So this is the third episode in my series.
please comment, so I know if it's any good
you can also always give some help for demons in episodes
and you also may find already some Clewis in this story.
greetz and enjoy
**
Lewis just entered the Juice net café, when he was called by Emma, to sit with them.
"You won't believe it. Guess how long we can hold our breaths?"
"Euhm."
"15 minutes."
"That's impressive."
"Yep, it's pretty cool."
"We could probably stay down longer, if we really tried."
"You're on."
"You think you can beat me?"
"I know I can, bring it on."
"You guys must be jumping out of your skin about this."
"Yeah, well two of us are." While watching at Cleo who, just arrived. Lewis really wanted to make her more happy about the whole fish-thing.
"Hey Cleo, guess what? These guys can hold their breaths for 15 minutes."
"Lewis" Rikki and Emma shout, thinking that everyone in the café must have heard him saying it.
'What's going on?"
"We've been, you know, swimming."
"The best thing. The riff is out of this world."
"That's great. So is anyone been able to finish that calculus homework? Question 7 is a nightmare."
"We missed you this morning. Why weren't you answering your phone?"
"And that project on Geography …" Cleo continues, pretending not to hear Emma. " … that's to Thursday. We really should get together on that one."
"Listen Cleo. Whatever has happened to us is incredible. You've got to come out with us, the water is amazing."
'I'm not doing it, ok. I didn't ask for any of this to happen to us. Two of us even got almost killed. So stop bugging me about it, ok?" And with that, she left for school.
**
Lewis soon sees her at her locker.
"Hey Cleo, you wanna go and hang out at the mall later?"
"Busy, sorry."
"Cleo look. I know this recent developments have hit you pretty hard, but you can't hide forever just because you're a mermaid."
"I'm not one of those things. I've never liked the water and I never will."
"What are you gonna do? Hide for water the rest of your live?"
But it didn't matter what she said or did, no one understood what was really bothering her.
**
"Cleo?"
Now it was Rikki's and Emma's time to convince her to change her mind about the water thing.
"About this whole mermaid business." Emma began.
"There are more important things than seeing how long you can hold your breath for and frolicking with the dolphins. "
"I don't frolic! I glide! "Rikki immediately commented.
"Whatever, it doesn't matter. I don't want to talk about it."
"How can you say that? This is the most amazing thing that ever happened to us. Probably the most amazing thing that happened to anybody."
"Well, what about the turtles?"
"Turtles?"
"Apparently a sea turtle got caught in a net this morning. That's important"
"I don't believe this. You're such a hypocrite."
"Why?"
"Cleo, your dad is a fisherman. His nets are the ones trapping the turtles."
"That's not true. My dad would never do that."
"Really?"
And with a disbelieving look on her face towards Rikki, Cleo leaves again.
"You know what we have to do right?"
"What?" Rikki almost shouts at Emma, still blaming herself for her stupidity to attack Cleo like that.
"Saving the turtles."
"Right, part of the mermaid/hero package."
**
So the next morning, Rikki and Emma are on their way to save the day. They don't have to look far to find a turtle in a net. But they can't do much, when they hear voices on the boat.
"Come on Jake. We won't leave quarter if we don't move it."
While Jake is going in the cabinet, Rikki sees her chance to grab a knife. While Jake starts pulling the net up, she quickly puts the knife back. When they see the turtle swimming away, they can't help but smile.
**
But they soon discover their actions have consequences, when the local news is all about a shark that ripped a net from some fisherman. Rikki and Emma are so caught up in the program, that they hardly notice Cleo walking in.
"Hey guys, what's going on?"
"Hey Cleo, your dad is on TV."
"I'm fishing these waters already for a very long time and there is only one thing that can cause damage like that: a huge rogue shark."
"Poor dad."
"Sorry, I have to this Cleo, but your dad didn't catch a shark. It was a turtle. We cut the net to set it free."
"No way. My dad wouldn't catch turtles."
Emma backs Rikki up. "It's true Cleo, I'm sorry."
