Rikki followed Zane out of the office, ready to gather her things and get out of there.
"You're staying?" She frowned as Zane reached for the ordering tablet, angrily jabbing it with his finger. "Is that a good idea?"
"We can't exactly abandon our business." Zane said tersely as he began assembling a smoothie, knocking over a container of straws on the way. He didn't look up as Will walked out of the office and through the exit, head held low.
"We can close early this once." Rikki gently squeezed his shoulder. "Especially since you have the you-know-what back." She nodded toward Lewis, who was on stage whispering to Bella. "Lewis is telling Bella to wrap it up; we can go home and start figuring things out. Hey-" She paused, darting her eyes around the room to make sure they didn't have anyone listening in. "Did you realize... You've been speaking normally..."
"What?" Zane asked through clenched teeth as he slammed the cash drawer closed.
"You haven't given any accidental commands." Rikki thought back to the scene they'd just had in the café. "You even said, 'ask him,' and I didn't feel compelled to do anything. Remember that?"
"That doesn't make sense; especially since the stone was so close to me." Zane leaned his fists on the counter, shaking his head. "So damn close. That asshole."
"We're not talking about that right now." Rikki said firmly. "Right now we have other things worth worrying about." She leaned in even closer. "Tell me to do something. Something little. Quick, before Lewis realizes what we're doing." She moved back to the counter to begin refilling the napkin dispensers.
"Um..." Zane shrugged, rolling his shoulders as he made an effort to calm his temper. He decided to keep it plenty simple, minimal risk. "Rikki, come here!" He called with forced casualness.
Rikki looked at him, her face unreadable for just a moment before she broke out into a smile. "I definitely don't feel like I have to do anything." She held out her hands. "See? Things have changed. We need to get home."
Cleo walked up, taking a seat at the bar. "Bella just announced last song. Then we're out."
"You guys can go." Zane turned on his heel to begin cleaning things up. "I'll be there later."
Rikki followed him. "What good is going home to work on things without you? You need to-"
"Rikki, I love you, but what I need right now is to be left alone." Zane spoke in a vehement but hushed tone. "I've spent the last three days of my life stressed beyond all concept, and I've just found out that he is the reason for it. I'm pissed, and I'm trying really hard not to walk out this door after him and finish the fight I started. So I need to stay here and take a couple damn minutes, ok?" He pleaded with Rikki with his eyes, willing her to understand.
Rikki wrapped her arms around him, pulling him to her. "You need a swim." She could feel him practically shaking with anger.
"I know." Zane wiped his brow. "I don't know how you girls can stand it. He turned toward the window. "Being so close to the water all the time, but so rarely getting to be out in it."
"It's not usually this bad." Rikki said gently, running her fingers through his brown hair. "Hey." She pulled back slightly to look at him. "At least we know where Sophie's cameras are. There aren't any between here and your place. Maybe you want to swim home and meet us there? Take a couple deep breaths?"
"Followed by a couple big drinks." Zane kissed the top of her head before walking back to the register. "Thanks." He looked back at her for a moment before busying himself. "I'll be there in just a bit, don't worry about me."
"That'll be the day." Rikki finished wiping down the counter, turning to toss her rag and gloves into the bin before walking around to meet Cleo.
"I just can't believe it." Cleo shook her head. "Rikki..." She turned to face her, face creased in confusion. "How did this happen? We know Will."
"I don't have the words." Rikki wasn't lying. She had no idea how to put into words what she was feeling right now. Anger, on both hers and Zane's behalf. Bewilderment. What had Will wanted the stone for, anyway? Had he tried to use it? The very thought made her shudder.
"Let's get you girls out of here." Lewis appeared, lugging two large plastic briefcases. "Drum stuff." He panted. "Wanna help me carry it? Or are you swimming?"
"Let's walk." Cleo nodded towards Zane behind the bar. "Give him a break."
"My plan exactly." Rikki nodded, slinging her bag around her shoulders. "I told him to swim home. Let some of the stress off."
"Good call." Cleo waved to Bella, appeared at Rikki's elbow. "Bella is meeting us there, she'll be out in ten. Ready?" She looked to the others.
"You bet." Lewis let the girls exit ahead of him before following them outside into the muggy night.
Will hadn't been home but five minutes before someone pounded on his front door. He trudged to it miserably, feeling utterly unprepared for another fight. Not this soon. He pulled it open cautiously before getting knocked backwards as his sister barged inside.
