First up I'm sorry this took so long, I was hoping to have this posted within a couple weeks after posting chapter ten but that never happened.

Summary: Rita's recovery continues, but an unforeseen complication arises.

"What happened to me?"

Veridia tried to meet Rita's eyes but the other Mermaid was looking at the marks across her body. They looked worse in the water. What had been pale lines had turned a dark pinkish colour that stood out and harshly scored her skin.

"What do you remember?"

Nixie had asked her if Rita would remember what happened. She honestly didn't know. It seemed to vary from Mermaid to Mermaid. And on the severity of the case.

"Not much. Having lunch with everyone, flash of light, then just nothing."

"You got hit by a Moon Ring."

"Oh."

"I can put some more bandages over it if you want?" Veridia asked softly.

"What good will it do?"

"I've got something that I - you can put on the marks, it will help fade them up. It will hurt a bit but it works."

Veridia desperately hoped the Mermaid hadn't picked up on her slip up. Rita was awake now, she could start doing things for herself again.

"Okay."

Rita pulled away and moved backwards to rest on the ledges around the edge of the pool. Veridia swam over and sat next to her and for a second it was like nothing had changed. It was like when they were kids, lying in the water so close their fins touched, or when they were teenagers and they stopped pretending it was all an accident, or after they got legs and found out sleeping on land was more fun than anyone had told them.

"What are you doing here?" Rita paused," I don't mean it like that, but I thought the Pod was out in the South Pacific."

"We are," Veridia replied. "Nixie came and asked for help."

"She did?"

"Yeah. You told her about us?"

She wasn't annoyed or angry about it. It was hard to describe exactly how she felt, it was a whole muddle of feelings.

"I was defending you."

"Defending me?"

"Mermaids in the Pod have a certain," Rita paused, "...view about you."

"Which is?" She already knew what other Mermaids thought of her, you don't get to her position in the Council by being nice. You have to be… balanced.

"Scary," Rita replied. "Cold. Distant."

"I'm not - " Veridia felt her blood turn to ice and the words dried up in her throat. No, no, no. This shouldn't still be happening. Everything was fine. She was fine.

"What?"

"You're bleeding."

The cafe was a bustling hive of activity, people coming in and out, David and Carly gliding about with trays of food and drinks. They worked so well together, like how a pod of dolphins work together to hunt.

Sirena sat at a table tucked away in the corner with Lyla and Nixie and a large bowl of prawns which Nixie had packed about half the contents of into her mouth. Nixie reached for another prawn and Lyla smacked her hand away.

"Sirena you need to eat some more," Lyla said, "you've hardly touched the prawns."

"But if you don't want them, my stomach always has room for more," Nixie patted her belly and stuck her tongue out at Lyla when the blonde Mermaid glared at her.

Everything was normal for just a few seconds, Lyla and Nixie bickering and Sirena waiting for the right moment to interject. It was so good having Nixie back, Sirena had spent so many days here alone while Lyla was off watching Zac and Nixie was helping Veridia.

"Here you go, three watermelon and ginger juices," David set three glasses down on the table, "on the house."

"Thanks David," Sirena smiled at him. He was so kind. David was the opposite of everything they'd ever been told about land people, even Lyla liked him, or tolerated him at least. Nixie had shrugged and said he was alright "for a boy and a land boy at that" but said no matter what, she would support Sirena after the shattered glass incident.

"Yeah, thanks," Nixie said.

Lyla just smiled. Tensely.

"It's the least I could do," David tucked the tray under his arm, "I understand how hard a time like this can be. If you need anything let me know." David took off back across the cafe, picking up empty glasses on the way to the counter.

Would he be so nice if he knew exactly what was going on? That she was responsible for her 'aunt's' 'illness'? She was so lost in thought she hardly heard Nixie announcing she was leaving until Nixie waved her hand in front of her face.

"You coming?" Lyla asked.

"We're heading back to Rita's," Nixie said.

"What about the drinks?" Sirena asked. David had been so good to give them drinks for free.

"We've finished ours," Nixie said.

True enough both Lyla and Nixie's glasses sat empty on the table beside a now empty bowl of prawns.

