While I attended classes I would get 'power' updates from Lewis after tests the girls would do of their powers on Mako.

The powers were overpowered and seemed emotion based.

The girls were not sticking to the rule of not using their powers day to day like we agreed.

Emma had used her powers so her brother could win a soccer game.

Cleo had used hers against her sister when irritated.

Rikki set a couple of fires.

Then one day between classes I got a call from a worried Lewis.

Cleo had told him to back off a bit, that he'd been too clingy lately.

"I mean Lewis you went from being a bit scared of her to being with her 24/7 that can feel like smothering."

"Whose side are you on?" Lewis whined.

"Neither, I am neutral." I sighed, "Look Lewis, Cleo has a lot going on her mind right now but she'll tell you when she needs help with things. In the meantime its best to act like a normal friend and boyfriend."

"No smothering?"

"No smothering." I nodded even though he couldn't see me. "No following her around. If you didn't do it before the events at Mako, don't do it now."

After my next class I saw a voicemail from Cleo.

When I called her back she was quick to the point.

"You told Lewis he was smothering me!"

I massaged the pressure point between my eyes, this was why I didn't want to get involved.

Lewis had been contacting me more often since he found out I liked the sciencey stuff. We were more friends than when I went to school with him last term.

"Wasn't he?"

"Well..."

I took a deep breath, "Look Cleo I told him I'm a neutral party in whatever this is, but I told him to evaluate his actions more that's it."

A long sigh, "He was around all the time."

I laughed, "He cares, Cleo. Together I'm sure you can figure out a balance."

A couple of days passed and I got calls from both as they figured out each other's boundaries, each using me as a sounding board.

At the meetup at the moon pool, the girls and I caught up.

"There's a girl hanging around Lewis. I don't like her, but Lewis said they are friends."

"Has Lewis told her you two are soulmates?"

"Yeah..." Cleo looked at each of us.

"Then you have nothing to worry about as long as you trust Lewis."

"And if she gets close to our secret?" Rikki spoke up, her brow wrinkling.

"Lewis won't tell. He learned from Denman." Cleo spoke up.

"We'll have to keep an eye on her." Rikki nodded.

"No passive aggressiveness that will only get her suspicious that you are defensive for a reason. Oh and continue using code words like I suggested. All journals are locked up right?"

Cleo nodded, "I hid the key somewhere not even Kimmy can find it this time."

"Good. Men-in-black are a real thing. They don't just go after those with mutant abilities, they look out for anything strange. I used to see it happen when I lived in the big city. You all have to be careful."

"Yes mum." Rikki joked around with an eye roll.

That's how the rest of my year went.

Lewis called when he found an old book about mermaids that seemed to be exact. I reminded him to keep any research locked up and not to talk about it public or use public computers.

One weekend while I was studying at the library I got a call from him. As I stepped out I asked, "What's up Lewis?"

"I need an expert. The other girls are suspicious so they won't help."

"Is this about that girl hanging around you?"

"Her name is Charlotte. She is friendly. She said she understood when I told her I was soulmates with Cleo. But she's always showing up places and she likes to hear me talk about science and fishing and..."

"Lewis..." I waited for him to stop before saying, "Charlotte likes like you. You need to be more straight to the point if that doesn't work then you need to keep your distance. Anything that seems like a date is in her eyes. Charlotte seems like a determined person and you are too nice."

The Charlotte issue came to a head one night.

Cleo was missing a once in a year event where the reef spawned, she needed to support her father who was having dinner with a lady.

When she met up later at the moon pool, she looked between Rikki, Emma and I.

"You won't believe what happened. The lady was Charlotte's mom. Lewis came over to help support me, but then Charlotte's mom kept distracting me so that Lewis and Charlotte could be alone. Then..." Cleo took a deep breath, having not taken one yet in her excitement, "You should have seen my dad. When he realized what Charlotte was doing he told her off and then did the same with her mom. He lost the sale of the year to protect Lewis and I."

"Bravo Mr Sertori." Rikki spoke up.

