A Wish on a Full Moon
I do not own H2O: Just Add Water or any of the characters.
Chapter 46: Hurricane Angela (part 2)
[After searching for so long, Cleo gives up and heads back home, hoping she'll at least find the two of them safe. She enters her home and shuts the door. As she was about to walk upstairs, she pauses and turns towards the TV, having heard the sound coming from that direction, and finds Kim sitting on the floor finishing up her documentary. Cleo marches into the living room, fuming.]
Cleo: "You're here?! Kimmy, I have looked everywhere for you."
"Really? Cause it looked like you were only searching the marine park," Don pointed out, a little agitated that he didn't know anything about this incident. "I searched everywhere in the marine park. But it was the only place I could think of besides home that I knew both of them would go."
"So, where's Angela then? Shouldn't she be there?" Bella asked. "She was there. And she decided to leave us a little present too," Cleo scowled, making her parents curious as to what it was.
Kim: turns to her, leaning against the table. "It was boring searching with you."
"Why didn't you just tell me that?" Cleo asked. "I would have if I could've caught up to you. You were too fast. And you should've known I would've gone home," Kim said as if it were obvious. "When you're in a state of panic, it's not so easy to think clearly," Max commented. "Since when is searching for a missing family member boring?" Ash said in astoundment. "It's kind of thrilling to me. I always enjoyed a little mystery," Lewis smiled enthusiastically. "We could tell," Rikki rolled her eyes, remembering the investigation.
Cleo: gestures to the phone. "I called the police! I've left messages with mom and dad. They're going to freak!" Waves to herself. "They're never going to trust me again."
"Message? What messages?" Bev asked, frowning as she never saw one. "Uh-oh," Kim said, flinching. "Kim, what did you do?" Don asked, knowing that guilty look from anywhere. "I may have took your phones when you weren't looking, and deleted the messages," Kim grimaced. "Huh, that explains how they didn't know," Lewis mumbled. "Cleo told me to!" Kim quickly added, pointing to her sister before she could get in any more trouble.
"Hey, think of it like this. At least we worked together over something," Cleo said, trying to get them to think positively. Don stared them down before sighing. "Alright. I'll let it slide this time. But only because this happened so long ago and both of them turned out fine afterward." Cleo and Kim let out a breath in relief.
Cleo: sighs and throws her hands up in frustration. "I-is Angela here?"
Kim: shakes her head. "Nope, but it could be worse."
Cleo: "How exactly?" Kim shrugs.
"She could've ended up dead," Kim answered. "That is not something I want to think about," Don muttered.
Cleo: "I'd better call everyone and tell them you're ok." Heads over to the house phone. Before she could pick it up though, a loud squawking noise came from upstairs. Cleo instantly turns around and looks up towards the stairs then frowns. She glances at Kim before heading up the stairs to find out what the noise was.
"And we never received that message either," Bev huffed, glancing at her two girls.
"What was that?" Elliot asked. "Oh, you'll see. And trust me, you're going to enjoy this," Lewis and Kim laughed. "It sounds familiar," Denman thought.
[Upstairs, Cleo peeks around the corner, searching the hallway for where the noise came from. Hearing the loud, strange noise once more, Cleo turns around to find that it was coming from the bathroom. Cleo opens the door and jumps back a bit in surprise to see a pelican in the bathtub laying in some water. Cleo looks back to the hallway then back at the large bird, looking at it with worry.]
"Wha – Kim!" Bev said, turning to her youngest daughter as the rest of the room gasped in shock. "What were you thinking?! You can't take an injured bird from its habitat! That's illegal!" "You took a pelican from the marine park?" Elliot said jaw dropped, staring at the screen in shock. "Why does everyone always assume it's me," Kim mumbled to herself before speaking up. "It wasn't me, it was Angela."
"And why should we believe that? You two have been at each other's necks for the past week" Don huffed. "Just because I was the only one home at the time doesn't automatically mean I did it. She beat us home before we even stepped foot out of the marine park. And she fessed up to it later on," Kim said in frustration. "All of which is true," Cleo said, holding a finger up.
"Huh, so that explains that answer from earlier," Elliot said, wide-eyed.
[Cleo walks calmly down the stairs and into the living room, where Kim was still watching her documentary. Cleo quietly sits down on the couch and tries her best to remain calm, clasping her hands together in her lap.]
Cleo: slowly turns her head towards Kim. "Do you have, any idea how much trouble you're in?"
"Now I see why you blamed me for it," Kim whispered to her sister. "After the long week we had and you're talking about wanting a pet, it only made sense," Cleo shrugged. "That must've been where Angela got the idea from," Kim realized. "Well at least we know she listens," Lewis nodded. "Only when she wants to," Cleo scoffed.
Kim: quickly twists around and waves to the TV. "It's only rated G."
Will laughs along with the others. "Somehow I don't think she was talking about that." "Gee, really? What gave you that assumption?" Kim sarcastically said.
Cleo: "Not that. You know what I'm talking about."
Kim: stands up just as Cleo does and they face each other. Squints in confusion. "No, I don't."
Cleo: "Yes, you do."
Kim: "No, I don't."
Cleo: "Yes, you do!"
"She clearly doesn't," Neil said. "I know that now," Cleo sighed.
[The squawking from upstairs gets even louder and Kim immediately looks upstairs, where Cleo was now walking towards.]
Kim: "What was that?"
Cleo: whips around and holds her hands up in anger. "You know."
"No, I don't," Kim giggled, mimicking herself on screen.
Kim: "Is this some weird game of yours, Cleo? Because I don't like it."
"No, just one big misunderstanding apparently," Cleo said sheepishly.
"Kinda ironic that you both thought you were playing games. You two think so much alike," Annette laughed.
Cleo: goes up to her slowly and points at her, clearly done with her pranks. "You've done some silly things in your life, Kimmy. But this is the worst, the stupidest!"
"You know it's really bad when she throws out the full name," Ash winced. "My dad always used my full name whenever he was angry," Sam said as she thought of her full name: Samantha.
