Mermaids and Mysteries | H2O

Chapter XVI

*Nala's POV*
I admit, perhaps I was falling for Ezra but some feelings aren't going to get in the way of our growing friendship. I just wanted to hang out with him all the time, despite coming to the beach to be alone. Thankfully, he forgave me at once, for ditching him at the party last night. I was worried when he'd been ignoring me ever since.

"Will I see you at Rikki's later?" he asked.
"Oh- I-I wouldn't count on it, Rikki and I aren't really-"
"No big deal, I didn't think you and Rikki actually knew each other before the whole situation."

He smiles his unforgettably familiar smile and holds out his hand while I hold my arms out for a hug. Bad idea, you're just friends, remember? I go to shake his hand and he goes in for a sort of bro-hug. You know, when guys sort of pull each other into a hug with a sort of hand shake so it doesn't seem romantic?

I was short and leaned into his chest with my hand way above my head. This wasn't really working, so Ezra released my hand and moved him arm down to my back. I held his waist because it was all I could reach.

After a long super-cute hug, I smile and watch him walk away. He had to go to work at the café and I wasn't really up for listening to more lectures and apologies from Rikki and her lying, mermaid friends.

*Emma's POV*
It was past 3:00am when I called Cleo, but she answered after the first ring. Standing outside her bedroom window, I could hear her panicked shrieks and sobs before I even picked up my phone. As I walked back home in the dark, I thought I should probably check up on my best friend.

"Emma? Seriously? Are you- are you alright?" she blurts out.
"I'm fine Cleo, can you let me in, I need to talk to you," I say.
"Let you in?"
"I'm outside your house," I giggle.

Cleo must have sprinted down the stairs because the door flew open a matter of seconds later. Dressed in her fluffy stripped pajamas, Cleo races towards me, leaping and pushing me into a very tight hug.

"I- I just started to think I'd lost you forever," she sobs.
"Cleo," it hurt me to see her in so much panic. "Everything's alright now."

She takes me inside to tell her everything. She explains how Don, Sam and Kim were all sleeping so we'd have to be quiet. Not that we were ever overly loud when discussing a secret as important as ours.

"It started at the party, some of my friends from the swim team had come and they were all drinking. I didn't want to drink at all, I knew I had to keep my eyes on the price; Tammy and Nala. But what started out as a shot turned into a glass."

"I fell asleep, my head too sore to even open my eyes and when I did, everything was blurry. I remember being woken up by Cleo's ringtone really early but I was so tired that I fell right back to sleep."

"Next thing I know, I'm in a dark place, Denman's van I think, and when I wake up again, an even smaller dark. She had me in some sort of coffin. I heard a lot of talking, mentions of rehab and someone yelling that murder isn't the answer. I thought they meant murdering fish, but I'm not so sure anymore."

"I waited until all the voices stopped and then I came out. I climbed out an open window, that's the part I don't understand. Why wouldn't you shut and lock the window if you were keeping a body in your secret lab? I'm guessing she needed me alive so she could get information on you, Rikki and Bella. So she can- you know- end us."

"Wait, so you think Dr Denman wants to kill us? That's a little extreme."
"From what I heard, she's been obsessed with mermaids and everyone thinks she's crazy so she was sent to rehab, a perfect place to plot an evil plan like this one," I explain.
"Emma- you're not serious, are you?" she shivers at the thought.
"Why would I joke about this?"

We spent the rest of the night coming up with possible situations but refused to believe any of them until we had further information from Will. Now that Sophie has the job as Denman's assistant, she's bound to tell Sophie everything. And Sophie can't keep a secret.

*Nala's POV*
Watching Rikki's friend sing at the café wasn't the same anymore. I stared at her as she sang "If You Could Stay," and she stared right back. I could tell I was putting her off, she kept missing beats and skipping lines.

"I thought I'm the girl with everything. If only you could stay, if only you could stay around a while for me, thought I had it all and anything. I wanted you, to really matter," she sang.

The girl with everything? It was from The Little Mermaid. Wouldn't you think I'm the girl, the girl who has everything? It was cute how she added her own little mermaid twists to all her songs that no one could understand.

"When all is said and done for me, there is no other one for me. 'Cause every time you speak, I feel my eyes drifting all around you," she finished the song which concluded their rehearsal and my free concert.

I feel the booth couch rise and fall, looking up to find the singer sitting across from me, a large smile plastered on her face. I stare at her and wait for her to speak but she doesn't, she just stares happily, which was quite creepy if I'm totally honest.

"Did you- did you want something?" I try to ask politely but it sounds ruder than I meant.
"We've got to stick together," she smiles. "Mermaids that swim together stay together."
"You want me to swim with you?"
"Yep," she says, cheerfully.
"I don't know, I was kind of waiting for my friend to finish his shift and-"
"I know the coolest coral spots in the whole of the Gold Coast," the girl whisper-shouts.
"How do I know this isn't a trap?" I question.
"A trap? Oh my. Good point, we're just strangers. I'm Bella."
"Nala," I hold my hand out across the table and she shakes it happily.

She grabs us both a strawberry smoothie after noticing mine was empty. I'm pretty sure she was just trying to be friendly, but being a mermaid has come with some serious trust issues.

We made small talk, I told her how I liked the band and she told me about the college she was hoping to apply to after a gap year. Turns out, we'd both be going to the same college if things all worked out.

"I know, you're probably sick of hearing this," she says after an awkward silence. "But you've really got to be careful with this secret."
"I know," I smile.
"I mean like there is a crazy, mermaid hunting doctor out there who kidnapped my friend yesterday."
"Really?" I say, shocked.
"Yeah, we think the doctor's gone insane and is doing anything to get revenge on mermaids."
"Revenge? What happened?"

I knew she was probably being over dramatic but the story was intriguing.

"3 years ago, the doctor came in contact with Cleo, Rikki and another mermaid. She locked them in the moon pool, the cave you became mermaids in. She's smart, she found out about my friend and she might know about you."
"Me?"
"Your friend got you into a bit of trouble at her boat on the full moon."

Bella explains everything about the full moon and how the party was to keep Tammy and I out of the moonlight. She tells me some facts about my tail and how she got hers in Ireland. I was glad to have an experienced mermaid I could actually trust.

"I promise, I wanted to tell you every detail of the secret since the start but the others were against it," she admits.

Suddenly, Rikki sweeps through the beaded café doors and harshly grabs Bella by the wrist. She spots me and loosens her grip, faking a smile. I can tell she's worried though, probably about the creepy mermaid hunter.

"Nala? Would you like to join us?" she asks.
"Ahhh-"

I glance over at Bella and she smiles encouragingly. Though I would like to, I really couldn't forgive Rikki, Bella or Cleo for lying to me. I shake my head and watch Bella be pulled away towards the office.

Hey guys!
Hope you're enjoying the story so far. Please leave a comment or a vote, they help me out a lot. Also, if you ever feel like talking to anyone, I'm never busy. Besides, I'm constantly lonely and really need a few friends. High key hinting at all of you to message me.
-Myah xox