When I woke up the following day, I panicked as I opened my eyes. For a heartbeat, I didn't remember where I was or what had happened. Then, it all came back in a rush. Hearing Waverly's harsh words in the nightmare, the claustrophobia, then the familiar rush of panic seizing me again. I heard Jonah's worried voice as he spoke, trying to make me slow down.

I remembered the angry tears in my eyes, the knot of anger, bitterness, grief, shame, and depression coalescing in my stomach; I remembered leaving our suite in a rush and ignoring the curious and concerned glances thrown my way. I remembered holding in the scream that was building in my throat, only to unleash it when I finally emerged in the open water. I pushed myself to a sitting position, ignoring the rush of dizziness the movement caused.

Sometime while I'd slept, someone (most likely Uncle Kai) had moved me to my suite. I rarely stayed here, but everyone in our family—regardless of location—had a suite in each realm's palace. I shivered, clutching the blanket tighter around me. A steady throbbing pulsed in the back of my head, making me wonder how long it had been since I'd eaten or drank something.

When the soft knock sounded on the suite door, my hands reflexively clenched on the blanket. It wasn't until a soft voice spoke up from the other side, filled with concern and worry, that I finally allowed myself to relax. "Faye? Honey, it's me."

I swallowed hard, blinking back tears that threatened to fall. "Come in," I called out, trying to steady my voice. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Zander and that cruel smirk. It took me several minutes to get my breathing under control. When Uncle Kai slipped into the suite, a mug of bubble tea in his hands, the concern in his eyes as he swam into the bedroom nearly made me break down again.

He cautiously moved towards me, stopping at the foot of the bed. Whether he noticed my white-knuckled grip on the blankets, he didn't comment. When he finally spoke, his voice was soft. "I sent a letter to your parents telling them what happened. David..." He trailed off, avoiding my gaze. "He was frantic when he and Bella couldn't find you."

My heart broke clean in half as tears filled my uncle's eyes, spilling down his cheeks before he could breathe. He rarely cried, so seeing that raw emotion from him broke something inside me. Even now, I had to take deep breaths with him near me and remind myself for the umpteenth time that I was safe with him, that he would never, ever harm me.

Wordlessly, he reached out to hand me the mug, making sure not to touch me. I had no idea where the words came from, but there they were. "I wasn't just psychologically tortured—he included mental torture, too. Zander, he... he didn't harm me besides running a hand down my cheek and binding my hands, but the sensual implication was still there."

He already knew this, as he was there with the rest of my family when I'd finally revealed what had happened. But there was something I hadn't told him—something only a select few in our family knew. "He..." I squeezed my eyes shut, blowing out a breath and swallowing hard. "I feel broken inside. The mere sight of a merman triggers a panic attack."

I felt the words hit their target and saw when Uncle Kai visibly flinched. I let him fill in the rest of the blanks—I watched his eyes widen when recognition set in. I knew he remembered a few days ago when we'd had our family together, how I'd jumped at the sight of Uncle Jay. My hands shook as I lifted the mug of bubble tea to my lips.

"I love our family," I whispered after I'd taken a sip. "But I don't know when—if ever—I'll be comfortable being touched by a merman again." If I still panicked at the sight of mermen—even those I knew, loved, and trusted—how could I eventually endure being embraced by one?

My eyes filled with tears as I thought of Jonah. I loved him so much that it physically hurt when we were apart. How long could I go without feeling his touch? A month? A year?

Forever? My heart stopped, my breath catching at the thought. The knock, when it came, was soft as if whoever was on the other side didn't want to wake me. Uncle Kai glanced at me, waiting for my consent before speaking. I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and letting it out slowly before I nodded.

"Come in," Uncle Kai called out after a brief hesitation. His uncertainty told me that he remembered my words from moments ago. The door silently opened, revealing Mom and Aunt Nerissa. The latter had her arms around Mom's shoulders, her face pale with worry. Mom didn't even look at me; she stared straight ahead, her gaze blank.

Taking another deep breath, I let it out slowly before speaking. Despite my best efforts, my voice broke. "Mom?"

That word seemed to snap her out of whatever fog hung over her. She blinked once, twice, before finally focusing on my face. The broken sob from her mouth was brimming with worry and fear. I swallowed hard and gathered my strength before rising from the bed.

