Chapter 11

Rikki's POV

After the little incident with my dad last night, I called Bella and Cleo and asked them to meet me at the café tomorrow morning. Zane left after my dad gave us a speech about being responsible and careful. It was really embarrassing. I felt bad for Zane. He looked so uncomfortable and I bet he felt uncomfortable too. I felt that way.

My dad comes by the house a couple times a week to check on me. He treats me like a baby, but I love him for it. It makes me feel wanted. Something I haven't felt from my mom for over 10 years.

I went to my room and got changed to go to bed. I was really tired. Fighting with your boyfriend and finding out that a bitch scientist is back in town really tires you out. My dad left an hour after Zane left. I just hope he doesn't come in my trailer when I'm kissing Zane or doing something more….

I unfortunately had another one of those dreams.

"Rikki. We need to talk."

I looked up to see my mom. She looked exactly the way I remember her. Her blond hair falling beautifully down her back. I got my blond hair and blue eyes from her.

"Why would I want to talk to you? You left me when I was a kid!" I screamed at her.

"I had no choice. It was time to leave. If I didn't leave, you would've never moved to this town and met your friends. You never would've become a mermaid."

How did she know about that?

"What are you talking about?"

"I know you're a mermaid and don't worry. I won't gossip with the dream people." She laughed.

"What do you want Mom?" I asked her.

"I want you to be careful. What is going on right now is bigger than you can imagine."

"Do you know something about Emma?" I asked her.

"She isn't important right now. You need to get rid of Dr. Denmen."

"How is Emma not important? She is missing!"

"I know. You won't find her. She was taken by a group that knows about mermaids. They think they are disgusting. They can spot one from a mile away. They spotted Emma when she was in Italy."

"Are you saying that Emma is dead?"

She disappeared and I started to wake up.

I woke up screaming. Emma. Is she dead? I need to call the girls.

I grabbed my cell and remember that I was going to meet them today.

I took a bath and stared at my tail. I saw something weird. Part of the bottom of my tail was turning blue.

"What the hell?"

I got out of the bath and used my power to dry myself off.

I got dressed and headed to where I was meeting the girls.

I saw them and said, "I have to tell you guys something."

"What, no hi?" Bella asked me.

"Hi. Now we have to go for a swim," I said.

"We can't with Denmen back," Cleo said.

"But I really have to show you guys something and tell you something."

"Just tell us. Wait. Are you pregnant?" Bella asked me.

"What? Hell no! What I need to show you guys, is that my tail is turning blue," I said with hushed tones.

"How is that even possible?" Bella asked me.

"I don't think it is," Cleo said.

"Well, it is. I was taking a bath this morning and saw the blue on the back of my tail. I screamed and then came here. And I have something else to tell you, but in private. Let's go to the boat house and talk about it there."

They agreed and we headed for boat house. It wasn't that far from where we were thankfully.

We arrived outside the boat house and they went inside. I was about to go inside when I heard someone whisper,

"Rikki. Help me!"

I turned around and looked at the water. In the water was the mermaid from the other day.

I said to the mermaid, "Only if you show me who you are."

The mermaid was about to lift her hair when Cleo came out and asked, "You coming Rikki?"

"Do you see her?" I asked Cleo.

"See who?" she asked me. I pointed at the mermaid. She was still in the water with her hair still covering her hair.

"Her."

"I don't see anyone."

"She is right there in the water."

"Maybe you have internal injuries from when you were attacked by that person," she told me.

"I am perfectly fine. It's the mermaid I have seen two times before this."

"What mermaid?"

I looked back at the water and saw that the mermaid was gone. Was I going insane? No, I couldn't be.

"I swear that she was there." Cleo looked at me and walked back inside. I followed her inside.

"Where were you guys?" Bella asked us when we came in.

"Rikki is going insane," Cleo answered.

"I am not! I can't believe that you guys don't believe me." I was hurt. How could they not believe me?

"It wasn't there Rikki! There was no one in the water!"

We kept fighting and yelling at each other.

"STOP!" Bella screamed, "I can't believe you guys. Stop yelling at each other. Rikki, just tell us what you need to tell us."

"Fine," I said.

I told them everything I know. I told them about my dream and what my mom told me. At first they didn't believe me, but when I told them that I saw myself being hit over the head before it actually happened, they believed me. We came to the conclusion that Denmen might be involved in the group that kills mermaids. I told them how my mom was about to tell me more about what they do, but I woke up.

"Hopefully, I'll dream about her again tonight. I need to know more about that group. They're probably the ones who took Emma," I said to the girls.

"They probably are," Bella said, "We really need to tell the guys. We should probably call Ash and tell him to meet us down here. I really want to meet Ash. He seems like a nice person. It's to bad that I meeting him to tell him that his girlfriend might be dead."

