Drowning Beneath The Waves

Chapter 7

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.