Chapter 34
Rikki breathed. This was it. Her husband held her hand for support as they walked into the trailer where she lived all those years ago.
"Dad?"
"Hey sweetheart," he came into the main room of the trailer.
"Dad, I've got something to tell you..."
"Shoot."
She took adeep breath. "You have got to promise not to tell anyone. It could put me in a lot of danger."
"Sure. You've got my trust," he looked at her quizzically.
"Okay."she took another deep breath. "I'm a mermaid. I know it sounds weird but I am."
He chuckled then seeing her expression stopped. "You're being serious?"
"Yes Dad. Do you want a demonstration?"
"Okay...?"
Zane went and got her a glass of water. Rikki sat down on the couch. Her heart beat rapidly.
She poured it over her arm. "Please don't freak"
Ten seconds later she transformed, her body glistening from the water along it, her scales sparkling in the evening light. He gasped.
"Wow. Thats amazing," he said as he took in his daughter. "How long have you been like this?"
"About nine years..."
"Seriously?"
"Yeah..." she winced, "Sorry 'bout that..."
"I did suspect something, since you never wanted to go surfing with me like you used to and you were terrified of water and never did the dishes or swum even on the hottest days...this makes some things make sense..."
Rikki went on to demonstrate her powers to him. He was very impressed by her power over lightning. Overall he wasnt too fussed.
... () ()...() ()...
Meanwhile at Cleo and Lewis' house...
"Hey Cleo, look at what I found," Lewis said bringing a stack of papers to her desk (which was in the room designated as their office. )
"What is it?" Cleo asked looking up from her Dolphin Research.
"Its Denman's research on 'you-know-what.' We never looked at it and I must'veplaced it in my filing cabinet"
"I did wonder where that got too... Anything good in it?"
"I havn't properly looked at it, but I think there are notes on the tests she did on you and theories etc. Wanna look now?"
"Yeah." Cleo pushed aside her papers.
"Hey, listen to this one; If any of these girls want to have children the offspring have a very high chance of having the same DNA, causing the same effects throughout the systems of cells. The genes passed on through their parent would override the human parent's genes. The mermaid genes may be diluted by the human's but it would be near impossible for the child not have any of the cells that mutate on contact with water."
"So they're going to be a mermaid?" Cleo said placing a hand over her belly.
"Thats what this says,"
"Very interesting..."
The couple learnt more about mermaids and their genes based on Denman's research, along with confirmation of somethings they already knew. They learnt that their bloodtypes, cells and other bodily organs were all slightly different to that of a humans'. Apparently their bloodtypes was something that Denman had only ever seen in a dolphin. It, according to her notes, was a cross between a human bloodtype and a one of the x-rays Denman took she deducted that the mermaids had bigger lungs and special pockets in their tails so when in their mermaid form, it would spur them to be able to hold their breaths for much longer than a regular human being. They learnt that their stamina as humans was very high and their stamina as mermaids was even higher.
"What about this one? 'The structure of the body looks to be very strong, diminishing the speed of age. It seems to me that the girls will not age the same as a normal human. They may have double the average life span of an average human female, and their appearance may be very young. For example at age 60 I estimate they may only look to be 30 years of age. And from the span of ages 20 to 40 I believe there will be no age.' Wow" Lewis said
"Yeah."
"That means your powers give you youth!...Oh...that means I'll look old in comparison to you..."
"Don't worry Lewis." Cleo said brightly, "You'll always be young to me," she kissed him.
There was other fascinating information, but the most important to Cleo was the theories and notes on their genes, cells and pregnancies.
"We have to tell the others."
"I'm right behind you on that decision,"
The group came over and were just as shocked as Cleo and Lewis were initially.
_____________________________________________________________________________
Chapter 35
The next day...
"I think I'm gonna..." Bella ran to the bathroom and spewed into the toilet. Will rushed in concerned after his wife and held her hair back until she was finished.
"Thanks Will,"
She sat down in the bathtub and Will gave her a warm, wet, facecloth to wipe the sick away. This of course transformed her.
"I'm not feeling too good," she said to Will in a small voice.
Meanwhile...
Rikki fingered the thin scar than ran across her cheek. Today was the day one year ago, that she had escaped from the counterfeiters. Though she did not show it, Rikki was still disturbed from that encounter. She was still trying, with Zane's help, to get over the fears created by that horrific event.
"You alright?" Zane asked concerned
"Yeah, Zane, fine."
"Rikki, I've known you long enough to know when something is wrong."
She looked over at him.
