I do not own H2O: Just Add Water or any of the characters.
Chapter 18: Moon Spell (part 2)
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[Rikki and Cleo walk out onto the pier and find Emma's shoes on the ledge. They stop, standing beside them.]
Rikki: "Emma's new shoes." They turn to look around, hands on hips.
Cleo: "There's something just not right about this." Drops her hands.
Rikki: they turn to look back, facing the water. "That's the understatement of the year."
"More like of the decade," Zane muttered. "What makes you say that? Is it Emma acting like a total goofball or the sardines?" Kim asks sarcastically. Cleo rolls her eyes playfully.
Lewis: walks up to them and stands in between them, sighing. "I've been looking everywhere for you guys. Have you seen Emma?"
Cleo: bends down to pick up the shoes and shows them to him. "We found these. And they're –." Before she could finish talking, the full moon comes out from up under the clouds, revealing itself to them. Rikki and Cleo pause, slowly turning to stare at it as if they were in a trance; almost the same way as Emma was.
"Oh no, not you guys too!" Elliot says in worry. Terry and Cleo's family watch with worry and fear, afraid that they might fall for the same thing that happened to Emma. Cleo, who noticed their facial features, their eyes filling with worry, tries calming them down. "Don't worry, we didn't get moon spelled like she did." "Not that night at least," Rikki mumbles. "But how?" Kim asks, wide-eyed, hoping her sister did not turn crazy like Emma did. "Guess the moon wasn't strong enough," Rikki shrugs, not really knowing for sure. "Only on powerful full moons, it can," Mrs. Chatham informs them, confusing everyone else on how she knows so much.
The girls shiver at the reminder of the last full moon they experienced, from when they got their new powers. They only hope that it doesn't show their dangerous new 'upgrade.' Lewis squints, still thinking about the planetary alignments, thinking it has something to do with that before focusing back on the screen.
Lewis: hands on hips, he looks at Cleo. "Are they Emma's?" After getting no response, he tries again. "Cleo, are they Emma's?" Still no reply as they focus on the moon's power. Noticing her dazed look, he tries snapping his fingers in front of her face, to no effect. "Rikki." He turns to her and sees she is in the same state. Snapping his fingers again, she doesn't budge. He turns back to Cleo, trying to get her attention again. "Cleo." He pokes her, but she doesn't flinch. He glances at the moon and notices that it gets covered by the clouds. Smirking, and beginning to get the idea, he holds his arm up and aims to slap Rikki. Swinging his hand at her, she quickly blocks it with her arm.
Rikki: turns to him, glaring, and holds up a finger. "That, would be a big mistake."
"Did you just try to slap my daughter?" Terry glares at him but is utterly relieved that Cleo was right about them not being moon spelled. "No!" Lewis shouts, shaking his head quickly, yet nervously, thinking that he might get in trouble again.
"Death sentence, Lewis! Seriously, what is wrong with you? Even I wouldn't do something that stupid!" Zane says, shocked that Lewis would even dare to try something ridiculous like that. Especially if he almost tried to hit his girlfriend!
"But, you guys didn't even budge," Will says. Cleo sighs, nodding towards the screen. "When that happens, it's like we are in our own world, but we can't do anything. We can't hear or feel anything at all."
"So, you're okay when the moon is hidden from view," Sam assumes. "Correct," Emma says.
Denman glares at the screen, furious that she cannot figure out how the moon could be causing all of this. Are you kidding me?! How can something that's in space, something that is too far to reach, do something like that? This doesn't make any sense! Max glances at her before leaning over and whispers in Mrs. Chatham's ear. "Do you think she'll give up yet?" "Not yet. Give her some time. Let her anger vanish," she giggles, knowing that sooner or later, she'll eventually quit.
Lewis: "I'm terribly sorry, but you guys just went extremely weird when that moon came out." He points at the full moon, still covered up by the clouds, and they both drop their arms, glancing at it.
"You sounded scared," Rikki chuckles. "Only a little."
Cleo: "This is what the old woman meant. She was trying to warn us."
Lewis: snapping, he waves his arms around. "What, old, woman?"
"I like how you keep calling her 'old woman,'" Max chuckles, teasing his old friend. "I have a name," she says jokingly. "We didn't know it at the time," Cleo admits sheepishly.
"Looks like she was right Don, seems like you owe her an apology," Bev says, glancing at him, a little angry with how he has been acting. "I don't know, there's something strange about her," Don says, narrowing his eyes.