Kim: "Can you tell me what it is?" Cleo looks at her dumbfounded then looks back up the stairs when the pelican begins squawking some more. She runs upstairs and Kim follows after her.
[Cleo opens the door to the bathroom and gently holds her hand out warily to keep the pelican to remain calm.]
Cleo: stays at the door, keeping her distance from the large wild bird. "It's ok. Be cool. Nice pelican."
"Was that a pep talk for yourself or for the bird?" Zane laughed. "Both. I was freaking out on the inside," Cleo answered. "And outraged on the outside," Rikki laughed.
Kim: runs up beside her, watching the bird with worry. "What's going on?"
Cleo: glances at her. "As if you don't know." Pushes her back and slams the door in her face as she was now fully in the bathroom, staring the bird down. The pelican begins chirping at her, facing her.
"Cause I really don't," Kim said in a duh tone. "I heard you the first time," Cleo rolled her eyes. "Then maybe you should've listened the first time," Kim shot back.
Cleo: "Nothing to be upset about." She takes a step forward and pulls her phone out, texting the others for help. The pelican jumps up onto the ledge and starts squawking loudly. It flaps its feathers rapidly, causing water to splash everywhere in the small room, including all over Cleo. "Don't!" She jumps back and looks at the water now on her, knowing what was going to come next as she sets her phone down on the sink, so it won't fall with her.
The room bursts into laughter at the unfortunate scene as Cleo huffed, feeling a little embarrassed by what happened. "Ah, so that's what all that noise was about," Kim laughed along with them. "Haha, very funny. I would like to see you try it," Cleo rolled her eyes and sarcastically replied to her three blonde best friends who were currently wiping the tears of joy out of their eyes from her hilarious misfortune.
"Okay, I know your cousin is kind of evil, but you gotta love Angela for that," Rikki chuckled.
"That kind of makes up for making me ride that volcano. Thanks, Cleo," Lewis said patting her back as she lowered herself into her seat.
"Why didn't you call your boss for help? He knows how to handle them it seems," Terry asked. "Because I was afraid he would think we took it from the park after the whole talk we had. It was the absolute worst timing," Cleo frowned.
Kim: jiggles the locked bathroom doorknob. "Let me in."
"Here's a scene that happens all too often," Kim said quietly with a hint of sadness. It reminded her like just before they got here, the same way she was on the other side of the locked door. The only difference is about all of those past times, is now she knows why it had to happen.
Cleo: "Go away! You've already caused enough trouble already!" Tries to quickly dry herself off with a towel, but to no avail, as she drops to the floor, the transformation already taking over. The pelican looks down at her from the bath and chirps.
"Not this time," Kim said in a sing-song voice.
Kim: "You're weird, Cleo." Shakes her head and walks back downstairs.
"Why didn't you try to help her?" Charlotte asked. "Sometimes it's best to leave her to her own problems. This is one of them," Kim pointed out to where Cleo was shown stuck on the floor in her tail.
[The pelican drops down from the tub and wanders around on the floor, passing Cleo's tail where she was laid out on the floor, watching it.]
Cleo: propped up by her hands, turned towards it. "What are you looking at?" The bird chirps some more as Cleo continues dialing her friends for some backup.
"Yeah, I'm the weird one," Kim snorted. "At least she's not the one talking to a pelican," Elliot laughed along. "It could be worse. She talks to her fish all the time," Rikki smirked.
"Somehow I think that bird knew that I was a mermaid," Cleo nodded towards the screen. "Well, if dolphins know what we are then surely there are some other sea animals out there that would be able to tell too," Emma added. "Well as long as we don't start combing our hair with forks then it ain't going to bother me," Rikki shrugged.
[At the Juicenet café, after Lewis had finished working on one of Wilfred's computers, he hangs out with Emma and Rikki at the counter, chatting with them until his phone begins to ring.]
Lewis: picks his phone up from off the counter and looks at the contact name. "It's Cleo." Walks over to the pool table and answers the phone, facing the other two girls. "Cleo, hi." His smile slowly falters once he hears what Cleo says, trying to make sure he heard her right. "There's a what?"
"I'm guessing you didn't believe what she said?" Bella assumed. "Would you?" Lewis raised an eyebrow.
"Why'd you call him and not us?" Rikki asked. "Because he was the only one who could deal with it and not worry about the consequences of getting wet," Cleo told them. "I was already soaked one time that day, did I really have to do it again though?" Lewis whined.
Rikki: and Emma frown. "What's going on?"
Lewis: to Cleo on the phone. "We're on our way." Hangs up the phone and taps it in his hands, looking back up at the girls. "Hmm. I think we're going to have to see this to believe it." Rikki looks back at Emma and the latter shrugs.
"And believed it I did. That's probably the strangest phone call I've ever had," Lewis shook his head. "You and I both know that's not true," Cleo laughed.
[Once they came over to the Sertori house, Cleo shows them their feathered friend that was locked up in the bathroom, explaining to them what had happened. Afterward, they head back down to try and figure out a plan to get it out of the house.]
Emma: walks down the steps with the others in tow. "What are you going to do with it?"
Cleo: "I guess I'll have to take it back to the marine park." Passes Emma on the steps and takes the lead. "I can't release it if it's injured."
"I hope it's not. That poor thing," Annette said worriedly. "I'm sure the marine park will take good care of it once it's back in its care," Sam nodded.
Lewis: "Cleo, you could get in big trouble for taking a bird like that."
"But it wasn't me either," Cleo said to herself.
Cleo: holds up a finger and turns to him as they head for the kitchen. "Hey! Kimmy's the one that took it. There's no way I'm getting the blame." Turns to them as she leans against the counter. "Is there a prison sentence for something like this?"
"Correction. There's no way Kimmy or I am getting blamed for this," Cleo said, correcting her statement and as a reminder to her parents on who is really to blame. "I doubt you'll get sent to prison for birdnapping," Harrison chuckled.
Rikki: "Where is Kimmy?"
Cleo: "I told her to lock herself in her bedroom for her own protection."
