Lewis paced anxiously as he checked his watch for the third time in the last ten minutes. "Where are they?" He muttered as he glanced out the window. "It's almost nine."
"They're coming." Zane stifled a yawn as he checked his phone, hoping for a message from Rikki. She'd been radio-silent since the night before when the girls had gone swimming, and he was more than bluffing when he said he was sure she'd show up at Lewis's this morning. "You know..." He looked at his friend, who didn't appear to have gotten any sleep the night before. "You can ease up a bit with the testing, bud. I think we've figured out all we can, at least before the next full moon."
"No way." Lewis shook his head, not looking up from the clipboard he was poring over. "It's the day after tomorrow, Zane. We can't afford not to do everything we can to be ready for it."
"But we have, haven't we?" Zane rolled his head from his seat on the couch to look at Lewis. "You're just saying the same things over and over. We figured it out. I'll command them not to obey me."
"That might not be enough." Lewis didn't look up. There was something niggling at the corner of his mind, something he felt he hadn't accounted for.
"And I'll stay away." Zane repeated the idea he'd suggested hours ago for lack of anything new to say. "I'll just stay away from everyone while the moon is up, Lew. If I'm not there I can't make a command to them."
"Won't work." Lewis looked up, his hair a blonde mess on top of his head. "Bella responded to your command from what must have been miles away, Zane. We can't run that risk."
"I won't speak." Zane offered up one more hopeful solution. "Seriously." He defended himself as Lewis shot him an incredulous look. "I'll tie a bandana around my mouth or something. I won't say a word until the next morning."
"And what if you go moonstruck? How do we keep you from speaking then?" The blonde sighed as he shook his head. "Zane..." Lewis sounded as if he were talking to a child. "I've told you already. We aren't taking any chances with this one. It's just too risky. Especially with Bella up on stage." He said the last word with obvious distaste.
"You're really not going?" Zane checked his phone once more, stalling for time. "The band needs you, man. A band with no drummer?"
"The girls need me more." Lewis hurriedly typed on his laptop. "Bella shouldn't be there either."
"Have you and Cleo... talked lately?" Zane hated himself for bringing up the subject, but he was worried about his friends. Worried aside from stone tests and full moons.
"We talk every day, why?" Lewis squinted as he examined the rock under his microscope for the hundredth time.
"No, I mean have you talked about the wed-" Zane stopped as the front door swung open.
"We're here, we're here, call off the damn search dogs." Rikki said humorlessly as she, Bella, and Cleo walked inside.
"You guys have fewer than 48 hours until the next full moon, hurry up and get in place." Lewis gestured toward the living room as he set to putting the blue stone necklaces on the testing robots.
"No." Cleo surprised them all by speaking up, making Rikki and Bella stop in their tracks on their way to the living room. "Lewis, we need to talk."
Zane shot Lewis an I-told-you-so look as he pulled himself to his feet. "How about Rikki, Bella, and I go to the café for a bit, yeah?"
"We don't have time for that right now, Cleo." Lewis said dismissively as he picked up his clipboard from the side table. "You guys are already late, we need every minute we've got."
"Lewis?" Cleo's tone was sharp, yet terrifyingly quiet. She gestured toward the kitchen. "Now."
Lewis huffed as he stalked toward the kitchen, dropping his clipboard loudly on the counter as he turned to face Cleo. "I know you want to talk." He began, holding his hands out in supplication. "But we've got to keep preparing for-"
"We don't have to do anything, Lewis." Cleo's eyes were like hot coals as she looked at the man she barely felt she knew anymore. "You're done. We're all done with this."
"What?" Lewis's face screwed up with disbelief. "What do you mean, you're done? The full moon is in two damn days-"
"And we're ready for it." Cleo said calmly, swallowing hard in an effort to keep her calm.
"You aren't ready, with Zane and that stone around he could cause major issues for your safety."
"And we've already learned about how to manage it, and him." Cleo nodded slowly, crossing her arms over her chest. "And you know as well as I do that we have a plan."
