Tensions are rising and the pressure is building as each day draws the Full Moon closer
The meetings were endless. Dawn to dusk every day. It was an unending cycle. Wake up, food, meeting, food, sleep. Then repeat. The days were blurring into one. The only difference was each day they could feel the Moon's power growing stronger.
Veridia sighed. She had woken up early and taken the precious time she had to slip away from a morning swim. She surfaced a ways off from the Pod and just treaded water enjoying the still. There was a faint headland a few miles away, a tall lighthouse emitting out frequent flashes of light.
Veridia tipped her head back and let the waves flow through her hair again and cover her ears, muting the sounds of the world with the water's song. The ripples in water spoke of something large coming this way, slow moving and calm. Veridia lifted her head as the large back of a humpback whale broke the surface, a rainbow spray of water sparkling in the first light.
"Hi Mermaid! Got you! Got you!" The whale laughed as it raised its large fin out of the water and slapped its fluke onto the surface.
"That you did," Veridia replied, "that you did."
The sun rose that morning as it did every morning, splashing pink and red and glowing orange across the sky and painted the canal water in as best a mimic as it could. Zac saw it all, sitting on the edge of the dock. He'd caught the last of the sunset right as twilight was settling into place the night before, he'd watched the Moon make its ascent, then its descent all while the stars glinted above. He'd seen three shark fins cut the surface at various points in the night. It might well have been the same shark three times but an odd feeling in his stomach told him it wasn't.
Tonight the Moon would rise again. Then again. Then again. Then it would be time for the Full Moon again and that had the capacity to bring about something bad.
He had tried to sleep but each time he ended up back on the dock. The Trident tore through every sleeping moment. Flashes of blue light, never ending water and red blood. The next Full Moon was just days away. The Trident would call to him and he'd be powerless to stop it.
They needed a solid plan, something actually tangible or who knew what was going to happen. He'd already hurt Lyla. And Rita. What was next? How much worse was this going to get? He still didn't know what the Trident could do. Yet Cam was beginning to whisper in his ear about the Trident and meant to be and conquering the oceans. He didn't want to do that but there was no denying the intense rush of power he had felt when he held the Trident.
Zac shook his head. No he didn't want this. No matter how much it called him.
The door from the house opened behind me and Buster came charging down the garden barking towards Buster.
"Hey, pup," Zac scratched behind his ears and patted his back. Buster turned his back to him, accepted exactly three scratches to the top of his tail then shot off back to the grass.
"Morning Zac, tea?" His mum called down the garden to him.
"Morning mum. I'll take a cup!"
"It'll be waiting inside for you."
"Thanks mum."
Zac stood up, his legs aching from the extended length of time sitting and headed up to the garden. He didn't even bother to look back at the gentle splashing which was almost definitely another shark.
He needed just a little break of normalcy before the chaos that was going to unfold in just a little while. Lyla had invited him over to Rita's to "talk strategy for the Full Moon" which was code for Nixie was going to bitch and complain about him while they tried to think of the best way to stop him going to Mako and getting the Trident.
He was surprised Nixie hadn't suggested just tying him up and sticking him in a locked cupboard or something for the night.
Buster shot up the garden when Zac reached the patio, beelining for the open door to the house. Zac took off running chasing after him.
"I'm going to beat you Buster, I'm going to beat you! I'm gonna win -" Zac reached the door as Buster shot in ahead of him. "Oh no! You beat me! I'm beat!"
Buster spun excitedly on the spot, tongue lolling out his mouth as he panted.
"Nice to see you so happy this morning," Mrs Blaklely turned around from the kettle, two cups of tea in her hand, steam rising from them both.
"Just playing with Buster mum."
Zac scruffed Buster's head and scratched behind his ears. Buster wandered off to his water dish sending droplets flying everywhere as he lapped it up.
"Make sure that gate is shut if you go out the back Zac," his mum set his cup - his old Star Wars mug - on one coaster and her own, a simple handmade flower mug, on an identical coaster. "Buster got out the other day and took himself for a walk down to Mrs Webb's. Had a cup of tea with her and everything before she took him back. Was very pleased with himself."
Zac just laughed, "that sounds about right."
"I've made toast too, do not give any to Buster."
"Sure thing mum!" As soon as his mum's back was turned Zac gave a wink to Buster. He was getting the crusts, no questions about it.
