Sirens and Scales

by Kellie McAllen

  The object came closer and Rowan soon realized it was only a herring. His mind played tricks on him now.

  “Damnit!” His hands balled into fists and he resisted the urge to punch something. Maybe he’d eat his lunch and then head back in. Staying out here all day, even though the sun was behind the clouds, still wasn’t a good idea. Why didn’t he listen to himself that first day when he promised to forget her and go on with his life?

  Shadows moved across the deck, dimming everything around him. Turning, Rowan stopped short when he saw the storm brewing behind him, the sun now obscured by dark gray clouds.

  Oh no!

  He dashed about, getting the boat ready to return home. In the back of his mind, he knew it was too late. The storm moved too quickly. He’d been too preoccupied with getting out here and finding Meriya to check out the forecast or look at the sky.

  Cursing himself again, he started up the engine, but it made no difference as the waves had a mind of their own. Memories of a similar incident years ago flashed through his mind. His father struggling to keep the boat upright, to get them home in time.

  He wasn’t going to make it, he knew that now. At this point, the only thing he could do was try. Try to get home in one piece. Try not to let the boat tip.

  Try to stay alive.

  32

  Halfway to Cayson’s house, the sky above the water darkened, creating a premature night. Meriya shivered, a feeling of loss settling in the pit of her stomach, but she was unsure why.

  “You okay?” Jovie whispered out of earshot of Cayson.

  Cayson appeared oblivious to their chatter, pushing forward in hopes of getting to his house quickly, regardless if Meriya and Jovie could keep up.

  Meriya couldn’t figure him out. He acted overjoyed at her return, relieved she was back, and he’d given her a hug so tight he was afraid she’d disappear. Why then, was he being so aloof now?

  What was even scarier was the lack of sea life. Usually, when Meriya would travel about the kingdom, there would be schools of colorful fish darting this way and that, crabs and shrimp scuttling along the bottom, or eels slithering their way to a secluded home.

  No animal crossed their path. The destruction wasn’t absolute. Large patches of untouched ocean floor still dotted the seascape. Did all of the creatures flee when the volcano spewed its contents and caused the ground to tremble uncontrollably?

  “Almost there!” Cayson called back before Meriya could respond to Jovie’s question.

  Meriya shook her head and looked ahead, resisting a snort at Cayson, because she knew where she was. He didn’t have to announce they were almost there. She’d discuss her misgivings to Jovie later when Cayson wasn’t around.

  Cayson’s house remained somewhat intact, but the first level lay crumbled flat and the whole structure tilted at an odd angle.

  “You want me to go into that?” Meriya pulled up short behind Cayson, scrutinizing the building and worrying about it killing her should it decide to tilt any further and disintegrate.

  “Yes, you’ll fit through this window over here.” He led them to the back where Cayson’s room once stood proudly above the coral gardens, finding the window Meriya once looked out of no longer square. This piece of glass witnessed her and Cayson’s first kiss and she’d thought at the time life might be bearable, but then he’d opened his mouth and ruined everything.

  Eyeing the gap, she crept closer. Finger extended, she poked the building, waiting for it to move or groan. No such thing happened.

  “It seems alright at the moment.” She still eyed the structure with caution.

  “It’ll hold.” Cayson placed a hand on her lower back and gave a gentle shove. “Go on. The journal was on my desk, but with everything shifting with the house, it probably fell on the floor.”

  Meriya scowled. “Wait just one minute.”

  “Times a wasting. We need the book to present to the few council members who survived. As we speak, they’re discussing the next plan of action for our kingdom.” Cayson made a come-on motion with his hand, trying to speed things up.

  “What if I don’t want to be Queen? Did you ever think of that?” Anger rose up, burning into her cheeks.

  “Nonsense. Do you want to go back to a life of squalor? Your house is destroyed. You have nothing left.” Cayson crossed his arms, assuming he’d won this argument.

