Chapter Six - Deciphering the Mermaid Book

Having spent the previous night and the following morning analyzing the book's content, Lewis hurriedly made his way to Rikki's Cafe where, to no surprise, his friends were already seated at their usual booth. As he drew closer, it became clear to him that the topic of conversation was none other than what he came to discuss with them.

Lewis: "Oh hey, Cleo. You're here! Are you feeling better?"

Cleo: "Yeah. I just needed some time alone to clear my mind." sees the book in Lewis' hand "Is that the book? So you guys really did get it back!"

Lewis: "Yeah, we did. It even appeared in the cafe where we lost it."

Cleo: "So, what did you find? About the crystals?"

Lewis: "Unfortunately, nothing too specific. But there are some really interesting things in there. Like other potions other than the wishing one and some other unusual stuff."

Emma: "Unusual how?"

Lewis: "I'll tell you guys in a minute. But I wanna start with the other potions first. By the way Rikki, I think we should head into the office for this."

Rikki: "Sure, good idea."

After leaving the booth and settling into Zane's office, Lewis began flipping through the book, then settling on a specific page.

Lewis: "Alright, here it is—since we've already known that the wishing potion works, I wanted to talk about the others in the book, but a certain someone prevented that from happening until now."

Rikki: rolls her eyes

Lewis: "There's a recipe for various healing potions. Like a general one that will heal most mild illnesses and symptoms, mermaid or human. Of course it won't regrow lost limbs, but you get the point."

Cleo: "And the others?"

Lewis: "Well, just like how I mentioned that there's a general healing potion, there are those for specific mermaid illnesses contracted from reefs, fungi and corals."

Emma: "Corals… like the one that I cut my finger on last year?"

Lewis: "Yes, exactly. If it's bright and colorful, then it's most likely bad news."

Bella: "So what else did you find in there?"

Lewis: "Uhhh…" flips through the book "Oh, there's information about how the full moon affects mermaids, how to overcome it and—"

Rikki: "Lewis, we already know all that! Can you get to the good stuff?"

Lewis: "Then what about activating siren voices? Does that sound interesting?"

Rikki: "Siren?" laughs "Reminds me of when Cleo got moonstruck! She literally brought all the boys to her yard, minus the milkshake!" laughs

Cleo: blushing "Rikki! Did you have to bring that up?!"

Bella: "So, Cleo became a siren?" laughs "That must've been a wild night."

Emma: "More like bizarre."

Lewis: "According to the book, it's an innate ability that only mermaids have, but some can tap into it easier than others, especially if they have an inborn talent for singing."

Everyone simultaneously looks at Bella

Bella: blushing "What? I've never hypnotized anyone. Not even when I was moonstruck."

Rikki: "Not even Will?"

Bella: "Rikki! What? No, he's just my friend! That's all we are."

Rikki: "Really? Because the way you—"

Emma: "Rikki, stop teasing Bella."

Rikki: "Fine! But don't be surprised if those two start dating at some po—"

Emma: "Rikki!"

Rikki: "Okay, okay! I'm just saying."

Cleo: "Does the book say how to activate the siren voice?"

Lewis: "Yes. It's all about focusing on the tone of your voice, making steady eye contact and having a clear intent. You don't want to overdo these things, because it will have the opposite effect and just turn off the target. So you'd want to put just enough effort, but not too much. It also says that it's best to practice this ability during a full moon, as it'd be easier to draw it out during this time."

Emma: "Tone of voice? So someone with a naturally pleasant voice will have an easier time becoming a siren?"

Cleo: "My singing is anything but pleasant. So how did I become one in the first place?"

Lewis: "A side effect of being moonstruck, I guess. Like Emma becoming more relaxed, playful and giddy, while Rikki was more vulnerable and scared, the full moon simply brought out or… emphasized your hidden side."

Cleo: "I don't think singing lessons will help me replicate what happened that night."

Lewis: "Oh, but singing is not a must for the siren voice, speaking alone is enough. The trick is that you need to make whatever you're suggesting sound pleasant, like something the target will agree to instead of flat out giving them a command. For example, in stories where mermaids lured sailors to their demise, they'd probably say something like 'The water looks nice, don't you agree? Why don't you join me for a swim?' then keep going further out until the sailor goes underwater and never comes back up."

Rikki: "So can we affect people's memories with this ability? Like just make them forget what they saw?"

Lewis: "Yes, maybe. But the wording and everything else I mentioned needs to be right or it won't work."

Bella: "Sounds like this could be useful if someone happens to see us as mermaids."

Cleo: "Yeah, but what if they're deaf?"

