Hey guys! Sorry for not updating earlier! Guess what? After this chapter, there will only be three more to go until the story ends! But don't worry! The next story should be up quickly after that. And I also have to warn you that when you know who comes back into town, I'm going to add my own twist, so be prepared! And thanks to my awesome reviewers! Especially the ones that review after every chapter! You know who you are! One more thing! The next thirteen episodes of Mako Mermaids will debut on September 15th on Netflix! Please remember to review! Enjoy! I do not own H2O: Just Add Water.
Alex and I were walking on the beach, talking about usual stuff. Cleo was working at the marine park, Rikki was most likely with Zane, and it still makes me a little uneasy. Emma and Lauren were out doing who knows what, and Lewis was... just Lewis. Suddenly, while Alex and I were talking, the subject of Bella came up. "Do you think she misses us?" Alex asked.
"Of course she does," I said without a second thought.
"Then why hasn't she called us, or done anything to contact us?" Alex asked curiously.
"Maybe she just doesn't have the time," I reasoned.
Alex looked at me and smiled. "You always did have a soft spot for her," he said.
"Well, I was her first friend after all," I replied.
"True," Alex agreed. "So how did you keep your secret from us for so long?" Alex asked.
"Believe me, I was so close to telling you guys," I admitted. "It was getting really hard to keep."
"Now that I think about it, you seemed to really be on edge around water back in the states. I guess I understand why now."
"Hey, I'm gonna head to the JuiceNet," I said. "You wanna tag along?"
Alex sighed. "I would, but my mom wants me back to clean and whatnot."
"I guess I'll catch you later then," I waved as I began my trek to the JuiceNet. When I walked into the JuiceNet, I saw Rikki talking to Lewis. Lewis was rambling on about something.
"...Window cleaning, bikini car washing," I heard him say.
"Oh you are funny," Rikki said as she pointed a finger at Lewis. "You are hysterical." I sat next to Rikki. "No, I'm serious, this is really important."
"What's so important?" I interrupted
"Oh, hey Will," Rikki said. "I was with... Zane earlier," she said cautiously.
"Go on," I rolled my eyes.
"And I saw a locket that looked exactly like Cleo's," she continued. "We went to Miss Chatham and found out that it belonged to Julia. Cleo's locket belonged to Gracie and Miss Chatham still has hers. The three lockets are part of a set. We are trying to come up with enough money to buy Julia's locket for Miss Chatham," Rikki explained.
"Wow," I said. "Why didn't I know about this sooner?" I asked. Rikki shrugged. "Oh, so it's a 'mermaids only' type of thing? I get it," I said with a laugh.
"No, I'm serious this is really important," Rikki said bluntly. She then turned to Lewis. "You know, this means a lot to Cleo too," Rikki said innocently.
Lewis immediately looked away from the computer screen. "Cleo?" he asked. He was falling right into Rikki's trap.
"She'll be really cut if we don't get this," Rikki nodded. "I think, in fact I know, she would really really appreciate your help."
Lewis thought for a moment. "Leave it to me," he said. "I am on it. I am gonna raise that money," he concluded as he walked out, passing Miriam along the way.
"You played him like an instrument," I laughed.
"I do my best," Rikki smirked.
"Miriam!" I heard Tiffany, Miriam's friend exclaim.
"Do you like it?" Miriam asked. "My new locket?"
I then looked at the locket around Miriam's neck. I recognized it as one of the original mermaids' locket. By the way Miriam was intentionally boasting and staring at Rikki, I knew she got it to tick Rikki off. It was probably Julia's; the one Rikki was trying to buy. I saw Rikki glare at Miriam, with daggers in her eyes. This won't be good.
Rikki got up and matched towards Miriam. "Do you like it Rikki?" Miriam asked. "Oh, now I remember! I think Zane told me about how much you admired it. Maybe that's why I was so quick to buy it." Miriam obviously didn't know that pushing Rikki's buttons was like a death wish. She'll probably find out soon enough.
"Give it to me," Rikki said as she clawed at Miriam's chest in an attempt to grab the locket.
"What are you doing?" Miriam asked trying to shove Rikki away.
"Give it to me!" Rikki screamed. Suddenly, Zane walked in. "Give it to me!" she repeated. By now, Miriam was pushed to the floor and had a look of fear in her eyes.
