Ondina was also puzzled by the mysterious book that had appeared in the grotto. The purple book did seem to have a lot of useful information in it. Ondina wanted to ask the counsel about the book, but the group all voted on waiting until they had a chance to study the book. Mimmi, who was known for being the one who enjoyed learning the most, volunteered to study the book. Rita wanted her to go and get some more rest, but Mimmi refused, saying she already felt better.

It was true. Color had returned to not only her face, but to Zac's. It seemed like the more time they spent together, the faster they felt better. So Zac sat next to Mimmi as she researched.

Weilan had to finish some homework from Friday so she went into their shared "bedroom" for some peace and quiet.

Mimmi sat studying the book while sat staring up at the ceiling. She flipped through the pages at record breaking speed, her dark blue eyes skimming the words on the yellowing pages of the dusty book.

"Here," she said, slamming her finger on the paragraph she had been reading.

Zac looked over at her, his eyes wide. "What?" he questioned.

"More information about twins. This one is about talking telepathically," she reported.

Zac leaned over to look at the text. Mimmi shifted the book so he could read it better.

"It just says we have to focus on each other," Zac said skeptically.

Mimmi laughed lightly. "Is that all? I thought we had to recite a chant and make a sacrifice to the gods."

"Haha. Very funny," Zac remarked sarcastically. He turned to his sister, who grinned.

"What?"

"Focus on me. Let's see if it works."

Mimmi cast Zac a hesitant look before she started staring at him too. Their gazes were unbreakable. They focused only on each other and everything around them disappeared. They felt… nothing.

No mind reading. No visions. Nothing.

Zac groaned and flopped back on the bench, his head turned up to the ceiling with his eyes closed.

"This…is… hopeless…" He said.

Mimmi settled down next to her brother. "I'm sorry. Maybe it didn't work because we are sick," she offered.

"Yeah, maybe. Or maybe this book is a fraud," Zac grumbled unhappily.

Mimmi made no remarks. Her silence made Zac look at her. She was once again staring at the book, but Zac could see the tears starting to form in her eyes. She really wanted it to work.

"Hey, it's okay. We can try again later when we are feeling better."

Mimmi turned away from him and nodded, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

Zac grabbed her hand, holding it in his own. Mimmi turned and looked into his eyes, while he stared into hers.

A bolt of energy traveled down Zac and Mimmi's arms, colliding where their fingers matched. A bright flash of pink light filled the grotto, sending the twins flying off of the bench. The blast knocked books and boxes off of the shelves and they fell to the floor with a loud crash. Mimmi and Zac were hurled to opposite sides of the grotto, crashing painfully into the walls before dropping to the floor.

Zac was the first to recover. Groaning, he pushed himself off of the stone ground, blinking the dust away from his eyes. The flash had caused some of the dust from the grotto to rise up, forming a cloud, making it harder to see.

"Mimmi?" Zac croaked, trying to locate his sister.

There was no response.

"Mimmi?!" Zac cried louder. His mind was racing now. Was she hurt?

A groan came from the other side of the room.

"Zac?" Mimmi asked in a painful whispered.

Zac stumbled to where Mimmi was sprawled on the floor.

"Are you okay?" he asked, reaching down to help her off the ground. She accepted his hand gratefully. He helped her rise from the ground, keeping her balanced as her legs trembled beneath her. He placed a hand on her back and led her over to the bench. He pushed some debris aside and helped her sit down. She shook her hair which was covered in dust. Zac smirked slightly because it looked like she lost a fight with a bag of flour.

"I-I'm fine. What the hell just happened?" Mimmi asked in a scared voice. Zac slung an arm around her shoulder, pulling her close. She snuggled closer to him, but she was still on high alert.

"I don't know," Zac looked around the room. It was a mess. Things were shattered on the floor, countless rare items completely destroyed.

"Rita is going to kill us."

Zac looked down at her. "I'm sure she will understand."

Mimmi pulled away from him and narrowed her eyes. "What are you talking about?"

"Rita. I'm sure she won't be upset with us."

