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Rock Bottom
Katrina
Iwas floating on my back, the trident still in my hand. The water around me was calm and gentle, lifting me like it intended to cradle me softly until I fell asleep. I wished I could. The cut on my face burned from the saltwater, which I didn’t remember feeling when I was in my mermaid form.
I lifted my head with a jerk, righting myself in the water and still holding tightly to the trident. The ships were gone. There was no sunken schooner, no Spanish frigate, and no ship captained by Bellamy exchanging cannon fire with the others. On all sides, as far as my weary eye could see, there was only blue sea, stretching on and on. McKenzie and Noah were treading water, too, and appeared to be just gaining their senses the same as me.
But Milo wasn’t there.
“What happened?” McKenzie asked.
“We’re back,” I said half-heartedly. “At least I think.” I didn’t know if I wanted to be right or wrong. My heart felt so heavy I thought it would weigh me down and sink me straight to the bottom of the ocean. If we were back, it meant I would never know what happened to Milo. And that was a reality I just couldn’t face.
“At least we know your evil mermaid grandma hasn’t destroyed the world yet.” Noah’s usual attempts to be logical and snarky just made me feel irritated. I didn’t care. I just didn’t care.
“No, instead we just got sent back to the present and we get to die at sea in modern times instead of the 18th century.” McKenzie’s comment took me by surprise, but it was what she said next that really caught me off guard. “And Milo...I can’t believe he did that to get us here. This is just…”
“Yeah, I really wish I had gone a little easier on him,” Noah said, bobbing in the water only a few feet from me. “I thought so many things about him and all of them…wrong.” His voice cracked dryly as he dropped his gaze.
I nodded in acknowledgement. Maybe there was something underneath that stubborn indifferent exterior. But his words were worth about as much comfort as the fact that we were still stranded at sea.
We floated along, unsure of our next move, and purely at the ocean’s mercy. I looked out and thought about how nothing out here on this never-ending blue expanse looked any different than it did back in 1720. The sea was unfazed by time; unchanged by the passing centuries, just as timeless as it was endless. And I could live the full life of a siren—300 years or more—and yet what would it all be for?
McKenzie and Noah talked a bit, discussing our situation and trying to figure out a way to find help or survive out here overnight if it came to that. Not even an hour had passed before they worked themselves into a panic, growing more exhausted by the second from keeping afloat for so long. I watched as the sun shifted across the midday sky, threatening to begin its descent behind the horizon in just a few more hours. I might have felt the panic, too, if I could manage to feel anything.
I was too broken to contribute. I had nothing to say, and nothing to fear. The trauma was too fresh. I didn’t care how long we floated out there for. Tread water or die. I had no solution to offer. I just needed a moment to grieve. Could I just have that?
As I watched the white clouds dotting the afternoon sky, I couldn’t help but feel the strangest relief at the sound of distant humming. Because I knew by the sound what approached. I could feel it in the way the vibrations in the water sent out ripples and wakes far ahead of the boat coming into view.
“Help! Help us!” McKenzie screamed, waving her hands and splashing around hysterically. Noah quickly joined her in trying to flag down the vessel.
Something was wrong. I knew long before the boat got anywhere near us that it wasn’t just any boat. It was Cordelia’s yacht. Time had not passed here as it had during our trip to the past. The day was right where we left it. January 10th.
“Shhh! Don’t draw her over here!” I ordered the other two, my command a bit more spiteful than I meant it to be.
A raging hatred filled me when I saw Cordelia. The dark upswept hair and midnight blue pants suit made it impossible not to recognize her, even from a distance. My stomach turned and my grip on the trident grew so tight I thought it would bend the metal. And I felt relief that I could still feel something. I was glad to know I wasn’t entirely numb.
Because when I thought of how nearly every bit of pain in my life had been caused by her—whether directly or indirectly—a very clear, undeniable feeling took over. And it wasn’t my siren side either. No. It was just plain old me. Katrina Delmar. And the only feeling right now that could replace all the hurt and pain was the burning desire to take from Cordelia every bit as much as she’d taken from me.
39
Head Above Water
Katrina
The Belladonna sped into view quickly, and I calculated that if Cordelia and her crew were just now arriving at the trident’s location, that meant our trip to the past had only totaled a few hours in the present.
I gave a strong squeeze of the trident with my hand, thinking of Milo and still haunted by the mystery of his fate. If I thought any more about it, I might’ve squeezed the trident so hard it would bend in half. I’d die before letting it fall into her hands. Not to save anyone. Not because the fate of humanity was at stake. But because I couldn’t bear for her to win after everything I’d given up to stop her.
“Don’t let her see you!” I demanded to the others, sinking myself down into the water until only my eyes stuck out above the surface, watching the passing yacht with a watchful, vulturous stare. When McKenzie and Noah followed, I silently thanked them.
The yacht slowed a good half mile away. They were still scouting, looking for the most accurate spot they could anchor and begin their search. Even from here I could see her dive team, readying themselves and slipping on their air tanks as she stood by the railing, hunting the seas with her piercing gaze. I didn’t know if she could see us from here. But when the boat engine shut off and began to drift our way in silence, I had a strong feeling maybe she’d noticed the three college kids desperately treading open water. But I had to ensure she didn’t see the trident.
Her boat inched toward us like a hungry alligator. I felt the trident in my hand, sliding my fingers along its metal shaft. It had long lost its magical glow and no longer seemed capable of performing a task like transporting people to another century. Was it a one-time use thing? Or could I figure out how to activate it once again to wield against Cordelia?
My efforts to do so proved futile. I tried to manipulate any of the three—time, life, or space, but failed at every attempt. Not even a spark of magic glinted from the trident’s pointed prongs. But as I studied them, I noticed how sharp they were. Like tips of a harpoon. And a thought washed over me, satiating that dark, cruel side of me that I didn’t even care to fend off anymore.
“Let her see you. Distract her. Keep her talking,” I said coldly to McKenzie and Noah without further explanation. And ignoring their confused expressions and remarks, I dove underwater with the trident, as I followed the call. I had somewhat of a plan.