One night the Gilberts were away as their house was getting repairs. I didn't have anywhere to go. Rikki reluctantly offered, "You can stay at mine but..." She paused, "We'd have to share."

"I don't mind. Growing up I had to do that with my cousins whenever I visited them."

Rikki led me to a trailer park. Her eyes kept darting toward mine as if expecting something.

"What?"

"Nothin'."

When we got to the Chadwick home I smiled at the vines that climbed the trellis over the entrance, it felt inviting.

Blocking the entrance were legs that came out from underneath a vehicle and a muffled voice, "Is that you Rikki?"

"Yeah."

"And friend." I spoke up.

The man slid out from underneath, his gaze going from his daughter's face to mine.

"Hi I'm Darcy." I waved when I saw he was self-conscious about his oil stained hands.

He looked me in the eye, a searching sort of gaze, and I smiled.

"Dad enough."

"Did I measure up?" I spoke up with a grin and watched as the man's serious gaze lit up from within.

He let out a chuckle, "Welcome to our humble abode." As he gestured toward their trailer he walked over to the sliding door and waved me inside. He passed by me through another door to their kitchen. Opening the fridge door and grabbing a cold drink, offering me one.

"Not legal to drink yet, at least in the States."

He shook his head and chuckled, "Root beer. My daughter won't let me have beer anymore, trying to get me on a healthier diet."

I sat on the bar stool and grabbed the root beer he slid over the counter. He glanced between his silent daughter and me before chuckling.

"So you are the Darcy."

I turned toward Rikki and waggled my eyebrows, "Oh, The Darcy am I?"

Rikki shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"You've meant a lot to my daughter."

"Enough Dad."

"Ok ok." The man held his hands up in surrender when he caught his daughter's glare. "That glare can start fires. I'm off."

I swiveled on the bar stool, "I definitely could have been there for you more."

Rikki shook her head, "You are always taking care of everyone else. When do you get a chance to take care of yourself?"

I looked down swiveling, "I suppose its a distraction."

"Over the break did you see your soulmate?"

I shook my head, "My mom oversees my whole life when I'm there like a hawk. I swear sometimes I wonder if she can hear my breathing through the walls. I snuck out one night and she was waiting for me when I came back from the convenience store." I looked at her, "What about you?"

Rikki had started having dreams shortly after turning into a mermaid and receiving her first fire ability.

"They've been clearer lately. I can almost hear his voice and see his face."

I hummed beneath my breath, "Maybe if you knew his name..."

"How would I do that?"

"Well try calling him different names and see if the dream sharpens. You said he likes being mischievous often, then try something completely off the wall next time like..." I chuckled before glancing at Rikki. My voice hushed, "Like Loki, legends have him as the master mischief maker."

Rikki shook her head, "That's ridiculous."

"Next time I see mine I'm going to ask for his name and if he doesn't give me it I'll make up a name for him." I looked into the distance, something telling me in my gut that would annoy my soulmate, maybe just enough that he'd give in and tell me his real name.

For the first time ever Emma called me to inform me she thought she might have found her soulmate. He was a riding instructor, which correlated well with horseshoe marks along her arms and legs on occasion.

It was also the shortest conversation I ever had with her, Emma and Ash had a bit of rivalry going on.

I would get occasional calls from her, complaining about something else that Ash did that aggravated. It was honestly kind of adorable.

Then I got a call from a crying Cleo, "She...she..."

"Deep breaths Cleo."

I listened as Cleo hiccuped before taking a big gulp of air.

"Charlotte has started tutoring me because I've been failing biology and...and..."

"She's being rude?"

A confirmation came on the other line before Cleo, "She makes me feel stupid and she keeps asking about Lewis but in a way that makes me feel like...like..."

"Like she knows him better?"

"Yeah."

Cleo was the sweetest of our group but also the easier to hurt from outside forces. She had a strength in her but it was rarely in protection of herself instead it was for others.

"How about this, I can tutor you on the weekends. I'll sign a note and everything if needed."

