I do not own H2O: Just Add Water or any of the characters.
Chapter 32: Breaking the Ice
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Bella watched as everyone walked through the door to get something to snack on for lunch, while she and Mrs. Chatham make their way to the theater seats to talk. They sit down and once she sees the last person exit the room, she releases the questions she's been patiently waiting to ask. "I can't believe you were a mermaid this whole time! How did you and your friends become mermaids? Was it from the same moon pool as theirs, or a different one? What powers did you have? Are you still a mermaid because it sounded like you weren't anymore during that last one? Did you lose your powers? What about your friends? Where are they now?"
"Slow down. Breathe child, breathe," Mrs. Chatham chuckled as she laid her hands on the girl's arms, trying to get her to relax. Bella did exactly as she said. Taking a deep breath, but still couldn't help the nervous yet excited smile that was shining on her face. "I'm sorry. It's just that I've never met an older mer-person before. Or ex mer-person should I say?" she looked at her quizzically.
Mrs. Chatham slowly nods, trying to get the girl to take her time to understand. "It's quite alright. And I guess you could say ex older mer-person," she laughed lightly, as Bella gave her a small smile. Mrs. Chatham raised an eyebrow at her skeptically.
"But it sounds to me like you've met other mer-people before. Am I wrong?" Bella saw Ms. Chatham grin and she looked away in shame. Looking at the door, she saw Emma being dragged along by Zane into the dorm rooms as she protested against it. She looks down at the ground, quietly stuttering out her answer. "I-I have recently." Mrs. Chatham leans in closer, narrowing her eyes at her.
"Then why does it also sound like you knew they already exist." Bella gulped as she hinted even more about her secret and begins fiddling with her hands nervously. "You, you already know the answer to that."
They both sat there in silence for a bit; Bella still looking at the floor, lost in thought about the truth being out now, and Mrs. Chatham a little relieved that the girl finally admitted it to her. Finally, Bella let out another breath as she reluctantly lifted her head and looked at the older woman in complete confidence. "How did you know?" she asked, still refusing to talk about it fully in case someone were to slip in and listen. Mrs. Chatham sighed, a small smile on her face. "The same way I knew about the others. Magic. It's practically radiating from the four of you."
"Oh," Bella breathed out after a few seconds, letting the silence get between them once again. Before she could ask any more questions, Mrs. Chatham beats Bella to the punch, as if she could read her mind. "I know you must have a lot of questions. Not just about me, but about yourself as well," she said, pointing a finger at her. "But now is not the time for it. You'll get those answers eventually. Probably even during these viewings. Just be patient. Alright?"
Bella nodded slightly, thinking her words over. It felt a little disappointing to her that she couldn't get her answers right then, but at least she'll get to find out one day. She wanted to get to know Mrs. Chatham, to hopefully become a friend to her like she was with the girls. Almost like a mentor, but in a better, friendship kind of way. But more importantly, she wanted to know why she was here. That was the one thing she couldn't figure out yet. Aside from the mermaidness, she had no connection to the girls whatsoever. They never even met before until yesterday. And now she was learning more about them in one day than she probably ever could in her entire lifetime.
"You should tell them."
Bella jumped, the voice of Mrs. Chatham startling her out of her thoughts. A frown formed as she tried to make sure she understood the older woman correctly. "What?" "Cleo, Rikki, and Emma. You should tell them."
"Wha- bu- why?" Bella looked at her in surprise. Does she not remember this is supposed to be kept a secret? "Aside from my parents, I've done this alone. I always have, ever since I first transformed."
"I might've said this earlier on the screen, but I'll say it again. Friendship is the most important thing. The secret created the friendship between the girls, and they were able to make it even better. They became closer than ever. They went through everything together. Everything they went through, they were never alone," Mrs. Chatham told her, giving her a soft gaze.
"And that's why you should tell them. To create your own friendship with them. To have some friends who understand what you're going through and will have your back. To share the secret. It might not happen right then, but just like your answers, give it time; it will eventually happen." Bella nodded along thoughtfully, glancing at the floor.
