Three days into captivity, and my stubborn resolve started to peter out. The fairy-tale tower was a prison, and the jailer was my father. After refusing to eat with him the first day, he brought trays to my room at mealtimes. Often, they were sent back to the kitchen untouched, my taste for food gone with my trust. Besides, how did I know they hadn't poisoned it in some attempt to make me docile until my birthday? Only when hunger made me sick did I pick at the portions, praying I wouldn't pay for weakness.
I was allowed outside, but only if Dylan accompanied me. I'd rather end up on a sushi plate-something all too likely considering my situation- than spend time with him. He offered to invite Tara or Al over, but I refused. Tara didn't want to see me anymore than I wanted to see her right now, and chances were Al didn't look upon me too kindly either.
Siobhan showed up but didn't stay long. I crept down the stairs, hoping to overhear something useful, but they spoke in whispers. Urgent whispers but inaudible all the same. When Dylan walked her to the front door, I remained on the stairs in plain sight. He didn't seem surprised to find me watching.
"Did you need something?"
The door snicked shut behind him. Through the frosted sidelights, I could see Siobhan's retreating form, and I was struck with a sudden longing to see Kieran. I'd not seen him since the day of my failed escape. He wasn't forgiven, not really, but in a strange, twisted way, I trusted him more than most on the Island.
"Just curious who our visitor was."
Dylan's expression remained bland. "Don't you want to do something today? You've not been outside for awhile."
"Can I go by myself?"
"Isla," he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Must you make this so difficult? You've got almost two months before you turn seventeen. They don't have to be unpleasant."
"You're right," I said, tapping my chin as if I was truly considering his words. "I should spend the next two months enjoying life."
"Exactly." He snatched his coat from the hook by the door. "Let's go into town. Grab a bite to eat. Mrs. Rose would love to see you."
"I would rather eat rocks."
"What the hell," he shouted, kicking the front door.
My bottom lip trembled, tears threatening to spring forward. This was my father. The man who kissed bumps and bruises, who told me to always get back up after falling. No matter what lies I told myself- I hated him, he was a monster- I couldn't erase the good times. This was killing me.
"What the hell, Dad?" I emphasized the last part, earning the flinch I sought. "You're not stupid. You're one of the smartest people I know so why would you think I'd just up and decide to be okay with all of this? Like I'm Gretel getting fattened up to eat?"
"Yer making this far worse than it has to be. Yer life will not be over when you lose yer legs. There's a whole world in the ocean. Cities. Civilizations. It's just another move, like going from Mississippi to here."
"It's easy to say that when you'll have access to both worlds."
"Look," he said, sounding desperate, "I promise we will do everything we can to undo the magic, but for now, we've lost this battle."
"It isn't fair," I shouted, the tears falling freely now. "I never even had a chance to fight."
"Baby-"
Three, sharp knocks sounded on the door, and Dylan stopped speaking to open it. My heart flipped- or maybe wobbled is a better description- when I saw Kieran's lanky form leaning against the frame. He never looked at my father, his hazel gaze zeroing in on me.
"You got here fast," Dylan said, moving aside to allow the boy into the house.
Kieran didn't step over the threshold. Water droplets pooled on the black of his jacket, and his curls were heavy with the damp. When he spoke, he sounded bored. "Mum told you I was nearby."
"Yes, but I told her I didn't think it was a good idea."
"Yer other option is Ewan McDuff, and I think you know that's an even worse idea." Kieran didn't look away from me the entire time he addressed Dylan. His tone was clipped. The lack of respect evident.
"What's this?" I asked, fingers tightening on the banister.
"Siobhan and some of the town's folk are concerned about you. They want you to return to yer everyday routines, but they agree you need someone with you to keep you safe."
"To keep me from trying to escape?"
"Of course," Kieran responded, looking away for the first time, studying his nail beds as if they held the answers to life's greatest mysteries. I couldn't tell if his disinterest in the situation was real or put on. If it was the latter, the boy had some excellent acting skills. "Yer da said you didn't want Tara or Al, and Niko isn't the most dependable. So, I guess yer stuck with me."
"What if I prefer Ewan?" I didn't. The memory of his long, sinuous tail rising out of the water would never fade. And even though he claimed he was the one looking out for me in all this, I couldn't forget the coldness in his face as he dragged me into the sea to witness Al trading his soul to Lorelei.
"I can go get him," Kieran said, calling my bluff, though his right eye twitched as he waited for my reply.
"Why bother? You're already here."
I returned to my room to freshen up, only realizing how deplorable I looked when I glimpsed my face in the mirror over the bathroom sink. My thick hair was snarled. My green eyes were dull, and the skin below them was dark. A quick sniff of my body made me wince, and it drew tears for an entirely different reason than before.
