One night Dylan asked about the slender, white pattern of scars on my belly. The ones Merma gave me that fateful night. They were too deliberate to be accidental, and he wondered if they were part of some strange tribal island ritual. Perhaps they were in some way. And back then I had no idea what the symbol meant. I brushed him off with an excuse and he let it go.
Just before your fifth birthday, I kept my promise to Mom, your grandma, and brought you back to Alabaster Island. Dylan wanted to come, but it would have involved too much explanation. On the island, I separated my octopus pendant in two and gave you each a half just as Mom instructed. Then we flew back to the Outlands. Home.
This story should have ended right there, or at least continued in a predictable way: sending you girls to school, raising a family; my new life. But that old un-smooth luck followed me somehow.
Late one night, shortly after we returned, a melody entered my head. Soft at first, I hoped it was my imagination. But it became louder.
la la dee dee dee la La.
It was my heartsong sung backwards. Merma. She had found me. Daniel, Dylan, Mom and Dad, even my dog…she’d hunted or attacked most of those I loved. I didn’t dare let her find you girls. Plus I knew what she wanted most: Me.
So I followed her song. It led to the ocean of course. And this time He accompanied her: The Ancient One.
I allowed them to take me with a promise: To leave you two alone. He kept me locked away for ages, it might have been years. When I eventually escaped, I found myself lost in a maze with no exit.
So now I crouch here whispering into Daniel’s rainbow shell. A story shell. And I hope you understand why I left. When you twins were born, I thought that I’d be ready to explain the whole story one day. But I made excuses and that day never came. Now I realize that I was scared. As much as I trusted Dylan, I didn’t trust him (or perhaps myself) enough.
I hear him coming. I’m not sure when you’ll listen to this. Or if I’ll still be alive. But remember this: fiercely live the choices nearest to your hearts and know that I love you. Sometimes I forget everything that happened. Sometimes I forget who I am. That’s why I wanted to tell you what happened…and warn you before it’s too late: No matter what anyone says, do not try to find me.
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Next in the Mermaid Curse Series: The Atlantis Twins. Marei’s twins grow-up unaware of the strange genetic legacy that awaits.
Backcover:
Alysa Grey is certain her lost twin sister is alive even though Hawaii search and rescue gave up years ago. Meanwhile, her obsession with the ocean and strange ability to heal from injury threatens to end what passed for normal teenage life.
When she meets Nate, a handsome surfer, he presents the opportunity to escape her woes. Alysa convinces her best friend to sneak off to Hina where Nate lives with a secretive group called the Ocean Alliance. But Nate is not who he seems and Alysa and her friend end up trapped on an aging ship bound for a mysterious island.
She discovers that her unusual powers and lost sister are connected. Now a sinister enemy on-board the ship is determined to kill Alysa the moment they achieve their vast goal: unleash devastation upon the world's oceans.
Everything will depend on Alysa finding out what happened to her missing sister, no matter how painful. As she uncovers the shocking truth, she learns that sometimes it's much easier to be lost than found.
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