"Get away from me!" Miriam said fearfully.
Zane grabbed Rikki and pulled her away from Miriam. For once, I think Zane did a smart thing, because if he didn't pull Rikki away, I'm sure that Miriam would have a few broken bones.
"Get off me!" Rikki yelled at Zane trying to break from his grip.
"What's wrong with you? Get away, you're crazy!" Miriam said with shock in her eyes.
"Get off!" Rikki screamed as she pushed Zane away from her. "Who's side are you on anyway?!" she shouted at Zane. She then ran out of the JuiceNet. Everyone was looking on in confusion. Zane ran out after Rikki. I quickly followed.
"Rikki!" Zane called after her. "Rikki!" he repeated.
"Leave me alone," Rikki said flatly.
"Please!" Zane pleaded as he grabbed ahold of Rikki's arm. She immediately shook his hand away.
"Don't!" she said. "Did you tell Miriam that I wanted that locket?"
"No!" Zane defended. "Maybe," he corrected himself. "I saw her at the mall. I asked her if girls like getting jewelry, that's all."
"Thanks a lot," Rikki said flatly.
"I was thinking of buying it for you!" Zane said in defense.
"Well, it's too late now, isn't it?" Rikki retorted. "You told her I liked it! She went out and got it just to get at me! You should've kept quiet." Rikki then stared Zane down. "Do you still have feelings for that whining airhead?" she asked.
"No, you know that!" Zane said truthfully. "Look, if it matters that much, I'll buy you another one."
"There isn't another one!" Rikki shot towards him. "Well, there is, but it's part of a set."
"Okay, so why is it so important?" Zane asked.
"Doesn't matter," Rikki answered. "Forget about it."
"Forget about it?" Zane asked with surprise. "You almost tore Miriam apart! What is going on?" Naturally, Rikki kept quiet. "You know what? I'm getting pretty sick of these secrets," Zane said.
"So am I," Rikki whispered, then walked off.
Before Zane could run after her, I went up to him and put my arm out. "Let her be," I said.
"Oh yeah?" Zane asked. "What do you know?"
"I know firsthand what happens when you try to talk to Rikki when she's in a bad mood," I admitted. "Regardless if you're her boyfriend or not, if you talk to her now, I'm pretty sure she'll rearrange your face."
"So you know about us?" Zane asked.
"Yeah," I replied. "As much as I hate to admit it." This was starting to become the longest conversation I have ever had with Zane.
"So what's with her then?" Zane asked referring to her brawl with Miriam. "Why is she so hung up on that one locket?"
"No idea," I lied. "Probably just a girl thing."
"Well, I'm gonna get it back for her," Zane said as he was walking back towards the entrance."You coming?" he asked.
I shrugged, and then ran up next to him. When we entered the JuiceNet, Zane went up to Miriam and got straight to the point. "How much do you want for it?" he asked.
"Hi to you too," Miriam said with defiance in her voice.
"Don't play games," Zane said. "I know you only bought it to have your little laugh, so how much do you want for it?" Wow, I have to say I've never seen Zane so keen on something other than his zodiac or cars or something like that. He must really care for Rikki. I'll have to remember that.
"I bought it Zane because I liked it, and I'm keeping it," Miriam said. "What happened to us Zane?" Miriam asked. I could tell that she was trying to pull Zane in. "We never broke up."
Zane bent down so his face was inches away from Miriam's. "Miriam," he began. "We were never together." As soon as those words left Zane's mouth, Miriam looked like she had been shot in the chest. Zane then walked over to me.
"Way to shut her up," I said.
"Yeah," Zane said simply. "But she still has the locket. How are we gonna get it from her?"
Miriam was a tough nut to crack, so I had to think a little bit for this one. "Well, how bout I go find Rikki and see if she's okay," I suggested. "Then we can find out how to get the locket."
Zane reluctantly nodded, and then we both parted ways. I got a text from Emma telling me to meet her and the girls at her house, so I made my way over there in no time. I walked through the door and saw that the girls were all sitting together, along with Miss Chatham. It seemed that Rikki got there seconds before I did. "So I guess everyone forgot to give me the four one one?" I asked with a shrug.
"Yeah sorry about that," Emma apologized.
"It's okay, Rikki told me everything," I said.
