"Can one of you girls get the phone?" Emmett called from another room.

"Not unless you want to be very mad at one of us," Cory gestured to her uncle with gloved hands that were covered in red and blue paint.

"Oh," Emmett said as he passed the door to the garage. Seeing the two girls' current state.

Cory and Paige giggled as Emmett ran to get the phone.

"How's yours going, Pidge," Cory asked. Looking over at the younger girls painting.

"I dunno," Paige frowned. "I can never tell when these are done."

"That's part of the fun with acrylic pours," Cory smiled.

"I guess..." Paige tried looking at the canvas from different angles. "You know, I think I'll stop here."

"Very cute,"

"You think?"

Now, who is Paige Kelly? Well, if you asked Cory, she's the Gold Coast's latest up and coming artist, but to be more specific, she and Cory were soon to be cousins. With Paige being the niece of Emmett's fiancee, Ava.

Paige and Cory had met when Emmett and Ava started dating and quickly grew attached to each other. If you asked Paige, she wouldn't hesitate to say they were sisters. Much to some people's confusion due to Cory being white and Paige being aboriginal.

The two had started refusing to clarify when people didn't realise they meant the whole sisters thing in a platonic bond way, rather than by blood. It was kinda funny seeing people scratch their heads at the idea.

Once the girls finished cleaning up after themselves, they headed their separate ways for the day, with Cory going to hang out with some friends and Paige going home.

"Morning all," Cory greeted Cleo and Rikki as she walked into the juice bar. "Where's Emma?"

"Out on Mako with Lewis," Cleo explained.

"As you do,"

"Can you believe this, Cor," Rikki said in disgust. Showing Cory a slip of paper with a girl in a tiara on it.

"The Miss Sea Queen pageant?" Cory read aloud. "Oh yeah, always forget that's a thing around here."

"How sexist can you get?" Rikki shaked her head. "What kind of a moron would enter something like this?"

"There are worst things," Cory said right as Miriam took the flyer out of her hand. "Case in point."

"You're not thinking of entering the Miss Sea Queen pageant?"

"I would, but I've learned my lesson about wearing anything valuable around you, Miriam." Cory sneered.

"You're just jealous because I'm entering," Miriam smirked. "Oh, and if you're thinking of entering, Cleo, a word of advice. Don't bother."

Cleo frowned as Miriam, and her friend started walking away.

"That's two," Rikki corrected. "And Cleo wouldn't be interested in prancing across a stage in a clingy dress."

"It's a costume, actually." Miriam turned back.

"With a sea motif," Tiffany, Miriam's friend, added on.

"Oh, well, thanks for the clarification," Cory sarcastically said.

"Well, I've always had an affinity with the sea," Miriam smiled.

"You?!" Cleo gasped. "That's a joke. I'm the one with the affinity. I'm a-"

Rikki gave Cleo a kick in the foot.

"Ow," Cleo whispered to her. Cory and Rikki just shook their heads at her.

Once the girls were done at the cafe, they decided to take a walk along the beach. Rikki and Cory were joking with each other while Cleo stayed quiet.

"You're just jealous because I'm entering," Rikki mocked. "How thick can you get?"

"Also, I never would have believed that the 'Miss Sea Queen pageant' was sea-themed," Cory said sarcastically.

"I gonna go," Rikki said. Looking down at her watch. "See you two later."

Cory and Cleo waved Rikki goodbye, and once Rikki was out of sight, Cleo turned to Cory.

"Do you really think entering the pageant is that dumb," Cleo asked.

Cory let out a sigh. "It's more that I'm just sick of hearing Miriam's high and mighty attitude."

"So it wouldn't be the worst thing ever if you had a friend who wanted to enter?" Cleo fiddled with her hands.

"Is this a really unsubtle way of telling me you want to enter the pageant?"

"Maybe,"

"If you really have your heart set on it, Cleo, just go for it," Cory put her arm around Cleo. "At the end of the day, what Rikki and I think doesn't really matter."

"I'm just not sure...."

Later that afternoon, Paige was walking around minding her own business until she saw Kim Sertori. Walking right towards her. Paige adverted her eyes, but unfortunately, Kim seemed to have already decided to approach her.

"I need you to come with me," Kim told Paige.

"Did you finish your part of the project?"

"What? No, that's not important right now!" Kim denied.

"I mean, it's pretty important to me," Paige sighed.