"You'll never guess what happened today." Sophie began in her usual, greeting-less fashion. "I honestly couldn't believe it myself." She wasn't lying. It had hit her like a ton of bricks, and now she was on fire. She'd gone over and over it in her head, and it all made sense. She almost couldn't believe it had taken her this much time.
"Sis, I-" Will started.
"I figured it out." Sophie's face was sly but unreadable as she stepped inside her brother's boat shed. "It took me long enough, but I figured it out."
"Sophie, this is really not a good time." Will rubbed his temples, totally exhausted. "I have had a shit day. Everyone's pissed at me-"
"Oh, and believe me." Sophie crossed her arms, her face darkening. "My name is on that list too, jerk. But you're missing the point." She raised one eyebrow, relishing the moment. "I know why you've been acting so strange lately, Will." She smiled. "It's because Bella is a mermaid."
"What?" Will hoped he'd concealed his shock with fake skepticism, though his breath caught hard in his throat.
"Don't even bother trying to deny it." The smugness dripped from Sophie's voice. "I told you, I figured it out." She ticked the items on her fingers. "That's why you gave me those bullshit coordinates for the cameras, so I wouldn't catch her. That's why you're so secretive all the time; I'll even bet that's why you aren't diving anymore." She shook her head. "I'll bet you have more fun swimming with Bella."
"You're ridiculous." Will rolled his eyes, but inside his brain was racing. What was he supposed to do?
"The other girls must know about it too." Sophie continued talking as she paced thoughtfully. "That's why the group of you all are always together, meeting up. A club." Her eyes shot open as she whipped around to face Will. "Does Zane know too? That would make a lot of sense. He hunted mermaids and then he found one-"
"Sophie, Sophie." Will held his hands up, moving to stand in front of his still-pacing sister. "You sound insane, do you know that?"
"I don't think I'm wrong." Her confidence hadn't so much as wavered since she'd walked in. "I don't suppose you want to come clean now? Tell the truth for once?" She waited, tapping her fingernails sharply on the wall as Will remained silent, searching for the right thing to say. "It's ok, I don't expect you to admit it to me. I mean, you're so good at lying to me." She sniffed coolly before spinning on her heel to head back towards the door. "Go ahead, tell her I know. I don't care. Just know..." She leaned in, pointing one finger into Will's chest. "That I know. And pretty soon, everyone will. Everywhere she goes, I'll be waiting with a water bottle. Or something, I don't know what I'll use yet..." She continued chatting as she turned to leave.
"Sophie, wait." Will was still puzzling over something she'd said. "What did you mean, bullshit coordinates? How do you know they're-"
"Because out of the 7 parties I asked for coordinates for where to put my cameras, after examining the data yours were the only ones set out in the sahara." She clenched her jaw. "Everyone else knew exactly where to put them, even after reading nothing but the news articles. Thanks a ton, brother." She breezed through the door, not bothering to look back.
Will stood, frozen, for a few minutes before snapping into action. He bolted out the front door, headed for Lewis's. If they weren't there, he'd try Zane's.
He had to warn them.
Zane took a long, deep breath of ocean air as he locked the door to the café behind him. He rolled his shoulders back, trying to ease some of the tension that seemed to have moved into his upper back. It was later than he'd intended for it to be, but it had taken a while for his rage to calm to a low him. He couldn't believe Will's deception.
Zane's eyes flickered over the rippling ocean, beckoning to him. At least the late hour guaranteed that there wasn't anyone around to see him diving into the ocean. He stood on the dock for a few minutes, letting the ocean breeze flip his hair as he took a long look to either side.
No one in sight.
Zane swung one leg over the dock railing. After he'd climbed over he balanced on his toes for just a second before diving out into the black water.
Rikki couldn't have been more right. A ripple flickered over him as he changed, sinking down into the calming cool for several long moments before engaging his muscles. He loved the power he felt as he moved through the water. He took his time heading for his house, letting the movement massage him. For the first time, he felt glad to be exactly where he was.
"But what I'm saying..." Lewis jogged back down his stairs after depositing the last of his band things upstairs. "Is that maybe it charges during the full moon, you know?" He reached for a beer, taking a long swig before continuing. "Like a battery. The question is..." He dropped onto the couch next to Cleo. "Does it lose its charge after a certain amount of time or a certain number of uses?"