Rikki: grins, getting the idea. "That first night at the moon pool at Mako Island was a full moon as well."
"Keen observation," Max smiles.
Denman frowns. So, their transformation does have something to do with the moon, but how? Why? How am I ever going to find out?!
[Emma pops up in front of them in the water. They look down at her.]
Emma: "You guys have got to come in." Lewis gives her a weird look. "Mako Island is amazing at night." She swirls around blissfully in the water. Rikki also gives her a crazy look, wide-eyed. "You've never seen anything like it." She splashes the water playfully.
"That is totally not creepy at all," Charlotte mutters. "I just had to be like that, that night," Emma sighs.
Rikki: points at her, looking at Lewis. "Lewis, pull her out, now."
Lewis: shocked. "Me? Why does it have to be me?"
"Because they can't get wet," Bella says as if it were obvious.
Rikki: "Well it's obvious we can't get wet." Cleo nods. "We could fall under the same moon spell, and then you'd have to pull us all out."
Emma: "Come to Mako Island with me. It's the most wonderful place. It's like an underwater wonderland. We could all live down there, forever." Emma sighs dreamily, while Rikki points at her again.
"So, you could drown him?" Bev asks skeptically. "Pretty sure the offer was only for us," Rikki says, pointing at both her and Cleo.
Lewis: understanding Rikki's body language, he huffs, and bends down. Getting closer to Emma, he puts on a smile. "Emma, of course we'll come with you. You just uh, take my hand and you can show me the way." Cleo and Rikki step back as he offers her his hand. She accepts it by grabbing his hand. He tries to pull her out, but she easily yanks him back and flips him into the water.
They all gasp at her strength to be able to do that, before laughing at him. "Wow, your strong," Ash says, amazed. "Did it one-handed as well." "Thanks, but, I don't know if that was from the moon or not," Emma blushes.
[Emma laughs while the girls stand there frozen in shock, mouths gaping wide open. After a few seconds, Lewis floats up to the top, clinging onto Emma's tail as he shakes his head rapidly and gasps for air. Rikki and Cleo sigh in relief, smiling, the latter nodding her head.]
"Glad that never happened to me," Zane chuckles.
"Please don't do that ever again," Lewis says deadpanned. "I don't think I could if I tried," Emma giggles.
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[A few minutes later, Lewis, who is now soaking wet, was able to get Emma out of the water and on a sun lounge. They are currently hiding behind the bushes on the patio, crouched down next to Emma. Rikki, who is steam drying her, stops as she sees Emma still has a tail.]
Rikki: "Nothing's happening. Her tail should be gone by now." She touches her tail and shrugs. "She's dry, but it's still there. Why isn't it working?" She looks over at the other two worriedly.
"So, you were stuck like that?" Elliot asks sadly. "Only until the full moon goes down," Emma says, trying to reassure him. "Then how did you manage to hide it for that long? We saw you that night," Lisa asks, astonished. "Let's just say that was one heck of a risky adventure," Rikki sighs, shaking her head.
Cleo: "It's the full moon. It's what the old lady said."
Lewis: whispers aggravatedly. "What old lady?"
"You were really annoyed," Charlotte says, giggling at how he looked.
"And I still didn't get an answer," Lewis says.
Emma: "I like my tail just the way it is. I think it's perfect." Wiggles it around.
Me too, Will thinks, smiling.
[Thea walks out onto the deck and hears Emma's voice. She looks in her direction but doesn't see her.]
Thea: "Is that you, Emma?" Lewis quickly covers Emma's mouth with his hand and holds her head still. Rikki and Cleo jump up quickly, revealing themselves, the former with her hands on her hips.
"Were you guys not worried that someone might see you from behind? It wasn't covered from the back," Annette points out. "Didn't think about it," Lewis says. "We covered what we could," Rikki sighs.
Cleo: "No. Just us. Cleo and Rikki, getting some air." Tilts her head.
Thea: "I'm looking for Emma. Her father's here."
"Really? Didn't notice. I mean it's not like I had a conversation with him earlier," Rikki says sarcastically, earning a glare from Emma.
[Lewis, still crouched down behind the bushes covering Emma's mouth, nods his head towards Thea. Cleo and Rikki walk over to her and stands on both sides of Thea. They chuckle and smile, looking at one another.]
Cleo: "Uh, just, watch out for bats."
Thea: looks at her. "Bats?" Lewis lowers his hands from Emma and peeks in the bushes at them.
