I do not own H2O: Just Add Water or any of the characters.
Chapter 42: Bad Moon Rising (Part 1)
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[Zane Bennett lies down, fast asleep in a sun lounge near the pool in the backyard of his house. Zane twitches around, having nightmares from when he was trapped in the Lorelei.]
"Oh great," Zane mumbled, not wanting others to see this. "What's this?" Harrison asked. "Having a nightmare?" Annette assumed. "You could call it that," Zane said, glancing over at the girls.
[He has a sudden flashback of that day; breathing heavily, looking around, diving under as he took his last breath, trying to get the door open; then as he has no strength left, his body gives out and sinks to the floorboard. After hearing a loud bang, he looks over to see a long, orange, scaly tail swimming past the bent open doorway. Zane gasps for air in his sleep, each breath sending a flash of the orange fishtail.]
"You were having nightmares of that day? How come you never spoke about this?" Harrison questioned him, frowning. "Because every time I brought it up or the mermaid thing, you never took it seriously. You wouldn't have believed a word I said," Zane claimed. Harrison winced, knowing that his son was right. His past self never believed him one bit, but everything's changed now. They were closer than they ever were once before.
"Eventually everyone comes to a traumatizing event in their life, it just depends on how they move forward with those events that will set their future," Mrs. Chatham said. All three girls glance at one another, thinking of their time with Dr. Denman, knowing full well that they were traumatized by it. But they had to help one another to move forward and leave the past behind. Maybe this viewing thing can help out with that, and let their minds be at ease.
[Finally, he sees the tail slam against the door, and he jumps up out of his sleep panting for air, terrified of his dreams. He takes a few more deep breaths trying to calm himself down when another painful noise interrupts his thoughts.]
"You were, scared of me," Emma realized, speaking slowly as her eyes widened. Never in her life, would she have thought the bad boy of the Gold Coast would ever be scared of her. And she didn't even do it intentionally! She was just trying to save his life, which he was very 'grateful' for as he proved. "Well not exactly you, just your tail, sort of. I didn't know what you were, and my mind couldn't stop thinking about it and why it saved me. I thought about it constantly. I just couldn't get it off my mind, and I guess that's what started the nightmares," Zane explained, avoiding her gaze.
"You needed to find out the truth in order to be at peace," Max whispered to himself, being reminded about when he first discovered the girls secret. He had to find out what they were hiding in order to be at peace himself. I wonder if he found out in a similar way I did?
Rikki had a sad look on her face, her arms crossed as she began to feel bad for not being able to help Zane out. But they weren't together during that, so what could she have done?
Miriam: sitting in a sun lounge a few feet from him, drinking a glass of punch as she was getting a suntan while in her bathing suit. Takes a sip of her drink with her straw, barely sparing him a glance. "Was it the fish thing again?"
"How did she know about it?" Bella asked, a bit surprised. "He practically told the whole continent that there was a sea monster out there. It was the joke of the town," Cleo scoffed, Zane looked down.
"Oh look, the beast does have a heart," Rikki mocked, shooting daggers at the blonde on-screen.
Zane: takes a few more breaths and looks at her, completely clueless. "What?"
Miriam: begins to mock him. "You know, the nightmare, with the slimy scales and the big teeth."
"It's not that slimy! And my teeth aren't that big!" Emma shouted in embarrassment as she raised a hand to her mouth to double-check. Rikki and Cleo barked out in laughter, patting Emma on the shoulder. The rest of the crowd joins in with them.
"Don't worry, Emma. I'm sure Dr. Holt can fix that," Elliot giggled. Although Neil still wasn't happy about his daughter being hunted, he couldn't help but laugh as well.
"She only got half the story right. I couldn't see your big mouth and wouldn't have been able to tell if it was slimy or not," Zane smirked as Emma reddened even more.
Zane: "It's not a fish. Ok?"
Miriam: "Ok." She leans back in the lounge chair.
Zane: Huffs then quickly stands up and walks off, glaring at her. "Don't be here when my dad gets back." Miriam watches him go back inside, giving him an annoyed look.
"I know she's not anyone's favorite, but does it matter?" Sam asked. "I'm not supposed to have anyone over without his permission. And I wasn't too sure if he would like Miriam being there or not," Zane shrugged. "Zane, I've seen her over a thousand times. It's not going to matter by that point," Harrison said as he rolled his eyes. "Well, it doesn't matter since she won't be coming over anymore," Zane remarked.
"I can't believe I affected him that much," Emma muttered to herself. She couldn't believe she was even thinking about it, but she felt bad for him. She never meant to put that much fright in him. She never even meant to scare him in the first place. She was just trying to save his life, while also trying to keep her secret.
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[At Cleo's house, the girls sit at the living room table, studying a moon calendar they have laid out, trying to figure out when their next encounter with it will be. Emma shifts the chart around, the other two girls beside her, and then stops when she discovers the night it will be full: tonight.]
Emma: "That's it. Tonight's a full moon."
The room tenses up, hoping that the full moon will let them have a peaceful break for once. "Ah, so who gets to have some fun this time? Will there be singing or another pool party? Or better yet, will you finally get to have a break?" Ash said, trying to lighten the mood, which luckily works a little. "I wouldn't call it a fun night. No singing, no pool party, and no break," Emma chuckled at the reminder before calming down and sneaking a glance at Rikki who looked a bit pale. "As for who it was, however ..."
"It was me," Rikki sighed, deciding to reveal it to get it over with. "Rikki?" Terry and Zane asked simultaneously, surprised that it was her. Zane tensed up for a moment, then relaxed, as he began to piece it together. Now that night at Mako makes so much sense! She was moonspelled! Terry kept his gaze on her, worried that something bad might've happened since they said it wasn't very fun. Rikki noticed him watching her and shook her head with a small smile. "Don't worry dad, everything turned out fine. I for one would like to know what happened too."
