A Mermaid's Curse

Chapter 5

Straining against the iron grips of the two mermen that have bound my hands behind my back, I scream and plead so much that my throat is raw when I finish. My heart is beating so fast I think it's going to explode. I can't breathe.

All I can see, all I can hear, is
Drew and his heartbreaking whimpers. The merman holding his wrist smirks at me, eyes filled with smugness. Ronan knows. He knows how much Drew means to me.

I float on a cliff overlooking the ocean floor, trying relentlessly to free myself. Every time I hear the small, scared whimper, all I want to do is help Drew. When the mermaid appears, I almost cry out in relief. Mom. She can help Drew. Then everything will be okay.

I've almost convinced myself when I notice what's hanging around her neck. I choke on what I assume is a cross between a gasp and a scream.

Everything's normal—her black curly hair is down around her shoulders, dark blue eyes fixed on mine. But when I look closer... I freeze, all the color draining from my face. The pendant around her neck, its color identical to her eyes, is glowing brightly.

Pushing through the fear coursing through me, I swim toward her, gripping both her shoulders and gently shaking her. She shows no sign that she recognizes me, nor that she sees me. I look into her eyes, almost crying out when I see the emptiness in them. "Please, Mom. That's Drew. You don't want to hurt him. You don't want to do this. Come back to us!"

I know she can't hear me, but as the words leave my mouth, I scan her face, hoping for some spark of recognition. Her eyes remain cold as they stare into mine, however. I whip my head around towards Ronan, eyes blazing with anger. "How could you do this?" I cry, voice shaking. "He's just a child!"

Ronan swims to me, dragging Drew behind him. The latter's face is pale, eyes wide and fearful as he looks at me. "He's someone your family cares about dearly. If memory serves, I believe I said I would kill everyone you loved. Did I not?" A malicious grin is on his face as he stares at me.

Before I can even think of a response, Mom pulls out a hidden dagger, the tip perilously sharp. Drew's face is deathly pale and I can hear him quietly sobbing even from far away. When I look into his eyes, fear is the main emotion—but confusion is a very close second. He knows Mom, knows her heart—that she would never normally do this.

"Drew, look at me," I say calmly, focusing all of my attention on the young merman. His eyes lock onto mine, widening slightly. "Don't look at him. Focus on me. Listen to my voice."

Sniffling, he stares into my eyes and I can tell it's taking all of his concentration to do as I say, and not focus on the dagger inches from him. "Everything's going to be okay," I say, wishing more than anything I could make him believe my words.

Ronan scoffs, gesturing to Mom. With a wave of his hand, she's suddenly moving, gaze blank as she swims. Faster than I can blink, she has a fistful of Drew's shirt in her hand. He lets out a cry that breaks my heart clean in two. A sob breaks from my own mouth as she raises her hand, angling the dagger towards his chest.

Before I can give myself time to second-guess my decision, I'm suddenly moving, my tail a blur in the water as I speed toward them. I hear Mom let out a grunt as I slam into her, knocking the knife from her hand. Her face remains a blank mask as she swipes the dagger off the ground. "Mom, please! It's me! It's Isadora! Mom, I know you're in there. Come back. Please!"

As the words leave my mouth, I clamp down on a shout as the dagger bites into my neck, drawing a thin line of blood. Something shifts in the water, almost imperceptibly. Mom's eyes glaze over, then slowly clear as she straightens, ripping the pendant off her neck. Shame—deep and agonizing—replaces the blank expression in her eyes as she looks at me.