"They do roam at night," Denman says, agreeing with the excuse.
"Big mistake, Lewis," Zane says, noticing him letting go of Emma.
Rikki: "There's a lot out tonight. Swarms of bats. There's thousands of them, actually." Cleo nods. Thea looks up and begins to walk back inside when Emma moves the leaves of the bushes aside and talks to her, revealing her head and her scaled bikini top.
Emma: "Hi Aunt Thea." Thea stops, hearing her, and snaps her head towards her. They all turn to look at her. "Do you want to come to Mako Island with me?" Rikki's eyes widen.
"Well, that's not good," Ash winces.
"How does she not notice?" Kim says, slightly annoyed.
Lewis: moves the leaves aside next to her, revealing himself, still crouched down. "Hey. Um, Emma's not exactly herself tonight." He smiles and puts the leaves back in place. Pulling them back once more, he moves Emma's hand out of the way, as she was still holding them back, and let's go of them again.
"Again, understatement of the year," Rikki says.
Thea: "What are Neil and Lisa doing with that child?" She storms off back inside. Cleo and Rikki walk back over to the two. Emma waves at their return.
"The question is what did we not know about our child," Lisa mutters, Neil nodding in agreement.
Cleo: "Phew. That was close." They crouch back down.
Rikki: "We need to do something before everyone else starts looking for her." Emma grabs her stomach.
"But what?" Bella asks, curious as to how they got her back inside. "Watch the nightmare unfold," Lewis explains.
Cleo: unfolds the itinerary from her pocket. Rikki and Lewis look over her shoulder at it. "Ok, it's 9:08. According to the schedule, Elliot plays oboe until 9:10, which means we have 2 minutes." Lewis holds up two fingers.
Emma: still clutching her stomach in pain. "I need to eat something now. So starving." Gasps. "I need food."
Cleo: points at Rikki. "Sardines."
"Oh no, don't give them to me!" Emma yells.
[Rikki pulls the can out of her pockets and hands it to Cleo. Cleo gives it to Emma, and she opens it with ease and begins eating the slimy fish one by one. They watch her in disgust. Rikki gags.]
Just like Rikki on-screen, they begin gagging as well, unable to hide their disgusted looks, while Emma covers her face in embarrassment.
"Oh my gosh," Emma mumbles, still hiding her face. "Gross!" Kim yells. "I'm never going to look at one again," Don shutters.
"I can't believe you kissed Byron with that stinky smell," Elliot says. This quiets the crowd down as they look over at the little boy, before staring at Emma in shock. "You kissed who now?!" her parents shout. "Thanks, Elliot. For the reminder," Emma pales, a little worried about her parents reaction.
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[Several minutes later, they have Emma laying down in the spa, where her tail luckily remains hidden in the bubbly water. Cleo and Rikki are kneeling next to her, close to the edge of it, talking to her.]
Rikki: "Don't make any noise."
Cleo: "Just stay here."
"Again, do you really think she'll listen?" Bella asks.
[Cleo and Rikki stand up and walk over to the door, where Lewis stands, still soaking wet. Emma leans over the side, arms folded, watching them.]
Lewis: "Guys, I can't go in there looking like this."
Rikki: "That's alright." Smirks, glancing at Emma. "How do you feel about being steam-dried?" He sighs, slouching his shoulders as they walk back inside.
"It only hurts a little," Rikki shrugs.
Emma: sees Byron walking up the steps, towards the door. "Byron. Byron, I'm over here, Byron."
Byron: seeing her, he grins and steps closer to her. "Cool, you've got the spa going."
"She didn't have a choice," Cleo mutters.
Byron: "How's the water?"
Emma: gives him a flirtatious smile. "Come over here and I'll show you." Byron's smile widens as he walks over to her. "Come closer, Byron. Come closer."
Emma's blush reddens even more as Neil tenses up. Lisa quickly tries to cover Elliot's eyes. "I've already seen it, mom," Elliot says, trying to stop her.
[Byron kneels next to her and leans in to kiss her but pauses as he wrinkles his nose.]
Byron: "Have you been eating sardines?"
"You just had to feed me the stupid sardines!" Emma shouts over the laughter that erupted from the room. "You wanted them," Cleo shrugs.
"How does he not see it either!" Kim whines.
[Elliot steps away from the crowd, close to the window, and sighs in relief, glad that his part for the party was over. He turns his head and sees Emma kiss Byron. He slowly backs away, blinking rapidly.]
