Amongst The Water-Fresh Waters

Chapter 21: Secrets Unveiled! Part 1

 First Uploaded: March 2014 Dates updated: January or February 2018; November 1, 2019; Jun. 6, 2020, 2:30PM)  

        A few hours after school; Kylie and Nicholas arrive in the cave on Moanie Island where Kaylee, Evie, Brian, Jakobe, and even Finn were all supposed to meet them. Kylie can't take all the secrets anymore and was relieved to hear that Brian was going to tell everyone about his Merman side too. She'd have someone to support her and someone she could support. No matter how annoying that kid can be; she is blessed to have meet another one like her so soon after transforming. When Finn told her his experience on Moanie when he camped there, she thought she was going to have Finn on her side too. But he didn't have a tail unfortunately.

    "Sis. You okay? You've been staring at the water for at least a minute." Kylie shakes her head. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I was just thinking." She turns around to her little brother. Nicholas is looking at her concerned. He tilts his head and a blond lock falls over his eyes. He pushes it out of the way annoyed. Kylie laughs and tucks it behind his ear. "Your hair would stop getting in your way if you'd get it cut like dad and I keep telling you to do." She smiles. Nicholas shakes his head. "No way!" "The girls at school love the long hair sis. Especially Abby Preston." He smiles. Kylie chuckles. She looks at her brothers face and recognizes the starry-eyed look. His cheeks were slightly pink. She gasps. Nicholas crinkles his eyebrows. "What's wrong?" He asks. His voice almost silent. Kylie smiles at him and nudges him playfully. "Nothing. I was just thinking that Abby Preston's older sister is a Teachers Assistant for Mrs. Darbus and she knows Evie since Evie is the designer for the Theatre Costumes. So I bet that Evie could ask her to come over to help me run lines." Kylie carefully plays it off without adding Abby in it. Nicholas' eyes light up. "And maybe she'd bring Abby over too!" He says excited. Kylie shrugs. "Why?" She asks cooly. Nick shrugs. "I don't know." He kicks a rock and it flops into the water startling a fish. "Because we can work on our Science project." He lies to his older sister. Kylie looks at him and smiles. "Okay. Sure." She nods knowing very well they don't have a project to do because he would have done it already.

    "Anyone here yet?" A voice echos from the tunnel entrance. Kylie and Nicholas turn around and look at the entrance and see Jakobe, Brian, and Kaylee enter. "Hey Kye." Brian greats Kylie. His face flushes. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to call you Kye. I know that only a few people call you that." Kylie sighs a breath of relief. A sense of warmth rushes through her body. "It's okay. You all can call me Kye now. Especially after what I need to tell you." Brian nods. Then his face changes. His brows crease together. Kylie looks at his face. "It's something else." She sighs at Brian, answering his non-verbal question. She decided at last minute that she is going to tell them about her OTHER identity. She might as well since she's spilling her guts out to her friends. Jakobe and Brian look at each other and nod. Nick looks at Kylie concerned. "Really? You're telling them that too?" He asks his sister. She nods at him.

    "Wait you have something else to tell Evie and Finn too?" Brian asks. Kylie looks at him as he pulls his medium blond hair into a short ponytail. Kylie nods as she looks at Kaylee. Kaylee's eyes widen. "So you have another secret?" Kaylee asks curiously. She knew Kylie isn't the perfect girl she pretends to be. "Yeah. But this.." "So you have something else you are keeping from me?" Evie says upset. Kylie looks behind Jakobe, Brian, and Kaylee to see Evie standing next to Finn. Kylie's stomach turns. So they came together. Why did Finn say he was going by himself if he and Evie came together?

Finn walks toward Kylie and hugs her gently and whispers. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was coming with Evie. There is a reason." He says before he pulls away from Kylie. Kylie forces a smile and nods. "It's okay. I'm glad you are getting along." Her voice cracks a little. Finn nods not convinced. "Cool." He smiles awkwardly and looks at Evie. Evie nods and looks at Kylie. Then she looks down at her outgrown Acrylic Nails. "Aren't they like the worst when they need redone?" Kaylee looks at Evie understanding the annoyance. Evie looks up at Kaylee. "Ummmmm..Yeah." She says quietly. Brian shifts his glance from Evie to Finn; then to Finn and lastly to Kylie. "What's up with you three?" He asks. He thought there was a weird vibe at school earlier, but wasn't sure. His Merman intuition isn't always clear.

"What do you mean?" Kylie sighs. Brian shrugs. "At lunch there was something weird between you three and I wasn't sure if I was imagining things. After all the conversations at lunch were odd." He says as a matter-of-factly. Nick nods in agreement. "I saw it too. You guys looked at each other oddly." He says. Finn lets out a big exhausted sigh. Everyone looks at him concerned. "Are you okay?" Kylie reaches for his hand. He looks down at their hands intertwined. He has never ever felt this way toward anyone and doesn't want to mess it up. He looks at her and flashes his charming smile. "Everything is fine when you are around." He answers. Kylie smiles thinking the same thing, but also sensing he's not telling her something. He lets out another sigh and looks at Evie. "We have to tell them. Especially her Evie." Evie nods. "I know. It's been killing me too." Everyone looks at Finn and Evie. "Tell us what?" Kaylee, Brian, Jakobe, Nicholas, and Kylie say in unison. Their combined voices creates a loud echo and it rings off the walls of the cave. Everyone looks stunned. Beside Kylie and Brian. They look at each other and laugh. "I guess we are used to it." He laughs. Kylie smiles and nods. "I guess so." "Used to what?" Kaylee looks at Brian admiring him. Kylie and Brian shrug. "It has something to do with the whole 'tell each other our secrets thing.'" She says. Finn looks at Kylie curiously. "And it's the same secret you two share?" He says pointing at Brian. "Yes. But I have another one." She answers Finn's question.

    Finn's jaw drops. Kylie looks at him and smiles. "You probably got it didn't you?" She chuckles. Finn nods. "I think!" His shoulders slouch. "Maybe. But that'd be crazy if it'd be what I think." He says looking at Brian. Brian's face flushes. Kylie looks at Finn and Evie almost forgetting what odd feeling she's been sensing around them. "Yeah. Maybe." She says, barely hearing him. Evie looks at her while Finn stares at Brian. "So what's your secret?" Finn asks Brian. Brian's cheeks get redder. Kylie shifts her focus to Finn and Brian. "Ummm. How about you and Evie tell us what you needed to tell us first." She interjects before Brian says anything. Evie and Finn look at each other and sigh.

    "It's not exactly that easy to tell you Kye. Especially since you and Evie are so close." Finn feels all eyes on him as he speaks. But he remains his focus on Kylie. Kylie's body heats up nervously of what's about to come. Evie looks at her and walks and stands next to her and smiles. "Before we tell you, I want you to know that you are the only true friend I have ever had and I appreciate you." Kylie nods. She motions her hand to Finn. "Apparently not. Apparently he was, or is a friend too. Even before we were friends. I don't know how but I can sense it." Kylie blurts out flatly with no emotion. Evie recoils back. And so does Finn. Everyone else looks at Kylie confused. Nicholas looks at his sister shocked by the hurtful tone in her voice. "And it seems like she's more than a friend to you too." Kylie looks at Finn upset. Her chest tightens and all she can feel is betrayal. She doesn't know what came upon her. Why didn't she stop herself before saying any of that?" They were about to explain. It may not be as bad as she thinks.