A Mermaid's Curse

Chapter 7

My tail is brushing the ground, body trembling as I cower under the relentlessly cruel gazes of the multiple mermaids and mermen surrounding me. To my horror, each face is someone I love. Dad. Mom. Aunt Bella. Uncle David. Drew. Their gazes are filled with scorn. "Such a disappointment," Aunt Bella hisses, her voice dripping with hatred. "You don't deserve to be a princess."

Her words are like rocks, pelting me head-on. Kai joins in, his eyes hard as he stares at me. "You are a disgrace to your parents and to Aegrem." His voice is cold as he speaks, the love that had shone in his eyes whenever he was around me replaced with shame. I bite back a cry, tears filling my eyes.

"Kai," I sob, tears making his figure blurry. "It's me! Izzy!" No matter how much I plead, his gaze remains hard. My heart stops as I glimpse the dark-blue pendant hanging around his neck.

When the hand lands on my shoulder, I almost don't turn around. It's only when the fingers dig into my skin that I spin around, eyes widening at the mermaid in front of me. Her dark blue eyes are filled with malice, body shaking with barely controlled anger. Alyssa.

"Hello, Isadora," she says. "Long time no see."

All the strength drains from my body as we stare at one another. "What do you want from me? I'll do anything," I cry, my voice breaking. "Just please, let Kai go. Please."

She makes a show of considering, but I can tell from the gleam in her eyes that she already has something in mind. "Okay," she says. Swimming over to Kai, she puts a hand on his shoulder and whispers in his ear.

No recognition crosses his face as he swims toward me, obsidian gaze blank. I don't flinch as I feel him grasp my shirt in one hand, angling the dagger with his other. A heartbreaking realization settles over me in the agonizingly slow moments that follow. My deepest fear isn't dying; it's disappointing or losing the ones I love the most.

I tense as I wait for the dagger. A heartbeat before the tip pierces my skin, I wake up.

My heart was pounding so hard I could hardly breathe. I was trembling, my chest heaving. I clenched my hands into fists, closing my eyes and taking deep, slow breaths. Kai's expressionless face remained in my mind as I got dressed and ready for the day.

I couldn't seem to stop shaking. When I heard the raised voices from downstairs, it took everything in me not to flinch. A cool, collected voice spoke above the rest, her tone glacial. "Hello, Jay. Nerissa. It's been a long time."

Dad spoke then, but I couldn't hear him. Mom let out a sob, the sound forcing me to move. I swam downstairs, resisting the urge to reach for my daggers. A jolt ran through me as I swam into the living room, all eyes falling on me. Aunt Naia turned to me, eyes glittering with delight. "Hello, Isadora. I hope you've been doing well."

"What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice emotionless.

She gestured to Mom, who remained frozen, tears glittering in her eyes. "Aren't I allowed to visit my sister?"

I shook my head. "No. What are you really doing here?"

Pouting, she dropped the pretense. "Okay, fine. Your uncle has some more tasks for you. He told me to reach out to you and extend an invite to Nepptheas." Her smile never faded as the words left her mouth, even as she raised her eyebrows at me suggestively. I understood the unspoken words, however. Complete the tasks and your family lives.

My stomach dropped. I don't know how she knew (or how she even found out in the first place), but she was talking about my dream. I froze, my entire body tensing.

All the color drained from my face, Kai's blank expression frozen in my mind. I locked eyes with him, terror in my gaze. I can't do this again, I tried to convey. His expression didn't change, but I could tell he knew what I meant.