A Wish on a Full Moon
I do not own H2O: Just Add Water or any of the characters.
Chapter 50: Red Herring (part 2)
[A minute later, Zane and Emma walk down the stairs, the brunette never knowing about the incident that happened just moments ago.]
Zane: "Emma, I need to talk to you about something really important."
Emma: "What do you want, Zane?"
"So why did you want to talk to her?" Neil asked him suspiciously. "I wanted to talk to her about Mrs. Chatham, since she knew her best from what I knew of," Zane admitted, surprising the elderly lady a bit that he paid that much attention to her.
Zane: looks around. "Where did Rikki go?"
Emma: stops and turns to him. "Does it matter?" Turns back and walks into the kitchen.
"I was upstairs. If you wanted to talk to her then it wasn't my conversation to be in," Rikki shrugged. "And way to go, almost blowing our cover."
"The house is only so big anyway and we know she didn't go out the door," Emma sighed, a bit disappointed she didn't catch that.
Zane: "Look, the thing is I know you're not going to approve of this. And I don't want to compromise your feelings for her, in any way." Rikki snuck down the base of the stairs and sat midways, flipping her hair back so her ears could pick the sound up better. Emma frowns and leans against the counter, wondering what he was talking about. "But that old woman, Mrs. Chatham, I need to talk to her, and I don't know where she is."
"I thought you said it wasn't your conversation?" Zane and Emma looked over at her. "It wasn't. But that doesn't mean I couldn't listen," Rikki smiled smugly.
"Did you think I was going to talk about you?" Zane smirked. "It did kind of sound like you were asking permission to date me before bringing up Mrs. Chatham," Rikki slowly admitted, a faint blush on her cheeks. "But why would I ask Emma? If I asked anyone, I would ask your father," Zane chuckled. Terry was surprised but then frowned. "But you didn't."
"You couldn't look her address up?" Sam asked. "It showed a picture of her boat and the dock location, but that was it. But since she obviously doesn't live there anymore, I'm guessing either it wasn't updated yet or it didn't know of the location of her new home," Zane informed. Mrs. Chatham felt a little relieved a that. She was okay with him confronting her in public, but she didn't know how she would react if he showed up at her home. Perhaps another heart attack.
"Just stick around the marine park for a while, you'll eventually find her," Cleo grinned.
Emma: glances sideways. "Mrs. Chatham? You might want to talk to her, Zane. But I'm pretty sure she doesn't want to talk to you."
"You could bet your buttons on that," Mrs. Chatham mumbled.
"After everything I did to her, I don't blame her for not wanting to," Zane sighed.
Zane: "We've had our differences, sure."
"That's an understatement," Elliot scoffed.
Zane: "But I think she knows more about that sea creature thing, than she's letting on." Rikki glances down before looking back in their direction, still sitting on the steps.
"She's never even mentioned the sea creature before though. How could she be holding information back if she's never mentioned it?" Bella asked. "She might've never said anything recently, but she did fifty years ago in that video," Zane pointed out. "All she said was that she didn't see a sea monster," Max told him. "And that was a lie. Because she was the 'sea monster'," Denman said. "She's not wrong," Mrs. Chatham muttered.
Emma: "Why do you think?"
Zane: "I remember, I was on her boat. And there was all this really, really weird stuff that she'd collected from all over the place. But before I could get a proper look at it, the old rust bucket started sinking. And I panicked."
"It didn't matter anyway, you were more focused on searching for her treasure than all the other stuff," Don said, a little angry that he would try to take stuff, especially from a boat.
"That stuff you're talking about is everything I collected with my husband. We used to travel all over the coast and other islands. When we bought the Lorelei and was ready to retire, we brought all our collections with us, so that we could always cherish the memory," Mrs. Chatham explained. Most couldn't help but smile that she kept those memories with her, even after her husband had passed, but then that happy thought faded away when they remembered that her boat and all those treasured memories were currently at the bottom of the ocean. Way to go, Zane.
[A flashback reoccurs of Zane in the sinking boat as he tries to force the door open to no avail. Water was pouring in rapidly, decreasing the oxygen levels every second.]
Zane: reliving the memory. "I was trapped. And I was going down, really fast. I had no chance of escape."
[Zane slowly sinks down onto the floor, having no oxygen left and no strength to try to escape, and leans back against the cabinet, unable to move as the rays of light begin to dim.]
Zane: "I started to blackout. And that's when I saw what I saw."
[Using the last bit of his strength, after hearing the noise come from the door, he turns his head, and in between the crack of the now free door, a large orange tail swims by. Emma's tail.]
"I know, because I was there," Emma whispered, hating that he relived that haunting memory over and over.
Harrison took a deep breath. It was hard enough to know that Zane had a near-death experience, having seen it once. But having to see it once more was tough. He knew the outcome and that he was safe, but it was still hard to see him go through it again. Even Zane seemed to struggle watching it again because he looked everywhere but at the screen.
Zane: comes back to reality and takes a shaky, deep breath, then looks at Emma with pleading eyes. "Emma, I need answers. This is all I can think about. She knows something about the sea creature."
Emma: "Look, Zane, I don't know what happened to you. But Mrs. Chatham's my friend. And it's your fault her boat sank."
"All of which is true, except for the fact that you did know what happened to me," Zane pointed to the screen. "And all of which you couldn't know," Emma shot back.
Mrs. Chatham smiled a little, glad to know that Emma thought of her as a friend and tried to protect her. All the girls thought of her as one.
Zane: "You're not going to help me, are you?" Emma doesn't answer. Zane sighs and looks away, a disappointed look on his face. "Okay. It's always a pleasure. I'll find her myself." Zane walks away and storms out the front door, closing it behind him. Rikki comes out from her hiding spot and walks up to Emma in the kitchen.
Neil and Lisa sighed, slightly glad to know that Emma was safe but also worried about what he was going to do to Mrs. Chatham. He already caused her several heart attacks, they didn't know if she could survive another. Elliot worried for his friend's safety, he didn't want any harm to come to her. And it seemed that Zane would go to great lengths to get his answers. He probably wouldn't even realize the consequences in his desperation until it was too late.
Emma: looks at Rikki and scowls. "Thanks for the help."
"Not my conversation, not my problem," Rikki reminded them. "You were eavesdropping!" Emma exclaimed. "Okay, let me rephrase that. Not my rescue, not my problem."
Rikki: raises her eyebrows then gestures to the door. "So what are we going to do?"
Emma: looks down. "I don't know. But I feel really uncomfortable about this."
"Because you knew it was you he was hunting down? And that it was being blamed on Mrs. Chatham?" Lewis asked. "Yeah, pretty much," Emma sighed.
Rikki: looks at her hair in amazement. "And your hair, the red, where did that go?"
Emma: "Must have been the change. I was a mermaid when we dyed it. And now when I'm back to normal, so's the hair."
Rikki: "So when you're a mermaid, it's going to be red again."
"You too figured that out a lot quicker than we did," Max chuckled.
Emma: "I don't know. But I can't believe we went through all that trouble for nothing."
"I wouldn't say it was for nothing. You did at least get to get a good experiment out of it. Now you know you don't have to waste money on hair dye anymore," Lewis grinned. "Only you would think of it as an experiment," Rikki rolled her eyes. "He's not the only one," Max raised his hand. Denman grinned, as she agreed.