Rikki: "That would be a huge drawback."

Emma: "Lewis, about what you said earlier, that only mermaids have the siren ability. Does that mean that the author knows about mermen?"

Lewis: "Actually, yes! That's something else that I wanted to bring up. So it seems that their tails is more of a dark red-orange gradient that's darker in the middle, and then it gradually gets lighter towards the underbelly. It also has specks of light orange and even a little bit of white, which gives the tail a sort of fiery look. And their fluke is wider but it also gets darker, almost black towards the edges. Same with the dorsal fin—similar color and slightly bigger. See?" shows them the illustration

Rikki: "Oh, come on! Why do they get the cool, fiery tail and we're stuck with just a regular goldfish tail?"

Lewis: shrugs shoulders "Sexual dimorphism? You know how some male birds like peacocks are really colorful while the females are a regular shade of brown."

Cleo: "Hey, I like our tail!"

Rikki: "I mean, I do too. But theirs sound really intimidating and awesome."

Bella: "Aw, that sounds so cool! I've always wondered what they'd look like! And why would the author include sketches of mermaids and mermen? What if some power-hungry person takes this sort of thing seriously and goes on a mermaid hunt?"

Lewis: "To be fair, it is a manual for mer… people, disguised as a fairytale. Honestly, most people would never consider that to be real."

Bella: "Yeah… fair point."

Emma: "So what's the unusual stuff that you wanted to talk about, Lewis?"

Lewis: "About that. So you guys know about the different planetary alignments and the ones that upgraded your powers?"

Rikki: "Yeah, what about it?"

Lewis: "Well, there's this section about ancient mermaid artifacts that some merfolk found during their travels. And guess what? They amplify the current abilities of the merfolk that wear it."

Emma: "Artifacts that amplify powers? They sound really dangerous."

Lewis: "Not all of them, but one in particular. So much so that they pretty much shelved it. Look, read this section here—"

The girls lean in closer as Emma squints her eyes to read the cursive text.

"Over the course of the years that the group of friends became merfolk, they spent much of their time traversing the oceans, exploring its depths and what it had to offer. Their adventures led them to the discovery of five pieces of jewelry or artifacts as they preferred to call it. It was a beautiful but strange sight, the artifacts, despite being submerged underwater, were still in pristine conditions, as if they were somehow being protected by an invisible outside force. The intricate designs were rather captivating, and they all seem to have one thing in common, a mesmerizing blue jewel in its center."

Rikki: "Lewis! I thought you said there wasn't anything about the crystals!"

Lewis: whispering "Keep your voice down, Rikki. Keep reading, Emma."

"The merfolk, enchanted by its beauty, each claimed an artifact for themself—a majestic silver necklace, a magnificent gold bracelet, a dazzling blue ring band, a regal headpiece befitting for royalty and lastly, none other than Poseidon's favorite toy. It didn't take long for them to realize the true potential of the artifacts, that it amplified their current abilities to the likes that they've never seen, and even granted them new ones. Poseidon's toy, in particular, appeared to be the most powerful of them all, presumably due the fact that the other artifacts' crystals dwarfed in comparison to its. All seemed well until the merfolk found themselves in what was supposed to be a minor disagreement. The mermaids noticed that their merman friend was not acting like his usual calm self, he was more on edge, even to the point of reacting physically. In a fit of rage, he activated the artifact's powers, and struck his mer-friend with a powerful beam of energy, rendering her unconscious."

Cleo and Bella gasp in unison

Rikki: raises eyebrows "Whoa… that took a dark turn."

Cleo: covers her mouth "He attacked her? With the artifact?"

Bella: reaches for her necklace "I didn't know you could do that with the crystal?"

Lewis: "Crazy, right? Though it says that the merman's artifact had a much larger crystal, so that's probably the reason why."

Emma: "Lewis, aren't you sure that this isn't some make believe stuff?"

Lewis: "Hmm… let's see. Tails, check. Full moon, check. Powers, check. Blue crystal, check. Wishing potion, check. Am I missing anything?"

Emma: "I'm just saying that this specific part sounds, well, a bit absurd. Are those crystals really that dangerous?"

Lewis: "Hmm… I can see why you'd think that. When I first got the book, I did initially brush off this part. But now that we know about the crystals, it's starting to make more sense. Now come on, let's continue."

"Upon realizing what he did, the merman tossed aside his artifact, and rushed towards his friend pleading for her to wake up. But she only laid there motionlessly. In his guilt, he crafted a wishing potion in an attempt to revive the mermaid. It worked but came at a grave price. The merman, in the midst of his celebration, suddenly fell silent, much to the concern of his worried friends."