**
Cleo came back to the café, after she had talked to her dad.
"He denied everything, it's really awful. I mean, what could I say? "I know you're laying dad, 'cause my mermaid friends saw you fishing close to the nesting beach.""
"He was using illegal nets too."
"It's true, and they didn't have those grid things in them."
"This just gets worse and worse. My dad."
"Well to be honest. We didn't actually see your dad."
"But it was his boat. Right?"
The only thing that Rikki and Emma could do was nod at that one, making Cleo leave once again.
"Something isn't right here"
"I know what you feel, wanna figure what?"
"Yeah, let's head over to the docks."
**
They didn't really have to search far for something suspicious, when they saw the man from the boat sneaking in some isolated alley. When they came closer they heard a deep voice and when they looked into the alley, they just couldn't believe their eyes. There was a man with a shark's head standing over there, talking!
"Well Eddy, you promised me three turtles and I only got one. Where are the others?"
"You will get them, Mister Teeth."
"I hope so for you, because do you know what I do to the people that don't pay back their loans?"
He suddenly lashed and almost bit Eddy's head off.
"So be warned. You have only two days left and fleeing has no point, 'cause I will find you sooner or later."
**
When they backed away from the alley, Emma was the first that began to talk.
"I don't know about you, but I think we should help this guy."
"Yeah, it really looked like Eddy had a little problem."
"And we are the only ones who can help him with this little problem."
"I do think we should leave Cleo out of this one, she already has a hard time copying with the mermaid thing, let alone the demon thing."
"It doesn't feel right to leave her out of this. We are in this together, our secret, our responsibility, remember?"
"Yeah I do. And she may be ready for secret part, but she is definitely not ready for the responsibility part."
"You're probably right, so what should we do now."
"Call Lewis, maybe he can help us in looking things up and stuff."
**
But when they arrived at the juice net, Lewis was already there, sitting at a table, with Cleo.
"I guess we have to tell her then." Emma said with a content look on her face.
"I believe we do." Rikki said with a discontent look on her face.
"Hey guys, over here" Cleo yelled, when she saw Rikki and Emma standing there, looking a bit strange.
"Hey Cleo."
"Oh, I found some info on shark-guy."
"Oh no, don't tell me there is another demon."
"See that we had to keep her out of it." Rikki whispered to Emma.
"I can't think of this right now, I have to focus on saving the turtles."
"Cleo, if you would let us explain …"
But Emma didn't get the time to finish her sentence, because Cleo had already turned around.
"It's really time for her to change her attitude."
"Come on Rikki, it's not easy for her."
"Well it's also not easy for us to and if you haven't noticed, we already have been nearly dead. She never even got a single scratch. But we can't focus on her right now, there is a guy out there that actually really needs our help, so what have you found for us Lewis."
"Alright, this shark man is called a loan-shark demon, and this in particular Teeth for the friends, if I have your story correctly. He loans money to unsuspecting humans but he asks huge paybacks."
"So this Eddy guy must has asked a loan, which he had to pay back in turtles."
"That is quiet possible, turtles are really expensive."
"So any ideas where to find him?"
"Probably nearby that alley, whit a face like that, you can't really go unnoticed, so I suspect he will have a home nearby."
"Thanks Lewis, you're the best."
"Come on Em, we have a fish to fry."
**
Lewis wanted to find Cleo and it must have been his lucky day, because he saw her leaning against a pillar.
"I know what you're thinking. Rikki and Emma told me about your dad."
"Great so now the whole world knows my dad is a criminal. What would you do Lewis?"
"I'd change my name and move to the country, but that's just me."
"You're no help."
"Oh come on, at least it takes your mind of the whole mermaid thing."
"Okay, I'm scared of it. Is that what you wanted to hear?"
Cleo tried to escape from him, because tears were starting to come up, but Lewis wouldn't let her. She tried to escape from him but his' grip was to strong.
"Let go Lewis, please."