Rikki: "From a pelican?"
Cleo: shakes her head, eyes widen. "From me."
"I'll take that as a warning," Will said, eyes wide.
"And what would you do to me?" Kim reluctantly asked. "How about another water jet in the face?" Cleo smirked. "I think I'll stay in the bedroom," Kim hesitated. "Cleo," Don warned.
[Cleo's phone rings and she grabs it out of her pocket and answers. Emma and Rikki bite back a laugh, not realizing how serious their friend was.]
Cleo: "Hello? Yes. I'm, I'm just waiting at home in case Angela comes back. Ok. I will. Thank you." Hangs up the phone and lowers her hand. "That was the police. They still haven't found Angela. Could my life get any worse than this?"
"Yes, yes it can," Cleo said, glancing over at Denman.
"I thought the police only search for missing people after 24 hours?" Zane asked. "They do, but I guess my constant pestering really got on their nerves, so they finally gave in," Cleo smiled smugly.
Emma: arms crossed. "How are we going to get the bird out of here?"
Cleo: "I was thinking maybe –." Cleo walks around the counter and brings up a large empty box with holes in it from the floor. "This?" The trio look at it, unsure if it was a good idea. "Hard to believe that catching a pelican could be the least of my problems."
"With the adventure you guys have had so far, it's very believable," Ash chuckled.
"A box? That was your bright idea?" Denman frowned. "I didn't know what else to do. I've never dealt with one before, it's why Mitch is the only one who takes care of them," Cleo defended. Better than a cage, Denman.
Emma: and Rikki smile at each other, then step forward towards Cleo. "Tell you what. We'll help you catch the bird and then we'll go look for Angela."
Cleo: lowers the box and smiles. "Really?"
Rikki: nods and sighs. "Sure. Let's get fish-breath back to the marine park." Cleo nods and they head for the stairs.
"And you guys are the best for it," Cleo smiled widely at them. "Aren't we always?" Rikki grinned as Emma returned the smile. "What are friends for?"
[The group gets upstairs and walks down the hallway, talking about their plan, when they get to the bathroom door to find it open.]
Cleo: "I'll feed him some fish in the box." Looks inside and gasps, finding the bathroom pelican-less.
"You left the door open?!" Don said, slapping his forehead. "And I thought you said I was the one with the stupid ideas," Kim teased. "It was an accident! With everything going on, it was so overwhelming," Cleo exclaimed.
"You should've never volunteered us to help," Rikki said, looking over at Emma.
Lewis: they run inside the bathroom, looking around. "No one shut the door?"
Rikki: "Either that, or that bird is way smarter than it looks."
Cleo: "Spread out!" They all run in different directions, searching for the pelican on the loose.
"Wouldn't you have heard it leave?" Will asked. "Rikki's right. They're a lot smarter than they look," Cleo huffed.
[The pelican walks down the stairs, chirping as it goes. It walks into the living room and accidentally knocks over a table lamp. It squawks and rushes off, getting startled by the loud, crashing sound.]
"Huh, so that's how that lamp got broken," Bev muttered.
"I can't believe you let a pelican loose in the house," Don sighed. "I can't believe Angela was able to catch it in the first place. She makes it seem so easy," Cleo countered.
"To this day I still don't know how it got past four people down the stairs," Lewis shook his head.
[The group runs downstairs, hearing the loud noise, and looks into the living room, finding the broken lamp. Cleo picks up the knocked-over side tables as Lewis looks around the living room, checking every corner when another crashing noise is heard.]
Lewis: "Where is he?"
Cleo: "He's over there."
Don winces at each crashing noise, now understanding why they came up with fewer dishes than they once had. "You should've just let a bull inside while you were at it. That pelican is destroying the house!"
[The pelican flies down from the counter in the kitchen and walks into the office. Rikki runs by, checking the kitchen.]
Emma: "I think he's in the bedroom."
Lewis: Can someone check the laundry?"
"I really hope that thing didn't poo everywhere. It's already making a mess," Bev said with a disgusted look. Laughter fills the room.
Cleo: "Has anybody seen him yet?"
"I thought you just saw him," Bella said. "No, I heard him," Cleo corrected.
Emma: "Where is he?" They hear the pelican squawking some more as it runs back up the stairs without them noticing. Emma checks the office then runs into the kitchen. "He's not here."
Lewis: "Mr. Pelican? Mr. Pelican."
"Hey you used the name I came up with," Kim said excitedly. "And what a clever name it is," Lewis sarcastically replied.
[Kim exits her bedroom to find out what all the commotion is when she sees the pelican standing at the end of the hallway, heading right for her.]
Kim: "Help!" Runs back inside her room and slams the door shut. Rikki runs upstairs, hearing the ruckus.
"And I thought you liked pelicans," Elliot laughed as Kim blushed from embarrassment. "They aren't as nice as they look," Kim grumbled.
"At least someone came to my rescue. Nice to be acknowledged," Kim grinned. "The bird was more in danger of getting hurt than you were," Cleo said.
Lewis: "Does someone smell something?" Cleo grabs the box from the kitchen as Lewis stands up straight, finding some evidence. "Ooh, a feather." They walk into the small hallway and Lewis slides a little. He holds up his shoe and turns it over, finding a little bit more 'evidence.' "Ah, yuck!" Cleo and Emma gag at the mess. They suddenly hear Rikki yell from upstairs.
"Oh great," Bev said, hiding her face as the room erupts into even more laughter. "Well, now I know why the house seemed cleaner than it used to."
"Gross," Charlotte scrunched up her nose along with a few other girls.
Rikki: "Cleo!" Cleo takes the lead upstairs as they follow her.
Lewis: "There's poo on my shoe."
"You're tracking it everywhere!" Don shouted. "Sorry," Lewis winced. "We heard," Will said a bit disgruntled. "We smelled," Cleo gagged.
[Upstairs, in Cleo's room, the pelican stares at Cleo's pet fishes that swim around in their tank, not realizing the threat that awaited outside of the tank. Rikki stood on the other side of the bedroom, watching the pelican cautiously as she waits for her friends to come back.]
