Screaming. Crying. The all-too-familiar sound of a dagger piercing skin. I feel a stinging, burning pain erupt in my chest, shorting out all my other senses. I choke on a breath, my heart skipping a beat. I hear Mom's scream, Drew's shout.

I think the shock has already set in, because at first, I can't understand what's wrong. What happened. When I glance at Drew, I notice he's not even looking at me. No; his gaze is trained on my chest, and as I look down, hysteria threatens to seize me. The hilt of the aforementioned dagger is sticking out of my chest, blood soaking the wound and quickly seeping into my clothes.

A wave of dizziness washes over me and I close my eyes, trying to take a deep breath. I manage a wheeze before unbearable pain builds up in my chest. I open my eyes as I feel a warm, solid hand clasp mine.

Drew's face is inches from mine, eyes locked on my own. I'm gasping, each inhale sending bolts of pain through my chest. "Faye, just hang on. You're going to be okay. Just please hang on." Tears glitter in his eyes as his voice breaks.

Mom's screaming, almost hysterically. "Help! Please, somebody help!" Dad is at her side, pulling her into his arms.

A scream rips free from my lips as I manage a full breath. Drew's grip on my hand is the only thing keeping me upright. My eyelids flutter, Drew's face disappearing and reappearing in hazy fragments. He's still speaking, but I can barely hear him. I think I must black out, because when I open my eyes again, he's stopped talking.

A flash of movement behind him makes me jerk, subsequently crying out as the wound pulls on my skin. Unconsciousness is quickly tugging at me, but I swear I see a tail, followed by smooth skin. When I look at Drew again, his face is pained. I know what he's going to do before the words even leave his mouth.

I take a deep, steadying breath, then blow it out slowly. "Do it," I say, my voice ragged. Weak. Mom and Dad swim over to us, grabbing my hands.

Drew takes a steadying breath of his own, then swiftly pulls the dagger free. Fresh blood gushes from the wound, mixing with the dried blood already on my clothes. The pain is alive, moving through my body like a shark on a scent. Each heartbeat, each breath sends a new wave of pain through me. The scream that comes out of me is ear-piercing, agonizing.

All I feel, all I know is pain. I close my eyes, desperate for that awaiting oblivion. As I do, however, that mysterious tail resurfaces in my mind, bringing with it questions I can't answer. Who is that? Are they friend or foe?

As I cracked my eyes open again, flinching at the sudden burst of light streaming in through my windows, a sob rose in my throat. A shudder rolled through me, the movement ending in another sob. Almost robotically, I swam out of bed and quickly got dressed. Anxious to get to the infirmary and see how Dad was doing.

The dagger piercing his skin played over and over in my head, to the point where I could almost recite the scene completely from memory. Tears welled in my eyes, but I brushed them away. The last thing I needed was Dad seeing me upset. I took a few shaky breaths, trying to compose myself.

The swim to the infirmary seemed to take longer than usual—but maybe it was due to me flinching at every noise, resisting the urge to reach for the dagger at my side. I was hyper vigilant, expecting someone to ambush me at every turn. When I finally reached the infirmary, I was so tense, I was almost shaking.

I pulled the door open, quickly swimming inside. Several heads turned my way as I entered the waiting room. A mermaid around Mom's age swam up to me, bowing. "Your Highness. What can we do for you?" Her voice was soft, but I detected a hint of worry underneath.

I took another breath. "I'm here to see David Solomon." My voice did not shake, my hands did not tremble.

The mermaid—whose name I would learn was Coco—nodded, ushering me to his room. I noticed her gaze flick to mine on more than one occasion, but she didn't say anything. When we reached his room, she paused outside the door, meeting my eyes. "The damage to your father's chest and lungs was extensive. As I'm sure you already know, the doctors were able to safely remove the dagger, but..." When she trailed off, my heart slammed to a halt.

"But what?" My voice rose, and I didn't bother to lower it. "He's okay, right?"

Seeing my panicked expression, she was quick to reassure me. "With rest and no strenuous activity, he'll be fine. But as they were removing the dagger, they noticed a partial collapse in one of his lungs. We still don't know if it was caused by the initial injury or the removal of the dagger, but it will take several weeks to fully heal. It's incredibly fortunate that we caught it when we did. If we hadn't... It would have been much worse.