She knew that the older woman was right. These girls would understand what she was going through. Because they were going through the same thing. But the problem was, she never really got to make friends before.
Since they moved around all the time, the opportunity was never there. She knew people, for sure, but she never got to actually become friends with anybody. She didn't even know the first step on how to do so. "How do I do that?" she asked slowly.
Mrs. Chatham pats her on the shoulder and laughs as she stands up. She turns to her and offers a hand to the hopeful-looking eyes that were looking up at her. "By being brave and taking the first step." Hesitantly, Bella took the offered hand and stood up next to her, face to face.
Mrs. Chatham nods toward the doors. "Talk to them. They'll understand."
"I-I, I don't know," Bella stammered out nervously as she frantically looked at the door. Did she have to do this now?
"You don't have to do it now if you don't want to. But I would suggest you do it sooner rather than later. Just, think about it. Okay?" Bella took a deep breath, trying to get rid of her nerves, and nodded along. "Okay." Finally, after calming down some, they make their way to the buffet.
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During their talk, Zane barges into the buffet room and looks for a certain icy-blonde-haired girl. "Emma. Emma, wait!" Zane called out, as he finally saw her grab a plate and began to approach her. Emma turns at the sound of her name being called and sees Zane walking up to her. "Emma, can I have a word? Please?"
Emma sighed and put her plate down. She knew this was coming and couldn't avoid it for much longer. But it certainly doesn't mean she can't try! "Hmm, not right now. Maybe later?" She tilted her head, giving him a slanted grin. "Emma come on." She shrugged it off and tried to move around him, but Zane sidesteps her.
They glare at each other for what seems like forever until finally, Zane decided to break the staring contest with a huff. "Fine. If that's how you want to be? Then so be it." He grabbed her hand and began dragging her away from the food table and right for the door.
"Wha- Zane! What are you doing?!" she yelled, trying to get him to stop, but he ignores her pleads. They pass through the buffet door, and she glances at her surroundings, glad that there was nobody in the room. Well, nobody except for Mrs. Chatham and that odd girl, but they seemed to be paying no mind to them as they chat away. "Zane! Quit it! Let me go! This isn't funny!" she continued to yell, trying with all her might to pull back.
However, Zane was stronger and didn't budge from her force, and continues to ignore her shouting and opens the door to the hallway of the dorm rooms and pulls her in. He closes the door behind them, and Emma yanks her hand out of his grip. Immediately, she slaps his hand and takes a couple of steps back. The two stand in the middle of the hallway glaring at each other.
"What do you want?" she hissed, narrowing her eyes at him. He frowned at that. "What do I want? I just want some freaking answers!" he shouts, his arms flailing around, taking a step closer to her. "Well, you didn't have to drag me across this place just to get them!" Emma yelled back, gesturing to her surroundings, fuming over his actions. "Apparently I do since you refuse to talk," he shot back. "Yeah, this is exactly what you do to try and talk to friends. Force them into another room and interrogate them," Emma rolled her eyes, the sarcasm flying out of her mouth. After hearing no response, she let out an angry breath and walked past him, heading for the exit. She was about to open the door, her hand already twisting the handle when Zane spoke up again.
"Are we friends?" Emma paused her actions, letting go of the door handle and turning around, with a look of confusion on her face. "What?"
Zane chose to ignore her comment. He didn't want to repeat himself. Not in a time like this. He was looking for different answers for a different topic. He didn't want to hear her say right now that they weren't friends and most likely never will be. "Why did you save me?"
"Do I need a reason to save someone?" she remarked. "Everyone has a reason for something, no matter what's at stake," he asked with a serious, determined look on his face. It reminded Emma so much of how he looked on the same day at Mako after she rescued him. She had to admit it was a little scary. But it also surprised her how determined he was to find this out. That he wouldn't just let the situation calm down.
Although, she shouldn't be that surprised since he did try hunting her down for such a long time. The thought of it still made her angry to this day. Not as furious as she was before, but still mad.
"You guys could've left me there to die. No one would've known. You could've let me be when you saw me down there. You could've told the others that you were too late. But you didn't; instead, you got me out. So, why's that?" he said after not hearing a response. Emma looked down at the floor, feeling a little guilty. She had to admit, he was right. She could've done all that stuff. But she didn't. So why was she so hesitant to give him an answer?