"They didn't tell you?" Bella asked, looking over at them. "They told me what they could. Let's just say I was absent for the most part," Rikki grimaced, the others nodding in understanding, yet curious and worried as to what happened that night.
Cleo: "This is making me nervous."
"Me too," Terry muttered. What happened to you, Rikki? If she was absent during some of it, then who knows what happened when no one was there to stop her.
Rikki: "You'll be fine. You two just need to control yourselves a little better this time."
"You are just asking for trouble," Will shook his head.
Bella frowned. It's not something that can be controlled, well not immediately at least. After being a mermaid for over 5 years, she's learned when to keep herself under control and from being influenced by the full moon. Although there are still some occasions when the moon has a stronger pull than normal, which can lead to a few problems.
Emma: glares at her. "You're not immune to it, you know, Rikki."
Rikki: grins. "I'm pretty sure I can resist the big bad moon, even if you can't."
"Rikki. You just had to put a target on your back," Terry groaned, feeling stress build-up. "You're already trying to give me a heart attack and we're not even a minute in!"
"And you just jinxed it right there," Kim shook her head in amusement.
"They teased me about it until the next full moon once I returned to normal," Rikki grumbled. "That's what you get for being so cocky," Emma smiled smugly. "It's like the full moon suddenly chose you as their next victim," Cleo laughed.
Emma: huffs. "Look, I'm pretty sure we can all resist the big bad moon. I'd just rather be prepared."
Rikki: looks at her. "Prepared?" Raises an eyebrow and grins. "Do I smell another Emma plan coming? All we have to do is avoid the moonlight and water."
"Easier said than done," Lewis scoffed. "You three are always finding it somehow." "It's harder than it looks," Mrs. Chatham commented.
"What was the plan?" Denman asked curiously. "Another sleepover, with a few adjustments," Emma winced, tilting her head as her parents looked at her funny. "How is coming home to a house being a huge mess a few adjustments?!" Neil exclaimed.
Emma: "Still, I'd feel better if Cleo tracked down Mrs. Chatham. She seems to know how to deal with the full moon stuff." Lowers herself to the floor, taking the moon chart in her hands.
Rikki: "When she's not talking in tongues."
"Funny how when we look for you, you're never around. But when we do need you, you suddenly pop up at the worst moment," Rikki spat. "Easy, Rikki. No need to mess with her," Cleo said before looking at the elderly lady. "I know this might sound bad but where were you Mrs. C? We looked everywhere for you. We could've used some advice beforehand, otherwise, things could've gone better." "Sorry, girls. I um, had some things come up," Mrs. Chatham said, sounding a bit sad.
Unfortunately, that day of the full moon was her and her husband's wedding anniversary. After he had passed, she always celebrated it on the Lorelei. However, with her old home now underwater, she had struggled to stay strong throughout the day. It is at times when you can no longer do the things that you want with the ones you loved that makes you hurt the most it seems as she couldn't help but reminisce about her time in her old home.
[Someone rings the doorbell. Cleo stands up and walks over to find out who it is. When she answers, she takes a few steps back and alerts loudly to the girls that Zane was there as he walks into the house.]
Cleo: "Zane." Sends a warning glance to the two blondes. They all turn to him.
Zane: looks around then focuses on Cleo. "Uh, is your dad home? I need a word." Cleo begins fiddling with her hands as she looks at the girls.
"What were you doing there?" Harrison wondered. "He needed some help," Don mentioned.
"Why were you discussing mermaid stuff when you knew there was someone else in the house?" Bella asked, surprised by their lack of care. "Dad was out on the back porch, we would've heard him come in if he did. So, we didn't have to worry too much," Cleo answered.
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[After the girls had left to prepare themselves for a long night, Zane confronts Don about his problems with the unknown sea creature, begging for help. The two walk into the kitchen to discuss it further.]
Zane: "You're the only one I could ask. You know these waters like the back of your hand."
Don: "True. So, this happened when the boat went down." Sits down at the dinner table. Zane continues standing, facing him.
Zane: "Something saved me, something weird."
"You went to my dad for help?" Cleo asked a bit surprised. "Why are you so surprised? If Zane was needing help, of course dad would be the first person to go to. He's the king of fishing," Kim gestured to him. "I wouldn't call myself that now, Kim. Though I do feel like the king of my own boat," Don chuckled. "Why didn't you say anything?" Cleo asked her dad. "It wasn't my business to tell. Plus, I kinda thought he was crazy," Don admitted.
"You went to him and not me?" Harrison asked, sounding a bit hurt. "He knows the ocean better than anyone else I could think of, including you. And would you really have helped me?" Zane remarked. Harrison sighed, shaking his head. Zane's right of course, but it still stung that he went to Don instead of his own father.
Don: "You know, when we go through stressful situations, sometimes we get a bit, messed up, in the head." Begins waving his finger around in the air, signing that it can be crazy.
Zane: shakes his head slightly. "No, that's not it. This was real, and big." Begins tapping a folded-up piece of paper that he took out of his pocket.
"Except for in that stressful situation, it was absolutely real," Don said to himself.
Neil tensed up, not liking where this was all leading to, every detail of it led back to Emma. His daughter. I know this sounds awful, but he couldn't have blacked out a second earlier during that shipwreck? All of this could have been avoided if he never saw Emma's tail, he thought, shaking his head in frustration.
Don: "Like a dolphin." Holds his hands out, gesturing to how wide they are then leans against the table.
