Scared New World

Chapter 6

I woke to a shoulder full of fire and a night sky. My eyes opened and scanned the room, barely able to focus enough to recognize my surroundings. The room was small, no bigger than a supply closet. Wooden crates, stacked on top of each other, occupied one corner.

A table with chairs beside it occupied another. A window in front of me provided the only way to see outside. I shifted and realized I was lying on a cot. My eyes adjusted enough to discover another person was in the room with me.

His back was to me as he fiddled with the crates, pulling vials and bottles from the top box and glancing at them before laying them down on the table. My eyes widened as recognition hit me. His brown hair was messy like he'd been dragging his fingers through it.

Jay. I mouthed the word, even though he couldn't hear it. My arms trembled as I unsteadily pushed myself up to a sitting position. I was panting heavily as I braced my hands on the sides of the cot. He whirled around, his expression a mixture of concern and relief.

As we stared at one another, I noticed his pallor. Dark circles were under his eyes, and his usually tan skin was ashen. A notepad was lying on the table.

He grabbed it, scribbling on the paper before handing it to me. We're near Nepptheas in an abandoned house. You've been out for hours. How are you feeling?

I flipped the paper over, writing my response. My shoulder is killing me. What happened? The pain was quickly pushed aside by fear as I realized he was alone. Where are Meri and Naia? Are they okay?

He put a gentle hand on my arm. They're safe. Tiger Shark is out there. I told them to go hide out wherever they could find shelter. They wanted to stay with you, but I told them it was too dangerous for all three of you to be together.

All the fear and pain disappeared, replaced by red-hot anger. At that moment, all I wanted was my sisters here with me. But I'd rather them be far away and safe than with me and in danger.

He let go of my arm and took my hand, using his free one to grab a piece of paper and hand it to me. This was the sketch that David managed to get. A merman with dark blue eyes and short black hair stared back at me, his expression resigned.

A jolt ran through me, so intense I almost dropped the paper. Fear stole the water from my lungs, only to have shock appear and take over. The merman's face was so familiar it brought tears to my eyes. I couldn't believe I hadn't realized it before.

In the back of my mind, a memory surfaced—me and the merman racing through the water, our powerful tails working overtime to propel us. Every so often, he would look back at me, making sure I hadn't fallen behind. A grin was on my face as we swam. I remember feeling so happy in that moment—more pleased than ever.

Jay nudged me, startling me out of my thoughts. What's up? Who is that guy?

I blinked as I looked at him. A shiver ran through my body. Tears welled in my eyes, spilling down my cheeks. It's my dad. Multiple emotions slammed into me, impossible for me to make out. Sadness crept up behind me, then anger showed up and took over; a heartbeat later, however, they were both overshadowed by grief, which pushed them out of the way and took over.

For a brief moment, I couldn't catch my breath. No matter how hard I tried, it felt like I was trying to sip air through a straw. A cold sweat broke out on my body. Jay's face swam in my blurry vision. I could vaguely feel his tight grip on my hand.

Darkness crept into the corners of my vision as my body begged for oxygen. One thought crawled through my head as I let the blackness take over: How will I explain this to Naia and Meri?

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