Mimmi woke up in the moon pool. Ondina was still asleep, but that was no surprise to her. She lifted her head and sunk her tail down to the bottom of the pool. She dove under, salt water washing away her dried tears. She was still so numb. Last night had been a disaster. Evie…

She shook her head. She had to be optimistic. She would fix it. She could fix anything. She was the daughter of Nerissa, the most powerful mermaid who ever lived. How would anyone take her seriously if she couldn't give Evie back her tail? She would be the laughingstock of all the pods.

But how? How would she fix this? Weilan did say that when the water dragon took a mermaids tail, it was permanent. As long as there was a water dragon, mermaids would keep losing their tails. They would lose their connection to the sea. She was the only one capable of fixing this. It was her destiny.

"You are not alone you know." Zac's voice entered her head.

Mimmi jumped back in surprise, causing ripples in the water. Ondina stirred on the other side, bit she did not awake.

She could hear Zac giggling on the other side.

"Not…Funny…" she thought back to him.

"I'm sorry, but I could feel you jump," Zac responded in her mind.

A moment passed.

"Have you talked to Evie today?" Mimmi asked cautiously. She could feel Zac's hesitation.

"Not yet… I think she wants some time alone…" Zac answered after a moment.

"Do you want me to talk to her?" Mimmi asked.

Zac responded almost immediately. "No. I'll handle it."

Mimmi nodded, but then remembered that her brother couldn't see her.

"Got it." She leaned back against the side of the pool.

"Can I…" Zac started, but then faltered out.

Mimmi sat up straighter, obviously interested. "Can you what?"

Zac hesitated. Mimmi could even feel that much. A cold hand rubbed the back of her neck. She jumped back in alarm. She turned around to find no one there. It was Zac's hand on his own neck. He must have been really nervous about something.

"Spill," Mimmi demanded.

"It's my dad. He is acting really weird. Well, weirder than usual. It's almost like he knows something. Now don't freak out. He doesn't know anything, but he is acting like he does. I don't know what to do."

"Were you using your powers in front of them?" Mimmi questioned.

"No. I am always very careful when I use them. I only use them in my bedroom," Zac answered.

"Ask them. I'm sure they will tell you what is wrong," Mimmi prompted.

"Ugh, fine. But only for you."

Mimmi smiled as she felt her brother leave. She looked over at Ondina who was still sleeping peacefully. Mimmi chuckled and dove into the water to go and get breakfast. She can figure out what to do about Evie later. First, she needed to eat.

Zac pushed back his covers and rolled out of bed. He decided to take a "sick" day. After everything that happened, he couldn't have focused. With luck, his parents were already gone. He really didn't want to explain why he was ditching school to them. Rita would understand why he wasn't at school. She wouldn't blame him.

Zac looked at his dresser and saw a picture frame on its surface. It showed him and Evie on their one year anniversary. It was before everything happened. Before he found out who he really was. When his life was normal.

He knew that Evie would also be staying home. Her life had been turned upside-down again, in a matter of moments. It was his fault. He should have protected her.

Zac's stomach rumbled, telling him that it was time to eat. He grabbed his shoes and ran across the yard to his home. He slid open the back door and entered his home. He went to the fridge and fished out some leftover seafood. He hesitated. He really didn't want to embrace his merman side at that moment. He just wanted to be Zac Blakely, regular teenage boy. Not Zac, son of Nerissa, twin brother to Mimmi, the merman who grew up with land people and made the Mako pod leave their home. He wanted to worry about the parties his friends throw and not saving mythical creatures from a dragon made of water.

He put back the plate of seafood and decided to grab some cereal instead. He poured it into a clean bowl and drenched it in milk, being careful not to let any slosh over the sides. He brought it to the table and sat down. As he ate his breakfast, he checked his phone. There was no new messages. He was sort of surprised not to see one from Evie. He bet that she really did need space.

He went on his social media apps and checked out what was happening in the world.

"Zac?" A voice asked timidly. He jumped back in alarm. He looked up to see his mother and father at the end of the staircase.