Rikki: "Cleo!" Cleo runs into the room with Emma and Lewis and sees the pelican by her fish tank. "He looks peck-ish."
"Uh, I think you're going to need some more fish," Bella said worriedly. "They're fine. Traumatized probably, but fine," Cleo shrugged.
"It can mess with me all it wants, but no one messes with my fish. Not even a pelican," Cleo said seriously.
Cleo: "Yeah, well there's no way he's dining on my fish. And don't you give me that look, either." Cleo marches over to the pelican and quickly lowers the box over its head.
"Thank goodness," Don said in relief as the laughter finally died down. "You couldn't have done that before the mess it created," Bev whined. "Then you should've came home early and done it yourself," Cleo rolled her eyes.
"Now all that's left is to return it back to where it came from," Will said.
"I hope you handle it with care," Ash said, worried for the poor pelican. It didn't know what it was doing. It was all a new experience for him.
[The group heads back downstairs as Cleo carries the now heavy bird-filled box.]
Emma: "You definitely don't want us to come with you?"
Cleo: "Definitely. If there's any problems, Kimmy would be the one that gets in trouble, not me."
"I should've let you come with me. If I had, Mitch probably would've believed me more," Cleo said sadly.
"You were going to snitch on me, even though I wasn't the one that did it?" Kim said in surprise. "I was not in the right mood for any more pelican crap," Cleo shook her head. "Neither was I," Lewis looked down at his feet.
Kim: comes up to them from the living room, now free from her room. "Is that the pelican?"
Cleo: clenches her jaw, trying to avoid her and get to the door. "I'm not talking to you."
Kim: touches the box. "Can I see it?"
Cleo: shakes her hand off the box and snaps at her. Emma looks at Kim in disapproval. "I can't believe that you stole this bird!"
"And there she blows," Lewis whispered.
"Don't say it," Cleo held a hand up to Kim's mouth, quieting her down. "I've heard it a thousand times already."
"Her asking those questions should've been enough proof," Will pointed out. "Not really," Cleo shrugged.
Kim: "Me? I didn't steal it."
Cleo: starts pushing her forward with the box into the living room. "Oh, as if! I didn't see anyone else around here, Kim." The others start following behind her.
"Has Angela ever crossed your mind?" Elliot asked. "Not at the time. I didn't know Angela all too well, so I didn't realize it was her. All I knew was that Kim pulled way too many pranks," Cleo sighed. "We were at each other's necks a lot recently, weren't we?" Kim added.
"Sometimes people's true colors don't show until the right moment," Mrs. Chatham said.
Kim: "But – but I –."
Cleo: "Liar! How can you possibly prove to me that you didn't steal this bird?" Kim bites her tongue, knowing she wouldn't be able to.
"And yet she was telling the truth the entire time. I'm so sorry, Kim," Cleo apologized. "It's alright. We got our revenge in the end," Kim said with a small smile.
"Why are you giving me that look? You don't even know what happened," Kim said to Emma. "No, but I've known you long enough to know what you're like. And Cleo didn't know either," Emma responded.
Cleo: sighs and turns to her friends. "You guys just find Angela."
Rikki: "You sure?"
Cleo: "Totally." Heads out the door and leaves, heading to face the wrath at her work. Kim walks over to the broken lamp and picks it up off the floor.
Rikki: to Emma and Lewis. "Ok, so where do we even start looking for this kid?"
Lewis: arms crossed. "She mentioned bodyboarding. Didn't she, Kim?" They all turn to her.
Kim: holding the lamp and thinks it over, stepping closer to them. "Well, yeah." They look at each other and nod in understanding on where to find her.
"If she never gave her intentions away, we probably would have never found her," Lewis chuckled. "She sure is smart," Max nodded. "And a lot more different than she used to be," Don said quietly, finally understanding what she was truly like.
[On her way to the marine park, Cleo stops on the sidewalk for a moment and sets the box down to rest her arms from all the heavy lifting, and rubs her shoulders. As she goes to pick it back up, a couple of passerby's walk by her when the pelican suddenly squawks while she picks the box up. The passerby's jump back in shock and continue their walk, giving Cleo some odd looks. Cleo continues her journey, trying her best to ignore the odd looks she was receiving.]
The room bursts with laughter once more. "Angela sure knew how to get you two," Charlotte laughed. She felt bad for Cleo and Kim, having to deal with a not-so-nice cousin, but this was hilarious.
"You must've had them freaked out for the rest of the day," Will laughed. "How I didn't get the cops called on me for carrying a suspiciously loud box, I don't know," Cleo laughed along with them. A bit embarrassed by the crazy week she had.
[Finally back at the marine park and making it to the pelican den, Cleo sets the box down in front of the gate.]
"Finally. And I really hope it stays there this time, where it belongs," Don said in exhaustion.
"As crazy as it is, I'm gonna miss him," Kim nodded. "Well, you can visit him anytime you want, he stays at the marine park now. Just don't bring him home," Cleo joked. "I didn't bring him home the first time!"
[Just as Cleo was about to open the gate, Mitch walks up to her.]
Mitch: "Cleo, what are you doing here?"
"Yikes," Max winced. "This isn't going to be good," Lisa shook her head.
Cleo: hesitates then waves to the bird den. "Just coming to have a look at the birds. They're so cute!"
Mitch: leans against the railing and points at the box. "What's in the box?"
"You don't want to know," Elliot shook his head.
Cleo: "Nothing." Squawking comes from the box. Mitch eyes the box then looks up at Cleo who frowns. "Just a pelican."
"You must've had a hard time explaining that," Neil said. "Actually, he never gave me the chance, just like someone else didn't," Cleo frowned sadly, glancing over at her sister.
Mitch: opens the box and the pelican pops his head out. Looks up at her. "You were taking a pelican?"
Cleo: "No, I was bringing it in."
Mitch: "You're in big trouble. They are protected."
Cleo: "No, look – I wasn't the one that took it in the first place."