"You'd do that for me?"

"Yeah." I smiled, "Plus I want to keep my girls safe, and Charlotte seems to be a red flag."

This time I could hear laughter in Cleo's voice, "Your girls?"

"What, I can't be a tad bit possessive of my friends?"

A full blown laugh was heard on the other end and I smiled, happy to hear the joy back in Cleo.

Charlotte wasn't a problem that much anymore. She tried to low-key bully Cleo for a bit but the girls stood up for Cleo and the counselor got involved.

Still I told the girls to keep up precautions.

Be careful what they talked about at school and for Lewis to stay away from Charlotte.

Over one of the semester breaks, Rikki got me to convince the girls to hunt for some sunken treasure. I knew what this was about.

I'd been over a couple more times at her house and I'd seen the bills piling up. I had a feeling things were getting tight for them. But I also knew Rikki would never ask for help, not monetary anyways.

"I overheard Zane talking about a sunken treasure off the coast of Mako."

"So?" Emma sat at our Juicenet table on her break. "Why should we care?"

"It sounds like an adventure." I glanced at Emma, "It would be a nice change of pace."

Rikki leaned forward, "Who knows Mako better than us?"

"I don't know..." Cleo metered out.

"Well I'm in." I spoke up.

Rikki looked at Emma with a waggle of her eyebrows and Emma stood up, "I have work."

Rikki turned back to Cleo and I, "With the three of us..."

"Four." Lewis chimed in, "With my smarts and Darcy's super-strength we'll be able to bring it to the surface no problem."

"We can store it at Mako until we can collect the reward."

Cleo wasn't so sure but seeing the excitement on all our faces and Lewis pouting she came along.

We searched all day, a couple times hiding from Zane and his buddies who were diving. I would hold the girls hands before willing my moon ring to turn us invisible.

"I've got to get myself one of those." Rikki spoke when we broke the surface.

"How are you guys doing?" I looked from Cleo to Rikki, both looked a bit tired out.

Lewis leaned over the rim of his boat, "Caprisun anyone?"

"Me!" I raised my hand and got a strawberry kiwi, floating on my back happily sipping away ignoring Rikki's chuckles. We snacked on some jerky and trail mix before we were ready to dive down again.

We thought we'd never find it when Rikki rushed to us and gestured for us to follow her. Across a dip in the ocean floor we found the wreckage of a sailboat.

The black box was not far from the main wreckage half buried in the sand.

Rikki waved toward it, before swimming to the surface and getting Lewis's device to help bring it up. As it lifted up through the water, I spotted it while the girls stayed at the surface out of the way.

It was a hefty push onto the boat but we got it. Then we headed toward the moon pool where I took it down again and placed it in the cave itself for safety.

All went well early the next morning. Lewis and I came and got the box, then brought it into town to get the reward.

"So how are we going to split this?"

"I'm good." I shrugged.

"Darcy..." Rikki glared.

"I'll take half." Lewis raised his hand.

Cleo took my hint and elbowed Lewis.

"Ok I'll take a quarter."

With the money from the treasure hunt, Lewis was able to get a new laptop and Rikki wouldn't move away.

Being the mom of the friend group didn't always mean taking care of my girls during the full moon, or mediating between relationships; sometimes odd things would happen.

Like the time Emma got a scrape on some coral and started having a ferocious appetite for fish. Her skin grew pale, and scales appeared even while she was dry.

I coaxed her to the moon pool with the sardines that she seemed to be gobbling down by the canful.

Meanwhile, Hector, one of Cleo's new fish, was displaying similar characteristics. So while Lewis took him to their marine park contact. I had Rikki and Cleo out grabbing as many fish as they could for Emma who was gorging herself on everything we gave her. Anytime she seemed to get restless I would hum the lullaby I had used to calm the girls during the full moon. By early evening Lewis arrived with the anti-toxin in spray format that we sprayed all over Emma's face and paling scaled body.

Thankfully it brought her back to normal just like Hector, the fish.