Waterworks (H2O Just Add Water) 🌊

25. Dr. Danger

Cleo notified me that Dr. Denman was back in town after she and Lewis saw her boat anchored close to Mako Island. I had a stinking feeling that it had something to do with the sample she took from Lewis some months ago. Cleo and I headed over to the Gilbert house to warn Emma.

Both of us entered her room to find Emma going through a family photo album and Rikki seated on a chair. 

"OK, I don't wanna alarm you, but we've got trouble," Cleo started, "What's-her-face is back in town."

"Um, you're gonna have to be a little more specific than that," Rikki remarked.

"Oh, you know, the blonde vixen who ran off into the sunset with Lewis and the sample of our DNA."

"Though to clarify that, that didn't specifically happen," I corrected her, "Lewis managed to get the sample back and erase any evidence of us."

"I know that, Zoey," Cleo turned to me.

"The marine biologist, the beautiful one," Rikki nodded recalling Denman to mind.

"Beautiful? Her eyes are way too close together."

"So, what's Dr. Denman doing back here?" Emma wondered.

"I don't know," Cleo answered, "But her boat was anchored off Mako Island this afternoon."

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Later, the girls and I met up with Lewis at the Juice-Net. He had met with Denman to find out what brought her back to the Gold Coast. The other girls were certain the marine biologist had returned with other intentions.

"It sounds like a standard environmental research," Lewis explained after informing us of his meeting.

"And if it isn't?" Cleo wondered.

"She has no reason to lie and I've seen her charts, and it just looks like basic statistics. You guys are safe, I'm sure."

"As sure as you were when she almost saw our DNA, or surer than that?"

"What Cleo's trying to say is that it's not exactly a warm and fuzzy feeling having a marine biologist poking around Mako Island," Rikki clarified.

"What's this about Mako Island?" Zane wondered as he approached our booth.

I had to guess he overheard our conversation.

"Uhmm, nothing," Lewis answered.

"I heard you talking about Mako Island. Something about a marine biologist?"

"Yeah, there's just some hotshot marine biologists poking around out there. Nothing special," Rikki replied, "Hey, that shirt's nice, is it new? Sexy!" She tried taking Zane off the topic as he had been obsessed with finding the two mermaids, not realizing they were Emma and me, "Do you want a drink?" Rikki got up from her seat and headed toward the counter to put in an order.

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I met with Patrick at a froyo place at the mall. He had finished his shift and asked me to meet up with him and bought both our frozen yogurts. Ever since the school dance, Patrick and I've been contacting each other. And I've told the other girls about me seeing him not wanting to repeat Rikki's keeping her relationship with Zane hidden from us. They trusted that I wouldn't tell Patrick anything about our mermaid sides. I wasn't stupid, that's for sure! Just as long as he didn't try to convince me to do some water activity with him.

"So what plans do ya got for summer break, Zo?" Patrick wondered after he got our frozen yogurts.

"Not sure. Possibly my second cousin and his family visiting us soon, and me getting stuck with babysitting my third cousins," I replied digging my spoon into a pineapple-flavored yogurt, "Don't get me wrong, the kids are great most of the time. Sometimes they like to bring in small reptiles they find in the backyard. I don't know what's going on in their heads."