Rikki: "So, did he… you know, kick the bucket?"

Emma: "Uh, no. There's more."

"It took a really long time, but the merman did eventually wake from his deep slumber, and when he did, he was rather fatigued. It took him several months to regain his full strength. Not wanting to repeat what happened, the merman decided that it was best to set aside his artifact for good, given its volatile powers."

Rikki: leans back and crosses arms "Well, I'm still going to use the crystals. No way am I going to give up learning invisibility and telekinesis."

Bella: "Same here. Telekinesis is especially useful for me."

Cleo: "Really? Even after what we just read?"

Rikki: "They probably didn't know what they were doing and even if they did, it seems like the artifact with the large crystal was too much to handle."

Bella: "Yeah, plus it seems like only the merman got rid of his."

Cleo: "It must have been a pretty traumatic incident, so I can see why he did that."

Emma: leans back and sighs "Well, that was a wild ride."

Cleo: "So is that all, Lewis?"

Lewis: "There's also this. The author never flat out said it, but he sort of alluded to the different moonpools around the world. Here, take a look at this text."

"When the mer-friends weren't venturing out in the open ocean, they'd retreat to their special place, a place unlike any other. One that only a merfolk would understand and a regular human would never. At first the friends believed that their special place was the only one of its kind, until they stumbled upon a few more during their adventures, seven to be specific. This brings the number of special places to eight—four in the northern hemisphere and four in the southern."

Bella: "Eight? If I remember correctly, Ms. Chatham didn't mention that many places. Let's see… there's mine in Ireland, Canada—so that's two in the northern hemisphere—and then there's Mako, Japan, Indonesia and Réunion. So that brings the total to six which means that there are two moonpools that Ms. Chatham didn't discover during her travels.

Emma: "But we already know where the four southern moonpools are, which means that the remaining two are in the northern hemisphere."

Cleo: "Yes, but where?"

Rikki: "I guess we can go searching for it during our girls' trip."

"Upon realizing that their special place was not so special after all, the mer-friends decided to make these places a bit harder to find, some were only accessible via an underwater passage that was cleverly hidden by the mer-friends, unless someone knowledgeable knew exactly where to look. Others, they assumed, would naturally scare away humans due to the predators in the surrounding areas."

Emma: "Hmm… it sounds like the sharks surrounding Mako. A lot of people don't like swimming there because of them."

"They feared what would happen if too many humans found these hidden treasures and what that would mean for the merfolks who tried their hardest to remain hidden in plain sight in the human world."

Emma: "So some of the moonpools are really hard to find? How did Miss Chatham manage to find five of them on her own?"

Bella: shrugs "Like she said, she just knew. It has a distinct feeling to it."

Lewis: flips through the book "Let's see… Yep, I think I covered just about everything I wanted to talk about."

Cleo: "Can I see the book, Lewis?"

Lewis: "Sure." hands it over to her

While her friends continued their discussion about the book's content, Cleo found herself mindlessly scanning its pages, only stopping occasionally to observe the rather detailed illustrations. She then flipped to the last page, which contained a strange passage that caught her attention.

Cleo: "Uh, Lewis? Did you read this part?"

Lewis: glances at where Cleo's pointing "Uh, no, actually." starts reading aloud

"Things aren't always as they appear to be. To find what you are searching for, you first need to keep an open mind, and maybe, just maybe, you will finally see what you were once blind to."

Rikki: "Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"

Cleo: shrugs her shoulders "Beats me."

Bella: "Is that supposed to be some sort of clue?"

Emma: "Maybe, but for what?"

Lewis: "Hmm… looks like I'll have to look deeper into this."

Cleo: "Lewis, can I take the book home? I'll return it when I'm done with it."

Lewis: "Sure. Take your time."

Cleo: "Oh by the way guys, about the crystals… I think I'm ready. I want to give it a go."

Emma: "Really? I thought you'd still be hesitant, especially after what was mentioned in the book."

Cleo: "Yeah but, the extra powers are really cool and useful, and it'd be a shame if I didn't learn it, right?"

Bella: "You're right. But I should warn you first, it could be really tiring."

Rikki: "Could be?" scoffs "What an understatement!"

Cleo: "Is it really that tiring? Well, now I'm scared again."

Bella: "It'll be fine, Cleo. I'll even have you guys go even slower than before so you don't burnout. So, what do you say?"

Cleo: "Mmm… yeah, okay."

Rikki: "Sounds great! But we're doing it here instead. No way am I standing still in the heat for more than a minute."

Emma: "Yeah, sounds good. Plus the sofa's there if we need to rest."

