by Dee J. Stone
I gather my students and give them a short speech, telling them how proud I am at what they’ve achieved and how if they keep at it, they can be great one day. Gail says, “Are you gonna surf today?”
I shake my head.
“Aww,” her friend, Wes, says.
On the first day of lessons, I let them watch me surf. I’m not the greatest surfer out there, but they loved watching me. I know many of them want to see me again, and I want to do it for them. It kind of sucks.
I tell them that since today is our final lesson, they could do whatever they want. Most try to show off, and I find myself laughing at how adorable they are. Uncle Jim is right—I think being a teacher is what I’m supposed to do.
Someone tugs on my dress. I look down to find Timmy standing next to me, his body soaked. I stumble back. “Timmy.”
“Can Kayla come into the ocean with me?”
I glance behind him to see Kayla standing there, her face pinched with excitement, a surfboard in her hands. “She doesn’t know how to surf, Timmy.”
“She’ll just sit on her board and watch me. Please, please!”
I look out at the waves. They’re pretty calm today, and if Timmy and Kayla stay close to the shore and away from the other kids, she should be okay. “Just a few minutes,” I tell them. “Stay close to the shore and away from the others, okay?”
He nods and runs off, followed by his sister.
I sit down on the dry sand a good few feet away from the shore, hugging my knees. It’s when I’m alone that I’m forced to think and face everything in my life that I try to avoid. Like the fact that I’m a mermaid. I always push away the reality and focus on the fantasy—how amazing it is to swim with Damarian in the ocean. But the reality is that I am going to have to deal with it, probably for the rest of my life. What exactly does that mean? Will I be forced to live in the ocean because of how hard it will be to live on land as a human? With the constant need for salt water, what kind of job will I hold? I guess I can always do part-time, but who knows what can trigger the change? What if I put Damarian’s life—and the life of all the merpople—in jeopardy?
An ear-splitting yell nearly bursts my ears. I leap to my feet, my eyes on the ocean. Timmy and Kayla are flailing around like they’re in trouble.
“Timmy?” I call as I sprint toward the water. “Kayla!”
They continue to yell and thrash around. The other people in the ocean start rushing to the shore, yelling, “Get out of the water!”
I race to the ocean and am about to dive in, but stop myself, nearly falling face-first into the water. I can’t get wet.
The lifeguard comes running toward the shore and dives in. He surges to the kids, grabs them, and drags them to the shore. Then I see it…the blood in the water. And when the lifeguard draws closer, I see more. The sharp end of bone where Kayla’s arm should be. Bone that was chewed off.
I collapse to my knees. A shark.
More lifeguards rush to them. I hear an ambulance in the distance. They haul Kayla onto a board. Blood pours out of her. A hysterical Timmy is clutching onto the lifeguard, and all I want to do is hold him in my arms. But I can’t. I stand and move backward so none of them could spray me with water.
I can’t comfort Timmy.
I dash to Damarian, who reaches for me with a confused expression on his face. I grab my bag and rummage inside for the large towel I brought with me. Just in case.
“Cassie?” Damarian asks, touching my arm.
“Be right back.”
With the towel in my hand, I race to where the commotion takes place. The lifeguard is trying to pry a still-hysterical Timmy off him. I don’t know what they’re doing to Kayla because they’re blocking my view, but the EMTs are trekking into the beach with a board.
“Timmy,” I call, holding out the towel.
His tear-streaked face lifts and he runs to me. I wrap him in the towel, making sure no part of his wet self touches my skin. I pat him all over, drying him, as I hold him close. “Timmy.”
He’s crying and yelling and pointing in the direction of his sister.
“Are you hurt?” I ask him.
“What happened to Kayla?” he cries.
“It’s okay.” I hug him closer as he sobs. “Shh, it’s okay, sweetie.” I rub his back. I can’t believe this. I can’t—I just—oh my God.
“Tiger shark,” someone says. “I swear it was a tiger shark.”
The EMTs load Kayla onto the board and pass by. Her head rolls to the side, her eyes barely opened. My blood turns cold when I see her arm—what’s left of it.
