The thing that pulled me from sleep so violently was a combination of my out-of-control emotions, the feeling of dread, and the memory of my first encounter with Wyatt. I just barely made it to the bathing room before I retched, emptying the meager contents of my stomach—mostly bile and spit due to the fact I hadn't eaten yet—on the floor. I shuddered, squeezing my eyes shut as tremors shook my body.

I remembered everything—his hand over my mouth, the impatience in his eyes, and the cruelty in his voice. Even though it had been years since it had happened, I didn't think I'd ever forget the cruelty in his voice. "'Of course, Faye. I keep my promises.'" His words triggered another wave—again, mostly bile and spit—before I collapsed on the floor. I heard a faint creaking sound but quickly dismissed it.

A moment later, I heard a loud boom and felt shock waves move through the water. It knocked me backward, and after the impact, my body reacted before my brain even processed what had happened, causing a delay of a few seconds. I lifted a shaking hand to the back of my head, wincing as I located the source of the throbbing in my skull: a giant lump near my temple. Blinking, I waited for my blurry vision to clear.

I was so dizzy that I didn't notice the pain in my tail until I saw the giant pillar pinning it to the ground. Even just by looking at it, I knew it would be impossible to move by myself. I looked through the open bathing room door and saw rubble strewn around the suite. That's when I heard shouting from outside. It was too many voices—a jumble of low and high-pitched tones that quickly morphed into screaming.

"FAYE! Can you hear me?" "Drew, see if you can get the door open." "We need to find her. Now."

Mom. Dad. Drew. I opened my mouth to speak but faltered as a wave of dizziness swept through me. I heard pounding, and then the suite door suddenly burst open.

Black spots swam in my vision as the pounding started again, faint but persistent. Distantly, I registered movement around me and heard voices, low but louder with every breath. My eyes fluttered shut just as I felt hands on me. "Faye, open your eyes. Focus on the sound of my voice. Open your eyes, Faye!"

The panicked tone of my brother's voice had my eyes cracking open. Face pale and eyes wide, he stared down at me. I'd never seen him so scared. When he noticed, he glanced away, speaking to someone I couldn't see. "We need to get her to the infirmary. See if you can get ahold of Jonah and..."

My vision blurred again as his voice trailed off. I wanted to wait for Jonah to ensure he was okay, but... I was so tired. Finally, my exhausted brain managed to identify the cause of the persistent pounding in my head. Dizziness and blurred vision were both symptoms of a concussion. I vaguely recalled my head smacking against the ground.

Voices started up again, low and urgent. "Faye?" "Honey, I'm sorry, but this is going to hurt."

Before I could so much as open my mouth, I felt hands on me. Dad and Drew worked together to lift the pillar off my tail, both mermen grunting as they struggled under the weight. Jonah's face appeared above mine, pale and eyes filled with fear as he put a trembling hand on my cheek. Every thought of pain and suffering vanished at the sight of him. He was here; he was okay.

I could finally rest knowing that he made it out. Just as my eyes began to close once more, I heard his voice, low and urgent. "You can't go to sleep yet, Faye. You have to stay awake a little longer, okay?" Though he kept his voice steady, I caught the strain in it.

I opened my eyes and focused on his face. Every little detail was sharp and vivid: the crease between his eyebrows, the dimple on his left cheek, the slant of his eyes. I memorized his face, imprinting it on my mind. Even when I was dead, I would never forget it. I screamed as I felt the pillar's weight vanish and heard a loud thud that shook the seafloor.

I nearly sobbed in relief. But I couldn't make the tears come. As Jonah's face appeared above mine again, I managed a weak smile as my hold on consciousness finally slipped. When I opened my eyes again, I floated through a thick, heavy fog: voices managed to penetrate, but not enough to pull me out.

"You won't hurt her, right? She—she didn't do anything." Scoffing, then a deep, masculine voice—one I knew all too well. I prayed with all I had that this wasn't real. His voice, however, was nearly enough to jolt me back to consciousness.

"What? She killed your father. You said you wanted revenge on her for what she did, right? This is your chance."

Wyatt started to say something else, but pain—tearing, agonizing pain—thrust me back into consciousness. My eyes flew open as I bit down on a scream. Dr. Murphy gave me an apologetic smile as she gently removed her hand from my tail, but I could tell she was relieved I was awake. "I didn't mean to wake you, but I wanted to see how you were doing. The swelling on your tail has decreased significantly, which is a good sign, but I'm more worried about the concussion."

I nearly opened my mouth to ask what she meant but froze as a wave of nausea rolled over me. A steady throbbing began in the very back of my head, which, combined with the nausea, made unconsciousness that much more likely. I slowly sat back against the pillows, breathing slowly and deeply. Jonah's face appeared above mine again, and I nearly began sobbing.

After a few minutes, the nausea disappeared, leaving exhaustion in its wake. Jonah put a hand on my cheek and sighed shakily. "I was so worried, Faye. I'm sorry I wasn't there." The pain in his voice had me opening my mouth before I even registered the movement.

Mom's eyes were filled with tears as she swam beside Jonah and glanced down at me. "No, honey. Don't speak. Your body needs to heal." It was word-for-word what she'd told me a few weeks ago. But this time, I didn't listen.

