The days, weeks, and months following Faye's death blurred together until the most manageable routine became difficult. Her funeral came and went—a haze of tears, voices, and crowds—and (if such a thing was possible) I retreated further into myself. I hardly slept or ate; I barely left my suite. Occasionally, someone would knock on my door or try to reach out through a note, but I never responded.

It was about three months after her funeral that I finally forced myself to get out of the palace. If only to do something about the emptiness inside me. I swam with no particular destination in mind and surprised myself when I stopped in front of two familiar graves—ones I hadn't visited in quite some time. The inscriptions, worn by time and erosion, were illegible, but I knew them by heart.

Here lies Carla Sydney Mercer, a light in the darkness and a soul whose life was taken from these waters too soon. May she feel no pain as her soul rests for eternity.

Here lies Arabella Grace Mercer, a light in the darkness and a soul whose life was taken from these waters too soon. May she feel no pain as her soul rests for eternity.

With a single breath, the tears that were starting to gather in my eyes streamed down my cheeks as I shuddered. I paused before the former's grave, brushing a hand against the smooth stone. Out in the open—with only endless seafloor and the occasional sea creature to witness my outburst—I took a deep breath, then screamed as loud as possible.

My hands trembled when I sank to the seafloor, clenching my fists at my sides as I bowed my head, struggling to contain the turmoil inside me. Anger, grief, sorrow, and agony fought for control of my emotions, all centering on that image of Faye laying motionless in the hospital bed. "It's all my fault," I whispered, my voice breaking as the horrible truth finally came out.

I kept my eyes on Carla's gravestone, focusing on my breathing. After a few minutes, I slowly regained my composure, enough to swim away from the gravestones and the memories they evoked. I surprised myself again when I stopped before the Bronze Mermaid a few minutes later. That emptiness was still clawing at me—attempting to consume me—but it dawned on me a heartbeat later that I couldn't remember the last time I'd eaten an actual meal.

Taking another deep breath, I exhaled slowly before opening the door to sensory overload: the clink and clatter of cutlery and plates, the rising chatter of the customers, the shouts in the kitchen between cooks and servers. Memories of Faye threatened to overwhelm me, but I shoved against them with everything I had.

I forced myself to swim calmly to a table and sit, clasping my trembling hands in my lap as I stared at nothing. No one immediately approached me, and I made no attempts to bring attention to myself. It was only when I heard a soft voice speak up from near me that I lifted my head. "Welcome to the Bronze Mermaid. My name is Adriana, but you can call me Ani. What can I get for you today?"

I felt a tiny piece of my heart slowly heal at the sight of her gray eyes, widening with recognition as something caused me to look up at her. Whether it was the gentleness in her voice or merely the fact that she was the first mermaid to speak to me outside of our family since the funeral, I didn't know.

I blinked at her as I took a deep breath, then cleared my throat. When I responded, my voice was hollow. "Um, lobster and a bubble tea, please." The words hadn't even finished echoing before my stomach growled. I gave her a weak, sheepish smile as she nodded, stifling a laugh.

She swam away, a glimmer of laughter shining in her eyes as she glanced over her shoulder before turning away. I blew out a heavy breath when I rubbed my eyes. Stifling a yawn, I looked to my left as motion caught my eye. An old, temperamental merman swam over to the table, sympathy on his face as he looked down at me. "Hey, Drew. How're you holding up?"

I blinked several times before recognition finally dawned on me. His name was Calder, and he was Faye's old boss. I gave him the same weak smile I'd given Ani as I nodded. "Taking it day by day. We all are."

He eased into the seat across from me, fixing his eyes on my face. "I know that nothing I say or do can ease the ache that you and your family are feeling, but I wanted to tell you that if you need anything, please don't hesitate to reach out. All of you," he added gently.

I swallowed hard before nodding again. "Thanks," I replied. It was then that Ani reappeared with my lobster and bubble tea. She set them down in front of me before glancing between Calder and me. He gave her a kind smile as he rose from his seat, looking at me one last time.

"Remember what I said, Drew," he told me before swimming away. I picked at my food, not realizing Ani had lingered until she spoke, her voice soft.

"You're Drew, right? Faye's brother?" Her words cut through me like knives, taking my breath away even though she hadn't meant for them to. I bit my tongue so hard I tasted blood as memories of those heart-stopping moments after her injury flashed through my mind.

My mad swim to the infirmary, pushing my body and lungs to the limit, screaming for help, staying for what felt like an eternity in the waiting room—they pelted me like rocks, hitting their marks with precise accuracy. For a moment, I couldn't breathe.

All I could see was the blood on my hands; all I could hear was the sound of my panicked breaths in my ears as I swam like mad to get to the infirmary. Blinking away the horrible memories, I took another deep breath, dragging myself back to the present.

"Yeah. It's nice to meet you." I could tell by the look in her eyes that she noticed the hollowness in my voice. Thankfully, she didn't push, but the kindness in her gaze was almost too much.

