Rikki Chadwick

**Rikki Chadwick** is one of main characters who became a mermaid in *H2O: Just Add Water*. Along with Cleo and Emma, Rikki discovered her powers after her trip to Mako Island. She is portrayed by actress Cariba Heine.

## Background

Rikki was born to Terry and Laura Chadwick, who were married for barely two years. When she was little, her mother left. It was eventually revealed that Laura didn't want Rikki, feeling that she was tying her down from her "life of freedom." They got a divorce, and Rikki lived with her father, Terry Chadwick.
 It is revealed in season one that her father forgets her birthday every
 year. Unlike her friends, Rikki doesn't live in a house, but she and
her father live in a trailer park by the canal, since her father's
income isn't very high. Growing up in a struggling environment, Rikki
lacks the personality of a snob and she doesn't like being around one,
such as Miriam Kent and Zane Bennett, although later-on she develops a relationship with Zane.

Since she was little, Rikki has been used to people not liking
her, so when people express their affections and kindness towards her,
she feels uncomfortable and "fenced in". Before moving into the Gold
Coast, Rikki was used to being alone and she usually preferred it that
way. When Emma's younger brother, Elliot,
 developed a crush on her, Rikki brushed off his feelings and ended up
hurting him by refusing his affection. Throughout the series, Rikki
slowly abandoned her isolation and learned to accept other people caring
 for her, although at times, she still likes to be alone- particularly
until she saved Cleo from being drifted in Zane's boat that Cleo opened
up to her and offered Rikki her friendship as well as Emma's.

## Personality

Rikki is the exact opposite of Emma not just in their magical powers
but also in their personalities as well. While Emma is confident,
controlling, and responsible, Rikki is quite rebellious, independent,
sarcastic and carefree, making the two argue often. In the episode "The Heat Is On",
 Emma and Rikki clash (because of their boyfriends) at the juice bar and
 are late to the anniversary that Cleo planned (for their one year
anniversary of becoming mermaids). Like her father, she is contemptuous
of the social hierarchy at the local high school
 she and the others attend as well as in life. Unlike Emma who tends to
hold her tongue in certain situations, Rikki frequently speaks her mind
without euphemism or without care that her opinions might hurt other
people's feelings. She has a hard time sympathizing with people who are
in pain, as seen in "Dangerous Waters."
 She can be very stubborn and has a short temper. Rikki has a strong
adventurous streak and is the first to fully embrace the possibilities
of the girls' new powers. Despite their arguments, Rikki and Emma do get
 along a lot of the times, and Rikki genuinely cares for her friends.
This is demonstrated when she takes Emma and Cleo out on a shopping
spree with her new money in "Dangerous Waters."
 To make up for her previous blunder in the same episode, she also does
her best to buy Cleo the perfect new fish (as thanks, Cleo dubs the fish
 "Hot Stuff," in honor of Rikki). Rikki also shows her care for Emma
when Rikki prods Byron to apologize to her friend in "Sink or Swim," revealing that Emma is not as tough and thick-skinned as she lets on. Not only does Rikki shows her rebellious nature freely, but she encourage it in her friends as well. Despite her carefree nature, Rikki is capable of displaying a sense of
responsibility especially when it comes to money.

## Appearance

Rikki is described as very pretty. She has wavy, platinum hair that
goes a bit past her shoulders, remaining a consistent length throughout
all three seasons. Her eyes are wide, dark-lashed, and sky blue. It
appears that she wears mascara. She is fair-complected with no visible
blemishes. Her lips are a rosy pink and plump. When Rikki smiles, it is
revealed that she has straight, white teeth. Throughout the series, she
has styled her hair in the following ways: loose, tied up into a messy
bun, a loose ponytail, and double braids. Her body is slim, but not to
an extreme, and shows signs of athleticism.

As a mermaid, her hair is
let down and she has an orange-scaled tail with a matching top. After being in the moon pool at Sirena Island during a special full moon, Rikki's tail and top changed color to a reddish-orange color.

She also wears a locket identical to Cleo, Bella, Natalie, Andrea, and Emma's, only with a red stone, to represent the water's heating ability. After Emma's return, she begins
 to wear her locket and necklace every day by switching them ever so
often.

## Becoming a Mermaid

After Cleo gets tricked into helping Zane Bennett repair his boat, he
 sets her adrift into the sea. Rikki jumps aboard the boat to save her,
revealing that she was the one who stole Zane's spark plug to his boat.
Plugging it back in, Rikki and Cleo decided to take the boat for a
joyride. Along the ride, the girls ran into Emma, who was walking home
from her swim training. Exchanging a quick banter, the two invited Emma
to come along with them. With the carefree Rikki steering the boat out
into the sea and miles offshore, the girls soon found they are now out
of fuel in the middle of the ocean. With little choice, the three girls
paddled their way to the closest land they could find: Mako Island

Once ashore on the deserted island, Cleo and her friends pondered
 on how they should call for help. Being the most prepared one in the
group, Emma brought her cell phone but only to find that it couldn’t get
 a signal. Emma suggested that they should head inland towards a higher
altitude in hopes of getting a signal for a call. As they ventured in
deeper into the jungle-infested island, the three girls soon came across
 a clearing where a river stream turns into a waterfall over several
boulders. While Emma and Rikki were able to jump over to the small
waterfall, Cleo became hesitant and without a warning, fell into a hole.
 The other two followed her and continued to pursue a way out of the
underground cave.

Several hours later, the three of them ended up at the end of the
 tunnel and found the moon cave with a pool at the bottom of the
island’s dormant volcano. Emma realizes that the Moon Pool
 is connected to the ocean and may be their only way out, she dove in to
 find out. Confirming her find, she and Rikki convinced the hesitant
Cleo to escape with them. When all three of them entered the pool, the full moon
 became aligned with the Moon Pool, causing it to bubble and glow a
mystic blue glow and emitting small orbs of magical light particles into
 the air. Oblivious to what was happening to them, the girls ventured
out into open sea where they were rescued by the local water-police.

Upon the next morning and twelve hours after their ordeal, Rikki
decided to take a morning walk around her neighborhood. Surprisingly,
Rikki first discovered that she transformed into a mermaid when she was
hit by water from the park sprinkler system. After confirming her theory
 with Emma and Cleo, Rikki grew excited and embraced her new changes.
Rikki was the last to discover her powers, which bothers her greatly.