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.