"In the meantime, I want you and your family to keep an eye on him. I know his and your mother's duties normally require them to be out and about most of the day, but this will not heal without rest." Coco put a hand on my arm, smiling gently. "I know it had to have been scary, but you did everything right. I've already spoken with your mother and she agrees that if he feels up to it, he can be discharged."

I let out a shaky breath, nodding. Swallowing the tears threatening to spill down my cheeks, I gently opened the door, swimming inside. Dad's eyes were closed, but they opened at the sound of the door. As hard as I tried to keep my gaze on his face, my eyes eventually wandered. When I saw his chest and torso, the large bandage wrapped around them, I couldn't stop the tears from flowing.

Mom sat in a chair beside his bed, her head gently resting on his shoulder. Her eyes opened at the sound as well, widening when they found mine. She swam to me, wrapping an arm around my shoulder.

Dad's eyes softened, filled with concern at my tears. "Oh, honey." He took my hand, rubbing his thumb over my knuckle. "I'm okay."

Guilt and shame merged inside me, creating a knot in my stomach. I just clung to him, sobbing. When the tears finally ceased, leaving me hollow, I took a shaky breath. "You—you could have been—" My voice broke.

He just shook his head, using a finger to wipe a tear off my cheek. When yet another knock sounded on the door, all three of us turned toward the sound. I knew who it was before the door even opened. Drew swam in, face pale and eyes wide.

Mom beckoned him inside, a gentle smile on her face. As he swam towards us and I took his hand, I noticed he was trembling. "I ran into the nurse and she said if you feel up to it, you can be discharged." His voice was calm, but I could feel his fear and worry.

Dad took a deep breath, wincing as he did. I heard a slight wheezing sound, which made my heart skip a beat. Mom's eyes widened, but he quickly shook his head. "I'm fine."

She didn't break his stare for a moment, as if assessing for herself that he truly was okay. When she finally did, her eyes found mine, then Drew's. "Why don't we let him get dressed in private, then we can go home?" I could see the fear in her eyes, but didn't comment on it. I knew the same was most likely reflected in my own.

Drew and I nodded. He gripped my hand as we swam out of the room, Mom closing the door behind us. A worried voice spoke up from behind us, causing me to flinch. Mom glanced at me, but didn't say anything. "Bella? How are you? How's David?" Uncle Jay's voice was soft, filled with concern.

Aunt Nerissa swam to me and my brother, tears glistening in her eyes. She hugged both of us, not letting go for a few seconds. I could hear her quiet sobbing, feel her body shaking with sobs.

Mom hugged Uncle Jay. "He's going to be fine. The damage to his chest and lungs was extensive. The doctors were able to safely remove the dagger, but as they were doing so, they noticed a partial collapse in one of his lungs. They're still not sure if it was caused by the initial injury or the removal of the dagger, but it will take several weeks to fully heal."

Uncle Jay's face was pale as he lifted a shaking hand to his mouth. He swallowed hard before speaking. "C—Can we see him?"

She nodded. "The doctors said if he felt up to it, he could be discharged. He's getting dressed now. I'm sure he would love to see you both."

Aunt Nerissa nodded, taking a shaky breath as she gripped Uncle Jay's hand. After they swam inside and closed the door behind them, I exhaled deeply. I rubbed a shaking hand across my face, trying to slow my breathing.

A merman suddenly swam up to us, a few years older than me with mocha-colored eyes and short, cropped ginger hair. My grip tightened on Drew's hand as he went rigid beside me. "W—who are you?" I asked, hating the way my voice shook.

He dipped his head in a mockery of a bow, smirking at me. "Jonah Maxwell, Your Highness. So nice to finally meet you in person, Faye. 'The Siren.'" My heart stopped dead at the mention of my dreaded title. He leaned in close, his lips nearly brushing my ear. "Meet me on the outskirts of Pelathas at noon tomorrow. I can't wait to hear your beautiful voice."

I wasn't sure I was breathing. My body was as rigid as Drew's, my heart pounding in my chest. Before I could even try to formulate a response in my head, he was gone. It wasn't until Drew spoke that I realized I was trembling. "Do you know him?" His voice was quiet, but I could barely hear him over the roaring in my head.

"I've never seen him before," I replied shakily. For the rest of the day, his voice played over and over in my head, waves of fear and dread washing over me. I knew what was coming: sooner or later, I would have to make a choice. The only question was, would making that choice cost me more than I was willing to give?

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