by Hannah Reed
“Connor,” Megan screamed. “Connor!”
The note of panic in Megan’s voice sent Connor flying up the stairs. Before he reached Alex’s room he could feel something was wrong in the air. It radiated cold raw power. Racing towards Megan’s screams Connor came to a stop at the door. Cowering on the floor, Megan hid from the black light pouring out of the room. It moved as if it was searching for something. Black tendrils were reaching out in all directions, climbing through the air. Connor’s face fell. Careful not to let the black light engulf him, he moved into the room.
Shock registered on his face as he saw April floating mid-air supported by an undulating sea of black light. He had never seen anything like it. At first, he stood stunned yet mesmerised, until he saw that the darkness was not merely supporting April, it was consuming her. Dark marks were blossoming under her skin as the light pulsed through her. He stepped over the dark light and heaved himself onto the bed. He stood up and careful not to touch the energy pulsing around her, cupped her face. He fought to stop his hands from shaking. He didn’t know if she was in immediate danger.
“April? April please? Can you hear me,” the desperation in his own voice shocked him. He grabbed her hand and had to stop himself from recoiling. Ice-cold skin greeted him, but her hand pulsed with energy. It sent a shiver through Connor. This was not like the usual glow April emitted. Connor had no idea how to help her.
“April, can you hear me?” Connor paused clearing his throat. “Come back to me.” He pushed her hair away from her forehead.
“Please April. You’re the most powerful mera in the world. Only you can stop this.” Connor swallowed the fear lodged in his throat. But, he felt alive with power. He could feel the darkness radiating through him.
“April, listen to my voice. You need to fight this. Follow my voice.”
Connor? What is he doing here? April thought. Connor, where are you? She looked around in the darkness
“Don’t listen to him,” the dark voices surged again. She was flooded with darkness, the energy filling her lungs. April gasped.
April’s back arched and the darkness surged out from her with more intensity. Connor looked around the room in desperation to find some way of helping her. The darkness swarmed towards him lifting him from the bed. He grasped April’s hand firmly once more. The tendrils of dark light tried to smother him out of the door. The room’s temperature plummeted once more. As it intensified a cup of water on the bedside table froze and shattered the over-expanded glass.
“April,” Connor shouted in earnest as he struggled to remain in contact with her. His teeth started chattering and as he looked back down he cringed in fear. Cocooned in a web of dark light the only parts of him left unwrapped were his head and outstretched arm. Kicking out with his legs, Connor attempted to break free. But, the light only tightened further around him.
Currents shifted below April as she swam further into the swirling tunnel. She was close now. Flexing her arm she brought a cascade of darkness in front of her so she could slide down to the voices.
“Arghhh,” she exhaled in frustration. Something had grasped her hand. Pulling at her. A whirlpool of black tendrils whipped themselves in front of April. The warmth in her hand started to spread through her body. As she started to come back to consciousness she looked blindly around in panic. As she focused on the warmth in her hand, the whirling blackness around her went into a frenzy. Remembering the power she felt earlier, April slashed down at the darkness. Slicing through the tendrils she swam free. She sped up into warmer waters. The darkness started to recede and April instinctively swam upwards toward the light.
In a panic, April awoke and immediately fell. She screamed in surprise and sat up and looked around.
“Connor? What are you doing down there?” April asked. She shivered as she looked over the side of Alex’s bed. Transforming back into her legged form she swung off the bed to help lift Connor up. “What’s going on Connor?” she asked. Connor stared dumbfounded.
“Connor? What is going on?” April said again. She started fiddling with her nightdress, its length making her feel exposed.
“You really don’t know. Do you?” he replied and April noticed for the first time that Connor was ashen-faced with a sheen of sweat across his brow.
“Are you okay? What’s happened?” April asked. At this moment Megan burst through the door. April took in her dishevelled hair and tear streaks running down her face. Without thinking she went to give Megan a hug. Before she could reach her Megan recoiled and took a lunging step towards Connor. Taken aback by the quivering mess in front of him, Connor automatically reached out and Megan sunk into his arms.