One of the paramedics comes over to me. “Are you the girl’s parent or guardian?”
I shake my head. When I open my mouth, my voice is so unstable I can barely form a sentence. “Her—her mom. I need to c-call her.”
“Is Kayla gonna die?” Timmy yell-cries.
The paramedic tells me which hospital they’re bringing her to, and that I should notify her parents immediately. With Timmy still in my arms, I hurry to Damarian, who’s standing and gaping at me. “Cassie, what is happening?”
“Shark attack,” I say as I retrieve a water bottle from my bag and hand it to Timmy.
“S-shark?”
I take out my phone. “I need to call Timmy’s mom.”
“She’s going to die,” he sobs into my shoulder.
Just as I’m about to dial his mom, I see her sprinting into the beach. By the look on her face, I know she knows exactly what happened. “Mrs. Miller,” I say running up to her.
“Cassie.”
I hand her Timmy. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t…I couldn’t—”
“Is it true?” she asks, tears pouring out of her eyes. “My Kayla?”
“She’s gonna die!” Timmy cries.
I tell her which hospital the ambulance brought her to. Then I throw my arms around her and Timmy and hug them. She holds onto me for a few seconds before fleeing to her car, Timmy wrapped securely in her arms.
I fall to my knees and bury my face in my hands, tears seeping into my palms.
Damarian’s arms come around me. “Cassie.”
I grip him so tight I lose feeling in my hand. “I—I couldn’t get in the water. I just stood there helplessly.”
“Cassie.” He kisses my forehead. “I am sorry. I do not know what to say. I do not understand…” His voice trails off as his arms tighten around me. “You tremble.”
“I…” I untangle myself from his arm. “I need to go the hospital.” With shaky hands, I grab my bag. It slips from my fingers and falls into the sand. I pick it up and leave the beach, the same images replaying over and over in my head. Little Kayla, missing an arm, the blood gushing all over. Her terrified eyes. The way she lay nearly unconscious on the board.
How I didn’t do anything to help.
“Cassie?” Damarian calls. He reaches for my arm.
“I need to go to the hospital,” I repeat, continuing to walk.
He keeps his pace with me. “I will accompany you.”
“No. I need to see Kayla and Timmy to make sure they’re okay.”
“Cassie…”
We reach the house. I get into my car. “I’ll come back as soon as I can,” I tell Damarian and start the engine.
“Please. Allow me to accompany you.”
I finally look him in the face. “I need to do this alone.” I reach for his hand and squeeze it. “I’ll get back soon.”
He nods unsurely and steps away from the car. I press on the gas and drive to the hospital.
Chapter Sixteen
The only time I’ve been to a hospital was when I was ten and my grandfather had a stroke. He died a few days later. Back then, I thought everyone who was admitted to the hospital died. I hope Kayla doesn’t have the same fate.
There are many people entering and leaving the hospital, some carrying balloons and gifts, a few couples with newborn babies. I swallow the lump forming in my throat and force back my tears. I need to be hopeful
. Kayla lost her arm, but she’ll be okay.
Taking a deep breath, I head to the emergency room. So many thoughts run through my head. I shouldn’t have let Timmy and Kayla swim in the ocean. How long was the shark there? I should have scouted the waves to make sure it was safe. As a mermaid, shouldn’t I have sensed that a shark was there? What good is it to be a mermaid if I can’t protect the people I care about from the dangerous ocean?
One thing lays heavily on my mind. Why was the shark so close to the shore?
When I snap out of my thoughts, I find myself in the emergency waiting room. I rub my head, trying to ease the hammering.
I see Mrs. Miller talking to a doctor, holding Timmy in her arms. His face is buried in her shoulder. I stand still for a bit, watching the exchange. Mrs. Miller covers her mouth and cries out. My heart slides down and dissolves into a puddle at my feet. No…Kayla has to be okay.
The doctor pats Mrs. Miller’s shoulder and walks away. Dropping Timmy, she falls against the wall, her hand still covering her mouth. Her shoulders quake, her legs wobble. It looks like she’s going to collapse.
