just when she had the world in her hands it was ripped from her. taken away in the blink of an eye; a look at the moon.
OR
a watswick confession oneshot
song title from francis forever by mitski
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charlotte's whole summer was a blur. the feverish kind that burned in her head whenever she though about mako too much. just when she had the world in her hands it was ripped from her. taken away in the blink of an eye; a look at the moon.
the warm evenings started to blend into chilly autumn mornings. it was the night before charlotte and her mother were set to leave the gold coast. despite everything, she still yearned to visit the moon pool. just one last time before a new chapter began.
charlotte sat at the foot of the pool, basking in the reflective moonlight. was this what her grandmother felt all those years ago? a splashing sound was heard coming from the underwater entrance. it was rikki chadwick. oh god.
"fancy seeing you here." sarcasm dripped off rikki's tongue. "what are you doing? i thought the super-mermaid act was up. still playing pretend?"
"i couldn't sleep." charlotte lied. rikki didn't need to know why she was *really* here.
"me neither." an awkward silence hung between them. charlotte scooted over in case rikki wanted to sit next to her. rikki stayed in place. "i heard you were moving."
"how can i stay? it's the best for everyone."
"where to?"
"new zealand. we have family up there."
"huh." rikki looked so etheral; the moonlight glistened off her hair.
maybe the girls needed some closure on why everything happened the way it did. charlotte sure needed some. "i shouldn't have tried to become a super-mermaid. it all went to my head and i was a jerk to you and your friends. i'm sorry, rikki. really."
rikki blinked, unsure of what to make about this sudden heart-to-heart. "i wish we didn't have to make you lose your tail. i didn't know how much it meant to you until after that night."
"it's alright, i would have done the same."
rikki took this opportunity to sit beside charlotte. "did you want to become a mermaid just because your grandma was one?"
charlotte paused, swallowing the heavy lump in her throat. "i think so, yeah. i wanted to honor her legacy."
it was rikki's turn to share a secret. it wouldn't matter anyways, charlotte was leaving. "you know how the adults always say that if a boy likes you he'll pick on you?"
"yeah?" charlotte leaned towards rikki, curious about her change of tone.
"that was me. i got the girls riled up against you because i didn't know how to handle myself. if i wasn't so adamant about hating you...maybe things would be different. maybe you would stay here." rikki looked away once her confession was over. a heavy weight had finally lifted, but the embarrassment didn't subside.
"oh, rikki," charlotte laid her hand on rikki's. "we can't dwell on the past. in another time, things would be so, unrecognizably different. but that's what i like about you. you're bold, confident, adventurous, and maybe a little reckless. firey, to match your powers. i'm glad you came out here to talk to me. i'll miss you, rikki chadwick."
the sunrise poked out from the rim of the volcano "i'll miss you too, charlotte watsford." she swam out into the open sea.
in another time, maybe charlotte would still be a mermaid. maybe she'd start her senior year with rikki as her girlfriend. but in the current time? this would be enough.