Uncle Kai immediately moved to my side but never touched me. When I took a stroke and faltered almost instantly, Mom was there, effortlessly taking my weight. Waverly's words returned to me in a rush, triggering regret, guilt, and fear. I don't trust you.

"I'm sorry," I cried, clinging to Mom. "I'm so sorry." I think she knew I wasn't speaking to her, but she dismissed my apologies nevertheless.

"Oh, sweetie," she murmured, stroking my hair. "It's okay. I'm here." Her voice shook as tears spilled down her cheeks. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Uncle Kai move to Aunt Nerissa's side, putting a gentle hand on her shoulder.

They felt my pain as keenly as if it were also happening to them. I hated Zander—more than I ever thought I could hate someone. My blood boiled at the thought of him using his power to hurt innocent mermaids. And now that Waverly's secret was out, I didn't even want to think of what Zander might have in store for his daughter.

I wanted to go to her—more than anything, I wanted her to explain everything—but I knew she'd come to me when she was ready. My heart clenched as I thought of Waverly—my sweet, trusting friend—who'd been lied to for most of her life, who'd spent most of her life cut off from her only sibling. Even though I knew it was entirely Zander's doing, it didn't stop the rush of anger that went through me.

The thought of Waverly having to endure even a fraction of what I had made me nauseous. I swallowed hard as I pulled away from Mom. Before I could open my mouth, a familiar tune reached my ears, filling me with equal amounts of dread and fear. My heart stopped; my mouth went dry as I froze.

"Faye? What—" Mom never got the chance to finish. I heard the Siren Song, but I also heard something else—something that drowned out the melody altogether. Screaming. Horrified, blood-curdling screaming.

I could tell by the fear in their eyes that they also heard it. I left the suite in seconds, ignoring Mom and Uncle Kai calling after me. Within seconds, my muscles were screaming, my chest straining to pull water in and push it out. When I found the source of the screaming, it was as if I had hit an invisible barrier in the water. I stopped short, blinking as if dazed.

My eyes saw what was in front of me clearly, but my mind couldn't catch up fast enough. Everything registered in fragments—Waverly sobbing over a motionless mermaid on the seafloor, her face pale and stained with tears; Laguna floating near her daughter with an arm wrapped around her stomach, face as pale as death; the dark-blue pendant on a string half-buried in the silt, as if neither of them had wanted to be near it.

When Waverly saw me, the look in her eyes stole the water from my lungs. I was left gasping as she hurried over to me, her face a mess of grief, shame, anger, regret—and perhaps worst of all—hatred.

She was sobbing violently enough that a ragged gasp for water punctured each word. "Faye—please. I—didn't—have—a—choice. He—he—said—he—would—kill—" Tears drowned out the rest of her words.

Though every instinct was screaming to turn away, to get as far away from this as possible, I couldn't help myself. I glimpsed the blood on the young mermaid's chest and her blank, lifeless eyes staring blankly at the surface, and I lost it. I threw my head back and screamed, the sound full of anger, grief, depression, hatred, and regret. My throat burned with unshed tears, those already brimming in my eyes spilling down my cheeks a heartbeat later.

The hollow feeling that had haunted me for so long—that had been both my companion and my worst enemy—now resided in Waverly, too, something I'd tried my hardest to avoid. Looking into her eyes, I saw a heartbreakingly familiar emptiness, one I knew all too well.

I crumpled on the ground, the ragged sobs that ripped free from my throat bordering on feral. My body felt impossibly heavy—like the weight of every horrible, despicable thing I'd ever done rested on my shoulders. Hatred burned inside me, flowing through my veins like lava—not for Zander, not for Waverly, but for myself. I hated that my oldest friend had been tortured like I had.

I hated that she now had to live with the same memories that haunted my thoughts and nightmares. I hated that I hadn't been fast enough to stop Zander. The moment I felt hands on me, instinct kicked in. I shied away, wrapping my arms around myself and curling into a ball. "It's just me, Faye," a gentle voice said.

Mom. I didn't move a muscle, my arms wrapped protectively around myself. "I'm here, sweetheart. I love you so much." Her voice told me that she was struggling to hold back tears.

"I—I can't—" Emotion choked me, making speaking impossible. I knew Mom sensed my unspoken words and the agony I was currently in.

Exhaustion crept up and tapped me on my shoulder, causing my eyelids to droop. I felt as if I was falling into a deep, dark ravine—one I wasn't sure if I would ever get out of.

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