"Just follow me," Kim took Paige's arm and started walking her down the street.

Paige made a sound of protest, but the thing is you come to realise is that if Kim wanted something, she wasn't going to back off quietly. Kim ended up dragging her to the house of one of their classmates, Elliot. She aggressively started knocking at the door and ringing the doorbell.

"Calm down," Paige urged. "Not like the world's coming to an end.

"It might be actually," Kim said. Causing Paige to roll her eyes.

The door was answered by an older blonde girl. "Oh?"

"Hi..." Paige said awkwardly.

"We came to see Elliot," Kim said as she walked by the girl.

Kim walked further into the house to see what must have been the rest of the family playing cards.

"I came to see Elliot," Kim said.

"What for?" The smallest blonde of the family asked.

"To tell you something," Kim pressed.

"I'm just gonna go clean my room." The older blonde said.

"We'll come help you." Elliot's mother said. Looking to her husband.

Each of the kids sat down on the couch, and Kim passed Elliot a pink book with the name Cleo written on it. "Here, read this. Cleo's diary,"

"I'm not reading someone else's diary!" Elliot protested.

"It's for your own protection," Kim explained.

"How is reading about what boys your sister likes going to protect us?" Paige questioned.

"Listen, I have reason to believe that my sister, your sister, your cousin, and possibly Rikki are mermaids."

Paige let out a loud snort at hearing that. "That's the excuse you've come up with?"

"It's not an excuse! Read it!"

Elliot reluctantly opened the book to find various drawings of mermaids, sea creatures, and water formations. "It's in code," Elliot exclaimed.

"So? It's all there."

"It doesn't make any sense."

"But look at this," Kim turned to different pages. "And this and this! They're mermaids!"

"Sorry to break it to you, Kim, but your sister is writing a book,"

"Yeah, they could just be doodles." Elliot agreed. "I like to doddle."

"Guys!" Kim persisted. "I saw Cleo in our bathroom with a tail!"

"Sure you did,"

"I know it might sound crazy, but if I'm right, they even have weird powers over water."

Just as Kim said this, Elliot's sister came back into the room. "Don't mind me. I'm just getting a drink."

"She's a freak," Kim whispered to the others. "What's she going to drink, huh? Can't be water. She can't touch the stuff."

The three of them watched as the older girl got a bottle of water out of the fridge and walked over to the bench. Reaching out to grab a straw for it. She gave them a smile and left.

"You were saying?" Elliot asked with a raised eyebrow.

"She's smart. She drinks out of a bottle with a straw. So she doesn't get water on her skin."

"So... does she just never wash her hands?" Paige joked. "I'm gonna go, Elliot."

"You have got to believe me."

"Yeah, but... I don't want to," Paige shrugged.

"I'll walk you to the door," Elliot said as he followed after Paige.

"But listen, please."

"See you at school," Elliot said as he opened the door for them.

"If you two don't open your eyes and wake up to what is going on, you're going to be their first victims."

"Bye, Elliot," Paige smiled. Ignoring Kim.

A small part of Paige thought that would be the end of it, but when she was having dinner with her parents that night, the phone started ringing. Her dad got up to get it and came back to the table. Holding out of the phone for her.

"It's what's her name from school,"

"Kim?"

"Kim! That's the one!"

Paige took the phone from her dad and moved to the hallway. "What do you want, Kim?"

"You've got to meet me at the park tomorrow!" Kim exclaimed.

"This isn't about the mermaid stuff again, is it?" Paige asked as she ran a hand through her dark curls.

"It's all true!" Elliot's voice came out of nowhere.

"Elliot! She's roped you into believing her?" Paige asked in concern.

"Please, Paige. Just meet us tomorrow, and I'll explain everything."

Kim agreed, but honestly only to talk Elliot out of it. Whatever Kim was up to couldn't be good.

"One minute I'm having a normal shower, and the next thing I know, it's hailing."

"So your shower broke," Paige said. "That doesn't mean your sister has water powers."

"We are going to figure out how to handle this properly," Kim said. Ignoring Paige's protests.

"You don't even have any proof." Paige pointed out. "You have a 15-year-old's diary and a broken shower."

"Maybe we should talk to them?" Elliot wondered.

"Talk? Are you insane?" Kim exclaimed.

"Well, I was taught to resolve conflict with communication." Elliot shrugged.

