Aria spent her whole life believing she was just like everyone else-ordinary, with nothing out of the ordinary world. That all changed the day she made the choice to visit Mako Island.
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'I wanna stay up 'til the sun comes up, and I'm just wanna be with you.'
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Aria's POV:
We sat quietly by the edge of Zac's pool, watching as he swam around effortlessly, his shimmering tail cutting through the water. He had earbuds in, completely unaware of our presence as we waited for him to notice us.
Lyla smirked as Zac finally emerged, shaking the water from his hair and looking at us in surprise. "You're taking a risk, aren't you?" she teased.
Zac grinned, seemingly unfazed. "I felt like chilling out."
"Anyone could have walked in here," Nixie pointed out, raising an eyebrow.
"My parents are at work," Zac shrugged. "And people don't usually drop in."
"We did," Sirena smiled, and I nodded in agreement.
"You forget?" Zac said, leaning against the pool's edge. "I can always make myself disappear if I had to."
When he finally dried off, we headed inside the house, the weight of the conversation that was about to come lingering in the air.
"It's much easier to think underwater," Zac said, a thoughtful smile on his face.
I instinctively nodded. "It is..." I started, my voice soft, but then I froze, realizing what I had just said. "I mean... it must be really peaceful down there."
Zac's gaze locked onto mine, and for a moment, it felt like he saw right through me. "I can see things very clearly down there," he said, his tone more serious. "That's why I'm going back to Mako. I've got to figure out how this happened to me."
My heart sank. This was exactly what we had been trying to avoid—Zac returning to Mako. We all shared nervous glances, knowing the risk it posed, not just to him, but to all of us.
"What if something happens to you?" I blurted out, my worry clear in my voice.
"It's not a place to be on your own," Lyla added, her usual confidence wavering.
Zac looked at us earnestly. "You're welcome to come with me."
We all sighed inwardly. The problem was, none of us could join him without revealing our secret. If Zac discovered we were mermaids, everything would change.
"We're gonna have to think about that one," Nixie said, her voice uncertain.
"Sure," Zac nodded, seeming to understand. "I appreciate everything you've done for me, but I'm going back to Mako today."
***
"If he's going, we have to go with him," Lyla sighed as we walked into the grotto, her voice filled with a quiet resolve. The weight of the situation pressed on us, thick like the humid air inside.