"What do you mean?" Rikki frowned, rubbing her forehead. Lewis had been rambling theories since they'd left the café.
"I mean-" Lewis jumped back to his feet. "If the full moon gives it a 'full battery,'" He used air-quotes to accentuate the words. "Then do we get, say, three days of battery? Or ten uses before it dies? Which way does it go?"
"Right." Cleo sounded equally as worn out as Rikki.
"Hey guys." Bella walked in. She'd clearly been crying, though she was trying her best to pretend otherwise.
"Bella..." Cleo pulled her friend in for a tight hug. "It's going to be ok..."
"I can't believe him." Bella murmured into Cleo's shoulder. "How could he have done that to us? Why did he-"
"I don't know." Cleo squeezed her just a little tighter before letting her head into the kitchen for a drink. "Have you heard anything from him?"
"He keeps calling." Bella raised a shoulder. "But I can't bring myself to talk to him." She pulled her phone from her pocket and tossed it onto the counter. "I'm about ready to just turn it off."
"He's tried calling us too." Rikki stood, shoving her hands in her pockets. "We don't know what to say to him. We don't want to have anything to say to him."
"The stone is still with Zane, right?" Lewis called from across the room, where he was furiously scribbling on a pad of paper.
"Right." Rikki nodded, looking at her watch. "We should probably head to his house soon, meet him."
"Gotcha." Lewis stuck his pencil in his mouth as he eyes poured over his notes. "Let me just collect some equipment for the trip. We'll meet him there in twenty."
Sophie jerked awake as the monitors across the room beeped insistently. She wiped her eyes, yawning as she climbed to her feet. She'd eventually changed the settings on the screens to only alert her when something of a larger size swam by, after having it go off several times an hour and finding nothing but seaweed. "It's probably just another damn dolphin." She muttered as she dropped into her office chair.
"Wait a sec..." She leaned forward, clamoring to pick up the small remote that controlled the recording. She quickly rewound the footage a few seconds.
It was a silhouette, but it was clear as day. There, swimming directly across her camera's line of vision, was a figure swimming in a slow, waving pattern. A figure with two human arms extended in front of it and..." Sophie leaned in so close her breath fogged up the screen. She wiped it with her sleeve, excitement beginning to bubble over. "It has a tail." Sophie exhaled. The image was a crystal clear silhouette from the side, and she could see it from fingers to tail. She couldn't make out facial features at all, but it was only a matter of time before it swam past another one.
"Shit, I should have paid extra for the hi-def night vision." She squinted at the image, trying to make out definite physical features. Even though she couldn't tell who it was exactly, deep down she already knew.
She was right. She almost couldn't believe it.
Zane surfaced, lazily flipping his tail the extra couple times it took to make it to the dock behind his house. He looked around, but no one was out at this late hour. He heaved himself out of the water, quickly holding his hand out to steam the droplets off. Once his legs reappeared he stood for a long stretch, reaching his arms up over his head as he took in a long, deep breath.
"I was wondering when you'd get here." Rikki had clearly been waiting for him at the window. She walked down the path towards him, pulling a sweatshirt over her head as she looked out at the stars. "Your dad let us in before he headed out." She reached for Zane's hand, talking it in her own. "Feeling any better?"
"Yeah, actually." Zane let a slight smile spread across his face. "But I still hate him."
"I know." Rikki wasn't even going to try to argue with him this time. "C'mon." She reached up to give him a kiss. "Lewis is about to explode waiting for you to get here."
"Zane!" Lewis burst outside. "Get your ass in here, I've got a million tests to try."
"Told ya." Rikki whispered.
"Lucky me." Zane made a face at Rikki before stalking his way up to the house.
Sophie sat back, her eyes wide. She was looking at paused images on 4 different screens, 4 different locations. None of them too far from the coast. In each one she could clearly make out the image of the very thing she'd been looking for. She hadn't even been looking very long; she couldn't believe it had happened so soon.
"The mermaid." She whispered, eyes unblinking as she examined the images in front of her. "Clear as fucking day." In one of the images she could see light reflecting off the scales all the way up to where they melded into flesh, but she couldn't seem to make a face out in any of the four. The mermaid had her arms up over her face and all of the camera angles ended up being from the side. In the night, she couldn't see hair per se, but she could see the white skin reflecting the moonlight in one of them. Most of the images weren't much more than a silhouette, but no one would be able to deny what she'd found. The stills were convincing enough, but the video... watching the mermaid swim was breathtaking. She'd never seen anything like it.
