After the full moon incident, the weekend came by before I could blink. Due to leaving her house a mess, Emma had been grounded for the rest of the week. When Rikki found out that she had kissed Zane, it took all of her energy to keep her from throwing up. Right now, I was actually going to meet Alex at his house and we were going to walk to the JuiceNet. After I got ready, I made my way downstairs and was about to go out the door, but l was interrupted by my dad. "Will, can you come here for a minute?" my dad called from the living room. As I walked into the room, I sat in the chair across from my dad.
"What's up?" I asked.
"Where did you go that night?" he asked sternly. "You had your mother and I worried sick."
"Well, I uh..." I trailed off.
"Will, you know you can tell me anything. I just want to know where you went."
Suddenly, Kyle made his way into the room and we made eye contact. Realizing my situation, he butted in. "Oh, he just went out to get some new parts for my boat. The reason he was in such a hurry was because the store was about to close."
My dad glanced back and forth from me to Kyle and he nodded. "Just be careful Will," he said as he got up and left the room.
"Thanks for covering for me Kyle," I smiled. "I really owe you one."
"I'm gonna hold you to that," he smirked. "Now get outta here. Don't wanna keep Alex waiting."
"Yeah, yeah," I rolled my eyes as I walked out the front door.
As I was walking to Alex's house, I began to think of my life when I lived back in the states. Every time Alex, Hunter, and Alice wanted to swim, I would always decline, for obvious reasons. They had always asked me what was wrong and I just said I lost interest. Before I was a merman, we would always swim in this big lake that was nearby all of our houses. Then one day, I stopped. I couldn't let them know I was half fish, I just couldn't. They would've never looked at me the same. It kinda sucks to know your best friends all your life and keep such a big secret from them. I would just have to keep dealing with it.
When I arrived at Alex's house, I knocked on his door. A few moments later, a familiar face appeared. "Will, I can't believe it's you!" Mrs. Cadwell, Alex's mom smiled as she saw me. "It's been ages and my, how you've grown! You've become a very handsome young man!"
"Thanks Mrs. Cadwell," I replied. "It's good to see you too."
"I bet you're here for Alex," she guessed. I nodded. "Alex, Will's here!" she called upstairs. "So how has your mother and father been?" she asked curiously.
"They've been great actually," I said with a grin. "They're actually having another set of twins."
"That's fantastic! Do you think your mother would mind if I stopped by and said hello?"
"No, not at all," I smiled.
Suddenly, Alex appeared next to his mom. "You ready to go?" he asked.
"I was ready about fifteen minutes ago," I laughed.
"Shut up," he smiled as he walked outside.
As we began to make our way to the JuiceNet, Alex spoke. "So how do you like living in Australia?" he asked curiously.
"It's so awesome!" I said with enthusiasm. "I love it here."
Alex laughed. "I can see why. The weather is absolutely amazing. Plus, it looks like you've made some good friends here."
"Yeah," I agreed. "They're really something." I smirked. "They've made my adjustment here so much easier." We then appeared in front of the JuiceNet. "Well, here we are," I said. "After you," I said motioning to the front door.
Once inside, we took a seat at the usual booth. "Wilfred!" I called. Wilfred then appeared at the front counter. "Grab us some Banana Beatbox!"
"I'll have them right out," Wilfred smiled.
"Wow," Alex said. "It seems that you know everybody in this town."
"Yeah, everybody is just really nice here."
Suddenly, Alex's phone rang. When he answered, a smile came to his face. "Hey Alice! Yes I am with him right now. Okay, here he is."
He then handed the phone to me. "Hey Allie!" I called her by her nickname.
"Will!" she said excitedly. "Is it really you?"
"The one and only," I smirked.
"We miss you so much! We wish we could've come with Alex to see you, but we'll visit you another time."
"I'm counting down the days," I laughed. "Is Hunter there?"
"Yeah, he's right here." I then heard the phone transition over to Hunter.
"Yo Willie!" I heard an all too familiar voice yell out.
"Hey Hunter!" I replied happily. "How's it going?"
"Pretty good, but we still have school! And. Alex told us that you're almost done your school year."
"Yeah, I am," I confirmed. "The school system here is different."
"I hate you," Hunter laughed.
"I miss you too," I replied with a snicker.
"Well, we gotta go, but we'll talk to you later!" Hunter said.
"Okay, see ya," I said as I clicked the 'End' button. I then handed the phone back to Alex.
"You wanna know something?" he asked.
"Sure," I shrugged.
"Alice and I are together," he smiled.
"Are you serious?" I asked. He nodded happily. "Finally!" I exclaimed. "It took you two long enough!" Hunter and I always knew that Alice and Alex liked each other, they were just too nervous to show it. Now that I think about it, it kind of reminds me of Lewis and Cleo. They'll come to their senses soon enough. I just know it.
