Chào các bạn! Vì nhiều lý do từ nay Truyen2U chính thức đổi tên là Truyen247.Pro. Mong các bạn tiếp tục ủng hộ truy cập tên miền mới này nhé! Mãi yêu... ♥

Chapter 1

A door creaking open in the distance jerked me from a restless sleep. I jolted upright with a gasp, reaching for the mermaid in bed beside me—needing to feel her heartbeat and hear her breathing, to know she was alive. She stirred when I laid my head on her chest, and her eyelids fluttered open. "Drew?" Her voice, soft and husky with sleep, was a lifeline in a stormy sea.

My chest hitched as I struggled to draw a breath. For several agonizing seconds, I wasn't in our suite with Ani beside me—I was waking up in the infirmary with Mom and Dad and watching Mom's lips form the words that still scared me half to death. Ani is dead.

And she nearly had been. Dr. Murphy had said they'd lost her twice before they managed to bring her back. She'd come dangerously close to permanent brain damage after slamming head-first into a broken pillar. Only emergency surgery had saved her from any life-altering side effects. She'd also cracked a lung and bruised a rib. Despite still experiencing occasional headaches and persistent fatigue, Ani determinedly returned to her daily routine. 

She'd resumed her job at the Bronze Mermaid with a new, reduced schedule. Instead of working all day, she worked every day from noon to sunset. Calder had been shocked to hear the news but relieved that Ani had recovered. We'd all agreed that a lighter schedule would be preferable, especially since she was still experiencing fatigue. Dr. Murphy stated that it would likely persist indefinitely due to her injury.

When I didn't answer, she touched my cheek, the contact forcing me to meet her gaze. I stared at her, unable to speak. "I'm right here. I'm okay." Though she said the words calmly, I saw the glimmer of terror in her eyes—there and gone instantly. I squeezed her hand as I took slow, measured breaths.

Although more than two years had passed since the attack, scars remained—both visible and invisible. Beltmare's palace still bore physical scars, to say nothing of its royal family and servants. Countless servants had died, and more than a dozen had sustained severe injuries. Aunt Izzy, thankfully, had escaped with nothing more than a concussion and a broken arm, while Elle had some bruises and a sprained wrist.

Both mermaids had healed their physical injuries long ago, but the same couldn't be said for their mental and emotional health. Not long after the attack, both mermaids had been diagnosed with PTSD. Elle had gone from happy and bubbly to solemn and melancholy, rarely smiling or laughing. Aunt Izzy hardly left the palace, save for school and the occasional leisurely swim.

Ross had neither been seen nor heard from in the two years since the attack, but each realm's rulers had warned its citizens to be highly cautious when leaving their homes. "Are you feeling up to breakfast? We could go down, or we could eat here." Even as the words left Ani's mouth, I felt the shudder move through her body. I knew she dreaded the swim from our suite to the dining room, even if she'd never said it aloud.

Her reduced stamina made her take more frequent breaks when swimming—even as short a distance as from our suite to the dining room. I often glimpsed her frustration when she couldn't keep up with us or when we had to slow down for her sake. Mom and Dad had narrowly avoided injury by some miracle, arriving moments after the worst damage had occurred. They'd hardly left our sides in the weeks following the attack when our injuries made getting out of bed impossible.

It wasn't the physical side effects that hindered us; it was the mental. Both of us continued suffering from nightmares, most of which had us surviving on near-sleepless nights. When I finally answered, my voice was hollow. "Let's go down. Waverly and Laguna said they'd meet us there."

If it hadn't been for Waverly and Laguna, I don't think either Ani or I would have survived those dark, cold, and lonely days after the attack. Both mermaids had visited almost every day, bringing food and cheerful company. Neither had been present during the attack but had heard bits and pieces from Ani and me.

Parts of the wall Ani had built around herself in the aftermath of the attack had slowly started to come down, but I knew it would never disappear completely. Waverly had brought great joy to her as her lady-in-waiting (and vice versa), but it took her a long time to feel at ease enough to start opening up again. 

Mom, Laguna, and Waverly were the only mermaids Ani had been around almost daily since the attack. Ani finished getting dressed and reached for my hand as we left the suite together. "Your mom said we could visit Elle after breakfast. I think she'll benefit from some company."

Even though I managed a brief (albeit genuine) smile at her words, it quickly disappeared as thoughts of Elle filled my mind. She'd celebrated her 11th birthday a few weeks ago—at the palace in Beltmare. Aunt Izzy and Uncle Kai had tried to convince her to get out and celebrate with her friends, but she refused, saying she preferred a quiet, low-key celebration—which meant family only. She'd barely left the palace in the two years since the attack, save for school and the occasional leisurely swim.