"Yeah land people drink so little at a time," Lyla said, "their drinks are so small."

"I'm coming, just let me finish mine."

"Fine, also I finished the prawns," Nixie said.

This was going to be decidedly more awkward now Rita was awake. Veridia stood in front of the chest that held the bandaging supplies, her hands resting on the varnished wood. It had been so much easier to pretend she wasn't feeling anything before but now ...

The bleeding wasn't as severe as she'd thought. She'd just seen the blood and went immediately to panic. She was tired and honestly strung out from the stress of the last few days, she could be forgiven for panicking.

Veridia opened up the chest and took out a roll of gauze, for being a land thing it was really good for covering over wounds, and more kelp wraps. When she first came here the chest had been full, now it was nearing being empty. With any luck she wouldn't need many more.

Luck. If either of them were lucky they wouldn't be here.

Veridia shut the chest, gathered the supplies she took out and headed back down to the pool.

"Hold still," Veridia put a hand on Rita's shoulder - the one that was not weeping blood - to stop the Mermaid from shifting anymore. She pressed a soft strip of sea sponge against the blood and wiped it away. The blood cleared but within a second it began flowing out again.

"Does it hurt?" Veridia asked. There didn't seem to be too much blood but the wounds that had opened on her shoulder centered across the front of her shoulder where there was more movement.

Veridia pressed the sea sponge back down and pulled more over from the pile with her powers.

"Not if I don't move it."

"Not helpful. Do the cuts hurt or is it pain from moving?"

"The cuts sting but it's nothing bad."

"Hold these down, help me stop the bleeding," Veridia passed Rita a few strips of sponge. She took them without complaint and held them down over the edge of her collarbone onto the top of her shoulder.

"What about when you move your shoulder?"

"It hurts a bit but it's more like it's stiff than damaged."

"Or it's stiff because it's damaged."

"What is the damage? I can see these cuts and the rest of it but you're panicking a lot over a couple of cuts."

"Most of the wounds are superficial but some are deeper."

"What aren't you telling me?"

"They shouldn't still be opening like this. They had all healed over more or less but opened when you started moving which wasn't expected but is no cause for concern."

"But?" Rita pressed.

"You're not healing properly."

There really wasn't any other way to say it. The initial wounds, burns whatever they were, had healed or at least seemed too. They had closed over, scabbed over and stopped bleeding. The more superficial even gone to scars already. Yet ever since she had woken up there had been too much regression, it shouldn't still be like this. Her healing should not be fluctuating this much as this late a stage after the initial injury.

"Great."

"I can bandage it up again. There are a couple more salves I can put over the worst of it as well, and then once they're closed over there's that cream I mentioned."

"You know if you were nice like this all the time people wouldn't be so scared of you."

"They're not - "

"Sirena's scared of you."

"Shh. You need to keep your strength."

Veridia pretended not to see Rita's smile and busied herself checking the bleeding. She lifted the sponge and tossed it aside when no more blood rose up.

"You can stop holding it now."

Rita set the sponge down beside her.

"It'll be easier if you changed back before I bandage."

"I don't think I'm strong enough to use my powers to dry off."

Veridia held her hand over Rita's tail and slowly curled her fingers inwards. Steam rose up and within a minute Rita's tail was replaced with legs.

The shift had caused the wounds to open again. She should've gotten Rita to change back first before stopping the blood. The bright red soaked through the white of the shirt.

Rita unbuttoned the shirt and pulled it down off her shoulder. A slow trickle of blood dripped out of the open wound and down her chest.

"It hurts more now."

"I'll get it cleaned and bandaged and then you just need to rest and recover your strength."

"I can't."

"And why not?"

"I can't relax here. There's too many people coming and going and it's just.."

"It's okay," Veridia placed her hand over Rita's. Then she panicked, should she have done that? She shouldn't have done that. The panic grew until Rita threaded her fingers in between Veridia's. It scared her how quickly that had become her automatic reaction. She'd done it when Rita was unconscious, to offer comfort but they weren't together anymore, she shouldn't be doing that.

