I'm still alive and I'm back. Hopefully
Summary; Time is moving on and wounds are healing but the Full Moon is fast approaching once again.
Rita had taken over the entire kitchen table with papers to mark and empty cups of coffee. Nixie had been stopping by offering her some and giving a new cup each time rather than just re-using the same one. Normally the needless clutter would have driven her mad but Rita was just happy Nixie seemed in better spirits now. All the girls seemed happier. She was just waiting for the downward spiral again as the next Full Moon edged closer.
There was still the Trident and Zac. The Trident called to him and from what she'd heard Zac had had it in his grasp last Full Moon. With every cycle his Power and connection to Mako would most likely grow. If he managed last Moon, nothing would stop him this time.
It was well past an acceptable sleep time when Nixie appeared at the top of the stairs. Rita's marking long forgotten a while before then as thoughts of the Trident and the old legends of Mako took over her mind.
"You're still up?" Nixie asked. Her eyes were blurred in sleep and her hair mussed on one side, a telling sign Nixie had napped downstairs.
"You should be at Mako with the others."
"I fell asleep downstairs, couldn't be bothered swimming back."
"There are spare rooms set up here for you girls you know, you can use them instead of the benches downstairs. It'll be more comfortable. Or there is always the pool."
"Yeah I know-" Nixie's words were interrupted by the yawn coming from her mouth.
"Get to sleep Nixie. Pick any bed and get to sleep. I won't be far behind."
"Mm kay," Nixie rubbed her eyes and wondered off.
Rita shut down her laptop lid and turned to look out the window. The Moon hung there so beautifully, silver light radiating through the clouds that drifted past. If the old legends about Mako were true they had a lot more to worry about than the Trident, if Zac was able to get the Trident there was no telling what could be next.
By the time morning came and the weekend sun rose, a renewed hope shone with the sun's rays. The breakfast helped too. Sirena had appeared earlier than normal and helped set up a few dishes with each of the other's favourite's. Sirena sang as she did so, chattering away about David and the cafe and her next gig, then moving onto some shells she'd found that would work perfect for jewellery.
"We doing it land people style this morning?" Nixie joked as she found her way up to where Rita and Sirena were just finishing setting up breakfast, Lyla right on her heels.
"Land style with a Mermaid twist," Sirena beamed.
"What's the occasion?" Lyla asked.
"It's beautiful day, we have fresh seafood and right now everything is fine," Rita said, "why not take the chance and enjoy a wonderful breakfast?"
"David even brought some of that watermelon and ginger juice you like," Sirena added.
"Right on," Nixie nodded and eagerly took a seat before setting about piling her plate.
Lyla took the one opposite beside Sirena and did the same.
After a comfortable pause while everyone began eating, Sirena broke the quiet.
"So Rita we were thinking maybe we could start classes again soon?" Sirena asked.
"They were thinking that," Nixie anointed her words by waving a prawn about, "I still protest the very idea of Mermaid school. Like I said before 'over my dead, scaly body." Sirena had brought up the topic with them the other day. Nixie had immediately pouted, Mermaid School seemed so far beyond what they'd had to deal with recently. She'd rather have a Potions lesson or maybe, just maybe a dive into the history of Moon Rings. They still knew so little about them and with the Trident hanging over them - knowing about those stones would be beneficial. Although spoken history wasn't always the easiest to listen to.
"I'm sorry girls, but I'm not up to it today."
"Oh no. What a shame," Nixie made sure her words oozed with as much sarcasm as she could.
"Cut the sarcasm Nixie," Lyla scoffed.
"Give me a few days," Rita said.
"Take as many days as you want, the longer the better!"
Once breakfast was over and the dishes carefully washed Rita had managed to slip away from the other Mermaids and spent the day shut away reading over any mentions of the Trident in her old books. There wasn't much, at least not that they didn't already know.
It was late afternoon before it suddenly hit her that she hadn't eaten since breakfast. It immediately set her stomach rumbling and brought up the conversation with the girls at breakfast about resuming their studies. The girl's last lesson had been that day with the Moon Ring… They'd been levitating ice blocks as a way to strengthen their most basic skill - water manipulations.
They'd found that lesson boring to start as any budding young Mermaid would have, who wants to work on the basics when you can learn about Moon Rings? They needed to be taught how to use those Rings but she was not the Mermaid for that job anymore. The last month had taken too much out of her, even basic lessons were beyond her reach now.
Rita left the last book open on the table as she left for her room. She heard the papers flipping and the hard backed cover thudding ever so softly shut before the door handle's click and the gentle creak of the door itself took over.
The stairs and hall leading back to her room were empty but she could hear life from further down the house, the main house for a change. Based on the clatter it was the kitchen. Sounded like plates hitting together.
Rita shut the door to her room and put the lock on, a soft blue shimmer spreading out over the white wood before dissipating as the lock clicked into place. A Mermaid proof lock. No powers could be used on the lock. Except her own. It would open as normal, a regular land lock from inside but from outside - foolproof - as long as she activated it.
She shrugged off her cardigan then folded it neatly, setting it on top of the bed on her way past to the bathroom. Rita slipped her top off, not looking anywhere near the mirror. She wasn't ready. She wasn't ready. But something in her said she had to.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out.
She looked in the mirror.
Rita traced the scars in the mirror, the glass cold to the touch. The mirror was a distortion. She was looking at someone else. It wasn't her body these scars covered. As she ran her finger downwards, specks of dust collecting on her fingertip, red blood flowed from her skin, following the trail of the scars. She pulled her hand back then lashed out and slammed it into the mirror.
The glass shattered. The shards that didn't stab into her hands fell to the sink. In the broken remains of the mirror on the wall there was no blood to be seen. The illusion was broken with the mirror's destruction, just raised white scars across her chest, looking perfectly healed.
Her hand though…
She straightened it out flexing her fingers, the embedded glass tearing deeper as her muscles moved. It was almost soothing, a recognisable pain that eased her mind, just for a second.
A knock at the door made her jump. Her bedroom door was locked. No one should be …
There was a knock again. It was the other door. The one from the hallway that was permanently locked because the only person who used this bathroom was her and she didn't want anyone else in here.
"Rita, we made dinner," Sirena said through the door, "David gave us these fishcake things so we cooked them for us."
That's what the noise had been. She would normally be worried at the idea of any of those three trying to cook but her mind didn't seem capable of formulating any thought. Glass. Blood. Glass. Sirena at the door.
"I'll just be a minute," Rita managed. Was there a shake in her voice or was it just her ears ringing? When did they start ringing? Was it when her vision started darkening?
Rita waited until she was sure Sirena had left, the shadow under the door gone before she looked back at her hand. Blood ran freely from the lacerations, dripping off her hand onto the white of the sink. Dark vision - blood loss. That could be the ringing too.
Rita let herself sink down to the ground and focused in on the room. Towel bin. Bathmat. Radiator. Bath. Candle.
Breathing now stabilised, she set to sorting her hand. She pulled the worst of the glass out by hand working methodically from her knuckles to her wrist. The little bits of remaining glass came out with tweezers. A quick rinse off and dry revealed no lingering traces so the towel stayed wrapped around her hand to stem the bleeding.
Rita held her hand against her chest under her collarbone, above her heart to help slow the blood flow and kept pressure on it. The shattered remains of the mirror in front threw back a distorted reflection, the cracks mimicking her own wounds. The very centre of the mirror bare only the dull backing on show like the calm eye of a storm, a safe spot of certainty.
Something very much missing right now.
Not my longest chapter but I've barely written in like a year. It's been a long year but I'm falling back into a hardcore Mako/H2o phase so I would really like to finish this fic