Mitch: looks around. "Well, I can't see anyone else around here, Cleo. That doesn't sound like the truth."
"But she was telling the truth! She didn't do it!" Emma exclaimed. "From his perspective, which wasn't the case," Cleo said sadly.
"What the heck is he talking about? There are people all around them," Zane stated. "I think he meant anybody that looked suspicious or carrying said large box with a pelican in it," Harrison nodded towards the screen.
"Give her a chance to explain and you would understand," Lewis huffed.
Cleo: "But I –."
Mitch: "It's very disappointing. How can you possibly prove to me that you didn't take this bird?" Picks up the box and gives her a disapproving look.
Cleo: sighs. "I can't." Mitch walks off with the pelican in the box and Cleo follows.
"Now hang on a second, how dare you say she's disappointing when she didn't take it in the first place. And you have no proof that she did it. Her holding it does not prove that she did take it," Don yelled. "Dad, he can't hear you. And it doesn't prove that I didn't take it either," Cleo responded.
"Oof, karma," Lewis hissed before getting hit in the back of the head by Rikki
"I guess I knew how you felt then," Cleo said, giving her sister a small smile. Kim nodded and sighed. She honestly felt bad for her sister, having to go through the same thing she did. But the problem was that this could cost Cleo her job. It's not exactly easy to get that back after a mistake. And she loves that job.
[A few minutes later, Cleo waits on a bench outside of the infirmary room while Mitch checks on it. Mitch comes up with a clipboard, about to do the evaluation on the pelican. Cleo sees him and stands up.]
Mitch: "You know, if I check this bird out and find it's got injuries, you could be in even bigger trouble."
Cleo: glances back then at him. "I wouldn't deliberately hurt it."
"Cleo would never hurt anything," Bev defended her. "Yeah, she's like a big teddy bear. She's such a softie," Rikki playfully teased. A big teddy bear? A softie?! That girl took out one of my men with just one move! Denman thought, giving them a crazy look.
Mitch: "It's a wild animal. If they're boxed in, they can hurt themselves. Someone who doesn't understand that shouldn't be working in a marine park."
"What?!" Don and several others shouted. "You were going to get fired?" Kim said worriedly. "It was going to be much worse than firing me. He was saying I could get arrested. Not prison sentence, but taken to court for sure," Cleo said, sounding stressed.
"Angela has taken things way too far," Emma shook her head. "For someone who's just a kid, she sure knows how to pack a punch," Neil frowned, worried for his daughter's friend.
Cleo: frowns, getting the hint. "You mean I could lose my job?"
Mitch: "That could be the least of your problems." Walks back into the infirmary and Cleo looks around frantically.
"My life as I knew it would've been ruined," Cleo looked down.
"Don, I know you and I aren't exactly on good terms, but I'm serious when I say that you really need to talk to your brother," Bev said, afraid that another incident like this might happen again if she were to ever show up again. "… I'm afraid you might be right," Don said sadly, finally understanding how much his niece has done to hurt his family, in more ways than one.
[Meanwhile at the beach, Angela rolls up on a bodyboard as a wave pushes her to the shore. She rides throughout the rest of the wave as it slows her to a stop. However, her excitement finally ends when a shadow towers over her and some bare feet in front of her. She shoves the wet hair out of her face and looks up to find none other than Lewis who narrowed his eyes at her, the sun being blocked by him.]
"Busted," Elliot grinned, arms crossed. "Oh, she's in trouble now," Will chuckled.
"No one messes with me and my friends," Lewis said.
"She, she actually was there?" Don said in quite surprise. Still shocked to find out that they were telling the truth about his niece. She was quite the trickster. And he was finally seeing it. Cleo had to go all through that trouble, all because she wanted to go bodyboarding. His daughters went through so much trouble for her. And yet she does this? This is not the Angela he used to know. No, this is something else in its place, like everything was turned upside down; like a hurricane.
Angela: her smile falters, trying to think of what to do next, knowing she's been caught. "Hi, Lewis. Are you a bodyboarder, too?" Stands up and picks the board off of the ground, and notices Rikki and Emma not too far behind him, making sure to keep their distance away from the water. "This water is so clear."
"Ignore it all you want Angela, but there's no getting out of it now. You're caught red-handed," Kim said.
"How come you two aren't helping?" Lisa asked. "Us two, going to help capture a wet preteen that's beside the water? Yeah, right," Rikki chuckled. "Oh, right. Sorry," Lisa said, blushing slightly as she forgot as well. "It's okay, mom. We were just there for backup. Nothing much we could do anyway," Emma shrugged.
Lewis: "That isn't why I'm here."
"Good, get straight to the point. I want to hear her reason," Don scowled, crossing his arms.
"No more funny business," Lewis grinned.
Angela: forces a smile, trying to think of something. "Cleo sent you to make sure I get home ok. She is such a great cousin." Walks along the beach, heading over to where Emma and Rikki were. Points to them. "And you guys are such good friends to do this for her. She is very lucky. Could one of you pass me my towel, please?" Points to the towel, but when Emma and Rikki don't budge, only narrowing their eyes at her, her smile completely falls then, knowing they weren't going to fall for it so easily.
"Her plan failed," Ash grinned. "It's like I'm watching a supervillain's downfall," Elliot laughed. "Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. She's surrounded," Zane thought.
"If she thought she could kiss up to us like that, she had another thing coming," Rikki narrowed her eyes. "I don't fall for it that easily." "What about that one time with the crook at the dock –?" "Anymore. I don't fall for it anymore," Rikki corrected, hearing Emma's whisper.
"Thank you, girls and Lewis for bringing her back. I would like to hear as to why she did all of it," Don admitted. "Finally!" Kim and Cleo exclaimed, glad to hear him admitting that she was a bad person.
[Back at the marine park, Cleo sits on the edge of the dock by the dolphin pools, where a few of them were doing tricks in the air as she watches, hoping to get her spirits up. She turns her head and looks up at the sound of Mitch's voice, who was walking up to her.]
Mitch: "I, uh, owe you an apology."