"I think she is dead," I said to them. "In one of my dreams, the blonde girl who was being chased by the guys dove into the water and they shot at her. The water turned red guys. I think Emma really is dead."

I looked at Cleo with tears in my eyes. I never really thought that she could be dead. I never wanted her to be. Yeah, we fought, but she was one of my best friends.

Cleo started crying and so did I. We cried for a couple minutes.

Wait. The mermaid in the pool with the hair covering her face.

"She may not be dead," I said to Cleo and Bella.

They gave me a questioned look.

"The mermaid I saw, what if it was Emma?" I asked them.

"I think I would've been able to see her too," Cleo said.

"You don't have to believe me, but I think it was her. She had the same blonde hair as Emma and she swims the same way she does. I really have a strong feeling about this you guys," I told them.

"Emma was a nice person?" Bella asked us.

"Oh yeah. You never met her. Yeah, she is really nice. Always pleasing people and trying to make everything perfect," Cleo told her.

"Remember how I told you guys about how my head wound healed?" I asked them.

"Yeah," they said together.

"It healed after I passed out. What if that is a new power?"

"It's possible. We got powers over the weather," Cleo said.

"I never got new powers," Bella said.

"Maybe it's a Mako island thing?" I asked.

"Could be," she said.

"So, anyway, what if she got a new power too." They looked at me.

"What is that new power exactly?" Cleo asked me.

"It could be like astral projection or something like that."

"Okay, but what does that have to do with being a mermaid?" Cleo asked me.

"I don't know. What does lightning have to do with being a mermaid, or wind?"

"Point taken," Cleo said.

We sat there for a moment.

"I need to swim," I said.

"We can't, not with Denmen out there," Bella said.

"I need to swim though. It relaxes me."

"Why don't you just call Zane?" Bella asked me. I knew she was teasing, but I through a pillow at her anyway. "Hey! I'm just saying that you seem happier with him."

She was right. I am happy with Zane. He gets my mind off of the bad things in life. I looked at my watch.

"Oh, I got to get to work!" I got up and ran out. I could hear them saying bye while I was leaving. They are going to kill me at work. I have been late three days in a row. I could use the traumatized card. I mean, my best friend is missing. That should work.

When I got to work and told them my story, they believed me. I didn't get fired!

Work was boring and I ran out of there as soon as my shift was over.

When I ran out the door I ran into Zane.

"Zane!" I fell over and he landed on top of me.

"Hey Rikki," he said to me.

"Hey Zane. Ummm, do you mind getting off me, so you can walk me home?"

He got up and said, "Sure." He grabbed my hand and we started walking to my trailer.

Whenever I see Zane, my mind forgets all the bad things in my life. I forget about all my worries and just have fun.

"How was work?" he asked me.

"You really want to know about my sucky job?" I asked him.

"No, not really." I laughed.

"I knew you wouldn't want to."

"I was trying to be polite. I didn't expect to be laughed at." He let go of my hand and stopped walking.

"You're really mad that I laughed?" I asked him.

"No. I'm just pissed about the whole Denmen thing."

"Here's an idea." He looked at me. "Don't think about it. Me and the girls are staying out of the water and researching this group that kills mermaids. Or do they trap mermaids?"

"Wait, what?" he asked me. "What group that kills mermaids?"

"I don't know if they definitely kill mermaids."

"Just tell me what you know. I need to know, so I can help." He is so sweet! What the hell is happening to me? Since when do I think things are cute? Stupid full moon.

I told Zane everything I know. He believed me about my mom in my dream. I'm so happy that he learned to agree with his girlfriend. I told him about my theory about what happened with Emma. He kinda didn't seem like he agreed with me.

"Do you not think that my theory can be true?" I asked him as we continued to my trailer.

"I think it's a little out there," he told me.

"I know. The girls said that too, but I did see a mermaid in the water."

"Mermaid?" a voice asked.

I turned around and saw a man looking at us. He looked about thirty five years old. He looked harmless, but something seemed off about him.

"Did you say mermaid?" he asked us.

"Yeah," I said, "Were practicing for a drama class. We had to write a script and we chose to do one on the beliefs and disbeliefs of mermaids," I told him. Pretty good excuse. I am good!

"Oh," he said and walked away.

"That was weird," Zane said to me.

"Yeah, but he seemed odd. I think we should stay away from him if we ever see him again. The girls and I need to watch who we talk to. He could be part of that group," I told him.

"Your right. That was suspicious. He could be after you." We got to my trailer and went inside, "But don't worry. I'll protect you." He grabbed me and sat on the couch with me in his lap.

"And how will you do that?" I asked him.

"Like this." He kissed me. "And this." He kissed me again and we went into a make out session. I love kissing him. I feel amazing when he kisses me.

We kept kissing until he said,

"Marry me."