- You think there's anything in this stuff? - Max was getting close to something.
Why didn't he just tell you what he knows?
That's not how scientists work.
So how do old crackpots work?
Guys, something in here is going to confirm
my own research,
the moon's gravitational pull on Mako Island,
the alignment of the planets, the magnetic anomalies.
Stuff about how you became mermaids.
All of this is telling me I'm on the right track.
Hey. Look at these.
That must be Max.
And that's Gracie.
They're so sweet.
She was just like us.
- Hello.
Hi, Charlotte.
Um, I'll just get him for you.
Charlotte?
You were meant to meet me here half an hour ago.
The JuiceNet.
Ah! That's right, sorry. I, um…
Oh, you should have called me.
Oh, yeah. I, um… I turned it off.
I've been working on something important.
Lewis, how much longer are you going to be?
Probably another half an hour, and then I'll…
Or I can leave straight away.
Yep. OK, bye.
I'll go through this later.
Of course I want to see you. I just… I lost track of time.
What were you doing at Cleo's that made you lose track of time?
Lewis? Can't you see how this makes me feel?
How what makes you feel?
You spend all your time with them, three girls.
You'd think I wasn't your girlfriend.
Charlotte, we've been through this. They're just friends.
Yeah. But it makes me feel weird.
Well, it shouldn't.
I'm working on a project with them. You know how I am when I get caught up.
Project? What project?
Oh, it's a holiday sort of thing.
Mm.
Ooh! I'm thirsty.
Do you want a juice?
Do you want another juice?
He was half an hour late, so what?
She might have been worried about him.
Calling your boyfriend on his ex-girlfriend's phone
is not being worried, that's being paranoid.
Well, this looks interesting.
What's that?
Some old film they used to shoot home movies on…
Hey, it looks like Max fishing off the beach.
Black and white films…
Fascinating…
I've got to go. My shift starts soon.
Hey. Only five minutes early for your shift, you're slipping.
Hey, what are you doing after work? I thought maybe we could go for a swim.
Uh, I've got to meet the girls.
How about after that? Because I've got all afternoon off.
And don't tell me you can't swim, You were a local champion.
I've kind of moved on from that.
I'm not saying we attempt a world record or anything.
Maybe just hang out at the beach.
Sorry.
Swimming's not really my thing anymore. I don't like it.
Why? What happened?
I don't want to talk about it.
Oh, hey, I'm sorry.
Is it serious?
Yeah, it was pretty life changing.
You don't go through something like that without making some big decisions.
- So, now you and water… - I don't touch it, I don't go near it.
Like I said, it's not really my thing. OK?
OK.
Hey?
Thanks for sharing that with me.
Yeah.
Cleo, someone's at the door!
I need to see Cleo.
Lewis has been spending a lot of time with you lately.
Yeah, you're right.
So, what's this "project" that you're working on?
- Project? - This old bag of stuff.
We found this at the market and Lewis is just helping us sort through it all.
It's just full of old weather reports
and astrological maps.
Lewis loves that kind of thing.
Nerds like him seem to think
this stuff is gold,
no offense.
It's just some research he's helping us with.
Sorry. I must seem really paranoid.
Really, no.
I just really needed to know.
I totally understand.
Well, anyway,
thanks.
I really appreciate you being so cool about it…
Where did you get that?
Oh, that was just with the rest of the junk.
Well, what's so special about it?
No reason. It's just such a pretty picture…
That's my grandmother.
What?
Her name was Gracie.
Why do you have a picture of my grandmother?
Charlotte recognized it was Gracie in a second.
She took the photo with her.
- And you let her? - Well, how could we say no?
Do you think she knows about her grandmother?
This is really, really bad.
Guys, just hold on a second, OK.
There's no way Charlotte could possibly know anything.
How do you know that?
You guys have kept being a mermaid a secret from your families.
Gracie probably did too.
Or maybe not.
Lewis, find out what she knows.
Find out what she know— What do you want me to do?
- Interrogate her? - If that's what it takes, I don't mind.
I'm not going to. You guys are overreacting.
Why are you taking her side? - I'm not taking anyone's side.
Yes, you are. I thought you were meant to be helping us, not her.
Lewis, you think you've got Charlotte worked out,
but you have to admit, this is really weird.
I'm sure there's just a simple explanation.
Maybe. Maybe not.
Think about it. How well do you really know Charlotte?
I can see the resemblance.
I don't remember her very well.
She died when I was six.
I just remember little snippets.
She used to tell me bedtime stories about the sea and mermaids and things.
Really?
She was different from anyone else I've ever met.
What do you mean?
I don't know, she just had this way about her.
It felt like we had a connection, you know?
Has your mom talked much about her?
No. They weren't that close.
She said I cried for months after grandma died.
I just remember feeling really sad.
It's such a freaky coincidence, Cleo having this photo.
Coincidences are part of the fabric of the universe.
Well, let's go and do something fun.
- Lewis. The locket. - What?
Cleo, Rikki, and Emma wear the same locket my grandmother wore.
Uh, there's a similarity…
But they're exactly the same!
Don't you think that's bizarre?
Not really. I bet everybody wore them back then.
I bet you they were mass produced.
And Cleo and the girls, they just… they love that antique stuff.
I guess so.
Yeah.
- Glad you came. - Ash, we've been through this.
I know, I know, but we're not going anywhere near the water.
There's no one around. It's just you and me.
- I'm going home. - Wait!
Come on. We'll stay on the sand. I promise.
- Promise? - Promise.
Come on, it's just me…
OK. Just for a minute.