"Communication is for humans." Kim turned back to them. "They're not human. They're like witches. Vampires"

"I've known Cory for a while now, and I'm pretty sure she's not a witch, vampire, or mermaid ."

"Well, I've known Cleo all my life and know for a fact that she can't be reasoned with. They have to be stopped."

"And how do you plan on doing that?"

"They take their true form when they're wet," A smile appeared on Kim's face. "I say... we expose them."

When Paige later went to check on her paintings at Cory's place, she thought back for a bit. She didn't want to believe Kim's crazy ideas. The other girl had seen Cory with a ton of paint on her arms the other day but wondered if that would be enough to convince Kim. Paige wasn't sure if acrylic paint counted. Considering how much other stuff was in it.

"My classmate, Kim, thinks you're a mermaid," Paige blurted out.

Cory, leaning under the table to pick something up, stood back up when hearing Paige. "Kim? That's Cleo's sister, right?"

"I think so? She mentioned the name Cleo at some point," Paige answered.

"Why does she think I'm a mermaid?" Cory asked. Trying to make her tone sound light-hearted.

"She found a story in Cleo's diary and has convinced herself that it's some kind of an evil plot to take over the world, I guess,"

"Why would mermaids want to take over the world?" Cory wondered out loud. "Isn't there more ocean than land?"

"You know, I did not think of that," Paige smiled.

The two girls joked and giggled with each other for a little while before Cory walked Paige home. Once she was out of sight from Paige's house, Cory ran all the way to Cleo's house to confirm what Paige had told her.

When she got there, Emma and Cleo were already in the brunette's bedroom.

"So I'm guessing you heard about the diary?" Cory asked as she closed the door behind her.

"The what?" Emma exclaimed. "You wrote a diary?"

"Oops," Cory cringed.

"Just a little one," Cleo avoided Emma's glaze.

"With every little detail about our mermaidness?" Emma said as she leaned closer to Cleo.

"I'd never let anyone see it." Cleo defended.

"Well, Paige has. And Elliot. Plus Kim,"

"It's right over here," Cleo said. Hopping off the bed to get the hidden diary. Only to find that it was missing from the clothes draw she'd put it in.

"It's gone."

Emma narrowed her eyes at Cleo, and Cory placed her hands over her mouth in shock. This was bad. Very bad.

After a while, they called Rikki to meet them at the usual cafe. So that they could explain the situation.

"Found the diary," Cleo said. "It was under Kim's pillow."

"I would say that you could just tell her it's a story you made up, but Paige told her that, and she wasn't convinced," Cory signed. "So, no to that excuse,"

"What if-" Cleo started but was stopped by Emma.

"Wait, look who's here." Emma pointed to the door where Kim, Elliot and Paige were making their way in.

"I'm gonna maim her," Cleo started standing up.

"Just ignore them," Emma told her.

On the other side of the cafe, Kim, Elliot and Paige all sat down at a table.

"Cory gets paint on herself all the time and doesn't turn into a mermaid," Paige explained.

"Yeah, but paint is more ... goop than water," Kim told her.

"I was worried you were going to say that," Paige said. Rubbing her eyes in frustration.

Kim turned to Elliot. "They're all here. Did you bring the gear?"

Elliot smiled and proudly showed her a red water gun he'd brought along. Causing Paige to let out another sigh of defeat.

"They're not going to let this go," Emma said when she saw the water gun.

"Then we've got to do something about it," Rikki said.

Emma looked around for a moment until she spotted Lewis and encouraged him to bring over a chair and sit down.

"Wait," Kim said when she saw Lewis approaching the table. "Lewis is one of them too."

"I can't see Lewis as a mermaid," Elliot shook his head.

"No, you dork. He'd be a merman," Kim explained. Paige dropped her head on the table in frustration.

"Like a boy mermaid," Kim continued. Causing Paige to let out another groan. "Just sit tight."

"How much do they know?" Lewis asked once they had explained.

"Pretty much everything," Rikki answered.

"You wanna hear something hilarious?" Tiffany asked Miriam, who nodded. "Cleo entered Miss Sea Queen."

Miriam's eyes widened a bit. "Imagine trying to pull a costume together overnight."

"So that's what they're stressing about," Tiffany said.

"Well, the best idea. We need to put them off the scent." Lewis told the girls. "Get them thinking that the diary's about someone else."

