My hands are shaking at my sides, my body crying out for rest as I swim. Every time I start to slow, a hand roughly shoves me forward. The sun provides only a sliver of light to see by, barely enough for me to make out my own hands in front of my face. "Please," I whimper, fear and anxiety nearly choking me. "I—I'll do anything." My heart is pounding so loud, I'm amazed I'm the only one that can hear it.

When we finally stop, I'm tense, as if I'm expecting someone to ambush us. My captor finally turns around to face me, eyes glinting in and out of focus. "Hello, Faye," Wyatt says, a smug grin on his face.

My heart stops dead in my chest. He holds up a finger, disappearing into another room. As he does so, I take a minute to get my bearings. We're in what looks to be an abandoned house, every room (or what I can see of them) in shambles or ruin. He returns moments later with a lava torch. The sudden blaze of light has me flinching, jerking backwards.

"W-what do you want with me?" I ask, hating the way my voice trembles. He clicks his tongue, shaking his head.

"I told you, Faye," he says, voice filled with malice. "You didn't listen. Now your family is paying the price."

I can't breathe. The aforementioned fear and anxiety are indeed choking me now, cutting off the water flow to my lungs. I'm gasping, stuttering, trying to speak. "N—No! Y—you pro—promised—" The word is cut off as he disappears yet again, reappearing a heartbeat later with a mermaid.

My eyes are so wide, I'm afraid they're going to pop out of my head. Mom is covered in silt, her beautiful dress torn and spotted with blood. She locks eyes with me, a cry escaping her lips as she does so. Dad is dragged beside her a heartbeat later, silt covering him as well. His suit is also torn and spotted with blood, a bruise underneath his left eye glaring at me.

He meets my gaze, but doesn't open his mouth. As far as I can tell, besides the bruise on his face, he appears uninjured. I'm seconds away from rushing towards them, a cry already clawing its way up my throat.

I'm stopped yet again, however, as Wyatt reappears (I hadn't even seen him leave that time) with another merman. I falter, all the strength draining from my body in a rush. Jacob's eyes are wild as he whips his head back and forth, getting his bearings.

The cry bursts free from my lips, ending in a scream. Tears are already welling in my eyes, spilling down my cheeks before I can stop them. Wyatt's plan slowly unfolds before me, filling me with a mixture of horror and fear. Who do I care about the most? My birth father, whom I barely know, or my adoptive parents, who gave me a home and a stable family life?

In my quick scan of Jacob, he appears uninjured. It's his turn to lock eyes with me, the words in them as clear as if he'd written them down. They're filled with so much love, so much admiration, that I have to bite down on the sob rising inside me. It's okay, Faye. I love you. I'll always love you. Be happy.

Tears spill down his cheeks when he takes a breath, as if steadying himself. I shake my head, desperation rising and swelling inside me like a wave. If he hasn't moved—if he hasn't done anything yet—maybe I can stop him—

Before the words even finish forming in my mind, Wyatt has already pulled out a hidden dagger. I'm screaming, pleading, begging for him to stop. Jacob's gaze stays locked on me, his rapid breathing the only sign of his panic.

"N-no," I sob, lurching toward them. "Please. Don't make me choose."

As the smile slowly spreads across his face, I realize my mistake. The next few moments happen in slow motion; yet it's over in a heartbeat. Watching Wyatt grip Jacob's shoulder with one hand and angle the dagger in the other; Jacob's eyes widening, his audible swallow as he realizes what's about to happen; the scream that jerks from my mouth seeming to last an eternity; the feeling of Mom holding me back.

As I watch his limp body fall to the seafloor, something inside me—something vital—shatters into a million pieces. My own body sinks to the ground, my mind blank. When I opened my eyes, I was disoriented and numb.

I sat up in bed, my hands clutching the blankets so tightly my knuckles were white. It took several minutes for my heartbeat to return to normal, for me to reassure myself that it had been just a nightmare. Even though it had felt so real.

Almost as quickly as it had returned to normal, my breathing again turned ragged, uneven. Jacob's eyes were forever frozen in my mind, the words reflected in them forever imprinted on my heart. It's okay, Faye. I love you. I'll always love you. Be happy.

Sobbing, gasping for water, I squeezed my eyes shut, pulling the covers up to my chin. The frantic beating of my heart was amplified in my ears, drowning out any outside noise. I tried to calm down, slow my breathing, but I couldn't. A strangled cry escaped my throat as the images quickly smothered me.

Dimly, I heard the sound of a door opening, then voices. Soft at first, then getting louder as they swam closer to me. I still had my eyes shut, so I flinched when I felt hands on me. "Faye? Can you hear me? It's Drew. Listen to my voice. You're safe, Faye. I promise."

I took a bracing breath, then finally opened my eyes. The instant I looked into my brother's eyes, filled with the same love as Jacob's had been, the tears began anew. He didn't say anything, just held me tightly as I sobbed. I'm not sure how long we stayed like that, but when the tears finally subsided—when I finally lifted my head from his shoulder—I felt numb. Empty.

My head spun as I looked at Drew. "He—he told me to choose. But how—how could I possibly make that choice? I—I k—" My voice broke, words failing me.

He pressed a kiss to my forehead. "I won't let him hurt you anymore. I promise."

I wanted to believe his words more than anything. But deep down, the unshakable truth remained, filling me with bone-chilling fear. Wyatt would not stop until each and every member of my family was dead. The only question was, would I be able to stop him before it was too late?

Read and review!