A blush reached April’s cheeks. She didn’t know where to look and took a step away from them.
“Umm Megan, Connor, what’s going on?” April asked hesitantly. She felt like the guilty party but had no idea what she had done.
“April. You were covered in darkness. No… you were exuding black light. It was coming from you,” Connor stammered unsure of how to explain it. Now that April was back to her normal self, it seemed absurd.
“The whole room went cold. These black fingers were working their way into your skin...”
April dropped down onto the bed. She didn’t need to hear the rest of the story. All too clearly, she could picture Connor’s words now that he was saying them. It hadn’t just been a dream. April’s mind sped through all the mer knowledge she had, but she could only come to one conclusion… and it didn’t make any sense.
Tilting forward she grasped her head in her hands. None of this made sense. She was too young. These powers weren’t hers to control. They shouldn’t be anyone’s to control. It was supposed to be a legend. Looking up at Megan she knew she was right. April shook her head in confusion. Without thinking she flexed her arm as she had done in the dream and watched mesmerised as dark spirals danced around her wrist.
~
Alex arrived late that evening. He had been summoned by his Dad to lend advice to one of the research teams trying to crack a code. Reading between the lines Alex had gathered that the code was April’s pearls. His phone ran out of battery around lunchtime so he raced upstairs to tell April the news. Alex was pretty sure he knew where her pearls were. Perhaps if April channelled her energy she could confirm the location before they planned a rescue.
“April? Are you decent?” Alex called as he knocked on the door. Now that Freddie was around, Alex and April had been sharing a room. They were enacting their fictional fling to make sure he wasn’t suspicious. After an awkward couple of days, following April walking in on him naked, Alex had learnt to knock. Alex chortled again at the thought. April had turned bright red in embarrassment. She was such a prude. He knocked again to no response. Alex opened the door slowly, expecting to see her asleep in bed. But, there was no April. A shiver of worry ran through him. He wandered around the room getting ready for bed when he realised he could hear the shower running. He knocked on the bathroom door to no response. He opened the door slowly giving April time to shout at him if she wasn’t decent. There in his bathtub was a sleeping mera with a cloud raining above her.
Alex smiled. He walked over and bent beside the bath careful not to sit under the rain cloud. He was thankful that her long hair and the copious bubbles protected her modesty.
“April, sweetie, it’s time to wake up,” Alex said in a faux motherly voice. April’s arms splashed down into the water as she woke with a start. Jumping back Alex laughed shaking the water off of him. The cloud instantly vanished.
“Alex!” she protested. Quickly folding her arms over her chest.
“Sorry I couldn’t resist,” Alex said. “Don’t worry you’re all covered up. I was worried you were drowning.”
“Yes, a mera drowning in a shower…”
Alex barked a laugh and sat down on the bath mat.
“I guess I must have fallen asleep,” April said self-consciously. “What time is it?”
“It was e
leven when I made it back to the apartment. Come on let’s get you out of there.”
Alex bent over and scooped her out of the bathtub.
“Alex!” she protested, her hands scrambling to protect her modesty.
“Ouef! You weigh a tonne April!”
“Rude. My tail is all muscle.”
Alex settled her down on the fuzzy bath mat and fetched some warm towels from the heated rack. Wrapping them around April she sat in front of him like a giant crystallised caterpillar. A glow of violet light later and ten toes poked out of the end of the towel.
“Shall I give you some privacy?” Alex smirked. April gave him a pointed look. As Alex retreated back into his room she called through the door, “can you throw me some pyjama’s please?”
Walking into the room April sunk into the bed and pulled the duvet high up around her. Alex switched the TV on and they started the next episode of the series they were watching. Alex had learnt early on that April struggled to sleep, and that he couldn’t sleep when she kept on waking him up. So, their routine had slowly developed. He would never admit it but his favourite part was combing her hair. There was something satisfying about combing out all the knots. He liked being friends with a girl and having someone to hang out with. Pulling the comb slowly through her damp hair one last time he placed his hands on her shoulders. He would miss her when she was gone.
