"Throw him overboard!" It had been a few hours since the attack. Although Halcreek had calmed down, it was only slightly.

"No." Edmond had told him for the hundredth time. "He's mad. He's not a criminal."

"His mind isn't his own." The researcher reminded them. "He will kill any of you. Best to toss him off the ship."

"I've heard enough of this!" Edmond slammed his fist onto his desk. "The next person who tells me to throw my own men overboard is going over themselves! I won't have it!"

"He killed Piles!" Halcreek yelled.

"Piles didn't listen!" Edmond hated to defend Davis' actions. He knew exactly why Piles had done it. That drive to feel useful and independent got him killed. It would be necessary to give Piles to the sea. Although Edmond didn't feel right to hand one of his men over to those things. What if they ate him? It just didn't feel right. It would be like tossing Piles over to sharks below. He was too good of a man. He deserved better. His body was wrapped in sheets and lying in the sick bay for now. He had only just gotten up to be there again.

"We should sail." The researcher interjected. "Let us leave this place and go to land."

"What about tossing him over?" Halcreek suggested, "He isn't one of us."

"Easy." Willas tried to calm the situation, so Edmond didn't have to. "I think our first manner of business is-"

Edmond interrupted him, "We sail."

"Captain!" Willas sighed.

"It's my ship!" Edmond declared. "My men. My decision! We sail. Halcreek, let down the sails."

Halcreek hesitated, looking to Willas. Willas had nothing to say. He only looked away. Halcreek gave a reluctant nod, "As you wish, Captain."

Emmalien's Constellation was on the move again just as night was beginning to fall on them. Edmond hoped beyond hope that they would reach speeds that couldn't be followed by the mermaids. Perhaps if they carried on without fail, without a single pause, they could outrun them.

He was beyond stressed. He needed a break from it all. He needed Emmalien.

Edmond went to the cargo hold and sat on the floor next to her box. He could hear the water sloshing around within. He hoped she was comfortable and not too cramped.

"Baby?" He leaned against the box, hoping to hear her voice.

"Daddy?" She said softly.

His heart fluttered. "We are going home now, Baby." He told her. "We are going back to see mommy. And Benji."

"I want to go home..." She whispered.

"Yes. I know. We are." He nodded, "There's something else." He said, "Mommy will have a new brother or sister waiting for you." He smiled at the thought. His heart ached that he couldn't be there for the birth, but he was looking forward to taking his little one into his arms at last. Just the same way he had taken Emmalien into his arms so long ago.

Emmalien was quiet.

Edmond frowned. "Emmalien?"

"Daddy." She reached her tiny hand out from the hole, "I want to go back home. Back to the water."

Edmond took her hand. His heart hurt even more now. Emmalien was confused. She was scared. She was stuck in this wrong body. But once she was home, she would be happy again. She would love to see her mother again. He knew it.

"No, baby." His thumb stroked her pink hand, "I am talking about our home. Back at the harbor."

"I can't go to the harbor." She sounded like she was about to cry, "They'll kill me. The men will want me dead."

"No!" He shushed her, "No, I won't let them see you! You'll be safe! I'll keep you safe, little one!"

"You can't take me there." Her voice broke, "Daddy, I'll die."

"You won't die!" He was quick to say, "Don't say that! Please!"

"Daddy..." Her hand grew cold and webbed between his fingers. He opened his hand to see the small grey, scaly hand. He investigated the hole in the box to see the bulbous eyes peering at him from the dark. "Look at me, Daddy." She still had Emmalien's voice, "I must go back to the sea. I'll die."

With each splash over her face, her color returned to pink and Emmalien's bright green eyes peered back at him. Her hand soft, pink, and warm again.

Edmond felt like a knife was stuck through his chest. His stomach was in tight knots. "But..." He croaked, "I can't lose you again."

"Come with me." She cooed. "Come with me into the sea. We can be a family again."

"Maryann..." He shook his head.

"Mommy waits for you. Come and see." She smiled up at him.

𝙹𝚞𝚕𝚢 15𝚝𝚑 1834

𝙳𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚜 𝚔𝚒𝚕𝚕𝚎𝚍 𝙿𝚒𝚕𝚎𝚜. 𝙰 𝚋𝚕𝚘𝚘𝚍𝚢 𝚖𝚎𝚜𝚜. 𝙷𝚊𝚕𝚌𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚔 𝚒𝚜 𝚏𝚞𝚛𝚒𝚘𝚞𝚜. 𝙸 𝚌𝚊𝚗'𝚝 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚑𝚒𝚖. 𝙽𝚘𝚝 𝚜𝚞𝚛𝚎 𝚠𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚍𝚘 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝙳𝚊𝚟𝚒𝚜. 𝙵𝚘𝚛 𝚗𝚘𝚠, 𝚑𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚖𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚜 𝚛𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚒𝚗𝚎𝚍 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚕𝚍𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚌𝚎𝚕𝚕.

