When James starts to fume, Liam blurts out a suggestion. “Look, Gio was the captain. He was in charge of navigation, but let me look at your charts, okay? Maybe I can figure it out.”
“Fine.” James waves him towards the wheelhouse. When James and Liam start moving, Liam gives Jude and Avery a look, and suddenly they fly into motion, simultaneously attacking the closest man.
Jude moves for me and Sam, and Avery heads towards Roy, while Liam turns and throws a punch at James, catching him by surprise. James doubles over for a moment but then roars back up, intent on pummeling Liam.
Avery and Roy are locked in a fight hold. Roy’s body is larger and stronger, but Avery is young and fit, and he slips out of Roy’s grasp. The two tussle back and forth, neither one of them gaining.
Meanwhile, Sam loosens his grip on me and swings the gun towards Jude as Jude rushes towards him, his normally happy, smiling face fierce with rage, and he barges towards Sam.
Jude hollers at me. “Coral, get out of here! Jump in the water!”
What?! I can’t abandon them! They’re too equally matched to James’ crew, and they need an advantage. But what can I do? I’m too weak to fight any of them. Maybe I can distract them. Is that why Jude told me to jump in the water?
I watch in slow motion, horrified, as the weapon in Sam’s hand sweeps a path towards Jude, but Jude keeps barreling towards him, mindless of the danger. It reminds me of how he looked when I sang, and suddenly I know what to do.
I open my mouth and let the notes fly out — no particular tune, just a random melody, but I sing as loud as I can. The sound billows around them like octopus ink that blinds and stuns everyone. Suddenly, all six of the men are motionless, mindless, waiting for me to make the next move.
My pulse pounds and my body shakes as I reach for the weapon, but Sam doesn’t even flinch when I take it from him. This is working! I quickly shove it in Jude’s pocket then grab some rope that’s lying in a pile on the deck.
Still singing as forcefully as I can, I head down into the cabin, and all the guys follow me, their faces blank, their minds empty.
My fingers quiver, and my voice wavers, but I keep singing as I tie up Sam, James, and Roy, securing their hands behind their backs then wrapping the rope around their ankles before tying it to the railing, suddenly grateful that Gio taught me how to tie knots.
Only once I’m sure they can’t escape do I finally let my song die. The men rouse back to life as the notes dissipate, blinking their eyes and shaking their heads, and my body trembles as the adrenaline flows out of me. I drop to the bunk, exhausted, and the guys rush to my side.
23
“Holy shit, what just happened?!” Jude’s voice carries loudly over all the others. James and his crew are yelling and yanking on the ropes, and Liam and Avery are staring at me in shock.
“Did you do this, Princess?”
I nod my head and give a small, satisfied smile.
“How… what…” He stumbles over the words, rubbing his eyes as he tries to make sense of what he remembers versus what he sees.
Avery grabs me and squeezes till I yelp, then pulls back sheepishly. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry! But that was freakin’ amazing, Coral!”
Liam just shakes his head in disbelief and stares at me with wonder in his eyes.
“Can we go see Gio now?” I croak out a whisper, too fatigued to speak.
“Liam, please tell us you know how to navigate.” Jude says.
“I’ll do my best to figure it out.”
Liam double checks my knots to make sure they’re secure, and Jude and Avery stay down in the cabin, keeping an eye on our captives, while Liam heads to the wheelhouse. I follow him, not wanting to give James and his men the opportunity to stare at me. Their thoughts are offensive enough.
Liam scans the electronics in the wheelhouse and consults the charts, and soon he thinks he knows how to get us back to port. I stand by his side and stare out at the ocean as we travel and the sun crosses the sky. The sea stretches endlessly behind and before us, and I marvel at how the land touches the sea, yet the two worlds are completely separate. Is it really possible for someone who’s lived their whole life in the sea to start a new life on the land?
The island was like an intermediate realm straddling the two worlds, but I have a feeling the world the guys come from will be much different. Can I really survive there? I know I can’t do it without their help, but will they forget about me once their lives return to normal?
I play back Gio’s promise to take care of me over and over again, trying to keep the words alive, but I don’t even know what will become of Gio. How serious is his sickness? I don’t even know if he’ll be able to take care of himself, let alone me. And what about the others? If I stay with Gio will I ever see them again? I can’t stand the thought of losing them.
“Coral, you’re so quiet. Is everything okay?” Liam’s words rouse me from my worries.
“I’m scared, Liam.” I admit, my voice barely a whisper.
His eyes soften, and he turns to me and wraps me in his arms, pressing my head to his chest. “It’s going to be okay, Princess. You’ll see. I promise.”
When the land finally comes into view, I gasp and stare at the sight of the coastline. The sun is setting, and the sky is vivid with bright colors — pinks, purples, yellows, and oranges. It forms a beautiful backdrop to the fleet of boats docked around the inlet, their masts piercing the sky at different heights. Birds float through the air, diving and squawking.
“It’s so beautiful!” I exclaim, and Liam smiles at me.