“There you go.”
“Thank you,” April smiled as with a swish of her hand she wicked all the moisture from her hair and transferred it into a plant pot. April shuffled back under the covers and rolled over to face Alex as he snuggled into the mattress.
“How was your meeting today?” April asked.
“I think I know where your pearls are,” Alex said sitting up. April sat up instantly.
“What? You know where they are? Can we get them?” April asked. She thrummed with energy and didn’t even attempt to stop the white glow permeating from her.
“I think so,” he leaned over and grabbed his laptop. He started typing and pulled up a map of Rushton.
“So, we are here.” He pointed. “And here, five levels down, but almost directly below us… I think are your pearls,” Alex said, highlighting the place on the map. April stared at it. All this time, they were right below her.
“How do we get there?” April asked.
“It’s not easy, but I think with some careful planning we can get in and out using one of the all-access wrist cuffs,” Alex said.
‘How long will it take to get one?’ April asked.
“I don’t know, I will need to either swipe one or think of a way to convince Freddie to give me one,” Alex said.
“Okay.”
“April, we can do this. We can get your pearls back.” He smiled at her encouragingly.
“Yes, but then what?” she said. She hugged the duvet around her. Alex noticed goose bumps break out across her arms.
“Then, it’s up to you,” Alex said. “I presume with your full powers you can make your way back home?”
“Yes, but then, what if I’m damaged,” April said, pulling her legs up to her chest.
“Damaged?”
“Alex, I should be able to break free from here even without my pearls. But, my powers, I can’t control them,” April said.
“April, over the last week you’ve been bombed off an island, washed up on another, been poisoned, found out your Mum has passed and had to trust two complete strangers for help when you have no idea where you are. Of course, your powers are out of sorts,” Alex said.
April looked up at him, her blue eyes shining with tears. He could feel the energy rolling from her as if she was projecting her emotions.
“I mean it April. There is nothing wrong with you,” Alex said. He leant in and hugged her around the shoulders.
“Thanks Alex,” April murmured into his shirt. The energy bubbling within her abated slightly. “It’s late we should probably sleep.”
“Okay,” he paused wanting to say more to help her, but instead he leant over to turn off the light.
“Goodnight.”
“Night Alex,” April said rolling away from him.
CHAPTER 31
“Is she stable now?”
“Yes. I think we’re out of the danger zone. Her body recuperated remarkably after the King came to see her. The powers of the Curo pearl are awesome.” The female nurse shook her head in awe while she swam out of the room chatting with the junior doctor. The movement of the water ruffled the sheets covering Kayla. Stirring in her sleep, Kayla opened her eyes consciously for the first time in a week.
Not again was her first internal groan. What had happened this time? Kayla slumped her body further into the bed. She tried to sit up but it felt as if the water was heavier. Raising her arm to her head Kayla flexed her fingers. Something was wrong. Thrusting her tail and ignoring the frailty in its stroke she forced herself into an upright position. Summoning her Factus energy she pushed her hand upwards. Nothing. Kayla repeated the movement. Again, nothing, again… Nothing.
“No,” she said quietly as she looked at her hands in bewilderment.
She tried to swim but her heaviness sunk her to the floor. Feebly she thrust her arm forward. Tears spilling down her cheeks, she rested her head against her bed. She resolutely stared upwards not wanting to look down at her bracelet. Choking back a sob she steeled her expression. Finally, she brought forward her pearl bracelet scared to see what she already knew. Bringing her finger forward to touch her Factus pearl, she felt a lump form in her throat. Instead of warming and lighting to her presence, it lay lifeless.
~
“What happened?” Kayla demanded.
Sitting in the family suite of the private hospital that her grandparents sponsored, Kayla stared impassively at her Dad. The soothing abstract paintings and floating petals drifting around the room were wasted on Kayla and Nathaniel. She noticed the dark circles under his eyes and she saw how his hands shook. But, none of this mattered to her. Answers were all she required. Maintaining her stare she posed her question again.
