The Mako Chronicles Book 1: H20 Just Add Secrets

Episode/Chapter 11: The Unknown

Just days after the revelation of the history behind the ring. Cleo is swimming around a coral forest near Mako Island. She pets a dolphin as it swims past her with its baby. Then she sees Michael and Emma swimming together. She waits before she approaches them, sensing she shouldn't approach them. She hides behind a rock before she sneaks upon them. Peeking out from behind it she looks around trying to find a rock to throw at them to get their attention. Before she gets the rock, she ducks completely behind the large hoping they don't see her hair floating around.

She stops immediately what she was going to do because she sees them kiss! Twice! Not entirely sure who kissed who; she immediately wonders or not if she should tell Rikki. Their group has been a little strained lately with everything going on about the ring and Michael and the worst of the worst; the new hunters who are after them. But she needed to tell someone and Lewis was with his brothers. Not giving it a second thought, she swims away and decides to go tell her at the cafe.

The moment Cleo unloads the recent news onto Rikki, Rikki gasps. "What! How could he, he knows she's dating Ash." She shakes her head and whispers. "I told him not to act on his feelings."

Cleo's left eyebrow arches up and questions Rikki. "What feelings? I thought it was just a crush?" Cleo asks Rikki trying to match her low tone voice.

After a moment, Rikki answers Cleo. "Unfortunately it is more than a crush. The whole thing with a merman and mermaid falling in love and exposing their kind, but protecting their selves, is all true. It says so in the mermaid book. The part that none of us read."

Cleo stares at Rikki with wide eyes. "Oh my. Poor Emma." Rikki rolls her eyes. "Yes, poor Emma, because she is with Ash. But poor us. We could get exposed by our own sister." Cleo shakes her head and looks down at her pink sandals. "What are we going to do?" Rikki shrugs her shoulders. "I don't know what we are going to do." She says gesturing toward her and Cleo. "But I know we need to put some sense into Emma and that newbie?"

Rikki huffs frustrated. "He seriously doesn't know what he's getting himself into." Cleo lets out a small sigh. "Neither do we." Rikki looks up at her confused. Cleo shrugs. "Well. We don't. We don't know him and what he could do to us and what he could do to Emma. We also don't know if Emma could possibly be a threat to him." Cleo admits. Her stomach turns thinking if Emma could hurt them. She wouldn't. She couldn't.

"No. She won't." She whispers to herself. She must not have said it as quit as she thought because Rikki looks at her worried. "No Emma wouldn't. She may be on a weird power kick right now. But she wouldn't hurt us." Cleo shrugs. "You're probably right. " Cleo admits. She then suddenly noticed what Rikki said. "She's not on a power kick. She's doing something completely stupid and throwing away a great guy like Ash." She says.

Rikki chuckles. "Yes. But according to that book." Rikki points at the old Mermaid book they've had since Lewis got it to study for their benefit. "The mermaid who is entranced by the Mermans powers can not only experience emotional changes, but she can also experience an obsession with power."

Cleo looks at the book confused not remembering any time Emma has shown any power obsession. Then she remembered. The times when she demands that they watch what Michael wants to watch or the times when she sent back her order at Rikki's cafe because it didn't task fresh. It clearly was, Cleo helped Rikki and Zane pick up the ingredients from the farm that same day Emma's order was made. Rikki nods her head.

Cleo looks at her upset. She nods. "Yes. Maybe you are right." Rikki shakes her head. "No. The book is right. All along we should have been listening to Lewis and actually read it. Not make him read it for us." Cleo sighs. "Now that. You are right about." Rikki chuckles. "I reckon I am." She smiles proudly. "You should reconsider going to university. I bet that you could do well there if you transfer the passion for this cafe to school. You've already started."

Rikki's smile dissipated. "No. School isn't for me. We've been through this Cleo." She sits down in her computer chair trying to distract herself by looking at emails. "I'll tell you what I told Charlotte. I'm not continuing my studies anywhere for anything." Cleo nods trying to understand why she's so against it.

Then she spots a book underneath the Mermaid book. "Not even for Marine Biology?" She slides it out from underneath the old book. Rikki's eyes dart up from her computer screen. "Huh?" Rikki notices that Cleo is holding the book inspecting it. "Oh. That's Charlottes. She left it her after her shift."

Cleo smiles. "So she was right. You are considering it!" Cleo yells excitedly. Rikki rolls her eyes. "She told you?" Cleo nods. "Yes. I didn't believe her at first. But now..." She shrugs. "Don't say anything. I'm thinking about it. I don't even know if it's for me. It's something more for you, Cleo. You actually should look into it." Rikki tells Cleo. Cleo nods. "Got it. I won't." Rikki shakes her head. "Not even Lewis."

Cleo sighs. "Okay. I promise that I won't even tell him." "Seriously. You should think about it, Rikki. You and Zane have been doing well at the cafe and you have enough employees to cover when you are in class. And you have been doing more reading than I've ever seen you do in that book." Cleo points at the old leather Mermaid book. "And I suppose you have been doing other reading also."

Rikki nods. "I reckon you're right." She smiles as she stands up. "You know. I've been thinking about taking a class or two first. Then see how I feel about going to school." Cleo smiles and yipes excitedly. "Sorry. I'm just happy for you." She walks to her friend and gives her an unexpected hug. Squeezing Rikki tightly, Cleo looks at the closet that Zane keeps the safe in and her smile widens. "Ouch. Cleo." "I... Can't... breath." Cleo ignores her for a second. Then releases her arms from Rikki's body. "Again. Sorry. I'm just happy that all of us are , moving on to bigger things." She smiles. "I'll see you at my house for dinner tonight." Then Cleo turns around and walks out of the office.

"Well, that was weird," Rikki says to herself. Cleo has been acting strange lately. Especially when it comes to Rikki. "I hope she's not sick." She admits the worst. The feeling she has had since she read a part of that Mermaid book.