Insula Somnium, Isle of Dreams.

Chapter 13

I ran. I ran as fast as I could. But I didn't get very far. Being tackled to the ground by a girl was humiliating enough. Being tackled to the ground by your little sister was just the tip of the iceberg.

"Daniel don't you dare go running off to do something stupid, you hear me?" She said, pushing me further into the sand. I grunted, and she laughed. She got off of me, and I got up grudgingly, wiping sand off.

"We have to help her," I said, "We can't just leave her there."

"Think about it, vampires are peaceful with mermaids, why would they choose now to act up?" She asked. I shook my head. I didn't get it like she did. She hadn't been here much longer than I have, and yet, she understood it all. But then again, she was one of them now, so I guess she had to get used to it.

"What does that mean?" I asked. She looked at me, with those eyes that were different and yet the same. 

"Daniel, mermaids get the first pick of food. There's not even enough to feed all of us most of the time, vampires don't get any; they’ve captured them as bait,"

"Bait for whom?" I asked.

"Bait for the only human alive on the island." And then I got it. My mind was moving slowly, all I could see were pictures of Genevieve being hanged, or tied up and left for dead. And it was my entire fault. I paced back and forth, weighing my options. I could risk going to help her alone, but I knew that Taylor would just knock me down again. I could ask the mermaids to go, but that would be the cowardly thing to do. I had to go, whether Taylor would let me or not.

"Taylor, we have to help her,"

"I'll tell Ariel what happened, she'll know what to do." She said, about to run off, but I grabbed her arm. I knew she could break free from my grip easily, but she remained. 

"Ariel's not the right person to go to." I said,

"Why not?" 

"She's...partial to vampires," I said carefully. Taylor looked at me like I was crazy.

"If you're thinking what I think you're thinking, then no...Just no!" She said, and stormed off. Great, I really was on my own. There was no one to be seen anywhere along the beach, and I had no means of swimming down into their kingdom.

I closed my eyes in frustration. What can I do? I opened my eyes again, and saw Taylor coming back up the beach slowly to me. She stopped in front of me, and I looked at her.

"If you're right..." She slowly said, "Then we should go alone. Everyone loves Ariel; no one would believe that she's working against us." I nodded.

"But you can't go either," I made a sound of protest, but she shot me a look and I shut up.

"Vampires can't feed on mermaids. Not since the witches curse. So that means that they're just keeping them hostage for something. Since we don't know what that something is, we're assuming it's you."

"Yes, we know this already," I said, eager to get to the point.

"But there's one thing that doesn't add up," Taylor said, staring at the ground in concentration, "Vampires have been peaceful with us for decades. Why would they choose to act up now? And why for you?" 

"Does this really matter? I mean, if they want me, let them have me. I don't care if I die if it saves Genevieve." 

"Daniel, I know you. You'll try to pretend to be brave until the moment comes, then you'll want to back out. It's who you are." She said, that bluntness of hers ringing soundly to my ears.

"Taylor, this is different. I know what I'm doing, let's just go!" I said, my pride hurt.

"You don't understand, Genevieve is going to be safe, mermaids are immortal!" She said, her patience wearing out. And then I got it.

"Taylor, they don't want Genevieve, and they don't want Evelott, and they don't want me." 

"Then what could they want?" She asked.

"The locket." 

I filled Taylor in on all of the details about how we found out about the locket, and how Genevieve and Evelott had it the last time I saw them. Her eyes widened in disbelief. 

"Are you serious?" She asked. I nodded.

"I have to go get it back then!" 

"I'm coming with you," I said defiantly.

"You know what? We don't have time for this. Jump on my back, let's go get them." She said. Feeling stupid, I got on her back. 

She must've memorized a map or something of the island because if it were up to me I would've gotten lost millions of times. We were there in less than an hour, up a tree, looking down on a small village. There was not a soul to be found, they must've all been locked up in their homes. 

Vampires who burn in the sun. 

Ariel's words rang through my head.

"This is the perfect time! No one can come out in the sun!" I said.

"But how will we find them? They could be in any one of those houses." 

"It's so simple; all we have to do is look through the window. After all, they can't come out and hurt us 'cause of the sun!" I said, proud of myself for thinking of that.

"They have psychic powers though; they didn't lose theirs like we lost ours."

"Then how did you win the contest?"

"I haven't learnt that part yet," She said frowning, and I felt a tiny bit of satisfaction at her finally not knowing something. Just then, we saw something happening in the house closest to us.

"Do vampires have to sleep?" I asked.

"Yes, and they normally do in the day,"

"So what are they doing up in the middle of the day?" I asked, pointing to the house where I saw the movement. Just then, the door swung open, and Genevieve and Evelott came tumbling out. My heart skipped a beat when I saw her, but I quickly came to my senses when I realized she was chained at her wrists and her ankles.

What could be strong enough to hold mermaid's strength? I thought to myself. 

"This better work mermaids, or else," We heard a snarling voice say. I pictured that Genevieve would look frightened, and powerless, but she didn't. She looked fierce, and defiant. She looked as if nothing they could ever do to her would make her succumb to them.

Suddenly a boy was pushed from the house into the darkness. His back was to us, his blond locks gleaming in the sun. His whole body stance suggested that he was alarmed, frightened even. He screamed, as if awaiting some terrible death. He looked young, to be about Taylor's age, maybe a little older.

He must be a vampire I realized.

"I'm...I'm not burning," I heard him said, as realization came upon him. 

"That's...that's not possible," Taylor breathed in awe, "Vampirism is irreversible, as is the mermaid transformation..." Suddenly, he turned to us, and all I caught was a brief glimpse of the young boy's face before he disappeared. I looked around in bewilderment, until I heard a male voice whispering behind me, 

"Spying on a vampire isn't good for humans," And then the world went black.