"Mum... hey," Rowan said, out of breath with sweat dripping down his forehead.

"Rowan," Mandy greeted him in the hallway, watching him rest his hands on his knees to get his breath back. "Did you run home?"

Rowan stood back up, and he wanted to blurt everything out. You're a liar. You're a liar. You're a liar. Rowan ran a hand down his face, wiping the sweat from his head at the same time. How could he confront her when he didn't know the facts? Rowan had run away from the opportunity of an explanation. He had never let his dad finish.

Rowan was scared to know more. His world was changing fast. Clinging onto his parents was the only sense of familiarity he had left. However, he was tired of running away from the truth. "I need to talk to you," he breathed. "I spoke to dad today about-"

"I need to talk to you too," Mandy interrupted. She looked a little skittish. "The Thalassic Mortals are after you."

Rowan stopped planning how to confront her. His train of thought was suddenly redirected. "What?"

"I caught a Thalassic Mortal with legs trying to break into the house. It had legs Rowan, legs! They're evolving."

Rowan leaned against the wall. "What... uh, what did you do- when you caught K- the Thalassic Mortal with legs?"

"Knocked him out. Luckily, I had a group of hunters here to catch him because I couldn't see him, they could. We've taken the sea creature to the base to study him."

Rowan felt the need to cry out as if he was in pain. Instead, he worked hard to keep his face as still as possible. He had to be tactful. Kaerius was in trouble, and Rowan was the only person on land who cared about him. If you can't outrun the lions, trick them, he thought. "Did it hurt you?" Rowan asked and rested a hand on his mother's shoulder, acting like he cared.

"No, no, I'm fine. The stupid fish boy threw himself out of your window. I don't know how he expected to escape. Apparently, he could hardly breathe when we got to him."

Rowan's other hand was behind his back. He pushed his nails into his palms to stop his anger reaching his expression. "I bet that was painful."

"Yeah, I'm sure it looked it when he landed with a thud," Mandy clapped her hands and Rowan flinched, "on the grass."

Rowan swallowed thickly. The thought made him want to vomit. Kaerius must have been terrified to throw himself out of the bedroom window.

"What base did you take him to?" Rowan asked and put his backpack down. He felt his hands starting to tremble, so he shoved them in his pockets.

"The one on the edge of town. It's the farthest one from the sea," Mandy said with a smile and Rowan wanted to wipe it off her face.

"He had legs, you said. That's worrying. There's nothing in the Thalassic Mortal file about sea creatures with human legs." Rowan found it easier to lie when he was angry. Right now, he was livid.

Mandy seemed pleased that he had read the file. "I've never seen one with legs. I didn't know they could do that unless a human has mated with a Thalassic Mortal. Ugh. That thought alone makes me want to pull those damn legs off the Thalassic freak."

Rowan had heard her talk that way about Thalassic Mortals before. Now that she was talking about someone he knew, he realised just how disgusting her attitude was. Rowan wished he could be loud and proud and tell her what was going on. His mum would have a meltdown, and he feared he would never see Kaerius again. Some truths were best buried away.

"How long will you keep him in the base?" Rowan asked.

"I don't know," Mandy shrugged. "We'll question him until we know how and why he has legs, then he'll never see the sun again. I can't believe we caught him roaming the house. How stupid can they get?"

"So, you really didn't think Thalassic Mortals could get legs?" Rowan asked, staring intensely at his mother, searching for anything that told him she was lying.

"No. It's not in the file. Why would I know?"

Rowan shrugged. "You seemed to know everything else. Dad made it sound like you had big secrets about Thalassic Mortals," Rowan said with forced amusement.

Mandy didn't look amused. "Ignore your father. He likes to make you choose sides."

Rowan watched her stretch and walk to the kitchen. His mother was either an exceptional liar or what his father had said wasn't right. Rowan was now angry at himself for running away from his father that morning. He could have known everything, even if it was a lie.

"Mum," Rowan said, hurrying after her. "What's a sovereign of the sea?"

"A what?" Mandy asked with her head in the fridge.

"A sovereign of the sea."

Mandy turned to look at him. Her eyes were suspicious. "Are you talking supernatural terms or..." Rowan nodded. "Oh, well, I don't know. Never heard of one."

"Mum," Rowan said again, and Mandy sighed with annoyance. "Is Gran a hunter?"

"Which Gran?"

"Your mum."

Mandy slammed the fridge. "I haven't seen that woman in years."

Estranged, Rowan thought. "Is she a hunter, though?"

"No. I learned everything from my brother. I thought you knew that?"

Rowan checked the clock. Every minute that past was a minute too long. "You probably told me before." Rowan tapped the worktop. A plan was churning. "I'm off to study. See you later."