Emma: "So what are we going to do about Zane? He's on to something." Begins walking back toward the stairs, Rikki follows.
Rikki: "Um, maybe I should talk to him."
Emma: looks at her and squints in confusion. "You? Why would he listen to you?" Rikki hesitates as Emma continues towards the stairs then smiles a little when she wasn't looking.
"You just wanted an excuse to see me again, didn't you?" Zane smirked. "Well, if it got you both off of Mrs. Chatham and Emma's back, then yeah I would," Rikki gave him a look.
[After searching every possible place he could think of at the marine park, Zane finally spots Mrs. Chatham. The older lady was looking out in the distance by a dolphin pool, the railing in her grasp. Zane sneaks up to her as she continues looking forward, choosing to ignore him until he says the right words to grab her attention.]
Zane: "I know your secret, Louise." Mrs. Chatham slowly turns to him, giving him her full attention.
"Sure, forget starting a friendly conversation and get straight to the point," Kim sighed. "That's been pretty much this whole time," Ash pointed out.
"Not the secret you thought you knew," Mrs. Chatham chuckled.
"So, what was your reason for being there this time?" Max asked her. "Can't a senior enjoy her time at the place she loves most?" Mrs. Chatham smiled before laughing. "Alright, I was there to see Cleo. I was waiting for her while she was in the storage room. I couldn't stop thinking about them and their friendship. It's so dear to them, I would hate for it to break apart. But something came up that required more attention," she sighed.
Zane: "In the fifties, you rescued a fisherman from a boat wreck. Back then, you said you didn't see anything. But you did, didn't you?"
"If it's on the internet, does it really count as a secret?" Annette asked. "Eh sort of. The internet might know, but there'd be a lot of people that wouldn't know about it if they don't search her up," Lewis answered.
"I didn't consider that interview a secret. Sure, I tried to be discrete as possible, but no one was able to figure it out until now," Mrs. Chatham said.
Mrs. Chatham: slowly answers. "I saw you sink my boat." Cleo walks out of the storage room not too far from the two. Hearing their voices, she pauses and looks over at them. She keeps an eye on them then sets the buckets of fish she was carrying down on the patio.
Zane: "Stop playing games. You know something about the creature. You've seen it too." Cleo looks on in concern and keeps her anger down, she marches over to help Mrs. Chatham.
"She wasn't wrong, she did see you sink it," Don said. "She wasn't the only one," Emma frowned as Lewis nodded. They were there too. "I think we all have by this point. How could we forget?" Max said, giving the young boy a disappointed look. "It was an accident, okay? How many times do I have to say it? And besides, I think I've learned my lesson by now, trust me," Zane responded. "He's not wrong there, either," Don shrugged.
I didn't just see it, I was it, Mrs. Chatham thought as she took a breath.
Mrs. Chatham: "I know a lot of things. But you don't."
"And she's right once again," Don stated. "Okay, okay. I get it. I was a fool," Zane sighed, shaking his head. "It's nice to know you admit it," Rikki grinned as he scoffed and rolled his eyes.
Cleo: "Zane."
Mrs. Chatham: "You're young and stupid."
"Ooh, you are on fire, Mrs. C," Lewis laughed. "Remind me not to get you mad," Max joked as Mrs. Chatham lazily rolled her eyes.
Cleo: stands by her side. "Leave her alone. You're scaring her."
Zane: to Cleo. "I'm just asking her questions."
"It's more of an interrogation by the sounds of it," Harrison mentioned.
"By the looks of it, Cleo, she could handle herself just fine," Emma chuckled, seeing the angry look Mrs. Chatham onscreen kept sending Zane. "Although it was appreciative, Cleo. It was nice to have some help," Mrs. Chatham told her. "Always a pleasure," Cleo smiled and nodded.
"She looks angrier than she was scared," Elliot said. He would be too if someone tried to get him to spill his secrets.
Cleo: "I want you to leave her alone. Either that, or you can come and help me feed the sharks. You'd be the entrée." Zane's smile falters. Cleo and Mrs. Chatham look over his shoulder to where a security guard was keeping an eye on the three of them, specifically Zane. The boy follows their line of sight and spots the guard.
"You guys have sharks?!" Elliot asked in excitement. "No. I just said that to try and scare him off," Cleo chuckled. "I should've realized that from the beginning," Zane shook his head.
"You threatened him? I've never been so proud of you! That must've been your first one," Rikki smiled in a joking matter and hugged her best friend. Cleo rolled her eyes but patted Rikki on the back in return.
"Since when did the park have security guards?" Denman asked. "After the whole marriage fiasco, Mitch and Mrs. Geddes decided it would be best in case someone tried to harass their employers again," Cleo said, giving her family a look. They chuckle in embarrassment, ignoring the sound of annoyance coming from the Bennett boy.
Bev couldn't help but smile as she watched Cleo stand up for Mrs. Chatham. Normally Cleo didn't show a lot of courage. But ever since she started sprouting a tail, she's been showing a lot more bravery than she ever has, especially around water. She still acted terrified around it but now they understood why.
"Scared he was going to throw you out or that he might help Cleo with her plan?" Harrison grinned and whispered to Zane. "The first, I'd rather not have another phone call go to you. And I'd rather not have to hear another lecture about my behavior," Zane whispered back. "Fair point."
Zane: turns back to them and sighs. "Fine. If you don't want to talk to me, then I'll just have to have another look at your boat." While he walks away, Cleo and Mrs. Chatham give a worrying thought about the said boat he spoke about, especially Mrs. Chatham; for she knew something that was on there that could destroy the secrecy if he were to find it.
"You must've been pretty desperate then. After everything you've gone through. Even I wouldn't have gone there by myself," Will shook his head. "I didn't. I had Nate go with me," Zane shrugged before glancing over at Emma, flashes of the red hair going through his mind. "That's still like going alone. Nate should not be considered as backup," Lewis crossed his arms.
"That would be as dangerous as your last near-death experience. As long as it's been now, that place must've been covered in sharks," Denman frowned. "It was. But I didn't care. I wanted answers right then and there," Zane shrugged. And he just happened to have got them.
"In hindsight, it's probably best not to tell someone you don't trust that you're going to be searching through their stuff and that there was nothing they could do about it," Ash said. "Yeah, that backfired real quick," Zane snorted.
Cleo: looks at Mrs. Chatham. "Are you ok?"
Mrs. Chatham: nods and makes a quiet noise, still focusing on what Zane had told her. A faint sound of fear could be heard in her voice mixed with worry. "Mm hmm. But he's going to my boat."
Cleo: "But there's nothing on the boat, is there? He'd be wasting his time, right?" No answer, only seeing her gaze down at the floor in thought to increase her worries. "Right?" Finally, Mrs. Chatham looks at her.
"Sounds like that's a 'wrong'," Kim said, but even she was worried as to what he would find. What could be down there that could lead to him discovering the secret?
"There must've been something then," Zane frowned. "You never found it?" Harrison asked him. "I didn't have to. The evidence came to me instead," he sighed as he and Emma made eye contact.
"What was it?" Max asked her. Mrs. Chatham never answered, only reaching her hand up to the empty spot where her necklace once hung. But Max knew what she meant. Her necklace? But it was already brought back to Emma's house right after the boat sunk, Max thought. Even if it did stay under, the water would've never affected it. Gracie's locket was in the moon pool the whole time for nearly fifty years, yet the only damage that came to it was the photo that was placed inside, which was long gone. The photo. The photo … the photo!
