'A daughter in exchange for a daughter.'

'When word got back to us that you'd had a daughter, why we just couldn't believe it."

'Yer a girl.'

My face pressed into my palms. I'd known their fascination with me being a girl was odd, but I'd brushed it aside. After all, I was the first girl born to the Hallorans in centuries. No wonder they were surprised. Turns out, that was only part of it. Everyone had been biding their time, waiting for me to be trussed up like a prize pig and handed off to the Siren who made their life hell.

'A cursed place this is. Wretched are our souls.'

I jolted as Leslie's first words to me came rushing back. Of all the people on the Island, Branna and Leslie Goode were the only ones who'd tried to warn me. Why? What did they have to gain from my salvation? Or, perhaps, they only wished to ease the stain of guilt from the consciences?

Either way, I needed to speak to them.

At the front door, I paused. Dad wasn't home. To my knowledge, he hadn't been home since the night before, though, I supposed there was a very good chance he'd tried to call me. My phone was dead after multiple dunks in the ocean. He could be searching the Island for me, but I doubted it. As much as Kieran's admission had hurt, my father's betrayal was far more painful, a searing pain in my bones that wouldn't recede.

Stuffing my feet into a pair of hunter boots, I zipped up the heaviest jacket I could find despite the mild temperatures outside. The walk to town was long, my body ached, and with the mercurial nature of the Island, a sudden rainstorm wasn't out of the question. Better to be over prepared than under.

Unlike my walks before, I didn't bother to admire the passing scenery. None of it held any pleasure for my senses. I was too distrustful, too certain the beauty hid danger, and I wouldn't be lured in again. But without the Island's flora and fauna to distract me, I was a captive to my tumultuous thoughts.

"What is that supposed to mean?" I demanded, "a daughter for a daughter?"

Kieran reached for me, but I stepped away. "She promised the curse would be lifted if the Hallorans sacrificed a daughter to her."

"Sacrificed?" Images of altars and blood cascaded through my mind, stealing the air from my lungs.

"Not like that. She wants yer legs. She wants to walk again."

"So, what? You all just planned to hand me over to her? My freedom in exchange for yours?"

The boy before me groaned, pulling the ends of his hair. "It was different when you were just some faceless person. Once I got to know you, I knew I couldn't do it."

"So why not just give me to Lorelei the moment I stepped on the Island?"

"It doesn't work like that," he explained as he paced in front of the windows. The sea glass on the walls flickered in the shadows he cast. "Merrow don't shift into their sea forms until they turn seventeen."

"Did Al just turn seventeen?"

"Tara too. But the curse doesn't affect the girls, not the same way it does the boys. They can shift, even if they can't go far from the Island. But for us, not being able to assume our mer forms can be lethal. It's why so many choose to give their souls to Lorelei. It's not just about giving up the ocean; it's about saving our lives."

"Al said he wouldn't survive because he wasn't a green."

"Which is stupid!" Kieran shouted, slamming a fist into the wall. When he pulled his hand away, a smear of blood muted the shine of the mermaid tears, and I saw the slice across his knuckles.

"Kieran. Are you seventeen?" He stiffened. "Are you?"

"Yes."

"Does she own you? Is your soul hers?"

I'd waited for his answer for what felt like an eternity. Until I took the silence for all the answer I needed. He shook his head like someone waking from a daze, his mouth opening to protest when I ordered him to leave. 

I'd demanded answers. I had them. And I wanted nothing more to do with them.

SeaHaven Inn came into view, and I sped by it, not bothering to check the parking lot for our truck. If I ran into my father in town, I'd... well, to be honest, I didn't quite know what I'd do. My heart wasn't ready to confirm his complicity, but I wouldn't have peace until we spoke.

The tiny houses edging the city came next. Children played in the narrow streets, and I studied them through slitted eyes, wondering if they knew who I was- what I was- to them. Some stopped and watched me in return, but most kept to their games.

The Mermaid Cafe was open for business, and Mrs. Rose's laugh tinkled through the open doors. The memory of her comforting embrace slowed my steps, but I pushed on, spurred by the awareness that she would hand me over to Lorelei with a bow on my head if it meant freeing the men on the Island.

Potent Potions sat across the street, just as unassuming as every other time- from the outside. The inside held magic- I understood that now, but was it magic that could help or harm? Hood over my head, head down, and heart in my throat, I rushed across the road.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Leslie," I hissed, jerking my hand away from the store's door and staring at the pale girl leaning around the building's right edge. "You're just the person I came to find. Well, you or your mother."