"Miss Chatham was just telling us about her friends," Cleo spoke up. "They sounded great."
"Oh, well we didn't always get along," Miss Chatham said. "Sometimes we argued, sometimes we lied to each other. Even best friends will do that," Miss Chatham reminded. "Right Rikki?" she asked. I instantly knew that Miss C. was trying to get at Rikki. "My friends and I were all very different. Julia was very headstrong, like you Rikki."
"So, she can be a pain?" Emma asked with a smirk in Rikki's direction.
"Oh, we were so close until, well we found out that she had a boyfriend," Miss C. added. "She wanted to tell him everything. We tried to stop her, but she wouldn't listen. It was our secret too. She threatened us. She was too powerful. There was nothing we could do," Miss C. ended.
"I don't see what the problem is," Rikki said. "Secrets are what make this whole mermaid thing a pain. At least she had someone she could trust."
"I think we need some exercise," Miss C. said suddenly. "Let's go." We all stared at her in confusion. "C'mon!" she urged. She went over go Rikki. "You too. Move it."
We were walking along the docks when Rikki spoke up. "I always thought exercise was overrated."
"Miss Chatham chuckled. "So like Julia," she said. "I always found the best way was to ignore her moods and I often carried a tennis racket. It was very useful."
Rikki had enough. "I'm out of here," she said as she began to walk away.
"Wait!" Miss C. called to her. "It was up there," she said as she pointed to the far edge of one of the docks. The girls and I exchanged glances as Miss C. continued. "His name was Karl. He was smart, funny, rich, and a bit of a bad boy."
Like Zane, I thought. I then knew what Miss C. was trying to do.
"Very good looking," Miss C. continued with a small smile. "She told him everything. At first, he was very upset. He wouldn't see her for a long time, and then one day he called wanting to meet." It seemed as if Miss C. was actually reliving the memory. "We begged her not to go, but she thought she could trust him. She thought he understood. She was so terribly happy."
Here it comes, I thought.
"And so terribly wrong," Miss C. revealed. "He wanted to expose her to the whole world. He tried telling everyone about us, but people made a mockery of him. No one believed him. Julia closed up after that. She never really got over the betrayal."
"Well, that was then," Rikki but in.
"Rikki!" Emma scolded.
"No, I know what she's trying to say, and I'm not like that," Rikki said as she walked away.
"So what happened to Julia?" Cleo asked trying to forget about Rikki.
"It took time, but life goes on," Miss C. said simply. "We rebuilt our friendship and our trust. We gave each other the lockets as a symbol of our friendship," Miss C. said as she felt for her locket. "Our secret. And we swore an oath. Keep the secret, be there for one another, and always be friends. She needs you," Miss C. said meaning Rikki. "She doesn't know how much but she does. Good luck."
We nodded, and then left to go find Rikki. "Let's try the JuiceNet," Lauren suggested. When we neared the JuiceNet, we were walking along the rocks and saw Zane talking with Miriam. It looked like they were having the locket. I saw Julia's locket firmly grasped in Miriam's hand. "I guess Zane was trying to get it from her. Zane must've said something to tick her off, because Miriam threw the locket into the water. That's when I saw Rikki standing at the entrance.
"I'll go get it," Emma said. "You guys wait here." Emma then dove into the water. I saw Zane trying to talk to Rikki. Rikki kept shaking her head. That's when Zane took off his shoes. I didn't know what to think of it, until I saw him walk down to the dock. He was going to try and get it himself. He could see Emma when he's down there. We raced over to where Zane and Rikki were. Before we could stop him, Zane leaped into the water.
"Are you crazy?" Cleo asked Rikki. "Emma's down there!"
"He could see her!" I added. Rikki paid no attention and kept her eyes locked on where Zane submerged.
Suddenly, Zane surfaced with no locket in hand. "Forget about it Zane, you're never gonna find it!" Cleo yelled over to him.
"Oh yeah?" he asked. "Watch me." He then went under again. Now that Zane is in the water trying to get what he thinks is just an ordinary locket for Rikki, I see him in a different light. He seems totally devoted to Rikki. Maybe the obnoxious stuff is an act like Rikki said. Suddenly, Zane grabbed onto the dock. He actually got the locket. He climbed onto the dock and held up the locket. "I got it," he announced. "I'm really sorry about all that other stuff. He must've been talking about whatever he did to tick Rikki off. It probably had something to do with Miriam. "Here, take it. I got it for you," he said as he held the locket out to Rikki.