I expect Liam to pull the boat up to where the others are, but instead, he stops quite a ways away. “I’m going to go get Jude and Avery,” he says then heads down into the cabin. The three guys come up a few moments later, Jude carrying the duffel bag.
“We can’t afford any questions from the police or the Coast Guard right now with Coral here, so we need to take the skiff into port and get her out of here. I’m going to go see if I can borrow someone’s phone to arrange a ride for us. Stay here, and I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
The others nod in agreement and help Liam crank down the dinghy. I perch on the bench, and Avery sits down next to me and rubs my back as we wait anxiously for Liam to return. My heart pounds like the surf, and sweat beads on my forehead. Jude paces and keeps looking at the cabin where James and his crew are making a racket like he’s expecting them to burst out of the door any moment.
Finally, we hear the sound of the boat motoring back towards us, and we rush to the ladder. “All right, guys, a cab is on the way. Let’s go check on Gio,” Liam says.
Tiny bubbles float up from my belly and lodge in my throat at his words, and my hands shake as I climb down the ladder into the small boat. Liam grabs my waist and steadies me as I step into the boat, and I quickly sit down on one of the benches, clutching it with sweaty hands.
The others climb in, and Liam maneuvers us away from the ship and heads for the dock.
“Hallelujah, we made it!” Jude yelps when we near the dock, and Jude and Avery jump out.
Jude wraps a rope around a hook then holds out a hand to me. Liam stands behind me with his hands out to catch me if I slip, and I take Jude’s hand and let him pull me out of the skiff.
When everyone is out, Jude starts to pull me down the dock, but I stop and turn around, staring at the sea. The water is dark, opaque in the sun’s shadow, and it’s hard to imagine there’s a whole other world that lies beneath the surface, but it pulls at me. Memories flash through my mind, pictures of the ones I love, the ones I’ve left behind, and I whisper goodbye to them as I stare at the tiny ripples, the only indication that there’s life beneath the surface.
Avery comes up beside me and takes my other hand, and Liam touches my back. “Are you sure you want to come with us, Coral?” Liam asks.
His voice draws my attention away from the sea, and I turn to look at him. All three of them surround me, their kind, loving faces pr
omising me a better life, and I nod my head.
* * *
The End
Continue The Siren Series in book two, The Mermaid’s Journey -- coming soon!
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About the Author
Kellie McAllen is a bibliophile who has her nose in a book every moment she can. When she’s not reading or writing she’s either baking cupcakes, obsessively decorating and redecorating her home, or watching reality dance shows on TV. She lives in North Carolina with her husband, teenage daughter, and 2 sweet kitties.
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Caught in the Current
Pauline Creeden
Caught in the Current © 2017 Pauline Creeden
Edited by Amy Van Horn
* * *
All rights reserved under the International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, organizations, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
Warning: the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Caught in the Current
Mermaids can be cruel creatures.
I couldn’t stop them from hurting her, but I couldn’t let them destroy her, no matter what they did to me. The moment I heard the bottom feeder had been chosen for the reckoning, my heart sank. Had I been discovered for what I truly was? Years of pretending I was just like everyone else could all have been for naught. But then I heard it was Verona, and my blood ran cold.
Why was I surprised?
I shouldn’t have been. I’d stood by and watched her ridiculed since we were younglings. I was never as brave or as unselfish as she was. But today, I would be.
1
Ten Years Ago…
The taste of blood mixes with the saltwater on my tongue. My lip bleeds as I hide among the anemone in the reef. I’ve bitten down too hard on my lip again. Provided I stay perfectly still, I won’t disturb the stinging tendrils that dance in the current. This is the safest place to hide. The stinging flowers keep most of the younglings who chase me from this patch of the reef. My safe haven.
“Bailey... where are you?” one voice calls in a sing-song way. Youngling laughter follows.
“I think he went this way!” another voice cries out to my left.
I gasp. They aren’t far away. My eyes sting as I shut them, and my chest tightens. Within my chest, my heart thunders, and panic raises its ugly head. I wonder if I might die. Seven years old, and I’m already contemplating my end.
I open my eyes once more. Sunlight dances on the seafloor around me, the waters warming from its life-giving light—too pretty, too happy for this fearful moment. I wish the sun would warm me more, for my stomach quivers from the fear, from the cold.
Thinking I should run the other direction, so I won’t be found, I lean back, too close to the anemone. The stinging tentacles brush against me. The muscles in my back seize, and I cry out. My hands slap over my mouth, too late.
Laughter from one close by. Another begins to shout, “There he is! There he is!”
And their voices draw nearer.
I dart away from their voices, my vision crowding with black spots. My heart races, and a whimper escapes my lips. My whole body shakes from the dread. Did they hear me?
Panic overwhelms my senses. I can hardly see, my vision narrows. I can’t hear, for my heart races in my ears. The blood rushes through my veins, filling my head beyond my body’s ability to handle. Spots crowd my vision further, and I suddenly find it hard to breathe. My stomach churns. My chest aches. I swim as fast as I can.
A tail slap lands on my back, sending me sprawling to the seafloor. Sand pushes past my teeth and fills my mouth. I choke on it, and work to spit it out while I push myself up.
