Painful Memories

Chapter 7

The pain hits me first. White-hot lightning shooting through my veins, spots appearing in my vision as I struggle to stay conscious. A scream shatters the silence, and for a moment, I can't tell where it came from. My throat aches, realization hitting me. It's me.

Blinking against the pain, I frantically search for the wound. My heart stops completely, the blood draining from my face as I see the familiar dagger hilt protruding from my collarbone, the blood soaking my dress. Then hands are on me, gripping my shoulders, keeping me upright. Voices floating in and out of my ears.

"Oh, gods, Izzy. What happened?" "Izzy? Can you hear me?" Kai. Uncle David.

I don't remember closing my eyes, but when they flutter open, the first thing I see is my husband's face. His eyes are wide, filled with fear. "Izzy, stay awake. I need you to..."

His voice trails off as Uncle David takes a breath, speaking rapidly. "I'm sorry about this, Isadora." My brain short-circuits as he grabs the hilt with both hands, swiftly pulling it out. I scream again, thrashing about wildly. My vision blurs, clears, then blurs again.

I can't breathe. I can't think. Forget lightning; this is a thousand jellyfish stings wrapped in a dagger wound. My stomach turns violently, and for a minute, I worry I'll empty the contents of my stomach right there and then.

I jerked awake, biting my tongue so hard I tasted blood in my mouth. The few pieces of shrimp rebelled in my stomach, and I resisted the urge to gag, barely making it to the edge of the bed in time. Not a minute later, I did gag, heaving onto the rug beside my bed. The room spun in my vision as I collapsed back on the bed, breathing deeply.

The wave of nausea subsided as quickly as it came, leaving me weak and shaky. A headache flared beneath my temples, sharp and insistent. After a few minutes, I swam into the bathing room, staring at my reflection in the mirror. My already-pale skin was void of color, leaving my face wan. Dark circles ringed my dull eyes.

I quickly washed my face, pulling on a dress before swimming down to the dining hall. When I got to the entrance, my stomach had calmed a little, but I knew I wouldn't have an appetite. The chatter floated in and out of my ears. I didn't notice I'd swum to our table until familiar voices filled my ears.

"Izzy! Good morning. Did you sleep well?" Kai. I smiled weakly, but didn't respond.

He squeezed my hand as I sat at his side, kissing me on the cheek. I absently rubbed my aching collarbone, pushing food around on my plate, but never actually eating anything. It was only when Kai squeezed my hand again, the motion bringing me out of my thoughts, that I noticed a note on the edge of my plate.

My hands were surprisingly steady as I opened it, my eyes quickly recognizing the familiar handwriting. Just wanted to let you know that the students are asking about you. Let me know if you're coming back. Love, Aunt Bella.

Tears sprung to my eyes, dripping onto my plate. I hadn't realized it until now, but I missed the structure of our classes, the smiling faces of the students. I quickly scribbled a reply, whispering Aunt Bella's name onto the paper and watching it zoom through the water. "Everything okay?" Kai asked, noticing my tears.

I wiped my eyes, nodding. "Yeah," I responded. "Aunt Bella was just reminding me about our classes." As the words left my mouth, pain splintered through my head. I bit my tongue again to keep from crying out.

Queen Katrina swam towards us as I finished speaking, a smile on her face. "Isadora. Kai. How are you two this morning?" She sat across from us, nodding her thanks to the merman who placed a plate of shrimp in front of her.

I don't remember responding, but I must have said something, because I saw concern enter her eyes. "How's Jay doing, Izzy?"

As the words left her mouth, my ears began to ring. Images and sounds threatened to smother me, pull me back into the terror of the attack. I saw Dad's anguished face, heard his heartbreaking scream. Before I could even form a response, more images and sounds assaulted me.

Hearing the fear in Aunt Bella's voice, seeing the grief and rage in her eyes. Seeing Dad, glassy-eyed and dazed, after helping those mermaids and mermen escape. Sharp pain pulled me out of my thoughts and back into the present. I glanced down and saw crescent-moon shaped marks on my palms. I must have been clenching my fists harder than I thought.

"Healing," I finally responded, lacing my hands together behind my back. I looked at Kai, but he was already taking a deep breath. Copying him, I breathed in and out, in and out, until I felt my heartbeat slow and my breathing return to normal. I unclenched my fists.

The stress, anger, grief, and fear slowly left my body with each exhale. If only the images and sounds could be banished that easily. "Have you found any evidence as to who may have been behind the attack?" Queen Katrina's voice was soft, no doubt noticing the tension in my body.

I winced again, her words triggering waves of dagger-sharp pain in my head. I tried to take a sip of tea, but my grip suddenly loosened, my fingers splaying open as the cup fell from my hand. Liquid splashed on my dress, staining the fabric, but I didn't even notice.

I closed my eyes, a face appearing in my mind. Blurry at first, I blinked several times before it finally came into view. "Isadora. Please, listen to me. I don't have much time."

A chill ran down my spine. I opened my mouth, then closed it again. "Ronan? Where have you been? What's going on?"

He shook his head, glancing around fearfully. "I can't explain how I know, but you need to be extra vigilant from now on. I believe that Queen Naia may be planning to kill someone in your family." When he met my eyes, the look in his own was pained. "I'm so sorry, Isadora. For blaming your mother. Turns out it wasn't her that was responsible for Sophia's death. It was your aunt."

His image started to blur, but he held on. "I'm okay, but I'm trapped in Nepptheas. I'm sorry, Isadora." With another fearful glance, he vanished, my surroundings returning to normal.

I didn't realize I was crying until the faces in front of me became blurry. Aunt Naia was relentless. She wouldn't stop until everyone I loved—my friends and family—were dead. The only question was, how would we stop her?

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