Shattered Souls

Chapter 2

It wasn't until we'd finished breakfast and were out in the open water—my withdrawn appearance earning me several concerned looks from Mom, Dad, and Drew—that I felt like I could breathe. Even so, I didn't miss the sidelong glances Jonah kept shooting me out of the corner of my eye. I knew he wanted to ask me about what had happened earlier; I could all but feel the question simmering in him.

How I managed to carry on a somewhat normal conversation was beyond me. I gave short, clipped responses, never more than two- or three-word answers. I turned to Jonah now, taking a breath. "I'm going to visit Waverly. Want to come?"

I'd been to visit her every day since it happened. That first day I'd seen her—a mere 24 hours afterward—all she'd wanted to talk about was me. She'd asked me question after question, her words never faltering. I never interrupted, never tried to speak over her. I'd recognized the tactic well enough; I had used it countless times when facing complex topics.

That's how our first few visits had gone. One afternoon, though, I'd finally caved—finally tried to get Waverly to open up to me. I'd put my hand on top of hers and quietly said, "I'm not going to—and will never—force you to talk. I'm letting you know I'm here if and when you decide to talk. I love you, and I'm so unbelievably sorry that this happened to you."

Silence. I'd heard her breath hitch and saw a tear escape down her cheek. Then the dam burst. She'd fallen into my arms, her cries loud and heart-wrenching. As Jonah had done, I'd held her until her sobs became sniffles. "Why?" I struggled to keep my face blank when the word left her mouth. I knew that the question wasn't directed at me, but I couldn't help shaking my head in response.

"I'm sorry," I'd whispered, the only comfort I'd been able to offer. "I'm so, so sorry." And I was—more than she knew.

I'd known from the moment we'd reached their door that this visit would be different, though I wasn't entirely sure why I was surprised. Now, as Laguna opened the door, she gave us both a sad smile. "Oh, Faye," she said, her voice breaking.

Without hesitation, I fell into her open arms, clutching her tightly. Her sobs were as heartbreaking as Waverly's had been—perhaps more so if such a thing was possible. Because even though Laguna had as much to be sad and angry about as her daughter, Waverly's sobs had been full of hatred, anger, and grief.

That hatred was something I'd never seen in Waverly before, and it had scared me. If she'd reacted that violently after hearing the news, how would she react coming face-to-face with Kailani? The mere thought sent a shudder down my spine. When we finally broke apart, I gently touched Laguna's shoulder. "Has she come out of her room since my last visit?"

She tearfully shook her head, more sobs shaking her frail frame. "No," she whispered, taking a ragged breath. "She—she won't speak, won't even allow me inside. Oh, Faye. Why did she do this to us?"

Anger rippled down my spine at her words because I knew who she was referring to without mentioning a name. The real question was, how long had she been holding onto that secret? "I'm sorry to have to ask you this," I said quietly, taking a breath before continuing, "but had you had any contact with Kailani before the..." I trailed off, trying to soften the word, "incident?"

She ushered us inside and quickly shook her head, disgust flaring in her eyes. "No. I hadn't even heard a whisper of Kailani for a decade. Their father... Was not a reasonable merman. He wasn't abusive, but he'd kept Kailani from us during her and Waverly's childhood, thinking we weren't good enough to associate with her. I'd never imagined that she'd reveal herself this way."

I could hear the hurt in her voice, clear as day, but I also detected a note of longing underneath. She'd respected her ex-husband's wishes, even though it had killed her not to be able to see Kailani. But in doing so, she'd also unknowingly created a rift between the two sisters.