Rita treaded water, the sun shining down onto glittering waves sparkling all around her in every direction. She wasn't sure how far out she was but Mako wasn't visible. She hadn't meant to swim so far, every thought had just consumed her mind and before she knew it her lungs started burning and she could feel the muscles in her shoulder throbbing.
Everything was going around and around in her head. Flashbacks playing like scenes from a movie but all jumbled.
Veridia. Darkness. Pain. Bright blue light. Endless water high above and far below. Veridia. Full Moon. A lunch table. Veridia. The bathroom mirror distortion and warping. Veridia. The Trident stone glowing from within its chamber. Veridia. A Moon Ring lying in a sandy shell. Veridia. Veri-
She had surfaced to try and get some sense of where she was and see if there was anywhere to rest. She had come so far out and she didn't even really know why. It just felt so good speeding through the ocean again. She'd avoided swimming for so long, avoided the water in general really but the sea against her skin, her hair streaming behind her all reminded her how much she missed the Ocean.
There was a faint headland, blue in the distance and hazy. In the blue Rita could just make out a lighthouse. There had been a story the old Pod members used to tell of a lighthouse keeper and a Seal Maiden. The Seal Maid would shed her skin by night and wander the land on legs until the first tide called her back and she would return to the Sea. Until one night the lighthouse keeper stole her skin and forced her to be his wife. He'd watched her night after night as she came to land and found where she had hid her skin.
It was a common enough theme in many Selkie stories. Only in this one the Seal called upon the help of a Mermaid who enchanted the man and drowned him. The Selkie took back her skin and fled to the Sea, never to return to the land again.
There were far more happy Mermaid stories than Selkie stories, that was for sure. There was one Harry had told her about a grave in the cemetery where his late Grandmother lived in Scotland that was said to belong to a Selkie. The stone hollow above her grave is said to never dry out even in the warmest summers.* Rita remembered saying to him how there can't have been a worse fate. To have been born of the Sea then forever buried under the Land. She'd made Harry swear if anything was to happen to her she was to go back to the Sea.
Was the Sea even her home now? At this point she wasn't even much of a Mermaid, she avoided water when she could, and she was even working on a potion to make it easier to stay in Human form.
There was movement in the water around her, she felt the water's ripples against her fin as she treaded the water. It felt large but peaceful. She could almost swear it was a -
The water surged not far from her then a large Humpback whale broke the surface, launching herself up into the air and splashing back down. The waves hit into Rita and water rained down. She laughed as the droplets landed on her skin.
"You did that on purpose!" Rita ducked back under as the whale was making her way over. The whale was laughing.
"Second Mermaid I caught out today. Too easy. "
"I'm glad you're enjoying yourself, I'm Rita," Rita introduced herself to the whale. It had been a while since she'd had a good conversation with any whales.
"They call me Kai."
"I couldn't ask you for a favour Kai?"
"Anything for Mermaids. Mermaids help us so I help Mermaids."
"Any chance of a ride back to Mako?" Rita asked. There was no way she could swim it, her shoulder ached and every movement felt like the muscles were being torn open.
"I like Mako. Let's go!"
Rita swam upwards so she was over Kai's back and settled herself on the whale by Kai's dorsal fin.
"Hold on! Kai goes fast!"
"The trident is going to call to him again no matter what we do," Nixie said, "It's going to draw him to Mako and he's going to take it again."
Zac buried his face in his hands. Nixie and Lyla had been arguing about him. Again. He knew he was a hot topic of debate but he much preferred when he wasn't being debated about with the Mermaids right in front of him. He knew this was coming but holy fuck he wished he could go back to this morning just chilling with his mum and Buster.
"He almost fought it last time," Lyla argued.
"He also almost killed you."
His mind played him that scene like a movie, Lyla on the ground with a cut to her head. Lyla in the bed beside him with stitches across her forehead and dried blood still smeared across her skin.
"It was a bump to the head, it was nothing Nixie."
"He almost killed Rita without the Trident! He can't be allowed anywhere near it or next time someone could really be dead."
"So what do you suggest then?" Lyla snapped.
"What if we take him to the Moon Pool and let him work through the Moon Spell?" Sirena suggested.
"The Moon Pool might take his powers too then the Pod can come home and all of this can be over," Nixie said.
"Enough," Zac stood up, "I don't want to hurt anyone - "
Zac's phone started ringing interrupting his thoughts that were building on his tongue ready to come out in a mixed up jumble. He dug his phone out and the screen flashed up 'Mum.'
"You're really going to answer it?" Nixie asked.
"I -," the phone buzzed in his hand.
