Mermaids and Mysteries | H2O

Chapter XXII

*Bella's POV*
"It's locked?" I mumble, half in disbelief that we'd already met defeat at 11pm.

East Coastal High School had large barbed wire gates around the entire campus, making it difficult to get in and rescue a kidnapped friend in the middle of the night. The nine of us (Emma, Cleo, Rikki, Tammy, Zane, Lewis, Will, Ash and I) had a dream team plan to save Nala from Dr. Denman and her obsessive mermaid tests and none of the plans included a locked 10 foot fence.

Sophie had let off that Dr. Denman had captured a real mermaid and was keeping her at a high school on the coast to do tests. We were certain it was Nala that she'd captured but we weren't so certain she'd be in this neat little school by the beach. It had beige brick walls and green grass with finely trimmed hedges, the school logo printed onto the larger walls.

"Denman has to have crew getting in and out of here somehow, we'll split up to find an entrance and meet around the other side of the fence," Zane ordered.
"Sounds like a plan."

We nodded in agreement and split into 2 groups based on whose phone had the brightest flashlights. I was with Cleo, Lewis and Tammy and we were headed around the north side of the school. Cleo defensively latched onto Lewis, who was the only one with a real flashlight and I walked closely by Tammy who was on the brink of a breakdown, I could tell.

"It'll be alright, we'll find her," I reassured her.
"This is just one high school though, there are hundreds on the coast, just because it's nearby doesn't mean she's here, we could be running out of time, she could die and-" Tammy rambled.
"Sh- Deep breaths," I said.

Tammy clutched her lit-up phone tightly and counted her breaths. I'd never seen her tense before, she was usually fierce and cold. She was right though, Nala could be anywhere with Dr Denman and there was no sign of light or anyone in this school. Sophie could've lied too, why would you come to a high school, there are laboratories and things around here. This is just a place that probably still stinks of teenaged body odor that's closed for summer.

"We got this ladies, you're mermaids on a mission, we always save the day," Lewis announced from up front.

We walked in silence from there, Lewis holding the flashlight up to the fence every 20 steps to check for any small gaps that Cleo could fit through. All the gates we passed were shut tightly with a padlock. The air was warm but the moon was thin and the night was dark, making me uneasy.

+ + +

I see a small circle of light walking towards us on the ground and realize the other group has done their lap around the school also. I couldn't make out their disappointed faces but it didn't appear they'd found a way inside either.

"Nothing?" Cleo asks.
"Nothing." Rikki responds, sighing.
"This can't be it, there's gotta be a way to get to her," Emma said in frustration.
I looked at Tammy, "This is your school, do you know of any secret underground passageways?"
"I assume there's a sewer down there somewhere but I don't really want to try my luck," she says.

I looked around, each person apparently lost in thought, trying to figure this out. We'd come too far to give this up now. We begin walking back to the school's main entrance, I hated walking in silence but no one knew what to say anymore, we were defeated. We almost walk past the gate towards the car park, when I hear a thud.

"We're camping out here!" Lewis shines his flashlight on the ground to reveal that Rikki had stubbornly thrown herself at the floor, she wasn't going to leave without a fight.
"You're right," Zane joins her on the fresh grass.