Rikki opened up her hand; it was inches away from the water dripping from the locket. Was she crazy or something? "Rikki, it's wet!" Cleo said quickly. Just as Zane let go of the locket, Rikki let it miss her hand and fall to the ground. She then bent over and balled up her hand, which made the water evaporate off of the locket. The clever girl.
Zane looked confused. "What's going on?" Zane asked. "You're all acting weird."
"Nothing," Rikki said casually. "Nothing at all. Thanks a lot for this. It means a lot. So I'll catch you later?" Rikki really was playing this off well. Zane shook his head in confusion, and then walked off. Rikki held up the locket to us in victory. She then shrugged her shoulders. "You didn't honestly think I was gonna to give up our secret to Zane, did you?" She then noticed our guilty looks. "You did?" she asked with a surprised expression. "Oh, c'mon is there no trust?" she smirked and then walked off.
We followed her. Now all we had to do was return the locket to Miss C. We met up with her on the beach. All of the girls sat together and I stood behind them. "I'm really sorry about Julia," Rikki said truthfully to Miss C. "But I'm not her." Rikki held the locket out to Miss C.
"I know dear, I know," Miss C. said as she grabbed the locket. She then glanced at it for a while, and then held it back out to Rikki. "This belongs to you." Rikki looked unsure of herself. "You kept the secret! You deserve this Rikki," Miss C. reassured. With a smile, Rikki gladly took the locket and put it around her neck. Miss C. then felt for her own locket. She then took it off. "And this is yours," she said as she motioned for Emma to take the locket.
"No, I couldn't," Emma said. She probably felt like she was taking away the one thing Miss C. cherished most of all.
"Don't be silly!" Miss C. smiled. "Besides, it feels right that they're all together!" Emma smiled in thanks and took the locket. "The secret's yours now."
"We'll take good care of them," Emma promised.
"Yes, I think you will," Miss C. grinned.
Emma, Rikki, and Cleo smiled at each other. I noticed that Lauren's face was starting to form a frown. "You're not feeling left out, are you?" I asked.
"Maybe a little," Lauren admitted.
"Then maybe this will cheer you up," I said as I pulled a small box from my pocket. Lauren was completely surprised.
"Go ahead, open it," I said as I handed the box to her. Once she opened it, she cupped her hand over her mouth.
"Is that what I think it is?" she asked excitedly.
"Yep," I smirked. It was a locket that was completely identical to the original three, except the crystal in the middle was purple.
"And the crystal's my favorite color!" Lauren squealed. "Where'd you get it?"
"I didn't get it anywhere," I said. "I made it with Kyle's help. He's sort of a handyman when it comes to crafting."
"This means so much!" Lauren exclaimed. "Thank you!" she said as she threw her arms around me. I saw the smiles of the girls and Miss C.
Mission accomplished, I thought.
Back at my house, I was sitting in my room just playing with my powers. I wondered if I could still make lightning come from my hands, so I held my hand out and concentrated. Seconds later, lighting sparked and the started to swirl around my hand. I smirked, and then dropped my hand back down. I also wondered when the curse would come back, not that I wanted it to of course.
Kaylie then came into the room. She had a glass of water in her hand. "I just checked on Sierra and Lucy," she said.
"Are they asleep?" I asked.
"They're out cold," she smiled.
"Good," I said with a grin.
"So," Kaylie began. "Do you think you might want to tell mom and dad about... you know," she whispered.
"What?" I asked. "That their son is part fish? I'll pass on that."
"You'll have to tell them sometime," she said.
"Well, that time is not today," I said quickly.
Kaylie finally nodded. "Okay, I just don't want them finding out by accident. Who knows what their reactions would be like then?"
"I hear you," I sighed. Kaylie then got up and left the room. I was definitely not going to tell my parents now. It's not the right time. But I'll tell them eventually.
Eventually, I repeated in my head as a turned off the light and went to bed.
So now Lauren has a locket too! I hope you enjoyed the chapter! I hope to have the next chapter up by Saturday! Thanks for reading!
MysticalMerman