"You shouldn't be here," she snapped, grabbing my arm and hauling me into the alley. Her almost clear, blue eyes glittered in the darkness. "Tara has told everyone on the Island. We all know you know."

"You tried to warn me, why?"

She closed her eyes, squishing them tight as her lips trembled. "It's what my mum asked of me. We-we owe it to you, and now, we've got to get you off the Island before they lock you in yer room until yer seventeenth birthday."

"They wouldn't do that. My father wouldn't let them." I heard the lie on my lips. Leslie did too.

"If he was trying to keep you safe, he would've never brought you here. Look," she said, putting a hand over my mouth, "today is the last day the ferry runs.. You've got to be on it. After that, yer stuck."

"But I don't have any of my possessions. No money. No passport. Where will I go?"

"Let's get you off the Island, and then we'll figure it out. I can mail whatever you need, but I know one thing, you've got to go inland. Don't settle anywhere near the ocean."

We were weaving through the alleyways while we talked. Leslie would stop from time to time, jerking me behind her as she waited for whatever had alarmed her to pass. I didn't know how we hadn't been spotted yet. Windows were open and voices filled the town square. Soon, we would have to cross through the open space to reach the road leading to the ferry.

"Come on. We've got one chance to get across. There aren't but a few tourists left, and most won't leave until closer to sundown. William is the ferry operator, and he'll take the extra trip if I ask. Now, run."

I took off after her, my rain boots making running difficult, but the sight of us appearing in the middle of the town, with tourists milling about, created enough shock that no one made a move towards us until the pavement turned to gravel beneath my feet. Then, the air clamored with angry shouts and thundering footsteps.

A stitch burned in my side, but the sight of the large watercraft bobbing on the choppy gray waves gave me the strength to push through it. The quick peek over my shoulder bolstered my motivation as well- the entire town must've been in the mob closing in on us.

"William, start moving," Leslie shouted, shoving me off the dock and onto the ferry's deck. The older gentleman tipped his cap to her and put the vessel into motion, spraying water across Leslie as the engines roared to life. 

"How is this thing moving so fast?" I gasped, my chest expanding as the emerald shores grew smaller and smaller.

"Branna souped her up a few years back, put twin turbocharged Mercury Racing engines in my baby. Been preparing for this day for a long time."

Wind whipped my auburn hair into my face, and I snapped an elastic band around the strands, tucking the few stray pieces behind my ear. When the first sob swelled in my throat, I put my knuckles in my mouth, trying to force it back. Now was not the time to cry. It didn't matter that my mind hadn't any time to process a single thing that had happened to me in the last twenty-four hours- I needed to be safe before I fell apart.

"Hold on miss," William said, his kind face darkening as the smooth seas before us began to churn.

"Please no," I cried, bracing myself against the railing and staring at the raging waters. Any moment now, I expected the sea witch to emerge, her glowing eyes laughing as she dragged me to a watery tomb.

He cut the steering wheel to the left, barely missing a massive swell. My ears rang with the sound of the fiberglass hull smacking against the water, and my eyes burned from the salty spray peppering my face.

A huge wave rose above the boat, the wall blue with white streaking the surface. It grew, rising higher and higher above us until the top curved and dropped. For one second, we were encased in a tunnel, the air humid and the world dark. William caught my eye, and he mouthed an apology.

We both drew in deep breaths as the boat went sideways, tossing us in the frigid ocean before the wave collapsed in on itself. I kept my eyes closed, my mind going numb as my feet were dragged above my head. Three times. Three times I'd found myself at the mercy of the ocean since I'd arrived on this Island.

I wasn't surprised when strong hands hooked under my armpits and pulled me to the surface. I drew in a deep breath the moment we were clear, but it wasn't frantic. Only seconds had passed since I'd gone overboard.

"Kieran?" I whispered, trying to look up, but my rescuer kept me in a firm hold. Only his tail was visible, chrome cutting through the inky water.

I was deposited roughly onto the shore, and I pushed up on my elbows, spitting out salt and sand while glaring  at dozens of familiar faces. Mrs. Rose glowered down at me, her plump hand wrapped tight around Leslie's arm. Not that it was necessary. Defeat lined every inch of the young girl's face.

How could he do this? He'd promised he wouldn't let me be sacrificed only to bring me back to a cage.

"Isla!"

"Kieran?" I spluttered, spying him pushing through the crowd, his hazel eyes wild with fear. He dropped to his knees and drew me into his arms. I pushed him away. "Who brought me back?"

Ewan's tail was black. Al's was yellow. Kieran shook his head and tried to keep me from looking over my shoulder.

There, standing in the shallows, was my father.