Lewis paced the floor rapidly as he lectured. "Simply separating Zane from the stone won't work, nor will him commanding you not to obey him. I mean, it's a full moon, since when have new merpeople had any control over their actions on a full moon-"
"Lewis, STOP." Cleo lost it, her voice raising before she forced it back to a civil volume. "I told you we're done being test subjects. It's starting to feel like we're trapped by Dr. Denman again."
"Cleo..." Lewis softened his tone, reaching for her tanned hand. "I'm not trying to make you feel that way. I'm just worried."
"I appreciate that." Cleo said bitterly, not meeting his eyes. "We all appreciate that. But we're done and we're leaving. Let us handle the full moon ourselves."
"But I have a full contingency plan to lay out to all of you-" Lewis stammered.
"No, you don't." Cleo dropped his hand, turning to leave the kitchen.
"Cleo, wait!" Lewis caught her by the elbow. "Your safety is the most important thing to me, really. You girls are my responsibility, I've committed to making sure everything turns out alright."
Cleo prayed that the tear playing at the corner of her eye wouldn't fall until she was out of sight. Her left hand twisted as she pulled off the ring that had meant so much to her not too long ago. "Until you're ready to honor your other commitments, don't feel like you need to talk to us anytime soon. You're obsessed, Lewis. I didn't need you to be obsessed with me, but it'd be nice if you remembered I existed every once in a while. As something more than a test subject, at least."
Lewis stood frozen, speechless as he looked at the engagement ring Cleo had placed in his hands before breezing out of the kitchen. "The wedding." He exhaled. Truth be told, he'd forgotten all about it, he'd been so overtaken with the stone.
"Come on, we're all done here." Cleo was fighting tears as she gestured for Rikki and Bella to follow her to the front door.
Rikki and Bella shot worried looks at each other as they followed their friend out.
"What just happened?" Zane jumped from his seat, casting a concerned glance towards the still-closed kitchen door.
"Don't worry about it." Rikki muttered, pausing at the door. "I'll call you." Her eyes darted towards the kitchen, where Lewis was just walking through the door. "Seeya." She pulled the door firmly shut behind her as she followed the others.
The next day passed tensely, and far too slowly for anyone's taste. Lewis called Cleo over and over, but each call was ignored. Zane assisted him in a couple of half-hearted experiments during the day, but for the first time Lewis seemed completely distracted. The pair decided to call it an early night, each of them feeling nervous about facing tomorrow.
Rikki groaned as she rolled over in Cleo's bed to silence her phone, shielding her eyes from the brightly rising sun. "Are you talking to Lewis yet?" She asked tiredly, seeing Lewis's name on the phone ID.
"No." Cleo spoke without opening her eyes, turning her pillow to the cool side before flopping back into the covers. "I answered him once yesterday and the first words out of his mouth were about our plans for the full moon."
"Jesus." Rikki yawned, forcing herself to sit up and stretch. "He just can't stop, can he?"
"I get that he's worried." Cleo checked the time. "But I want my boyfriend back. My fiancé back. It feels like all he cares about is research anymore."
"Bella just texted." Rikki pulled her own phone from the side table. "She's totally nervous about tonight."
"They're going to do a great job." Cleo rolled her eyes slightly. "Is she already at rehearsal?"
"Since 7:30." Rikki tapped a reply. "I told her we'd be by the café within the next hour or so. Wish her luck before she heads to the big comp."
"Ugghh." Cleo tossed her phone across the bed as it began ringing once again.
"You know..." Rikki sat on the corner of the comforter, examining her friend carefully. "You guys do have to talk eventually."
"I know that." Cleo groaned. "But its not eventually yet."
Sophie chewed on her straw thoughtfully as she watched the usual Zane, Cleo, Rikki, and Bella talking animatedly in hushed tones in the back corner of the café. Something had everyone riled up, though their careful glances around the room made it clear they were anxious not to be overheard. Rikki solemnly handed Zane a folded piece of notebook paper, which he skimmed over before nodding and sliding it into his back pocket.
Sophie stood abruptly, shoving her chair back as she decided to insert herself into their conversation. "Hey guys." She said, ever-chipper as she clapped Bella on the back. "What's up?"