"Yeah, we started going out about a month after you left."
"Aww, c'mon," I pouted. "Why did I have to miss out on that?"
"Guess you're just unlucky," Alex smirked. Suddenly, Wilfred came with our smoothies.
"Thanks Wilfred," I said.
"No problem," he smiled.
As he walked away, we began to drink our smoothies. Suddenly, I remembered something, something very important. "Hey Alex, have you heard from Bells lately?"
"No," he sighed. "Not since after she left."
I frowned. Bella, or 'Bells' as we liked to call her, was a close friend to me, Alex, and the others. She moved to the states when we were ten, a week after I turned into a merman. When I would exclude myself from swimming, or anything else water related she would hang with me. I always figured that she felt bad for me and didn't want me to be by myself. She had always helped me feel better when I was upset. She was a great friend.
Two months before I moved to Australia, Bella had to move away because her dad's business requires him to move around. After she moved, we lost contact with her. We tried to call her and text her, but it was no use. Although, we couldn't contact her, something told me that she was okay, kind of like we were connected somehow. When Alex and I finished our smoothies, I got up and smacked the money on the counter. As we walked out, I waved goodbye to Wilfred. "Hey Will," Alex said.
"Yeah," I replied.
"I've always wondered, what's with you and water?" he asked. "I mean, one day you're swimming with us, and the next, won't even touch water."
"I just lost interest," I shrugged.
"No one loses interest that quickly," Alex countered. "Something happened to you."
"Nothing happened," I replied brushing off his comment. "Well, I gotta go. See ya later." I then made my way home. Once I got to my house, I whipped out my phone and sent a group message to the girls and Lewis to meet up with me at the moon pool. Once the message was sent, I shoved my phone back into my pocket and dove off my dock. While I was swimming to the moon pool, I began to think about what if Alex and the others knew what I was. Maybe they won't react the way I think they will. Heck, when Kaylie found out, she thought nothing of it and it's the same thing with Kyle.
When I entered the moon pool, I discovered that the girls were already there. "Hey Will," Rikki said with a smile.
"Hey guys," I replied. Suddenly, we heard Lewis come in from the above entrance. He then entered the moon pool.
"Hey everyone," he waved. "So what's this all about?"
"Yeah, is anything wrong Will?" Lauren asked with concern.
"Not necessarily," I shrug. "It's just that Alex was questioning me on why I never go near water. My friends and I always swam together, so he was probably just concerned."
"You need to be careful," Emma said. "I know he's your friend, but he can't know our secret."
"I know that," I said while rolling my eyes. "I've been keeping it from him for five years, so I think I'll be fine."
"We trust you," Cleo nodded.
"Hey Will, isn't tomorrow your first day on the job at the marine park?" Lewis asked changing the subject.
"Yeah!" I said excitedly. "I can finally earn my own money. Plus, I'll be able to work with Cleo," I laughed.
"Oh boy, I can't wait," Cleo said with a sarcastic smile.
"C'mon Cleo," I smirked. "It'll be fun."
"I know," she laughed. "Well, I should be getting back home. It's late and I'm sure Kim is waiting to annoy me when I get home."
"Yeah, I gotta go too," Lauren said. We all then decided to go home. As I swam back to my house, I thought of all the lies I had made up to keep my secret from Alex, Bella, and everyone else. I had so many close calls back in the states. But I managed to keep the secret under wraps. I didn't want them to think of me as some sort of monster. Once I neared my house, I hopped on the dock and dried off. My mom greeted me when I walked inside.
"Hey Willie, could you come here real quick?" she asked as she patted the empty space on the couch next to her. I walked over and sat beside my mom.
"What's up?" I asked.
"Your father and I have decided what the twins' names will be."
"That's awesome!" I exclaimed. "What did you decide?"
"Well, you seemed so keen on Lucy, so one is going to be named Lucille," my mom smiled.
"Thanks so much Mom!" I said with pure excitement. "That means a lot."
"We thought you would say that," she grinned. "The other twin will be named Sierra."
"That's a beautiful name Mom," I grinned from ear to ear.
"Your brother and sister said the exact same thing. Well, you should get to bed. You need to be rested for your first day of work!"
"Don't worry Mom, I'll get plenty of rest," I smiled. "Night," I said as I made my way upstairs. When I got to my room, I looked at a picture that I had on my desk. It was of me, Alex, Hunter, and Alice when we were young. It was taken before Bella moved to the states and before I became a merman. We were in the lake. Alex had Alice on his back. And I rested my arm on Hunter's shoulder. I smiled slightly at the memory. I really hope to see the others soon.
I laid back on my bed. I began to think about my first day working at the marine park tomorrow. I mean, my job involves me being around gallons upon gallons of water and if I get even one drop on me, I'll turn into a mythical creature.
What can go wrong?