  “Nonsense? The palace is also destroyed and there’s nothing left there. Either way, I’m screwed. So, tell me, Cayson,” She slammed her hands down on her hips, tilting her head to the side, “what I really have going for me if I become Queen?”

  Jovie floated beside them, looking back and forth between the pair, wondering if she should interject. She’d never seen her sister so fired up before. Meriya’s face flared red with rage, her eyes wild as she stared Cayson down. “Guys?”

  They both turned to look at Jovie.

  “Do I need to go in there and look for that damned book? Standing here arguing about it is getting us nowhere,” said Jovie.

  Meriya’s shoulders sagged. “Fine. I’m going.” She wanted answers and this book held them. Once she discovered who she truly was, then she could make the decision on whether she could take on the responsibility of becoming a queen.

  The book’s contents may all be a farce.

  The window wasn’t open all the way and wouldn’t budge anymore. The dangerous tilt of the house skewed the window casing, keeping the sliding part locked in place.

  Poking her head in first, she tested out the space. When she fit that much in, she tried her shoulders, wiggling into the dark room. The space loomed darker from the storm clouds blotting out the sun. The weather seemed to match her mood today.

  Her hips were the worst part, but she managed to get the rest of her inside. Books and knickknacks had fallen from their perch and gathered near the wall to her right. Squinting, she saw the desk was in the corner, laying on its side and missing two of its legs.

  Tentatively, she swam to the other side of the room, mindful this building could collapse on her at any moment. Her heart pitter-pattered in her chest, racing to an unknown finish line.

  Meriya feared moving anything would spark the motion needed to bring about her death.

  “Did you find it?” Cayson shouted through the window, causing her spine to stiffen. If the building didn’t get her, the heart attack would.

  “Not yet. Patience!” she barked in reply, mumbling to herself afterward. He was back to being a pushy blowhole, the façade from the engagement ceremony gone, his true colors shined through once again. Meriya vowed to herself if she became queen, she would not follow through with the betrothal. Their parents were both gone and she wasn’t the same meek mermaid from before.

  She swam all around the desk, looking for the book he spoke of. Remembering that day in his room brought back an image of the journal she’d seen on his desk, the royal seal glistening in gold across the cover. That’s what she needed to find.

  A cursory look resulted in finding everything that once graced his desk except the damn book he wanted. What didn’t help were the books from the shelves now cluttering the floor, creating a mass of covers, spines, and pages.

  “It’s got to be here somewhere,” she muttered to herself. “C’mon, c’mon. I need to get out of here.”

  Meriya started picking up book after book, shoving them back onto the shelves lining the tilted wall. When she crammed everything in eyesight back in its place she was still no closer to finding the journal.

  Meriya closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She would have to move the desk out of the way. The piece of furniture was solid and heavy. Had she regained enough strength? She almost changed into a human, and not eaten for days, so she wasn’t exactly at her best, but she needed to move the desk so she could look underneath.

  “Hurry up!” Cayson yelled again, sounding antsy. He rushed her with the urgency in his voice, but why? Did he fear for her safety? She doubted it.

  His command of
expediency soon followed an, “Ow!” Jovie probably smacked him. Meriya ignored the two, trying to work up the courage to move a heavy object in an unstable environment.

  Placing both hands on one side, she pushed, gauging what pressure it would take to move it. The angle of the room prevented her from getting anywhere. New tactic. Instead of trying to push the desk upright, she’d push it along the wall away from the corner.

  She maneuvered herself between the wall and the desk, putting her back to the wall and pushing the desk with her tail. The desk scraped across the ground, grinding the contents underneath, and making a horrible crunching noise.

  Meriya cringed, waiting to see if the small movement brought about more disaster. She breathed a sigh of relief when nothing happened and continued pushing the desk out of the way until she could see what lay underneath.

  She leaned forward, away from the wall, and inspected her findings, when a deep, guttural groan reverberated below her.

