Hey everyone. I'm so sorry that it's been so long since I've updated this! I was hoping to have this chapter up sooner, but I find writing from both Cleo & Lewis's P.O.V's very difficult, no to mention I also had literally had no inspiration and no idea what else I was going to have in this chapter after I reached about the 700 word mark... And there's no way that I'd post a 700 word chapter for this story. It's not that I haven't got plans for Cleo (and Lewis) because trust me, I do, but I couldn't really touch on their issues yet without spoiling the surprise of it too much. And so, I decided to take the path of Charlotte until Lewis's next chapter...

Anyway, I hope that you guys are happy with this chapter at least! I've finished chapter 9 already too, so review and I shall upload that which I promise you is a heck of a lot more interesting and dramatic!

Chapter 8 – Look Who's A Big Girl Now

Cleo's P.O.V

"Well done Jemima!" I smiled, praising the dolphin as I released a small piece of frozen squid into the pool in front of me.

She surfaced for the treat, clapping her right fin along the top of the water proudly before returning underwater.

I wrapped up Jemima's training for the day, picking up the bucket of squid, the dry ball I hadn't needed to use and my emergency towel, carrying them back to the wet area which was where all the equipment for the dolphins was kept and where mine and a few of the other employees lockers and change room was. I put all the equipment and leftover squid away, before getting changed and grabbing my stuff, ready to leave after having spent the last 4 hours at the Marine Park working.

This morning I'd sent texts out, arranging to catch up with the Rikki and Bella half an hour after my shift at work finished, over a coffee at our favourite cafe which conveniently overlooked the Surfers Paradise beach.

I had to walk to the cafe today, because Lewis was using our car which we took turns with, but it wasn't that bad considering it was only about a 15 minute walk from the house to the Marine Park, then a 20 minute walk from the Marine Park to the cafe and another 20 minutes to get back home from there.

"Cleo?"

I distinctively heard my name being called as I walked along the main, busy footpath which lead to the beach one way and the main road the other, nearing closer and closer to the cafe.

I turned around, expecting to see Rikki or Bella trying to get my attention, but when at first glance I noticed no blonde I turned back around and continued walking along.

"Cleo!" the same voice repeated.

I turned around taking a better, this time noticing who was approaching me.

"Wow... Charlotte?"

"Cleo" Charlotte Watsford repeated, for the third time.

"Yeah" I softly confirmed, taking a step backwards and crossing my arms defensively, pulling my guard and defensive barrier up as I came around from the shock – processing the current situation.

"How are you?" Charlotte asked, all of a sudden bursting into a smile which threw me completely off-track. I was expecting and imagining that I would be approached by the same Charlotte Watsford that had left the Gold Coast nearly 5 years ago with a very bruised ego and overly bitter outlook and opinion of me – not the same sweet and friendly Charlotte that I'd initially met, before things turned ugly between us when Lewis was thrown into the equation.

Not sure how to react from her change in attitude, I made the split second decision to change her opinion of me in this lifetime now. I wasn't the same girl she had known, and I wasn't the same girl that she'd expected to back down when the pressure turned up in the past – I wasn't going to let her tread all over me again.

I wasn't the same Cleo Sertori. I was Cleo McCartney.

"I'm great, thanks" I smiled, focusing my energy on pulling as much confidence as I could into my voice and stance.

She nodded, still smiling sweetly. "That's good. And how about the other girls? Rikki? Emma? What are they up to these days?"

"They're both doing well. Rikki's still here – she's a photographer now, but Emma's studying abroad at Oxford; something to do with medicines."

"And Lewis?"

This time it was my turn for the smiling. "He's still here. He studied at a Marine Biology Institute in the U.S. for a few years, but he's finished that and works for a lab now."

Again, Charlotte nodded, with a marginally less enthusiastic smile. "That's great. Are you two still together?"

"Yeah. We're married" I smiled, with no added or artificial confidence needed.

"I thought you would be. Have you got any kids?"

I shook my head. "No, it's just us." Again she nodded which prompted an awkward silence and an exchange of uncomfortable looks.

"I know I said that I'd stay away and that I wouldn't ever come back, but that was 5 years ago, and my work offered me a job here, Cleo. I figured that the Gold Coast's a big enough place for us all to live and not get in each other's ways" Charlotte explained herself, reasoning with me.

I nodded. "That's fine. Life's gone on since then. We've all grown up now."

Charlotte agreed with a smile and nod. "Exactly. I still don't understand what got into me with the way I acted back then. I guess what they say's true... jealousy's a curse."

"Yeah, I guess so. Anyway, I'm meeting up with some friends, so I've really gotta go now" I said trying to take a subtle step backwards in an attempt to distance myself from her and to leave.