The quartet froze immediately, wide eyes staring blankly at Sophie until Rikki broke the silence. "We were just talking about Zane." She said, casting a surreptitious glance at the others. "He went for a swim yesterday and almost got caught." She raised one shoulder. "He's going to get himself found out if he isn't more careful, you know?" She gestured toward the counter. "I'm making a smoothie, catch you later?" She turned without a word to head to the freezer, followed by a silent Cleo and Bella.
"Someone should really tell Rikki that she's a terrible liar." Sophie chuckled, nudging Zane with her elbow. He didn't smile in return, his face uncharacteristically stony.
"Good luck with that." He muttered as he pushed past the redhead to head towards the back office.
"What were you guys really talking about?" Sophie pushed, following close behind.
"Nothing, Sophie." Zane said over his shoulder dismissively. "I don't want to talk right now."
"Well maybe this will help; I was thinking about your problem." Deciding to ignore his statement, Sophie strode into Zane's office after him, swinging the door closed as Zane dropped into his seat.
"Which one?" Zane asked, leaning back in his desk chair to run a tired hand through his hair.
"The full moon one." Sophie dropped into the desk chair opposite his, kicking her feet up onto the desk. "The one that's tonight. And I have the solution."
"Oh." Zane closed his eyes momentarily, his brain scrambling for a reason to turn her down without telling the whole truth. "Thanks Soph, but we've got it covered."
"But you've not heard my idea yet." Sophie protested, stepping in front of him as if to explain her point.
"Ok then." Zane exhaled, trying to calm himself as he turned to face her. "So what's your plan for the full moon?"
"I am SO glad you asked." Sophie leaned forward to eagerly rest her elbows on the desk. "So it's the full moon that gets you, right? Causes you problems?" She waited for Zane to answer with a nod before continuing. "So I know the perfect place for you to hide out for the night. You need to go to that cave on Mako Island."
"You mean the moon pool?" Zane's head popped up in spite of himself.
"Right... I forgot you guys had a special name for it or whatever." Sophie examined Zane thoughtfully, wondering just how much he hadn't told her. "But it is perfect. There's no way the moon could get to you in there. You'd be safe for the night."
"It's a good idea." Zane stood, stretching his arms over his head as he yawned. "But the moon passes directly overhead of that cave; I'd be a sitting duck in there."
"Or a sitting fish." Sophie's attempt to make Zane laugh fell flat; he seemed too distracted to even notice.
"The moonlight would make me go loopy immediately." Zane was still talking, almost to himself. "I'd rather be anywhere than the moon pool." He shivered slightly as he pulled a sheath of order forms from the file on his desk.
Zane's somewhat scared reaction did not go unnoticed by Sophie, who was watching him with eagle eyes. "How do you know the moon goes directly overhead of that cave?"
"Because it does." Zane rubbed his temples, closing his eyes as he wished he could massage his brain. "Look, Sophie, thanks. I've got it covered."
"You could always stay at my place for the full moon tonight." Sophie shrugged lightly. "My basement doesn't have any windows."
Zane opened one eye to squint at her. "Ah, thanks, that's really nice of you to offer, but I don't think Rikki would be too thrilled with that setup."
Sophie raised her hands as she stood, tossing her bag over her shoulder. "It's just an offer. You guys know I want to help, right?"
"Are you available to manage the café tonight?" Zane pulled the employee schedule over to him. "I'll be... indisposed... and Nate has the Battle of the Bands competition."
"No sweat, jet." Sophie winked as she turned on her heel to walk away, though her heart sank somewhat at his dismissiveness. "I've gotcha covered. It's working out pretty well having me here, huh?"
"Thanks Sophie." Zane called after her. "I... I appreciate your help."
"Anytime." Sophie paused at the door. "Just let me know when you're ready to start discussing the big announcement. I'm ready whenever you are, I don't want to wait too long. Time to start bringing in some cash, you know?"
"Right." Zane's mouth felt suddenly dry. "I, uh, I will."
Bella's voice trailed off as she spotted a familiar head of blonde hair walking into the café. She squinted slightly. "Lewis?"
Lewis looked up sheepishly, shielding his eyes from the brilliant stage lights. "Uh, hey." He waved his drum sticks in the air. "I guess I thought I'd stop by and see if you still needed a drummer?"
"Get your ass up here." Nate waved urgently. "Jesus, mate, why did you have to go putting us through all that drama?"