"Dolphins don't have scaly, orange tails, Mr. Sertori," Emma chuckled. "Well, I didn't know what it looked like until he explained it to me," Don shrugged. "I thought it was what he saw, and his mind thought it was something else. It sounded crazy no matter how he said it."
Zane: "No, it wasn't a dolphin." Unfolds the piece of paper and lays it out on the table for Don to see. "The skin was, orange and shimmery." Don looks up to him after seeing the details of the tail. "It was strong and powerful but ... sort of, elegant." Sits down in the chair next to him, looking anxious.
"You still had that?" Emma asked, a bit surprised. "Why wouldn't I?" Zane remarked. With all the nightmares it gave me, why wouldn't I give it up?
"No matter how many times I see this, I still can't help but admire it," Charlotte sighed, wishing she had that much talent to be able to take one glimpse of something and draw it in such specific detail. "You have got to teach me your ways." "You already have enough talent for being an artist, Char," Annette told her. "There's always room for more," she responded as her mother shook her head in amusement.
"How were you able to tell that much when you only saw it for a second?" Max asked in amazement. "When it repeats in your head so much like that, you get to noticing more details," Zane shrugged.
"Still sounds like you're describing a dolphin," Will commented.
Don: nods his head slowly then looks back at him. "So, did you touch it?"
Zane: shakes his head. "No. But if I had of, it would've been, tough but soft and smooth and strong, really, really strong." Don nods his head slowly, knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere with this, with all the different yet strange details.
"It sounds like you're describing something yet nothing at the same time," Ash shook his head, laughing. "It wasn't easy to describe. And I was right about the feeling of it," Zane replied.
"No matter what you say, it still sounds like a dolphin," Cleo laughed. "Forgive me for your tails being so similar, yet completely different at the same time," Zane rolled his eyes.
"I really thought you were losing it," Don laughed. "If I did touch it, I would've been able to see what it was, wouldn't I?" Zane sarcastically said.
Don: "You were without oxygen for a few minutes. You can easily have been seeing things. You know, hallucinating." Starts waving his hands around.
Zane: "I wasn't seeing things."
"He didn't know that," Lewis said. "No one did," Zane muttered. "Sorry for not believing ya, Bennett, but it's hard to believe when it's something no one's ever seen before," Don admitted. "It's fine. You weren't the first anyway," Zane waved it off.
Don: "Zane, without proof-."
Zane: "So you don't believe me?" Don doesn't answer.
"That's basically what he said," Lewis mumbled.
Zane: takes the paper back and folds it carefully. "Ok, I'll prove it to you. Uh, but I'll need to borrow some of your equipment." Don sighs and looks away.
"I can't believe you convinced me to let you borrow them," Don scoffed. "I can't believe you went along with it! I mean really, Don. You knew this was nonsense," Neil practically yelled as Lisa held his hand to calm him down. "I didn't know it was Emma. Even he didn't know, all I knew was that he wasn't going to quit until he got his way," Don huffed, not understanding why he was the one who was getting attacked. He wasn't the one who started this mermaid hunt in the first place!
I didn't want to prove it to just him, I wanted to prove it to my dad, my friends, everyone. To anyone who doubted me, Zane thought, feeling a bit upset.
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[Later on, at the marina, Zane spots Nate walking down the dock with his bag as he waits in his zodiac for him to come.]
Zane: faces the water, talking to Nate. "You took your time."
Nate: "Yeah, nice to see you, too." Nate tosses the duffle bag into the boat then climbs in next to Zane. The brunette pushes off from the dock then cranks up the boat and speeds off.
"You were impatient," Harrison chuckled. "What were you in a hurry for?" Will asked curiously. "I wanted some answers," Zane sighed, shrugging.
"That was a bit rude," Annette commented. "He got over it," Zane grinned.
"It's always nice to see me," Zane said laughingly, with a slight pain.
Mrs. Chatham frowned, wondering what the boy was up to this time. What evidence was he trying to get?
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[Later that afternoon, the girls prepare for the night at Emma's house. Rikki covers the couches with blankets when she hears Emma entering the living room, bringing pillows from her room.]
Rikki: "So where's the rest of the Brady bunch?"
"We're not the Brady's, we're the Gilbert's," Elliot corrected. "That's sarcasm, sweetheart," Lisa chuckled as Rikki grinned. "I know that, but it needed to be pointed out," Elliot replied.
Emma: places the stack of pillows on the couch next to Rikki. "Mom and dad are taking Elliot camping."
"Perfect timing as always, right darling?" Neil smiled, shaking his head. "Just like it was the perfect timing for when we came home to the house a mess," Lisa said as she looked over at the girls, arms crossed. "I suppose that party had something to do with the full moon?" Emma winced and lowered her head as she remembered the false information that she gave to her mother. "Actually, mom, that was another lie. Sorry. There was no party." The two parents looked at one another in confusion, wondering what in the world caused that mess in the first place. They knew very well that Emma would never make such a disaster.
"Most full moon nights are usually the most convenient ones for us. Mostly," Cleo shrugged. "At least it was a fun camping trip," Elliot smiled.
Rikki: "And how did you convince them to leave you alone?"
Emma: gave her a look as if it was obvious. "They trust me."
"Yet she lied to you on several occasions, such as their rainy-sick day," Bev asked curiously, knowing full well that she would've had some hesitation after everything she's been through with Kim. "She promised us there would be no boys over. Besides we talked it over and that was like a week later, she was already grounded for it, no need to add on to it," Neil informed.
They don't notice Emma wincing even more as she realized she unintentionally broke that promise as well, since Lewis decided to go against her say-so. Great. How much trouble am I going to get in for that?
Rikki: "Ah, of course."
