I held on as long as I could, but a wave crashed over our bodies, dragging my father's stiffening form from my grasp. He rolled into the pool, cradled by foam and churned up sand before sinking into the sea. Instinctively, I reached for him, but I tried to move like a human girl. I had no legs to propel me forward, and I toppled face first onto the sand.
Spitting out grit, I rose to my elbows and scanned the room for help. All I wanted to do was lie here and sob until my throat turned raw, but there was no time for that. The world around me was in chaos. Mama had been right beside me, but I couldn't see her. The cave continued to shake, and bodies piled up as falling debris claimed victim after victim. Blood dripped across the rocks, clinging tight to the surface even when the ocean tried to wipe it away. The bright red faded to rust, and the bone white sand was patched with pink.
"Isla!"
Kieran's voice echoed in the cavern, and I rolled to look behind me. Part of me wished he would leave--save himself from the same fate as those around me-- but the selfish part of me was relieved to not be alone in this hellish place.
"Kieran!" I called out, sitting up straight as the sea charged forward once more, this time dragging me with it.
Water filled my mouth and nose, and out of reflex, I coughed, but like before, it didn't choke me. It filled my lungs like a breath of air. My vision was even better under the water than above it. However, it would appear that expert level ability to swim with fish tail wasn't among my newfound abilities. I sank in the ocean, and every attempt to flap my tail caused me to look as if I was seizing. I possessed none of the effortless grace I'd witnessed from Niko and Tara.
Stones crashed into the ground around me, cutting through the water like missiles. One scraped my arm, spreading a fresh cloud of blood that still glinted with silver. Was this it then? This was how I was going out after everything that happened?
"You have to calm down."
Kieran swam toward me, his movements sure and strong. And he was tailless. No matter how dire the situation was, I couldn't quite contain my bitterness.
"Calm down? Calm down? This thing weighs a ton, and it won't do what I've told it to."
He snagged my arm and put it around his shoulders, while placing a hand on my lower back. The convulsing water pushed our bodies against each other, and I became all too aware of the way his skin felt against my scales. His hazel eyes softened as they met mine, but it didn't entirely hide the simmering hurt I'd caused.
"You're trying to swim like a human," he said, kicking his legs so we started moving upward. "I guarantee in your mind, you've been scissor kicking. Move from your waist."
I opened my mouth to argue and then snapped it shut. He was right. I'd been imagining my legs moving in slicing motions which was as effective as trying to walk in a blanket. Closing my eyes, I did as instructed, rolling my hips just slightly. The movement undulated down my tail, jolting us toward the surface.
"That's it, Isla. Keep on."
"I'm doing it," I replied, sounding like a delighted child.
"You are, but we have to hurry. Something isn't right, and I need air."
"What's causing the quakes?"
"It's not just that, it's ahhh."
I grabbed my head as his thoughts blasted through my mind like a horn against my ears. His embrace faltered, and we separated. Kieran doubled over in the water, his face contorted in agony. A soundless scream fell from his lips.
"Kieran, what's wrong?"
"It hurts. I can't. Oh, god."
Without his support, I was sinking again, and in my panic, it was hard to find the right rhythm. I had to get him above the water. I wouldn't lose him too. I couldn't.
Come on Isla. You used pretend you were a mermaid all the time in the pool as a kid. Just like that.
Fins brushed against the sandy ocean bottom, but only for a moment as my hips worked to move me in the right direction. With each flick, I rocketed up, closer to Kieran who was no longer in the fetal position. Now, his back arched, and he held his hands in front of his chest as if they were claws. His dark hair fanned around his head, straight instead of curly, and he stared out into the vast blue with wide eyes. Down his neck, flecks of emerald appeared, trailing down below his white button up.
Kieran... you're shifting. "Kieran! You're-"
Something sharp sank into my tail fin and jerked me backward. Swallowing a moan, I looked down, expecting to find I'd been struck by a rock only to see Molly Goode hanging onto the delicate flesh. Lashing out, I snapped my tail straight and shook her loose, though the cost was a long rip in the diaphanous flipper.
She snarled, baring sharp teeth as she came after me. With my awkward movements, I was no match for her, and she plowed into my chest. Her nails pierced my skin, and she dragged her hand down, peeling scales from my body. My vision blurred from the pain, but I knew that if I stopped for even a second, she would gain the upper hand.
"Stupid child. It's your fault. You killed him! It was supposed to be you!"
"Who? My father?"
Molly slapped me across the face. She pulled back for another blow, and I caught her hand before it struck me. A strange current tingled through me and pulsed at my fingertips. She shrieked and released me, cradling her arm. Some of the rage in her face was replaced with shock.
"How?" She shook her head. "It doesn't matter."
Holding my hand against the wound above my breasts, I pumped my tail, determined to reach Kieran, but Molly was on the move again. It would only take a few seconds before she grabbed me again, but when I looked over my shoulder, she was being held back by Lorelei and my mother- their faces twin masks of vengeance.
Not bothering to turn around and offer assistance, I grabbed Kieran- who appeared unconscious, and swam for the surface.
"You're okay. You hear me?"
I received no response, and the moment our heads popped above the water, I looked for the shore only to find the world above the waves changed beyond recognition. Gone was the beautiful sea cave. The entire wall that faced the sea had collapsed, turning the cave into a cove. The beach was gone, covered by sea and stone.
A flash of yellow and Tara was in front of me. Her brown eyes were wide with terror, and a sob pushed past her lips as she spied Kieran.
"Is he?"
"He's breathing. Tara, he's shifting. How is that possible?"
"I don't know. I'd normally say he gave into the song, but there are other boys and men in the same state. What happened?"
My face crumpled. "Lorelei killed my father. H-he jumped in front of the blade when she went to strike me, and then everything happened all at once. There was a light and the quakes started. And my mother showed up."
"Your mother? Slow down, Isla. You're not making sense."
"None of this makes sense," I shouted.
All I wanted to do was stop moving. To sink back into the depths and sleep until all this was nothing but a dream and my dreams were real. Because there was no way this could be my life now. I wasn't human. My father was dead, and my grandmother was the one who killed him. And there was still a chance Kieran might not survive his shift.
"Isla, baby. Are you okay?"
My mother's head popped up beside me. Tara shrieked.
"Stop. That's my mom."
"She looks just like you know... Lorelei."
Mama gave the panicking girl a sad smile. "Genetics are a bitch."
"Molly?" I asked.
"Dead," Mama replied.
"You killed her?"
"Lorelei did."
"And Lorelei?"
Mama looked away. "She's gone, but none of that matters anymore. What matters is that it's over. The curse is broken."
"But how is that possible?" Tara demanded. "Isla is still alive."
"The curse wasn't about life and death," I whispered, gazing across the sea. The moonlight was soft once again and it made the waves glimmer. Somewhere out there was my father's final resting place, and I knew he was free from the guilt which plagued his life. "It was about being selfless."