Bella grinned to herself as a wave of relief swept over her. Lewis made his way over to her after several more minutes of berating from Nate.
"Hey." He said quietly, unsure of whether to meet her eye or not.
"You came?" Bella continued jotting notes on her setlist.
"Yeah, ah, any new songs?" Lewis made an effort to seem casual, though he was clearly wired underneath.
"Nope, just the classics." Bella carefully taped the list to the floor in front of her before standing to look at Lewis. "You'll be just fine." She patted his shoulder before moving towards the dressing room. "And-" She paused briefly. "Thank for coming back, Lewis. We're all glad you're here."
"Is Cleo...?" Lewis's eyes finished the sentence.
"No, no she's not." Bella felt bad giving him the answer. "I don't know if she's coming tonight or not. But either way, you're here. And now we're going to win." She winked at him before making a beeline for her locker. Her fingers flew as she typed a quick couple of messages. Cleo would definitely want to know this latest development, it might actually make her smile.
It didn't take more than ten minutes from the time his boat landed on the white sand of Mako Island for Ryan to step breathlessly into the moon pool cavern that afternoon. "Wow..." He exhaled as he looked around. It had only been a few weeks since the last time he'd stopped by, and someone had clearly been very very busy. The cavern looked almost exactly as it had before the explosion, or whatever it was, had happened. That night it had looked as if a bomb had gone off inside, but now... The stones had been cleaned up and replaced near the walls, it almost looked like the rocky floor had been swept clean.
"There's no way this was natural." Ryan spoke to himself. "Who's been coming out here?"
He knew Will knew the place, and Zane. Probably those girls they're always hanging out with too. But were they the ones who'd repaired the cavern? Why?
Ryan stepped over, looking for the brilliant blue gems he, Sophie, and Zane had found. The rocks appeared to still be there, shoved in piles along the edge, but they looked somehow duller. As if they'd aged hundreds of years in the last few months.
"Weird..." He turned a fist-sized one over in his hand. What had made them so unique, that brilliant blue glow, seemed to have been put out. He tossed the rock back over to the pile he'd taken it from, crossing his arms as he pondered the situation. He wished he had someone to talk to about it, even if it was just to bounce theories off of. The only person he'd expected to be interested was Sophie, and she'd brushed him off pretty effectively. Shooting one last lingering look around the mysterious cave, he turned to head back up to the surface and back to the mainland. It was definitely a place worth keeping an eye on.
The venue was explosive with energy as the first band of the evening wrapped up. Bella, Nate, and Lewis squeezed hands as they moved onto the stage to set up.
"They're... on...in... five..." Cleo said out loud as she typed out a message and sent it to Rikki. She sighed as she looked around the crowded space, finally taking a seat at the bar to wait for the band to begin. She'd been lurking in the back of the crowd since the competition had started, not eager to have a confrontation with-
"Hey." Lewis appeared at her elbow, breathless. "I'm glad you-"
"I came to support the band." Cleo held up one hand. "We're not having this conversation here and now, Lewis." She hushed him again as he tried to speak. "No. Go back to the band and get warmed up. Break legs."
Lewis clenched his jaw. "Cleo, please-"
"I'm really glad you didn't let the band down." Cleo nodded toward the stage. "They need you, you know. Now get up there." She looked the other way until Lewis had gone, determined not to let herself get wrapped up in drama right now. "Not tonight." She muttered under her breath. They had way too much else to think about; morning couldn't get there fast enough.
"You doing ok over there?" Rikki watched Zane furtively as she slid a dvd into the set. "Need anything?"
"No, I'm ok." Zane shook his head, trying to clear it. "It's just weird, you know? I can feel it out there. More than last time."
"Every full moon is different." Rikki dropped onto the couch next to him. "I remember how it was."
"And you don't feel it anymore? How long did that take?" Zane took her hand in his, squeezing it tightly.
"Years." Rikki nodded. "And I do feel it." She paused, closing her eyes as the familiar hum came through. "But you'll be able to fight it off soon too. Don't worry."
"Don't worry." Zane echoed sourly. That was easy for Rikki to say, but it was hard for him to accept. He felt almost ill, like his stomach was churning as the waves did outside.