Emma: walks over to the counter where Cleo was on the other side in the kitchen preparing the snacks. "So Cleo, did you talk to Mrs. Chatham?"
Cleo: shakes her head. "No, I couldn't find her." Frowns at both of them with worry. "This is a bad sign, a very bad sign. I know bad signs. And this is one of them."
Terry looked over at his daughter, seeming very concerned about her. Could this bad sign that Cleo is feeling have to do with Rikki? Or would something bad happen to her because of the moon? Either way, it sounded like it had to do with his daughter, and he didn't like where this was heading.
"Why didn't you guys look for her at her retirement home?" Bella asked. "We did. I looked both there and the marine park, twice, and I still couldn't find her," Cleo said, sounding defeated. Mrs. Chatham sighed, if they would have showed up at her house, she might've gotten out of her stump sooner rather than later.
Emma: "Maybe. So we're on our own." Emma and Rikki smile in slight excitement. One for not having to listen to any rules, the other for believing they could handle it herself. However, someone had to ruin the moment.
"I couldn't protect you girls forever," Mrs. Chatham barely whispered, glancing over towards the doctors.
[Lewis walks into the house unannounced with a rolled-up sheet of black tarps.]
Lewis: stands next to Rikki in the living room, talking to Emma. "Not quite."
"Uh, I thought we said no boys over," Lisa asked, raising an eyebrow. "He wasn't invited. And don't worry, Emma kicked him out as soon as we were done preparing," Rikki nodded. Cleo and Emma glance at one another, grimacing as they forgot that Rikki didn't know that Lewis had camped out without them knowing at the time. Granted, they didn't know either, but did eventually find out. Rikki noticed their looks and frowned.
Did I miss something? Though I did miss a whole night. What did he do this time?
Emma: "Lewis, what are you doing here?"
Lewis: "Well, isn't it obvious? You guys want to risk it here. I'm full-moon-proofing the house."
"We don't always need your help," Rikki muttered. "You did that night," Lewis shot back. "Well, your proofing didn't seem to work," Rikki countered. "And that's why I can't wait to find out how exactly you got moon-spelled. I thought I covered every nook and cranny," Lewis remarked. "Apparently not."
Emma: shakes her head. "I don't really think that's-."
Lewis: holds his hand out. "Just stop. Don't go all independent female on me. I just spent forty dollars at the hardware store." Holds up the large roll of black tarp. Rikki shrugs as Cleo looks down, trying not to laugh. "It's okay. You can thank me later." Emma gives him a stern look.
"You're the one who covered the windows?" Neil asked. "We had to stop the moonlight from entering somehow," Lewis shrugged. "Were you the one who made the mess then?" Elliot asked. "What mess?" Lewis frowned, then sees Rikki wincing and remembers what they're talking about. "Oh, right."
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[Meanwhile, out in the ocean close to where the Lorelei sunk, the zodiac floated, anchored down, and the boat empty of any company. Down below, Nate and Zane, in their diving suits and oxygen tanks, slowly swam down towards the sunken ship with an underwater blowtorch in his hand.]
"You went back there?" Will asked in surprise. "I'm shocked that you didn't get a panic attack just from being there again. I know I would have," Charlotte admitted. "It took a lot of willpower to not freak out. But I had to get my evidence one way or another," Zane told them. "What evidence?" Mrs. Chatham whispered, frowning as she does so.
[The two friends swim over towards the door. Zane tugs on it slightly, confirming that it was still jammed. Zane twists the nozzle on the blowtorch and pulls the trigger, lighting the small blowtorch and pressing it against the metal door, trying to get it off its hinges.]
"My Lorelei! What do you think you're doing?!" Mrs. Chatham gasped, holding her hands up to her mouth. Zane winced, not meaning to upset her. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Chatham. I should've asked for permission first. I didn't think to damage your property," he said, giving her an apologetic look.
Mrs. Chatham looked at him, a bit surprised that he apologized for something that seemed a bit silly to be upset about, especially since the Lorelei was long gone, something she would never be able to see again. But seeing her old home getting more damage to it, she couldn't help but feel a bit sad about it. She gave him a small sad smile in return, hoping to drop the matter. "It's quite alright. The Lorelei belongs to Mako now, not me. It's-it's in a better place."
"How was the door supposed to be proof about the existence of the sea monster?" Ash asked. "The dent in the door. It couldn't be done by many things. And a dolphin tale wouldn't be strong enough to do that," Zane pointed out.
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[A bit later, Zane and Nate drop the bent-up, rusty door from the zodiac onto the platform of the marina in front of the fishermen's feet for them all to inspect it. Don stood in front of them all.]
Zane: to Don and the rest of the fishermen, with Nate by his side. "Like I said, no dolphin did this." Don looks down at it. "This is the door from the Lorelei wreck. And as you can see, it's been bashed in by something, something weird."
"Well at least he remembered the boat's name," Cleo whispered to Emma, who was biting her lip. "It still doesn't help the fact that he was showing evidence to everyone," Emma whispered back nervously.
"What did you ever do with that door?" Don asked curiously. "He put it in our storage shed in case he ever needed it again," Harrison sighed.
Now it's just a constant reminder of what could've been and what the girls had to do in order to save themselves. I just regret the fact that they had to give up their powers, their lives, all because of me and Dr. Denman. What I would give to take back that day.
Zane: pulls out a wad of cash from his pocket and holds it out for them all to see. "And there's a reward, for anyone who can tell me what did this." Don rubs his neck and sighs, the other fishermen staying silent and completely clueless as to what could've done it. Zane looks around at them, taking in their silence. "Anyone?" They continue staying silent, looking down at the door.
"I'm speechless," Will laughed along with Bella.