I rush over and hold out my hand. “Mrs. Miller.”
“Cassie,” she mumbles, her voice weak, her eyes unfocused. She grabs my hand and holds it in a tight grip, hurting me. But I don’t pull away. She squeezes my hand even tighter and chokes out, “She died on the way to the hospital.”
My vision gets blurry as Mrs. Miller and I weep. A small hand slides into mine. Timmy. I get down on my knees and hug him closely, rubbing his head as I try to console him.
Damn it. Why didn’t I do something? I’ll never forgive myself. Or that stupid shark. It shouldn’t have killed an innocent girl. They wouldn’t attack merpeople, would they? Then they shouldn’t attack humans, either.
It needs to pay for what it did.
***
Damarian jumps to his feet the second I walk through the door. “Cassie.”
My knees cave and I collapse. He catches me just in time, lifting me in his arms and tucking me close. “Cassie,” he says softly, his face pressed to mine.
I never thought it was possible for a person to have so many tears. I hiccup and moan and my body shakes violently. Damarian’s arms grow unstable, causing me to sink a little, but he repositions me, securing me against his chest. “She…” I hiccup. “She died.”
His body stiffens. I raise my face to his, seeing his alarmed expression. His mouth moves, but no sound comes out. He walks over to the couch and gently lowers me on it, sitting down next to me. “I do not understand,” he says.
“Can we hunt down the shark?” I ask.
His eyes widen in utter shock.
I swallow the bitter taste in my mouth. “So I can kill it.”
He springs back like I slapped him. “You wish to do what?”
“I want to kill it.” There’s no mistaking the malice in my voice.
“But Cassie…you wish to injure an innocent creature?”
My eyes flash to his. “An innocent creature? Are you kidding me? It killed a little girl. An innocent little girl.”
Damarian holds out his hands. “It is their nature, Cassie.”
I scramble to my feet and stare him down. “So we should just pat its head and say ‘Good little shark’ because it’s his nature? We don’t let stray dogs roam around the streets, because they’re dangerous. If a lion or tiger would escape from a jungle and run to civilization, we wouldn’t hesitate to shoot it down.”
I see him processing what I said, trying to remember what a dog, lion, and tiger is. My chest expands and contracts wildly and more tears drip down my chin, splattering my clothes. Glancing down, I see the picnic basket sitting on the coffee table. I shove it off and its contents spill all over the carpet.
Damarian springs back again, his mouth falling open. He’s never seen me lose my cool before. When he seems to find his voice, he says, “It is not the same.”
“What isn’t?”
“Equating a lion with a shark.”
I stare at him. “What?”
He doesn’t say anything.
“Because sharks are from your world and lions are from mine?” I swallow. “Or do I no longer belong in my world anymore?”
Again, he doesn’t say anything, but I see his eyebrows wrinkle in confusion. We just stand there with our eyes on one another, until Damarian says, “You cannot kill it, Cassie.”
I throw my hands up. “Why are you defending it?”
“I am—”
“Don’t you understand what happened? That thing killed an innocent little girl!” I yell so loud I swear I hear the wall crack.
Damarian shrinks back like I threw hot water at him.
“Am I just supposed to let it get away?”
Damarian reaches out like I’m a small child needing to be placated. “The shark has a master, Cassie. You cannot kill it. Do you wish to upset a child of the sea?”
I blink at him. The shark has a master. Bile rises in my throat as a sudden thought hits me. “Damarian…”
“Yes?”
“Who do tiger sharks serve? The Emerald clan?”
He nods slowly.
“Do…” My whole body is shaking so bad it feels like it will split right down the middle. “Do sharks who serve the clans act on their own? Or do their masters tell them what to do?”
He eyes me carefully, starting to grasp what I’m getting at. “They abide to their masters’ will,” he says softly.
More bile rises in my throat. I cover my mouth before I vomit all over the floor. Sweat breaks out at my forehead and the room spins. “You’re saying someone sent that shark to kill her?”
Damarian steps closer to me. “Cassie—”
“Tell me, Damarian!”