Even though Zane told himself to calm down, he couldn't deny the pull of the moon over the ocean. It was like an ever-constant twinge in his head, growing slowly from the back of his mind to the forefront. He could feel it out there on the other side of the walls and sealed windows, calling to him.
"You ok?" Rikki watched him carefully.
Sophie paced outside Zane's place, glancing anxiously through the windows as she tried to place Rikki and Zane. "You idiot." She muttered to herself, realizing quickly why they shades were drawn tightly across each window. "They're blocking out the moon."
She knew she shouldn't be bothering them, but she'd gotten a set of texts from Ryan that she knew they'd want to know about. He'd been out there, and the stones in the cavern had changed color. She knew Zane was dealing with a stone that affected him, and it looked more than ever like that's where it had come from. Plus, Zane said the full moon landed directly through that cavern, there had to be a connection. Surely they'd want to know that, right? She had no intention of messing up their plans, but they weren't replying to texts and this was information they should know, it could help.
Sophie knew the plan was for the two to ride out the night downstairs in the basement; the stairs were just down the hall on the other end of the house. She knocked hard on the door, listening carefully for any signs of life, but the house looked empty.
"I'll just run inside real quick and tell them the news. They won't even know I was here." Sophie spoke to herself, wishing she had someone to offer her a second opinion. She checked her phone one more time, but neither of them had responded. Making up her mind, she hurriedly located the spare key she knew Zane's dad kept under the sconce on the porch and let herself in, determined to be quick. She whipped open the front door quickly, pulling it closed so fast she thought her heart might have caught in her chest. No one was around; she'd done it. Not wasting a moment, she went directly to the kitchen, where she located a sheet of paper and a pen.
'Found out something important about Mako.' She wrote excitedly, eager to help her new friends. 'Call me when you get this. -Sophie.'
She sighed, pleased with herself as she set down the pen and turned to leave.
"Jesus!" Rikki shrieked as Sophie jumped at her sudden appearance. "You scared me Sophie, what are you doing here? How did you get in?"
"Sorry, but neither of you were answering your phones." Sophie couldn't keep her natural defensiveness from appearing. "Look, I found something that I think might help Zane with the full moon stuff and that rock."
"What do you know about the full moon stuff?" Rikki narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms tightly over her chest.
"Just come here." Sophie wasn't willing to sacrifice her eagerness to help for a couple more barbs back and forth. "I heard from Ryan today, and he'd been out at Mako Island, and-"
"Yeah, uh, thanks Sophie. We'll look at it tomorrow." Rikki cut her off dismissively. "But you need to leave now."
"Right, sorry." Sophie took two steps past Rikki before pausing, a rare moment of genuine speech welling up in her throat. "I just want to help him. And you too." She nodded sheepishly. "I like being in on the secret, I... I take it pretty seriously."
"It's not going to be a secret for much longer." Rikki followed, taking a couple slow steps in Sophie's direction. "Right? After you take him public?"
"Yeah, I guess not." Sophie reached the door, turning the knob as she paused one more time. "I'll be sad to see it happen."
"So don't make him do it." Rikki caught the door as it swung open. "Leave him to his privacy."
"It's not me making him do it, Rikki." Sophie knew how unlikely it sounded, but for once she was telling the truth and it felt good. "He wants to, I mean it. If it were up to me, I'd... I'd tell him to keep it a secret. Just between us." She met Rikki's eyes for a long time before Rikki blinked, putting an end to the stand-off.
"I'll see you tomorrow." Rikki finally spoke. "I'll call you, ok?" She pivoted to leave, freezing immediately as she realized what had happened behind her back.
Zane stood frozen in the hall, his eyes positively glued to the moon shining through the front door over Sophie's shoulder.
"No!" Rikki exhaled. "Damn it, I thought I locked him downstairs."
Zane could feel everything slipping away from him as he gazed hungrily up at the moon. The pull had just been too hard to resist, and yes Rikki had locked the door, but she'd failed to pull it all the way shut.
