Secrets of the Sea

vi. the confession

Callie clenched her fist, anger filling her, storming out of the compartment into the empty hall.

They made it sound as if she were the villain, as if she really were an evil witch.

None of it was even true! Every word Anise said was what she had done to Callie!

And, seriously, a kind and grieving man, her Uncle?

Very funny. Also, now she could kinda see why he wouldn't tell her his name...Horton.

And Callie hadn't beaten Nicki Zeen up, she had beaten Callie up. And Rufus was a big fat liar, she had not smashed his lunch. They all said what they did to her, but twisted it so it made it seem like she did it to them!

And the town wasn't supposed to know she was alive, either! Now she was being hunted after, which was nothing since she was underwater, but if any other mer saw this, they'd know she was a human and probably kill her either way!

Panic rose in Callie's throat as she saw Daryah had followed her out and had noticed her expression as she snatched the newspaper from Callie's shocked fingers.

"No!" Callie lunged for it but missed, Daryah swimming to the ceiling, holding it out of Callie's reach.

"Let me see what's bothering you," Daryah said. "I can help."

"But, but—" Callie blurted desperately, clawing for the weathered paper. "No! Please! Daryah!"

"Is this a human newspaper? Wow, how'd you get this—I—oh..."

Too late. Daryah's eyes were already the size of saucers as she slowly turned and gazed at Callie, expression vacillating from amazed disbelief to pure shock, and settling on hurt.

"Callie...?"

"I... Daryah..."

"How could you! You're supposed to be my best friend, how could you?! Why didn't you ever say anything? Why? You are supposed to trust me! You don't trust me? And you're—you're not even a mer! You're a human! A human! They hurt innocent mermaids and tortures and kill them, for sport! And this human paper! You actually were a bully, a criminal? A witch?" Daryah spluttered, eyes wide and teary. "Or is it lies? I don't even know anything!"

And that's when Callie suddenly burst into tears.

"I—oh, I didn't mean to make you, um, cry! Oh crabcakes!" Daryah cried out awkwardly. "I'm so stupid!"

"N-no, it's okay. It's just, I didn't want you to find it out this way. Of course I would have told you, you're my first friend. My best friend. It just wasn't the right—"

"Did you actually kill that guy?" Daryah blurted, then immediately put her gaze down, ashamed.

Callie felt anger and indignation tighten her chest.

"No! Would you just listen to me?" Callie snapped.

Daryah went silent.

"When I was very young, my parents were murdered. I didn't lie about them. They are—well, were Marina Aquafel and Caspian Hydale. And I had no idea of my true bloodline. I was sent to my distant uncle and aunt. I wasn't allowed to know their names. I called my uncle, Uncle, and same with Aunt. It wasn't the ideal experience for a child. Uncle and Aunt hated me for some reason, which all I can guess now is because they knew I was a mermaid. 

Knowing them, they'd call me a fish freak. I was often yelled at and abused by them, whenever something happened or if they just wanted to. I lived in their dusty attic. I had a cousin, but gosh, she took after her parents. Anise. I was her little servant, doing every little thing for her. She wanted perfection and liked to hit me for no reason, getting me in horrible trouble, too. Uncle called my parents 'crazy freaks' and Aunt said she was glad they were gone for good. I was filthy, with only a single pot of water dumped into her head once a month for a so-called 'shower.' I was to stay away from water.