Chapter 108

"I have so many questions, and you know what's great? You'll have to answer them honestly."

Ryan pulled a chair over and sat opposite the mermaid.

"Wow," he said breathing out. "You don't know how happy I am that you are here. I've been looking for proof on your kind for so long," Ryan smiled in wonder.

Jessie felt powerless and anxious. All her energy was being drained by trying to resist the control the necklace had over her. She wanted to retort but it was like her mouth was clamped shut.

"You have permission to speak freely," Ryan said. "If you're good I'll give you more freedom,"

Once he had said this, Jessie felt the clamp-like pressure release.

"Why are you doing this?" Jessie asked.

"You know why," Ryan said. "I want answers. Answers that you are going to give me,"

"What are you going to do with me?" Jessie questioned.

"I'm not entirely sure yet. I'm sure other mermaids are going to try and rescue you, so we'll see what happens. I intend to show my findings to the scientific community, and you, my dear, are a part of the evidence," Ryan smiled.

Jessie nodded her understanding.

Ryan pulled out his phone and opened his audio recording app.

"Are you a mermaid?" Ryan asked her.

"Yes," Jessie replied. She had debated not replying in the affirmative but the necklace's influence was too strong.

"What is your name?"

"Jessie Mills,"

Ryan looked confused at this.

"That's a very human name? You weren't born in the sea?"

Jessie rolled her eyes.

"No," she said.

"But you were born a mermaid?"

"Yes,"

"How?"

Oh no. She did not want to answer that.

Ryan frowned.

"How?" he asked again, using the necklace's power to compel her.

No, no, no. Jessie struggled. No.

"My mother was a mermaid," she gasped out. "My father is a human."

"Was?"

Jessie nodded sadly.

"Where do you live?"

"Australia," she replied. She was thankful that it wasn't one of the girls who lived on the island in her position. She should be able to avoid mentioning it.

"Do you have any siblings?"

"Yes. But I was the only one to inherit the mermaid gene,"

"Does your mother have other mermaid family members?"

"No," Jessie replied.

"How is that possible?"

She wished that she didn't have to reply.

"My mother was not born a mermaid," Jessie said against her will.

"Your mother was originally human?" Ryan asked with wide eyes.

Jessie nodded.

"Are there any mermaids that were not transformed from humans? Ones that live in the ocean like the myths?"

"Yes," Jessie replied.

"Can you expand on that please?" Ryan asked. Jessie sighed. She was putting everyone in danger.

"There are pods of mermaids all over the world. Of the pureblood mermaids, there are nomadic pods –they migrate depending on the season. There are also underwater kingdoms and cities – they don't migrate but they've never been found by humans because of magic. They are forbidden from having contact with humans. In the cities and kingdoms, mermaids and mermen coexist in society. Some pods are mixed also. The majority of nomadic pods are actually either mermaids or mermen. There is an ancient feud between them. I would bet that that necklace you're using on me is one of the mermen weapons,"

"Maybe," Ryan said. "Please continue,"

Everyone was going to be in danger because of her, Jessie thought. Stupid necklace.

"The pureblood mermaids call what my mother was a 'morph-maid.' Because she was transformed, not a half-blood. Half-blood being the child of a mermaid or merman and a human,"

"So you're like a half-morphmaid then?" Ryan asked.

"Essentially yeah," Jessie said.

"Do you have a tail?" Ryan asked. "I saw your powers over water, but I haven't seen you as a mermaid,"

"Yes I have a tail," Jessie said.

"Can all mermaids transform into being humans?"

"Yes,"

"How do you go into mermaid form?"

He really asked the difficult questions didn't he?

"About ten seconds after I touch water I transform,"

"Just touching water? You don't have any control of the transformation?"

"No," Jessie replied.

Ryan picked up his water bottle. Jessie knew what was coming.

"May I?" he asked.

"Well, it's not as if you've had my permission for anything else. I would say no but I can't do anything about it," Jessie said with a scowl.

"Thank you for your cooperation," he smiled appreciatively. With that he tipped some of the water onto her arm.

"You know it didn't have to be that much," Jessie groaned.

OoOoO

Anna arrived back to the others, clutching her impaled arm tightly. While she swam, she left the hardened water spike in the wound – it was excruciating, but might slow the bleeding. Blood was leaking slowly into the water. Cleo, Bella and Emma were great with first aid – they should be able to do something.

Emma was keeping watch when Anna arrived. She gasped.

'What happened? Wake up, everyone!'