"Alright it's good seeing you. I might see you around" she said with a smile as I nodded and walked off, headed for the cafe again.

#

As soon as I walked in I noticed Rikki sitting at a table, sipping an iced frappe and flicking through a magazine.

"Hey" I said walking up with a smile, sitting down adjacent to her.

"Hi Cleo."

"What are you doing here so early? You're actually on time." I laughed, gesturing to my watch.

She rolled her eyes as she took another sip of her drink through the straw before replying. "You can blame Bella for that. We came together and she made sure that we left early to get here on time."

I laughed and grabbed my purse out of my bag. "I didn't think you'd be punctual voluntarily! Where's Bella anyway? Couldn't she stand you alone with her any longer?"

"Haha, Cleo. Very funny, but I think she's getting a drink or something. I kind of zoned out when she was telling me where she was going."

In a continuation of my giggling, my laugh intensified slightly. "No way! That doesn't sound like something you'd do!"

"Thought you'd be surprised" she smirked before we were interrupted when Bella came and joined us, carefully carrying a steaming mug.

"Hey Bella" I said greeting my friend and as I looked up to her, I was slightly startled. "Ouch, what happened to you?"

She had a black eye, a few healing scratches and a slightly larger cut over her eyebrow which had obviously happened and had time to heal since the last time I'd seen her.

In response flicked her hand care freely in the air. "Oh that's nothing."

"What did you do to yourself?"

This time, Bella's la-de-da attitude morphed into a sterner warning. "Don't worry about it, Cleo."

"Okay... Anyway, guess who I saw?"

Bella shrugged and Rikki rolled her eyes. "Cleo, I stopped playing guessing games when I was 7... Just tell us."

"Charlotte."

"Charlotte!"

"Charlotte?"

The one word, or name, was spoken by each of us girls, separated by just mere seconds. I spoke it in the form of a statement; Rikki repeated the word in shock and then Bella did so in the form of a question.

I looked at Bella and Rikki wordlessly, before they too exchanged glances, with Rikki trying to process the information in shock and Bella trying to work out what was going on and who we were talking about.

After the induced silence, Bella was the first to speak, softly questioning me and Rikki. "Who's Charlotte?"

"The biggest bi-" Rikki started to let her anger fuse through her speech, but I stopped her, knowing her answer would in no way answer Bella's question, but would rather just be a long, bitter vent about Charlotte and where she should 'go'.

"She used to live here, but she moved away a few months before you got here. She was like us and she tried to make us lose our powers but it backfired on her instead" I explained lowering my voice down to a whisper in the busy cafe.

"Wow..." Bella mouthed, taking in the new information that there not only used to be another mermaid, but also the 'what if' factor of if Rikki & I had lost our powers.

"So what is she doing here anyway? Come to declare World War III? Has she discovered a new spell to cast Lewis under? Or blow up Mako Island?" Rikki questioned.

I rolled my eyes at Rikki. "No. Actually, she was quite pleasant and she told me that she's not the same person she was before she left."

"And you seriously believe that?"

I took a deep breath, considering the question one last time. "Yeah. I do believe she's changed. Situations and circumstances can change a person Rikki, and force them to become someone else."

"When did you become all wise and Confucius-y, Cleo?" Rikki asked with a raised eyebrow and I just shrugged in reply. "I'm still never, ever going to trust her. I never have and I never will."

We were interrupted when Rikki's phone started vibrating like crazy on the middle of the table. Picking it up and answering, I listened in, well to what Rikki said anyway.

"Oh hey. Having a good time?"

I looked over to Bella with a questioning glance and look of confusion, where she was already mirroring my expression.

After a pause, Rikki replied to whoever she was talking to again. "Okay, why?" she said before holding her phone against her shirt and telling us "I'll be back in a sec. I just have to sort something out" before walking off, exiting the cafe and leaning against the cafe's glass windows outside as she was on the phone.

"Do you know who she's talking to?" I asked Bella who just shook her head.

"I don't know. I'm guessing you don't either."

"Nope, I haven't got a clue."

Our cluelessness prompted a short silence as Bella took a sip of her drink.

"I'm just gonna go and get a drink" I said before I upped and left the table too.

Walking up to the counter to order, I looked at the prices of my usual orders. Macchiato and Jaffa torte; my usual. But as I analysed the menu closer I came to the realization that I'd thoughtlessly been ordering probably two of the most expensive items on the menu...

Then I remembered how stressed Lewis had been before and during our discussion when he'd been telling about how little money we had and how many big bills we had piling up. I knew that it was really weighing him down and I hated that. So instead of my normal order, I just got a small cappuccino instead. It was only a little bit of money saved, but I guess every little bit counts.

#

Walking back to the table, it was still only Bella who was sitting there, paging through something on her phone.