“What happened?”
“Kayla, dear, you aren’t…” the King was silenced by the cruel look his daughter threw at him.
“You look so like your Mum,” he sighed. Kayla felt her heart soften a little. But, it didn’t weaken her resolve. She had lost everything. No longer could she afford weakness or leniency or dependency. In Kayla’s mind, she was alone and that was the best way to be. Summoning a word, she had not used in years she asked the King one more time.
“Dad? What happened?”
Looking around as if hoping someone else would rise and takeover this summons, Nathaniel tried and failed to find the words necessary. Where was Freya? His eyes glistened once more with tears. Reaching for his powers he wielded his Curo pearl to soothe him. Kayla noted the sky-blue glow and her eyes hardened once more.
“Dad?”
“You were tricked. The legged’s intelligence system infiltrated Yelta’s systems. They knew about the raid on the Island,” Nathaniel finally said.
“It was all for nothing,” Kayla said quietly. Memories of planning flooded back to her.
“What about April?”
“You believed your sister was held there because of the energy surge. It’s not yet known whether…” at this Nathaniel paused. He pulled his blazer closer around him. “Whether she was present on the island at the time of the bomb.” He stopped and stared at his daughter trying to convey to her the pain that telling this story brought. Kayla stared impassively at him. He couldn’t tell what was going on behind those deep green eyes.
“As the island went up in flames, you released your powers. But, they weren’t yours to use. You tapped into the pearl’s core. And now, they’re… free.” Nathaniel finished sadly.
“Free?” Kayla grasped at the only positive information she could glean. “So, they haven’t disappeared.”
“The power hasn’t vanished, it still exists,” he hesitate
d not wanting to anger his daughter further. “But it has returned to the ocean. Your powers, your ability to wield the Factus energy is gone,” Nathaniel said.
Kayla visibly blanched. Seeing the pain on his daughter’s face, Nathaniel reached for his Curo pearl once more to send its relief across them both.
“No!” Kayla shouted swimming upright, her tail twitching in anger. Nathaniel’s blue glow faded immediately. “You might want to hide from reality, but I won’t.” Looking down at him she bowed marginally and swam from the room. The doctors had told her to return to her bed at once. But, she turned away from her door at the last moment. Kayla wanted fresh sea.
Outside the hospital the water was cooler. Its movement across her skin was more effective than any treatment she had had so far. She swayed in the current and relished the feeling. Being supported by the sea allowed her body to finally relax. Closing her eyes, she imagined herself far out in the open ocean, just her, and no responsibilities. A whooshing sound above made her look up. A new ray fleet was arriving with patients for the hospital. The floating poison still lingered at the public hospital in Hanaria so all patients were being transferred to private and pop-up hospitals. Kayla felt bad taking up a whole suite of rooms. She didn’t deserve it.
Shutting her eyes briefly, the tidal wave loomed back above her threatening to collapse. She understood her dream now. The wave had been her. That was how she had lost her powers. All her energy had been sent out into the ocean. And now it was gone. Sagging against the wall she didn’t feel much like the meritia leader of the mer. She couldn’t do this. She wanted her sister. She needed her Mum. Kayla fought to stop herself from thinking about them. Did she trust anyone else? Her Dad was clearly losing control. Demetrius would help her. What was her next step? Kayla thought over all the actions and decisions she had made over the last few weeks. Despite Yelta’s strategy the leggeds were gaining more and more control of the sea. The public relations departments were getting nowhere. Legged media seemed hell-bent on blaming the mer. Suddenly it hit her. They wanted war. They wanted war and would not stop until they won. This wasn’t some terror attack that would go away with careful manoeuvring, this was the beginning of a war. She’d tried to deny it, perhaps wishing that it wouldn’t come to this. But, if it was war the legged wanted… it was a war that Kayla would win. Kayla tore off her pearl bracelet and let it fall. Watching it sink, Kayla let her fear drown too. Only she was capable of protecting the mer now.