Seeing her hesitation, he decided to keep going. "Why go through all that trouble for someone you hate? What did I do to you to des-?"
"I don't hate you." Zane looked at her, even more confused than she was, pointing between the two of them.
"Do-do we have different definitions of hate or are you actually being serious? Because I have plenty of examples that says otherwise. The slumber party. The race against Byron. Miriam and Nate. Even the prank I did on Cleo, the one that started the whole fiasco on Mako. And don't forget everything I did to you throughout the years."
Emma rolled her eyes, crossing her arms. Surprisingly, she was quite impressed that he was able to remember most of that, even though they did see some of it during the viewings. But knowing what all he did to her when they were growing up; it made her feel a little better. Just a little. "You get on my nerves quite a lot. I think you make terrible choices and are a bad influence on Rikki. I can't stand to be around you most of the time and you act like a total jerk to everyone. But I never said that I hated you."
"That sounds like a lot like hate to me," he replied as he leaned against the wall, ignoring the comment she made about him and Rikki. It wasn't the first time she mentioned it before; he's used to it by now.
"I might have said I can't stand you a couple of times," she added. "Yeah, you mentioned that on several occasions before." She smirked, shrugging slightly. "You are a pain in the tail though. But I wouldn't say that I hate you." Zane tilted his head, a small smile on his face. "Did you just make a pun?" "Not intentionally." He snorted, Emma herself chuckling as well.
An awkward silence falls upon them once again, the two of them both staring at the ground. He looked up at her, still hoping to get the truth from her. "But you never answered my question. Why?"
Emma clenched her jaw. She knew she had to answer eventually, but it was so dreadful to her. Probably for the best to get it over with. Wonder if this is how Rikki feels when she's talking to kids. Not knowing what to say. She let out another breath and looked him in the eyes.
"I guess, I thought about the past. From when we were kids, ya know? When our families were close, and we were friends. For a split second, I thought that, deep down, far beneath the jerk you are, that there's a small chance that that friendly little kid that I knew once before was still there. Maybe if I saved you, then one day I could see that person again," Emma reluctantly admitted. The real Zane, Rikki always said. It felt odd telling him, but overall a little relieved to get it off her chest. It's not easy keeping so many secrets all the time.
"Really?" Zane said with a mix of hope and surprise. He felt surprised that she was finally admitting why she did it; why she risked her secret to save him. He was surprised at what her explanation was, and that she could remember how he once was. He assumed everyone thought that person was gone, but Emma proved that wrong. And he was hopeful that he could be that person again, that someone could see him like that.
"I did," Emma said with a small smile, which quickly fell as another memory crossed her mind. Her arms falling to her side, clenching her fists. "Until you went on that whole mermaid hunt, captured us, really ticking me off about it, and caused that little thought to slip away!"
"Hey, I got you guys out of there!" he shouted back, the hopeful feeling gone.
"Yeah, once you realized it was people you knew, along with your girlfriend! What if it were someone else! Someone you didn't know. Would you have still gone through with it?" Emma yelled.
Zane flinched, not because of her yelling, but because she was right. He looked down, feeling guilty about it. Maybe the old Zane would've let it continue if he didn't know them, but would the new Zane do it, or would he stop it? He's made a lot of mistakes in his life, but that was definitely in the top ten. One that he would regret for a long time.
Emma took another deep breath, trying not to get worked up again. "Listen, Zane. Those were some of the reasons. But another reason was that I couldn't just watch someone die, knowing that I could've done something to prevent it from happening. I couldn't let that be on my conscience. Knowing that I chose to let that happen to someone, to let them suffer a painful death. Choosing to do that, would be far worse than anything you would do. I would've been an even more awful person than the way you acted." Zane rolled his eyes in disappointment, leaning his head against the wall.
"Well, thanks. That means a lot to me that you prefer not to be an awful person like me," he said sarcastically.