Max's eyes shot wide open. That's right. Along with those small pictures he had placed inside their lockets, was also a copy of an enhanced, larger version that he took for them to keep in a safe spot. If Louise had kept it for that long, then it must've been in a secured place that not even water could damage it. Meaning Zane had a chance of finding some real evidence.
[Cleo meets with the rest of the group, including Lewis who stood next to the window, back at Emma's house, where they discuss the startling situation. Cleo stands by the vanity while Emma and Rikki sat on the bed.]
Emma: "There's a photo?"
Cleo: nods in confirmation. "There's a photo."
"There was a photo?" Zane asked in surprise. "How many times does it need to be said? Yes!" Cleo said in annoyance.
"A photo of what?" Lisa asked. "If I had to guess it must be of her as a mermaid," Bev answered. "Yes. It was a photo of Julia, Gracie, and me. All three of us with our tails in the picture. It's the same as the one that was in my locket, but a much larger version of it," Mrs. Chatham explained, surprising Zane even more. If he hadn't have chickened out after seeing Emma and looked inside the boat, he might've found it. Unless that was what Emma was getting rid of. Either way, it would've proved that mermaids did exist. Now that he thought of it, was glad that he didn't find it; it would've made things worse for Rikki and the girls.
"You would think after the whole dyed hair shenanigan that you three would learn to shut and lock the door," Bella said, pinching the bridge of her nose. Though who was she to say about that? She's made plenty of mistakes before.
Rikki: "Well, wouldn't the seawater –."
Cleo: "It's in an old, metal chest."
"Well, that would certainly explain how it lasted so long underwater," Sam thought. "Sometimes keeping old junk is worth it," Mrs. Chatham smiled.
"Well, if a locket can survive at the bottom of the moon pool for fifty years without getting rusted, it wouldn't surprise me that a picture could survive underwater for what? A month?" Denman shrugged. "And here I thought you were going to talk about the existence of mermaids," Will smirked. "Nah, that's your job."
Rikki: "So it doesn't mean he's going to be able to open it."
"While I appreciate you defending me, Rikki. I'm sure I would've found a way to get it open," Zane sighed and shook his head. "If he could take a door off its hinges with an underwater torch, he would've figured out how to get a chest open," Harrison pointed out.
Emma: "Do we really want to take that chance?"
Lewis: "What's the photo of?"
"Gee, Lewis. If it wasn't that big of a deal, then you wouldn't be discussing it in your secret club!" Kim said, rolling her eyes. "Uh, secret club?" Lewis frowned in confusion. "You're hiding in Emma's and no one else is home," Kim commented, counting it on her fingers. "Still doesn't make it a club," he mumbled.
Cleo: "Three girls: Mrs. Chatham and her friends."
Rikki: rolls her eyes. "So, it proves she had friends."
Cleo: gives her a look. "With tails. It's the same as the one in Mrs. Chatham's locket, only bigger."
"And if Zane gets his hands on it, then it's game over," Cleo finished.
"Too bad the picture wasn't needed anyway, considering he seen the secret with his own eyes," Emma mumbled to herself, feeling slightly guilty for exposing their secret. But it's not like she had a choice. It would've been revealed one way or the other. Either through the picture, or her. If only she were fast enough.
Emma: sighs and looks at each one of them. "Oh no. This is bad."
Rikki: hesitates and glances down then straightens up. "Look, I have stuff to do." Stands up a bit awkward then looks at them and shrugs. "Bye, and good luck." Rikki walks out of the room and heads downstairs to leave. Emma looks over at Lewis.
"Well, that wasn't suspicious at all," Charlotte sarcastically said. "What else was I supposed to say?" Rikki huffed. "You didn't have to lie though," Emma told her. "I didn't. I did have something to do. I went and tried to stall Zane for as long as I could. Unfortunately, it didn't last very long," Rikki winced. "Is that when I was at the café?" Zane asked. "Yup." "Huh, I was wondering what that was about. Felt so random."
Lewis: gestures to the doorway once she was out of earshot. "What was that all about?"
"Looks like you and Zane run on the same wavelength," Cleo laughed along with a few others. "Don't ever say that again," Lewis shuttered, disgusted that he and Zane had the same thought.
Emma: "Look, we don't have time to worry about it at the moment." Looks to Cleo. "Cleo has got to get back to work." Looks back at Lewis. "And we need to find Zane, now."
"Another shift? Really?" Don asked, a bit surprised. "Yeah. A few others had called in sick that week," Cleo sighed. "It happens," Annette shrugged, knowing how it feels.
"If he was going to search Mrs. Chatham's boat then it should be obvious as to where he went," Ash said. "If he were already there, then yes. But since he didn't leave yet, he could've been anywhere," Lewis explained. Luckily, he wasn't at the docks.
[Down at the docks, Emma leans against the pole of Zane's slot, where his boat floated in the water. Lewis inside Zane's boat tries his best to get it 'fixed.' When people pass by, Emma would act like nothing was wrong while being on the lookout for Zane or anyone that knew him. Just a normal girl hanging out at the docks. What's wrong with that? After a minute goes by, Lewis leans over the side of Zane's boat; his mission complete.]
Lewis: "Done."
"Uh, what are you doing at my boat?" Zane questioned. "Just trying to stall you," Emma grimaced. "Wait, you're the one who stole my sparkplug, aren't you? I wonder where you got the idea from," Zane chuckled in realization as he looked over at Rikki. "I didn't give them the idea, they just thought of it, from me," Rikki shrugged while holding her hands up.
Emma: turns around and walks over to him as he climbs out of the boat. "Excellent. What did you do?"
Lewis: stands up and holds up two wires with connected ends on both sides (don't know what this is so just going to say it's a spark plug XD). "Know anything about motors?"
Emma: shakes her head. "No."
"Don't we all?" Charlotte said as all the girls shook their heads in agreement. Except for Rikki. "Please, I grew up learning how to fix motors, that's nothing," Rikki scoffed. "Sure, explains how you knew how to take my sparkplug," Zane muttered, smiling. "You're the reason why I bought a spare." "You bought a spare sparkplug?" Max asked, raising an eyebrow. "I thought about it the first time it was taken but changed my mind. This reoccurring incident had the idea brought back up, in case it ever happened again, which it better not now since I know who the culprits are," Zane shot a look at Lewis and Rikki who gave him a sheepish smile.
Lewis: "Well then, think of it as magic." Points at the boat. "This is only going to delay Zane for a while. So you should get going." Emma nods then runs to the end of the dock. Lewis begins to walk off when he hears a splash. He glances behind him and sees that Emma was gone then smiles to himself and runs off, the sparkplug still in his hand.
"Ah, the irony," Zane chuckled. "What is with everyone stealing my sparkplugs?" "To be fair this was only the second time it happened," Lewis shrugged. "Once was enough, twice is just a sign for me to have a full stock in them," Zane scoffed.
[In the water, full of life with reefs, fish, and so much more, includes a little red-haired mermaid swimming through it all at full speed.]
"It's back," Kim sang in a teasing tone. Zane shook his head in disbelief, still finding it hard to believe that it was Emma who was the red-headed mermaid. Even her parents were shaking their heads, still not believing she had dyed her hair. She was a mermaid, yet the dyed hair seems to shock them more!
Emma sighed, feeling guilty. I still wasn't fast enough.
