H20: Our Story Season 1 1955 {COMPLETE}

Stormy waters Episode 8

Louise's p.o.v at Gracie's house
"I'm telling you this blue looks better on you. That's why you should have it." I continue to blow on my newly painted nails.
"I couldn't possibly take it. I've taken so many of your nail polish already. Besides, I feel daring today." Gracie grabs a dark red out of my basket full of nail polish.
"Umm, are you sure your parents are going to let you go that dark? It's almost the color of blood." She sifts through more before deciding on more of a semi-dark red.
"You've got to let me try on that other color sometime. Now that I think of it, how did you manage to get such a dark color?"
"When I found one day, Mum said I could have it if I had a dress to match it. Unfortunately, dresses aren't cheap." There's a knock on the door. I open it to find Julia.
"Surprise!" She says. She's holding a bag with a fish in it. I step aside to let her in.
Gently, she places it in Gracie's hands.
"Thanks! Where'd you get this little guy from?" It's a species I don't recognize.
"My new job scooping up fish. My boss was kind enough to let me take one home free of charge."
"Free of charge?" She says, confused.
"Isn't it great?"
"I've never heard of people giving away fish for free. He might have taken money out of your paycheck but..."
"I'm serious! That fish was as free as the air we're breathing! I still would've been able to pay if I had to though."
"If you say so."
"Anyway, I can't stay. I've got to get back to work."
Julia's p.o.v
"Did your friend like the fish I gave you?"
"Yes. Thanks again for letting me have it."
"It's no big deal."
"It made me think of something though. Wouldn't you lose money, giving away fish like that?"
"Pay me back anytime."
"So I guess that fish wasn't really free then."
"Of course not. I'm a businessman." I can't believe I was foolish enough to think it was actually free. "Well, don't just stand around. Get back to work." I grab my gloves out of my pocket and start scooping. Someone is behind me bagging it. We do this all day. Scoop, bag. Scoop, bag. It can get pretty boring. But I'm not complaining. It could get a lot more interesting if I pop my tail.
Gracie's p.o.v. at Mary's Milkshakes
I look at the clock on the wall. "Where's Julia?" She's ten minutes late.
"I'm sure her work has got her tied up."
"I'm going to get another juice. You want another?" She nods. I walk up to the counter. "Can I get another pineapple orange combo and a cranberry juice? Thanks." I'm about to head back over when I see something odd in the fishtank.
That's strange. One of the fish is dead. That's never happened in all the time I've been here. I point this out to one of the staff, who doesn't believe me until I show him. He alerts Paul, the owner. I sit back down as Julia comes in.
"Sorry I'm late. We had a new shipment of fish right as I was about to leave."
"One of the fish is dead in the tank. Isn't that sad?" I ask.
"That's never happened before." I go have to have a look myself. I look closer at the fish, thinking my eyes are playing tricks on me. I scooped this very fish today! When I tell them this, Gracie's face screams I told you so. "I'm sure it's just a coincidence." After seeing that fish, I feel sick. I just wait for Louise and Gracie to finish their drinks.
"How much we're you getting paid?" I start the investigation of Julia at my house.
"Not much more than Gracie." Our faces flatten. "Fine. I was being paid a few hundred, but I was working hard."
"You didn't think there was anything suspicious about getting paid so much for scooping fish?"
"I did, but... who else can say their getting paid as much as I am at our age? With this kind of money, the world is at our fingertips."
"Julia," I say looking at my tank, "the fish you bought me is dead."
"Things look really bad for you right now." Louise says.
"I'll go down and ask him for a refund." She leaves the room and we follow.
"It's not likely he'll give it to you." Louise tries to reason.
"I'll make him." She shuts the door.
Julia's p.o.v
"Hi, Mr. Connors. I was wondering if I could come and get a refund."
"We have a no refund policy. It's in the fine print."
"Let me see the fine print then." He hands me a paper with print so small, you almost need a magnifying glass to see it. "You're a crook!""
"Listen, doll. I'm not going to give you an increased cut."
"I don't want one. And I'm not your doll. You tried to make me into one of your puppets though, and it didn't work. Give me a refund now."
I'm not giving you anything." The pacifist way was pointless, so I leave. I head to the water to try and find where he sells this fish. A woman bags some healthy looking fish in with some sick looking ones. I thought she was heading toward the shop, but she enters a dimly lit room to my former boss, David Connors, and hands them to him. He must keep them here a while before putting in that tank where I scooped fish. I dive under. "So this is where the magic happens." I say, startling him. He nearly drops his bag of fish.
"How did you find me?"
"I can smell a crook a mile away."
"Who have you told?" I say nothing. "You're a long way home, doll."
"I'm not your doll!"
"If you tell me how you really found me, I might be willing to let you go unscathed."
I think of what to say next when I see a water cooler. "It's not me I'm worried about." I say, as I extend my fingers and the water makes little bubbles.
"If you're trying to be threatening, it's not working."
"Not at all. It's just this place isn't really on the up and up." I keep a cool tone to my voice as I increase the amount of bubbles ever so slightly.
"Beggars can't be choosers."
"Shame. I smell an accident coming your way." The bubbles are increased now so that the pipes are shaking.
"Your senses are off."
"No. I don't think they are." I turn my powers on full, and the pipes burst first, then the water cooler.
"I guess I was wrong." He and others run away.
"I guess you were." I go after him, but one of his goons catches me.
"I've got her!" Water swallows his legs, then it freezes. He falls. I look out the window. Louise and Gracie give me a thumbs up and I smile. The woman that gave the bag of fish earlier comes out from her hiding place hands up. I put my neck out and stomp to scare her. She runs, her hands up still.
Gracie's p.o.v
A woman comes out of the room Julia was in. I move the hose nearby left and right, and the woman looks as she's playing hopscotch. She slips and falls. "I think she'll have a rough morning tomorrow." I say.
"Where's Julia?" Louise says.
Julia's p.o.v
He's packing away things when I come around. "Stay away from me!" He says when he sees me. I come closer to him and he backs away slowly, falling into the water. I extend my fingers when I hear Louise call me from behind.
"You've got to stop! You've already spoken your mind, now leave him be!"
"He made a fool of me!" By this time, I've clenched my fist.
"And we've done the same to him. Anything else you do is just you wanting to hurt someone. That's not who you are." After a moment, I stop it. We hear police sirens and run.
"I think we made too much commotion, the three of us together." I say, at Louise's house.
"That's not the only thing we made. Louise says. "Listen to this newspaper. David Connors and his accomplices were forced to give back the money they conned after giving away ill fish. What scared them out of their hideouts after police had been chasing them for months will remain a mystery."
"Girls, we're famous!" Says Gracie.
"Let's not make a habit of this." Louise says.
"Before we left, I managed to get my money back. I hand it to her. "Now you can get that dress you mentioned."
"How did you know about that?"
"I remember when you told me that story. It didn't seem important at the time, but now it can be put to good use." She flips the money in her fingers over and over.