"You betcha ya do," Don nodded. "Settle down, dad. It was only a misunderstanding," Cleo chuckled. "It seems like all of these adventures is a big misunderstanding," Annette giggled, thinking about the other episodes. "Well, most of them are," Cleo said with a slanted grin.
"Cleo, why are you sitting by the water? You're inches away from it," Rikki said, trying not to smack her forehead. "I was more worried about my job than having a tail appear," Cleo said deadpanned. "People see you with a tail and you'll have an even better job as a park attraction," Rikki quipped.
Cleo: stands up and faces him. "What?"
"Don't question it, Cleo. Just take it," Bella said.
Mitch: gestures to the infirmary room. "That pelican is not one of ours. It's not part of our rehabilitation program. You were bringing it in for help, weren't you?"
Cleo: bites her tongue and smiles, nodding her head. "Yes. Yes, I was."
"There we go, just go along with it," Ash encouraged. "Normally I would say don't encourage her to lie, but this is a special case," Don shrugged.
"It took him that long to figure it out?" Will asked. "Well, there's a process. They have to register it, weigh the animal to make sure it's at a healthy weight, check for any seeable injuries then scan them for any internal ones, and so forth," Cleo explained. "Afterwards they have to write up the paperwork but before any of the checking happens, they're supposed to check the bracelets that are on each one of their legs to keep up with them," Denman informed.
"Mitch told me he thought I yanked it off when I had it in the box, that's what's part of it taking so long before he realized there was an extra in the amount of pelicans registered at the park," Cleo laughed.
Mitch: "Why didn't you tell me?" Cleo hesitates before Mitch speaks up again. "Because I didn't give you a chance." They begin walking off, heading towards the pavilion. "I'm very sorry, Cleo. Our rehab people said that you should be commended."
"So, in the end, Angela actually helped you out," Lewis laughed. "So, she's not so bad after all," Emma teased. "Oh no, she's bad," Kim said.
"At least he's owning up to his mistakes," Bev said. "He's a good boss overall and we all make mistakes. He admits his and learns from them, which is what makes him greater," Cleo said proudly. "Now you're starting to sound like a kiss-up," Rikki said.
Cleo: "Well, uh, I was just trying to help a fellow creature."
Mitch: "Well, you certainly did." The two walk off, Cleo smiling in relief.
"Oh please, she was just trying to save her own butt!" Rikki scoffed. "Rikki!" Terry scolded. "What it's true!" Cleo shrugged. "Why can't it be both?"
[Cleo walks in the door, finally back at home, where she finds Rikki and the others in the living room keeping an eye on Angela, who was sitting in the recliner.]
Cleo: stares at her cousin wide-eyed and holds a hand out to her. "Angela."
"That's her name," Kim smirked.
Rikki: steps forward, arms crossed. "Introducing one pelican-napper."
Cleo: points at her, jaw dropped. "You? You took the pelican? Why would you do that?" Angela looks at her guiltily.
"I don't know why I was so shocked. I should've realized it was her from the beginning," Cleo rolled her eyes.
"I believe you owe me an apology," Kim grinned smugly. "I already gave you one. Literally. Does the mp3 player I bought you ring any bells?" Cleo raised an eyebrow. "It was the wrong color!" "Not again," Don groaned, trying to pay attention to Angela's confession.
"Guilty as charged," Rikki shook her head, giving the younger girl onscreen a disapproving look.
Lewis: walks over, rubbing his chin. "It was to go bodyboarding." Turns the lamp stand next to the recliner and points it over Angela's head and switches the light on. He leans over, making it look like an interrogation scene. "Wasn't it, punk?"
"Detective Lewis is on the case," Elliot giggled, making the others laugh. "Oh, I like the new name," Lewis smiled.
"She's more of a spoiled manipulative brat but punk is alright," Kim retorted.
Angela: "Well, she wouldn't take me. And I knew you wouldn't let me go by myself. So what else could I do?"
"You could've asked nicely and seen if someone else could take you," Charlotte said. "Or better yet wait until your aunt and uncle get home to see if one of them could," Annette added.
"She's admitting it. And it doesn't even sound like she feels sorry about it," Don huffed, shaking his head in disbelief. "You girls were right. I'm sorry for doubting you." "It's alright, dad. It was hard to believe for me too," Cleo said.
Emma: frowns, sitting on the table. Lewis stands by her side. "Besides kidnap a pelican? Where did you get it from, anyway?"
Angela: shrugs. "The park. I fed it, and it followed me."
"Uh, I thought that one wasn't from the marine park," Will frowned. "Not that park, the playground by the beach. There's usually a few there every now and then," Cleo explained.
Cleo: "All to go bodyboarding?"
Angela: grins. "But I wanted to."
"You can't always get what you want. Believe me," Lewis said, sneaking a glance towards Cleo.
"Spoiled princess," Ash scoffed.
Lewis: points an accusing finger at her, getting closer. "And you always get what you want, even it if means manipulating people?" He waves his hands around crazily then kneels down next to her, giving her the crazy eyes. "Don't you?"
Angela: looks up at Cleo. "Is he funny in the head?"
"Yes, Lewis, that basically sums it up," Don chuckled as he realized it made sense. "Her parents had well-paying jobs, so they never had a problem with getting her stuff. Sometimes though they wouldn't get her what she wanted, and they would later on, but I'm guessing with her behavior that she was able to get them to change their mind."
"There's something in that head but it isn't funny," Rikki joked. "You know that I take that as a compliment," Lewis grinned.
Lewis: points to Cleo, still facing Angela. "Cleo wouldn't let you go, would she? Tsk, tsk. No. So, you did something to keep her occupied doing what she usually does," Points over to Kim, who was sitting in a chair next to Cleo. "Fighting with her sister, Kimmy." Straightens back up and stands next to Emma again.
Rikki: "That bit was brilliant."
"Thank you," Lewis gasped, acting moved as he put a hand over his heart. "It really was," Rikki answered honestly.