  “Meriya?” Jovie called out to her. “Um, I think Cayson is right. Can you hurry?”

  Her hands frantically searched among the pile, pushing unimportant things to the side.

  The house gave another groan of protest and Meriya’s heart exploded into a flurry of beats. “Where are you?” Her fingers shook as she filtered through more objects.

  The room tilted marginally, followed by another soul-shattering noise and the sound of glass breaking. Things slid out of reach, but the shift was enough to reveal the one thing she sought. The gold seal, even in the darkened room, seemed to shine, beckoning her to pick it up.

  Curling her fingers around the spine, she picked up the book and clutched it to her chest before fleeing to the window. Once again, the building listed to the side and a piece of the ceiling came crashing down, pinning Meriya’s tail to the floor.

  “Cayson! Help me!” She was running out of time. This was one huge mistake. Was finding this book worth her life?

  “Did you find it?” He cared for the book more than her.

  “Cayson, you can fit through the window now with the glass broken.” Meriya heard Jovie explaining to Cayson.

  “I’m not going in there!” His voice squeaked out. “Oof! What the hell?”

  “Move out of the way.” Meriya saw Jovie shove Cayson and slide through the window’s wider opening.

  “Jovie! Over here!” Meriya held up her arm and waved Jovie over.

  Her sister rushed to her side and saw the reason for Meriya’s distress.

  “I’m going to lift as best I can. Slide your tail out if you’re able.”

  Meriya nodded, her sister wrapping her fingers around the edge of the ceiling chunk and lifting with all her might.

  Groan.

  This was it, this was the end, and both she and her sister would perish in Cayson’s decrepit house. She closed her eyes, resigned to her fate while her sister struggled to lift the debris. Jovie couldn’t budge it.

  “I’m trying.” Her sister closed her eyes and strained to lift the object.

  “I know,” Meriya cried out, panic holding a firm grip on her heart, about as firm as the grip with which she clutched the object in her arms.

  “Maybe I can try something different. Um, did you see anything in here I could use as a lever?” Jovie asked Meriya.

  “Hand me the book!” Cayson screamed as his head poked through the jagged pieces of glass, eyes intently staring at Meriya. He extended his arm through the opening, wiggling his fingers in a gimme motion.

  Maybe when the house collapsed, it would take Cayson’s head with it. She could rest peacefully in the afterlife knowing he perished as well. She hoped it didn’t come to that though because it would mean the end of her and her sister’s life as well. They’d be crushed to death if this house gave out.

  Her sister paced back and forth, looking around at what she could work with in the room. All Meriya could think about now was Rowan. If she died, she’d never get the opportunity to thank him for taking care of her the best he knew how.

  “I got it!” Jovie rushed up and held her hands out. “If this works, you’re going to need to move as soon as you’re able.”

  “What are you doing?” Meriya's body shook.

  “Air rises, right? I’m going to create a bubble underneath where your tail is pinned. Hang tight.” Jovie winced at the pun she hadn’t intended.

  Closing her eyes, Jovie concentrated for a moment, then opened them as a bubble started to slowly grow beneath the piece of ceiling. As the bubble grew, Meriya was able to free her tail, but Jovie underestimated the strength of her power and the bubble expanded too quickly.

  The bubble rolled free of the debris once trapping Meriya, rising higher until it reached the splintered pieces of what remained of the ceiling.

  Pop!

  An explosion of smaller bubbles broke free, squeezing up through the cracks and crevices of the structure, trying to free themselves as they raced to the surface.

  A deplorable creak echoed through the house.

  They both stared wide-eyed at each other before Meriya grabbed Jovie’s arm.

  “Let’s go!” They both swam to the window and Meriya shoved her sister through first before slipping out behind her.

  Not two seconds later, the building heaved out another cry, tilting, tilting, and then shuddering as it met the ground and collapsed.

