A Mermaid's Tale

Chapter Thirteen

Kate scrambled her way out of the bathroom and struggled to run down the stairs with her fish's tale fitted tight against her legs. She cupped her hand over her mouth trying to control the overwhelming amount of tears streaming down her cheeks. Her make-up was running but she didn't care, memories of that day flashed in her mind and her heart felt like it was going to leap out of her throat.

She pushed through the crowed of people and was beginning to feel claustrophobic. There were too many people around her and she found her head spinning. She looked over her shoulders trying to find the door but eventually stood in one place. The music was blasting in her ears but she heard nothing but silence. Her eyelids felt heavy and she felt ready to vomit up her guts.

She snapped herself out of it when her eyes found the front door. She barged past people and stormed out the door. She rested a hard hand on the mailbox and arched her back over and breathed in and out in a high pitched squeal. She wanted to scream but her breath was blocking her. Tears formed a puddle on the ground and she knelt to her knees as she vividly remembered her father saving her life and her mother promising her she'd be right back. All because of Adrian, they were gone and there was nothing she could do to bring them back.

Black trainers came into her view and she trailed up a glare to meet Adrian's concerned eyes. She snarled up her lip, like a dog ready to pounce. She was about ready to explode from a burning rage eating away at her heart, something which she had repressed for the past ten years was finally making its way to the surface.

"K-Kate..." he began, which was enough to set her off.

She let out a long high pitched scream and pounced on him. Her hands were flying about and began slapping him hard in the face, the chest and the shoulder. She was kicking out her legs too but wasn't so successful getting him. Every time he tried to move back from her swings she would take a step forward. Her teeth were gritting as she continued to smack him as hard as she could.

Adrian's eyebrows knitted together and he held a strong grip around her wrist and pushed them down towards the ground. His angry eyes locked on hers and his fangs were bared. She stared up at him with wide glassy eyes, her shoulders were shaking as her lips were trembling. "You killed them," she breathed, and tried to break free from his grip but found it impossible.

"Listen to me!" he barked, with his fangs looking sharper than she remembered them being. "It wasn't my fault your parents died."

She felt like someone had pulled out her heart. She flung herself back and he had no choice but to release her. "You dragged them into the water!"

"T-they weren't my chosen prey," he panted. "You were, b-but you got away."

More tears filled her eyes. "So, because you didn't get to kill me it's my fault they died?"

As he opened his mouth for an answer his eyes shot back up and it was like deja vu from the day he told her to run away. The same frightened face, the same look of desperation and the same concern was in his eyes. He gripped her arms and pulled her up to her toes and snarled. "Get away from here!"

She knitted her eyebrows together and pushed him hard on the chest. "No!" she screamed. "Explain to me what I saw as a child! Because I know that...that...thing was you! You murdered my parents!"

"As much as I like to get away with sticky situations," called a voice dropping down the steps. "I'm afraid I can't let one of my biggest achievements be given to someone else."

"Who are you?"

"I'm the brother of the guy you're screaming at."

Kate looked back and forth from Adrian to this man who claiming to be his brother, although they didn't share any similar features. In fact, they couldn't be more opposite. Her cheeks were stained with tears and her head was throbbing from visions of her past and flashes of her father being dragged down to his death. "What is happening?" she screamed. She dropped to her knees and slapped her hands down to her lap as her golden hair fell over her face. "Is any of this real?" she said out loud but only intended for herself to hear. "Why me? Why was it me?"

Suddenly she felt a hand grip tightly around her neck and found herself being pulled up to her feet. The air was caught in her throat and her face was turning blue. Her eyes were focused on the night sky and wondering if she would soon reunite with her parents. "Don't think you're so special," the stranger laughed. "It was merely by chance you were chosen as prey, could call it bad timing."

Her glassy eyes slid down to Adrian, who was standing in silence with his head hung to the floor, not looking fazed by her choking. She tried to pull his hand away from her throat but it was like he was made of steel, she didn't even manage to budge a finger. "...A..Ad...rian." she gasped.

"Do you really think he was going to let his original prey get away after all the effort it took for him to find you?" 

Adrian stepped forward without raising his head from the ground. "That's enough Derek." they were the clearest words he'd ever spoken since meeting Kate.

"Oh, shut up." Derek spat. "For you see, my dear Adrian is what you humans would call a bastard child. In the kingdom we come from it is law that a couple in desire for a child must be married. Of course everyone abides by the law but Adrian's mother and father did not for they could not hold back their love for one another." Derek released his grip and Kate fell to the ground and coughed in hysteria. "Serious consequences had to be done, of course." he began circling Kate with his hands firmly behind his back. "So the child was ripped away from the mother and the father was killed in front of everyone. Was a rather interesting ceremony."

"You're...sick!" she chocked.

He curled his lip. "However, since young Adrian, whatever it is you have decided to name him, never got brought up in the kingdom he had to learn everything for himself. He didn't do a very good job since he can't speak well or swim well either. But the main disadvantage of being cast aside is that he could not make any trips to the land for he was not granted that gift within our kingdom. What young Adrian did was murder any unfortunate victim that came into his view and for however old the person was determined how long he could stay a human. Eventually our king was growing tired of human corpses drifting around and offered him a deal. Chose one sacrifice and take said persons human life to make it his own whenever he would step foot on long. Once he chose a target and reported back he would be welcome again."

Kate glared over at Adrian with her hands rubbing her throat hoping to sooth it. "My parents were killed...for nothing?"

"Oh! You should have seen the look on the king's face when he brought back your parents instead of you! It was hysterical, he said 'neither of these look like a pure golden haired child, do you wish to mock me?'" he hunched over laughing after putting on a voice which matched up to a fake Santa Claus.

His eyes looked lost as he searched for an answer in his mind.

"In order to come here...did you murder someone?" she wasn't sure why she was asking as she already knew the answer.

"An old woman I believe it was," Derek chimed in. "She was fantasizing by the sea, talking to herself about books and dreams of the future."

Her eyes stung as she couldn't take anymore. She curled her knees up to her chest and cried into them. She closed her eyes and waited for her death, hoping that all the pain would go away by the man who caused it. Adrian.

A MESSAGE FROM MY WALL ABOUT THIS BOOK: 

If anyone thinks A Mermaid's Tail is just gone, won't ever be updated and I'm not interested...you'd be wrong! During this time I have avoided publishing new parts because I don't feel that it is good enough for people to read yet. I don't want to give you sloppy work. That's why I have been writing it in my own time and making it the best I can be so it will be a published novel. I love the support and feedback and want to continue to have that! If you think it's a good idea to continue writing and pursue this then drop me a message letting me know what you guys think! :) Thank you again for the years of support <3