Veridia took her hand away and picked up the sponge Rita had set down. She dipped it in the water and sweeped it over the blood, before using her powers to flick the water away before either her or Rita grew tails again.

She laid the gauze over Rita's shoulder, held it in one hand and with the other wrapped the kelp bandage over the top.

"I should've left the bandage on from before," Veridia said as she wrapped the second length of kelp over Rita's shoulder, "would've saved us all the trouble."

"It was uncomfortable," Rita said, "I was so glad you took it off."

"Better uncomfortable than infected."

"This shirt is also really uncomfortable."

"Once this is done, I can get you another one," Veridia secured the end of the wrap and began wrapping up the final kelp wrap.

"I don't want to stay down here anymore," Rita said. " I can't take it anymore, I want to go upstairs just for a bit."

"Okay." She had been expecting that. In a way it would be good, being away from the hive of activity the grotto seemed to be would help the healing process. It also served as a harsh reminder than the land was Rita's life now.

"All done," Veridia tied up the last kelp wrap.

"Thanks," Rita pulled her shirt back up over her shoulder.

"You wait here and I'll be back with a shirt," Veridia stood up.

"Third drawer down. Not another one like this, it's really uncomfortable."

Veridia just rolled her eyes and hid her smile.

"Now this is due on Monday so have it emailed to me by the end of the day and I will do my best to mark it before Thursday's class."

Zac scribbled down the questions into his notebook. They had been given one of the new teachers for their Spanish class, Miss Wilson. She was young, she was pretty, she'd attracted most of the guy's attention and she knew exactly five words of Spanish.

Still she tried. So Zac tried too. He was grasping for any distraction at the moment, be it playing whatever video game Cam wanted, helping David close up the cafe, or spending hours looking through an online Spanish-English dictionary to do homework that they all knew would never be marked because the only teacher who could speak any amount of Spanish was currently off sick with an illness that no one really know what it was.

Still she was awake now and she'd be back soon and then Zac could feel even worse about himself having to sit in her class three times a week.

The bell went and Zac shoved his notebook carelessly away and joined the wave of people leaving the class and heading off to the next one.

Rita was surprised she even made it to the grotto entrance, let alone up to the living room. Her head had started to hurt, a dull throbbing ache in her skull made worse by the sunlight streaming in through the windows on the way up the stairs.

As much as it hurt, the sunlight felt nice. It was warm, even through the glass and she was cold, the shirt she had on was on the thin side. It was uncomfortable too, one of her work shirts with a collar that she dreaded to think how long she'd had on. Shirts are a one, maybe two day wear, not multiple days.

"What are you doing?" Veridia stood at the top of the stairs, one of Rita's t-shirts folded over her hand. She definitely looked less than impressed. Beautiful and unimpressed.

"You were taking too long and I really needed a drink." That and she was really tired of having everyone trying to do everything for her. She'd spent the last five years alone, picking herself up from every low she'd gone through, she could do the same with this.

Veridia sighed.

"Here," Veridia passed her the t-shirt, "I'll get you water and you can get changed. Then you are going to sit down and rest."

"Alright," Rita took the shirt from her and held it against her chest. She used the wall as a support to make her way to the laundry room, it was closest and she could put the shirt straight in the wash. She took great care not to knock any of the photos or paintings squint, they were lined up so neatly she didn't want to ruin it.

She stepped away from the wall to open the door and everything tipped to the side. Rita grabbed the door frame, digging her fingers into the wood to keep herself upright. Spikes of heat ran up her back and drilled pain into her skull.

Everything stopped spinning.

Rita opened the door and stepped inside, shutting it behind her. It was nice to be alone just for a few minutes.

Rita unbuttoned her shirt, her fingers not working like she wanted them too. It was slow progress but she finally got the last button undone and pulled the shirt off, throwing it to the ground. After this she was never wearing that one, or another one like that again.

She'd get round to washing it, once her head stopped hurting and the world stopped tilting.

It hurt putting her new shirt on, her shoulder was stiff and the bandages didn't help anything; she could hardly lift her arm. Rita slipped the top over her arm and pulled it up over her injured shoulder, after that it was easy enough, apart from when the fabric first touched the burned skin over her side.