See?
Feels good, doesn't it?
Sure. Can we go now?
Not just yet. You know, you're different from most girls.
Yeah, I am.
There's more to you than people think.
You're very mysterious.
Is that what you like about me?
Maybe. Maybe not.
Gotta admit, you're pretty closed up.
- It can be kind of annoying. - Is this you trying to be romantic?
'Cause it's not working.
I know you're afraid of something.
- I am not. - Yeah, you are.
Something so simple as standing next to the water
and you're shaking.
It's a little windy down here.
Emma.
You don't have to be afraid.
Whatever happened, happened. You can't change that.
Believe me, I know.
And I'm OK with that.
No, you're not.
And it's OK to be scared.
We can get over this.
What?
- Here we go! - Ash! What are you doing?
- OK. - Ash! No!
- Turn around, please! - It's OK.
Ash! No! Ash!
- Ready? - Ash! No!
Em, just trust me, OK?
Take me back now.
- It's just a bit of water, OK? - Ash! No! Take me back now!
OK. Alright…
Hey! Hey, I'm sorry. I was just trying to help.
- What does this mean? - I don't know.
You know, Em, whatever it is, you can tell me.
- You sure about that? - Yes, I want to help you.
You really want to know?
Yeah. I do.
OK.
Maybe some other time.
I don't know what to tell you. Um…
Your grandmother was what people called a "free spirit."
She lived in her own world.
She was very much into her art, which I think is where you get it from.
So why would there be a photo of her in a pile of old stuff at a market?
She did modelling when she was about your age.
She did fashion and swimwear.
So, it wouldn't be that unusual, a photo of her turning up?
No, no. There are plenty of old photo stalls at the markets.
What about jewelry? What did she like?
She had very particular taste.
So she wouldn't wear stuff that, say, everyone else was wearing?
That would guarantee she wouldn't wear it.
Everything had to be hand-crafted.
You know, unique.
What about that locket?
I don't ever remember seeing that.
- Are you sure you've got time for this? - I need to test Max's research.
- But Charlotte… - Charlotte doesn't know anything.
So she's just gonna forget the whole Gracie thing?
Gracie kept this a secret too.
She's not even curious. There's nothing to worry about.
Hello. Can I see Cleo?
She's not here.
I came by because we're working on a project together.
I'll tell her to call you.
Well, I need the stuff urgently.
I don't suppose I could just go up to her room and get it?
- I don't think so. - Yeah. I guess you're right.
Cleo would probably hate someone going into her room while she wasn't there.
Wouldn't she?
Yeah,
she would hate it.
Mm.
So, what sort of project is it?
Uh, it's a history assignment. There must be more.
You haven't looked over here.
What's this?
Uh, yeah. That's what I'm after.
Thanks.
Hey, I'm really sorry I pressured you yesterday.
I shouldn't have. I didn't realize how big of an issue it was for you.
It's OK, Ash.
Actually, you made me think about a few things.
I realized you care and I appreciate that.
- Really? - Yeah.
Great.
Let's think about the pool next time?
- What's all that about? - Nothing I can't handle.
Mum, do we have an old projector?
No. We don't. Why?
I haven't seen one of those in years. Where did you get that?
Just from a friend. Some old family movies, I think.
I really want to see what's on it.
Oh, you just get it transferred to DVD.
Do you want a lift? Come on.
Why is my door open?
And where's the old film gone?
I never touched anything in your room.
Well, stuff's missing and you're the only one that's been home.
Well, why would I want to take any of that junk anyway?
- She's got a point, why would she take it? - Because she's Kim.
What did you do with it?
I already told you, it wasn't me. Someone else must have taken it.
You let someone else into my room?
Maybe.
Alright, you've had your fun, squirt. Out with it.
OK, OK. It was Charlotte.
What?
- She wanted stuff for your project. - What project?
How should I know?
Charlotte took the film.
Yeah, but why? It's just of Max fishing, isn't it?
A film?
- Charlotte's got a film? - It could be nothing.
- It's just home movies, we think. - So you've seen it?
The first part. We didn't have a projector, so we left it there.
It didn't seem important.
Lewis, she broke into my room and stole it.
- You said she was cool. - Yeah, I know.
Well, it's not like she can watch it, right?
You can't really play one of those old films on a DVD player.
Unless she gets it transferred to disc.
- You think we should have gone back there? - No way.
The further away we are from her, the better I feel.
Don't worry. Lewis will fix it.
Come on.
There is no such thing as mermaids.
Lewis, you saw the film with your own eyes.
This is crazy.
She always used to tell me stories about the sea.
Now I know why.
Why? Because she's a mythical sea creature?
I don't think so.
I always knew she was different, I always knew she was special.
Now it all makes sense.
I just wish I could have spent more time with her.
So that's what this is all about?
- What? - You miss her.
You miss her so much that you broke into Cleo's room,
you stole the film, just so you could learn more about her.
And look what I found, she was a mermaid.
Mermaids, they aren't real.
Charlotte, all you have is an old film with some kids fooling around.
It's a joke. It has to be.
Yeah. Maybe…
Good.
- Let's get out of here. - But what if it was real?
What would that make me?
It doesn't make you anything. Come on.
But what if it was real?
So, she thinks mermaids are real?
Possibly, yes.
But come on, she has no reason to suspect you guys.
Apart from the fact that we had pictures of her grandmother the mermaid.
As well as the film.
- OK. Apart from that— - Lewis, you're going to have to stop her.
Yeah, that's going to be harder than you think.
JS