"Like who?" Cleo asked.

They all sat there for a moment. Trying to think of someone. Until Cory turned her head and spotted Miriam.

"How about someone with an affinity for the sea?" Cory asked Cleo and Rikki with a smile.

The lot of them got up from their booth and started walking over to Miriam and Tiffany. "Hey, Miriam," Lewis grinned.

"More of them?" Kim said to Elliot. "This is bigger than I thought."

"Why are you talking to me?" Miriam questioned as the mermaids and Lewis stood around her table. "You never talk to me."

"That's silly, Miriam," Cleo told her. "We like you."

"Don't think I don't know you've entered the contest, Cleo." Miriam sneered. "I know everything."

This caused Kim to give Elliot and Paige a concerned look.

"You do?" Cleo asked.

"Oh, okay. Good," Emma said as she led Cleo and the others away.

"It's a whole coven of mermaid creatures," Kim said. "We can't fight them here."

"You shouldn't be fighting anywhere," Paige said while resting her cheek on her hand.

In the meantime, Lewis made his way over to one of the computers. First, making sure Miriam and Tiffany were watching him do so. Then, closing the tab, he had opened about mermaids and walked away without deleting the history like he usually did.

"That Cleo, she's got something up her sleeve," Miriam said to Tiffany. "But I'm not sure what."

Miriam got up and walked towards the computer Lewis had left open and opened the last visited website. Finding precisely what Lewis wanted her to see. "Mermaids."

"Your idea is way better," Tiffany said quickly.

"Shut up, Tiffany. Come on."

The two teens walked out of the cafe. Not bothering to close the window like Lewis.

Kim jumped up and checked the screen once they were gone. "Of course! It all makes sense now."

"You finally realised that your sister is just writing a book about mermaids, so is doing research on the internet?" Paige asked hopefully.

"No, Miriam's the leader," Kim said like she was correcting Paige.

"You think so?" Elliot asked.

"Miriam's always the leader," Kim told him.

"Ooh boy," Paige said.

Everyone involved seemed to tail Miriam for the next hour or so. With all of them following her down to the docks.

"I need to a new costume together overnight," Miriam explained to Tiffany. "It's big, but I can do it."

Miriam and Tiffany walked over to a nearby fisherman and started speaking to him. Not realising that the younger kids were watching from behind some barrels. Meanwhile, the mermaids watched from a little further away.

"She's putting him under her spell," Kim said as she watched the fisherman pass some fishing lures to Miriam.

As Miriam explained her new accessories to Tiffany, she spotted Kim, Elliot and Paige spying on her. They tried to duck under, but Miriam was already making her way over.

"You're Cleo's little sister, aren't you?" Miriam asked Kim with a sneer. "I know what you're up to. You are not getting my secret. So stop spying on me, or you'll get it. Understand?"

Miriam walked away with an annoyed huff. Leaving Kim to give Paige another look.

"Don't start," Paige shook her head.

The real mermaids watched this unfold. "If we're gonna make this work, we've got to make it look like Miriam's the one with the powers," Emma told the others.

They all waited until Miriam and Tiffany were a little closer to them.

"Ready?" Emma asked.

"Please, allow me," Rikki said with a smirk.

Rikki focused on a leaky hose that Miriam was walking over. Heating up the water around it to make it look like Miriam and Tiffany were disappearing into some kind of mist.

Kim seemed even more convinced somehow as she, Elliot and Paige ran off. The mermaids all smiled at each other. Knowing they had set their plan in motion.

"Tomorrow, Miriam and my freak sister are both going to be at the Miss Sea Queen pageant," Kim started to explain once they got back to the park. "Here at the marine park. Perfect time to expose them. WE'll bring down the leader; they'll follow."

"I'm scared," Elliot whimpered.

"That's exactly what they want, Elliot. Now, listen carefully. You will be here next to this fire hose backstage."

"Wait? This sounds illegal already," Paige said.

"It's for the greater good, Paige," Kim said. "They'll thank us for it in the end."

"Have fun with that," Paige got up. "I wanted to convince Elliot that this was a bad idea, but there doesn't seem to be any stopping you."

"Fine, go!" Kim yelled as Paige walked up the steps. "But don't come crying to us when the mermaids get you!"

The next day the stage was set. People were gathered at the park to see what kind of costumes the contestants could come up with.