Nixie shook her head and stood up, "you're unbelievable."
Zac answered the phone, "yeah mum?"
Nixie stormed out of the grotto. The splash as she reached the pool echoed through to them.
"Zac have you seen Buster?"
"What?"
Zac caught Sirena slipping away after Nixie.
"Buster. He was out in the garden earlier after you left but he never came back in."
"No Mum, I've not seen him. I've been at the Principal's house with her nieces. He can't have gone far, he's Buster. I'll head home now and take a look on my way over."
"Alright, me and your dad will head towards Doug and Evie's if you're coming from Miami way. The gate was definitely shut when you left?"
"It was; shut and locked. I double checked."
"Okay, see you in a bit Zac."
Zac ended the call and looked up to a concerned Lyla watching him.
"I have to go. I can come back later and we make a proper plan?" If he was welcomed. If Nixie was there he definitely wouldn't be.
"I'll come with you," Lyla offered without any hesitation.
Zac didn't argue. He just gave Lyla and smile and headed back up through the house with Lyla right behind him.
When Zac got the call from Cam his blood ran cold. It was a nasty feeling he was too used to these days. He couldn't remember what street he'd been on, he'd just ran.
"Zac, get here now. I'm at the canal beach near your's. It's not a pretty sight man, I uh I found Buster."
He saw Cam first standing with Zac's mum and dad. Evie beside them.
"What happened?" Zac asked. Evie was instantly attached to him, hugging him tightly.
"It looks like a shark got him," his dad said, holding onto his mum's shoulders. Zac could see the rest of the scene over Evie's shoulder.
The dog lay on the sand, red staining into the soft yellow. His belly and side were torn open. Zac had to look away. The damage the shark had done to the little body …
"There never used to be these sharks this far up. All this time we've lived here and never seen a single one. Now though…" His dad trailed off.
It was true. There hadn't been any except when the floods gave them ample opportunity for new hunting grounds. The first time they had reliably been seen here was, well, after he transformed.
Had he brought them here? After everything else sharks following him wouldn't be the strangest occurrence to happen.
Nixie sat staring blankly at the Ocean Cafe's brightly coloured menu. The words were just blurs as always but the anger bubbling in her veins at everything gave it all a red tint. Sirena had convinced her to 'come for a juice and a snack' then was whisked away by David to rehearse as soon as she stepped in the cafe.
Something was set in front of her with a clink onto the glass table. Nixie looked up as Cam took the seat opposite her.
"Milkshake for you," Cam pointed to the glass now in front of Nixie. It was pink and topped with a swirl of that weird cream stuff. Cam had the same one in front of him.
"And? What do you want?" Nixie snapped.
"Can't a guy be nice?" Cam held up his hands and smirked at her.
"In my experience - no."
"Fish boy got you down?"
"He's being ridiculous."
"Yeah, tell me about it. I have his girlfriend breathing down my neck the whole time because he's always off with your mate
"She's not my mate," Nixie snapped
"Ooh touchy, but look right, you don't want Zac to get the Trident, right?"
"All I want is Zac to return to normal and for us to be able to go home. But when we try to discuss it, Lyla shoots everything down then Zac just isn't interested. He answered his phone right in the middle of it.
"That was probably about Buster, but uh I was thinking - what if we take the Trident."
"Oh sure."
"I'm being serious here Nix, we take the Trident and hide it. Come Full Moon Zac doesn't get it cause it isn't there. Boom! Sorted," Cam hit the table to enunciate his point.
"It wouldn't work."
"What if it did? You really want to pass up that chance? You want him back to normal and so do I," Cam stood up to leave. "Milkshakes on me by the way - not literally this time though please." Then the land boy was gone, leaving Nixie alone with her milkshake.
Cam made a point. If the Trident wasn't there, then Zac couldn't get it. They could hide it and keep it away from him. Lyla and Sirena could deal with the Full Moon, Nixie and Cam could take the Trident.
Nixie stood up and jogged after Cam. Jogging sucked.
"Cam!"
The land boy turned around, his face said he knew she would come after him. There was an urge to smack him that flared up. It would feel good to wipe that look off his face.
"How would we get it?" Nixie asked, "The Trident. If we do this?"
Cam flashed a grin, "I knew you'd be in. We can't talk here but I've thought this through.
Meet me at the beach in an hour, I'm on lifeguard duty but we can talk."
* That story of the selkie's grave is actually true. I've visited the grave and seen the board at the gate of the cemetery telling the story as it's local to me