But his grip only went tighter and suddenly he hugged her. Cleo pushed him of and she yelled "I'm afraid of dying, alright?" The tears now started to run down her cheeks and she didn't even try to hide them anymore. "Rikki and Emma both nearly died. And they are so much more powerful and stronger then me, so I'm scared that the next demon will be my last. So that's why I don't want to have anything to do with the mermaid thing. And I know it's selfish of me to leave Emma and Rikki of to face this demon on their own, but I just don't have the courage or strength, Lewis, I wish I had, but I haven't."
When Lewis was over his first shock of hearing her confession, he quickly went over to Cleo and hugged her again. But this time she didn't push him away.
"Everything will be alright."
"How do you know that for sure?"
"Cleo, everybody is scared of something. But you're amazing, you can do anything."
"Just because I have these powers, doesn't mean I'm amazing." She managed to say between tears.
"I didn't mean your powers and you know it. The powers only make you more special than you already are. Think about, you were the first to attack Arnon, without even thinking about what he might be able to do to you."
"I just wanted to let him stop hurting Rikki."
"That's right. You cared more for her then you did about yourself. So maybe you aren't the strongest, so maybe you don't have the most powerful power, you are still more special than anyone else, including Rikki and Emma. Because you are the most caring, sweetest, beautiful girl I know."
"You don't mean that, you just say that to calm me down."
"Hey, have I ever lied to you?"
She started to smile.
"See, now that is the Cleo I kn..."
He stopped in the middle of his sentence, when Cleo looked up at him with her big brown eyes. He pulled a hair from her face and dried her cheeks with his hands. And before he even realized it, Cleo was kissing him. But it didn't take him that long, before he replied her kiss. But after a couple of seconds he pulled away.
"We shouldn't be doing this, you're vulnerable right now and I don't want to take advantage of you."
Before Cleo could reply, he already had walked away.
**
In the meanwhile Rikki and Emma had found the layer of the demon. It wasn't an actual layer; it was more of an old, unused warehouse.
"Hey this thing has a glassed ceiling, why don't you go up and check what we are facing inside."
"Why not you?"
"I'm terrible at climbing, and besides someone has to stay down here and watch these buckets." Emma pointed at the buckets of water she was holding.
"Alright, alright, just don't do anything reckless while I'm op there."
"Me, doing something reckless. It's you who does all …"
"Emma, chill. I was joking to release the tension."
"You got to stop doing that, because you only make it worse, every time."
So Rikki started climbing, luckily for her it was only two metres high.
"And can you see anything."
"I don't see anything act…"
The next thing Emma heard was glass breaking, she quickly ran inside. She saw Rikki who apparently hadn't fallen so hard, because she could stand immediately.
"Rikki, are you alright?"
"A couple of bruises, a few scratches, a soar ankle, but for the rest, I'm fine."
"But not for long, you will."
As they looked around, they saw the shark guy coming around the corner.
"So what do two young girls in my warehouse, if I may ask?"
And he sniffed in the air.
"Or should I say two young mermaids."
"We know who you are and we will stop letting you use poor people to your advantage."
"You and what's army."
"I've had it with this guy, let's cool him down Em, … Em, … Emma!"
As Rikki looked at Emma, she saw a guilty look on her face on no bucket in her hand.
"Oh no, you didn't."
"I'm sorry ok, I just was so worried about you that I ran in without thinking about the buckets."
"Wait a minute, so you two are telling me you are mermaids but can't use your powers without water. Well you must be the most pathetic mermaids I've ever met."
"Rikki, get the water" She quickly whispers.
"But Em."
"I got us in this trouble, I will get us out, but we can't do anything without it, so go. I will keep him busy."
"So how many mermaids have you actually met then?" Emma starts walking in one direction, keeping his eyes on her, so Rikki has the chance to sneak out.