Rita made it back through to the living room without any incidents. She even managed to walk a few steps without leaning against the wall.

"Here," Veridia passed her the glass. She had never wanted normal, plain water so much, her head hurt and she was so thirsty. Rita finished the glass in seconds.

"I'll get you another one."

"I'm going to sit down."

"Good idea."

As she sat down her side brushed against the side of the couch and she couldn't help the sharp hiss that came out. It hurt. Everything hurt. Her head was still so sore, sharp bolts of pain now stabbing through her skull. At least her top was no longer rubbing against her neck.

Poseidon meowed from the stairs and ran over, stopping at the edge of the couch and walking the rest of the way acting like he hadn't just shot across the room to see her.

"Hi," Rita spoke softly to him.

Poseidon meowed again, brushing against her legs before jumping up on the couch beside her and climbing onto her knee, butting his head against her.

"Did you miss me, hmm?"

Poseidon just purred and rubbed his head on her chin.

"Have they been looking after you? They better have."

Veridia stood by the arm of the couch and passed her another glass. Poseidon growled.

Rita took the glass and drained it. Land glasses were so small.

"The animal doesn't like me. He growls every time I go near him."

Rita set her glass on the ground at her feet.

"He doesn't like anyone that takes my attention away from him. He hates the other Mermaids. Apart from when Sirena feeds him, then he likes her until he's finished eating."

"They're unusual creatures. I don't understand why land people like them so much."

"They're called cats and they're lovely."

"He's growling."

Rita laughed. It was true. Poseidon was growling at Veridia.

"Will you be okay if I go out for a bit?" Veridia asked.

Rita nodded, "I'll be fine."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

Lyla would've much rather they swam back from the cafe. The water was far nicer and quieter than navigating the horrible streets of the land world. There was always so much movement - land people, those wheeled boxes, and all those other moving things land people had. Not to mention the noise. So much noise.

The water was better. She could've slipped off and gone to see Zac, pretended she met some dolphins and then gone to Mako and avoided going back to Rita's.

She didn't want to see Rita. It wasn't Rita as such she was avoiding but the sour guilt she felt. She felt the same after Rita caught her with her Moon Ring when she borrowed it to open up the tunnel on Mako.

Lyla felt her feet slow as they passed the road she could turn down to Zac's. She started drifted towards it.

"Lyla," Sirena's voice broke the spell dragging her towards Zac.

Lyla looked up, Nixie and Sirena stood on the pavement watching her, Nixie had her arms crossed.

"I'm coming."

"If you'd rather see your boyfriend we get it," Nixie dropped her arms and started walking off.

"He's not my boyfriend."

She liked him and she liked getting to see him but that was it. Nothing more.

Rita was sitting on the couch in the living room, Poseidon on her knee when they returned to the house. Lyla hung back trying to shrink back, an impossible feat considering she was taller than both Sirena and Nixie.

"Rita," Sirena hurried over, essentially throwing herself onto the couch and hugging the Mermaid. Poseidon scrambled away. He must have dug his horrible little claws into Rita's leg as she winced as the cat leapt to escape Sirena as Rita hugged her back.

"I'm so glad you're okay," Sirena said.

"Yeah," Lyla said, "it's good to see you." She looked away, watching Poseidon trot behind the kitchen counter to avoid meeting Rita's eyes.

"I'm so sorry about what happened," Sirena broke the hug, "we didn't mean to."

"It's okay Sirena."

Is it?

"Do you remember what happened?" Nixie asked.

She'd never been through this part of the house before, apart from the first time when they went through each room looking for Sirena's Moon Ring, but she'd never paid any attention. The walls were the same plain white as the rest of the hallways but dotted with framed paintings and photos. Nixie stopped beside a large photo of a grey horse to let Rita rest.

She'd offered to walk with Rita after the Mermaid almost collapsed once she got off the couch. Lyla had already vanished off so Nixie told Sirena she'd meet her Mako and stayed behind. Again.

Rita leaned back against the wall and shook her head, "I remember being at lunch with the Blakley's and you three, Cam and Evie and then little flashes that I can't put together."