"Rikki not back yet?" I asked, sitting down in the same spot I had been before I left.

"Nope. It's just me all on my lonesome."

Looking up, I watched Rikki walk back over to our table with a smile, as I muttered to Bella, "Speak of the devil!"

"Who were you chatting to?" I smirked.

Sitting down again, she looked over to Bella who was now origami-ing a napkin. "It was Dan, actually."

Bella looked up, not quite looking that thrilled. "Oh... and?"

Rikki let out another smile. "And he's got a surprise for you... but don't ask me what it is because I've been sworn to secrecy."

"Okay. That's cool I guess" she said before picking up her bag and empty cup.

"What? I thought you would've asked me at least 10 times before you gave up" Rikki said looking slightly shocked.

"Uh yeah... I guess I'll just, um, call him later and nag him then. Anyway, sorry Cleo, it was good catching up but we've gotta go now, come on Rikki."

Rikki begrudgingly got up and nagged Bella to stay, the two performing a very mother-childish like scene which at a later time would be quite laughable. Bella convinced Rikki to leave, threatening her with having to walk home before they left me shortly after that.

#

After arriving home, and greeting my Dad firstly, I walked into my bedroom and crept up behind Lewis silently, who was focused on his laptop, not even flinching as I opened the door, reading a seemingly looking boring page with a whole lot of words. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders from behind and kissed his cheek. "Hey."

"Hey there" he smiled, looking up at me, closing the laptop and rotating slightly so that he was facing me. "You're home late."

"Yeah, I was out with the girls, sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

I smiled and sat down on his lap. "So... I bumped into someone today."

"Really, Cleo? Again? I think we're going to have to do something about your co-ordination" Lewis said with a smile and joking sigh.

Realizing the double meaning of what I said, I giggled. "No, you goose! I meant that I saw someone today."

"Who? The girls? Your dad? Laurie? Me?" he teased as I whacked his arm jokingly. "No..."

"Alright then, I give up. Who'd you see?" he asked as he rubbed over his arm where I'd hit him, using his other hand.

"Charlotte. I saw Charlotte" I informed my husband as his eyebrows raised, increasingly so by the time I repeated the name.

"Really...? Charlotte? I thought she wasn't supposed to be coming back."

I nodded. "'Supposed to' are the keywords here. She told me that her job made her shift back over here, but she also said that she wouldn't bother us again."

"Do you believe her? I'll take your word for it if you do, but otherwise... I don't know. We'll cross that bridge if we come to it."

I mentally went over our meet-up once more in my head, trying to capture any vibes of dishonesty or any act whatsoever, but even me, who would be second to Rikki with trying to find something wrong with Charlotte, couldn't. I truly believed that she was telling me the truth and that she just wanted peace. I mean, it's not that uncommon for people to change and besides, everyone deserves a second chance. This is hers...

"Yeah; yeah I do believe her. I really think that she has changed."

Leaning over, kissing my forehead briefly he smiled. "Well I trust your judgement."

I smiled slightly. Of course I knew that Lewis trusted me, but it was just nice to be reminded of that. Trust was probably the most fragile quality I knew of. It took such a long, long time and it took a lot of effort for it not only to be built up and obtained, but also for it to be cultivated and maintained. Even still, trust wasn't bulletproof and it took just one thing for it to be shattered completely, one hundred percent irreversible and unsalvageable.

I trusted Lewis more than anything and anyone else. Ever since kindy, he'd been the one who, with his confidence, could make me do anything. It was a really dependable trust. When Charlotte had entered the picture for the first time, I'd wanted to trust him with her, but I'd had a really bad feeling about it. It was like the Denman scenario all over again. Lewis was blinded and I had my hands tied...

I still believed that Charlotte deserved a second chance, but that didn't mean that I wasn't hesitant or uneasy about Charlotte being back here. I know she said she'd changed, but I've seen what she has been capable of in the past. Now, I'd made the decision to trust her and give her a second shot, but it wasn't just my trust that I was banking on. It was Lewis' too.

If I trust her, he trusts her... If I don't, he doesn't...

But even despite my natural concerns and fears that were niggling in the back of my mind, I knew that things would be different this time.

We were all grown up...

We'd faced our actions, good and bad, that we'd taken in the past, equipped with our ever-growing experience for the continuous decisions and situations that still lay ahead.

Trust me when I say that experience and trust are going to be some of the most fundamental keys to making it through the next few months...

So what did you guys think? I hope you liked it more than I did, but either way, I'd love to know what you thought about it.

Also, do you think Charlotte's appearance is going to become more recurring? Any guesses of what else have I got in store for both Cleo & Lewis? Don't worry, more will be uncovered in a couple of chapters time!

Next time, Bella's POV... We'll meet her boyfriend Dan and discover what nasty secret they are hiding...