I dipped in and out of consciousness that night. Flashes of blurry faces, snippets of hushed conversations—everything was in bits and pieces. Whenever I tried to focus on something and fully regain consciousness, sleep tugged me back under again. My shock-induced nightmares were full of sadness and grief.

I had no idea if I ever fully regained consciousness during the night. It was only when the sun streamed through my windows that I opened my eyes and sat up. Jonah was asleep beside me, but he opened his eyes moments after I did.

For a moment, neither of us said a word. I snapped my head around as I heard the knock on the suite door. Jonah stretched, then swam out of bed and headed to the door. I heard him open it, then a hushed conversation with whoever was on the other side. When he and another merman swam back into the bedroom, I was slowly getting out of bed.

"Faye?" Dad's voice was weary as he spoke. The dark circles under his eyes and their hollowness indicated it had been a while since he'd slept. "Drew's awake, and he's asking for you."

I examined him as he finished speaking—the exhaustion that lined every inch of him. I swallowed hard, blinking past the tears that threatened to fall. A lump rose in my throat, preventing any words from escaping. I wanted to go to him, but I felt so heavy.

Weighed down by faces, voices, memories. Dad searched my face, reading the unspoken words in my eyes. He swam to one side of me and took my hand as Jonah did the same. "Take your time," Jonah said softly. Dad squeezed my hand.

Slowly, the three of us left the suite and headed to the hospital. It took longer than it should have, thanks to my drained energy. When we finally arrived, I was panting and leaning heavily on Jonah's body. We paused as we reached Drew's room, Dad glancing at Jonah, then me. "I'm okay," I gasped out.

Dad took a steadying breath, then knocked on the door. "Come in," a familiar voice called out. Tears sprang to my eyes at the sound of my brother's voice. 

With a trembling hand, I opened the door and swam inside, Dad and Jonah hugging my tail. Mom was sitting in a chair beside his bed, the same exhaustion that was present in Dad on her face as well. Drew was shirtless, with a large bandage covering most of his back, chest, and right shoulder.

Judging by the weariness on his face, he was exhausted, but his eyes were clear. When he met my gaze and saw the tears in my eyes, his own softened. "Faye," he said hoarsely.

I was moving before the word had even finished echoing. Careful of his injury, I gingerly hugged Drew, my body shaking as I sobbed. He gripped me tightly, neither of us letting go for a few seconds. "I was so scared I was going to lose you," I whimpered into his shoulder.

When we finally broke apart, he studied my face, and I did the same. He put a trembling hand on my face, and I leaned into his touch. "Never," he whispered, pressing a kiss to my forehead.

Dad cleared his throat, and we both turned toward him at the sound. "I spoke with Coco, and she said though your injury is healing nicely, they want to keep you overnight for observation. If everything looks good in the morning, you can go home tomorrow." Though a smile was on his face, there was a lingering haunted look in his eyes.

Drew nodded. Jonah swam to my side, taking my hand. The former met Jonah's eyes and took a deep breath before speaking. "Thank you for taking care of her." His unspoken words were clear. If Jonah hadn't been there for me... I don't think I ever would have gotten out of bed.

When Mom spoke, we all jolted at the sound. She hadn't so much as opened her mouth since we'd arrived. "Have you had any luck identifying the assailant?" Her voice was hoarse as if she hadn't spoken in a while.

We all inwardly flinched at the last word. Dad shook his head. "No. I told Coco to put the hospital on high alert—nobody leaves or enters without letting her know. She'll alert the other patients and make sure everyone is safe." He rubbed a hand over his face, letting out a heavy breath.

As I'd done earlier, I subtly examined him—the grief and shame weighing him down. He was blaming himself exactly as I had. Mom's words from moments ago resurfaced in my head, bringing with them much-needed clarity. "'Have you had any luck identifying the assailant?'"

No. No one had. He hadn't wanted to be identified—by Mom or by anyone. He'd wanted it to be as quick as possible, with no easy way to connect him to the crime. Zander's smug face flashed in my mind, sending waves of fury crashing over me. And by using an uncommon weapon, he'd decreased the chance of anyone immediately connecting him to the crime.

"Faye?" A muffled voice could be heard from outside the room, getting closer with every breath. The door opened a heartbeat later as Waverly swam in. I froze, the ugly words we'd spat at one another resurfacing in my head, bringing with them new waves of shame and guilt.