[At the Juicenet café, Zane and Nate sat at the counter where he tries to recruit Nate to help him return to the Lorelai, but his friend seems to deny wanting to go there ever again.]
Nate: "No, no, no more monster hunts. Especially around Mako Island."
Zane: "Why not?"
Nate: scoffs and shakes his head. "Because I'm allergic to shark bites."
"The boy's got a point, but why didn't he use that excuse the first time you two went?" Sam asked. "He didn't realize there would be any. He was going to this time, but I agreed to pay him double," Zane explained. "That explains why you asked for more than usual," Harrison thought.
"Weren't there sharks there when the boat first sunk?" Elliot asked. "It was, but I think they had all left when the boat went down. It must've startled them. They eventually came back," Zane answered.
Zane: "We'll be fine. Look, I'm on to something, something big. I swear." Nate scoffs and laughs at him. "And I don't want to have to share the royalties with Lewis."
"Why not?" Lewis asked. "Lewis!" the girls exclaimed. "What, I'm just curious." Zane chuckled and shook his head. "Because last time you were no help at all, and you were the only other guy I could rely on. I benefited more from Nate's help than yours, and that's saying something." "Probably because I knew what you were after," Lewis countered and Zane huffed, knowing he was right.
Nate: takes a sip of his juice then looks at him. "Lewis?"
Zane: "Yeah. I kind of promised him a cut."
"No, you didn't," Lewis scoffed. "Yeah, well he didn't need to know that. Figures he would agree if he got paid," Zane grinned. Lewis sighed and shook his head. You're lucky the deal didn't go through, or otherwise, I would've made you cough up some money for the terror you made them go through.
Nate: "Ok. Well, if there's money involved, real money, I'm in."
Zane: "Ok." They get up to leave when Rikki comes through the beaded curtains and stops Zane. Nate walks past them, acting like nothing was wrong.
"Even if I was getting paid, I wouldn't join in if sharks were involved," Annette shook her head. Charlotte agreed. Sharks were just as bad as dolphins.
Rikki: "Hey."
Zane: "Hey."
Rikki: "You want to know why I won't go out with you?"
"Ooh, this ought to be interesting," Kim smiled, rubbing her hands together. "Quiet, Kim," Don sighed.
Terry straightened up, wanting to know why himself. He was glad that Rikki waited, but he was curious. Rikki sighed and looked toward her dad, knowing what was going through his mind.
"Talking in a public space. Great idea," Cleo said. She just had to be at work, when she could've walked in and overheard this instead. "Good thing Miriam wasn't around, or all heck would've broke loose," Rikki laughed.
Rikki: "Because you're obsessed. This sea monster thing is nuts."
"It wasn't the technical truth. I did think it was crazy but only because I knew who you were hunting. If Emma and Cleo found out we were dating while that was going on, then it would've caused a whole lot of mess," Rikki admitted. And it only got worse once he found out that mermaids were real. She did want to go out with him, but she couldn't with everything that was going on. She couldn't choose one side over the other. Even when Cleo and Emma made her choose, she just couldn't do it.
"Is this what your plan was for stalling?" Cleo asked. "Yup." "Then why didn't you tell us?" Emma asked. "You already thought it was weird that I would try to talk to Zane in the first place. What would you think if I tried again?" Rikki explained and Emma nodded in understanding. She would've questioned it once more.
Zane: annoyed. "Ok, thanks for sharing." Goes to walk past her but then Rikki calls him back then turns around.
Rikki: turns around and faces him again. "I mean it. Drop it. And maybe we can talk."
Zane: grins. "Yeah? When?" Rikki was about to answer him when Nate interrupts them as he comes through the beaded curtains.
"As soon as I talk about it to Emma and Cleo," Rikki hesitantly admitted. Cleo and Emma look at each other in shock before looking over at the other blonde. "You were going to tell us?" "I was," Rikki said, giving them a look. They drop their heads in guilt in full acknowledgment.
Nate: "Are we going?"
"Timing, Nate, timing," Zane sighed and shook his head.
Zane: turns to him. "Yeah." Nate looks at them before going back outside. Zane turns back to Rikki and begins to back away. "Look, I've gotta see this thing through. I'm sorry. I'll see you later." He pulls the beaded curtains back, giving her one last glance, then walks through the doorway. Rikki looks away.
"Sorry guys, I tried to stall him as long as I could," Rikki apologized. "It's okay, Rikki. You did your best. I'm just glad you were still trying to help us," Emma admitted. "And luckily you did, for if Zane would've come sooner, we probably would have gotten caught tampering with his boat," Lewis smiled.
[As soon as the two boys arrive at the zodiac, they realize they have a problem. The sparkplug was gone! But Nate seems to be trying to work around it, as he attempts to hotwire the boat.]
Zane: "I am going to sue those service guys."
"You thought it was your service people?" Lewis laughed. "How was I supposed to know it was you?" Zane rolled his eyes.
"Is he trying to hotwire it? Good luck with that, it's nearly impossible to do without a sparkplug. Even I can't do that," Terry scoffed and shook his head. "Nate is a lot smarter than he looks. He knows his engines. His dad taught him along with fishing," Zane mentioned. "If he can hotwire it, I will be very impressed," Will said, paying closer attention to this scene.
Nate: "Settle down." After a moment, he gives Zane an order. "Ok, kick it again." Zane bends down and turns the key, and the motor comes to life. They look over to where the sound of the soft purr was coming from the motor and Zane smiles at him.
Zane: "Nice one."
The crowd looks on in shock, except for Zane who couldn't help but smirk at their reaction. Even Terry couldn't help but be astonished. "I admit when I'm wrong, I'm highly impressed. But he better keep away from my bike," Terry nodded in slight amazement yet with a stern tone.
"Remind me to ban him from ever getting near the Esmeralda or any of my other boats," Don whispered to his two girls who nodded in agreement.
Nate: "Yeah, let's see Lewis do that." The boys untie the boat from its restraints and speed out into the open sea.
"Wha – I probably could if I tried," Lewis frowned. "Please don't, I'd rather not see you in handcuffs," Cleo patted him on the arm. "Oh please, he was just wanting a bigger cut than you," Zane scoffed.
[Down below, Emma continues speeding through the water, going as fast as she can to beat Zane. She pauses for a moment and pops her head up above the surface momentarily. Her new red hair covers her face, and she pulls it aside to look around for a brief moment to find that she was near Mako Island. Close to the spot where the Lorelai sank.
She takes a breath then dives back down into the deep. This time going at a much calmer pace to be able to search better, she eventually finds the Lorelai lying at the bottom of the ocean. Emma swims further down into the depths, reaching the level of the ocean floor where the Lorelai lay. The red-headed mermaid swims to the door and begins searching around, trying to remember the directions Cleo gave her from Mrs. Chatham. Ari – … Emma finds a blanket covering something on the floor near her cabinets. After swiping the blanket away, Emma finds an old metal chest. The hidden treasure.]
Charlotte couldn't help but laugh lightly to herself. She knew the struggle as well when it came to red hair. Whenever she went swimming, she always had a hard time keeping her wet hair out of her eyes. Yes, she knew it was like that for everyone, but it always felt worse for anyone who had red hair, or dark hair in particular.
Lisa and Neil held each other's hands, their grip getting tighter as time ticked by. The longer Emma was down there, the more nervous they got, for they knew what was coming. Zane.