"I did it." She felt a flicker of pride growing inside her chest. She'd set out to do something everyone had told her was impossible but she'd proven them all wrong. "It's only a matter of time now." She sat back, arms crossed proudly over her chest.
"Gotcha, Bella."
Zane, Lewis, Cleo, Bella, and Rikki had been trying out Lewis's ideas with the stone for the last hour, but it seemed like it was now just an ordinary blue rock. So far no one had felt compelled to do anything Zane commanded, no matter how forcefully he said it.
"Can we be done?" Zane rested his hands on his hips, sighing. "We're just running the same things over and over. It's clearly spent, or off, or whatever." He waved his hand in the stone's direction.
"There's still three weeks until the next full moon." Lewis said irritably as he held the stone up to the light. "I can not wait that long. I'll die."
"Don't do that." Cleo patted him on the back. "You know, we could always make our own moonlight..." She gestured to her necklace. "Artificially."
"No!" Lewis said a little too quickly. "I mean, thanks Cleo." He cleared his throat. "But those things are just too unpredictable." He dropped the rock on the table with a clatter. "We don't need you girls going moonstruck, that could... affect the results. We can resume tomorrow. For right now, let's just be glad we don't have to stress you accidentally making us do something we shouldn't." He rolled his eyes at Zane, who rolled them right back.
"Children..." Cleo nudged Lewis with her elbow.
Everyone looked up at the quiet knock on the front door. They watched as Zane reached for the door to open it.
"Oh hell no."
"Zane, Zane, wait!" Will ducked, jumping back a couple feet. "Zane, this is important."
"Zane!" Rikki ran to him, stopping him from following Will out into the front yard. The others followed curiously, arms crossed. "Zane, go back inside." Rikki said, forcibly turning her boyfriend by the shoulders and shoving him back towards the living room. She then turned to face Will, mild rage visible in each of her features. "What could you possibly have to say to us?" She threw her hands on her hips angrily, standing over him on the steps.
Will took a timid step towards the door, but no one moved to let him in. "I tried to call." He said hesitantly.
"We know." Cleo stepped up next to Rikki. "We aren't interested in listening to an apology, Will."
"I'm not here to apologize." He said quickly.
"Of course he's not." Zane reappeared, shouting past the group. "He's probably here to steal it again."
"Please, just listen to me for a minute." Will held up his hands in surrender. "Please." He waited for the group to quiet and calm before continuing. "Can we go inside? It's... sensitive."
"He does not step foot in here." Zane called firmly. "Not an inch."
"You heard him." Rikki agreed, keeping her voice and gaze level. "Say what you came here to say, and do it quickly." Her eyes shot side to side as she lowered her voice. "And quietly."
Will looked down at his feet, clearing his throat as his heart pounded in his chest. It had taken every ounce of strength he had to muster up to courage to face everyone. But he had to warn them.
"Does my sister know Bella is here?" He panted, trying to decide if he should force them inside or not.
"What?" Cleo raised her shoulders. "Why would Sophie know where Bella was?"
"So she doesn't, right?" Will looked around quickly, though he couldn't see much in the darkness. Worry kicked up in his stomach as he wondered where his sister was at the moment.
"Get to the fucking point, Will." Rikki's tone was cold, harsh.
Will dropped his head, taking in one more long breath before opening his mouth to speak. "Sophie thinks Bella is the mermaid." He said quietly, unable to meet anyone's eyes.
"Me?" Bella spoke up for the first time since Will's arrival. Slowly, she walked up to the group. "How did she find out about me?"
"Ok, get inside." Lewis gestured wildly, holding up a hand when Zane started to protest. "He's in here to tell us what's going on, then he's leaving. But if Sophie's hunting Bella we are not going to be sitting ducks for her." Lewis gritted his teeth as Zane flipped him off and disappeared into the kitchen.
"Now tell us." Rikki turned back to Will as Zane returned with a shot of whiskey. "How did she find out?"
"She didn't, exactly." Will shook his head slightly. "She said she figured it out." He ran a hand through his sandy hair, looking to Lewis. "She thinks I'm protecting her, and that you all know about her too."
"And she thinks it's just Bella?" Rikki furrowed her brow, concerned.