When she spoke again, her voice was sympathetic. "Calder can't stop talking about Faye, telling me what a fantastic waitress and mermaid she was. How kind and loving she was. I may not have known her, but she sounds like a great mermaid." The genuine warmth in her voice tugged at something inside me—something I couldn't identify.

"Let me know if you need anything else." I gave her a weak nod as she swam away, leaving me to the abyss that was my mind. I quickly drained the bubble tea and shoved my food away after picking at it for several minutes. I left the restaurant and swam until I'd left it far behind, pausing as I glanced around.

I knew it was the longest of long shots, but I meant what I'd said: I'd search every realm until I found Zander, and he paid for what he'd done to our family. When I glimpsed a shock of dirty blond hair in the distance, I moved before the thought fully formed. If I'd been thinking clearly, I would have found it strange how Zander hadn't even tried to bolt when he'd seen me approaching him.

As it was, I didn't even notice the stillness with which he regarded me as I swam up to him. Nor did I hear the faint voice in the distance calling my name with panicked urgency. "Drew!" I went somewhere so deep inside myself that I knew nothing short of a miracle would pull me out.

He never moved; he only stared at me with that mocking grin. I didn't wait for him to speak. I gave into the sorrow and anger gripping my heart with an iron fist as I drew back my own and aimed for his face.

Before I made contact, however, I felt two strong arms slip into my own, quickly restraining me. "There's no one there, Drew," a deep, familiar voice hissed in my ear. "Calm down. Take a breath."

For a long moment, I fought against Jonah's grip, my blood roaring in my ears, urging me to strike Zander. To make him pay for what he did to Faye. "He's not there, Drew. Do you hear me? He's not there."

When Jonah's words finally registered, I went limp as the tears I'd been trying to hold in for so long finally streamed down my face. "It hurts," I whispered, my voice breaking. "It hurts so much."

Jonah's voice was tight as he spoke—like he was holding back tears. "I know. And it will never stop hurting. But we can't give up. We can't give in to the sorrow and anger inside us. If we do, we'll be just as bad as Zander."

I furiously swiped at the tears on my cheeks, my ragged breathing filling the silence in the wake of Jonah's words. Ever since Faye's death, there was only one thing that had kept me from surrendering to the grief and agony threatening to swallow me whole: imagining Zander dead at my hand. I wanted to watch him take his dying breath, knowing that it was my hand that killed him.

I broke free of Jonah's grip and whirled around to face him, seething. "How are you so calm about this? How can you possibly tell me that Zander doesn't deserve what he did to Faye? You can't tell me you don't want to see Zander dead for what he did." Jonah was her husband. Out of all of us, he had taken Faye's death the hardest.

He'd grieved silently, maintaining a composed façade when out in public but breaking down in the privacy of their suite. Even now, whenever someone mentioned Faye's name, his gaze would turn vacant as memories washed over him. It was only then, in my scan of his body, that I noticed a familiar ring on a chain around his neck.

All the water disappeared from my lungs in a rush as I staggered backward. "W-where did you get that?" I whispered hoarsely. I didn't clarify, but he knew what I meant. My hands clenched at the sight of her wedding ring.

Jonah swallowed so hard it looked painful. The tear streaks on his face were stark against his ashen skin. "I stopped by the infirmary a few days ago. Dr. Murphy had collected all of Faye's belongings and said I was welcome to have any valuables. The ring and her messenger bag were the only things I kept. The..." He trailed off as his voice broke.

I didn't push him. When he spoke again, his voice was hoarse. "The dress that she'd been wearing wasn't salvageable. I've been sleeping in one of her cloaks every night. It's the only way I can sleep."

Jonah's words brought back every emotion I'd been trying to bury. Grief, agony, anger, regret, depression, shame—I felt like they were squeezing the water from my lungs. My chest rose and fell violently as I struggled to breathe through the agony coursing through me.

Out in the open water, with only Jonah and the sea creatures to hear me, I voiced the thoughts plaguing me since her death. "It's all my fault. I should have been faster—I should have paid more attention to our surroundings. I promised Carla that I would protect her."

My voice broke on the last word as I knuckled a tear away before it could fall. "But I couldn't. I couldn't save Carla, Ella, or Faye. What good am I if I can't protect those I love?"

The last syllable hadn't even finished echoing when pain sliced across my back, sharper than a dagger. It was as if someone had repeatedly cut open my back before sloppily stitching it back together. When I realized what was happening, I bit my tongue so hard I tasted blood. The injury that I'd suffered years ago—eerily similar to what had happened to Faye, I realized now with horror—was flaring up again.

It hadn't done so in quite some time, but with the strain I'd caused my body over the past few months, I shouldn't have been surprised. A garbled cry broke from my lips as I faltered. Jonah rushed to catch me, his worried voice muffled. "Drew? What's wrong? Can you hear me? Drew!"

Oblivion beckoned with every ragged breath, and this time, I didn't fight it. I knew I would most likely dream of Faye, but I didn't care. I just wanted the pain to stop. Like a gentle wave, I let the oblivion drag me under until darkness completely consumed me.

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