"I'll admit when I'm wrong. That dent definitely wasn't done by a dolphin, but we couldn't explain what would've caused that. But now we know," Don explained.
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[Later that evening before the full moon arrives, the group prepares the house for the long night ahead by blocking out all moonlight. Lewis closes the blinds, shutters, and curtains; Cleo shoves towels under the cracks of the doorways; Rikki and Emma tape the tarps to every window.]
"That's a tad bit overdone don't you think?" Sam raised an eyebrow. "The full moon can be a tricky thing. You can never be too careful," Mrs. Chatham informed quietly, still thinking about her Lorelei. "You can say that again," Lewis muttered. After all his failed attempts on trying to protect the girls, he still couldn't figure it out sometimes.
Emma: climbs down from the couch after finishing putting the tarps up. Talks to Lewis. "There, that's everything." Walks into the kitchen.
Lewis: turns around, faces the girls who were all gathered in the kitchen. and gestures around. "See? I should have been a tradesman. We can all sleep easy now."
"Uh, we?" Neil asked, leaning forward in his seat as he narrowed his eyes at Lewis.
"After what you did on the last full moon, I think that is wayyy out of the question," Kim giggled as Cleo blushed.
"I thought you said he didn't stay," Lisa frowned. "He didn't," Emma said quickly. Not inside at least. "I told him about the rules, and we made him leave." Lisa and Neil look at her hesitantly then nod and lean back once more in their chairs, still a bit tense at the sudden change.
Rikki, Emma, and Cleo: "We?"
"That sounds creepy every time you do that," Bella laughed.
Lewis: walks towards them. "I'm-I'm up for a girl's night in." Pulls out a bag of popcorn from his pocket and holds it up to them, smiling. "Snacks anyone?"
"Though not as creepy as that," Bella grimaced.
"You seriously need more friends, Lewis. Guy friends," Zane chuckled, shaking his head. "Says the guy who was hunting mermaids," Lewis shot back.
Emma: "Forget it, Lewis. You can't stay. I promised my parents no boys."
"Good. I know you girls might need help during full moon nights, but for now on that's what we are here for. We can help you girls with that. And I don't feel comfortable with Lewis being there, no offense Lewis," Neil interjected. "None taken. I can see what you mean by it," Lewis shrugged.
Plus, it can take a load of responsibility off him some now that their parents know. They can all work together now to help them instead of having to do it all by himself.
Lewis: "So this is the thanks I get? I've got to say, it hurts. It hurts right here." He pats the pack of popcorn to his heart then turns around to pack his stuff up. Behind his back, the girls glance at one another with small smiles.
"Eh, you'll live," Rikki grinned.
"I can't go behind my parent's back like that. I've already broken enough rules," Emma said.
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[A few minutes later, the full moon begins rising over Mako Island. Lewis prepares to leave, unaware of the threat that awaits in the sky.]
Terry looked at the moon with worry then at his daughter who was unmoved by the spooky power. How did she manage it? How did it happen if the house was full-proof? Will she be okay? Those constant questions kept running through his mind as he gulped his nerves down and turned back to the screen.
Lewis: "Uh, ok. I will call you every hour, on the hour." Holds his toolbox in his hand as Emma and Cleo show him to the door. The latter with a bowl of snacks in her hand.
Emma: nods then shoves him towards the door. "Ok, now go. It's nearly moon time."
"It's already moon time by the looks of it," Ash said. "We didn't realize the time. We should've checked before you left," Emma sighed.
"Every hour? Did you get any sleep at all?" Harrison asked in surprise. "We never usually do on those nights," Cleo shrugged. "Especially the only one that doesn't get affected," Lewis said, raising his hand.
[Lewis nods then turns around and unlocks the front door as the two girls stay behind it. He pulls open the door, unaware of the bright lights shining onto the glass vase full of flowers sitting on the table in the entryway behind them. The light reflects from off the vase, to the bowl in Cleo's hand, onto a metal light fixture hanging on the wall, then a picture frame sitting on the stand next to the couch, into the cup of water that in Rikki's hand, where she was sitting on the couch.]
"Oh, no," Lewis grumbled as he slapped his forehead. Reflections! Why didn't I think about that?
"Huh, so that's how it happened. And I thought it was on purpose," Emma muttered.
"You. Idiot," Rikki said through gritted teeth as she glared at Lewis. "Uh, my bad," Lewis winced. "And this whole time I was somehow thinking it was my own fault," Rikki said as she shook her head.
"Wow, I can't believe it went that far. It had to be at the perfect angle, the right timing, and that strong of a light in order to be able to reflect off of that many objects," Denman said, slightly impressed.
"The reflections always seemed to be a lot stronger than the full moon itself," Mrs. Chatham added, Bella mentally nodded, fully agreeing with her statement.
[As the full moon reflected in the water, Rikki stares at it, enchanted by its magic. The lights darkened around her, as if she were in her own world, unable to move. The reflection seems to grow stronger as all of this happens and Rikki watches in awe at it as it stares back at her.]
Terry watched in shock, never seeing Rikki look that way before. It was almost as if she were in some sort of trance, being hypnotized by the full moon, exactly the same way her friends were on the previous moons. It's completely different than to when she was hypnotized for a few seconds by the first full moon they experienced. This time, he knew there was going to be some side effects to it, including one heck of a night.
"Rikki?" he asked cautiously. Rikki waved it off. "It's fine, dad. I'll be fine. I'm still here, aren't I?" Terry nodded quietly, but still didn't like the feeling he was getting from this. He couldn't help but be worried for her.
[Lewis walks out the door with his toolbox and closes it behind him, unknowingly ending the connection of the full moon's spell. Rikki blinks a couple of times and frowns in confusion as she continues staring at the water, wondering what happened.]