Elliot leaned closer to his sister, trying hard not to hug her and embarrass her in front of her friends, and trying hard to keep himself from being lured into sleep. Hurry up, Emma! Get out of there!
Mrs. Chatham took a deep breath. Still even after so long it was hard to see it again, knowing she was so close, yet so far from her reach.
Emma gulped, the guilt increasing by the minute, 'still not fast enough' repeating in her head. Had she been quicker and not gotten distracted by the photo she would've high-tailed out of there.
[Right above her, on the surface, Zane and Nate stop the boat as it slows down and floats. The two stare ahead at the mysterious spooky yet majestic island. Nate looks on, a bit nervous while Zane was the total opposite with an excited smile on his face.]
Zane: points to the island. "This is it." Zane stands and turns around as he begins to grab his diving gear. He holds a pair of goggles in his hands when Nate stands up with his hands on his hips, clearly nervous about the upcoming mission.
"Has he never seen Mako Island before?" Sam asked. "I don't think so. Not many people have been there before. With the rumors and all, people always said to avoid it, that's one thing Nate listened to," Zane explained. He didn't blame him either. Had it not been for Mrs. Chatham and his dad's record, he probably would've never gone to Mako Island or even be anywhere around it in the first place.
Everyone has heard the rumors of how dangerous and spooky it was, and all the wrecks, the storms, the swarms of sharks that guard it along with many other tales. Although it's possible that it could've been spread by older mermaids or something, everyone would believe it anyway after seeing all the sharks that surround the place.
No one goes there, Cleo thought, one of the few things she remembered she first mentioned about the island to her friends. And who would, after all of that? Only the courageous, the brave, the stupid, curious wanderers. Or in the girl's case and very few others, some random bad luck and timing that led their fate to be connected with the island.
Lisa began to shake at seeing Zane so close to the location of the Lorelai. Time grew closer, the distance grew closer. It was only minutes away before Zane would discover the truth. And she was terrified to see how it goes down.
Nate: "See any sharks?" Rubs his neck anxiously.
Zane: "We'll be fine, Nate. Come on. Let's dive." Zane slings the diving suit at Nate. Nate grabs it but still looks around in worry.
"You weren't scared about seeing any sharks?" Denman asked curiously. She wasn't afraid like others, but she did wonder why he wasn't right then when he was literally screaming his head off before about being surrounded by them. "As I said before, my mind was preoccupied with other thoughts," Zane said.
"I don't blame him for not wanting to be shark bait," Charlotte admitted, shuttering at the thought. Many others agreed.
[Emma pulls the pin back and the doors open with a muffled squeak. Many objects begin to float about from their first touch of water, some even rising to the top at a quick pace. Her hands begin fumbling through the treasure until she finds a small box with a flower pattern on it. She takes the lid off and sees a small number of photos at the bottom of it, covered by even tinier objects.]
"Good you found the photos, now take the box and scram!" Ash exclaimed, surprising Emma that he seemed to care so much. "I wish I had," Emma mumbled, but her parents had heard, increasing their worries even more as their grip on each other tightened.
"For such a small box, you sure had a lot of precious items in there," Annette mentioned. It reminded her of her mother's suitcase full of her drawings and other random stuff. Stuff that she could never understand why she would want to keep. Maybe they all came with a little adventure from her time as a mermaid. She just wished her mother would've explained it to her before she had passed, instead of having to find out the truth this way.
[Zane and Nate, now in their suits and diving gear, slowly descend down to the boat.]
"Oh no," Bella said in a worried tone. This isn't going to end well. Hushed voices filled the theater then quieted down, trying their best to stay focused on the screen.
[Emma searches picture after picture, careful as to not tear or smudge the pages as the seawater would've made them more fragile, trying to find the right picture. Finally, after flipping through several photos, Emma found the one. The same photo as the one in the locket. All three girls smiling, lying on the ground of the moon pool, with their tails rising above their heads in the background. A dead giveaway that they were mermaids. Emma smiles, having found the jackpot.]
"Quit snooping through the pictures and leave!" Elliot shouted, making Emma jump. "I had to make sure I had the right ones! And besides, it was already too late as you can tell," Emma gestured to the screen.
"What I would like to know was who took the photo?" Charlotte asked, both her and her mother once again paying attention to their relative in the picture. That smile, reminded them so much of the times she would talk about the ocean, or her stories about mermaids; now that they thought about it, was probably the adventures of her time as one.
"Oh, I did. Yeah, I knew. They wanted a picture to be able to remember this moment forever," Max chimed in, raising his hand slightly. Everyone looked at him in shock. "What? Lewis is the only one who could know the secret? They needed someone they could trust!" Max raised an eyebrow at them. "And the ones they can trust is their family!" Lisa exclaimed, clearly upset about the incident that was clearly happening. She should've known, she should've stopped Emma from going, she should've protected her. But she didn't. All because of a secret that was hidden from her.
"Yup, that would've been a dead giveaway there," Harrison said. "Not that it was needed anyway," Zane mumbled with a sigh.
[As they continued their descent into the depths, Nate looks around, then spots something he most definitely dreaded: sharks swimming around nearby. Nate, frightened by the monstrous-looking shark, yanks on Zane's arm, trying to get his attention. When Zane turns towards him, they both look in his direction to find that nothing was there. The shark was gone. Nate turns back to him and starts jabbing his thumb upward, signaling to him that he was giving up and heading back to the surface. Zane shakes his head. The two get into a silent, hand-motion argument, the two disagreeing with each other. Nate wants to leave, and Zane wants to stay. Nate eventually shakes his head and abandons him, and swims swiftly back up to the surface. Zane watches him go.]
He didn't get paid after that incident, but Zane wasn't going to say that due to the tense atmosphere in the room.
Emma couldn't help but sigh in relief. Yes, she knew that Nate hadn't seen her, but to know that if he had stayed a moment longer, he would have. Thank goodness for that shark. She didn't like sharks either, but she preferred sharks over Nate anytime when it came to her secret.
Neil and Lisa couldn't help but be slightly thankful that Nate had left. They wished Zane would disappear too but overall was glad that Nate did. Two witnesses would've raised more suspicions and searches. That was the good thing about Zane. He was the only one who saw. Who would've believed him? But a chill ran down their spine as they thought about it, as the fact still remained true that Zane had saw something. And it was becoming clearer at each passing moment about what exactly it was that he saw.
[Zane gets frustrated with him and decides to go on his own. But when he looks back down at the boat, he froze in place. Having seen something that he probably shouldn't have seen. Something that wasn't supposed to exist come from the vacant sunken boat. What exited from the boat and swam through the ocean depths, was a mermaid. An orange scaly tail and top with long red hair that glides through the water.
Zane's eyes widen in shock, surprise, astonishment, bewilderment, disbelief, perplex, wonder – any word one could think of, that's what he looked like – at the supposed to be mythical creature swimming just meters below him. Zane continues to watch in bewilderment. And as he continues to observe it, the red-headed mermaid flicks its tail and speeds off through the water. The only thing left for him to see was a trail of bubbles it left behind. Even though it was gone, even though he never saw her face, only the backside, it was clear as day as to what the creature was that had saved his life that day: a mermaid.]