"Did Veridia tell you what happened?" She'd asked Veridia if Rita would remember but she hadn't been sure and Nixie hadn't seen Veridia to get any update.

"All she said was l got hit by a Moon Ring. Why?"

"Just wondering," Nixie looked up at the photo of the horse. She'd only seen horses before from a distance, sometimes land people would be sitting on them on the beach when she was hiding out watching land people.

"Nixie."

Nixie didn't look round, and kept her eyes on the photo beside her. There wasn't really much more to look at and there wasn't anything remarkable about it but it was something to look at instead of facing Rita.

"What happened?" Rita asked . "Why is everyone acting so … weird?"

Nixie scrunched up her face and turned around. She couldn't do this, why should she be the one dealing with all this? This wasn't her fault.

"I don't think I should tell you."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't think it's a good idea until you're completely better. Veridia keeps going on about a calm environment to help healing so I'm not going to tell you."

"If anything it's more stressful that no one will tell me what's actually going on. Please Nixie, I'm so tired of this."

"You need to rest."

The lightbulb ahead flickered off then on, buzzing softly.

"I've done nothing but rest, I just want to know what's going on. Why is Sirena apologising every time she sees me and why is Lyla acting like she'd rather be anywhere but here and refusing to talk to me?"

The lightbulb was flickering in a steady stream. Off. On. Off. On. Off. On. Off. It fizzled loudly and died out.

"They were involved in what happened," Nixie said. It came out before she could stop herself. "They both feel bad so they're acting weird. Now you need to rest because if anything happens to you Veridia will kill me."

"Fine, but afterwards you are going to tell me everything."

Rita held up the glass jar Veridia left for her. It was small, only about the size of her palm and couldn't be more than three inches tall. The liquid, if it could be called liquid, was thick and moved slowly when she tilted the jar. It was a soft pink colour, like the tentacles of those strawberry anemones.

Veridia told her she had some salves to help and this was one of them that could fade the scars that now covered about half of her upper body. She'd taken the bandage off her shoulder and the newly opened marks were still red raw. Looking at them reflected in the mirror, she hated them. They were sore. They were ugly. They were marks of a trauma she couldn't remember and they were very, very prominent.

She wanted them gone.

After Nixie left her she'd spiralled. She hurt so much and the ache in her head had gotten worse. She was used to pain but this was a new hurt. Sirena and Lyla did this. With a Moon Ring.

This is why Moon Rings are dangerous. Without the right control they are an unpredictable and deadly weapon. You'd never think it just looking at one.

Rita unscrewed the lid and set the jar down on the edge of the sink. She scooped some of the mixture out and applied it first over her shoulder and collarbone.

Her skin tingled under the layer of whatever healing salve this was.

She applied more down over her chest, and down her stomach to her hip.

The tingling grew worse.

She set the lid back onto the jar but the pain that tore through her chest stopped her in her tracks.

It burned.

It burned even as her head swam and black closed in. She gripped the edge of the sink, the porcelain cool beneath her hands. She closed her eyes and waited for the pain to subside.

Veridia said it would hurt. She'd expected pain but nothing like that.

She didn't even feel it as her legs gave out and she fell to the ground.

There was only fire.

This chapter really got away from me. I was writing it out and it ended up over three thousand words so I put the last half of this into the next chapter, went to go finish up this chapter and somehow it ended up over four thousand words. I'm not 100% happy with how this chapter is written but it's up now and I hope everyone enjoyed it.

In other news I don't like online classes. I had so many technology issues at the beginning they just stressed me out and affected my view on them. One thing I do like though is if I don't put my camera on no one can see me flipping them off and making sarcastic comments.

Online classes really suck for my course, Equine Studies, I miss working with the horses and getting to ride and there's large chunks of modules we can't do because they require practical evidence.

I hope everyone is staying safe and doing alright. Not everyday is going to be a good day, but not everyday will be a bad one. No matter how stressful a time this is, it will hit an end at some point we just have to hang on in there and we'll get through this.

Until next time, hopefully I won't be too long but then I say that every time.

Stay safe everyone.