I had no idea what the boom was at first, I wrote it off, not the most common occurrence because of this war between the merfolk we had going, but nothing too worrying. The merfolk war had been going on for a while now, I've lost count of the months. Another boom. Closer. Screams followed. Another boom. On top of the city now. Panic. The vibrations of the alarm were felt as patrols outside were swiftly murdered. I saw out our windows the Merfolk, I assume from the village North of here. We've always had problems of some sort with them. I had no idea where my sisters were, but I heard the screams of so many others.  I shared a look with Orlyn as I stood up. She grabbed my hand and signed for me to stay with her and Rayn, saying that I'd probably be killed out there. She was absolutely right, so I stayed, just worrying about whether or not Ayden and my sisters will return. 
 
     Only one returned that night, Ayden. He told us that they still had more work to do, cleaning up the city and whatnot, but he was sent home by his comrades for some undisclosed reason. He looked exhausted, so I let it be. A week came and went, Ayden was gone more than he was at home. Not much different than normal. I presumed he had longer days because of the raid, so I let it go pretty easily. That week was a long one, the days blurring together as our routine stayed exactly as it was, Avlyn and Kaelyn still hadn't showed by the fourth day, and I started to get really worried that something else was going on.  

     At the end of the week, Ayden came home later than usual. I was bringing in a shark I had hunted for dinner, carrying it over my shoulder as I swam through the back door, and saw him standing in the kitchen with his back turned to me. I gave him a small greeting, as I turned away to prep the shark. He called my name. I turned around and his bloodshot eyes met mine, his tear-stained face immediately raising a red flag. "I am so sorry" he said, just quiet enough so I could hear it. I took a step forward, ready for anything. I've never seen this man cry; I didn't think he was capable of it. I gave him a questioning look, before responding in the same quiet tone, "Where is Avlyn and Kaelyn? They couldn't be on duty for this long." I take another step forward, taking in the situation. "They're gone. Been gone since the raid." he said, guilt in his tone. 

      I drop the hunting dagger I was holding, hearing a slight ringing in my ears. I remember the room spinning slightly as it sunk in. "Gone as in captured or gone as in..." I couldn't finish that sentence. I felt frozen. "Dead, Liryn." I saw tears flow down his face. "And it's my fault." With more resentment in my voice than I would like to admit, I asked, "What did you do? Why didn't you tell us?" It all spiraled from there. He claimed that because of Rayn's heavy addiction he needed more funds, so he, using his rank to his advantage, decided to sell the information on the government that he had. It wasn't enough that we had been fighting a war for gods know how long, but he had to jeopardize everybody in this city for money. Money, that we apparently didn't have enough of, to feed Rayn's addiction. 
    
     All I saw was red. I was shaking, I felt like my insides were burning me alive. So many questions were going through my head like a whirlpool. "You killed them, I don't give two shits about the details, why the fuck would you go through with that? You sold everything?! What if the information got to someone else? How could you do that, Ayden?! You've risked everybody!" I was screaming at this point. That was the first time I called him anything besides "father". His tears stopped, and I saw his expression change, from guilt to regret. "I knew you wouldn't understand, you naïve girl. I did everything I could for this damn family, and this is the thanks I get?" Anger enveloped his face, as he stepped forward. "I shouldn't have come to you." He was in front of me now, his eyes were void of anything. 

      He swung. I was knocked on my back, him moving on top of me now, still swinging. My face, chest, shoulders, anything he could hit. This wasn't my father anymore. I tried kicking him off, swinging, screaming, anything to get him off me. Nothing worked. Then he stopped, only for a brief moment. Through my blurred vision, I saw him grab something from behind him, a glint of something pierced my vision. A knife. It only took him a split second, not even a second thought, to stab my right shoulder. I screamed, feeling the resistance of me being pinned to the ground as I tried to escape. Adrenaline rushed through me as I willed the strength to kick as hard as I can, upwards. He fell off me, as I ripped the knife from my shoulder, blood surrounding the water around us, and stabbed him in his chest. 

Again.

And again.

And again.