned around to power up the motor to her boat when she noticed a larger one in the distance. She squinted to try and read what the name of the boat was. She gave up after a couple of seconds and turned on the motor of the boat before grasping the handle and directing the boat as she sped in the opposite direction.

Once she got closer to the larger boat her eyes widened as she let out a little gasp. Still holding onto the engine's steering handle she quickly dialed a number on her phone, making sure to have a firm hold on her phone. "Riles, we have a problem at Mako. She's here!"

"What!?" She yelled, causing Crystal to jerk her phone away from her ear, almost dropping it. "Get your ass back here now!"

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

Crystal flipped her phone shut and urged her boat to go faster. She kept glancing back over her shoulder as she got closer and closer to the docks. Once she was close enough she turned off the boat and jumped onto the dock. She pulled her boat over and hastily tried to tie it but the knot kept coming loose.

"Having some trouble?" She cringed before looking up to see Byron standing over her. He knelt next to her and looked at the rope in her hands before looking up at her. "I could help." He held out his hands.

Crystal sighed. "Make it fast, ok? I have some places I need to be."

"Sure." Byron leaned over to tie the rope around the dock as Crystal tapped her fingers and glanced at her watch before looking out at the ocean. "What happened to your sun allergy?" He asked.

"Turns out I was allergic to some food," Crystal mumbled.

"That's good. I was wondering, if you're not too busy later, if you wanted to hang out."

"I can't," Crystal replied. "I have to babysit." Once he had the rope tied she jumped to her feet and started running down the dock.

"Wait!" he shouted after her. "You forgot your digital camera!"

"Do me favor and give it to the guy at the front desk of the Seymour building and say it's from me," she replied as she ran backwards. "Thanks!" She turned back around and ran a couple of feet before she literally crashed into Lewis. "Oh, sorry Lewis. I didn't mean to knock you over. I'm in a hurry," Crystal said as she pulled him to his feet.

"It's quite all right," he replied as he bent over to close the lid of his tackle box. "I was getting ready to go fishing again."

"Oh, well the best fish are actually down by the beach today," she replied as she pointed. "Later!" She called over her shoulder as she ran down the street to a Jeep,

Lewis watched as she peeled out of the driveway, almost causing her Jeep to start to tip. She quickly put the car in drive and sped down the road. "I wonder where she's going in such a rush."

Crystal narrowly missed a couple of cars that were driving by her, honking their horns at her driving. She cursed under her breath as she stayed at the speed limit, making sure not to get a ticket or stopped by the police. She swung into the beach's parking lot and held onto the horn, causing others to jump but it grabbed Riley's attention. She said something to her class before running up the beach.

"Hurry! We still gotta get Rhu!"

---

"Ok class, that's it for the day. You're dismissed," Rhuben called over the grunting of the students. She didn't flinch when they let out cheers of relief and slowly shuffled out of the room. She was about to turn to go grab her things when she noticed that her cell phone had lit up. "Hmmm." She flipped it open and listened to the message that was in her voice mail before her eyes widened. "Damn!"

She grabbed her bag and raced out of the dance room, down the hall, out the door, and ran down the street. Her bag thudded against her side as she ran as fast as he could to get to the beach. Right as she made it there Crystal drove up in their Jeep with Riley in the passenger side.

"Hurry!" Riley shouted as Rhuben threw her bag into the back before jumping into the Jeep. "How fast can we get there?" Riley shouted over the wind as Crystal sped down the street.

"As fast as I can go without breaking the speed limit," Crystal replied. "By boat we'll go slower so we're going to have to take jet skis."

"Across the ocean like that?" Rhuben questioned.

"You have any other ideas?"

"Nope. I was just making sure you're not worried about drowning."

"Drowning is the least of our worries right now."

Once Crystal parked the Jeep the three girls jumped out and ran to the docks. Riley wanted to question how Crystal got three jet-skis there but she kept her mouth shut and jumped onto it. She reached over and grabbed the key from Crystal and jammed it into the hole. Once it started she took off ahead of her sister and her cousin, knowing that they were close behind her.

"Why here, of all places?" Crystal shouted over the rushing wind and the spraying sea.

"She's here like she was in Cali before," Rhuben shouted back. "To stick her nose where it doesn't belong. If she finds what we think is there...we're done. Reports on super humans are coming in more frequently, even more than UFO sightings."

"After she was discovered as a fraud for that mermaid thing she's decided to move onto something else she knows nothing about and is going to get herself killed with," Riley added.

'Mermaid?' Rhuben's mind started spinning as thoughts slammed into her head. 'Riles told me something about her being discovered as a fraud at Mako Island and I know I saw a large fish tail at Emma's house. Is he a mermaid? Is Dr. Denman using the idea of super humans as a cover? Are we actually safe?'