She swallowed hard, glancing around at the various faces, a stifled sob escaping her as she met Drew's gaze. No matter what had happened between us, she still cared about Drew. I could tell by the look in her eyes that she, too, was recalling the words we'd spat, the wounds we'd reopened.

Drew glanced from Waverly to me, then back to Waverly. Her eyes were glassy with tears, a few leaking down her cheeks. When she approached me, her hands—clenched into fists at her sides—were trembling. Her voice was barely a whisper when she spoke. "Drew told me about what happened. About everything," she breathed, regret flashing in her eyes as the words left her mouth.

That one word—everything—contained so much grief, pain, regret, and anger. So much so that I struggled to hold back tears as I swam to her, gently taking her hands. "I'm sorry," I breathed, my throat tightening as my chest hitched.

The tears flowed down my cheeks a heartbeat later, gut-wrenching sobs that tore through my chest and pelted my heart with invisible daggers. "I was upset, and I took it out on you. I never meant to hurt you. You're my oldest friend, and I love you. I can't lose you."

She didn't answer immediately; she looked down at the seafloor and sniffled, trying to get her emotions under control. When she finally spoke, shame choked her voice. "I had so many repressed emotions that I'd shoved down over the years and tried to contain as best I could. After hearing about Kailani and our father, I only wanted to let those emotions out. But I couldn't. I couldn't let anyone see that weakness, that flaw. For most of my life, I refused to let myself truly feel emotions, convinced I didn't deserve to.

"Hearing the news was a wake-up call. I let my grief and anger consume me, swallow me until nothing was left. You have no idea how much I regret what I said to you. I still hear my words in my nightmares, in the silence of the night when everyone else is asleep. We've both endured trauma no one our age should. I was upset, and I lashed out at you."

She took a shaky breath, exhaling deeply. Her voice broke when she spoke again. "I didn't mean any of it. Grief has no timeline. I understand there will be some days when you can't get out of bed—days when everything hits you all over again. I want to be there for you, just as I hope you'll be there for me in return."

Tears gleamed in my eyes, but I hurriedly blinked them away. My throat tightened, making speech impossible. I hadn't taken a breath before she rushed into my arms and gripped me tightly.

A sharp intake of breath from Dad was all the warning I was given before I heard his voice. "How sweet. Even a rekindled friendship has the power to warm my cold heart." Bitter sarcasm oozed from his words, his tone purely mocking.

Even with my back to him, I could imagine the cruel smirk on his face. Before I could turn around, Dad spoke, his voice colder than the deepest parts of the ocean. "I'm warning you. Leave now before you say or do something you won't be able to take back."

I couldn't stop the shudder that traveled down my spine. I didn't think Mom or Waverly was breathing. The words bubbled up inside me, flowing out of my mouth before the thought had fully crossed my mind. "You really think she will join you after everything you've done?"

As hard as I tried to keep it steady, my voice broke on the last word. Zander scoffed, bypassing me entirely as he met Drew's gaze. The blatant dismissal had me seeing red, but I held my tongue.

"I know she will—because I'm not giving her a choice. Kailani was willing and able; something tells me Waverly will take more convincing." His tone oozed arrogance; his eyes were blazing with disrespect.

I wasn't sure what it was—maybe the arrogance in his voice or the disrespect in his eyes—but something told me that whatever happened next would shatter Waverly and me irrevocably. When I heard the door click open, I saw a glimpse of coal-black hair streaked with grey.

Green eyes met mine, wide with shock, confusion, and fear. The mermaid's face was deathly pale; I could barely tell if she was breathing. For a heartbeat, I just stared at her, confusion etched on my face. When recognition took its place, it was like a slap in the face.

"Faye? Do you know her?" Dad asked, but his voice was faint like he was speaking from another room.

"Leena," I breathed, my voice filled with horror and fear. Yet another Siren—one who'd tried to corrupt me using my birth mother against me. Even though years had passed, looking at her now, it felt like yesterday. A serene smile was on her face, oblivious was she to the tension in the water.

"Hello, Faye," she said, her voice as alluring and smooth as it had been all those years ago. "Nice to finally meet Carla's daughter in person."

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