  Meriya fell to the sand, book clutched to her chest and cried. She was alive, yet again. This past week proved to be a test of wills to her survival.

  33

  Each wave crashing against the hull of Rowan’s boat caused it to slant dangerously close to the water. He gave up trying to steer, and instead, hunkered down in his cabin, hands gripping the railing for support.

  If his boat crashed into the ocean, would she rescue him? Would she drag him to the beach and brush her fingers over his freckles like she did before?

  Thunder rumbled, vibrating the vessel, sending a chill through his body. The storm moved fast, rolling over him before he could make the decision to head home. Maybe now, he’d finally get to reunite with his father. How fitting it would be to die in the same manner.

  Both the storm and the ocean roared outside, beating against his only means of safety. Soon, the boat wouldn’t be able to maintain its buoyancy. Already, water rushed down the steps, pooling on the floor, and weighing it down.

  “Why did I have to be so stupid?” Great, now he talked to himself. Next, he would be answering himself.

  Rowan, you’re so stupid because you let a mermaid weasel her way into your heart and now your dumb ass is out on a boat in the middle of a storm, trying to find her.

  This conversation with himself was going great.

  Rowan gripped onto the railing tighter, holding on for dear life as the boat’s starboard side became flush with the ocean. His white-knuckle grip the only thing keeping him from falling to what was now the bottom of the boat.

  The boat righted itself, for now, as more water rushed inside to fill up another foot and Rowan needed to stop and consider which way he’d rather die; inside this boat or up top where sheer force winds and the pitching sea would push him over the edge.

  Death knocked on his door, but his will to live was stronger. He decided it would be best to not answer and make death think no one was home.

  Trudging through the water, he succeeded in making it to the stairs. Once free of the flood waters below, he raced up the steps, only slipping twice before reaching the deck.

  Once up top, he slid over to where the life preservers hung on the railing and threw one around himself. Holding on to the helm, he tried his best to navigate the white-capped waves. The ship’s bow rose nearly vertical as he eventually crested the top of a thirty-foot wave before crashing back to the angry surface of the sea below.

  Steering proved useless. He could barely keep hold of the wheel, let alone keep his footing. As the boat took another dip to the right, he lost his grip and went sliding to the rail. His shoes slammed into the barrier and
he breathed a sigh of relief until the boat lurched farther than before, capsizing and losing all contents in the process, including Rowan.

  The deck crashed over him, forcing him underwater. He inhaled a lungful of air a moment before his head dipped below the surface. The life preserver kept him from going any deeper, but he needed to get to fresh air soon.

  Luckily, another wave came, crashing into the boat and pushing it away. One arm thrashed to the surface while the other held on to the life preserver. He choked and sputtered water with each roaring wave. Despite the life preserver keeping him above water, he still felt like he was going to drown. Waves were coming too quick for him to ride over.

  Saltwater smashed into him, burning his eyes and throat, but he stayed upright. He coughed and swiped a hand down his face to get the water out of his eyes. Before he could manage to clear his vision, another wave crashed into him, sending his feet high into the air while his face went into the water. His form slid easily from the floatation device before he could catch himself. Both arms and legs kicked to the surface, his lungs taking in a huge gulp of air.

  “Meriya! Help!” He shouted to the sea, another wave pummeling him afterward. He drew up to the surface yet again. “Help! Meriya, please!” This time, when the wave came crashing down he didn’t have the strength to fight his way to the top. With limbs stretched out, he slowly drifted toward the dark depths.

  He held his breath, trying to fight the burning in his lungs. Down here, below the raging storm, only calmness existed. A serenity he’d never experienced before.

  Rowan felt himself losing the battle. Even as his lungs cried out for air, he could only think of Meriya, and with his last dying breath, he proclaimed his love for her, expelling the last of the air from his lungs and allowing water to rush in.

  The Ocean welcomed him, cradled him, and comforted him. She expected him for quite some time since he’d been shot.