"I don't see her boat," Crystal muttered as the girls got closer to the shore. "She must've moved it so no one would know that anyone is out here." She bit her lip. "Careful as we get closer. There are sharks near here and there could be poisonous plants on the island."

"Poison should be the least of your worries," Riley pointed out.

-----

"Ah, it's about time you show up," Cleo commented as she lifted her sunglasses and smiled at Emma who sat down at the table that she was sharing with Rikki. Rikki smiled as she set down her glass. "Are you ready to hit a few stores?" She questioned as she looked down at the shopping bags that were by their feet.

"I was actually thinking of going for a swim," Rikki replied as she looked out at the ocean in the distance. "The weather seems to be better today than ever before and I don't want to pass up the chance to enjoy it as much as I can."

"But Lewis said that we shouldn't use our powers," Cleo pointed out.

"Our powers, right. He never said we weren't allowed to swim," Rikki shot back as her smile got wider when she noted the smiles that were forming on their faces. "Come on!"

"Ok, but only for a little bit. I have to go home and watch Elliot," Emma replied before jumping up. Rikki and Cleo followed her lead, rushing behind her. They dropped their bags in the back of Cleo's car. They ran down the sidewalk, keeping their eyes on the blue horizon. Sprinting down the beach, they raced each other to the waves, running until the water reached their hips and they dove under.

The mermaid transformation began. Cleo remembered how uncomfortable it was for her to feel her legs being replaced with a fin but she embraced the feeling now. Holding her arms out in front of her she smiled as she looked through the water to see Rikki and Emma on either side of her. She mouthed, "Mako?"

Rikki nodded and Emma mouthed, "Race you" before taking off through the water, leaving a trail of bubbles behind her. Rikki shook her head slightly before taking off after her. Cleo took her time, admiring the beautiful blue that the sun cast above her.

She stopped to look at the fish that swam by her, feeling very special that she was one of a few people in the world that could actually be that close to fish without having to scuba dive. She reached out to touch a brightly colored fish but it scurried away before she could touch it.

Shrugging, she surged forward through the water, feeling it pull her hair behind her as the glided through the water. She finally reached Mako's underwater entrance and swam through. She lifted her head into the air and took a breath, noticing that holding it had become easier for her. Looking up she noticed that Emma and Cleo were standing above her, waiting.

"What took you so long?" Rikki asked as she tied her shoe. "You were admiring the fish again, weren't you? You have fish at home; it's time we can discover what else is on Mako. Who knows, we can find a waterfall that could turn is into fairies." Emma hit her on the arm lightly as Rikki shrugged and Cleo laughed.

The girls made their way out of the small cave and stepped onto the rocks that concealed the entrance to the cave. The sound of the rushing waterfall filled their ears as they looked around the area. "Let's go this way," Emma said as she pointed behind them.

The girls giggled and talked about spending time with their boyfriends and what the boys did for them when they heard a large crash that caused all of them to jump. They looked at each other and, wordlessly, ran to see what the noise was coming from. Rikki feared that it was some people who were trying to build on the island and wouldn't hesitate to put a stop to it.

"Wait, it's stopped," Cleo pointed out, stopping the girls from running. They stood still, trying to figure out where the sound had come from.

Rikki tensed when she heard a twin snap behind her. She started to turn around but was knocked to the ground and held there.

"What're you doing here?" Riley hissed as she held Rikki down. Cleo and Emma looked up when Rhuben and Crystal came in through the clearing.

"We're...we're exploring," Emma replied. "What're you doing here?"

"We're-" Riley was cut off by Rikki throwing Riley off of her and by the sound of a gunshot when the tree bark near Cleo's head splintered. "RUN!"

Cleo and Emma hesitated to do as they were told before they heard another gunshot noise and they took off running after Crystal and Rhuben. Riley pulled Rikki to her feet and made her run ahead of them. Riley glanced around herself as she continued running, making sure that no one was sneaking up on them.

"In here." Rhuben pointed to a waterfall that was ahead of them. Emma stopped so suddenly that Rikki and Cleo crashed into her. She followed Rhuben with her eyes as she moved around the pool and disappeared behind the waterfall. "Come on!" Her voice was a little muffled from the roar of the waterfall. Rikki ran around the edge of the pool, like Rhuben did seconds before. Emma raced after her and Cleo finally followed.

"Take this," Riley said as she held her palm out to Crystal once they were near the entrance of the cave behind the waterfall. A small square shaped object was in her palm. "For a fire," she explained when she met Crystal's questioning gaze.

Crystal pulled an oval shaped object out of her pocket and held it out to Riley. The two girls exchanged objects before Crystal went to the back of the cave where Rhuben, Cleo, Emma, and Rikki were sitting down.