Emma softened her glare. "I mean it, Zane. I know it might sound harsh now. But it's the truth. And like I said before, I couldn't let that happen to someone I grew up with. I couldn't let that happen to anybody. And I also meant that there's still a little bit of hope in me that you will change. That I could have an old friend back. I'll admit, it did improve when you were with Rikki," Emma grinned.
Zane gave her a small smile, hiding the terror inside from the mention of his relationship with Rikki. For a second there he thought she knew. But there's no possible way for her to know. Rikki wouldn't let that happen. Not in a million years.
"I know it's going to take a while for you to forgive me for everything I've done. But I really am sorry about everything, Emma," he said sincerely, walking closer to her until she was looking up at him.
She stared at him for a moment, then nodded her head slowly. "Maybe you are changing a little. The Zane Bennett I used to know would never apologize," she grinned. "I guess we all go through changes every now and then. Though, not all of us do it in ten seconds," he teased. She turns around, shaking her head as she tried to hide a laugh, and heads for the door.
"And Emma?" Zane piped up behind her. She stopped at the door and looked at him. "Yeah?" "...Thanks," he smiled. She knew what it was for. It was for saving his life. For letting him have a second chance at it. For being there when no one else was able to. She returns the smile and nods. "You're welcome."
She turns the handle to the door and swings it open, and accidentally hits an unexpected Bella with it. Unfortunately for Bella, she was holding an opened water bottle she had gotten from the buffet room. She and Mrs. Chatham was heading back to their seats to discuss the topic some more before the others would come back. She was just taking a swallow when the door swung open, knocking her back a few steps, and water splashing all over her.
They both gasp in shock. Bella's mind automatically starting the count down from ten, her nerves skyrocketing at the thought of possibly being revealed now, in front of everybody once they walk in. I can't do this now! I got to get out of here!
Emma on the other hand felt relieved that not a single drop got on her. At least she doesn't have to worry about that. She can get water on her all she wants and not have to worry about sprouting a tail out in public. "I am so sorry." Bella looked up from her soaking wet clothes to a now apologetic Emma.
"I-it's okay," Bella stammered out, forcing a smile on her face, and hoping she didn't look nervous. "Now excuse me, I need to go change." She walks past Emma and Zane in the doorway. Then once she was past them, she immediately quickened her pace to their dorm room. 6, 5, 4.
Emma and Zane both watch her go, a little confused as to why she was in such a hurry. They turn to Mrs. Chatham when they hear her laughing. "She's good," Mrs. Chatham smiled, then walked back to her chair.
The two look at each other once again in confusion, then shrug it off and head back to the buffet room, food calling their names.
"Oh, hey, by the way. Do you happen to know who the red-haired mermaid was that I saw?" he asked while they were walking. Emma's eyes widen and sent a quick glance his way. "Uh, we'll talk about that some other time. Right now, I'm starving!" She quickened her pace and shoved the door open to the buffet room, preventing a smirk from forming. "Why does everyone keep doing that?" Zane groaned, following after her.
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Bella barges into their dorm room, slamming the door shut behind her, and races for the bathroom. 3, 2. She shoves the door open with all her might and flings herself into the bathroom, balancing herself against the sink as she looked in the mirror. 1!
Immediately, she felt the changes. The split second she was still standing, she watches herself transform in the mirror. Her body forming into the magic, sparkling water, then reform into her mermaid self, her orange, scaly tail and bra shining bright in the mirror. That was all she could see for that one quick second, as she fell to the floor, landing on her stomach. But it's happened so many times now, that she could replay it in her head, detail for detail.
"Well, that's just fantastic," she grumbled as she leaned up onto her elbows.
"I'll say. That's definitely something you don't see every day."
Bella's eyes shot open, wide-eyed with fear. Frozen in shock, mentally wincing and hitting herself for just now realizing, that in her hustle to get here on time, without getting seen, that she forgot to shut the bathroom door.
"Though now these days it seems pretty normal for me." She quickly flipped over onto her back and leaned herself further up, looking at the person talking in the doorway with fear and regret.
There, leaning against the doorframe, was the feisty blonde mermaid staring back at her with a cocky smile. "Nice tail."