"Right." Will nodded, meeting her gaze. "Just Bella, but we're all in on it. And..." He took a deep breath, miserable to have to deliver the next piece of news. "Guys, I don't think the cameras are where she said they were going to be." He looked to each of them in turn. "The locations I sent her were really far away from the other ones she received; she didn't take my advice."
Zane froze, a sinking feeling beginning to creep around the edges of his chest.
"Why did she ask you if she was going to ignore your input?" Lewis frowned.
"I guess she asked a bunch of people in the area." Will sighed. "And decided to take their collective advice over mine. The plan to make her put the cameras far away didn't work. And the cameras are on, which means..."
"They could be anywhere." Rikki paled slightly.
"And does she have any footage yet?" Lewis was already scrolling through the news on his phone, making sure they weren't already in trouble.
"No." Will dared a glance at Bella, who seemed lost in her own thoughts. "Right now she just thinks she figured it out. I think she was trying to shake me, get me to say something."
"We need to figure out where she put them, until then no one goes swimming. Anywhere." Lewis spoke firmly, directing his last word right at Cleo. "You got me?"
"Absolutely." Cleo reassured him, rubbing a hand across his shoulders.
"Is there anything else?" Rikki turned her attention back to Will. "Or are you done?"
"I..." Will paused, composing himself. "I really am sorry, guys-"
"No." Rikki held up a hand flatly. "I told you. We are not listening to an apology right now. "If you're done you can go." She waited, clearly done speaking.
Will looked at his friends, eyes lingering on Lewis and Bella in particular. "Sorry, guys." He turned to go, not looking up when the door slammed behind him.
"He has a lot of nerve showing up here." Zane yanked a beer from the fridge, turning it upside down for a long drink.
"I'm glad he did, though." Cleo worried, watching him disappear down the road before turning back to the group. "Sophie lied to him." A thought stuck her. Cleo's eye's darted to Zane's, who had already reached the same conclusion.
"Zane." Cleo breathed. She looked to Rikki, panicked. "He swam home tonight. From the café. What do we do?"
"I don't know." Rikki shook her head, deep in thought. "Nothing?"
"No one goes back in the water." Lewis repeated himself. "We... just cross our fingers, I guess. Maybe Will can get into Sophie's place and delete it or something."
"Good luck with that." Rikki leaned her head against the cool wall. "We don't even know that she got anything, Zane. Let's not freak out just yet."
Rays of sun illuminated her room the next morning as Sophie finally looked away from the monitors. She tapped her pen thoughtfully on the desk as she pondered her next move. She knew Bella had a show tonight at the café. It would be easy enough there to throw some water on her and see what she did afterwards. But was that too public? Other people would surely get pictures, would she get credit for the discovery? Maybe she just needed to corner her alone with her camera. All she had to do was find her. Shouldn't be hard.
She reached for her phone, opening it to dial a number before pausing. Normally she'd call Zane and talk him into being her business partner. He was ruthless, and he had a ton of connections. He hated it, but she knew they worked great together. But what did he know about this? Was he really in on it too? Didn't seem like him.
There was only one way to find out.
She dialed, waiting for the phone to ring before forcing her voice into a more peppy tone. "Zane! Just the person I wanted to talk to first thing in the morning. You got a sec?"
"What is it, Sophie?" Zane said warily, looking around to see if Rikki had woken up yet. It appeared he was the only person awake in the home.
"Did you know that Bella Hartley is a mermaid?" Sophie launched without preamble, interested in how Zane would react.
"Yeah, Will already told us you'd lost it." Zane didn't let an ounce of emotion show in his voice, just like they'd all practiced. "Come on, Sophie. Think about it."
"Oh, I have." Sophie said calmly, still trying to get a read. "Believe me, I've thought about it plenty. I just thought I'd see whose side you're on."
"It isn't a battle." Zane said, boredom underlining his words. "What are you picking on Bella for, anyway? She's not causing you any harm."
"You'll be singing a different tune when I'm a millionaire." Sophie grinned, her eyes flicking over the screens in front of her. She quickly moved to print the images so that she could continue recording fresh. "Plus, I'm sure they won't actually cut her up or anything, she'll be like a pop star. She should be thanking me, really. I'm doing her a favor."
Zane sighed, closing his eyes in pain. "Get off it, Sophie."
"Sure, Zane." Sophie gritted her teeth, disappointed. "Tell Bella I'll see her around."
She hung up the phone with a click.