Love in Dangerous Waters

Chapter 41 - Love, Death, and a Kingdom

The kingdom was too afraid to come out at first. I shook the dagger out of my hand, feeling relieved it was over, but terrified too. I killed someone! I would never live with myself again. I ended someone's life. This couldn't be happening, it couldn't be-

"Aqua!?" I heard Nicole's voice, and I whipped around, seeing her swimming towards me fast and hugging me. "Oh my God, you're okay!"

"And you're… not a fish." I replied, uncertain of how to.

"Yeah, everyone changed back. Does that mean Lucille's dead?" She exclaimed, and I pointed under me, and she looked. "Oh my God, someone decapitated her."

"I did." I whimpered, feeling nauseous and coughing. "I killed her!"

"Hey, hey…" She soothed, rubbing my back and shushing me. "It's okay, it's okay. She's killed so many people that she deserved it."

"I killed someone! Someone's child, someone's mother!" I stated and gasped, looking for Dillon. "Oh my God, Dillon!" I called, scanning the area for him as I broke from my sister. "Dillon!"

"Oh, Lucille was his mother…" Nicole stated, remembering the fact. "He's never going to talk to you again."

"Dillon…" I whimpered, realizing I lost him for good. "I didn't mean to kill his mother, just… Lucille."

"There was no way to avoid it, Aqua." She stated, but jumped up, pointing. "Look, there he is!" She exclaimed, and my gaze followed her finger. He was looking up at us, and I swam down to him.

"Dillon!" I exclaimed, and he wrapped me in his arms. So not the response I thought he'd do.

"Hey, you're alive." He stated, and I nodded. "Knew one of you wasn't going to be."

"Dillon, I'm sorry." I apologized, still feeling eternally terrified of myself. "I didn't want to kill her, but she just hurt so many people."

"It's okay." He told me, wiping hair away from my face. "I was sick of being her son, anyway."

"You can't just say that about your mother." I stated, but he put a finger on my lips.

"I just did." He whispered, taking his finger away and replacing it with his lips. "I'm just glad you're okay."

"Yeah… and I'm glad you are, too." I smiled, but from the corner of my eye, I saw Dad, still on the sand, lying still. "No…" I whispered, swimming away from Dillon and by Dad's side. "Dad, wake up, it's over. We won, she's dead, we can finally be together without someone trying to kill us!" I told him, but he didn't move. "Dad…?" I whimpered, taking his head in my arms. "Dad, you gotta wake up, it's over." I ordered, placing my head on his chest, listening for his heartbeat… that wasn't there. I lifted my head slowly, my whole body trembling, feeling my life shut down. "No!" I screamed long and high-pitched, hugging his body close to mine. I sobbed uncontrollably, feeling my second parent's dead body in my arms, the parents I wanted to know. Both were gone, just as I was starting to know them.

"Dad…" Nicole started, and I noticed her next to me. "No, no, you can't leave us either…"

"He's gone, Nicole." I sobbed, wiping my burning eyes. "He's gone, just like Mom."

"No…" She muttered, coming down next to me, holding him with me. "No, please… don't leave us…" And we both sat there with his body, hoping for a miracle to bring him, and the rest of our family back to life, and back together again.

Dad is dead. Mom is dead. Ocea is dead. It only left Nicole and I for the future of Antastica, but even then, she was married to the King of another world. Which meant I was the only one left.