Bella: "And there's plenty of snacks upfront. So, yeah. Let's do this!"

Bella's mermaid bootcamp training, as Rikki so eloquently calls it, went much better than it did the first time. As Bella guided Cleo into the instructions, Emma and Rikki wasted no time tapping into the crystals' energy on their own, this time stopping for a break much sooner before the fatigue set in. As for Cleo's experience, she described the sensation of the crystal's energy the same as Emma and Rikki, as that tingling feeling when they transform, and similar to Bella, as a physical sensation, rather than a temperature-based feeling. This time around, the training ran for only thirty-five minutes instead of the previous hour, though Emma and Rikki were able to hold out a bit longer, unlike Cleo.

Cleo: "Wow…" wipes her forehead "I know you guys tried to warn me, but this really is like a workout."

Bella: "But you don't seem as tired as Rikki and Emma were the first time, so that's good." turns to Rikki and Emma "And the two of you are doing great as well, you're channeling the energy much faster than before!"

Rikki: "That's nice and all Bella, but when are we finally gonna do anything other than this?"

Emma: "This again, Rikki?"

Bella: puts her hands on her hips and sighs "It's like I told you before—when you're able to tap into the crystal's energy in under five seconds. Right now you guys are at like, what, a little over one minute, which is fine, but not good enough. What if someone's about to see your mermaid form and you can't turn invisible fast enough, or you can't swim away. What then?

Rikki: rolls eyes "Okay, okay. I get it." sighs "I can't wait to get this over with."

Lewis: "I must say, I really like this side of you, Bella. You really know how to put Rikki in her place."

Rikki: crosses arms and looks away "Whatever, Lewis."

Emma: "Okay, it seems like the mermaid training is over for today."

Cleo: "What are you guys doing later? I have work in, like…" check watch "thirty minutes."

Bella: "I'm not performing today, so I'd thought I'd meet up with Will in a while."

Emma: "I have nothing to do, so I'll be here at the cafe."

Cleo: "Cool, then I'll stay here for a bit."

After relocating to their usual booths, Lewis and Bella parted ways with the rest of the gang—the former had some random duty to take care of, and the latter, as she mentioned earlier, had plans to meet up with Will at the beach. Having hardly seen each other since moving back home, Bella hoped that she would be able to make up for the lost time. But this proved to be somewhat difficult on both ends—Will has been preoccupied with his training, and Bella, with her job, her new friends and the current predicaments at Mako. To no surprise, Will wasn't at the beach at the agreed time—he was never really the punctual type. This brought out a little chuckle from Bella. As she prepared to settle on the nearby grass, a familiar voice caught her attention.

Will: smirking "Mind I ask what's so funny?"

Bella: hands on hips "You never being on time, that's what."

Will: laughs "You're one to talk, sleepy head."

Bella: "Hey, I might like sleeping, but I'm always on time, unlike you."

Will: laughs "Sure, if you say so." notices the bag "What's all this?"

Bella: "A free diver has to eat, right? It's your lunch. Well ours, I'm hungry too."

Will: raises eyebrow "This isn't like a date, is it?"

Bella: blushes "What? A friend can't do something nice for her friend she hasn't seen in years?"

Will: laughs "I'm just teasing you, Bella. It's so easy to get a rise out of you."

Bella: laughs "So, how was training today? Same as always?"

Will: "Yeah, the usual. Several laps, followed by breath control exercises and then diving. Rinse and repeat. And even though it's a lot of work, I'm glad that my parents gave Sophie a call. What about you? Is everything going well with your new friends?"

Bella: "Yeah, everyone's great. I'm really looking forward to this year, and not just because it's our final year of high school."

Will: "Speaking of school, where did you enroll?"

Bella: "Oh, South Coast High. Same as the others."

Will: "That's great! Me too! It would be nice if we're in the same homeroom class." reaches for a water bottle and opens it

Bella: "Yeah, I hope so."

As the two friends continued their conversation, a passerby's dog got a little too excited, causing a distracted Will to accidentally spill some of the bottle's content onto Bella's left hand. Being the seasoned mermaid that she is, Bella maintained her composure instead of panicking, then quickly took the necessary precautions to prevent herself from sprouting a tail.

Passerby: "Oh, I'm so sorry about that. Are you two okay?" pulls her dog away

Bella: smiling "No worries, it was a harmless accident." twists her body away from Will and turns the water into jelly

Will: looks at Bella "Huh, what happened? Are you alright?"