Rikki had immediately jumped into high-gear for their meticulously-planned plan B. "Zane, focus." She said firmly, placing a hand on each of his shoulders. "Come on Zane, listen to the words I'm saying." She pressed her forehead onto his to speak right into his ear, though he didn't seem to hear here. "Get the note out of your pocket and read it, Zane."
Zane tried to focus on the words he knew Rikki must be saying, but his eyes kept pulling their gaze off into the black sky, where the moon shown brightly.
"Zane, read the note." Rikki said more firmly, casting an anxious look at the equally-panicked Sophie, who was still standing frozen by the open door.
"I- I'm sorry, Rikki." The redhead stammered. "I didn't mean to, I mean I had no idea it was this-"
"Just stop talking." Rikki really wished Sophie weren't here right now, but their priority needed to be getting Zane contained, now that he'd been exposed to moonlight they were in a lot of potential danger. "And don't let him talk either." She jabbed a finger in Zane's direction as she turned to run towards her phone in the living room. "Shut the door and get him to read the note he has in his pocket!" She shouted as she jogged, deciding that she would come up with answers to Sophie's inevitable questions later, after she knew Zane was taken care of. "And don't let him go anywhere!"
"Hey man..." Sophie patted a still-frozen Zane on the back awkwardly. "I am soooo sorry, I just wanted to tell you guys about something I found and I didn't expect either of you to know I was here until tomorrow..." Her voice trailed off as she waved a hand in front of Zane's eyes, which hadn't so much as blinked since they became fixed on the moonlight. "Man, I knew you said the moon made you a little loopy, I didn't know it made you full-on catatonic."
"Sophie." Zane almost managed to zone in on her through the mist of moonlight, though it was through an empty, vacant expression.
"Yup, it's me." Sophie winced slightly as she gently tip-toed to close the door, placing one hand on Zane's chest to push him gently back into the house. "I think we'll just close this, yes?"
"No." Zane slipped away from her, walking away from the door.
Sophie's sigh of relief was short-lived as she realized he was heading straight for the back door. He reached it and immediately began yanking tape from the edges.
"Hey!" Sophie raced to catch him.
He beat her outside, but she beat him to the gate.
"Nuh uh." She panted. "You're not going anywhere, mister." She braced herself hard against the entrance, but Zane only shot her a briefly smoldering look before jumping to catch the top of the wall and effortlessly lifting himself over to land on the other side.
"For fuck's sake..." Sophie exhaled, leaning her head on her forearm as she tried to catch her breath.
"Sophie, what the hell?" Rikki jogged after them, her hands held out in question.
"I'm sorry, I'm not good at this!" Sophie almost stomped her foot at herself out of frustration. For the first time in years she'd felt like she could really help someone, do some good. How had she managed to screw things up so completely?
"Zane, come on." Rikki let herself through the gate, keeping her eyes averted from the moon just in case. She could feel the normal thrum of the moon in the back of her neck, but experience made all the difference. "Did he read the paper?" She asked over her shoulder.
"No, he just shot straight out here after I closed the door."
"Jesus, Sophie, I just asked you to get him to do one thing." Rikki huffed as she approached an again-frozen Zane, reaching for his hips so she could search his pockets.
"Because you're having such an easy time of it." Sophie muttered under her breath, wondering what she should do now. Was there any point in continuing to help?
Zane turned around, wrenching his hips out of Rikki's hands. He took two running strides before launching himself out into the pool.
"Fuck! I can't get him out of there." Rikki punched her leg angrily.
"We can give it a try, at least." Sophie eagerly kicked off her shoes, surprised that Rikki would give up so easily. It was just a pool, after all. Sophie knew all her years of training with Will would come in handy one day. She was almost as skilled as him in several respects. She dove in without pause, headed for the shallow end where Zane was circling.
"Sophie stop-" Rikki rubbed her temples wearily as she spoke to herself. "The note is...gone and there's no way in hell she's getting him out of that pool." She sighed, raising her voice once more. "Just keep him in there, ok?" She pivoted to race back toward the house for the phone she still hadn't picked up. Different pieces of her brain warred with each other as she searched for the perfect solution to the situation. Sophie showing up that night had thrown a wrench into their carefully crafted plan. The idea of calling Lewis made her sick to her stomach. She couldn't, not after they'd spent so much energy convincing him they were done preparing. Plus, they'd all but forced him to go to Battle of the Bands tonight. And Bella had been working so hard... Rikki clenched the phone in her hand tightly, making a decision she wasn't sure how she felt about as she held it firmly to her ear.