"Do you know what today is?"
"Did someone die?" she looked at him blankly.
"Sorry, sorry, not funny I know, it was a joke," she shot him an 'I'm not amused look.'
"Seriously, what is wrong?"
"Today, one year ago, was when...you know? I was kidnapped...and kept in that cold, dark, lonely room, with no food..." she shivered.
Zane embraced her. "It's alright Rikki, that's in the past. Those men were arrested and you are back with me," he said consolingly.
"I should just get over this. What is wrong with me!"
"Nothing! You've had trauma. We'll get through this,"
"Thanks Zane; you're the best. I love you,"
"Anytime you want to talk about this, I'm here to listen. I know I haven't really been a good listener before...but I will give it a shot for you."
()...()...()...()
Meanwhile at the Gilbert's house...
"Emma darling, Ash, come in," Mrs Gilbert came to meet them at the door.
"'Sup Emma," Elliot said coming down the stairs, he went over to hug her and slapped Ash on the back in a man-hug.
Halfway through the meal Emma seemed to get very tense and Ash took her hand in encouragement.
"Is something wrong Emma?" her father asked
"Ahh," she looked at Ash, he nodded. "I have something to tell you..."
"You're not pregnant are you?" her mother interrupted
"NO! No way! We're not even married yet, what made you jump to that conclusion?"
Ash just laughed.
"No. I actually have something very important that I have hidden from you for the past eight or nine years. You have to promise not to tell anyone – not a soul,"
"Okay...?"
"You have to promise not to,"
"It's okay Em, you can trust us. I swear to tell a soul,"
Emma took a deep breath.
"Okay. Please do not freak out. I'm a mermaid,"
Her family broke out laughing,
"Is this some kind of joke? You really drew us in there..."
"No I'm completely serious," Emma said looking hurt. "Look I'll show you," she said in response to their disbelieving faces. "Ash, pass me your glass of water," Ash obliged and then he went and shut the curtains around the room.
"Okay, here goes...don't freak out, I did warn you"
She got off her chair and sat down on the floor. She tipped the contents of the glass onto her arm. Ten seconds later, she sparkled blue and then her orange scaly tail appeared where her legs once were. Her father gasped and dropped his fork with a clatter.
"You were being serious." Elliot whispered. Her mother just sat there open mouthed. Ash reached out and closed her jaw gently jerking her back to reality. Right after this, he got up and went to get Emma a towel to dry off with.
"This is the reason I quit the swim team, refused to swim and do anything to do with water. It's why I was acting quite 'strange' in high school. Remember that time, on our world trip, that I wouldn't do the special water activities? Again, this is the reason why, it's because I'm a mermaid."
"It all makes sense now," Elliot said
"Another thing," Emma said, "You know when I ate your lobster? And when I ruined your party Dad? And why one time when you came home all that mess was everywhere, that was because of the full moon. Mermaids get affected by it; we get somehow controlled...That's why we think I was in a coma more recently."
"But why keep it from us so long? We could've helped you, we are your family," her mother said indignantly.
Emma winced, "Sorry, we didn't tell anyone...except our boyfriends who all figured it out at some point,"
"Our? We?"
"Ahh," she looked at Ash for help.
He shook his head as if to say 'Just tell them the truth.'
She breathed. "Okay. But now you have to solemnly swear to God not to tell, this will get me into huge trouble with them if you spill,"
"Sure, you have our trust."
"Okay. There are more of us – I'm not the only one,"
"You mean?"
"Yeah, some of my friends are,"
"I bet Cleo is one too, she was always acting strange around water...just like you," Elliot deducted; many things were now making sense to him. He realised that Kim had been right all those years ago when she found that diary of Cleo's...well kinda – it wasn't a cult.
"She is." Emma replied.
"Rikki?"
"Yeah."
"Rikki? Seriously? She doesn't look like the mermaid type. She even saved Elliot's life from drowning all those years ago."
"It's true. She saved him but managed to hide her tail..."
"That's why she was so fast!"
Emma nodded, happy only to tell her parents details of the original trio – protecting Bella, Anna and Ben.
"So how'd it happen?"
"Well remember that time when we were stranded on Mako, when Rikki took us out to sea? Well on that island the three of us went into a pool and somehow we transformed into mermaids...we don't really know how...I guess it was magic."
"So enough about me and the mermaid stuff. How's you and Kim, Elliot?"
"Oh, good, very good," he smiled dreamily.
"How could anyone be smitten with Kim?" Emma whispered to Ash, he just laughed in reply.