𝚆𝚎 𝚊𝚛𝚎 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗. 𝙷𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚏𝚞𝚕𝚕𝚢, 𝚠𝚎 𝚠𝚒𝚕𝚕 𝚌𝚘𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚞𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚖𝚘𝚟𝚎 𝚞𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚕 𝚠𝚎 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚌𝚑 𝚕𝚊𝚗𝚍.

𝙴𝚖𝚖𝚊𝚕𝚒𝚎𝚗 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚗 𝚝𝚘 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚊. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚌𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚊𝚝 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎. 𝙸 𝚋𝚕𝚊𝚖𝚎 𝚖𝚢𝚜𝚎𝚕𝚏 𝚏𝚘𝚛 𝚊𝚕𝚠𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝚝𝚎𝚕𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚜 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚊𝚗. 𝙼𝚊𝚢𝚋𝚎 𝚝𝚑𝚒𝚜 𝚠𝚊𝚜 𝚖𝚢 𝚌𝚞𝚛𝚜𝚎 𝚘𝚛 𝚖𝚢 𝚋𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚗𝚐. 𝚃𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚜𝚎 𝚖𝚢 𝚍𝚊𝚞𝚐𝚑𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚓𝚞𝚜𝚝 𝚝𝚘 𝚏𝚒𝚗𝚍 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚊𝚐𝚊𝚒𝚗 𝚊𝚝 𝚜𝚎𝚊. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚠𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚜 𝚖𝚎 𝚝𝚘 𝚐𝚘 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚑𝚎𝚛. 𝚃𝚘 𝚓𝚘𝚒𝚗 𝚑𝚎𝚛 𝚒𝚗 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚘𝚌𝚎𝚊𝚗. 𝚂𝚑𝚎 𝚜𝚊𝚢𝚜 𝙼𝚊𝚛𝚢𝚊𝚗𝚗 𝚒𝚜 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚛𝚎, 𝚝𝚘𝚘. 𝙲𝚘𝚞𝚕𝚍 𝚝𝚑𝚎𝚢 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕𝚕𝚢 𝚋𝚎 𝚌𝚑𝚊𝚗𝚗𝚎𝚕𝚒𝚗𝚐 𝚘𝚞𝚛 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎𝚍 𝚘𝚗𝚎𝚜? 𝙸𝚝 𝚏𝚎𝚎𝚕𝚜 𝚜𝚘 𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚕.

𝙷𝚘𝚠 𝙸 𝚠𝚒𝚜𝚑 𝙸 𝚠𝚎𝚛𝚎 𝚑𝚘𝚖𝚎 𝚊𝚕𝚛𝚎𝚊𝚍𝚢.

Edmond spent another night next to Emmalien. Except this time, he was joined by the researchers who asked him various questions about what she was saying to him. Evidently, when a siren spoke to people, only one person could hear it. They were speaking to people individually, the same as when they sang for specific people.

"You are doing the right thing." The researcher told him. "We should reach land eventually."

He had half a mind to tell him that he wasn't doing it for him. Although, he was at another dilemma. How would he even be able to keep her for himself if these men would want her back.

He looked down at her face in the hole. She was begging to be released. Was that the right thing to do? Should he just let her go to the ocean? He knew she had family there, but she was also his own family. He was torn yet again. Even his own daughter sided with his men.

"I think..." He rubbed his eyes tiredly, "I think we have to give her back."

"What?" The researcher perked up now from his notebook, "But I thought we would sail."

Sailing meant that he would eventually have to fight these men for her. Unless he just tossed them over. Could say they lost them in the storm.

But that wasn't Edmond. He wasn't a murderer.

Sailing also meant that Emmalien could potentially die. She had already been stuck inside this cramped box for so long. She needed fresh water. She needed food. She needed room to move freely. This wasn't a safe situation she was in.

"I don't know." Edmond was still wrestling with himself. "She wants to go home."

"Of course she does." The researcher scoffed. "I am sure most animals in the zoo want to go home, too. But this is necessary."

Edmond didn't know how he would take her home with him. But he figured the ocean would be better than whatever these men planned to do with her. Running their tests and experiments. She deserved a better life than that.

Edmond groaned. He would have to go back on his word. He would have to stop this ship and release her.

Yet at the same time, he was so terrified for her to disappear under the water never to be seen again. What if she just left him? What if all this really was some trick from a mermaid to simply be released? Did she even really want him to join her?

"I need sleep." The captain told them. "Please. Leave me with her tonight. We will talk more in the morning."

The researchers were more than hesitant to leave. But they did as the captain wished. He lied on his back next to the box and let all his overthinking take over. He would sleep on it tonight, then decide what to do in the morning.

"Baby?" He tapped the box. She tapped back, "I love you. You know that?"

"Yes." She spoke just above a whisper. "I love you, too."