Hey Everyone, updating early on during the day as it's the last day of the year! Woooooo....

Hope everyone enjoys this one! Leave a comment, give me feedback! Or let me know what your new years resolution is.

I hope everyone has a great start to the new year! I've got lot's of updates planned.

Much love,

Robin

*

School Time

The next day I headed to school with a feeling of incredible dread in the pit of my stomach. I'd uncovered the Sharkfell Island secret; that pool had given me the ability to turn into a mermaid at the touch of water. It would be hard to face Dev, especially if he'd spoken with Matt and they suspected something. On top of that school was a hazard zone, though it wasn't likely that I'd get splashed with water, the chance was there. There were many factors I couldn't control after all.

I'd lain tossing and turning all night, wondering whether I should fess up to the McLaren's what had happened to me. Did they know how to change me back? Would they help me? Where they like this too? I'd dismissed that last thought, for one I'd seen Dev with his feet in the surf just yesterday and Matt had been kitesurfing. Clearly they could get wet so they couldn't be like me.

My first class had Layla in it but not Jamie or Dev, which made for a slightly uncomfortable experience. Layla was clearly furious with me and had incited some of the other girls as well, causing them to angrily glare or snap at me at every opportunity. It was bad enough to the point of the teacher noticing and asking if something was going on. I had the pleasure of serenely and pleasantly responding that I wasn't aware of any problem and that was that.

It was during lunch that I finally got my first look at Jamie and the paint job I'd done on her, via my bag. The school had been abuzz with stories and speculation about it all morning though and it had managed to put me in such a good mood that I didn't worry about meeting Dev any more.

Jamie had worn a long sleeved shirt with a high collar to school today, which was clearly uncomfortable in the hot summer weather. It also wasn't enough to hide the splashes of blue that covered her extensively. Below her more conservative than usual skirt you could see splotches on her legs and her hands were almost black from it. Splatters had even made it onto her face and in her hair.

I expected her to confront me, to blame me for her misfortune but other than haughtily lifting her chin and glaring at me she said nothing. In fact she flounced away after a minute, followed by her usual friends. I felt only a little sorry when I heard the snickering that followed her. She had deserved the payback, but nobody deserved to be bullied so I hoped she'd be alright in a few days again. The color should in theory fade in not too long.

Dev appeared out of nowhere, for once without his best friend Mitchell, and plopped himself down on the ground beside me. I'd been calmly eating my lunch on the front lawn and was a little startled by his sudden appearance. Especially when without any introduction he said: "What happened yesterday? Did you end up going to Sharkfell?"

"Hello to you too Dev," I said, smiling at him in an attempt not to get him riled before we were even halfway through this conversation. Judging from his question he hadn't spoken with Matt yet. Derailed he blinked his brown eyes at me and shook his head, "Uhm... Yeah hello Dani, mind if I join you?"

I nodded, "Sure. And to answer your question. Yes I ended up on Sharkfell yesterday, Jamie and her friends attempted to strand me there but as you can tell they didn't succeed." And then I decided for the sake of being civil that I might as well tell him myself what had happened so he'd feel like I'd been open and not wonder about the things I had left out.

"In fact it was your brother Matt who picked me up and brought me home when he found me... I'm surprised you haven't heard it from him." He was frowning as though he was wondering the same thing and I rolled on, "I can't believe how beautiful the island is but I fell into this cave and couldn't get out... No exit other than this tunnel underwater so I swam out and back to shore and that's when Matt found me. Thank god really, I'd probably have frozen to death if he hadn't shown up when he had."

Now Dev's face had taken on this peculiar sort of red color and his knuckles had turned white in a death grip around his lunchbox. "Oh, that sounds dangerous," he said rather weakly and when I nodded and said little else he drew in a breath and added, "What was the cave like? Did you see anything?"

I shrugged pleased with the direction the conversation had taken, he was fishing now and clearly worried. Matt had hidden his shock better, had managed better to make it seem like worry about my fall instead of disquiet over my locating the cave. Maybe he'd give me some more hints of what they knew and what was really going on on Sharkfell if I played my cards right.