The room gasped in worry, all except the ones who knew about it. Lisa gasped in fear, finally letting go of Neil's hand and flinging it over her mouth to keep her from screaming. But it couldn't stop the terrified tears that escaped. Neil clenched the armchair, not caring on whether it broke or not as he glared at the now scared brunette boy. Yes, he was afraid for Emma, now that her secret had been exposed to him, but he was angry at the fact the whole time, this mermaid hunt turned out to be about Emma!
"So, I was right. This whole time, you were hunting my daughter!" Neil shouted in a fit of rage. Zane flinched back but he still held his hands up in defense, trying to show that he meant no harm. "Mr. Gilbert, I swear to you that had I known it was her, I would've never started that mermaid hunt. I promise you I wasn't going to harm her or anyone, I just wanted to know the truth." Neil clasped a hand on Elliot's shoulder, who was clinging onto Emma for dear life and wrapped a hand around both Lisa and Emma, pulling them into an awkward group hug. Though no one except for Emma felt awkward, as she knew the whole outcome and couldn't tell them. She could if she wanted but chose not to. She'd rather not have Elliot see their father murder three people.
Neil went to stand but stopped when he felt someone pulling his arm back. He looked back down to see Emma holding his arm and giving him a pleading look. "Dad, please don't. I know how it looks and I know about the hunt. But he never saw a face, he never saw my real hair. He only saw an Ariel wannabe. He never expected me, he never expected us. And he never did harm anyone, I can promise you that. I am okay. We are okay. I promise. So please, let it go … alright?" Neil took sharp breaths, looking both at his daughter and the rest of the Gilbert family. They all gave him concerned looks, not just for him it appears but also for Zane and Emma.
Then he looked at the mermaid club, who gave him looks of guilt and worry and pity. As if they were saying they understood how he felt. Then he looked around at the rest of the room, who all were curious as to what he would do. They were clearly worried for Emma, wondering what the rest of the time may hold for her, or any of them now that someone knew their secret. Then he looked at Zane and Harrison. The looks were different. One with fear and regret, the other with courage and anger, daring him to try and hurt Zane.
But they both had a similar feeling that he could tell just by looking in their eyes. Sadness, regret. It confused him, but he couldn't focus on that right now.
He could only feel his anger and sadness and many other emotions going through him. So, he took a deep breath and closed his eyes, and realized that he couldn't do anything to him. Because no matter what crap Zane had put everyone through, no matter what the past was, and no matter what danger he might've put on Emma for the mermaid hunt, he couldn't bear to hurt him. Not because he knew him. Nor because he was friends with his father. No definitely not that. It was simply because of the information onscreen. And Zane had said it himself in this very theater room.
The onscreen Zane had no clue who it was. He couldn't fault him for trying to find something, not knowing the outcome or who was involved. He couldn't hurt him because he didn't know the truth. The real truth. Neil couldn't hurt him because of something he knew that the onscreen Zane didn't. That's why he couldn't do anything.
With one final glare at them and turning back to his family, his glare softened at seeing Emma still with a questioning look, wanting to know his answer. "… Fine." Emma sighed in relief, unknown to her so did Rikki, and slowly and gently let go of his arm as Neil finally sat back down in his seat. His family still huddled close to him, which he was a little happy about since he refused to ever let Emma, or Elliot for that matter, get anywhere close to Zane again. Not if he could help it.
Emma stayed close to them and the girls, knowing this was going to be a rough night for them, and hoped it would clear up tomorrow after they get through the rest of the timeline. She was glad however that Zane didn't recognize her and glad that she decided not to look around first. For it she would've looked at Zane, he would've automatically recognized her face; the perks of being old childhood friends, huh?
Zane sighed in relief as he slowly turned back to the screen, shaking in dreadful fear. He couldn't help but jump a little when he heard someone whispering beside him, only to find Lewis. "Uh, I don't know about you, but I suggest we lock the dorm tonight just in case." "Ya think?" Zane hissed, glaring slightly at him before they turned back to the screen.
It's a good thing she has red hair then since he wouldn't have recognized her, Ash thought as he gulped, nervous for Emma.
Bella unconsciously hugged herself, scared for them. This scared her as well, as it brought up a fear of hers. Being exposed. Her secret blown by one mistake. It was something no mermaid wanted to experience, and from the looks of it, the three of them did.
[The three girls were back in Emma's room, the redhead now back in her normal form. The trio lay down on her bed as they looked through the photos of the former mermaids.]
Cleo: flips through the pictures, then lands on the mermaid one. Rikki on her right, Emma on her left. "Do you think they look happy?"
Rikki: "Spectacularly, stupidly happy."
"Yes, we were stupidly happy as you call it, Rikki," Mrs. Chatham chuckled, trying to change the mood slightly.
Unfortunately, the pictures don't do it justice, Max thought with a sigh. Two of them were happy, but one of them was depressed. Poor Gracie. She wanted both worlds, but she also wanted to be a normal girl more than anything. He knew she regretted her decision and if she could take it all back, she would for the sake of her family and friends. But it was too late. Nothing could change the past, not even a viewing like this. But it can change perspectives, it can change relationships, and it can make a whole lot of understandings.
Cleo: smiles at her then looks back at the photos. "You think we ever look like that?"
"But you're always happy as a mermaid. Aside from the beginning, there was never a dull moment," Kim pointed out, getting out of that little mood from before. "Most of the time, especially when I'm in the water, but even being one can have its ups and downs. The full moon, avoiding water at all costs, and making sure not to expose the secret," Cleo explained, sneaking a glance toward Zane who lowered his head in shame. "But no matter, I wouldn't change it for the world."
Rikki: sits up from the bed and climbs off. "Hope not."
"But we were, admit it. You like being a mermaid and being friends," Emma smiled and nudged her shoulder. Her nervousness from earlier might have disappeared, but her family hasn't. They still stayed close, keeping an eye on her, making sure nothing would happen to them. "Alright, alright. Fine," Rikki playfully rolled her eyes.
Emma: to Cleo. "What do you think it was?"
Cleo: "What?"
Emma: "That split them up. What happened to the other two?"
Mrs. Chatham and Max looked at each other for a second before looking away and sighing. The audience watched and wondered what could've happened to them as well. It was something they preferred not to talk about, but with the way things were going it seems like they might not have a choice.
Max had a guilty look, if only they could've talked to Gracie more about it. If only she would have given it a chance, instead of giving it all up. There was so much they could've done to avoid all of it, but in the end, it didn't matter. It was all gone.
"I don't want to say much, but I will say this," Mrs. Chatham said with much thought, as she looked each of the girls in the eyes, including Bella when the girls weren't looking. "Sometimes secrets can be overbearing. Having one always has its ups and downs. And when you focus too much on the downside of it all, it could keep you from ever seeing the upside ever again. That's why I always talk about you girls sticking together. The secret is shared between you all, it is not in just one, but all of you. You share it. So don't stray off and think you're the only one with the problem. You should share it together, talk about it together. Never keep it hidden from one another. Because you're not the only one going through it. You're never alone."
The room stayed quiet, as the words echoed throughout. Chills ran up Bella's spine and she shuttered at the thought. Because she meant it for her as well. She might have gone through it alone for such a long time. Even with her parents by her side they never truly understood the feeling. But she never has to again. Not alone. She could have help, from people who knew the feeling, who knew the magic. Who shared the secret.
Cleo: "Maybe that's why Mrs. Chatham always gives us all that stuff about sticking together. Maybe something happened to her friends that she doesn't want to happen to us. You know, secrets can tear people apart."