'Ryan woke up and used the necklace on Jessie,' Anna said. 'It controlled Jessie, Em. I tried to help but…It made me weak – it was so strong,'

'Let me look at your arm!' Emma sat Anna down on the ocean floor and had a look. 'We're going to need to go ashore to deal with this,' she said.

'I agree,' Cleo said, concerned.

'But Jessie…' Anna protested. 'She needs our help now. He has control of her completely – he can compel her to tell him everything! Who knows what he has already got her to tell him,"

'We need to stop the bleeding,' Bella said. 'You guys go and rescue Jessie. I'll take Anna to the surface. Which bag is our first aid kit in?'

'Mine,' Emma said, quickly handing it to her.

'You can't go,' Anna said, 'He'll recognise you!'

'That's a risk we'll have to take. We can't leave Jessie there,' Cleo said. 'And by the sounds of it, and your battle against Jessie, we'll need the numbers,'

OoOoO

Ryan waited in anticipation. This was the longest ten seconds of his life.

Jessie felt herself turn into water and then into her mermaid form. Sliding slighting from where she was sitting.

"Whoa," Ryan breathed. "You are stunning,"

He reached out and touched her tail, running his hand down its length.

Jessie felt violated.

"It's so slimy," Ryan commented.

"Yeah, well, it needs to be for swimming,"

He finally lifted his hand off the end of her tail.

"How fast can you swim?"

"Fast. I don't know. I'm an architect, not a scientist,"

"You're an architect?" Ryan asked surprised.

"Yes. I lead a very normal human life. I just also have a tail so I enjoy swimming a lot," Jessie replied.

This whole time, Ryan had been viewing her as a scientific specimen. He hadn't really thought that she might have a life, and that mermaids lived amongst humans and no one knew. Now that she was becoming humanised in his eyes he was starting to feel guilty. Then again, the reason she was here was because she had tried to steal something from him. Ryan felt the guilt start to lift slightly. He could do this and get justice for himself – prove to the scientific community that he was right.

"What powers do you have?" Ryan asked. "I saw some of them when you were fighting the red-head mermaid before,"

"I can control water and turn water into a gel substance, and then harden and explode it," Jessie said.

"Show me?"

Jessie felt the control over her diminish slightly. Could she use this as an opportunity to escape?

Firstly, she lifted the water off her body and held it in a ball in front of Ryan. She transformed back into a human shortly after. Ryan stared in awe. Now she wasn't like a beached whale, good.

"Show me the gel,"

Jessie obeyed. Ryan dug his fingers into it and grinned.

"It's like jelly," he laughed.

While he was distracted, Jessie used her other hand to create another tentacle of water from the sink. Quickly, she directed that tentacle around Ryan's neck and pulled him against the wall. She hardened the gel around Ryan's fingers, essentially tying both his hands up. She controlled the water, tightening it around his neck.

"Stop," he choked out.

No, no, no. Jessie could feel her control over the water ebbing. She missed her chance. She felt defeated as the water tentacle fell away.

Ryan breathed in, wheezing and coughing.

"I may have underestimated you," Ryan grinned at her. "I don't blame you for trying, I am sorry about this. You're just very important in helping me with my goals. Open the door for me please," he instructed. She had to comply. He went out and smashed the gel ball that was encasing his hands against the railing. He came back inside and locked the door.

"Tell me about your friend, the one that tried to save you," Ryan said once they had sat down once more. "She had different powers to you?"

"She can control heat and water – boiling things. She can't turn it into gel like I can,"

"Why?"

"It has to do with where she transformed," Jessie said reluctantly.

"So she was not born a mermaid?"

"No,"

"How do you turn into a mermaid? And is the process the same for a merman?"

"You have to swim in a moon pool, and yes,"

"What's a moon pool?"

"I'm not sure exactly what it is, but it is a place of old magic,"

"How does it work?"

"I don't know,"

"How?"

"It has to do with the full moon,"

"Have you ever been to one?"

"Yes,"

"Your friend transformed there?"

"Yes,"

"Your mother transformed there too?"

"No, I haven't been to her moon pool,"

"Where was the pool your friend transformed in?"

"Australia," she said.

'Please don't ask another question about it. Please don't make me say it,' she thought.

"Where specifically?" Ryan asked.

"Mm-m-m…" Jessie fought against it. "Mako Island,"

Ryan's jaw dropped open. Mako Island. The perfect volcanic cone with view of the sky, the amazing rock that they discovered there, the mystery surrounding that place…it all made sense. It was all coming full circle.

A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter :) I'm really enjoying writing this story-line at the moment. Please tell me what you think :D I think I did pretty well updating within a month! :D lol I'm sorry it takes so long, but real life happens :P

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