"About time you two love birds did," Zane says, embarrassing Emma even more. I really wish I remembered that.
Lisa smiles, happy that her daughter was able to find someone that she liked, and hopefully someone that liked her back.
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[Elliot runs back inside to the party, oboe still in hand, as he stops to search for her friends. He runs through some guests and stops in front of Cleo, her arms crossed, by the counter.]
Elliot: "I found Emma." Cleo puts a hand on his back and leads him into the kitchen where Rikki is at the fridge. Cleo bends down to his level. "She's outside in the spa."
Rikki: "You talked to her?"
"She seemed busy," Elliot grins, seeing Emma blush again.
Elliot: winces. "No, she was, sort of busy, kissing Byron." Rikki's eyes widen and she and Cleo rush back outside. Elliot shivers, before walking back to the party.
Take your time, Emma thinks.
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[Cleo and Rikki march outside, the former in the lead, catching them in the act.]
Cleo: "Stop right there."
Byron: stops and stands up. "I'm cool." He backs away. "Interesting party." Rikki gawks at them.
"Which part?" Neil mutters quietly, but not quiet enough as Lisa overhears and scoffs, lightly hitting him on the arm.
Emma: "See you later, Byron."
Byron: "I like where this party's going." He walks inside, to where the party awaits.
"It's not going anywhere," Neil scowls. "Dad!"
Rikki: points at Emma while talking to Cleo. "We need to get her to her bedroom and lock her in."
Cleo: "We can't exactly take her past everyone on a sun lounge."
"You could, but you would get a lot of looks," Bella shrugs.
Lewis: still soaking wet, he walks out with a wheelchair and blankets. "We could use this." They turn to him, then to Emma, and smile widely.
"That's genius!" Bella says, astonished.
"You used grandma's chair?" Emma asks, raising an eyebrow. "Well, we had to do something," Rikki explains. "We couldn't keep you outside all night. Sooner or later, someone would have seen you," Cleo says.
[Thea sits down at the counter with a drink, tapping her fingers, when the three of them come inside with Emma. Lewis, who is now dry, pushes the wheelchair, which holds Emma and her tail that is mostly covered up by blankets, and a sweater while the other two follows from behind. Emma waves at her from the back hallway while they wheel her away. Thea slightly raises her hand in acknowledgment and notices the wheelchair.]
Thea: unamused. "Rather tasteless humor."
"Hope we didn't hurt her feelings," Emma says, rubbing her arms, feeling bad. "She'll be fine," Rikki says, waving it off.
[Byron leans against the kitchen wall when they pass behind him. Emma smiles ecstatically and pinches Byron from behind, while they continue going by.]
The crowd gasp and starts laughing again. "Emma!" Lisa shouts, never in her life thinking that her daughter would do that. Emma covers her face once again, this time lowering herself into her seat. "Just kill me now."
Byron: flinches, then turns and sees Cleo, who pauses. "Cleo, good to see you too." Having no clue what he is talking about, she just smiles and winks, before walking away. He chuckles.
"Oh, so that's what he meant," Cleo realizes, blushing a little. Don huffs in anger, hoping that boy won't be playing both her and Emma.
[Zane and Miriam are in the corner, making out when Emma notices them and stops the wheelchair from moving any further. She smirks, and holds her hand up, using her power to freeze their lips together. They struggle, trying to separate from each other. She giggles as the other trio look at each other, noticing what she did, then push her further. They are almost around the corner of the stairs, when Lisa stops them, calling for Emma. They all turn around, looking at her.]
"You did that?!" Zane says, shocked.
"Not you girlfriend, huh?" Emma scoffs, remembering their last conversation. "No," Zane responds, shaking his head. "Oh, do kiss and tell," she mocks. "You're one to talk," Zane responds.
"Her tail is in full view! That blanket only covered about half of it. Was everyone blind or something?" Kim shouts, outraged that no one has noticed it by now.
Lisa: "Em." Points to the guests, walking closer. "Emma, it's time to make your speech." Emma smiles and waves.
"She can't right now," Charlotte says, shaking her head.
Cleo: glances at her friends, before looking back at Lisa. "Emma's asked me to do it. She's a bit nervous." Rikki and Lewis quickly push her around the corner, behind the stairwell, while she was distracted.
Lisa: stands next to Elliot and Neil. Harrison stands next to them with Candy, drinking punch. "Really, that's not like Em."
"None of it is," Lisa says to herself.