"Putting you two against each other just for some fun, that's just cruel," Bev shook her head. "The real cruelty was me almost losing my job just for her to have some fun," Cleo scowled.
"How did you figure that out?" Zane asked. "After seeing Cleo arguing with Kim over something she didn't do for once, it wasn't that hard to piece together," Lewis said, feeling intelligent. "That, and Angela confessed to us about everything on the way back home," Emma told them. "… Yeah, that too."
Cleo: "Ok, but how did you know for sure that we were going to fight?"
"You two were riled up for the past week, like cats and dogs. It was going to happen sooner or later, especially with that 'strike' going on," Rikki mentioned. "You just had to bring that backup," Kim groaned.
Angela: raises an eyebrow. "Haven't you seen yourselves? I mean, come on." Kim frowns at her. "The only thing I was worried about, was if you'd kill each other."
"Oh, come on, they're not that bad," Bev said. "We're not?" Kim and Cleo asked, looking over at her. This whole time they thought that was part of the reason why she left. Because she wasn't happy with all their fighting. Could it really have been something else that caused it? "Of course not. Sure, you might argue a lot, but it's usually over within ten minutes or so and you make up for it. You two are always talking right afterward," Bev said with a small smile.
"The worst fight we've ever had was actually probably the pelican one now that I think about it," Cleo nodded in thought. "That's the one I thought you were actually going to kill me," Kim laughed along with Cleo. "Considering I made you lock yourself in your room? You betcha. I did get a little furious, didn't I?" Kim gives her a look. "A little?"
Cleo: "We're not that bad. You make it sound like we hate each other."
Angela: "You don't?"
Kim: looks up at her. "We don't?"
"Why did you sound so surprised about that?" Cleo asked her. "Because I legitimately thought you did hate me," Kim admitted. "Just because we might argue a lot doesn't mean I hate you. We're sisters. I could never hate you," Cleo smiled. "Even if I tried to expose your secret once?" Kim hopefully teased. "Even if that. Though you better not do it again," Cleo laughed. "No promises," Kim joked.
Cleo: looks over to her then sits down on the armrest beside her. "No. We have our differences, but we're ok underneath."
Kim: smiles and nods, looking over at her cousin. "Yeah, we're alright underneath."
"Well said," Don smiled at them. "I'm proud of you girls." "We know, dad," they both say simultaneously. He's not the only one, Bev thought.
Angela: rolls her eyes. "Well, guys, I'm sorry about being rotten. If I could think of something that would help make up for it, I would totally do it." Gets up and was about to make her way to the kitchen when Cleo speaks up.
"Oh, don't you worry. I have plenty of stuff you can make up for when we see you next time," Don narrowed his eyes at her onscreen. "Don't worry, dad. I already got that covered," Cleo smirked. "Ooh, I can't wait to see this," Kim rubbed her hands together.
Cleo: "Actually, there is something." Gets up from her spot beside Kim and walks over to Angela.
Angela: turns around, facing Cleo with her hands on her hips. "But then again, bodyboarding has tired me out a bit."
Cleo: "You'll have the energy for this." Grabs her by the shoulders and pushes her into the kitchen to make a few phone calls.
"Liar! How can you possibly prove that you are," Rikki mocked, the room giggling in wonder about what punishment Cleo had for her.
"What did you have in mind?" Bella asked. "You'll see," Cleo smirked.
[Back at the marine park at the pelican pen, Angela is kneeled down, scooping up the pelican poop. She dumps the droppings into a bucket, having to make sure to clean it all up. Disgusted with her torcher, having no choice as she now had eyes on her every move.]
The room gasped before bursting into laughter, some with disgust and horror, some with shock and vengeance. "No way," Zane barked. "That's so gross," Charlotte said a bit disgruntled. "That's the worst punishment ever," Elliot giggled.
"I'd rather be grounded," Kim chuckled. "I can still make that happen you know for the deleted messages," Don chimed in. "No thanks," Kim said quickly.
"I'm so glad I get to see this. I wish I could've gone," Kim sighed in excitement. "Why didn't you?" Bella asked. "Because thanks to Angela, I had a lot of catching up on my homework to do for science. With her confession, she also included where she hid my book," Kim answered.
"While I appreciate it, Cleo. Let me handle the punishment next time. I'm responsible for her after all," Don said. "I thought you told me I was responsible," Cleo mentioned. "Yes, but not for punishments. That's my job," Don included.
"You should've got her to do the dishes while you were at it. Seems only fair," Max suggested. "Why didn't I think of that?" Cleo popped her forehead.
Mitch: and Cleo leans against the railing, watching her 'volunteering.' "Obviously, a love of animals runs in the family." Cleo nods and watches Angela again. "I can't believe your cousin's volunteering like this."
"You told him she was volunteering?" Ash gawked. "Even better," Zane laughed. "Hmm. More like community service," Bella thought.
"I can't believe she didn't protest," Sam said. "That was part of the deal. We wouldn't tell mom and dad about it, and she had to do what I fitted best for her punishment. The other part of the deal was that we delete the messages to mom and dad," Cleo informed. "That makes so much sense," Bev sighed.
Cleo: "She just, really wanted to do something to help." Angela dumps some more into the bucket and looks back at her cousin and her boss, who were still watching her. She sighs and looks back at the birds in regret. "She's the kind of person who, when she really wants to do something, she just has to do it." Cleo hides a smirk as she watches her cousin.
"That second part basically sums her up. The first, not so much," Lewis shakes his head.
"After everything we went through because of her, this really made up for it," Cleo smiled. "Eh, I still say she needs more," Kim shrugged.
[Later on, with Angela finally gone from their clutches, Kim and Cleo set the dinner table as they discuss the latest events.]
Kim: "So that pelican was alright?"
Cleo: "Yup. He'll be swooping down on garbage bins with the best of them in no time." Cleo leans against the bar as she watches Kim go into the kitchen and grab a pitcher for drinks from the fridge.
"Oddly enough, they decided to keep him there. He really knows how to entertain the kids," Cleo smiled. "And make a huge mess for any other volunteers," Rikki joked.