Bella: "Oh, nothing. Some of your water splashed on my hand, that's all." wipes off the jelly

Will: tries to look past Bella "Are you sure? I know you're not a fan of water and—"

Bella: "I'm fine, Will. See? I was just getting some napkins to dry myself." pretends to be drying her hand

Will: "Oh, okay as long as you're fine. So… I know it's not something you like to talk about, but are you still… you know… scared of water?"

Bella: "Umm… I'm not as scared as I used to be but—"

Will: "So does that mean that we'd get to go swimming together again like when we were kids?"

Bella: "Uhh… I don't know. It's been a really long time since I've gone swimming, and I don't think I'm ready to do that again. At least for now."

Will: "Well, just let me know whenever you're ready to hop back in the water. I'll even give you some swimming lessons to help you get back on your feet… or tail."

Bella: feeling flustered and looks at Will "Huh? Tail?"

Will: "You know, when we were kids, you'd always pretend to be the little mermaid, even made everyone call you Ariel. And remember when you really wanted a fake tail for Christmas?"

Bella: chuckles "If only you knew that I got a real one." "Yeah, I remember that time."

Will: "I'm not sure what led to your fear, but it'd be nice to see that side of you again."

Bella: feeling guilty "I could show you, but could you handle the truth?" "Yeah, maybe someday."

The rest of Bella and Will's lunch break went smoothly, especially since Bella made an extra effort to keep away from any liquids.

Will: checks his watch "Well, it looks like my break's over. I should get going."

Bella: "Already? It's been an hour already? It feels like only half that time has passed!"

Will: "Time sure flies quickly, huh? Here, let me help you pack up."

Bella: puts bag on her back "So, see you next week?"

Will: "Yeah, for sure. Bye." waves

Bella: waves back and smiles "Bye!"

It was now evening at the Sertori's. Kim, who was splayed across the sofa while mindlessly flipping through channels, barely glanced at Cleo's direction as she took in her presence.

Kim: "Home so early? I thought you'd be out late with your friends?"

Cleo: "Normally I would be, but dad has a date tonight, remember?"

Kim: "Oh, please. I don't need you to babysit me. I'm old enough to stay home by myself."

Cleo: "Well, dad doesn't see it that way. Plus you're only thirteen."

Kim: sits up "I'm going to be fourteen in a couple months!"

Cleo: "Oh well. Dad's house, his rules."

Kim: scoffs and crosses her arms "I hate it here! You get to do whatever you want while I still need a babysitter? It's so not fair!"

Don: comes downstairs "Girls! What's all this bickering about?"

Cleo: "It's Kim. Throwing a tantrum… again. Nothing new here."

Don: "Now Kim, we've had this conversation before. You're not even fourteen yet."

Kim: "So? You and mom used to let Cleo babysit me when she was thirteen!"

Don: "This was different. I just don't want you to be home alone at your age. I know you don't like it, but it's for the best." walks over and kisses Kim on the forehead

Kim: storms off to her room while fuming

Don: sighs "I just don't get it. I understand that she doesn't want to be treated like a little kid anymore, but I still have to set boundaries."

Cleo: "Don't worry dad, she'll get over it. As for your date, it's the same woman, right? You must really like her."

Don: "Yes it is, and I really hope it works out with her, too. By the way, dinner's already done, you just need to reheat it. See you later, sweetheart."

Cleo: "By dad, and enjoy your date!"

Some three hours later, Cleo sat on her bed once again scrolling through the book's content, fixating on the specific passage that left them stumped.

Cleo: "Now that I've read it again, it's definitely a clue, but for what? I don't get it. And what does the author mean by 'Things aren't always as they appear to be… and you need to keep an open mind?' I'm already a mermaid, how much more open does my mind need to be? sighs "This is too much, I need a break from it. Oh, maybe I should try channeling the crystal's energy again. I need to catch up with Rikki and Emma!"

With this thought, Cleo laid the open book out in front of her, then proceeded to fish the crystal out of her pocket. She briefly held up to the light, wondering how something so small and beautiful could be so powerful. After taking in the crystal's radiance, Cleo made herself comfortable as she once again tried to channel the immense energy within it. She made it a point to catch up with Rikki and Emma, as she's always been a bit slower than them when it came to the whole mermaid stuff. It took some time, but a small smile formed across her face as the familiar sensation flowed throughout her body, and the crystal shone its brilliant light, reflecting against not only her face, but also the book, which appeared to reveal hidden words unbeknownst Cleo, whose eyes were still closed.

UPDATE

In response to Nico, yes, I do plan on including Charlotte in the story. She'll make an appearance soon and I'll even have her interact with Bella. Hopefully I'll post either one or two chapters either this week or the following week. And to everyone else, thanks for your support, it means a lot to me!