Even Ms. Jessica had commented on her introvertedness. She'd had many conversations with Aunt Izzy and Uncle Kai, but they'd told her the same thing that Dr. Murphy had told them—the psychological part of her recovery may never be fully complete. "I think so, too. It's been a while since we've seen her."

As we approached the dining room, I felt Ani stop and stiffen—and I knew it wasn't just because she needed to catch her breath. We heard lively chatter and laughter from inside, yet neither of us moved to open the door. I listened to her breathing quicken and saw her face turn white. I turned to face her as I took both her hands.

"Breathe," I said quietly, the word barely more than a push of breath. "In through the nose, out through the mouth. Watch me." I inhaled through my nose and exhaled through my mouth several times, urging her to copy me. Her uneasiness around crowds and packed spaces had never gone away. She'd never said it aloud, but being trapped under that pillar with all the dead surrounding her for so long had left her with severe claustrophobia.

I kept my eyes on hers as I spoke. "We can return to our room and eat there if you want. Just say the word. I'm perfectly fine with it being just the two of us." There wasn't an ounce of hesitation in my words or gaze as I looked at her. I wanted her to see that I had no problem returning to our room.

Truthfully, I had begun to share her aversion to crowds and packed spaces. We had both improved significantly over the past two years thanks to exposure therapy, but it was still hard sometimes. When she finally responded, her voice shook slightly. "N-no. I'm okay. Let's go in."

The color slowly returned to her face as she took a deep, steadying breath before blowing it out. She'd worked tirelessly to combat her claustrophobia, starting small and working her way up. Wanting to eat in the dining room was a massive stroke in the right direction. I held tightly to her hand as I opened the door, and we swam inside.

I had just glimpsed a flash of golden-brown hair when I heard my name. "Drew!" Mom's face appeared in the distance as she waved. The continuous ache I felt whenever I saw my parents resurfaced. Though the attack had not caused them any physical injuries, they still carried psychological and mental scars beneath the surface.

Both looked like they'd aged a decade in the two years since. Weariness had etched permanent lines on Mom's face, accented by her beautiful golden-brown hair now shot through with grey. Her eyes held a haunted expression that I didn't think would ever disappear. Her smiles (when they appeared) were still genuine; they just faded quicker than usual.

Dad was even worse. If anyone even mentioned the attack, he would turn pale and shaky and not speak to anyone for hours. I knew why Dad shut down—guilt twisted my stomach whenever I thought about it. He experienced nightmares, too, but his were rooted in anxiety rather than panic. Not being able to find and save us from the destruction still weighed heavily on him.

I swam over to Mom, a gentle smile on my face as I wrapped my arms around her in a hug. "How are you two this morning?" Though I tried to imbue as much cheerfulness in my words as possible, they came out flat and hollow.

Dad squeezed Mom's hand as he took a breath. "Taking it day by day. Are you still planning to go to Beltmare to see Elle?" I knew he was trying to deflect any mention of the attack, and I didn't blame him.

I had just opened my mouth to respond when I heard a familiar voice in the distance. "Drew! Ani!"

Waverly and Laguna swam up to us, smiling. The former had spoken, her eyes sparkling as they landed on each of us. I smiled at them while I answered Dad. "Yes. We'd leave right after breakfast and probably return around or a little before sunset."

The other unspoken reason for our visit lay beneath my words, and I could tell by the way Dad's mouth tightened that he understood. We needed to leave the palace for a bit—even if we were trading mental and emotional stress for physical. Although it would be a slow process, I was confident Ani could handle it. When I caught her eye, she smiled and nodded.

A bolt of pain shot through my shoulder, but I bit my tongue to stifle the groan that rose in my throat. Dr. Murphy had said that I was lucky not to have broken my shoulder with the way I'd landed on it after the pillar had pinned my tail to the ground. As it was, the fracture had healed, but she had said there would always be occasional discomfort.

I blew out a heavy breath through clenched teeth, forcing a strained smile to my lips. I knew Ani was aware of the movement, but she didn't say anything. Only when the two of us had left the palace and were on our way to Beltmare did Ani speak, her voice soft. "You should have said something about your shoulder during breakfast. We could have rescheduled our visit. I'm sure they would have understood."

Before the words had left her mouth, she reached for my hand. As she did, jagged red slashes peeked out from the underside of her wrist. I let out a breath as I stopped. "Just like you didn't tell me how you started coraling again?" My words were void of anger and censure—they held only concern, which I hoped Ani saw in my expression.

She nodded. "You're right. I should have told you. We're all coping in different ways. But I've got it under control. I promise."

Even though she said them with a smile, her words rang flat and hollow. She didn't have the coraling under control any more than I did my shoulder. "I love you." The words were barely more than a push of breath, but she heard me.

We were all burdened by the scars we carried from the attack. The only question was, who would break first—me or Ani?

Read and review!

Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: Truyen247.Pro