"Hey Will." She spoke quickly. "We need your help. Now."
Will flew into action even before ending the call. His heart thrummed at the unexpected surge of adrenaline, a strange combination of happiness and worry. Rikki hadn't told him much, but he knew that his sister was involved and that Zane was under the influence of the full moon, and that was enough to make him run even faster. In spite of the circumstances, deep down he was just ecstatic that his friends needed him, and he wasn't about to let them down.
Sophie draped herself exhaustedly over the side of the pool, panting with effort as her eyes flickered over the pool's surface. No wonder Rikki hadn't tried; she was right. It was impossible to even touch Zane, much less catch him when he was in the water. He didn't swim as much as he zipped through the water, never tiring.
Sophie leaned forward on her elbows so she could rest her forehead on her arms, breathing heavily with exursion. Silence surrounded her, the only sound coming from her own tired exhales as she caught her breath. She gave herself a few more seconds to recover before turning around to look for-"
"Zane!" She squealed, her nose almost touching his. He'd been waiting silently behind her, a powerful sort of expression on his face. "Sorry." She spoke carefully, examining him. "I, uh, I didn't know you were there."
Zane said nothing, but his eyes bore into hers with an intensity she hadn't known he was capable of. They were almost black, though they still retained his normal mischievous glint.
"C'mon Zane, let's go inside." She placed one hand gently on his shoulder, applying just a breath of pressure in hopes he would come with her.
"Stop it." Zane's voice was low, but firm.
Sophie sighed, releasing the pressure but leaving her hand on his shoulder
"Get out of this pool." Zane continued dismissively, diving back out into the deeper water only to resurface moments later when he realized that Sophie hadn't moved. "Did you not hear me/what I said?" He seemed genuinely confused. "I commanded you to get out of this pool!" This time his voice carried anger in it, making Sophie cringe back slightly.
"ZANE!" Rikki's ear-shattering shout froze him in his tracks momentarily, seeming to break his concentration. He shook his head, looking up in confusion at Rikki.
"Sophie, get out of here." Rikki called desperately. "Seriously, go!"
Sophie wrenched herself over to the stops to climb out of the water, but her eyes never left Zane's. They looked so...different. Simultaneously vacant and overflowing. She hurried past Rikki, pausing at the gate to sneak one look back at the pair. Zane's expression of confusion was rapidly becoming one of determination. It made her nervous. Shivering, Sophie ran for the house, already deciding to go straight to the battle of the bands competition to get Lewis. She threw open the front door, almost running head first into the person standing on the other side.
"Oof!" Will caught her hard around the waist. He didn't waste a second, looking around anxiously. "Rikki called, where are they?"
"Out back, in the pool." Sophie changed directions, following him back into the house.
"Sophie, you really shouldn't be here-" Will attempted to direct her outside, but stopped when Sophie punched his arm.
"Oh shut up." She snapped. "If my brother is going to be here you'd better bet your ass I am too."
Will sighed but didn't see any point in wasting time arguing with her. He saw Rikki standing at the pool's edge trying to speak to Zane, who was spending long intervals underwater instead of listening.
"Will!" Rikki's eyes landing on him as he let himself through the pool gate.
Sophie waited behind slightly; she wasn't sure if Rikki knew she was there or not. Zane surfaced, watching the interchange with interest.
"You've got to watch him, I have to get out of here now that's he's gone moonstruck." She began jogging towards the former diver. "The plan didn't work, he's too overcome with the moon to focus enough to say what I need him to-"
"No Rikki, stop!" Zane shouted.
Rikki's mouth formed a horrified 'o' as she froze in her tracks. She made brief eye contact with Will before calling over her shoulder to Zane. "Cut it out Zane, I need you to focus. Please, we practiced so hard!"
With a gleam in his eye and a smirk on his face, Zane powered forward to place his hands on the pool's edge. "Turn around."
Sophie was startled to see Rikki immediately pivot to face him, though her hands were balled up at her sides in apparent frustration. Was Zane... controlling her?
