As soon as we caught sight of the palace in the distance, we heard Uncle Kai's voice. "Drew! Ani!" I looked at Ani's weary expression and trembling body, knowing I wasn't the only one relieved to be here. Swimming here had taken us several hours, significantly pushing our intended arrival time back. Looking up at the surface, I noticed the sun was directly overhead, indicating it was just past noon.

We paused as Uncle Kai swam up to us. The dark circles under his eyes emphasized his tired face. "We're so glad you could make it," Uncle Kai said, hugging us. "Maybe this will encourage Elle and Izzy to leave the palace." I could tell by how he quickly avoided my gaze that he didn't believe that any more than I did.

Nevertheless, I nodded, wincing as pain lanced through my shoulder. Uncle Kai noticed, pausing as he glanced between me and Ani. "Drew? What is it?"

I could feel Ani's eyes on me, but I didn't dare meet her gaze. "Nothing," I lied. "Just a cramp in my tail." The lie rolled so smoothly off my tongue that I barely had time to feel guilty. Uncle Kai looked as though he was going to say more and probably would have had Ani and me not begun swimming to the palace.

Only after we'd created a bit of distance between Uncle Kai and us did Ani speak, her voice low. "Are you going to tell him what happened? He might be able to help. You can't keep lying—"

My voice tightened a fraction before I snapped a reply, immediately regretting it as pain flashed in her expression. "I've got it under control. Why don't you worry about your problems, and I'll worry about mine?"

Color rose in her cheeks, tears shimmering as she stared at me, momentarily taken aback. It wasn't like me to lash out—especially to her—and she knew it, but I could tell it still stung. I opened my mouth a heartbeat before she spoke, an apology already forming on my lips. Her voice was cold as she cut me off. "Be careful, Drew. If this continues, you won't be able to tell the difference between a lie and the truth."

I recoiled as if she had slapped me. Only when we'd reached the entrance to the palace did Uncle Kai speak again, his voice low. "Seeing both of you will help cheer Elle up. I'll get Izzy, and we'll follow you up there, okay?"

Neither of the guards at the front reacted beyond a nod of acknowledgment. When Ani didn't respond, I managed a stiff nod. I took her hand as we entered the palace, but it was limp in my fingers. I felt more than saw her stiffen and instinctively shrink against me as we swam into the entryway. As she began to tremble, I gripped her hand and sped through the palace, making a beeline for Aunt Izzy and Uncle Kai's suite.

Only when we reached their suite did she pull back. "Do you need a minute?" I asked quietly, making no move to knock on the door. There was no trace of the anger in my voice that had been there only minutes ago. She was visibly shaking, so much so that I wasn't sure she'd be able to grip the door handle. Remembering her reaction to the crowded dining hall and entryway, I let her decide.

She didn't answer right away, but with every second that passed, I noticed her color returning and her breathing becoming steadier. When she finally answered, I had to lean in to hear her. "I'm okay."

I didn't let go of her hand as I knocked on the door. When I caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of my eye, I thought I saw tears shimmering in her eyes, but they vanished when I blinked. Despite my conflicting emotions, a strained smile spread across my face when Elle's face appeared as the door opened. I swallowed hard before speaking. "Hey. It's so good to see you."

Her face mirrored what Ani's had looked like just moments before. The dark circles under her eyes were stark, accentuating her ashen complexion and hollow gaze. It took several minutes for her to respond; her voice was dull when she did. "It's good to see you too. Mom said you were going to come by. Come on in."

The hollow emptiness in her eyes sent a shiver down my spine, mirroring the eerie monotone that had overtaken her voice. I'd seen that look in Mom and Dad's eyes in the weeks and months following Faye's death. The look that said, I'm doing all I can to keep breathing. It was the same look that had been in my own eyes just a few weeks ago.

As we swam inside, I felt Ani relax as all the tension disappeared from her body. When I shut the door behind us, my shoulder barked in pain. Try as I might, I was unable to hide the flash of pain that flickered across my face. Ani glanced at me but didn't say anything.

No sooner had we swam inside than the suite door opened again. "How are your parents, Drew? I haven't heard from them in a while." Aunt Izzy's voice floated toward me as she and Uncle Kai swam inside. She smiled at us as she swam toward Elle, putting an arm around her daughter.

Mom and Dad's weary expressions from earlier this morning flashed through my mind. "Taking it day by day," I responded, my voice hoarse. I cleared my throat and took a deep breath. "They wanted me to tell you they miss you and hope to see you soon."

Ani's voice was soft when she spoke. "Did you have a good birthday, Elle?" I appreciated her attempt at normalcy, even if it was a sensitive subject. Everything that used to bring her immense joy—birthdays, seeing friends, even something as mundane as going for a swim—had been ripped away from her by the attack.

Watching her home—the place where she'd always felt safe—crumble right before her eyes had utterly shattered her sense of security and safety. If it hadn't been for her parents, I wasn't sure she would have survived the aftermath of the attack. No sooner had the thought crossed my mind than another jolt of pain shot through my shoulder, radiating down my arm in agonizing waves and causing me to hiss through clenched teeth.

A strained smile crossed my face as I forced my breathing to steady. Elle's eyes met mine when she responded, but there was no life in them. "Yeah. It was very low-key and relaxed. Truthfully, I don't think I could have handled going to the Bronze Mermaid and being around so many other mermaids and mermen. I'm not quite ready for that yet."