Cleo: with a serious look, she steps closer. "She begged me."
Lisa: frowns. "Well, I suppose."
Cleo: standing on the entryway steps, she gets everyone's attention. "Excuse me everybody. I'd like to make a speech on behalf of Emma, to her father."
"Did you at least remember it?" Emma asks. "Uhhhh," Cleo looks away.
[Lewis pushes Emma into the bathroom, and she rolls near the tub. He turns and leaves as Emma twists around to find that Rikki has shut the door on her. Looking around, she notices the tub is full of ice, drinks, and aluminum foil, that she knows is protecting the food. She begins scooting towards it.]
"That is not her room," Zane says.
"If she ate the sardines, then why would you put her in a room with a tub full of seafood?" Will asks. "Again, didn't think about it," Lewis sighs.
Cleo: the Gilbert's look confused as Cleo begins the speech. "Dear Mr. Gilbert, dad, happy birthday to the most magnificent, deadly, no, debonair," Behind her, Zane and Miriam continue to struggle from their situation, as they work together to try and walk past Cleo, still fused together. Neil whispers to Lisa.
Rikki snickers, seeing Zane like that, she couldn't' help it. "How did you get out of that mess?" Harrison chuckles. "We had to wait for the ice to melt."
Cleo: "Something, something, kindest dad in the world." Lisa whispers to Elliot and he goes to walk up the stairs. "Where would the world be without dads? There'd be a lot more room for everybody." She chuckles but stops when the crowd looks around, not laughing. "Just joking."
"Worst. Speech. Ever," Kim says.
"You couldn't even remember one line?!" Emma says, pinching her nose in irritation. "It was too long," Cleo says, defending herself. "I said it like twenty times!"
Elliot yawns, and Lisa notices. "Tired?" she asks. "No. I'm fine," he says, but yawns again. "Well, it was nighttime when we all got here," Lisa explains to Neil, as he looks at her. "Maybe we should all go to bed after this," he suggests, and she nods in agreement.
"Don't tell another joke ever again," Lewis says, and Cleo sighs.
Cleo: "Dads, where would the world be without dads?"
[Elliot climbs the stairs, almost to the top, when Lewis and Rikki block him from going any further. Rikki puts on a smile.]
Elliot: "Have either of you seen Emma?"
[Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Emma opens the foil in the ice bath, and finds all sorts of food: shrimp, lobster, fish, etc. She smiles, jaw dropped.]
"Looks like your wish came true," Ash jokes, not noticing Cleo flinch at hearing those words. Kim, however, does notice and raises an eyebrow in confusion.
Rikki: in the hallway. "She needs some quiet. She's in the bathroom, doing some yoga." She nods. Lewis rolls his eyes.
[In the bathroom, Emma grabs a lobster tail and breaks it in half, picking the meat out of it and eating it.]
"Is that what you call it?" Will chuckles. "That definitely looks like yoga," Bella says sarcastically.
"You acted like you didn't want to help," Max says, looking over at Lewis. "I got soaked, I was hungry, and was really tired from everything," Lewis explains, "this new moon stuff basically crossed the line." "Neither did we," Cleo and Rikki both say. We could've helped, Lisa and Neil think.
Cleo: in the living room. "Mr. Gilbert is thoughtful, too." Lisa and Neil nod. "I remember once when I was twelve, he made me a cheese sandwich."
"Aren't you lactose intolerant?" Lewis asks. "Yep," Cloe says, and Charlotte winces hearing it; knowing that it must be tough.
"That's not a part of it," Emma sighs, hanging her head low.
Cleo: winces, but then brightens up. "Even though I'm lactose intolerant and vomited it up, it's the thought that counts."
[Emma continues gobbling up the last bit of lobster, then grabs the shrimp.]
Cleo: "Plus, he's quite a good dresser, for an older person." Tilts her head.
"You need to stop talking," Kim suggests.
[Emma grabs the crab.]
Elliot: still on the stairs. "But, how am I going to get the seafood platters out?"
Rikki: Lewis cocks an eyebrow. "They're in the bathroom?"
Elliot: "I've been sent up to get them."
"We had to put them somewhere out of the way," Lisa explains.
Rikki: glances at Lewis, before looking back at Elliot. "Ok, just, give us a minute on that one." She nods and they walk to the door.
[Emma smirks, laying still in her chair, as she hears them walk in and shut the door. Lewis grabs the platters, that are now conveniently wrapped. Rikki opens the door once he has them and he begins to walk out. Emma smiles as he passes her and burps, holding her hand up to her mouth. Elliot leans against the wall while waiting for them. Once the door opens, Lewis walks out and hands the platters to Elliot.]