"Next up, we have Libby McIntyre as a starfish!" The announcer smiled as a girl in a pink starfish costume walked on stage. Causing the audience to clap.

"Who are these people?" Rikki asked as she looked around with a concerned look.

"Tourists?" Cory shrugged. Not too sure herself.

"Rikki, at least pretend you're having fun," Emma told her.

"... but I'm not," Rikki said bluntly.

'Come on, we had a deal," Cory gestured to the popcorn box in Rikki's hands. "I pay for your food; you pretend you're having a good time."

"Yeah, yeah," Rikki grumbled.

As the girls were talking, Paige made her way up to Cory.

"Hey, Pidge," Cory said while inviting Paige to sit down.

"Hey, Cor-Bort,"

"Cor-Bort?" Rikki asked, confused.

"It's an inside joke thing," Cory leaned over to whisper to Rikki and Emma. "Told you she wouldn't put up with Kim for much longer."

"Now, our next jewel of the sea is Cleo Sertori." The announcer smiled.

Cleo walked out onto the stage wearing a blue and purple outfit with a large matching hat that had streamers hanging from it. Cory honestly thought it was cute, but the audience didn't seem to agree. Again, expressing confusion over what Cleo was meant to be.

"... and er, Cleo has chosen to come dressed..." The announcer gave a nervous laugh. "Give us a hint?"

"I'm a Portuguese man-of-war," Cleo smiled. Only to give more confused looks. "...it's a jellyfish."

"Oh!" Everyone started to see what she meant after that.

"Last but by no means least, please give a very warm welcome to Miriam Kent."

Miriam was rolled out to the stage. Wearing a blue outfit with a very over the top headdress. "Oh! Miriam's a mermaid!"

"I might need this bucket to vomit in," Rikki frowned.

"Does Kim think we wear hats like that?" Cory joked.

"Miriam, you look absolutely wonderful," The announcer told her. "Tell me, did you make this yourself?"

"All the sequins and beading are handmade," Miriam answered with a bright smile.

"Notice how she didn't say who they were handmade by," Cory whispered to Rikki.

The announcer explained how the judges would pick the winner when the stage started being hosed down out of nowhere. Hitting all the girls except Cleo (thanks to some magic intervention and a big hat).

Once the spraying was all done, Kim decided to make her big entrance. "I knew it!" Kim took the microphone from the announcer. "There are mermaids on the Gold Coast, and she is their evil leader. My sister is one of them too!"

Several people in the audience started laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation. All while one of the workers dragged Elliot onto the stage. "She made me do it!"

"They're evil and dangerous." Kim continued. "Look!"

"Get away from me!" Miriam yelled as Kim started ripping up her costume to try and reveal the tail underneath.

"Finally, something interesting," Rikki smiled as she crossed her legs.

"Why is your tail tearing?"

"Because it's a costume, you moron!" Miriam yelled. "Just you wait!"

Miriam started getting up from her chair to chase Kim, but due to the tightness of the dress, she had little success. Eventually falling off the stage with little grace.

"What did you think of that, Cor," Rikki asked Cory later on.

"I think my thirst for revenge has been satisfied," Cory smiled. Causing Rikki to smirk back at her.

"What about you?" Cory turned to Paige. "Did you know about this?"

"That would be aiding and abetting," Paige answered with a shrug.

"Do you know what that means?" Rikki asked.

"I heard it in a Bratz movie once," Paige answered. Causing Cory and Rikki to both give a small laugh.

Once everything had been dealt with, and everyone was sent home, the girls headed to Mako to meet up with Lewis. To get an update on his research into the moonpool.

"The story is I've tested everything," Lewis explained while sitting in a floaty in the moonpool. "The water, the rocks, the soil, the lichen, even the dust."

"We can tell you've been hard at work," Cory said, eyeing the pink drink in Lewis' hand.

"Did you find anything?" Emma asked.

"Everything's normal," Lewis told her.

"So that's it? You're done?" Emma pushed.

"Hey, I am putting in 100%,"

"Again, you can really tell," Cory said.

Rikki turned to Cleo. "So, Cleo, what did you do with the diary?"

"Don't worry, I took care of it." Cleo smiled. "No one's gonna find it ever again."

I always thought Cleo's costume was really clever as a kid. Especially considering she pulled it together in one day. I dunno, I thought it was more fun than Miriam's dress was.