"Well, if you're already as long as me swimming around, you meet a few. They actually taste really good, a combination of human and fish, even better then sushi." And he started telling about his conquest not noticing Rikki coming up beside him. But when she throws the water in the air, the demon moves aside and Emma quickly freezes the water while it's still in the air. So he doesn't notice anything. Rikki decides it's about time the start moving. So she yells "barbecue time." At which Emma pushes him into the ice and Rikki starts unfreezing it. Which makes the area around the shark really hot and he suddenly explodes in water, making the girls all wet.
"You know, if we had known he was all water from the inside, the vanquish would have been a lot easier."
"Hey don't look at me. You have to yell at Lewis for that one."
**
At dinner that night, Cleo is finding it difficult not to yell at her dad.
"What's the matter Cleo?"
"Not hungry."
"It's fish. Come on, eat."
"Like I said, I'm not hungry."
"I caught it this morning fresh from the Esmeralda."
"The Esmeralda. I thought you were on your own boat this morning?"
"When you own three boats, you've got to be flexible. Gus is in the hospital, I'm skippering the Esmeralda until he is back on net."
"So you weren't on your own boat this morning?"
"I've just explained."
"So you don't really know what it's been catching or where it's been fishing?"
"Eddy is skippering for me, I trust his judgement, he wouldn't do anything wrong."
**
Cleo decided she should listen to Lewis and trust in herself, but she could start little. Spying on Eddy is the perfect beginning. She could hear him shouting from metres away.
"Hurry up, I don't want to be the last to leave again. We've got to make up for the catch we lost yesterday so we have a big day a head of us. We headed to Penseas beach"
"Penseas beach is a no go zone."
"We're using the old nets to, you got an opinion on that?"
"Yeah, the boss won't like that."
"There is only one boss on this boat, and that boss is me."
And with that the boat leaves. Cleo just couldn't let them leave. Lewis was coming towards her.
"Cleo, about yesterday… What's wrong?"
"They're using the wrong nets and going to the wrong place. I'm gonna stop them, go and tell the others… Oh and Lewis thanks for yesterday."
Before she jumps in the water, she quickly gives him a kiss on the lips.
**
Once in the water, she realises that she doesn't know how to swim and starts to panic. She even starts more to panic, when she thinks she needs air. But suddenly she realises she doesn't need air and that it's easy to move her tail. Emma and Rikki were right, it's even fun.
Cleo is so caught up in finding the boat and seeing if the turtles are okay, she doesn't even sees the net that's closing in her but the last second, when it's already to late. And she then gets caught in it.
**
At Emma's, Lewis just storms trough the door.
"Guys. Guys, Cleo …"
"Well, where is she?"
"She is … she is … in the water."
"At last."
"No."
"Lewis. Speak, like a normal person."
But all he does then, is turn around and start running. Emma and Rikki soon follow.
**
At the boat, Cleo is still fighting against the net, but she is getting more exhausted by the minute. And the men soon start to pull the net in. Luckily for her Rikki and Emma arrive soon. They try to get a response, but she doesn't react. Emma then freezes the machine that is pulling the net up, so Rikki has the time to get Cleo out of it. Once they reach the surface, Cleo wakes up.
"You're okay?"
"Yeah, I panicked. I didn't know you got hold your breath in so long. But then I remembered what you guys said and you know what, I lasted 16,5 minutes."
"Later, guys."
**
Cleo decided she had to tell her dad about Eddy. He was maybe being pushed in pursuing the turtles, but it was still wrong of him to agree whit the loan conditions.
"Cleo, what are you doing here?"
"Dad, I have to tell you something and you're not going to like it."
**
"You got rid of the net?"
"What net, Eddy? Didn't you hear me, Eddy? I said 'what net?'"
"The euhm … the net that …"
"Jake, why don't you tell me what's happening here?"
"Happy to, boss."
**
The next morning, Lewis was digging up some turtle eggs. When the others arrived.
"Guys, look turtle eggs."
"Ohh, little turtles are so cute. I hope they will make it"
"At least you guys made sure, the parents made it. So you wanted to show me something." While looking at Cleo.
"Yes, I do. Ready?"
And they ran off in the sea, ready to swim for a long time.