Lewis: "All yours." Elliot walks downstairs with it. Lewis closes the door, back inside the bathroom, and leans against the door, while Rikki leans against the wall next to him.
"Sneaky, leaving no evidence behind," Ash says, grinning at her brilliance.
Cleo: "So, in closing, I'd like to say, thanks Mr. Gilbert, for being a dad." Neil looks, slightly conflicted on how to feel about the speech. Cleo feels awkward from the silence. "You can clap now. I'm finished." They hesitantly, yet slowly clap. She smiles and walks away.
"Don't encourage her. That was terrible!" Kim whines. "Agreed," Emma says sadly.
Lisa: "Ladies and gentlemen, if you'd like to make your way through the kitchen, dinner will be served shortly." She smiles and they all begin to file into the kitchen.
"Oh, it'll be short alright," Neil chuckles.
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[Lewis closes the curtains of Emma's bedroom as Rikki wheels a complaining Emma into her room.]
Emma: "I don't want to go in here. I want to go swimming. It's so much nicer in the water."
While I agree, you can't right now! Bella thinks.
Lewis: walks over to her and points. "Stay here while we cover for you. Don't make a sound." Cleo comes up and stays at the door, holding it open while leaning in the door frame. They walk out of the room and Lewis closes the door, leaving Emma there by herself as she attempts to move around while stuck in the wheelchair.
"You sound like you're talking to a child," Sam says. "When dealing with them in that state, they pretty much are," Lewis says. Max silently agrees with him.
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[A few minutes later, Byron walks upstairs, assumably searching for the restroom, when Emma opens her bedroom door, lying on the ground, with her tail hidden behind the door. He walks by, almost making it around the corner when Emma stops him, and he turns around.]
Emma: smirks. "Byron. Sorry about the interruption before, Byron."
Bryon: looks down, smiling. "So am I."
"I'm not," Neil mutters. "I was so defiant," Emma sighs.
Emma: "There's no one here to interrupt us anymore. Why don't you come closer?" He slowly lays down, smiling, as they scooch in and kiss.
"What's with all the kissing?" Will asks, as Ash, for some reason unknown to him, begins to feel a tad jealous. "Don't ask. Cause we don't know," Rikki says. Emma once again blushes, but this time, she smiles at the interaction.
[Thea walks upstairs and catches them. She walks closer and clears her throat, interrupting them. They look at her and smile.]
Thea: "Another boy?" She crosses her arms as Emma waves at her.
"No! Not another!" Lewis yells. Why does she have to ruin the moment, Emma pouts.
[Cleo, Rikki, and Lewis come back upstairs and stop, finding them on the ground with Thea watching the two. Cleo glances at the other two before speaking.]
Cleo: "Byron, dinner's ready." He stays where he is at as they walk quickly over to Thea, who is glaring at them. "Better hurry up before it's all gone." Gives him a look.
"It already is," Elliot says.
Byron: "Later." He smiles and stands up and walks down the stairs with Thea following.
Emma: sees him leaving. "Wait for me. I'm coming." She struggles to crawl out of the doorway.
"When?" Kim jokes.
Lewis: and Cleo crouch down beside Emma. Rikki stands guard at the stairway, keeping an eye out for anyone that tries to come up. "We can't hold her like this for much longer."
Rikki: from the stairway, not even looking at them. "So the bedroom wasn't the best idea."
"Yeah, clearly," Charlotte scoffs. "It was better than the bathroom," Annette says.
Lewis: "No." Tilts his head, realizing something as they try to think of what to do. "I've got a key for the Juicenet Café." Emma looks around with a small smile, leaning against her hand.
"You do?" Zane asks. "I did. Gave it back to Wilfred," he explains. "Bummer. Could've come in handy," he responds.
Cleo: "How'd you get that?"
Lewis: "Wilfred hired me to fix the internet connection."
"So, you hid her at a café?" Denman assumes. "Better there, where no one else was around than at her house," he shrugs.
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[In the kitchen, Lisa and Neil, with Elliot in-between them, take off the aluminum foil and see the eaten, messy plates, in front of everyone at the counter. They look on in disgust, and anger.]
Harrison: "Well, personally, I'm not that hungry anyway. I had a big lunch eight hours ago." Gives them a look as they all walk away, heading for the door. Neil's mother stays close by Thea, who gives them a stern look on the other side of the counter.
