Sirens and Scales

by Kellie McAllen

  7

  I can tell from the burning in Liam’s eyes that he feels the same way, and it only intensifies the sensation. “Coral, you fascinate me. There are so many things I want to know about you. I came on this trip to study sea life, but you’re a bigger mystery than anything I’ve seen in the ocean so far.”

  His fingers gently caress the side of my face then trail down to trace the edges of my chest covering. “Where did you come from, Coral? Where is your family? Are you lost?”

  I want nothing more than to tell him everything, to satisfy his curiosity. But I don’t know the words, and even if I did, I couldn’t tell him. Would he find me more interesting if he knew the truth, or less?

  “Liam,” I whisper, not knowing what else to say.

  “Holy shit, did she just say your name?” Gio sits up and stares at me.

  Liam smiles widely. “Yeah, and she can say yours, too. Coral, say Gio’s name.” He nods his head towards Gio.

  “Gio,” I say softly.

  Happiness turns up the corner of Gio’s lips. “Wait, what’d you just call her?”

  “Coral. That’s her name.” Liam winks his bright green eyes at me.

  “She told you that?”

  “Yeah, sort of. She touched my chest and said my name like I was doing yesterday, then she held up this piece of coral and touched her own chest. She must’ve thought it would be easier for us to use the English word for her name.”

  Gio runs a hand over his short hair and stares at me. “Huh. What else did she say?”

  Liam shakes his head. “Just our names, so far, but I’m hoping I can coax a few more words out of her. I’d love to be able to figure out where she came from.”

  “Hey, where’d all the fish come from?” Jude says, and Liam, Gio, and I all swivel our heads towards him. He holds up one of the fish with a puzzled look on his face.

  Gio frowns and scuttles over to the pile of fish, picking up one after another and staring at them. “Wasn’t me. Liam?” Liam shakes his head.

  “Avery?” Gio asks, but Jude and Liam both look at him skeptically.

  Avery rolls over and groans, dropping his arm over his eyes to shield them from the light.

  “Avery, did you find all these fish?” Gio asks.

  “What fish?” Avery groans. “And why are you all talking so loudly?”

  All at once, their eyes swing towards me, and my face stretches open in a proud grin.

  “Princess? You found all these?” Jude asks, and Avery sits up and looks between him and me.

  I nod, and the guys gasp at me.

  “Do you think she understands what we’re saying?” Gio asks Liam.

  “I don’t think she understands English, but I’m sure she can get the gist of some things based on our body language and the situation.”

  “Well, in that case, thank you for the fish, Princess.” Jude holds one out to me and bows.

  “Her name’s Coral. She told Liam,” Gio says, and Jude’s eyes widen as he looks at me.

  “It’s beautiful, just like you,” Avery whispers.

  “Coral, huh? That’s a cool name. But I like Princess better.” Jude winks at me. “So, can we cook up some of these fish for breakfast? I’m starving.”

  Gio winces and turns to look at the fire. “That might be challenging. I fell asleep last night during my shift, so no one was tending the fire. We might have to restart it.”

  The guys groan, and Jude tosses a stick towards Gio. “What the hell, Gio? It was your idea to take the first shift! I would’ve done it if I’d known you were gonna wimp out and fall asleep.”

  “I’m sorry, okay?” Gio gets up and starts poking at the fire. “Get some tinder, we might be able to salvage it.”

  Jude heads off into the woods, grumbling, and returns a few minutes later with some dried grass and palm fronds. Gio stokes the fire and manages to coax a small flame from the embers. The others rush off to find more firewood, and soon the fire is blazing again.

  A little while later, everyone is cooking their own fish over the fire, the smoky, meaty scent awakening my appetite, and I’m watching the others carefully because I have no idea what I’m doing. Liam seems confident in his method, so I follow his movements, holding my fish the same distance from the fire and turning it the same time he does. When he notices my mimicry, he grins and winks at me, and a tiny frisson of happiness sizzles through me.