"No, Mom—you all need to hear this." Without looking around, I knew that Dad and Drew were also there. "I-It was him." I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before speaking again. "It was Wyatt. And Waverly was with him."

Silence descended over the water like a cloak. I saw Mom open her mouth, but I spoke before she could. "I heard him, Mom. I heard Waverly, too. S-she begged him not to hurt me and told him that I didn't do anything wrong." My voice broke as tears slid down my cheeks. "Wyatt then asked her if she wanted revenge on me for what I'd done—killing her father."

That pit of depression, guilt, and shame threatened to swallow me whole as I breathed the words. I hadn't wanted to believe it could be true, but I couldn't deny it any longer. "Wyatt tried to kill me."

I heard a choked sob but didn't dare meet Mom's gaze. When Drew spoke, his voice was heavy and filled with exhaustion. "After we found you, we looked for more survivors." He met my gaze, and what I saw in his eyes stopped my heart.

"I'm so sorry, Faye. When we found her, she wasn't breathing. We rushed over here as fast as we could, but her injuries were severe enough that even with the doctors' ministrations, the best they could do was put her in a medically induced coma to let her body heal by itself. Laguna hasn't left her side since she was admitted." There was such regret and sympathy in his voice that I had to bite back tears.

His words didn't register at first. Whether it was the aftereffects of the concussion or something entirely different, I stared at him blankly for several seconds before they finally sunk in.

Waverly was in a coma. My oldest friend might not survive the night, and it was because of me.

I recalled Wyatt's words, the bitterness he infused into each syllable. '"She killed your father. You said you wanted revenge on her for what she did, right? This is your chance.'" I had to bite back a shudder as they echoed in my head.

I let my head fall into my hands as sobs rolled through my body. That cursed image of Jonah resurfaced in my head yet again, though this time, I was engulfed in a sense of fear and hopelessness so powerful I almost let myself succumb to it. Nearly let myself fall back into that pit of self-loathing and depression I had just barely managed to pull myself out of last time.

With an incredible amount of self-control, I managed to lift my head and meet my husband's gaze. "C-Can I see her?" My voice sounded so weak and small. I was scared, I realized with a shaky inhale. No, not scared—I was terrified.

Mom and Dad exchanged a glance, the latter holding up a finger before slipping out of the room. A minute or two passed before he returned, his face expressionless. I couldn't tell whether it was for my benefit or his. "Laguna said it's okay for the two of you to come, but only if you feel up to it." I could tell by the expression on his face that Laguna had emphasized the last part.

As if in answer, Jonah turned and met my gaze, silently asking if I was up for it. Inch by agonizing inch, I slowly got out of bed, Jonah steadying me with a hand on my back and clasping the other. Even that tiny exertion had sweat pouring down my face and tremors wracking my body. I knew that it would be months—maybe even years—before my body started to recover from this.

My grip on Jonah's hand was impossible to break, and though I knew it had to be painful for him, his face was expressionless. I suspected he would have endured the pain for as long as I needed. When we finally swam in front of Waverly's door, I froze, suddenly paralyzed by fear. That's when a flash of movement out of the corner of my eye caused me to look away. It was quick—barely more than a flash of slanted eyes—but enough to trigger a full-blown panic attack.

Wyatt. He was here. I turned to the first mermaid I saw—a doctor around Dr. Murphy's age, if I had to guess—and began pleading with her to lock down the hospital. "Please. Y-you have to believe me. Everyone in here is g-going to die if we don't barricade the doors. Lock it down. Please." My voice broke, my shoulders slumping with exhaustion as I turned back to Jonah.

When our eyes met, a thousand wordless conversations passed between us. I knew that Jonah would do whatever it took to make sure I got out okay, even if it meant sacrificing his safety in the process. He took my face in his hands and kissed me deeply.

Reluctantly, he was the one who broke the kiss. "Stay with Waverly and Laguna. I'll find your parents and Drew."

He saw the unspoken words in my eyes before I had so much as opened my mouth. "You are my priority, Faye. I will keep them safe, and we will come back to you."

I clung to him, digging my fingers into his shirt, unwilling to let go. Unwilling to accept that this may very well be the last time we saw each other. I pulled back to look at his face one last time, memorizing the features I loved so much. My strength was depleting rapidly, and it took every ounce of willpower inside me to stay upright, never mind swim. But somehow, I managed to let go of him and enter Waverly's room.

Laguna caught me as I faltered, everything crashing down on me like a rogue wave. Pain, regret, fear, depression, anxiety, panic—it was all there and smothering me with every trembling breath I took. I shouldn't have let him go. What if he doesn't come back? What if Drew or my parents don't come back?

I tried to catch my breath, but I couldn't. Whenever I tried to take a deep breath, the best I could manage was a weak inhale. It felt like my chest was caving in on itself. Laguna's voice swam in and out of my ears, faint and fuzzy. "Sweetie, I need you... Just take a breath, Faye... Breathe, honey."

I saw the door crash open and a familiar face staring at me. Wyatt's sadistic grin matched the insane gleam in his eyes. "I've been waiting a very long time for this."

I couldn't hear anything, but I read his lips. "A Siren killing a Siren. How poetic." The last thing I saw was the insane gleam in Wyatt's eyes before unconsciousness overtook me once again, blanketing my senses in that blissful darkness.

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