Escaping the Tide

by Melinda Craig

  I walked away from the window shaking my head and rubbing my temples. I knew Darrin would watch over Myra and I tried to focus on the next plan for our pod. We needed to move. Alexis would hate it; she would no doubt be mad at moving so soon, especially with Myra in rehabilitation. I had hoped I could make the safe house last longer, but already I could feel the familiar and unwanted creatures slowly closing in. We were running out of time, and I would not risk everyone else’s life for Myra.

  Lauren would make it. She was a prodigy with speed and transformation. For less than a halfbreed, Lauren had a gift with our kind. It was a near miracle the child could transform at all. Our species strengths had begun to fade throughout time. Lauren was another mystery I needed to solve for the betterment of our pod. That was a problem to be studied for another day though. Priorities left me to deal with Lauren’s mom, Myra, and I needed to take action fast.

  I paced and thought. I planned every outcome, but all scenarios led to the same conclusion. We had to move and move soon. I would have the pod get ready tonight. I wrote out my decree and sealed it, passing it on to the guard by my door.

  With the order given, I had no doubt Alexis would storm through the moment she saw it. I sat down and waited, my eyes taking small comfort in the study and bookshelves surrounding me. I would meet my sister’s wrath head-on, and she would yield to my decision.

  The Move

  It was sudden chaos with nowhere to go. I felt the walls closing in as I sank to the floor. I held my hands over my ears and rocked back and forth. What was I missing? Something, no, someone. Why couldn’t I remember?

  I let out a high pitched scream; everyone around me fell. Blood seeped through the floor and crept closer to my shoes. Were they dead? Did I do this? Oh God, what am I, who am I?

  Hands gently pulled on my shoulder. I opened my mouth to scream again but stopped. The face was familiar. Something about those violet eyes calmed me. She leaned down and whispered in my ear. A beautiful song filled my thoughts. My eyes grew heavy with each note until I was lulled asleep, the song still playing in my mind.

  ***

  “Quickly Darrin. I can’t be certain she’ll transform, but you must carry her nonetheless.” Nathaniel said.

  I ran past Darrin and grabbed Nathaniel’s sleeve in desperation. He couldn’t do this; it was too soon, too dangerous.

  “What if she drowns? You can’t risk it! Lauren will be heartbroken.” I pleaded.

  He clenched his jaw, and I shrank back from the steel look in his eyes. I had pushed him too far, and there was no telling what he would do. I could only hope that some form of reason would reach him.

  I was wrong. Nathaniel grabbed my hand and twisted it. I gasped in pain and sank to the floor, rubbing my stinging wrist. He stormed past me, ordering Darrin to carry Myra to the lake. As he reached the door, he turned, eyes filled with fury and looked at me.

  “Enough, Alexis. You will not defy me any longer. Sister or not, I will be obeyed. I can’t risk leaving Myra here. I would have allowed her to transform if she hadn’t done, THIS!” he flung his hand around the room at the handful of dead and dying guards. Red streams of blood poured from their ears and eyes. The men and women had not a moment’s chance. I hung my head.

  “A siren. Unbelievable. All this time—she was a siren. No wonder they found her. They have been tracking sirens for years, never able to catch one until now. She may have ruined every chance we had to survive. Who knows what they learned when they took her. A siren that had no idea who she was…the irony is too much, Alexis.” He laughed bitterly.

  I stayed huddled on the floor, afraid to look at him. Afraid he would strike me. It was best not to look defiant when he got this way.

  “I can’t take a chance with her call; it’s too dangerous. Don’t you see what you’ve done? If only we had eliminated her in the beginning. These lives are on your head.” Nathaniel said.

  I glanced at his face. He nodded towards the bodies on the floor, all dead. Shame overcame me. These people were my family.

  “Look at me.” He yanked my chin towards his face, his fingers pinching the skin. I stared into his eyes, searching for a piece of my brother in them. Shaking his head in disappointment, he dropped my chin, turned his back, and walked out.

  Darrin, my brother’s guard, held Myra in his arms. She lay motionless from my song. Who knew when she would wake and what frame of mind she would be in. He pointed to Myra and motioned me over. My heart sank.

  “No chances. You need to sing again. Sing your siren song to your friend and then grab the others and go. I’m sorry.” His eyes echoed his words; he didn’t want to do this either.

  Tears streamed down my face as I leaned over to Myra and sung a different song. One that would make sure she stayed asleep. I couldn’t be certain she would wake, Myra was not full blooded. Even if she had been, it wasn’t an exact science. With a broken spirit, I lifted my face from Myra’s ear and placed a kiss on her forehead.

  “Sleep now my lost one, may you wake one day.”

  Thank you for reading Escaping the Tide. I hope you enjoyed this short story inside a magical world of mermaids.

  If you’d like to find out what happens to Myra, download the next story below:

  Diving in Deep