Mimmi was taken aback. "How did you know I was thinking about Rita?"

Zac stared at her. "You just said that she is going to kill us."

"No I didn't."

"Yes you did. I just heard you."

Mimmi's eyes widened. "I didn't say anything Zac. But I thought it."

"What do you mean you thought it?" Zac asked, half interested, half concerned.

"I mean, I really thought it."

Zac's eyes widened as his sister's voice entered his head. Her lips weren't moving.

"Holy crap! How did you do that?" Zac gasped.

Mimmi smiled triumphantly. "I don't know, I just… thought it to you." Her response came out more like a question.

Zac closed his eyes and tried to concentrate. Mimmi waited patiently as her brother tried to communicate with her. Nothing happened.

Huffing, Zac opened his eyes at Mimmi. She couldn't help but have a smirk on her lips as she saw her brother's exasperated expression.

"No fair. How come you get to do it and I can't?" Zac pouted.

Mimmi laughed. "Just be patient. I'm sure it will come to you. Relax."

Zac was mildly annoyed, but he smiled a bit, agreeing with his sister. He could do it. It would just take some time.

Mimmi looked around the grotto. "We better clean up before Rita sees this mess."

"Oh trust me, I've seen it."

Zac and Mimmi turned to see Rita standing at the bottom of the staircase with Ondina and Weilan trailing behind her.

"How is it that you always show up whenever we say your name?" Zac questioned.

Rita narrowed her eyes. "I'm a teacher. I picked up on a few things."

"What happened here?" Ondina asked, looking around at the mess. "We heard a boom coming from down here. We couldn't open the door. There was a piece of rock blocking the entrance. We were finally able to move it and we come down to see this. Zac what did you do now?"

Zac held his hands in the air. "Why do you assume it was me?"

Weilan smirked. "Because you're always to balme!"

"Girls," Rita said in her "principle" voice, but it was obvious she was trying not to smile. She turned back to Mimmi and Zac. "What really happened here?"

"Ummm…" Mimmi started, looking at Zac for clarification. He nodded for her to continue. "Zac and I can now communicate telepathically," she grinned dramatically, waiting to be yelled at.

"What! It actually worked?" Weilan walked over to the coffee table before bending down to pick it up off of the floor. It had been pushed of the table by the explosion.

She flipped through it, finding the page that they bookmarked. She skimmed the text.

"So it worked for the both of you?" she looked up at the twins with an interested expression on her face.

"Some more than others," Zac muttered. They all turned to look at him. His eyes were casted down to the floor. Mimmi scooted closer to her brother, placing her hand on his arm. He looked up at her. She gave him a small smile of encouragement.

"Wait, you can't do it Zac?" Ondina asked, walking down to sit next to him.

Zac shrugged softly, looking defeated. "Mimmi has always been better with her powers than me."

"That's not true!" Mimmi stood up and glared at her brother. "We are equal. I've just had some more practice than you. I've seen your powers and they are really strong."

Zac looked up at her and smiled weakly. "Thanks sis."

Rita walked down to the group. "Mimmi and Ondina. Use your moon rings to fix up this mess," she then turned directly to Mimmi. "Then you and Zac go and get some rest. You are both still recovering from your sickness," She cast her eyes down to Zac. "Zac, you can spend the night in one of the girl's beds if you want to."

"Night?" Zac reached into his pocket to check his watch. It was nearing 10:00 pm. He had two missed calls from his parents. He had turned his ringer off so he could focus on the research.

"Jeeze. I didn't realize it had gotten so late. Thanks Rita but I'll head home. I'm sure my dad will want to check on me." With that, he rose from the bench, kissed Mimmi on the head and left the room.

Rita motioned Mimmi and Ondina to start repairing the damage. They quickly did before jumping into Rita's version of the moon pool and heading off to their home.

I had the hardest time typing the ending. I swear that my fingers are purposely hitting all of the wrong keys.

So like that chapter? Communicating through the mind would be awesome. Mimmi sure has gotten the hang of it, but Zac hasn't.

Thanks for reading!

~Moonlight Mermaids