  When Liam pulls his fish away from the flames and lays it on a leaf, I watch with curiosity as he takes the knife and fillets the fish, carefully removing the head, tail, and bones, explaining what he’s doing as he works. When he’s done, he picks up one of the chunks of meat and places it on his tongue, closing his eyes as he savors it.

  “Here, Coral. You can share this with me, and then I’ll fillet your fish, too.” He holds out a piece of meat to me, and I take it into my mouth, my lips just barely kissing his fingertips.

  He reaches for another piece, but I lay a hand on his to still him. With my other hand, I lift a piece to his lips and let him take it from my fingers. He stares at me as he chews, his lids growing heavy.

  When we’ve finished his fish, he reaches for mine, but I stop him. “Do you want to try it?” He holds out the knife to me.

  I push away the knife, afraid I’ll hurt myself.

  “Do you want me to show you again?”

  I shake my head and pick up the fish, eager to show him how I do it. He tilts his head at me when I lift the fish to my lips, and his mouth falls open as I deftly strip the meat from the bones with my teeth.

  He laughs as I lay the bare skeleton on the leaf a few moments later. “And here I thought I had something to teach you.” He gives a wry smile and shakes his head.

  “She’s like a pro eater, dude. That’s some mad skill.” Jude chuckles.

  “So, how did you get all this fish, anyway? I figured you found it on the shoreline, but now I wonder if you managed to actually catch it,” Liam says.

  I suspect what he’s asking me, but I certainly can’t demonstrate, so I just suck my lip and pretend to be clueless.

  “Well, however you did it, thank you. You’re amazing, Coral.” Avery smiles at me, and the other guys offer their own thanks.

  “We should probably work on that SOS sign.” Gio says when the fish is gone and the others are looking for a place to stretch out and digest. “We need rocks or logs, whatever you can find.”

  The guys sigh and grumble but climb to their feet and head off into the tree line, each going a different direction. I stand up too, intent on following one of them, but Gio puts a hand on my shoulder, halting me.

  “Stay here, Coral. We’ll be back soon, okay?”

  I can see what he’s thinking, so I nod and sit back down, but I don’t want to sit around doing nothing. I don’t understand why they want them, but I know what they’re looking for, and it seems important to them. I want to help them. They certainly appreciated my help with breakfast. Besides, it may be the last chance I get to spend with them. Today is the fifth day, and tonight I must return to the ocean.

  When Gio disappears into the trees, I jump up and head into the forest in the direction Liam went, hoping to catch up with him. I didn’t think he was too far ahead of me, but the forest stretches out in front of me once I’m inside, no one in sight, and I have no idea which way he went.

  I trudge through the trees, watching every footfall, trying to keep from injuring my feet again. Surprisingly, they seem to have healed overnight. Was it because I went back in the water?

  I’ll just keep looking for one of the guys, and hopefully I’ll find some rocks along the way. I find lots of small rocks, but nothing large like Gio was picturing, and all the logs I find are too big for me to carry.

  The sun burns down through the trees, sapping my energy, and all the moisture inside me seeps out through my skin. I’m thirsty, and I wish I had one of those containers of water we carried back from the stream yesterday. I’d prefer the sea water, but anything would
be better than the dry, parched ache in the back of my throat. Could I find the stream again? Or maybe I should just head back to the beach.

  I don’t want to go back empty-handed, though. I remember the look on their faces when they saw the pile of fish I’d caught. No one’s ever looked at me like that before.

  Sure, as the princess I got lots of attention, but it was never really about me; merfolk were just interested in me because of who I was. But these humans have no idea about my heritage. Here, I have to earn their favor on my own merit. And for some reason, I desperately want it.

  There’s a hill up ahead, and my spirits lift as I spot some large rocks near the top of it. If I can grab a couple of those, I can go back to the beach feeling like I made a contribution. The slope is steep, and I scrabble to climb my way to the rocks, my feet slipping on the sand and tall grass. The rocks are bigger than they looked from below, and I wonder if I can climb down with my hands full.

