Eyes Outshine the Horizon Line

Chapter 4 - Warlocks

Nancy arrived at her bedroom as her siblings gathered supplies from their corners of the shared space. "I still don't get why I don't have my own room as the man of the house." Mike wondered aloud. "I'd put you several oceans over if that was the case. I doubt you want that." Nancy teased, helping him remove the netting and wood splinters from the coral. "It would be easier if the humans would control themselves." Mike mumbled. "I just don't think they planned a shipwreck, Mike." Nancy replied. "Just like how you didn't plan on breaking those clamshells." "Holly did that," he argued. "And how do you even know what the humans intend? Mike then eyed her. "Did you break her rule? Mike suddenly asked in a hushed voice. "No." Nancy lied. "I just mean, we're not all the same so why should humans be?

"What about humans?" Karen asked. The siblings all quickly got back to work, cleaning up the shipwreck. "I just meant." Nancy paused. "Look at what their shipwreck did." Karen looked around the room to see pieces of wood and netting all over the place. Karen stabbed her trident into the sand, breaking loose a piece of debris. "They got what they deserved. They are the most dangerous species of all. Spoiling our waters, destroying the reefs, having no respect for the balance of the oceans." Karen said, tossing the debris into the siblings' clean up pile. Mike added more pieces to it. "They're not the only ones who have no respect for balance." Nancy spat, resuming her cleaning.

"Someone's cranky." Holly jokes to her. "Are at theage where we aren't cool anymore?" Mike asked. "No. You were never cool." Nancy sighed. "I just think that maybe it's time for things to change." "Nancy, our reefs are destroyed because of them." Mike argued back. "It's not like Mom controls the sea or anything." Nancy spat again, having enough of them not listening either, swimming away.

"Nancy's in love!" Holly said as soon as she left. "How do you know that?" Mike asked. "She sang herself to sleep with a siren song last night. I heard it over your snoring." the girl said.

"I wonder who the lucky merman is who has her in such a mood then." Karen added. "Not lucky for us. She kept me awake." Holly responded but he fell on his mother's deaf ears. "Nancy is in love?" Karen asked. "You really think so?" Holly was the only one that nodded. Mike rolled his eyes. Karen smiled to herself. Surely Lucas would know who that lucky merman was.

Lucas did know. He wasn't a snitch but it slipped out. It was just the last thing Karen hoped for. Nancy knew better than to go up there. That's why Nancy swore she felt her blood run cold seeing her mother in her grotto.

"Mom. I can explain." Nancy began. Karen ignored her oldest daughter's attempt to plea. "You broke the rules? You went to the above world." her voice was cold. Karen knew and Lucas, who was lingering back with her siblings, told her. Nancy would have been furious with him but her mother's hard gaze lingered. "There was a shipwreck. A man was drowning. I had to save him." Nancy's eyes flitted to the bust that was placed on a shelf next to the leather bound journal, her 2 most prized of her collection.

"You should have let him drown. They're savages." Karen continued. "You don't know that." Nancy said, growing more defiant. "They killed my husband and your best friend." "A few bad people don't cancel everyone out. And Barb wasn't killed by humans. She was found at a shipwreck we never even went to." the daughter argued back. "Doesn't matter." Karen replied. "Doesn't matter? Barb and Dad are dead. We can't change that. Barb wasn't killed by them. Why blame every human? Not even Dad would and you know how he was." "No Nancy." Karen replied as if she didn't hear a word Nancy said.

"Eddie had nothing to do with it." Nancy's anger getting the best of her. "Eddie? Do you have no sense?" Karen asked. "If you would have just heard him. He was kind and compassionate to others despite his appearance." Nancy remembered his hair that was almost as long as hers and the ink splattering his chest. "I don't care about any of that Nancy." Karen continued. "He's a human and you're a mermaid." "That doesn't make us enemies." Nancy replied. She wondered if he was reprimanded for a shipwreck from his family. "Promise me you will never look for him again. Never go back there." Karen said. Nancy did love the shoreline, the sand on her body. The way his hair felt between her fingers. She wasn't sure how to let that go. She probably never would, just how she never got over Barb's death. Nancy said nothing and shook her head. "I can't lie anymore I won't. I swear, I will get through to you! Barb was killed by something else and humans are good. When will you see that?" Nancy said. She heard a whimper of Holly outside the grotto. Karen practically shook with anger.