I toss and turn that night, ensnared in a whirlpool of nightmares. Instead of it being one clear picture or scene, though, it's sounds, images. An echo of a scream, a blur of hair. Whenever I try to find my way out, it tosses me head over tail, disorienting me further.

That's when I hear the voices. It's impossible to pinpoint where they're coming from—wherever I turn, I hear them. "Save me, please!" "Help us, please!" "Anyone! Can anyone hear us?"

They all have the same desperation and fear in their voices. Images, scenes play out before me. A crowd of mermaids and mermen, all staring at me. I see myself, hands shaking as I look out at the crowd.

I feel a hand touch my own. A young mermaid—a year or two younger than me if I had to guess—smiles at me, her tight red curls framing a heart-shaped face with chocolate-brown eyes. "You're Faye Mercer," she whispers, voice tinged with awe. "The Siren."

A cry slips free from my lips at her words. That title has brought me nothing but pain and grief from the moment I first heard it. I try for a smile, but barely manage to tilt my lips upward before the mermaid behind her—obviously her mother—tugs her close, away from me.

"The Sirens are evil!" She shouts, her voice ringing out, echoing off the rocks encircling the clearing we all float in. "They draw you in with their pretty words and false promises, then they use their voices to hurt, to kill. Even young ones such as her," she gestures to me, eyes filled with nothing but hatred, "are being lured in, not knowing what they are doing until it is too late. Do you really want your children to associate with such... monsters?"

Scattered whispers break out in the crowd, gazes darting my way. Everyone wants to see for themselves if her words are true, if I really am the evil Siren she's portrayed me as. I want to speak, but I can't find my voice.

Back inside the whirlpool, I'm shaking with the force of my tears, the anger surging through me. I'm forced to watch, however, as the young mermaid's smile quickly morphs into horror. She shrinks away from me, back into her mother's arms. That's when the bodies appear. All mermaids, ranging in age from me to Mom. Gasps fill the water, punctured by wheezing. But I know that if you look closely, you will see no physical wounds.

When the mermaid appears in front of the bodies, her face twists in horror. A cry escapes her lips. "Mom! Please! I'm here! Mom, can you hear me?" I'm screaming now, waving my arms as much as I can, desperately trying to get her attention.

She never glances at me, never even looks my way. A heartbeat later, however, her gaze falls on me—that is, the me outside of the whirlpool. "Oh, Faye," she whispers. "What have you done?" Her eyes are filled with such horror and shame and pain.

Before I so much as open my mouth again, I'm yet again sucked back into the whirlpool. This time, instead of fighting it, I surrender to it. I surrender to the onslaught of images, emotions that hit me like a punch to the gut. The absolute horror and shame and pain on Mom's face, in her eyes as she looks at the me outside of the whirlpool.

With that final image forever seared into my memory, I summon all of my energy and pull myself from the nightmare. My eyes flew open as I gasped and sat up in bed. For a minute, I just closed my eyes and breathed. Reminded myself that it wasn't real. That it was just a nightmare.

When I finally managed to slow my heartbeat, steady my trembling hands, I looked out the closest window. Was surprised to find dusk slowly falling over the water. Had I slept that long? Before the thought even finished forming, everything from yesterday came rushing back.

Hearing the Siren call and feeling horror rush through me; seeing the confusion and worry in Dad and Drew's eyes. Swimming outside and seeing Mira and all of my family floating outside. Wyatt's grim expression as he appeared beside Mica, gripping the sleeve of a young mermaid.

The tears came before I could even process the final image. Deep, heaving sobs wrenched free from my lips. I lowered my head into my hands, letting all of the trapped emotions from the nightmare go in a flood of tears. When the tears finally subsided, I was numb. Empty. I collapsed back against the pillows, feeling the strength slowly drain from my body.

All I wanted to do was stay in bed, but I knew Mom and Dad and Drew would worry. I flinched as I heard a soft knock on the suite door. "Come in," I called out as I slowly got out of bed. Paused as I swayed slightly.

