Drowning Beneath The Waves

Chapter 12

I was up before the sun rose the next morning, having tossed and turned the night before. My nightmares had been full of horror and grief and shock. Different scenarios had played out in front of me, none of them pleasant. Jonah's eyes had been frozen open in shock and horror as Kailani plunged the dagger into his chest.

A strangled gasp escaped him as he'd looked down at the hilt protruding from his chest, then back up at Kailani. I sped towards him, but it was as though I was moving in slow motion. He was dead before he'd even hit the seafloor.

The next scenario was worse, if such a thing was possible. It'd started out identical to the first scenario: Jonah, eyes wide with shock and horror as Kailani had plunged the dagger into his chest.

This time, however, I reacted a second quicker than him. Before he even had time to glance over at me, I was moving, hurriedly shoving him out of the way just as the dagger pierced my chest.

I shuddered now as I got dressed, pulling on my usual red-and-black dress. I knew those nightmares were a product of the recent events of the past few days. Glancing out the nearest window, I saw sunlight gleaming on the surface, casting rays throughout the water. Judging by the position of the sun, it was nearly noon. I silently groaned at the thought of having to face anyone today.

More than anything, I just wanted to swim back into bed and not come out. But every time I closed my eyes, those two scenarios played over and over in my head. A sudden knock on the suite door made me turn my head. It was either Drew, Mom, or Dad. Tears formed in my eyes, but I quickly blinked them away.

"Come in," I called out, taking a deep breath. When I exhaled, I let everything—the grief, exhaustion, and pain—out of my system. I heard the door open and close, a soft voice call out from my sitting room.

"It's just me, Faye." I let out another breath, rubbing my eyes. A strained smile spread across my face as I swam out to greet my brother. He was wearing a black shirt that perfectly matched his black hair, making his eyes pop.

Despite his happy expression, my heart skipped a beat. I immediately detected joy in his voice, an emotion neither of us had experienced in a long time.

He was grinning widely, a sparkle in his eyes. "Is everything okay?" I asked. Obviously it was, because if it wasn't, he wouldn't be smiling, right?

Drew was practically brimming with excitement. "Better than okay. Aunt Izzy, Uncle Kai, Aunt Nerissa, and Uncle Jay just stopped by with a surprise." He paused for a heartbeat, took a deep breath, then continued. "Aunt Izzy's pregnant!"

The words didn't register in my head at first. When they finally did, the strain slowly faded from my smile. I let out an overjoyed laugh, the tears coming back with a vengeance. His grin faded at my tears, concern replacing the excitement in his eyes. "Hey," he said, placing a hand on my arm. "Are you okay? I thought you'd be excited."

I sniffled as tears fell down my cheeks, nodding when I looked at him. "I am." The last thing I wanted was to ruin the joy of the day with my problems.

He looked at me for a minute, as if gauging my words. Even as tears fell down my cheeks, I couldn't stop the joy flowing through me. I was so happy and excited for them!

He was positively glowing with excitement. "They invited us over to celebrate."

I nodded. "Sounds great." And I meant it. At the very least, it gave me something positive to focus on. Before that thought even finished forming, Jonah's face flashed in my mind. "How's Jonah?"

Drew let out a tense breath. "He hasn't come out of his suite since yesterday. Dad sent food, but we don't know if he's eaten anything." The worry in his eyes almost overshadowed the excitement.

I immediately wanted to go to him, but I knew he would come to me if and when he was ready to talk. I knew better than anyone how grief and shock could take a toll on you. "You ready to go?" Forcing my voice to remain steady took an enormous amount of energy. All I wanted to do was lay in bed and cry.

His eyes softened as he scanned my face, no doubt glimpsing the pain and worry in my eyes, but nodded. We left my suite, making the quick trip to Mom and Dad's. Drew had barely raised his hand to knock before the door swung open. Dad was beaming, his face alight with joy; Mom had an identical expression on her face.

"How is she?" Drew asked, voice hushed as the four of us swam through the hallway and down to the entryway. Mom clutched Dad's hand, tears of happiness glimmering in her eyes.

Dad took a breath, exhaling deeply before responding. "Tired, but okay. They've kept things under wraps until now, not wanting to get anyone's hopes up." His voice wavered slightly as the last word left his mouth.

I squeezed his hand, well aware of what was going through his head—because the same images were now floating through my own. They'd told us the story years ago—about how Aunt Nerissa had died giving birth to Aunt Izzy. How the doctors had just managed to save her and Aunt Izzy. The trauma that had followed. Even now, decades later, my heart ached thinking about it.

Before I realized it, we'd crossed Aegrem's border and were approaching the palace. Nerves bubbled in my stomach as we neared the entrance. The guards at the front bowed as they opened the large front doors. We swam in silence through the entryway and to their suite, pausing at the door.

Dad knocked and a heartbeat later, the door swung open. Aunt Nerissa and Uncle Jay floated in front of us, smiles on their tear-streaked faces. "Come in," Uncle Jay said quietly, ushering us inside. He closed the door behind us as we entered the suite. Dad clapped Uncle Jay on the shoulder, grinning at him.

Mom and Aunt Nerissa flew into each other's arms, quiet sobs filling the silence. I knew that, for as much happiness as there was, an equal amount of fear was present. Fear that Aunt Izzy would suffer the same fate as her mother—and that this time, she wouldn't survive.

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