"Truer words were never spoken," Mrs. Chatham mumbled.
Similar to onscreen, Rikki had a downcast look. Those words rang true, especially for her. Maybe that's why it hit her so hard. Since she kept a secret from them.
Rikki: looks down in the back before she starts flipping through a magazine. "We've all got secrets."
"Sometimes it's not easy sharing secrets, whether we had them before or after the transformation," Emma said, looking at Rikki, who gave her a small smile.
Emma: and Cleo sit up on the bed, facing the other blonde now. "Just a particularly big one, which luckily is still a secret."
"That's not the one I was talking about, Em," Rikki chuckled.
Cleo: shrugs. "One that Zane isn't going to get." Rikki grins at them.
"Hmph, that's what you think," Denman muttered to herself
"Still a secret, just shared with a whole lot more people now," Cleo chuckled as they all looked around the room, laughing.
Emma: "So we can trust each other, right?"
Cleo: "Right."
Rikki: nods. "Right."
"And I agree with that wholeheartedly," Rikki nodded along. "Why couldn't we? Secrets or no secrets, we're still friends," Cleo mentioned.
Emma: "And people who trust each other do things for each other."
Rikki: narrows her eyes at her and smiles. "I smell something coming."
"Asking for a favor, are we?" Will chuckled. "One that needed to be called in after that little crisis," Emma answered.
Emma: pouts. "I want my hair back to normal."
Cleo: sighs and shakes her head. "No one even knows you're a redhead. It's only when you're a mermaid."
"It's still not the same," Emma grumbled.
Ash sighed. He had to admit he was going to miss the red hair. But he liked the normal blonde hair better.
"And still a whole bunch of time wasted, once again," Kim shook her head.
Emma: "Yeah, I know. But that's enough for me. I hate it."
"If I ever try to dye my hair again, someone please slap some sense into me. Because that was awful," Emma laughed. "Ooh, I'll do it!" Rikki and Elliot grinned eagerly. Emma rolled her eyes and smiled.
Rikki: mocking tone. "What about change? What about good ole, dependable Emma?"
"No need for the mockery, I get the criticism," Emma grinned.
Emma: "Change is overrated." Gets up from the bed and heads for the door. Rikki shakes her head and laughs.
"You change on a daily basis. Literally," Will pointed out about the tails. "I meant anything besides something that can't be helped," Emma rolled her eyes.
[A little while later, after changing her hair back to normal, the three girls walk to the Juicenet café. They were just walking by an entrance, when Byron walks through the beaded curtains outside, where he runs into them.]
Byron: focuses on Emma. "Hey, Emma."
Emma: turns and smiles at him. "Hey, Byron."
Cleo: gives them a knowing look. "Hi, Byron."
Rikki: nods and grins. "Byron."
"Yeah, just talk to her and ignore us," Cleo joked. "I think it's sweet," Sam smiled.
"There's your Beach-Boy, Bella," Will joked, making Bella roll her eyes.
Byron: squints at her then smiles. "Something's different. You look good." Emma looks down then puts her hair behind her ears. "Have you done something to your hair?" Cleo and Rikki grin widely behind her back, as he has no clue how much that statement rang true.
"You could say that," Cleo grinned. "It's your fault. It would've been perfectly fine if it were the color I wanted," Emma remarked.
Lisa smiled. Yes, her heart was still beating rapidly from that scare earlier, but she was happy for Emma. She finally realizes she didn't need to change for anybody.
"Now that's a compliment," Will nodded.
Emma: "No, but thanks." Byron nods then leaves. Emma watches him go with a wide smile. The two girls behind her do the same thing, but for a completely different reason. Emma turns around and looks at them. "Now that was definitely a compliment."
"You could say that again," Cleo laughed. "Hey, at least he's learning," Rikki shrugged.
[They walk through the beaded curtains with Emma in the lead. And inside they find a crowd gathered around one person: Zane. People sat in chairs around him in a circle. Tiffany, Miriam, and Nate were in the room too. Wilfred leans against the counter behind him, interested in the little tale he had to say. The trio walk closer, hearing the rest of the conversation, and stands face to face with Zane.]
Zane: standing in front of them. "I am telling you. This was more than just a shape or a shadow. I saw her, as clear as day, a mermaid." The girl's eyes widen in shock, realizing that he saw Emma. They look at each other in worry, trying to hide their shock and fear as the gathered crowd begins to laugh. "This mass of red hair, followed by this long tail." Looks over to his friend, who was sitting on a stool next to Miriam. "Nate?"
"Why would you go tell everyone?" Bella nearly shouted. "Come on, if you saw a mermaid, wouldn't you tell people?" Zane asked. "No," Bella said shaking her head as she looked over at the surprised boy. "Because what if word got to the wrong people, or it would put someone in danger. And who would believe me anyway? Sometimes it's best to keep things on a down low."
Neil glared at the Bennett while Lisa took a deep breath, trying to keep herself to remain calm. Emma was so close to him onscreen. And he had no idea just how close to the mermaid he was.
"From the sounds of the laughter, they all think of it as a joke," Ash mentioned. "They did. They all made fun of me. I was the joke of the town for a good while. 'The mermaid hunter' they called me," Zane sighed.
"Who would've thought your Ariel was right in front of you all along," Lewis joked. "I thought we agreed not to use that nickname," Emma grumbled. "No, you agreed. I still find it hilarious," Lewis said. Emma glared at him. "Hey, you did it to yourself."
Nate: "What you're asking me?"
Zane: looks around, ignoring him. "Look, I'm going back out there. This is real, now. There is a mermaid out there. And I'm going to prove it. Who's coming with me?"
"Sure, just ignore your friend. That won't come back to bite," Ash scoffed. "Well, he didn't see it anyway, so it didn't matter. He would've made fun of me either way," Zane answered.
"Did you really think I would go out there again after that little announcement?" Emma raised an eyebrow at him. Neil continued glaring at him. This was the beginning of his hunt. "One, I didn't know it was you. Two, how was I supposed to know mermaids could walk on land? And three, it wouldn't hurt to try. That's where I first saw you, it was a start," Zane explained, pinching the bridge of his nose.
Emma: speaks up, anger filling her tone. "A mermaid? Have you gone completely insane?"
Nate: and Miriam look over at them. "Well, he saw something out there. Because when he came out of that water, he was like a scared little boy." The crowd erupts into laughter once more. Rikki looks around, a frown on her face.
"Say what he wants I'm not the one who screamed after seeing a measly shark," Zane responded.
"I'd like to see his reaction, then he could try and talk smack," Emma glared.
"I mean if you saw a mythical creature with your own eyes, wouldn't you be scared too? After seeing it speed off in the water like it was nothing?" Zane questioned. "Meh, he has a good point," Lewis shrugged as he looked over at the girls. He wasn't afraid to say that even he was terrified after seeing Cleo transform into something that was supposed to be impossible for the first time.
Zane: steps closer to his friend and grits his teeth. "Nate, do me a favor and don't help."
Nate: holds his hands up and laughs. "Okay."
"You call that help?" Kim laughed.
"And that's why you never ask him for help," Zane shook his head.
Emma: "So uh what exactly did this mermaid look like?" Cleo and Emma eyed him warily.