"Like what? It was all rather dark inside really..." I started while pretending to look at my hands but keeping an eye on him as well as possible, watching for clues. He was fidgeting with his lunchbox now and not looking at my face when he said casually, "Well what was in the cave? Anything cool? Did something happen? It was afternoon when you went to Sharkfell wasn't it? Must have been quite some time you were there for it to be dark?"

I tried not to seem too eager at hearing the mistake he'd just made and pretended confusion, "How do you know? Have you seen this cave to know it has a hole in the ceiling?" I now looked at him and tried really hard not to betray how my heartbeat had sped up in excitement.

He was flustered and at a loss as to what to say for a moment before he recovered and said, "Oh no must have been a misunderstanding, I thought that's what you meant. I've never been to Sharkfell Island so I wouldn't know...." After that he rose to his feet and hurriedly dusted off his shorts, "I'll catch you later yeah? Mitch is calling me." He gestured vaguely in the direction of a cluster of guys some distance away and then hurried off.

So, that wasn't quite what I'd hoped for but at least he'd clearly slipped up. He'd been inside that cave, did that mean he'd swam in through the tunnel? With or without a tail? Or was there an exit on land after all? Maybe some trick to getting a door to open at the end of that dead end tunnel?

Rather dissatisfied I tossed out the remainder of my lunch and headed back into class. Not quite in as good a mood at seeing Jamie with her blue splotches this time around. Dev was in this class too and he sat a little hunched, clearly with his thoughts elsewhere to the point of Mitch covering for his absent mindedness towards the teacher several times.

Towards the end of the day I got more and more excited again, once I was free to go I knew I just had to get myself to a private spot on the beach and try out swimming. What was it going to be like to explore underwater with a fishtail? How fast would I be? Could I hold my breath longer now? I hadn't tried that out last night in the bath though in hindsight I totally should have.

Unfortunately right after school Mitch approached me with a sort of awkward greeting, "Hey, I know we haven't really spoken yet and all..." He said while taking my backpack and slinging it over his shoulder, "But I know Dev and you get along so I thought why don't you come hang out with us?"

Since he was making off with my backpack I had to follow him as he started out of the school building at a fast pace. "Hang on Mitch, let me carry that!" I called while I caught up with him. He was a tall guy though on the skinny side but he had these cute blonde curls and a dimpled smile that had half the girls in class sigh each time he displayed it. Looks wise he was I supposed quite on par with Dev and equally as popular.

"Oh uhm, wouldn't be all that gentlemanly would it? If I let you carry it?" he said while waving at Dev and two more guys waiting for us at the school gate. "Oh she said yes," I heard Dev mutter and I rolled my eyes, "Did not, Mitch didn't give me the chance..." Mitch laughed, "Of course not. We're heading to the Stonefish for a drink and then a swim. You have to come now that you've shown your mettle by teaching Jamie a lesson."

I shrugged, aware that it would seem really suspicious if I said no although the taking a swim part was clearly not an option. "Fine I can come along for a drink. Isn't the Stonefish Matt's?" Mitch had taken the liberty of placing his arm around my shoulder and was steering me down the sidewalk in the direction of the boardwalk. The other three boys had fallen in behind us and were now talking among each other.

"Yes, yes it is, you've had the pleasure meeting Dev's rugged older brother have you?" he asked me and I found myself laughing. "Yes I did, though I wouldn't label it a pleasure exactly... He picked me up from Sharkfell last night after the girls stranded me there. I had my own way off but ehm... I was too curious and went exploring, fell into a cave and missed my ride." To demonstrate I was speaking the truth I stuck out my arm to show the bruises that had bloomed there from my fall.

Mitch oohed dramatically, "How cool is that? Matt saving you like that, I'd call that romantic!" Behind us I heard Dev scoff, "Romantic my ass, Matt wouldn't know what's romantic if it bit him in the nose." The other two boys laughed at that and I was sorry to say I hadn't remembered their names.

We were nearly at the boardwalk when one of them said, "Later guys!" The second one exchanged manly handshakes with both Dev and Mitch as we hit the boardwalk and waved at me explaining that he was going to work over at one of the boat rental places. That left me in the company of Dev and Mitch as we reached the Stonefish.

*

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