“I do not know. The sharks who serve the five clans do not behave on their own will. Unless…”
“Unless what?”
“Unless they are rogue sharks.”
My breathing grows more rapid. “Rogue?”
“Yes. Sharks that have strayed from their masters.”
“Is that common?”
He shakes his head. “Extremely unlikely. Sharks are loyal to the children of the sea.”
“So you’re saying that…” I swallow. “That…”
“Perhaps it was a shark that does not serve a clan.”
I look away. “They said it was a tiger shark.”
“Are you certain?”
“No. I don’t know.” I heard someone on the beach say it was a tiger shark, but he could have made a mistake. And what about all those other shark attacks we’ve had over the years? Usually, the sharks were bull or tigers. Bull sharks serve one of the other clans. Did merpeople send those sharks to kill humans, too?
Damarian takes a few steps closer until he’s right in front of me. He reaches for me, but I move back. “Cassie, please…”
“What’s going on here, Damarian?” My voice is barely audible.
“I do not know.” He reaches for me again. “Please, let us relax and—”
“No, I…I just need to be alone right now.”
“Cassie.”
I race to my room, jumping on my bed. Tears seep into my pillow. This can’t be possible. A merperson sent that shark to attack Kayla? What for? And why is Damarian taking it so lightly? Sure, the sharks don’t attack the merpeople, even the ones who don’t serve the clans. He told me that as long as they don’t provoke them, they live in peace together. What would he do if a shark would suddenly attack someone he knew?
If this attack was not an accident, what does it mean?
The door to my room opens. Footsteps stop right before my bed. A second later, I feel Damarian’s weight on the mattress. His ocean scent fills me. Usually, that excites me. But right now, all I feel is disgust.
“Cassie.” His lips are on the back of my neck as his arms come around me.
I scoot over. “Leave me alone. Please.”
“Cassie.”
Tears continue to
seep into my pillow. Kayla’s dead. From a shark attack. One that may have been plotted.
“Cassie, please do not push me away.”
Fresh tears flood out of my eyes. Guilt and pain suffocate me. This isn’t Damarian’s fault. But sharks are from his world. They might not be as intelligent as humans, but the merpeople are. They can communicate with them. Surely they could have taught them not to attack humans. I wish he would do something instead of just brushing it off.
After a minute or two, Damarian gets up from the bed and leaves, softly closing the door after him.
***
“Cassie…”
My eyes open. The room is pitch black. I sit up and am hit with memories. It all comes back to me—Kayla, the shark attack, the Emerald clan. I grab hold of my head and whimper.
“Cassie?” Damarian’s hands close over mine. “Are you all right?”
No, I’m not. I’m far, far from okay.
He hesitantly sits on my bed. “Perhaps…perhaps I should visit the sea. Perhaps I can make sense of all that has occurred.”
I lift my head to meet his gaze. I can make out some of his features in the dark. He looks very nervous. “You’d do that?” I ask.
“Yes.” He strokes my cheek with the back of his fingers.
“Just give me a few minutes alone, please?”
He nods and leaves. I bury my face in my pillow, biting down on my lip to keep the tears at bay. But it’s no use—they break free.
After a few minutes, I pull myself out of bed, wipe my eyes, and go downstairs. Damarian’s in the kitchen, packing a bag of gummy worms. He usually takes some back for his little sister. My heart constricts. I can’t think of the merpeople without being reminded of the tiger shark, of the fact that one of them could have purposely sent it to kill a human.
Damarian turns around. When he sees my gaze on the gummy worms, he says, “Zarya questioned me at my last visit why I did not bring the gummy worms.”
I nod, my throat tight. I join him at the kitchen counter and fill a glass of cold water. It feels amazing as it slides down my throat.
Damarian raises his hand like he wants to touch me, but he drops it to his side. We stand there, not saying anything to each other. I put the glass in the sink, head for the door, and open it. Damarian follows. We don’t talk as we make our way to the beach. It’s very hot out, but my skin prickles as chills run up my spine. The last time I was at the beach, only this morning, Kayla was attacked. I don’t know if I can step foot in there.