"Apologies, about my attitude," Harrison tells them. "It's alright. It didn't go as planned," Lisa sighs.
Emma looks down, feeling bad about ruining the whole night. A night that was supposed to be about her father, and she destroyed it. "I'm sorry, mom," she says. "Oh honey, it's not your fault," Lisa says. "Technically, it is for not listening to Mrs. Chatham's warning," Lewis says, which earns him a slap to the head from Rikki.
"And you left evidence," Ash sighs.
Thea: "I believe that daughter of yours needs a good dose of old-fashioned discipline." They watch her walk away.
"I deserve it," Emma says sadly. "No, you didn't. You had no idea that any of that would happen," Lisa argues.
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[Neil and Lisa head upstairs to Emma's bedroom.]
Neil: "This girl has some explaining to do." He opens it and they walk in, only to find the room empty. They look around; Neil even checks up under the bed, until they see the window was open.
"You climbed out the window?" Don asks. "Yeah," Cleo winces, hearing his worried tone. "But, you're on the second floor," Zane says in shock. "Yeah, imagine doing it while carrying a resisting, heavy, moon-spelled mermaid over your shoulder," Lewis scoffs, rubbing his arm from the painful memory.
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[The next morning at the Juicenet Cafe, before the full moon goes completely down, they have Emma laying on the pool table, still in her tail, snoring away. Rikki and Cleo lay down next to her in several chairs, lined up so they could somewhat lay down. They attempt to sleep, but Cleo keeps checking on Emma, with exhausted worry. Rikki stays down with a blanket covering her.]
"How'd you get her there?" Ash asks. "Same way with the party. The wheelchair," Lewis says. "So, you stole my mom's wheelchair?" Neil asks, raising an eyebrow. "We gave it back, later," Rikki says.
Cleo: leans up on her arms as she looks at Emma, then talks to Rikki whose eyes are open. "Did you sleep?"
Rikki: looks at her, then lays her head back down. "No."
Cleo: "Me neither." Lewis lays down in the booth, leaning against the wall, with his eyes closed, trying to sleep.
Emma begins to feel worse, hearing how they couldn't sleep because of her.
"After that wild night, I wouldn't either," Harrison says.
"How is she able to sleep now? She was so energetic earlier," Charlotte says. "The moon was starting to fall, meaning its pull on her was beginning to weaken. That, and she did use up a lot of energy rather quickly," Mrs. Chatham says.
Cleo: leans further up, looking at Emma. "What if she's stuck like this forever?" Rikki looks at her. "What if her tail never goes away?"
"You're overthinking again," Kim says sleepily. "It's a good question though," Bev shrugs.
Lewis: eyes still closed, and not even moving, mumbles the answer. "There's always the circus." They turn to him, with an exhausted look, too tired to argue. Cleo shakes her head.
They chuckle at his comment. "Thanks, Lewis. Glad to know you care," Emma says, inwardly beginning to feel better about it.
"That was not the right time to be funny," Cleo says, shaking her head.
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[A little later, when the moon was completely gone from the horizon, Emma wakes up. She gets up, yawning and stretching her arms out on the pool table, back in her human form.]
"Oh, thank goodness," Lisa says, sighing in relief. "She's back!" Elliot says, smiling and leaning his head against his dad's arm.
"So, once it's gone, you turn back to normal?" Denman questions them. "Yeah," Cleo says.
"Now this, I remember," Emma smiles.
Emma: "I had the best sleep." They look up at her with a supposedly tired smile as she gets off the pool table. Lewis scoots closer to the edge of the booth. She looks around, confused as to why she was there, and turns to them, pulling her hair out of her face.
"At least someone did," Rikki mutters.
Emma: "What am I doing here, guys?" She tries to think about last night but fails, before closing her eyes and sighing. The only thing coming to her mind was Mrs. Chatham and Cleo's words. "What happened?" She slouches.
Rikki: winces. "It's a long story."
"You seriously couldn't remember?" Will asks. "Not one bit. It's like it clouds our memory or something. The last thing I remembered that night, was welcoming the guests at the door," Emma explains.
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[Emma walks into her house, barefoot, with the door already open, and steps into the living room, where she sees her dad cleaning and holding a garbage bag in the kitchen. He looks at her when she calls his name.]
Emma: "Dad, don't worry about that." Walks to the counter. "I've organized for a cleaning company to come around."