"What are you guys doing here?" Zac asked in shock.

"I suppose that we should be asking you the same thing," Rob said, crossing his arms. "Why are you not at school?"

Zac hesitated, unsure how to answer. "I- I just needed a day off," he mumbled.

Lauren crossed the room and sat next to him. "Why? Did something happen? You seemed very upset last night," she said, placing her delicate hand over his.

Zac flinched at the sudden contact. Lauren quickly withdrew her hand.

"Yeah, something happened. Someone I care deeply about… well… she got hurt," He looked up at his parents shocked expressions. "She's fine though. Something traumatic happened…that was kind of my fault," he mumbled the last part.

"Oh Zac, I'm sure she will forgive you. Evie is a very forgiving person," Lauren said with compassion.

Zac looked up in alarm. "How do you know it was Evie?"

Lauren looked at her husband for help. He was leaning against the doorway with his arms crossed. He came to his wife's rescue. "Her dad called us. She was really upset last night, but wouldn't talk about it. He let her stay home from school. Just like we are letting you stay home"

Zac looked at his father. "Why aren't you at work?"

Robs eyes flicked away from his son and he glanced at the sea. "I stayed home because… well your mother and I need to talk to you about something… something that we saw."

Panic surged across Zac's body. His heart started to race. "What… what did you see?"

Rob took a deep breath. "Something impossible. Something you did."

He was pacing now, walking around the kitchen. He stopped at the sink and poured water into an empty glass. He took a careful sip.

Zac stood up and walked over to him. "What did you see?" he repeated, this time with force.

Rob turned to face him. He took a shaky breath before tossing the water at his son.

Instinct kicked in before Zac could even think. He stretched out his arm and caught the water in midair. He held the water for a second, before he realized what happened. He released his powers and the water fell to the floor, splattering by his feet. Thankfully, no water touched him.

He heard his mother gasp. He spun around to see her now standing behind her husband. Both of their eyes were wide and they were pale. Zac replayed what just happened in his head. He was now exposed.

"Zac?" Lauren asked timidly. Zac was paralyzed with fear. He had just blown everything.

"Zac? What is happening with you?" Lauren asked.

Zac looked at his parents, his eyes starting to fill with tears.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, before racing out of the door.

He heard his parents calling his name, but he ignored them. He raced to the dock, but stopped. He stared into the water. It would be so easy to jump in and swim to the pod. He would be done with it all, but he would hurt so many people.

"Zac!" His mother called. He turned around to see his parents on the other end of the dock. Lauren had her arms raised in front of her, showing Zac that they meant no harm.

Zac turned around again. "Go away," he muttered, tears still in his eyes.

He heard footsteps on the wooden dock as his parents approached. Zac felt a strong hand on his shoulder. He looked up and through his blurry vision, saw his dad looking down at him. He felt his mum brush up against his other side. They all stared out at the sea.

"Zac, please. Talk to us. Tell us the truth. There is nothing that you can say that would make us not love you," Lauren whispered.

"You say that now," Zac answered in a hurt voice.

"Whatever is going on, we can help you. I have friends that can cure whatever happened in the kitchen…" Rob started.

"Cure?" Zac cried out in frustration. He turned around to face his parents. "You can't cure anything. There is nothing to cure!"

Rob was taken aback. "What happened in there, Zac, that's not normal!"

"Maybe not for you, but it is for me. It's the life that I have been hiding from you from the start."

"Zac, what are you talking about?" Lauren asked in fear.

Zac looked at his parents. They were scared. Not for him, but of him. He had to go.

"I –I can't tell you. I would be putting my family in danger."

"Family? We are your family Zac! Please tell us!" Rob cried.

"I…" Zac started. Before he could continue, a jet-ski passed by. It sent a wave over the dock, drenching the people standing there.

Zac jumped as he felt the water connect with his skin. He looked helplessly at his parents before toppling into the sea below.

Ummm… yeah. That happened. I could just stop here and end it on a cliffhanger… but I'm not that evil. Chapter 20 is on its way!

~Moonlight Mermaids