It's short but it exists. Like me.

Summary: Moon Rings and Memories

The moment she took the ring off and set it on the table she missed it. Lyla could almost still feel it thrumming on her finger, the same way she could still feel her scales under her skin even on land. Nixie had been so smug about taking that ring back and showing off just what she'd been doing. What happened had been awful and Lyla thought about it constantly but that doesn't mean she needs to cling onto Rita like a barnacle. Lyla had apologised - back when she gave Rita her necklace back and had hardly seen Rita since. It was hard to see Rita, not without thinking about that lunch, the Moon Ring's energy hitting the Mermaid, hiding under the dock having absolutely no idea what to do.

Nixie wasn't the only one with problems, as much as she liked to make out she was. There were some bigger issues now. This whole Moon Ring thing was over, now they had the Trident to worry about. Zac already got it once, he could do it again. They just have to prepare better for when the Full Moon rose again.

The next few days passed as normal. Rita slowly began to adjust, her work took over and things felt the same as they always had done.

Nixie had taken to walking with her to the school in the mornings. And sleeping in her bed most nights. Rita had begun to sleep solely on land since returning to work, it saved the long process of drying out each morning, and offered company either in the form of a Nixie, or Poseidon.

The company was nice after so long alone and Nixie was a surprisingly affectionate Mermaid under it all. Not that Nixie would ever admit it if ever Rita brought it up, and it seemed the nights when Nixie stayed were less plagued by nightmares. Murky images of an endless void of water and a crushing feeling in her chest.

It was the fifth night things went wrong.

Nixie was back at Mako, missing the water too much for another night of sleeping on land. That fifth night, around 3am, she'd checked her phone afterwards, Rita woke up from the usual nightmare of being trapped in the void of dead water and found herself unable to breath.

Her lungs wouldn't take in any air and a tightening pressure grew. Her head began clouding. In. In. In. She couldn't breathe. She couldn't breathe. Her mind screamed to calm down, but since when does screaming calm anything down. In. In. In. In.

Poseidon leapt on top of her and whatever force stopped her breathing was shattered as the lightbulb above her did the same. Shattered glass fell like rain and Rita drew in fresh oxygen, the crushing weight lifting from her head and her lungs.

Poseidon butted his head against her chin and purred softly. The soft fur of his back helped ground her.

"It's okay," she whispered to Poseidon. "I'm okay."

Was she though?

After that night she got used to waking up still feeling half asleep and desperately wanting to just go back to bed and actually sleep. She even got used to the dull, constant ache in her chest, spiking and falling with the motions. A more romantic person would proclaim it was heartache. A more cynical person would claim anxiety.

She was a mix of the both.

She could tell the anxiety attacks from the normal pain in her heart. She was just used to it.

It had been a sudden reimmersion into normality. The first week passed fine, until that night.

Then the weekend and subsequent week hit.

Nixie's advice to take more time was probably the right advice to take but those girls never took her advice, might as well return the favour.

What had happened that night when she wasn't able to breathe hadn't happened since and the arrival another weekend seemed like it was going to be the perfect time to refresh after a very long second week back.

Swimming felt nice. While she wasn't quite up to making the swim out to Mako, at least not by herself, just drifting above the clear ocean floor off the shore was enough for now. Rita pushed off the sandy floor and slowly ascended to the surface.

She surfaced a short distance away from the cliffs and was hit with the resurfacing of an old memory from years past. It was the last day she'd seen Veridia before everything that happened with the Moon Ring.

It had not been a good day. She'd met Veridia off the coast, not a few feet away from where she was now. The other Mermaid had broken the Pod's rule and came close to shore to see her and all Rita had done was hurt Veridia that day.

Rita surfaced at the foot of the cliff, the rocks stretching hundreds of feet above her, towering towards the sky. The previous day's winds had vanished overnight, leaving the water calm, only the smallest waves breaking against the cliff.

"Rita?"

She turned around and came face to face with Veridia.

"You can't be here. What if someone sees you?"

"No one comes out this far. I wanted to see you."

"You can't get in trouble for me, it's not -"

"I should have known you'd be here," Vanora cut her off, surfacing to the side.

Rita put herself between Vanora and Veridia, moving in front of Veridia.

"I asked her to meet me," Rita said.

"The terms of your banishment were clear," Vanora said. "You are not to return to the island."

"She didn't," Veridia spoke up, "I chose to come and see her."

Rita turned to face Veridia and shook her head.

"Don't," Rita whispered and turned her attention back to Vanora. She'd gladly face the full wrath of the Mermaid if it spared Veridia.

"She is a traitor to the Pod," Vanora said. "You know the consequences of associating with her."

"And I accept them."

"No, you don't," Rita snapped. "You're not giving up the Pod for me."

"How about you tell her the real reason?" Vanora asked, stressing the 'real.'

"The 'real' reason?" Veridia questioned, ice eyes burning into Rita as she refused to meet Veridia's gaze.

"Your land boy."

She didn't want to know how Vanora knew about Harry.

"What is she talking about - 'land boy'?"

"I met someone," Rita admitted.

"A land boy?"

"I really like him." She did like him. It wasn't love yet, but he was funny and he cared about her in the way only Veridia had done. It was weird being with a boy, but it wasn't bad, like the way some of the other Mermaids talked about it.

"I don't believe you."

"You have to move on," Rita swallowed, "I have. You have to go back to the Pod."

With that Veridia slipped under the surface. No words, just hurt.

"If you ever come near Mako again -" Vanora began.

"Do whatever you want Vanora. I don't care." Rita turned away and ducked under the water before she burst into tears. It broke her heart to do that to Veridia. The look of hurt on her face took a long time to push away. For days it was all she could see.