"That's nice of you," Annette says. "I needed to make up for what I did," Emma tells her.
Neil: drops the bag on the counter and leans against it. "Emma, where have you been? I've been up half the night looking for you."
"So, it's safe to say then that no one got sleep that night, besides Emma?" Bella assumes, knowing that usually after full moons, she wakes up feeling great. "Definitely," Cleo says.
Emma: "I'm really sorry. I can't even explain." Neil sighs. Emma turns slowly, walking to the couch. "I'm sorry strange things happened. I'm sorry I acted so weird." Neil walks around the counter towards her. "Maybe it's a teenage thing." She sits on the couch.
"It's okay," Neil says. "We understand everything now," Lisa assures her. Almost everything, Emma thinks, remembering the last full moon effect.
"It's not," Lewis says, along with every other teenager in the room.
Neil: sits down on the couch next to her, laying his hand on top of hers. "When I was sixteen, I, I went a little wild once myself."
"Really dad?" Elliot asks. "Not that wild," he informs him.
Neil: "I filled my dad's pockets full of cotton wool balls." Emma smiles.
"That's not wild," Ash says.
Emma: "So your night was ok at least?"
Could've been better, he thinks, but he wasn't going to tell her that.
Neil: "Was Cleo supposed to say that speech?"
Emma: shakes her head. "No. She improvised." They chuckle as he shakes his head, looking down. "But, I do remember some of what I wrote." He looks up at her. "The last part was, dad, you were there the first time I ever went swimming. I never told you how scared I was, but when you were there, it gave me confidence. You've always brought out the best in me. Thank you."
Lisa smiles widely, tears of happiness ready to burst out. "That's amazing sweety," she says with a shaky voice.
"Now I want to hear the whole thing," Sam sighs.
Neil: nods, smiling. "You're welcome."
Emma: pats his hand. "I love you, dad."
Neil: "I love you too, Emma." They kiss each other on the cheek and smile.
"And I always will," Neil smiles, Emma returning it.
Elliot yawns again, struggling to stay awake.
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[Later on, after everyone had some rest, they all meet up at the Juicenet, having drinks at the bar. Emma plays with her straw while the other three still struggle with a lack of sleep.]
Emma: "I never want to go through another night like that."
Lewis: "Oh neither do we. Believe me." They pick at their drinks and Cleo sips hers.
"Too bad we did," Emma sighs. "Wait, what?" Don asks, his head perking up. "Nothing," she says quickly.
Emma: "And the worst thing is not knowing exactly what I did."
Rikki: looks up. "Oh and it's probably best you don't know." Lewis nods and Emma sighs.
"I wish I still didn't. Well, most of it at least," she grins, thinking about the kiss.
Byron: walks up to Emma and plops his hands on her shoulders, smiling. "Hey, Emma, thanks for last night." She gives him a weird look and sips her drink. "I just want to say, you have the world's best lips. See ya." She snorts her drink, coughing, choking, and holds her chest. Rikki looks ahead and Cleo smiles as Byron walks away.
They laugh at her reaction. Emma smirks, now loving that comment he gave her.
"I think I need to talk to him one day," Neil mutters. "Leave him be, Neil," Lisa sighs.
Emma: looks at them with a questioning look. "Lips?" Cleo holds in a laugh, chuckling a little. Rikki bites her straw, trying her best not to laugh, and Lewis smirks; none of them looks her way. "My lips? What's he talking about? Guys?" She smiles a little, speaking louder. "Guys?" She glances at them, before giving up, smirking. Playing with her straw again, she decides to settle on shrugging and smiling.
"You didn't tell her?!" Kim asks, laughing. "Not one detail. They apparently decided to leave that part out," Emma says, biting back a smile.
"Well, I think it's time we head in for the night. Don't you think?" Neil suggests, standing up. "We did get here late, and it seems like the younger ones could use some sleep anyways," Bev says, nodding towards Kim and Elliot. "No, I don't," Kim yawns, she looks over at Elliot, hoping he could back her up. Unfortunately, Elliot was already asleep in his chair.
"Well, I could use some," Sam says. "Me too," Max agrees. "Guess we'll pick up where we left off in the morning then," Harrison says, standing up as well. I hope not, Rikki thinks.
"Alright. Goodnight everyone," Terry says, slowly heading for the door. Neil picks up Elliot and carries him to their dorms; everyone else follows them to their rooms, eager to finally get some sleep, and wondering what lies ahead of them for tomorrow.