"So, Angela is gone then?" Sam asked. "Yup. Finally," Cleo said, sounding exhausted.
Cleo: "Look, Kim, I shouldn't have automatically blamed you for taking the pelican."
Kim: walks over to the counter and pours the drinks. "I'd have blamed me too." Bev and Don walk into the kitchen, the former opening the fridge, as they watch the two interacting without mentally pulling each other's hair out. Kim gets closer to Cleo and leans against the counter, arms crossed.
Cleo: "Well, I was wrong. And I'm sorry."
"Maybe you should invite Angela over more often, Mr. S," Emma teased. "I just might," Don played along. "Don't! Please don't!" Cleo begged. "Once was enough," Kim complained. "Aw, but we never get to see this sisterly love side of you two," Lewis pouted. "Enjoy it while it lasts," Cleo patted his cheek.
Cleo: reaches behind Kim and grabs a pink box off the counter and hands it to her, smiling. Don and Bev go to the other end to get the food ready, sneaking glances while doing so. "Here."
Kim: smiles giddily and quickly opens the box and gasps. She pulls the gift out of the box to find her very own blue mp3 player. "No way! An mp3 player!"
"That was really sweet of you, Cleo," Sam smiled sweetly.
"I wish I had a sister to give me apology gifts," Bella sighed happily. Maybe one day, I'll have mermaid friends that'll be like sisters to me.
"Take it in everybody, this is a rare sight to see. Cleo being nice to her sister," Kim said in third person, joking around. "Haha," Cleo said sarcastically.
Cleo: "I thought it was time you had your own."
"You just didn't want me using yours anymore," Kim grinned. "I just didn't want you breaking mine anymore. I had to buy me another one," Cleo confessed. "And just like that, moment ruined," Kim said, smile falling.
Cleo: "Like I said, I'm sorry. I guess we both learned something out of this." The parents walk over to the set food on the table.
Kim: glances up at her then back at the mp3 player. "Yeah. Annoying cousins are so much worse than annoying sisters." Cleo tilted her head and smiled, playfully rolling her eyes. Bev and Don glance over at them, happy that they were getting along for once as they sat at the table.
"You can say that again," Elliot agreed. "El, we don't have any close cousins. Aunt Thea never had any kids," Emma reminded him. "No, but I still agree. You can be annoying sometimes," Elliot shrugged. "That's not what she meant! But annoying brothers are probably worse than imaginary cousins," Emma shot back. "Not you too," Neil muttered. "Kids," Lisa warned, and they quieted down. "Huh, so they do argue," Rikki hummed.
Kim: "So where'd you get it?" Walks back over to the drinks.
Cleo: "Why do you want to know?"
"Why am I sensing another argument coming?" Harrison frowned. "Because your senses would be correct," Don sighed, shaking his head.
Kim: "So I can return it and get a different color."
"Oh. Great," Lewis said deadpanned. "Not again," Emma complained.
"Round two everyone! Who's gonna win this time? Or will it be another tie?" Ash said in an announcer tone.
"And just like that, the peace has ended," Max chuckled.
Cleo: smile falters. "I – I picked the blue. The blue is lovely. What's wrong with the blue?"
"There's nothing wrong with blue," Emma said. "Not everyone likes that color," Kim commented, defending her reason. "Mine is pink, obviously." "I like blue," Elliot mentioned. "Mine's red," Rikki raised her hand. "I like blue because it reminds me of the water. But I gotta say purple," Cleo sighed as she grabbed her locket. "I think we all like blue because of that," Emma chuckled.
Blue reminds me of my moonstone, Bella thought, rubbing her necklace.
Kim: looks down at it. "Nothing, except it's like my least favorite color in the whole wide world. You know that."
Cleo: gestures to herself, getting angry. "How am I meant to know what your least favorite color is?" Don and Bev sigh and grab their plates, leaving through the kitchen and glaring at the kids in disbelief as they head to their room to eat their dinner.
"Because you're her sister. That's something you should know by heart," Will said, knowing almost everything about Sophie. "I don't know everything about her," Cleo huffed, arms crossed. "Well at this rate I'm going to know everything about you, so catch up," Kim joked, avoiding a slap on the arm from Cleo.
"The evade and avoid tactic, very good. Sometimes I use that on Zane when he has Nate around," Harrison told them. "Hey!" Zane yelled. "Oh, whoops. Sorry son forgot you were here," he winced. "Well to be fair, Nate isn't all that bright. And a bit loud at that."
Kim: "Hello. Shows how much attention you pay to me."
Cleo: "How can I not pay attention to you? You never shut up."
Kim: holds up the gift. "Did you give this to me just to annoy me?"
"Oh, now you've done it," Lewis oohed.
"That would just be a waste of money then," Annette frowned. "And I don't waste it," Cleo informed. "Unless it's to go clothes shopping," Lewis interrupted. "Yeah," Cleo sighed in defeat.
"Quick! Somebody call Angela!" Rikki said, jumping up in her seat.
Cleo: "Annoy you? How about I return it and get my money back?"
Kim: "You wouldn't dare!"
Cleo: "Just try me."
"What's wrong with her returning it? It's not like she's saying she hates the gift. She clearly loves it, just the color that's all," Ash reasoned. "Because I was more offended about the fact that she didn't like the color blue and it sounded like she didn't appreciate the effort," Cleo sighed, leaning back in her seat. "But we ended up exchanging it the next morning." "See? No biggie," Kim grinned.
"Thanks for the gift anyway, Cleo. I really did like it though," Kim added. "You're welcome. What are sisters for?" Cleo said as she gave her a side hug. "To annoy?" Kim joked. "Eh, close enough," Cleo chuckled.
Kim: "I'm telling mom."
Cleo: "You are so ungrateful!
"No need to tell me. It could be heard throughout the whole house," Bev chuckled. "I'm pretty sure the whole Gold Coast heard it," Don laughed.
"Alright, what else do we got?" Terry asked. "Guess we'll see," Lewis said as he takes the offered remote from Bev and presses play.