"Ok, we deserve some answers," Rikki spoke up. "Why are you here? Why did you make us run?"

"We're here to stop Dr. Denman," Rhuben replied as her eyes hardened. Once Crystal started a fire with the lighter that was in her hands they seemed to reflect the light. "We made you run because you would've been killed if you kept standing there."

"The whole story," Emma spoke up, surprising all of them and herself and her friends at the harshness of her tone.

Rhuben looked over at Riley who was standing by the mouth of the cave, staring back. She nodded slightly and Rhuben sighed. "When we were nine our house burnt down. People blamed Riley because they claimed that she was a destructive child. Our parents died in that fire so we were sent to live with Crystal and her father in California. The only reason we moved back here was because we were being chased by Dr. Denman. We thought if we left California that she wouldn't know we were here, but she found us again. Now we're trying to stop her, we're not running away again."

"Why'd you run away in the first place?" Cleo questioned.

"Because she wants to run tests on us and make us lab rats," Riley replied bitterly as she walked over to them, clutching the oval object tight in her fist.

"But why-"

"We're Elementals," Crystal blurted out. "Super humans. We have powers and Dr. Denman wants to use them and exploit us. She's working for Core, the ruler of Wingz Corp. He has people chasing us to try and get us. He wants to destroy us. Dr. Denman is working for him because she thinks he wants to exploit us too."

"So she's not here looking for mermaids?" Cleo asked, before Rikki or Emma could shush her.

"No, she's not looking for you," Rhuben replied. Emma sucked in her breath as Rhuben stared at them. "I saw a tail in Emma's bathroom. I just put two and two together. You're mermaids, right?" They stayed silent. "You know about us, it's only fair that we know about you."

"Yes...we are," Emma admitted. "There's a cave near here, which we call the Moon Pool, is what turned us into mermaids. If you're in the water during a certain moon then you'll get mermaid powers. We turn into mermaids every time we touch water."

"Which is why you quit the swim team?" Crystal questioned. Emma looked at her. "The coach told me when I was asking about the sports here."

"Exactly," Emma replied. "Charlotte was a mermaid too." That caught the other three girls by surprise. "She abused her power, though. We tricked her into giving hers up. That's why she doesn't like us. She hates how we still have our powers and she doesn't."

"That's who we saw with Denman," Riley added.

"WHAT!?" Emma, Rikki, and Cleo shouted in unison.

"She's going to try and be a mermaid again, I just know it," Cleo growled as she clenched her hands into fists.

"Not if we can stop her," Rhuben said with a smirk as her eyes flashed in amusement.

"How will you do that?" Rikki asked. "Jump out of the woods and scare her?"

"We're Elementals," Riley reminded her as she opened her palm, a flame floated above it. "We won't need to do much," she added in a dark tone as the flame got bigger before she engulfed it with her palm and it snuffed out.

"So you can control fire?" Emma asked. Riley nodded. "What about you two?"

"Ice," Crystal replied. "Wind sometimes too."

"Darkness," Rhuben replied.

"Darkness? How?" Cleo asked.

"I can move through the darkness and stuff," she replied vaguely. "Unlike your powers, ours can't go away."

"How'd you get it?" Rikki asked.

"You're born with it," Crystal explained. "In a family, there's usually at least one person with dormant Elemental genes. It's rare to have more than one person have it. But our family isn't really normal. Their siblings and they each have Elemental powers while I'm the only one in my family, seeing as I'm an only child so it was bound to get to me."

"Don't tell Lewis this or he'll run tests on you," Rikki said as she stared pointedly at Cleo.

"Lewis!" She gasped. "He's going to want to know where we are!" She quickly pulled out her phone.

"He's only going to get himself into the trouble that he doesn't need to be in," Riley barked at her. "Drop the phone." Cleo slowly put the phone down.

"Wait, if Dr. Denman has been working with...Core, why did she suddenly start looking for mermaids?" Emma questioned.

"She got distracted," Crystal said with a shrug. "That does happen for a marine biologist." She rolled her eyes.

"Wait, she was working with Harrison Bennet before," Emma quickly spoke up. "Is he working for Core too?"

"It wouldn't surprise me," Rhuben growled. "He almost gave us away before. Why do you think we hate Zane so much?"

"Zane isn't like his father," Rikki blurted out. "He stopped Harrison from exploiting us when he found out we were mermaids. He won't do it to you guys."

"Can you be sure about that? Guys are known to be two faced."

"I'm sure," Rikki said in a stern tone.

Riley's head suddenly whipped around as if she had heard something. Crystal and Rhuben visibly tensed as they also looked towards the mouth of the cave. "They're here," she announced as Rhuben and Crystal rushed to her side.