When a door suddenly slammed somewhere in the palace, Ani flinched so violently that her shoulder bumped against mine. The impact sent lightning through my shoulder, and I couldn't contain the cry that slipped from my lips. I had been managing the pain up until then, but that one tiny movement was like ripping the wound open all over again.

I dimly registered Aunt Izzy swimming toward me, her voice muffled. "Drew, what's wrong? Please tell me so I can help."

The words hadn't even finished echoing when Ani responded, her voice weary. "He fractured his shoulder after a pillar pinned him to the ground during the attack two years ago. Dr. Murphy said he was lucky not to have broken it. The fracture healed, but she said occasional discomfort would always occur."

Aunt Izzy and Uncle Kai looked at me, the worry stark in their gazes. Painful anger lit up Ani's eyes as she spoke, her voice biting. "I told you, Drew: keep this up, and you won't be able to tell the difference between a lie and the truth."

I wasn't sure what it was—the tone of her voice, the words she used, or the fact that they were indeed true—but I wasn't surprised when a retort found my lips, the words as biting as hers had been. "That's rich coming from you. Is that what you tell yourself whenever you grab that piece of coral? You lie to yourself every single day.

"You tell yourself you're healing from the attack—that you're getting better every day—but it's not true, is it? You nearly had a panic attack from swimming up here. You can't be in a crowded room because it reminds you of being trapped under that pillar with all the dead. You don't even know the difference between a lie and the truth."

Shocked silence descended as my words echoed in the water. Ani looked like I had slapped her; Aunt Izzy, Elle, and Uncle Kai stared at me, mouths agape. Tears shimmered in Ani's eyes as she quickly turned away from me and swam to Aunt Izzy and Elle.

Only when Uncle Kai pulled me aside, concern and confusion alight in his gaze, did he speak. "It sounds like you and Ani are going through a rough patch. You're welcome to stay here for the night while Ani goes back to Pelathas if you need—"

I quickly interrupted him, forcing a strained smile. "That's not necessary. We'll be fine." I could tell Uncle Kai didn't believe my words any more than I did, but he didn't protest. It was growing dark, and I'd promised Mom and Dad that we'd be back around or a little before sunset.

Making the swim home was daunting, but we had no choice. Mom and Dad would worry if we didn't return soon. When Ani appeared beside me, my heart clenched when I noticed that she looked anywhere but at me. There was a knot of tension between us, nearly tangible.

Only when we'd reached Pelathas, both of us flagging, did she speak, her voice low to avoid attracting attention. "I don't want to fight with you, Drew. I'm just worried about you. Lying to yourself does nothing but cause pain. I should know; I've been lying to—"

A soft voice suddenly cut her off, drawing our attention. The mermaid swimming up to us was silt-streaked and weary, her eyes tired. "Ani, I got here as fast as I could; I wanted to warn you before—"

A new voice interrupted Della, speaking in a low and harsh tone. "Adella, I don't think a warning is necessary. After I came all this way to see my daughters, I think Adriana and I will get along just fine." A merman appeared beside Della, his words lingering in the water.

He was tall and powerfully built; cropped black hair framed a cruel face with dark blue eyes. I tensed when Ani's grip tightened on my hand, preparing to haul tail back to the palace. Only when I met the merman's gaze did his words sink in, filling me with a deep sense of hollow dread. After I came all this way to see my daughters, I think Adriana and I will get along just fine.

He didn't favor either Della or Ani, but there was no doubt that they were related. When I spoke, my voice was cold. "Like I told Della two years ago, we don't need this right now. Our family is recovering from a brutal and nearly fatal attack that killed countless mermaids and mermen.

"The healing process is slow and meticulous, but we're taking it day by day. Being ambushed by a long-lost relative who suddenly turns up out of the blue and a sister who selfishly betrayed her is not part of that process. If—and only if—Ani decides to meet with either of you, she'll pick the time and place. Until then, you'd do well to keep your distance."

I felt no emotion as I saw the words hit their mark. Pain surfaced in Della's eyes as she opened and closed her mouth. I felt a tremor pass through Ani just before one shuddered through me. The arduous swim, plus the sudden onslaught of emotions, was taking its toll. The merman stared at Ani but didn't say anything.

Ani spoke only when both of them had swum away, her voice hollow. "Can we go home now?"

I couldn't speak, so I nodded. A wave of exhaustion crashed over me as we began to swim, but I pushed through the heaviness threatening to suffocate me. When we reached the palace, both of us let out audible sighs. Dusk had settled over the water, and I was glad we'd made it back before nightfall.

Mom and Dad swam out to meet us, scanning our faces before the latter spoke, his voice heavy with concern. "Is everything okay?"

I heard a whimper beside me and looked over in time to see Ani burst into tears. Mom rushed to catch her as she began to sink to the seafloor, her sobs the only sound in the tense silence that had settled over us. Dad swam toward me, his eyes finding mine, but I slowly shook my head.

Both Ani and I needed time to process what had happened. I knew it would be a while before we were ready to talk about it. Judging by his blunt words, their father had been waiting to see his daughters for who knew how long. A single question floated in my mind, filling me with curiosity and dread: why?

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