Drown

Chapter 9

Nightmares chased me from sleep the following morning. I awoke in a cold sweat, instinctively reaching for Jay and panicking when I found his side empty. The sweat on my face and hands quickly became the blood of Tiger Shark, sticky and cold.

The walls of our bedroom, normally so open and inviting, closed in on me, cutting off the water flow. I couldn't breathe, couldn't get my lungs to work—

Two blurry figures swam inside the room, heading straight towards me. Then there were hands on me, preventing me from moving, from getting out. I was trapped, trapped in that place—

My vision cleared just enough for me to recognize a familiar pair of worried grey eyes. Are you okay? Jay signed.

David's hand was rubbing soothing circles on my back and while there was a worried expression on his face, there was something else, too. Something deeper.

Jay glanced between David and me, quickly heading into the kitchen to get me something to eat.

As soon as the door was closed, I looked at David, the pen and paper already in my hands. You've felt it before too, haven't you? My hands trembled as I wrote and it took me a few minutes to finish the sentence.

He looked up at the ceiling, inhaling through his nose and exhaling through his mouth before speaking. "Jay and I have known each other since we were kids. Other than Bella, he's been the only person that's been there for me. One night I was five and Bella was maybe three—we had just been put to bed when I heard loud noises and shouting from downstairs. I swam downstairs, making sure to stay out of sight, and peeked into the kitchen. Our mom was gone, but I saw her keys and purse, which meant she'd left in a hurry. I saw bottles of beer made from the Mamber plant, which produces a sweet-and-sour taste."

He paused, taking a breath before continuing. "I knew our dad had started drinking, but I didn't realise how much. I tried to be as quiet as I could, but he somehow noticed I was there. He got up from the table and swam toward me, his breath reeking and slapped me across the face. I swam back to Bella's room before he could do anything else, grabbed her, and got out through the back door. We swam for hours, finally stopping at a familiar house. Jay's mom and my mom had known each other for years, so she was more than happy to look after us. I've been with him ever since. I guess what I'm trying to say is, I know what it's like to see someone's face every time you close your eyes. Just focus on the fact that you got out."

Jay came back a few minutes later with food, and I mulled over David's words as we ate. For the first time in a long time, I could breathe easier. Just as we were finishing dinner, we were interrupted by a knock on the front door. David swam to the door and opened it, revealing a merman with a letter in his hand. He accepted the letter and thanked the merman before swimming back inside.

It's addressed to you, Rissa. His face was grim, even though the letter was unopened.

My heart pounded as I tore open the letter and scanned it. The words were written in a heavy, but familiar, scrawl. You're a hard woman to get a hold of, Rissa. Luckily, I know a thing or two about finding people. Let's get down to business. It's been pretty quiet around here lately, so I thought I'd spice things up a little bit. Come to the Whispering Reef tomorrow at midday. Bring your friends, too. I guarantee they'll want to see this. Don't be late. Your sisters send their love.

The last sentence almost sent me back into that despair, that hopelessness. It wasn't signed, but I knew who it was from. Tiger Shark. He was provoking me.

I spent the rest of the day in our room, trying desperately to fight off the despair and hopelessness that was gnawing at me. Sometime later that night, I vaguely noticed Jay coaxing me to eat, then helping me into bed. He wrapped an arm around my trembling form and pulled me close. Exhaustion dragged me under the minute I closed my eyes.

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