"Well, that's something we're going to have to be careful about next time," Lewis sighed. "Let's not let there be a next time," she muttered.
"How come you girls didn't get affected by it, you were right beside the door," Will asked. "Maybe because we were the moon's target before, but also probably because we weren't looking directly at the moon. We didn't even look outside," Cleo answered.
Emma: walks into the living room then stops when she notices Rikki staring at her water and looks at her in concern. Cleo walks past her and over to the dinner table. "Rikki, is everything alright?"
Rikki: "Yeah, everything's fine." Looks up to Emma, forgetting about the water in her hand. "Why wouldn't it be okay?" Rikki looks back at the glass then sets it on the living room table as Emma shrugs it off then walks over to the counter.
"Because you were looking at the full moon's reflection and now are moonspelled for the first time," Emma chimed in, grinning at her.
"I thought you could resist the big bad moon," Kim teased. "I told you that was karma."
Rikki: looks over to where Cleo was reading a magazine next to the dining room table and begins to get a little jumpy. "Cleo, stay away from the curtains."
Cleo: and Emma, standing beside her, gives her an odd look and closes her magazine. "Oookay." Cleo sits down at the table.
"You seem to be acting a little normal," Max said. "Yes, well in the cases we've seen so far, they tend to go downhill rather quickly," Lewis said, thinking about the past few moons.
"She wasn't anywhere near the curtains. And the windows were taped up," Ash frowned. "Moonspelled self doesn't know that," Rikki stated.
Emma: turns around, her backside to Cleo as Rikki continues watching them. "Hey Cleo, does my bum look big in these jeans?"
Cleo: "No, actually, they're really flattering."
The room bursts into loud laughter, echoing off the walls. Every single one of them had tears in their eyes from their hysterical laughter, except for the obvious two girls who were currently hiding their faces in the palms of their hands, their faces bright red with embarrassment. Rikki sat next to them, clapping as she laughed along with the rest of the crowd. "No way! You two did not just say that!"
"Why, why, why did it have to show this?!" Emma said through a muffled scream. "I can't believe I forgot about that. That's so humiliating," Cleo said, shaking her head in absolute horror as she heard Kim laughing even louder than before. "I wish I could remember," Rikki said as the laughter began slowly dying down. "And I wish I could've recorded that," Kim giggled. "Aw man, what a bummer," Zane said, the laughter being brought back up again.
"They were new jeans! I just wasn't sure how they looked," Emma exclaimed, her face still very red. "To be fair, that is what we all think when we buy new clothes," Annette said, along with every other girl nodding in agreement.
[While this was going on, Rikki notices the beads of sweat that were beginning to form on the girls' skin due to the heat in the room, though doesn't realize where it's actually coming from.]
Emma: "I wish I had your looks. I wish I had your legs I must say."
Cleo: "It's my skin I'm mostly worried about. I just keep on breaking out. I mean, I really should stop with the junk food." Rikki looks down at the glass of water sitting on the table once more.
"Junk food is the hardest thing to stay away from. Especially when you're trying to diet and lose weight," Annette said, chuckling slightly as the room's laughter was finally gone. She knew what it was like, since she owned a restaurant. That's why she had salads on the menu in case there were people who didn't want to cheat.
"Why were you focusing on the sweat?" Ash asked, sounding a little grossed out about it. "I'm not sure. Girls?" Rikki asked, looking at them in confusion. "I guess it had to do with you freaking out about the heat rising in the room," Emma said, giving her a look. "Oh, right," Rikki said, biting her lip.
Emma: "The most important thing is not thinking about junk food. If you don't think or talk about it, you can't-."
Rikki: interrupts them, staring at the water with worry. "Got any ice cream?"
"What did I just say?" Emma asked playfully. "I didn't give two flips about your conversation by the looks of it. I was just focused on the situation at hand," Rikki shrugged.
"She is right, that does help to not think about it at all," Sam nodded. "Nope. Couldn't do it. Too much effort," Lewis said, shaking his head.
"Think we could take a break after this? I am starting to get a bit hungry myself just thinking about it," Will said as he rubbed his stomach. "We'll see."
[Rikki stands up at once and marches towards the kitchen. Emma watches her as she scrunches up her face, sitting on the table and reading a magazine along with Cleo, who was unfazed by this sudden outburst.]
Rikki: opens the freezer door and sighs at the unwanted sight. "Tofu, tofu, and tofu. Who shops for this family? Don't you have any ice cream?"
"I doubt it, considering all Emma eats is healthy foods," Elliot said, pouting.
"I do," Lisa said, raising her hand.
[Rikki lays her hand on one of the frozen tofu boxes and immediately the inside of the freezer begins to defrost at the touch. On the shelf above her, a few drops of water pour down onto her hand due to the intense heat and evaporates the second it lands on her hand. Rikki frowns, mesmerized by the power.]
The crowd gasped, staring at the scene in shock. "Woah, that's hot," Will mumbled, completely surprised like everyone else, except for the group that is.
"What-what just happened?" Kim said, shaking out of the shock. "According to Cleo and Emma, during my full moon my powers went out of control and my whole body was generating heat. I didn't even have to use them, it just happened out of nowhere, like a constant flow. I was like a transportable heater," Rikki answered, sighing at the thought of it. She couldn't believe it, but seeing it now, it was strange.
Emma: looks up from her magazine to see that Rikki was still at the freezer, staring at its contents. Emma closes her magazine and slides off the table. Cleo finally looks up, noticing the situation. Emma walks slowly over to the counter, giving Rikki another look of concern. "Rikki, did you find any ice cream?"
