Waterworks (H2O Just Add Water) 🌊

2. Pool Party

It wasn't long after that strange event on Mako Island. I tried my hardest to act like everything was normal. But what was normal if trying to avoid contact with water without sprouting a fishtail after getting soaked, even if it was just a tiny drip?

I had a hunch that someday, Dad and my grandparents would sooner or later find out the truth and the Mako Island incident. It's hard to hide anything, especially from Grandma who had a sharp eye.

On the plus side, I enjoyed the swimming underwater part without surfacing for a little while. The fun part was the wild dolphins arriving and wanting to play. I even explored a river that connected with the sea and discovered a small group of dugongs that lived there and migrated to the ocean at a certain time of year. They turned out to be super friendly, and super adorable. The dugongs were often thought to be behind the inspiration for mermaids, or mistaken for one. It saddened me on learning they were on the list of endangered species, due to overhunting and boating accidents which resulted in their deaths. Many people all over the world are still trying to preserve the species that many countries banned the hunting of dugongs.

Before everyone was up, I'd meet up with Rikki for an early morning swim. Plus, I got into the habit of leaving a note on the fridge letting either Dad or my grandparents know where I was and when I would be back. I even got to show Rikki the dugongs one day. She too found them to be adorable. I wished I had a camera when a baby dugong started hugging the both of us, though that would've revealed our mermaid sides. I had yet to introduce Emma and Cleo to the dugongs knowing they would love them if the latter could conquer her aquaphobia that is.

One morning, after an early-in-the-day swim before school and playing with our dolphin and dugong friends, Rikki and I surfaced back to shore. I often made sure there was no one around before pulling ourselves back onto the beach and drying ourselves off. I noticed on my phone, which was in the side pocket of my backpack that I had a text. I opened it seeing it was an urgent message from Cleo. It was just a pic of an orange, black, and white fish. That confirmed to me she discovered something new about our mermaid effects.

🌊

We met in Cleo's bedroom. I briefly got to meet her family. Rikki lounged on the bed while I sat on a chair. Emma arrived soon after Cleo came out of her bathroom holding a moisturizer bottle.

"This is a catastrophe of the highest order!" she exclaimed, "Moisturizer is mainly water."

I knew that already after finding out the hard way. After applying lotion on my feet, I sprouted a tail. Thankfully no one saw me when I struggled to dry myself off. Plus, I kept a hidden stash of towels in my room just in case. Though I wonder if Grandma noticed anything peculiar?

"If dolphins can swim for miles, so can we," Rikki stated not paying attention.

"We can't moisturize ever again!" Cleo remarked.

"We could swim to Fiji. Could you imagine that?"

"That'd be fun! Or even to New Zealand or Tahiti or South Africa," I nodded.

"Our skin will be dry and wrinkly. We'll be geriatrics by the time we're 21," Cleo was still focused on the fact she couldn't use her moisturizer again.

"I missed training today," Emma spoke up, "First time in six years."

"See? See how bad this is?" Cleo stared at us, "We have to tell somebody. Our parents, a doctor, the police."

"And end up a mermaid in a straight jacket with moisturized skin? Forget it," Rikki shook her head.

"That ain't gonna happen. Besides, we'd end up right on Looney Lane," I stated.