  I turn around to look back the way I came, and the path looks menacing. Maybe it would be easier to climb down the other side. I unwrap Gio’s shirt from around my waist and create a carrier for myself, filling it with three large rocks and tying it up. I grab my package and climb up towards the summit, my tired legs shaking and unsteady beneath me.

  At the top, I can see that the precipice drops off sharply on the other side, falling into a chasm below, and I stumble back from the edge.

  The island stretches out beyond that, a field of green and tan, surrounded by sparkling blue water as far as I can see, and I realize just how small my own home is compared to the rest of the world. I wonder where my shoal is from here, but I have no idea which direction it is.

  The island seems small from up here, too. I look for our spot on the beach, the bright yellow life raft easy to spot, and next to it our smoldering campfire. None of the guys are there; they must all still be in the woods. Can I see any of them? I crane my neck around, looking through the spaces between the trees, but I can’t spot anyone.

  Suddenly, one of those eel-like creatures slithers past me, frightening me. I jump, startled, and Gio’s shirt slips from my hands. The bundle hits the ground and bounces, and I scramble after it, trying to grab it before it falls, but the loose rocks shift beneath my feet, and I lose my footing. Falling over the edge, I tumble down the steep slope a heartbeat after the bundle.

  My body crashes into the sharp rocks that jut from the side of the peak, bouncing off one only to collide with another. The sharp edges pierce and bruise my body, gouging holes and slicing open long tears, abrading my skin. Weak screams bleat from my mouth with each impact, and my body somersaults over and over again.

  I feel the briefest moment of relief when I hit the ground, my battered body laying still at the bottom of the chasm, but it lasts only long enough for me to realize the severity of my predicament. I am trapped below ground, sheer walls on either side of me. Even if I could climb my way out, my body is too weak and injured to attempt it.

  No one knows where I am, and no one can see me.

  The sun hovers off to one side of me, and I remember that today is my last day here. If I don’t return to the sea, I’ll die here, alone in this hole. I take in a deep breath and scream.

  I yell till my voice gives out, but no one can hear me. My voice is too weak, the chasm too deep, and no one is nearby to listen. I try again, but the sound that comes out is soft and pathetic, barely loud enough to warn away the tiny creatures that scurry around me.

  Where are the guys? Are any of them nearby? I wonder if I’ll be able to hear them if they pass by. The chasm is deep and narrow, the ground cold, and sharp stones dig into my back. I move my limbs gingerly, assessing the damage. Everything hurts, but my right ankle causes me to cry out in agony when I try to flex it.

  Blood is dripping from multiple cuts, and dust and dirt mingle with it and my sweat, stinging as it trickles into my wounds. Some of it gets in my eye, and I raise a shaking hand to wipe it away, but I only succeed in smearing it. My throat spasms with thirst, and I rub my tongue around in my mouth, trying to generate some saliva, but it sticks to the roof of my mouth instead, and I choke as I try to loosen it. I feel like there is no moisture left in my body, but yet tears still drip from the corners of my eyes.

  My tears eventually clear the majority of the blood out of my eyes, but there’s nothing to see, nothing but dirt and rock and a small patch of blue sky. Not even a cloud passing by to distract me.

  I can’t see the sun anymore, and I know my time is slipping through my fingers. Since I breached the surface in the middle of the day, my time could be up any moment. What will happen to my body when I die? Will I keep my legs, or revert to a mermaid and disintegrate? Grandfather wouldn’t want one foolish choice to destroy our secret, so my corpse will probably still look human. I wonder if anyone will ever find me. Will the guys search for me, or will they assume I’ve gone back to wherever I came from?

  I’d like to think that they’d keep looking till they found me, but I know they have their own problems to worry about. They don’t seem to belong here any more than I do. I wonder where they came from and where they were going. Is their home anything like this place, or completely different? I have no frame of reference to even imagine it, but suddenly I’m desperate to know.

  But I never will. I’ll never see anything else, ever again. My life will end here in this hole. My misery overwhelms me, and I force myself to block it out.