"Rowan wait," Mandy rushed to the door before her son disappeared upstairs. "Just so you know, the Thalassic Mortal you saved when I shot him in the shoulder was the one who was in our house. He was coming for you, even after you showed him kindness. You can't trust them."

Rowan stared at his feet. He knew Kaerius wasn't given a chance. Rowan could hear him with his broken English apologising and trying to explain. He turned away from his mother. "Are you sure he was here to hurt people?"

"He's a Thalassic Mortal. What else would he be doing?"

Rowan clenched his jaw. His veins crackled with rage. He was going to rescue Kaerius, and then, Rowan was going to move out and banish the evil from his life. He couldn't live with a monster, not anymore.

* * * * *

Rowan waited until his mother went to bed to sneak downstairs and out of the house. He had a backpack with him, and inside were weapons, torches, matches, first aid, and an antidote to the poison. Rowan was going to the base. He was going to break in, rescue Kaerius, and be on his way. Rowan was trained by the best to protect himself. It was unfortunate that Rowan had to go up against other humans, though it was hardly surprising.

Rowan stared at the ocean when he reached the road. He could see torches down by the rocks; Mandy had ordered hunters to protect their home. Rowan hoped that Jaiker and Laiken would stay safe on the ocean floor.

With a glance to the moon, Rowan inhaled the fresh night air and jumped on his skateboard. He had a long ride ahead of him.

When Rowan finally reached the base, it took him 40 minutes. He left his skateboard in a bush and watched with binoculars. The base was nothing more than a run-down church. Parts of the roof had caved in and had been covered with waterproof material. If Kaerius was in there, Rowan hoped he wasn't cold.

"As soon as we flung him in seawater, the legs were gone. I'm disturbed, really," a man laughed into the radio. Rowan recognised him, but he didn't know his name. Gripping his bag straps, Rowan waited until the man guarding the entrance had turned his back before jumping to another bush. He was quiet on his feet and didn't make a single noise.

He repeated the jump five more times until he was in the bush right next to the entrance. The man with the radio paced back and forth, but he never wandered far enough for Rowan to slip through the door. If Rowan were caught, they would recognise him as Mandy's son, or they would think he was just another teenager trying to break in to see what they were doing.

Rowan had prepared for this situation. He rummaged slowly through his bag and pulled out a wind-up bath toy. It was a green plastic frog with legs that kicked around in a circle. Rowan held the legs and wound up the toy. When the leaver on the top wouldn't turn anymore, Rowan lunged it over the man's head, and it landed in the bushes at the other side of the church.

As expected, the man's gaze shot in that direction. The frog's legs were turning and turning, making it sound like someone was trampling through the plants. The man sent a quick message over his radio and hurried in the direction of the bath toy.

Rowan ran out of the bush, remembering to stay quiet. He jogged up the stairs and slipped through the gap in the door. And just like that, he was in the base. His mother would both be proud and annoyed that it was so easy to break into one of her bases.

Rowan was so rushed with adrenaline, and once he was in the base, he didn't duck for cover as smoothly as he would like. He collided with another person, sending them both crashing to the hard marble floor.

"What the hell, man!" the guy said, holding onto his shoulder.

Rowan scrambled to his knees, ready to punch and go, but he recognised the face. "Wez?"

"Rowan? It's great to see you looking so well, but what are you doing here?"

Rowan pulled the man to his feet. "I'm uh... I heard about the Thalassic Mortal with legs. I wanted to see him."

"It's a little late, don't you think?" Wez checked his watch. It was almost midnight.

"Yeah, well..." Rowan plucked the most believable lie from his head. "Mum wouldn't let me go without her, so I waited until she was in bed to come. It's not cool turning up with your mum, you know?"

Wez chuckled, and Rowan relaxed. "All right, but don't tell her you've seen me. Come on; he's in the room in the back." Wez still felt bad about leaving Rowan when he was dragged underwater. He would do anything to please the kid.

Rowan thanked whoever was listening and followed Wez through the church. His eyes were alert, and they glanced around at the other hunters. Some nodded at him, knowing who he was. Others stared from their computers. One woman watched him with a frown as she sharpened an already sharp-looking blade.

The church was dimly lit, dirty, and smelled like metal, sweat, and blood.

As Rowan neared the back of the room, his heart started to beat faster as if he was excited. His soul vibrated inside of him. He felt warm, and his insides pumped affection round his body. Kaerius was close. Rowan could feel him, but he still couldn't hear his thoughts.

"You sure you won't tell your mum about this?" Wez asked with a hand on the door handle.

"I'm sure. If mum knew I was here, she'd have a fit. So, we're both in trouble if I tell her."

Wez seemed satisfied and pushed the door open. Rowan's chest felt all fuzzy until he saw Kaerius, and his heart screamed with desolation.