“Fatty, maybe if you lost some weight, you could swim faster,” one of the voices above me teases.
Another one laughs. “He’s so slow, it’s a wonder he doesn’t float to the surface.”
I cough out most of the sand but still feel particles grind between my molars. Sand irritates my eyes as I spin onto my back and face my tormentors. Stacia and Gabriel stand above me. The twins are the spawn of the Elder of Bermuda township. Both have matching red curls, and it is difficult to tell which is the boy and which is the girl. But Stacia’s eyes always narrow with more malice.
Her glare is fixed upon me. “Worthless simpleton! Why do you bother going to schooling? You can’t even keep up with Mer half your age.”
Behind the twins, four other Mer snicker with their hands over their mouths. Their eyes sparkle with mirth. How could they find this fun? I search through them, but not one shows me an ounce of pity.
Gabriel slaps my side with his tail. “Get up bottom feeder. You ought to thank us for helping you get exercise. Maybe you’ll lose a little of that fat in your face.”
More laughter from the four behind them. As the Elder’s spawn, the twins were shown favoritism from the start. The other younglings’ mothers all want them to befriend the twins. The teachers treat them as though they are the darlings of the township.
Normally, none of them refrain from speaking ill of the twins behind their backs. But this is a show. It’s not behind Stacia and Gabriel’s backs now, so they are all smiles and support. Regardless, the younglings are at the mercy of every whim the twins foster. Their desire usually ends with chasing me around the reefs and ridiculing me.
The trouble is, they are right. In my clan, the lowliest, stupidest, and most emotional carry the brand of bottom feeder. In our school, I hold that position. I do my best to stay under the radar, so I won’t be noticed. It seemed to work on adults and teachers, but the ever-watchful eyes of the seven-year-old twins see me for what I am.
“Bot-tom Fee-der,” the younglings chant in time with Stacia. “Bot-tom Fee-der”
Gabriel laughs, his eyes glazing over with a wild, maniacal greed that says he wants more. More of the power he draws on from the children behind him. More of their laughter and the ridicule they offer.
My heart tightens in my chest. I only want less. Less of all of the things they feed on. Just want them to pay attention to me less. If only they would just—
“Leave him alone!” a Mer growls, the wake of her current pushing me back as she rushes in. Her tail slaps against Gabriel’s chest, throwing him back and away from me.
She sits between me and my tormenting mob, her hands in fists at her sides. Dark blonde tendrils dance in the waves behind her. Although her back is turned to me, I recognize her and watch her with as much astonishment as is painted on the faces of the crowd before her.
Verona.
The quiet one. The one who swims under the radar as much as I long to. The one who had shown me a kindness the first day of my schooling. Although her scores receive as much scorn from the teachers as my own, she never manages to gather the same disapproving glares I do. The teachers expect less from her, so she seems to exceed their standards. But they expect more from me. I hate that.
“Who do you think you are?” Stacia’s face becomes only a shade lighter than her hair as she screams, “How dare you touch my brother?”
Verona doesn’t say a word in response. Her hands remain on her hips, showing her streng
th and determination. I just stare at her while no one moves a muscle for several seconds. The whole situation feels like a group staring contest; no one even blinks.
The call comes through the current. Our teacher. Recess has reached its end. Gabriel jumps up from his position in the sand. Stacia sneers in Verona’s direction. “Don’t think this is over.”
Then the group of children dart in the direction of the schooling reef. Verona’s shoulders droop, and she hang her head. The strength she’d had a moment ago drains from her. She turns around and faces me. Her green eyes sparkle in the sunlight, making my heart skip a beat. She bites her bottom lip and leans toward me, with a smile. “Are you all right?”
I blink up at her, wanting to tell her I am okay, and wanting to tell her thank you. But words escape me. Instead I sit, mesmerized by the way the gold shimmers in her hair with each movement of it caught in the current.
She reaches a hand toward me, and I shrink back from her, swimming up from my position in the sand. She is only trying to help me up, but I avoid her touch. Something inside me sparked, and I fear it will become a flame if I let her touch me.
I don’t say any of the things I want to. I don’t even look back at her as I dart toward the teacher’s call, following after the other students. And when I peek back at Verona, she remains where I last saw her, wading just over the surface of the sand with her hand reached out and her head down. My heart sinks in my chest, and I regret my decision. I wish I felt her skin against mine, her body heat in my hand. It would have brought me closer to her then I'd been to any other Mer besides my parents. But I am a coward.
In the days that follow, I prove myself a coward over and over again. I no longer need to hide in the reef from my tormentors, because they ignore me and target a new bottom feeder. With a mixture of relief and guilt, I watch them. Every day I wish I could be as strong and brave as she was, swooping in with a tail slap, and rescue her. Rather, I stay away, happy to be under the radar… as happy as I could be, watching someone else be the target of their torment. Somehow instead, I become the fifth participant in the crowd of children watching Stacia and Gabriel. The only difference I offer Verona is the apology in my eyes.
Sirens and Scales Page 20