Thirty minutes and a shower later, I'd returned to the foyer to find the scene much the same as when I left. Kieran's slouching posture straightened when he saw me, but Dylan marched out of the room, returning with a new phone.
"If I don't get an update every hour, I'll assume you've done something foolish. You don't want a repeat of the other day."
I took the device and shoved it in my pocket. Was it really less than a week ago I'd seen getting a new phone as something to celebrate? It was a connection to my old life, and now it chained me to my new one.
We'd made it down the driveway before Kieran spoke. "Sorry about that back there."
"You mean the part where you made it sound like you'd rather go to the dentist than be my babysitter?"
He flashed me a smile. It was a pale imitation of his trademark smirk, but it warmed me nonetheless.
"Something like that, yeah. I didn't want your da to think we got along. He'd be too suspicious of me."
"Is that what you were the first day we hung out? A babysitter?" He'd said as much.
"Of sorts," he admitted. He shoved his hands into his jean pockets and looked at the steel colored clouds above. "Mum is on the town council, and she wanted to get a feel for what you knew about this life. Yer father claimed you knew nothing, but we didn't think he was being honest."
I hadn't expected this confession. Of all the secrets he'd been carrying, I'd never considered his interest in me might have been part of a ruse. I pushed my forehead into my palm. Good lord, I was a complete idiot.
"Isla, are you okay?"
"No," I said, kicking a rock with my toe, relishing the pain it caused. "Every time I think I know everything, I discover more lies."
"I said of sorts. Anyone could've done the job. Tara. Al. Even Ewan. But I begged them to let me do it. I wanted to get to know you better."
His admission soothed some of my hurts, and I resumed walking at his side. I didn't know where we were headed. There was nowhere on the Island I wanted to go so it really didn't matter what the destination was.
"I don't know why I took you to ShipWreck Cove that day. I knew Tara would be there. She...her family has close ties to the Finfolk. Her father is one, and because of the curse, they don't see him often. He can only come to shore a few months out of the year, but every now and then, he'll come to the cave to visit."
"And he was visiting that day?"
"Yeah, and I forgot about it."
"What about the sea witch?" I pressed, my mind searching through the fragments of the stories I'd been told in the last few days. "You told me she was why you needed my help, but Lorelei isn't the sea witch, right?"
Instead of our usual path to ShipWreck Cove, we'd angled to the left and followed the incline to reach the top of one of the cliff's darting over the cove. Kieran stopped me from walking to the edge, taking my hand and tugging me to the ground. Cold wet seeped through my jeans, but I was warmed by his hand in mine.
"No, they're not the same, but I suppose their stories are in a way. Not much is known about her other than the fact she's a Siren gifted with great magic."
"Like Lorelei? I'm guessing magic isn't rare among mermaids?"
Kieran picked a piece of grass, shredding it as he thought. "It is. The merfolk have their own magic. It's in our voices, and in our scales. They have healing properties. But the kind of magic Agnes and Lorelei have is unheard of. Whether they were born with it or consumed someone's soul who had it, I don't know. She and Lorelei are bitter enemies, but neither will risk going against the other. Not without a trump card."
"So how do I come into play?"
"Agnes somehow managed to become queen of the Finfolk. She slaughtered the king and married his son, but yer existence is a problem."
"Of course it is," I said, laughing bitterly.
"You have more royal blood in yer body than even the current king. You descend from two powerful lines- both Finfolk and Merrow. If the curse is broken, yer family can make a claim for the throne."
How absurd this all sounded, talks of kingdoms and mermaids, but Kieran's expression was grave, not a hint of humor sparkling in his eyes.
"You told me the Merrow didn't rule that way."
"We don't. Not anymore, but yer not just Merrow."
"Neither are Al or Tara. Does that make them heir to a kingdom?"
"I'm just telling you that the Sea Witch views you as a threat."
"Again, I'm not catching the part where I'm helping you with her, or how she's even a problem to begin with."
"When you arrived, she was furious, but she's a Siren, she can't get to you on land. We promised her we'd make sure you never become a mermaid in exchange for her breaking Lorelei's curse."
"So why did she try to kill me?"
"I didn't say it was a wise deal. She's not the most trustworthy creature, but I was desperate. Tara was desperate. She knew Al turned seventeen before you did, and she thought we might be able to break the curse before that happened."
We sat in silence for awhile. Me, digesting everything Kieran had told me. Him, well, I couldn't be certain, but it seemed he was holding his breath, waiting for my response. I thought about the question I'd asked him the day in my room. If his soul belonged to Lorelei, and I wondered if this would free him somehow. Free us all.
"Okay," I said, slapping my hands on my thighs.
"Okay, what?" Kieran asked, eyes rounding as I smiled at him. It wasn't a pretty smile. I probably looked a little crazy.
"Take me to her. I want to meet Agnes."