It was chaos. I could barely focus on one thing long enough to see what was going on. I saw injured mermaids and mermen crying over their loved ones' bodies. I saw orphaned children crying in the streets, their parents dead beside them.

The able-bodied were tending to the injured, but they could only do so much. My heart had already been shattered so many times, it was a miracle it could still beat. I looked around, trying to spot the cause of the destruction, but didn't see anything.

As I turned to swim away, a flash of turquoise appeared in my vision. I would've dismissed it had I not noticed the markings on the tail. I could've sworn I'd seen those somewhere before. My fins prickled as I followed them, trying to stay out of sight. As I got closer, I could see that it was a mermaid.

The world slammed to a halt as the mermaid looked over her shoulder, making sure she was alone. My eyes shone with tears as I took a stroke backwards, praying that what I saw wasn't true. Mom. My fears were confirmed not a minute later as a merman suddenly joined her. I didn't see his face, but I knew who he was.

Tiger Shark! I squeezed my eyes shut, finally surrendering to the sobs that had been building inside me. My eyes flew open as I woke up, shaking with the force of my tears.

All the shock, disbelief, and anger poured out of me as I sobbed. The tears were hot as they coursed down my cheeks. I barely flinched as I felt strong arms pull me close.

Jay didn't say anything, just stroked my hair as I cried. After a while, the tears slowly subsided, the anger disappearing with them. All that was left was a hollow shell.

I looked up at Jay, the concern in his eyes clear. The notepad was already in his hands. What happened?

I shook my head. A haze of grief had settled over me, blocking out all outside emotions. My hands were clenched into fists as I rose from the bed. My mother is working with Tiger Shark.

Jay put a hand on my arm as I grabbed my bag. Where are you going? It's not safe.

I whirled around to face him, my breathing uneven. I have to see what they're planning. Before they hurt anyone else.

Before I could so much as swim to the front door, it opened. A mermaid swam in, clad in various shades of gray. Her golden-brown hair was in a bun, tendrils of it framing her face. She looked exhausted.

When she saw me, a cry escaped her lips. She swam to me, wrapping her arms around me. I felt her collapse against me. Recognition hit me a few seconds later. Bella. Her shoulders shook as she cried. After a few minutes, her tears subsided.

Jay swam beside me, gently putting a hand on her arm. He spoke with her for a minute then gestured to me, grabbing the notepad. It's bad, Rissa. Your mother and Tiger Shark are going from village to village, looking for anyone who may have been or knows someone who's been in contact with you. They just recently hit Pelathas and are going door-to-door interrogating citizens.

Hearing Isabella's news only sharpened my resolve. My bag was already slung over my shoulder as I swam to the door. I looked back before my hand touched the doorknob and signed, my hands shaking. Stay here in case David or my sisters come back. My last sentence was directed at Jay. You shouldn't be out on the streets right now. He frowned but nodded.

I steeled myself as I grabbed a jacket and swam outside. It was barely past sunrise, so the village was just starting to wake up. I twisted my hair up, stuffing it into the back of my jacket. Putting on a burst of speed, I quickly left the village behind, my surroundings a blur as I zoomed through the water.

I had just passed Aegrem when I saw shadows out of the corner of my eye. I ducked behind a rock, heart slamming against my chest, and held my breath as two very familiar figures swam by. Mom and Tiger Shark. I couldn't hear anything they were saying, but they each had a stack of paper—flyers, they looked like—in their hands and were placing them on the sides of the buildings.

Mermaids and mermen swam up to the posters, pointing and talking quietly. I held my breath as they swam away, then cautiously swam up to one of the buildings. It was a typical WANTED poster, but it wasn't the words that scared me. It was the picture. My face stared back at me.

My hands started to shake as I quickly stuffed the poster into my bag and swam off. All the way home, one horrible thought ran through my mind, filling me with gut-wrenching fear: How am I going to explain this to the others?

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