"Why would you ask? You already know!" Will exclaimed. "Emma," Lisa said in a frightened tone. It was too risky for her to ask. "I needed to know what he saw. Since he didn't know it was me, it didn't hurt to ask," Emma replied.
Zane: "She had red hair."
Miriam: "Was she cute?"
"Of course, that's all she was worried about," Rikki rolled her eyes.
Zane: "I didn't see her face."
"And thank goodness you didn't," Emma mumbled. If he saw her, if he had seen any of them … the possibilities of what could've happened were endless.
Cleo: "Old, young?" Behind her, Lewis walks through the beaded curtains.
"If he didn't see her face then how do you think he'll be able to tell, Cleo?" Kim sighed. "By their height? If they had wrinkles?" Cleo suggested.
Zane: "I don't know. But I told you there was something about that old woman."
Emma: "Mrs. Chatham has gray hair, Zane. She's not your mermaid."
"I don't know, maybe if she dyes her hair," Max laughed, and Emma blushed.
Zane: "Yeah, ok, maybe not. But she's somehow connected."
"The only way they would be connected is through that interview but even that doesn't explain it," Harrison remarked. "She used to be a mermaid! It kinda does," Zane exclaimed.
Emma: huffs then looks at Nate. "What about you, Nate? What exactly did you see?"
"Nothing, because he chickened out," Zane answered. "You would too if you had seen the shark," Cleo said. "Eh, not really. I've dealt with them once I'm sure I can handle them again," Zane shrugged. "Don't get too cocky. You never know, it might just happen again," Neil muttered to himself.
Nate: holds his hands up. "Well, nothing. I was on the surface by then."
"Well, at least he owned up to it," Will chuckled. "I'm just glad he wasn't there. Nate would be a whole lot worse than Zane ever finding out," Emma admitted.
Emma: turns back to Zane. "Zane, I think the oxygen got cut off to your brain." Emma, Cleo, and Lewis walk to the corner. Rikki stays while the rest of the crowd disperses.
Miriam: puts a hand on his shoulder. "Look babe, maybe you need to chill for a while." Zane throws her hand off and storms out of the café. Rikki watches him go. She glances back towards her friends before following him out.
"It does sound rather unbelievable," Charlotte informed. "Ya think?" Zane sarcastically said.
"Who would've thought he was telling the truth the entire time," Don said.
"Em, that was very brave of you. To be able to stand up to him without showing any signs of fear," Bev nodded towards her. "I was mainly just trying to throw suspicions off of us," Emma admitted.
"You could've told us where you went," Cleo whispered to Rikki. "After that whole debacle? I don't think so," Rikki whispered back.
Emma: to Lewis and Cleo as they walk to their booth, talking quietly. "He saw me."
Lewis: "How?" They sit down in the booth. Lewis next to Emma and the two across from Cleo.
"You just heard them talking about mermaids and you ask that question now?" Kim asked. "Didn't exactly have time to have them catch me up on the details. I never saw them after Emma's dive until then," Lewis said.
Emma: "Out on Mrs. Chatham's boat. I was careless. I'm an idiot." Shakes her head and covers her eyes with her hand.
"Don't beat yourself up, sweetheart. It could've happened to anybody," Lisa said, trying to make her feel better. "Yeah, but out of everybody, why did it have to be her? My daughter?" Neil asked in worry.
Lewis: "Oh, no. Don't beat yourself up about it. I mean, look around." Gestures around the room. "No one's going to believe him."
"You got that right," Zane huffed. Denman nodded. She would've never believed him either if the photos didn't exist. If she didn't see it for herself.
Cleo: "He's not going to let it go either, though."
"You also got that right," Emma sighed.
Lewis: sighs. "Alright, look. Well, as long as you don't go in the water, he can't find you."
"He does have a point. As long as you don't go in while he's around, then you ought to be fine. He can't catch you when he doesn't see a tail," Sam nodded. "There's always a risk that I could get splashed on land though," Emma pointed out.
Cleo: looks around, realizing someone's missing. "Wait. Where's Rikki?" The two look around, noticing as well that she was gone.
Lewis: frowns then looks back at them. "What's up with her, lately?"
"I was busy. You don't have to know my business all the time, Lewis," Rikki sighed in annoyance. "No but usually when you disappear during a crisis it's never a good sign," Lewis shrugged.
[Outside, Zane storms off from the café property. A curly-haired blonde though runs after him, trying to get his attention.]
Rikki: runs off of the patio and into the grass where Zane was still walking away. "Zane. Zane, wait."
Zane: angry, still walking. "What? Do you want to humiliate me some more?"
"You humiliated yourself, she didn't have to do anything," Emma grinned. "You added to it," Zane pointed out. "I never made fun of you … not then at least," Rikki said.
Rikki: finally catches up to him. "No audience, no point."
"Not the time, Rikki, not the time," Terry chuckled.
Zane: "Oh, that's very big of you."
Rikki: "I want to go out with you."
"Now that's timing," Terry said, surprised that she decided that quickly. It wasn't immediate but it wasn't slow enough for his liking. But if Rikki thought she was making the right decision by saying yes, then he wasn't going to complain about it … much. He was hunting a mermaid and being a mermaid herself, it did worry him. He just wanted to make sure she was alright.
[Zane stops then slowly turns to her.]
Rikki: silent as she thinks her next words through before speaking up. "But the mermaid talk stops." Zane gives her a painful expression before looking down.
Emma looked at her in surprise. She had thought when she was dating him that she didn't care about him talking about it. Did she try to protect her that much? "What's with the look? You know I would always protect you guys. Like Mrs. Chatham said, we're in this secret together," Rikki nodded with a small smile. Emma returns it.
Rikki: "Look, I like you. Don't ask me why because I have no idea. But I do."
"Me neither. To this day I still can't figure it out," Lewis shook his head. "You saw the same thing we did. There's a perfectly good reason as to why she does. They're good for each other," Cleo told him before smiling at Rikki.
Zane: "No mermaids?"
Rikki: nods. "That's the deal. Take it or leave it."
Zane: slowly smiles then nods. "Ok, no mermaids." Rikki smiles and the two walk off, together.
"Surprisingly he kept up with the deal, mostly," Rikki said, giving him a look. "It's hard giving up on something you were so motivated about," Zane shrugged.
Terry eyed the two suspiciously. She clearly did like him and vice versa. He just hoped he was good to her.
"Okay, I think it's all time for us to hit the hay. That was quite a rollercoaster there," Neil said. Though he wanted to talk to his wife as soon as possible. This episode really stirred up a lot of thoughts for him. "I am quite drained myself," Mrs. Chatham admitted as she stood up with the help of Max.
While everyone began to stand and say goodnight to one another, Rikki had slipped away unseen, wanting to be the first to get to her dorm so that she could avoid all or any questions about previous events. But unfortunately, luck was never on her side, and she wasn't as unseen as she had hoped. Just as she was about to grab the handle, she heard her father's voice. "Uh, Rikki," Terry said.
Rikki couldn't help the defeated look that showed. She knew what it was about. She changed her expression to a calm demeanor before slowly turning to her dad, who was still in the crowd. The crowd that was heading towards the door, was either too tired to worry or wrapped up in their thoughts. "A word please?" Rikki let out a breath then slowly walked through the group, opposite of her exit. "Right."
Zane couldn't help but feel bad. He hoped that he didn't get her in trouble. Or caused any. But this is Rikki he's thinking about. Surely, she could handle any problems that come her way, right?