"We both know that if there ever was ice cream in that freezer, I would have snatched it up the second I found out," Elliot giggled.
"You didn't think her behavior was odd?" Max asked. "Rikki's always been an oddball. Only then did we realize it was even more than usual," Emma said teasingly.
Rikki: blinks rapidly then looks over at Emma. "No, and there's moisture in this fridge." Rikki quickly wipes her hand dry on a nearby rag hanging on the oven door.
Emma: "It's ok, Rikki." Cleo stands next to her.
"Not this time it isn't," Rikki sighed. "It never is for us," Cleo shook her head.
Rikki: closes the freezer door then turns to them, worry filling her eyes. "No, it's not ok." Gestures around the room as she steps forward. "Can't you see what's happening? We've sealed up all the ventilation. And it's getting really hot in here." Cleo and Emma glance at each other, getting even more worried.
"The sealed windows and doors have nothing to do with it though if it's coming from you," Ash pointed out. "You didn't know where it was coming from?" Charlotte asked. "How was I supposed to know? I was moonspelled," Rikki stated as if it were obvious.
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[Meanwhile back over at the Sertori's, Zane and Don meet up once again at the dining room table about the mysterious sea creature. This time, Don has brought out a large map of the entire coastline, including Mako Island. He spreads it out over the table for the two to get a better view of.]
Don: "This chart covers the whole coastline."
Zane: opens a marker and marks an 'x' on the map near Mako Island. "Mrs. Chatham's boat sank there."
"What's with the map?" Harrison asked, not knowing anything about Zane's mission with Mr. Sertori. "So, I could show him where the Lorelei had sunk and so we could predict where the sea creature might be," Zane answered. "Oddly enough, I remembered some of the older boat wrecks near there and we began mapping it out. The kid believed that it had something to do with Mako. I'm starting to think so myself," Don explained.
Don: walks to the other side of Zane and looks at the 'x'. "Funny thing, you know, not far from there, about 1950 it was, a yacht disappeared, never seen again." Don points to the spot on the map and Zane marks another 'x' there.
"That's pretty close," Lewis commented. "Yeah, close to Mako as well," Denman mumbled as a thought crossed her mind. Were these sunken ships also connected to Mako somehow?
"You listen to too many sailor stories," Kim shook her head. "No kidding," Bev muttered.
Zane: "What else can you remember?"
Don: "Now, some of the older fishermen say there was a whirlpool in the 1940's, about there." Points to another spot which Zane marks then heads towards his office to get some more information. Zane watches him go.
"You know, these stories could be similar to ours. Since you saved Zane from a sunken ship, do you think the others could be from other mermaids as well?" Cleo whispered to the other two. "Maybe. Zane told me before that Mrs. Chatham had saved someone from a sinking ship as well. But some of those stories are long before her time as a mermaid," Rikki whispered back. "It could be possible. Since Mrs. Chatham and her friends were mermaids before us, who's to say there weren't more before them?" Emma questioned.
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[A little while later, the moon has risen further into the sky. Inside, Emma and Cleo begin fanning themselves as Rikki takes off her sleeveless jacket and tosses it onto the couch.]
Rikki: "I can't stand this heat. Can't you feel it?"
"Was it that bad?" Rikki asked. "We didn't feel it as much as you did," Emma replied.
"That explains why you felt like you were getting hotter than us. She was burning up more than we were because she was the one generating the heat," Cleo explained, making Terry worry even more. If she gets too hot, she'll burn out! Literally! Oh, Rikki. How the heck did you come out alright?!
Emma: and Cleo begins unbuttoning their long-sleeved shirts, leaving them in their undershirts. Rikki does the same, her face and arms getting redder from her own body heat as she begins fanning herself with a magazine. "Actually, I am kind of hot."
Cleo: "Me too."
Emma: "There's got to be a reason for this."
"It was getting hotter by the minute, and the air conditioner didn't help," Cleo sighed. Lisa and Neil begin feeling bad for leaving the girls like that. Had they known, they would've tried to figure out a way to keep them cool.
Meanwhile, I enjoyed the nice cool air outside, Lewis snickered though felt bad considering this was partly his fault. Oh, who's he kidding, mostly his fault.
"I think we both know the reason," Rikki grinned. "Ok, chill," Emma joked.
Emma: looks at Rikki suspiciously as she watches her fan herself, wondering why she was burning up more than the others. "You don't think that the moon-."
Cleo: shakes her head and Emma looks back at her. "No way. We're sealed in like shut-ins. So it can't get us."
"Boy, were we wrong," Cleo laughed at her comment.
"What a waste of forty dollars that was," Lewis pouted.
Rikki: walks over to the counter, keeping a distance as she glares at them while fanning herself. "So, you're saying this is my fault?"
"That's not what I was saying. I was thinking that the moon was maybe trying to lure us out or something," Emma explained to her. "Blame the moon for the attitude," Rikki shrugged.
[Emma takes a step closer, squinting her eyes at Rikki as she examines her, noticing her red skin, her wide eyes, her worried state, and how she was burning up more than them. It all made sense to her now, the heat was coming from Rikki.]
Emma: eyes widen at the realization. "It's you." Rikki frowns as Emma continues on. "You're hot. You're burning up." Rikki looks down at her arms, seeing her skin was reddening as Cleo looks in shock as she realizes Emma was right.
"Took you long enough," Kim scoffed. "We didn't know that Rikki looked at the moon. It's the same way Cleo and I were when we first got moonspelled," Emma mentioned.
