A Mermaid's Curse

Chapter 9

"Isadora! I know you're here." The voice, while cheerful and bright, is also filled with malice. My heart pounds as I hide in one of the many bedrooms in Rosewood, trying to quiet my panicked breathing. Aunt Alyssa. She found me.

"Come on, Izzy. It doesn't have to be like this. Agree to join us, and we can be a family again. Or would you rather remain the same weak, scared mermaid that you are?" Her voice is taunting, her words biting.

As if summoned by her words, the ghosts reappear, along with a blinding pain in my head. "'You're still a failure. No matter how many lives you save, how many mermaids and mermen look up to you, that's what you'll always be. A failure, drowning under the weight of the many sins you've committed.'" "'Sooner or later, you're going to have to choose.'" "'Your sanity, or those you love?'"

A hand on my arm, along with a soothing, gentle voice, pulled me out of my nightmare. "Izzy? It's okay, Izzy. Wake up." I opened my eyes, blinking to try to clear my blurry vision. Familiar worried eyes stared back at me, his face lined with worry. I grasped Dad's hand, struggling to calm my pounding heartbeat.

My head swam as I looked at him. He looked... weary, like the years were finally catching up with him. His normally bright eyes were dull, lines etching his face. Beard growth shadowed his chin, which he frequently rubbed whenever he was worried or stressed. I could see the faintest hint of wrinkles on his face, just barely starting to show.

My heart simultaneously hurt and was filled with anger every time I looked at him. He and Mom both had to grow up really fast during their childhood, a factor that I'm sure contributed to his appearance. "Are you okay?" Dad asked, his voice soft.

"Did you and Aunt Alyssa ever get along?" The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them, surprising myself. Dad was taken aback, but quickly recovered as he opened his mouth, considering his answer.

He exhaled heavily, rubbing his chin. "We never had the best of relationships, even when Nerissa and I were dating. When we got married, it all sort of fell apart. I'm not sure why, but she harbors some deep-seated hatred for me. Apparently, when Nepptheas was invaded the first time, Naia thought that Alyssa had died in the attack. Nerissa eventually came to terms with her not being there for their childhood, but it really took a toll on Naia. I think she somehow blames me for their estrangement." He blew out a breath, rubbing a hand over his face.

Without a word, I wrapped my arms around his neck, hugging him tightly. I felt him sag against me, arms locked around my neck. I could only imagine how he'd felt at the time—the guilt, shame, and regret. More than anything, I wanted to stay in the shelter of his arms forever. But I knew that Alyssa would likely come looking for me if I didn't show up.

The swim to Rosewood was cold and tense, made more so by my jumpiness. After flinching at every noise and movement, the familiar exterior came into view, the bricks looking the same as they always had. But as I swam across the threshold and into the entryway, I could have sworn something felt... off. Like there was an otherworldly presence in the water, something I couldn't see or hear, but knew without a doubt was there.

I took a deep, steadying breath, rubbing a hand over my face. Perhaps I was just exhausted from my lack of sleep, or haunted by the recurring images from my dreams that floated through my mind. I sensed movement behind me a heartbeat before the hand landed on my shoulder.

Aunt Alyssa stared back at me, her eyes filled with smugness. That wasn't what made my heart stop dead in my chest, however. It was the pale, translucent figures that swooped in and out of the edges of my vision.

Their voices were like knives, the sharpness of their words piercing my heart. "'How long do you think you can keep this up, Isadora? This façade?'" "'You're just like your mother. Weak, scared. A coward. That's what you truly are.'"

Aunt Alyssa was speaking, but I couldn't hear her. I couldn't hear anything over the ghosts' voices, loud and cruel. Summoning all of my remaining strength, I managed to push through the voices, inhaling a big gulp of water.

If she had followed any of what had just happened, she didn't let on. Her face remained perfectly bored as she spoke. "I have some business to attend to in Pelathas, but feel free to continue with your tasks while I'm gone. When you have finished, you are free to return home."

My heart beat a frantic rhythm against my rib cage, almost as if it was straining to get out. I nodded numbly as she swam away, staring after her even as the door closed behind her. Once she was gone, I immediately put myself to work, desperate to keep those images from resurfacing. How had Mom dealt with this when she was my age? It was almost unbearable.

Within minutes of finding the first body, my arms were already trembling. I wiped sweat from my brow, falling into an easy routine. I barely even glimpsed their faces now, completely focused on the task in front of me. When the anxiety and depression began to creep up behind me, threatening to smother me, I used whatever was left of my mental energy to push the emotions away.

I kept images of Kai, Mom, and Dad locked in my mind, focusing on their faces. Tears welled in my eyes, streaming down my cheeks until my vision blurred completely. I was just finishing up with the last body when a ghostly cry made me flinch. It completely shattered the silence that had fallen over me as I'd worked.

Panting heavily, I swiped a hand across my brow as I paused. I waited a few heartbeats, but didn't hear anything else. I exhaled as I prepared to swim back home, grimacing at the silt on my hands, neck, and arms. Before I so much as got a few feet from the manor, I heard someone behind me. "You were too slow, Isadora. Now your husband's paying the price. You should be ashamed."

A whirlwind of emotions tore through me, almost too many to recognize at once. Gut-wrenching fear. Blistering anger. Heart-stopping sadness. I didn't even stop to look behind me; I sped away, swimming hard for home. It was all I could do to keep moving, keep breathing.

I was sobbing openly as the palace finally came into view. If Kai had been injured... I didn't even let myself finish the thought. "Kai!" I choked out, a sob tearing from my throat as the word left my mouth.

I heard a flurry of movement and voices, all talking at once. Then, I was swept off the ground as warm, strong arms enveloped me. Kai's voice was soft and soothing, but it did nothing to quell the aching in my heart. "I need you to take a deep breath and tell me what happened. Breathe with me."

After we broke apart, he inhaled deeply, waiting for me to do the same. I copied him, struggling to control my breathing. His eyes never left my face, filled with such worry that it made my heart skip a beat. A minute passed, then two, before I finally felt my heartbeat slow and my breathing return to normal.

I anxiously scanned his body, but found no sign of injury. He lifted a hand to my cheek, stroking it.

"A—Alyssa... She t—told me that you..." I faltered, my breath catching in my throat. "That you were..." I trailed off, unable to voice the words.

He grasped my hands, staring into my eyes. "I'm okay. Everything's okay. I'm not going anywhere."

I could feel the eyes on me as we swam through the palace, but I was too exhausted to care. He didn't open his mouth again until we were alone in our rooms. "Did something happen?"

I wanted to tell him everything that had happened, but exhaustion had settled into my bones, making anything beyond moving and breathing impossible. The sun had just barely gone down, but I was already swimming into bed. Kai wrapped his arms around me, his grip firm but warm. "I'm right here," he whispered.

I concentrated on the feeling of his arms around me, reminding myself that he was here, that he was safe. Exhaustion slowly blanketed my senses, pulling me under.

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