"Come here." Zane opened one arm to gesture to the water around him.
"Hell no." Will grabbed Rikki's wrist and pulled hard, but she didn't budge an inch in either direction. "Fight it, Rikki."
"Don't you think that's what I'm fucking doing?" Rikki gritted her teeth, fighting hard not to move her feet.
"Rikki come on, come inside." Sophie called, alerting her to her presence. She still didn't really understand why Will was so desperate to get Rikki away, it was only Zane after all.
"Get Sophie out of here." Rikki managed to speak through her clenched jaw as she resisted Will, who was having some success in moving her away from the water.
Slowly, Zane placed one hand, then the other, on the poolside and heaved himself out to sit on the deck.
"Um..." Sophie pointed as Zane held his hand out over his fin. "He's out, guys."
"Shit." Will sounded almost frightened. "Help me get Rikki inside. Hurry."
"It won't matter where I am." Rikki realized just how dangerous the situation could be. "We've got to get him focused. Once he's dry get him to read the note in his back pocket. It should fix things. It worked in all the tests."
Zane stood, his eyes locked with Rikki's. "Come here, Rikki." He gestured for her once again, watching as she strained against Will and Sophie.
"Zane, stop it!" Will commanded, his voice louder and stronger than Sophie had ever heard him. It was enough to catch Zane off guard, and Will jumped at the opportunity. "Come on, man. Listen to my voice." He made every effort to sound calm. "You need to read the note. The one in your pocket."
"And you need to mind your own business." Zane shot his hand out in front of him, sending a stream of steaming water through the air right at Will, who dodged it.
"How did he do that?" Sophie hissed. "I thought he could only heat the water, he controls it now too?"
Rikki had no answer, she was just as surprised as the Sophie was. "I..."
"Rikki get in the water now." Zane's voice was calm, but intense as he directed his gaze directly at his girlfriend.
With a strangled cry of protest, Rikki caught Sophie off guard by wrenching her arm loose and running towards the water.
"Rikki, no!" Will lunged for her, but it was too late.
Rikki had a horrified expression on her face as she launched herself out into the pool, cringing as water surrounded her. She sank down to the bottom, wincing as the transformation overtook her. She placed both hands on the pool floor, her eyebrows knitting together as she tried desperately to decide what to do next.
"Will, she isn't coming up!" Sophie panicked when she realized what had happened. "He told her to get in the water and she's not coming up for air, she's going to drown!"
"Sophie, please go inside..." Will pleaded weakly as his sister shoved her way past him towards the water.
"We've got to help her, Will!" Sophie ran past Zane, who was standing smiling down at the water. "Rikki!" She froze for just a moment as she saw something glittering down at the bottom of the pool. "What's..." She shook her head. It didn't matter. She had to help Rikki. She dove down, but the golden shimmering object jetted immediately away from her and into the shallow end. She surfaced, wiping the water from her eyes. "Will, do you see her?"
Will crouched at the pool's edge, resting his elbows on his knees sadly. "Yes." He said finally. "I see her."
"Well where is..." Sophie's breath caught in her throat as the golden being surfaced, finally revealing itself to her. "Oh my god." She couldn't take a breath. "Rikki."
"Yes." Rikki said quietly, finding herself unable to meet Sophie's eyes. "It's me, Sophie."
"Did he..." Sophie shook her head. "Did Zane do this to you?"
Rikki took in a long breath, almost shaking with anxiety. "No, he didn't."
"Oh." Everything was starting to fall into place. A pit settled into Sophie's stomach as she looked to Will. He didn't seem surprised at all at Rikki's transformation, as if... "You knew what she was?" She treaded water, suddenly feeling very much alone out there.
"Sophie..." Will began, but Sophie didn't need to hear another word, his expression said it all.
"And the other girls, Cleo and Bella?" She didn't want to know the answer, but she couldn't stop herself from asking. She was embarrassed to feel tears pricking at her eyes as she looked between Will and Rikki, neither of whom seemed able to meet her gaze.
Without a word, Sophie climbed out of the pool, lost in her own thoughts. She didn't say anything as she walked back into the house and out the front door, dripping water behind her all the way.