Emma: "Ok I-I think we need to cool you down." Emma takes a step forward and grabs Rikki's arm, only to get burned in the process just by touching Rikki's skin. Emma quickly yanks her hand away and takes a step back, pain clear in her face. She holds her hand, trying to stop the pain as she looks at Rikki in fright. "Ow, you burned me!" Rikki takes a step back, guilt showing on her face, clearly not meaning to as Emma looks back at Cleo.
"Take her to the freezer room at the Juicenet cafe. I heard it's a great spot to stay frosty," Will snorted, then looked down at his feet once he noticed the glares aimed his way. "Too soon?"
"Oh, my goodness!" Lisa gasped as she covered her mouth. Lisa immediately reaches forward and grabbed Emma's hand, checking for any marks that could've been from the burn. Neil was right by her side. "Are you alright, Emma?" Elliot asked worriedly, leaning forward to help his sister if she needs it. "It's fine. It didn't leave a mark and it didn't hurt for long. I used my power to cool my hand to ease the pain quicker," Emma said with a small smile as she waved her hand at them.
Rikki looked down in shame, feeling extreme guilt from hurting her friend. She knew that she had done it; Emma and Cleo had told her all the details, of what they knew at least before she had run off, but she still couldn't help but feel bad, especially since she was now seeing what she had done. It was so much different from being told.
"Don't worry, Rikki. We've all done things we regretted during the full moons. This is no different. I know you didn't mean to hurt me, you've done apologized for it like a million times already," Emma chuckled as she put a hand on Rikki's shoulder, the latter looking up at her. "So don't work yourself up about it. We don't need you burning up again." Rikki gave a light laugh at the playful matter before nodding along and looking back to the screen.
From the way she reacted, that must've been as hot as a stovetop. Something like that can leave third-degree burns, yet neither Emma nor Rikki's skin was blistering from the contact. Especially Rikki's since she was the one generating it! Their skin must also have some sort of mermaid durability since they were able to resist the pain levels of what it would've been for a human. It's the same way to where they can use their powers in their human forms and how they didn't receive any bruising from their earlier actions, Dr. Denman thought, her eyes widening.
She frowned though as she heard a muffled laugh next to her and turned to Max. "Your brain is going to pop if you keep thinking this stuff over. Just mark it up to magic, that's what I've learned to do a long time ago."
Cleo: "Rikki, you didn't happen to see a full moon reflection in the water, did you?" Rikki slowly takes a step back and gently lays her hand on a dishtowel lying on the counter. Rikki stares at them in fear, not realizing that she was once again burning something. She looks down at the smoking dishtowel as the bottles and cans of sodas sitting next to it begin to sizzle then suddenly pop open, and splash soda everywhere. Cleo and Emma look at the mess in shock as Cleo jabs a finger at it. "I'm going to take that as a maybe." Rikki's eyes widen as she understands now that it actually was her who is causing the heatwave.
"Huh, so that's what caused the mess," Neil nodded. "But that's only a small part of it. There was even more when we got home," Lisa realized. "The night is long," Emma sighed.
"So, it really was that bad," Rikki winced. "You're a literal hothead," Ash gawked.
"You should probably take that as more than a 'maybe'," Kim pointed out, eyes widening.
"Rikki, are you okay?" Terry asked her carefully. He was extremely worried for his daughter's safety. At that moment, not only was she a danger to others but a danger to herself. He didn't want her to get hurt, he didn't want her to get caught in a fire, literally in this case if the temperature of her powers was still rising. Rikki turned to him and gave him a small smile, one that he was sure was genuine but still didn't ease his worries, so she stood up and gave him a hug. "I'll be fine, dad. I know most of what happens, and I can promise you that nothing life-threatening happens to me that I know of. I'm still here, and I always will be. Okay?"
Rikki for sure didn't like what she was seeing so far, but she needed to be strong for them, for her friends and her dad, and for herself as well. She couldn't let the past take her down, not again. And besides, she was right. Right? Nothing was going to hurt her. Terry sighed and returned the hug. "Okay. I just don't want to see you getting hurt." "Nothing can hurt me, not even my own powers," she whispered back and walked back to her chair.
Terry shook his head in thought. I wasn't just talking about getting physically hurt, Rikki. Because Terry knows his daughter and knows very well that she bottles up her emotions, doesn't like for others to know what she truly felt, and right now, by the looks of the screen, some of it seems to already be slipping the moment she accidentally burned Emma. She doesn't know what all she did during the full moon and doesn't know what she would've let slip. He just didn't want his daughter to get upset by something she probably didn't even know she had let out if her moonspelled self ever did.
"I thought I made a bigger mess than that," Rikki whispered to them as she sat back down. "You did, but that's just the beginning," Emma whispered back, grimacing.
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[Back at the Sertori's, Zane and Don had marked a few more spots on the map, still continuing their history of the mysterious shipwrecks.]
Don: "There was a shipwreck, back in 1887, out by the atoll."
"Wow, that's over a hundred years ago. You know how to dig deep," Sam chuckled. "Gotta work hard no matter the task," Don nodded.
Zane: marks the spot. "There's gotta be some relationship between all these things." Don walks over to him, still looking in the history book he has as Zane brainstorms before an idea pops in his head. "Hang on." Zane steadies the ruler on the map then draws a line between all the x's that's surrounding Mako then draws a circle around Mako and taps it. "Mako Island."
"Now he finally gets it," Dr. Denman muttered, rolling her eyes. "He figured it out before you did," Harrison scowled.
"They're all sunken ships?" Bella suggested. "But they were all not too far from Mako Island. They had to be connected to it somehow," Zane stated.
"Your idea that Mako was where the sea creature came from was all because of some old wrecks that happened nearly hundreds of years ago?" Emma exclaimed. "Was I wrong?" Zane raised an eyebrow then smiled smugly as Emma huffed, knowing he was right.