HEAR HER SONG (Completed)

CHAPTER 12

Of course, they couldn't rush out and save Soren's people that instance. It was the middle of the day and they still didn't have a plan. Niylah managed to convince Soren that they needed to come up with something. Preferably after dinner.

Niylah purchased several pounds of fish, along with their other groceries, and headed home. She had worried about the rain and made sure to add an umbrella to their grocery list. Niylah popped it open, much to Soren's surprise, and held it over the mermaid. Soren watched the dark shadow warily, but Niylah reassured her that it wasn't going to hurt her. The last thing they needed was to test how her body reacted to rainwater in the middle of the town.

When they arrived home, they were surprised to see Tom in his usual spot in front of the tv. It would make sense that he pulled in the boat once the rain picked up. He probably didn't want a repeat of someone falling overboard.

"Hey Niy!" Tom said without looking up.

Soren stiffened at the sound of the voice and Niylah wondered if she remembered him from the boat.

"It's okay," she reassured her quietly. "He's my dad. He won't hurt you."

Curious why Niylah hadn't responded, Tom climbed out of his spot on the couch, leaving an impression in the cushions. "Oh," he said as he spotted Soren next to his daughter.

"Hi, Dad." Niylah shifted awkwardly with the weight of the groceries in her arms. She led Soren into the kitchen to set them down. Tom followed.

"This is my friend," Niylah started. "She's new in town."

"I gathered that," he said, a hint of intrigue lacing his tone. "I haven't seen you around before. When did you come in?"

Niylah rushed to answer for her. "She's just staying with her aunt for a few weeks. I met her down at the beach."

"It's nice to meet you..." Tom trailed off as he held out a hand.

"Soren. Her name is Soren. Fisher. Soren Fisher," Niylah told him all too quickly.

Tom's brows furrowed, but he greeted her regardless. "Nice to meet you Soren Fisher. I'm Tom Harmon, Niylah's dad."

Soren looked down at the outstretched hand. She turned to Niylah for an answer and Niylah nodded back towards her dad's hand.

Confused by the gesture, the mermaid moved over to the bags and pulled out one of the fish, slapping it into Tom's open palm. "Tom," she said.

Utterly bewildered by the sudden action, Tom laughed. "I guess we're having fish for dinner."

After the bizarre exchange, Niylah had hurried Soren into her bedroom and closed the door. Tom had said he'd cook after Niylah bought all the groceries so she was grateful for the privacy for the time being.

Soren settled on Niylah's bed and Niylah sat against her headboard, crossing her legs to sit comfortably.

"What do we know?" She asked to no one in particular. "We know that my dad is being pressured by someone to catch fish. Why? I'm not sure."

Niylah didn't know how much Soren understood, but she listened intently.

"I'm not sure how much of the water this guy controls. For all we know, he could have his hooks in plenty of boats."

She chewed on her thumb as she tried to think of what to do.

"More boats?" Soren asked. "We break all boats."

"We can't break the boats!"

"Why?"

Niylah's face contorted into a look of concentration. Her brows furrowed and her bottom lip was pulled in between her teeth. "Broken boats can be fixed. We need to completely destroy them."