Waterworks (H2O Just Add Water) 🌊

23. In Too Deep

(I don't own this photo. All credit goes out to the creators. This is the girl who I pictured as Ida in her teenage years.)

Rikki informed Cleo, Emma, and me of discovering a necklace at a jewelry shop at the mall that resembled the ones Miss Chatham, Cleo, and I wore. I found it astonishing that they were the same, except for the stone piece. The pic of the necklace Rikki showed us had a ruby red stone near the loop. We ran into Miss Chatham who was already curious about the topic.

"Julia," Miss Chatham sighed sadly upon seeing the pic.

"Julia?" Cleo wondered.

"She's gone?"

"They said it was from a deceased estate," Rikki clarified, "Deceased is--" She stopped herself not wanting to upset the grieving elderly woman who had lost many loved ones and close friends, including her husband over the years.

"She's gone," Miss Chatham replied already knowing what the word meant.

"It's all right," Cleo assured the elderly woman.

"Julia was one of your friends?" I inquired.

"A very special friend. Yes. Like you four are to each other."

Miss Chatham turned to Cleo, "Yours belonged to Gracie." She placed a hand on herself, feeling the pendant, "This is mine." The elderly woman turned to me, "Yours was Ida's." She glanced at the pic, "And the last one-- it was Julia's."

"We'll get it back, Miss Chatham. I'll make sure of it," Rikki assured her as the latter handed the phone back to her.

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Later, while Rikki went to see about getting the necklace, Cleo, Emma, and I brought Miss Chatham over to the Gilbert house.

"Don't worry, Miss Chatham. Rikki will get the locket back," Emma assured her after providing tea and cookies.

"I'm sorry," the elderly woman apologized feeling that she had burdened us with everything, "I don't want to be a bother."

"It's fine if you want to talk about it."

"Oh, yes. Talking is very good. It's healthy. That and digestive biscuits. You can never get enough bran. Remember that, girls."

"So tell us about Julia," Cleo nodded.

"Please?" I asked feeling curious about her since she was Miss Chatham and Ida's close friend.

"I was fifteen," Miss Chatham began, "Julia, Gracie, Ida, and I-- we were just like you." As she started telling us, I visualized four teenage girls, one of them being Ida as they explored the cavern after arriving on Mako Island. They came upon the moon pool. One by one they all got into the water and waded in happily. 

"It was exciting, unbelievable, magic," Miss Chatham continued as I pictured the moonlight beaming into the volcano cone and the bubbles and star-like sparkles floated above them as the moon pool jetted lightly. 

"We shared the secret. We shared the adventure," The elderly woman continued as I envisioned the scene changing to all four of them in their mermaid forms as they hung out in the moon pool and swam through the water. I had to guess Ida's experience as a mermaid was what inspired her to take up art and paint underwater scenes.

Miss Chatham sighed and opened her locket, "I don't have to tell you how special that is." 

Cleo, Emma, and I each gave her an assuring smile.

"That must have been hard on you, dealing with all that when you were so young," Cleo expressed.

"No younger than you," Miss Chatham chuckled.