Secrets of the Island (Sequel to Mysteries of Mako)

Chapter 3: First Date

~Manoa's POV~

It was just another day in the Grotto. We were hanging out and looking at stuff when Mimmi called us over. She was showing us a duplication spell she had been working on by using it on some oysters, two of which Ondina took and started to eat.

"You need to teach me that spell," she says when she's done with the oysters.

"You'll have to teach me sometime as well." I say.

Sometime later, we headed out to the cafe. Jasper arrived shortly after us and asked to talk with Ondina. She agreed, and the two left. Erik then came by a moment later.

"Hey, Manoa." He says.

"Hi." I respond.

"You're just in time to take our order." Mimmi says.

"Actually, I'm not on today. Anyway, Manoa, I was hoping we could take a walk."

"Right now?" I ask.

"Now would be good."

I was unsure at first, but Sirena said it was fine. We then left and went to a nearby park, stopping by some trees.

"So I was out by the reef today, and I found something." He says, pulling out a small box and handing it to me.

"What's this?" I ask as I take it.

"Open it."

I do so, and I see a beautiful pink and white shell on a cord, with a few smaller white shells by it.

"This is beautiful." I say, "I love these kinds of shells, how did you..."

"I guess you could call it a secret merman power, like a sixth sense. And I asked Sirena."

"You asked about me?"

"Is that not cool?"

"No, it's cool. And you found these all today?"

"Well, the main one. I had the others lying around, and I had a little trouble getting them on the cord."

"I love it." I say, taking it out of the box, and put it on with Erik's help.

"I was also wondering if we still wanted to go on that date at the Marine Park, if you remember that."

"Yes, that would be fun."

We then walked over to the Marine Park, where we spent a lot of time wandering around, looking at the fish, and talking with each other. It was still a lot of fun though. Some time later, Erik's phone went off.

"Zac, what's up?" He answers. "No, I'm at the Marine Park with Manoa. What's going on? She did what? Okay, I'll let you know if we find anything." He then hangs up.

"What was that about?" I ask.

"Apparently, Ondina turned Jasper into a cat, or four cats, and Zac wanted to know if we'd seen any of them."

"Seriously, Ondina." I say under my breath, annoyed. "I should go see what she's doing now, and maybe try to help fix this."

"I'll come with you."

"No, you don't have to-"

"I want to. Besides, maybe I could help."

"Okay, come on."

We left the Marine Park and headed to the Grotto, where we found Mimmi, Ondina, and two white cats.

"Manoa, Erik, what are you doing here?" Mimmi asked us.

"Zac called. Told us what was going on." Erik says.

"How did this happen?" I ask.

"Ondina accidentally knocked some Golden Spider Coral on Jasper, which turned him into the one cat along with Poseidon, and when she tried to undo it, she only made more cats." Mimmi explained.

"So where are the other two?" Erik asks.

"One is with Rita, and Sirena went to look for the other at the Cafe."

"I'll get the one from Rita." I say, and leave to find them by the balcony. Rita was on her phone with her back turned, so I quietly picked up the cat and brought him back to the Grotto. When I got there, Erik was gone. "Found him. Where's Erik?"

"He went to help Sirena." Mimmi answers.

Sometime later, the two returned with the last cat.

"Found the last one." Sirena says as they set the cat down with the others.

"Great." Mimmi says.

"How is this great?" Ondina asked in a panicked tone after being silent since Erik and I showed up. "There is no more Golden Spider Coral."

Soon, Rita was calling for Poseidon, and Sirena left to stall her.

"What's the point, Mimmi?" Ondina asks. "It's over." She then turns to the four cats. "I'm so sorry, Jasper. I'll make it up to you. For the rest of your life, you'll only be fed the finest fish, straight from the ocean."

"Ondina, stop." I say, but she ignores me.

"And you'll always have fresh kitty litter."

"Ondina, it's going to be okay." Erik assures her.

"How?" She snaps. "Tell me! How is it possibly going to be okay?"

"There is a way to change Jasper back." Mimmi says, "We just need to find it."

"Where?" Ondina asks. "Under the couch? In the cupboard? In your imagination? It's empty. There is no more Golden Spider Coral."

To prove her point, she picked up the container and tipped it over, where a single gold speck fell out and landed on Mimmi's finger.

"Look." She says.

"It's just one speck." Ondina responds.

"But we can make more." I say, realizing where Mimmi was going with this. The two of us then used our Moon Rings on it and created a small pile of it.

"Manoa, you're brilliant." Ondina says, a little more hopeful.

"All clear." Sirena says as she comes back in. "She's gone back upstairs." She then noticed what we were doing. "You made more?"

"Yup." Ondina says, "Everything is going to be okay."

"The only question is, is it enough?" Mimmi adds.

"What?" I ask.

"I don't know how these things work." Mimmi explains. "It could turn him into eight cats, or one gigantic cat-"

"Do it." Erik says.

"But-"

"We don't have time." He adds as he takes the Golden Spider Coral and sprinkles it over the four cats.

Ondina hid behind Sirena and I as Mimmi used her Moon Ring on the cats, and in a flash of light, we saw Jasper holding Poseidon.

"Ondina?" he asks.

"Jasper!" she exclaimed excitedly and rushed over to him.

"Did I miss something?" he asks.

"Nothing at all." Erik answers as Mimmi, Sirena, and I tried not to laugh.

When that was over, Erik and I went back to the park.

"Well, that was... something." I say.

"It certainly was." he responds. "Maybe we could do it again sometime, without any problems."

"I'd like that."

A/N: Okay, so not one of my better updates, but this turned out to be a harder chapter to write than I thought, so I needed more time. Next one should hopefully be more interesting. Thank you for being so patient with me, and I'll see you guys soon!

~Sarah_Renai