A Mermaid's Curse

Chapter 2

"'Weak, broken princess.'" "'You don't deserve to bear the title.'" "'You're not a princess. You're a murder. A killer.'"

The ghosts are smothering me, surrounding me until they block out all the light. My hands are clapped over my ears, eyes squeezed shut. Tears are leaking down my cheeks as I try my hardest to block them out. But I can't. No matter how hard I try, they're relentless, pushing through my weak shields until they shatter.

A cry burst from my lips as I opened my eyes. Tears streamed down my face, making my vision blurry. I barely flinched when I felt warm, strong arms wrap around me, pulling me close. Ronan may have been banished from Aegrem, but his words were permanently etched in my mind. "He was right," I mumbled into his chest, my tears having subsided enough to speak.

A squeeze on my shoulder was all it took for me to lift my gaze to those worried obsidian eyes. "If I hadn't been so focused on him that morning, maybe I could have saved her. Done something." My voice broke on the last word, shame heating me up until I felt like I was on fire.

"Look at me." Kai's voice was soft, but firm. My eyes had fallen to the blanket and I slowly dragged them back up to his own. "You can't keep blaming yourself for this. This was no one's fault but his. There was nothing you could do."

A shadow appeared in the corner of my eye, causing me to flinch. The voice was cold and filled with bitterness. "He doesn't know how it really feels. He doesn't know that feeling of helplessness, of knowing you could have helped but didn't."

"He knows exactly how it feels," I snapped, wincing as a headache began to pound at my temples. I hadn't realized I'd spoken aloud until I saw the worry and concern deepen in Kai's gaze. Apology shone in my gaze as I stared at him, trying to find the words to convey what I was feeling.

"I can't escape them," I whispered, my voice so soft it was almost inaudible. "I thought once I destroyed the Lost Soul Pendant they'd have disappeared for good, but they've only gotten worse. But when I realized where they were coming from..." I shuddered as I trailed off. But Kai put a hand on my arm, urging me to continue.

"It's me," I choked out, my voice brittle. "The anxiety and hopelessness are manifesting in the forms of physical beings, if only when I'm at my lowest."

Multiple emotions flashed across Kai's face, almost too quick to identify: understanding, anger, worry, and compassion. He just wrapped his arms around me, holding me close. "You need to tell someone about this," he said softly. "Have you spoken to your parents? Surely your mom would understand."

I shook my head, ashamed of my shyness. "She and Dad have got their hands full with the kingdom, and she's still recovering. I don't want to burden them with it."

He looked like he was going to say something else, and probably would have had the door to our rooms not opened just then. Dad swam in, his posture rigid and hands clenched into fists. Tears gleamed in his eyes and streaked on his cheeks, which made my heart skip a beat. Kai's hand found mine, squeezing tightly, but I barely felt it.

I reached for him, but he didn't react when I touched his arm. "What happened, Dad? Is Mom okay?" My voice was barely a whisper, but I knew he heard me.

When he glanced up at me, the emptiness in his gaze was like a punch in the gut. It was a mirror image of how I myself had looked just weeks ago. "We just got the news. Nerissa was just telling me how well Drew was doing in school. And Faye, too." The hollowness in his voice made my heart stop dead in my chest.

"What happened, Dad?" I repeated, trying to keep my voice steady.

When he spoke again, the world stopped. If Kai hadn't been gripping my hand, I wasn't sure if I'd have been able to hold myself up. "A group of mermaids and mermen reported the damage early this morning. The school... He destroyed it."