  My thoughts drift to Maribel and Kai. What will they do when I don’t return? Will Maribel ever find someone else to love, or will her heart forever pine for Kai? Will she find another friend to confide in? Her heart is so good, so kind. She deserves better than her destiny has promised her.

  The other mermaids will be thrilled to know that Kai is back on the market. He is definitely the shoal’s most eligible bachelor now. Hopefully he’ll find someone he can be happy with eventually, even if it’s not Meribel. If only his family would allow him to follow his heart instead of his rank! But they’ll never allow him to marry someone so far below him. He’ll still have a chance to become king when Grandfather dies, but the victory will cost him greatly.

  As the highest-ranking mermen in the shoal besides Grandfather, Kai and his brother will have to fight to the death in order to win the throne, unless something happens to one of them in the meantime. If Kai or his brother forfeits the challenge, the other will be forced to fight the next highest ranking merman, a fierce and ruthless competitor named Pelagios who will surely come out the victor. I shudder to think what kind of ruler Pelagios would be. This leaves Kai with an impossible choice, and my spirit sinks with the weight of my guilt.

  And what will Muriel do now that there is no princess or queen to need a handmaiden? I can’t imagine Grandfather putting her out of her home after all these years, but what will she do in that big, empty palace? Maybe her new job will be to keep Grandfather company, to console him in his grief.

  I know Grandfather will mourn me, and probably hate himself for cursing the mermaids, including his own granddaughter. A part of me is glad he’s lost his only heir, his only remaining family. But I love him too much to hate him for this. In the end, I made my own choices. I knew the consequences. I just chose to ignore them. Why was I so stupid, so stubborn?

  I start to weep as sadness overwhelms me, and my body shivers and convulses with great, heaving sobs that make every part of me ache. I wrap my arms around my middle and curl up into a ball, trying to ease the pain. Watching the sky grow darker, I pass the remaining moments of my life by replaying every moment I’ve had on land, over and over again. Eventually, I fall asleep.

  8

  When I open my eyes, the sky is black above me, twinkling with tiny yellow lights. I’m cold, my body still aches, and my throat is dry and caked with dust, but all of these things send a thrill coursing through me. I’m alive!

  I never expected to wake up again. Yesterday was the fifth day; I should be dead by now. My time should’ve ended yest
erday when the sun was at its highest. When it didn’t, I assumed I had until night fall. Maybe I have until daybreak?

  My body tenses in anticipation as the sky slowly lightens from black to gray, then yellow, pink, and finally blue, but I don’t die. I lay there, waiting, till the sky is fully lit and puffy clouds appear, but still nothing happens.

  Was Grandfather wrong about the number of days? Was it six instead of five? I shake my head. There’s no way he could’ve been mistaken; he’s the one who commanded the sea witch to curse us. No, either she didn’t do as she promised… or Grandfather lied. Which was it? I desperately wanted to believe the sea witch had deceived us all, pretending to wield a power she didn’t possess, but my heart burns with the other possibility. Could Grandfather have lied to everyone?

  My body shakes with rejection. Could it be true? Could everything I believed about myself, my world, and my grandfather be false? My heart immediately denies it, but my mind is not so easily persuaded. Maintaining our lineage was important enough to him to curse us all; lying seems tame in comparison.

  What does it mean if it is true? Is there no curse at all? Am I free to spend the rest of my days on land? Do I even want to? I could mate with one of the humans, follow him to wherever he came from, explore the world that had enticed my mother. The possibilities are dizzying.

  I bark out a laugh at the cruel irony. Even if all that is true, it doesn’t matter! I’m still trapped here, injured and alone, unable to save myself. I might have the whole world at my fingertips, but I’m still going to die here in this hole. My harsh laugh turns to aching sobs.

  No! I’m not going to surrender so easily. I’m tired of being controlled, my destiny already charted. I won’t let my grandfather’s deception or my injuries stop me from pursuing my true desire. I will find a way out of here or die trying.