Drew stuck his head in, worry and concern etched on his face. "How are you feeling?" He asked, swimming inside and shutting the door behind him.

I took a breath, exhaling deeply before responding. He gripped my hands when he saw me sway. "Tired." My voice was flat, but I knew that he could read the unspoken words in my eyes.

"Are you feeling up to dinner?" His eyes never left my face, his grip tightening when I swayed yet again.

And that, I quickly realized, was my body's way of letting me know I needed food. I nodded, swimming unsteadily into my closet and throwing on a black-and-red dress. Every time I closed my eyes, the images from my nightmare threatened to pull me under, drag me down.

The crowd of mermaids and mermen, all staring at me. Me floating before them, hands shaking as I looked out at the crowd. Seeing the young mermaid—only a few years younger than me—touch my hand. Watching her smile shift into horror as her mother yanks her back.

Her mother's voice echoed in my ears, in my heart. I closed my eyes, pushing past the aforementioned images that threatened to pull me under. "Faye? Are you okay?" Drew's voice came through the door, a lifeline in a choppy sea.

I let out a muffled cry as I collapsed against the door, breathing shakily. I heard his voice again a moment later, closer this time, as if he was pressed up against the door. "Faye, listen to me. Listen to my voice. I am here for you." Over and over, he kept repeating himself, until I finally felt my breathing return to normal, my heartbeat slow.

Panting heavily, tears streaming down my cheeks, I slowly rose and gripped the handle, pulling the closet door open. Drew scanned my face from where he indeed had been pressed up against the door, eyes wide. He caught me just as I faltered, easily taking my weight. "I—I'm sorry," I sobbed, my voice muffled by tears. "I'm so sorry."

He just held me close, stroking my hair as I cried. I had my head buried in his chest, my sobs ringing in my ears, so I didn't see Mom and Dad approach us, concern written on their faces. Didn't hear Mom murmur, so soft it was almost inaudible, "Oh, honey. It's not your fault."

Almost involuntarily, my hands balled up into fists as the grief, depression, and sadness coalesced into white-hot anger. Drew's arms tightened around me, his grip never faltering. I was sobbing through clenched teeth when the anger finally subsided, leaving numbness in its wake.

I let him lead me down to the dining hall where I promptly collapsed into a chair. I had absolutely no appetite, but since I had no recollection of when I'd last eaten, I slowly ate everything on the plate Drew placed in front of me. A flash of black out of the corner of my eye made me flinch, tensing until my body was rigid.

I was halfway out of my seat, wishing more than anything I had a weapon when I felt a hand wrap around my wrist, firm but gentle. "Faye." The subtle hint of panic in Drew's voice stopped me dead.

When I met his eyes, saw the mermaid lingering behind him, I had to bite down on the cry building inside me. What scared me the most, however, wasn't the fact that she'd gotten inside the palace. No; what scared me more than anything was the absolute fear in her eyes when I finally met her gaze. Only then did I notice the piece of paper clutched in her fist.

Wordlessly, I swam to her, ignoring the multiple and curious pairs of eyes on me. Eyes the color of seaweed stared into my own. "My name is Kailani Thames." Her voice did not shake, her hand did not tremble as she held out the piece of paper. "Until we meet again, Sister Siren."

Before I even had the chance to process her words, much less open my mouth to respond, she was gone. It wasn't until Drew's hand settled on my shoulder that I realized I'd been staring. "Who was that, Faye?" He asked, eyes on her departing figure.

"I have no idea," I rasped, terror slicing through me like a dagger. I fumbled with the paper in my hands as they trembled violently. All the color drained from my face as I read the words printed there.

The strength drained from my body in a rush. As he'd done only hours earlier, Drew caught me as I faltered. The piece of paper slipped from my grasp, slowly sinking to the ground.

It was only five words. Five words that managed to send multiple waves of fear and dread rushing through me. I know what you did.

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