Chapter 35

Rikki's POV

I explained everything that happened to Emma. She let me stay in her room for the night. I woke up the next morning and looked at my phone. I had twenty missed calls from Zane. At least he was trying. I got out of my sleeping bag and took my phone to the bathroom. There, I called my fiancé.

"Hello," Zane said.

"Hey," I said.

"Rikki, I am so sorry. I do want to find our daughter, but we have to report Miriam's death. Her parents have been felling like we feel and I don't want anyone else to have to feel that."

"Zane, shut up." He did. "I'm sorry for walking out yesterday. I'm just upset and I really am trying to forgive people more and not get angry, but it's hard for me. Also, I think your right. They should know where Miriam is."

"Okay, so I can call the police and tell them where she is?" he asked me.

"What are we going to tell them? I know a guy on the force and he knows that I'm pregnant. Or, was. You know what I mean. He's going to want to see our daughter. The police are also going to want to know how I found Miriam."

"I'll talk to them and say that you're not up for visitors and that it freaked you out."

"That's not me though! I wouldn't mind talking to the police."

"You're right. Can you come home so we can talk about it?"

"Okay, see you in a few."

"Wait, don't go alone."

"Fine."

I got off the phone and woke up Emma.

"What?" she asked me. She was clearly pissed off at me for waking her up.

"I need you to drive me home," I said.

"Why can't Bella drive you?"

"Bella is at Will's boat house. Just drive me."

She got out of her bed and got changed. I went downstairs and she came down in ten minutes.

"I told Zane that I would be there in a few. It's been more than a few minutes," I said.

"Sorry, but I'm still asleep," she said.

"Wake up then, I don't want to be in a car crash."

We walked outside and got in her parents car. They gave her the keys before we left the house. I looked out the window and realized that my daughter could be anywhere by now. She could be a town over or ten towns over. Maybe Zane was right, maybe we should call the police.

"Emma, do you think it's a good idea to tell the police that she's missing?" I asked her as we arrived at my house.

"Who?" Emma asked me.

"My daughter. We're never going to find her by ourselves. She could be anywhere by now. They could have gotten her out of the country, or out of town, anywhere. I just want my daughter back and if that means letting someone know that were mermaids, then I'll do it. She needs to be home with her real family."

"You can talk to Bella about it, and Cleo. She's coming out here, but Lewis is staying in America."
We got out of the car and walked to the front door. I checked my pockets.

"I don't have my keys," I said. I rang the doorbell and a worried Zane opened the door.

"You said in a few!" he said when he opened the door.

"Don't yell at me, yell at Emma," I said. I walked past him and put my bag on the floor.

He started yelling at Emma. Emma looked like she was about to fall asleep right there, standing up.

"Zane, shut up! Emma, are you okay?" I asked her.

"What?" Emma asked me. She didn't hear anything we just said.

"I asked if you were okay."

"I'm fine, just tired."

"When is Cleo coming?" After this, I'll let her go home and sleep.

"Friday," she said while she yawned.

"It is Friday."

"Oh, then we have to go pick her up at twelve."

"It's eleven thirty," I said as I grabbed my phone that I recently put on the table, and ran outside. "Emma, take a nap on the couch or something. I'll go get her with Zane. Keys?" She threw the keys at me, but they ended up five feet from me on the floor.

"Maybe you should go see a doctor. But not alone," Zane said as we closed the door.

Zane drove to the airport. We found Cleo after ten minutes of looking. I grabbed one of her bags, but she took it out of my hands.

"Whoa, just trying to help," I said as I threw my hands up.

"You aren't allowed to. You are supposed to be taking it easy," Cleo said. She shook her finger at me.

"Since when?"

"Since now."

We walked to the car and picked up Bella. She was at the boat house. She always stays there, I'm just happy Sophie isn't there.

I opened the door once we got home. I saw Emma on the couch, dripping with sweat.

"Oh my god, Zane calls a doctor. Wait, it could be mermaid related. Emma is more important, call the doctor," I said to him. He went into the kitchen and made the call.

"Emma, wake up. Emma!" Cleo said as she knelt next to her.

"What?" Emma said, but we could barely understand it.

"You really should stay awake, but relax," Bella said. I put my bag in my room so it wasn't in the way. I got back downstairs when I heard a scream coming from the living room.

I ran to the room and asked, "What happened?" Emma was a mermaid, but her tail looked bad. It had a greenish tint to it.

"Is this happening because she's supposed to be with Ash?" Cleo asked me.

"No. It's not supposed to make you sick. Anyway, it starts in one place and spreads. It takes a while too. Her tail is still orange, just with a green tint to it. Like a sick fish," I said as I walked over to them.

Someone came into the house. I looked over my shoulder and saw Emma's mom.

"What is going on?" she asked me.

"Emma is sick, and I'm pretty sure it's not a human sickness. Zane, call the doctor and tell her not to come!" I screamed to him.

"Okay!" he screamed back.

Emma's mom came over to the couch and looked at her daughter.

"Is it contagious?" she asked us.

"We don't know. She turned into a mermaid a couple minutes after we walked in. Her tail shouldn't be like this," Bella said

"maybe you girls should step away from her then," Zane said.

"He's right," Mrs. Gilbert said.

All the mermaids in the room, except Emma, backed away to the other side of the living room.

"Has she been tired like this before," I asked her mom.

"Yeah, but never like this."

"Maybe it's okay. Maybe she's supposed to be like this."