“Shit!” It would be a hell of a jump.
Hook took one look at her?—
And ran.
“Wait! Come back!” She screamed. “Hook! Don’t leave me here!”
Silence. “Please! Come back,Hook!”
But he was gone. Him and the other pirate had abandoned her. Left her to die. To get electrocuted and then eaten by that—thatthingin the water.
“Fuck you!”Putting her head in her hands, she let out a ragged wail.
Vhmmmmmmm-SNAP!
The crocodile was done with its mermaid snack and was now back for more. It was circling the rocky outcropping where Peter and Sidney were slowly trying to piece themselves back together. Sidney was sitting up now, looking worse for wear but at least conscious, and was pulling on the blue nightgown she’d been written into having.
“Sidney!” Sasha shouted. “Are you all right?”
Her sister only shook her head no. She could tell her twin’s hands were shaking. Peter was using Wendy’s stockings and what was left of his shirt to do his best to bandage the massive cut on his chest, but he didn’t look great either.
There was nothing she could do to help them. She had nothing at her disposal except a piddly sword. In her hands, it was next to useless. Versus a monster like the thing that was circling in the water, she was worse than useless. She was probably going to wind up causing more harm than good. Somehow. Magically.
“I—I’m sorry.” She didn’t even know how she was going to save herself. The jump to safety was a long one. And if she missed it, the crocodile would get her. And even if it didn’t, and she timed it wrong?
“Go,” Sidney coughed.
Vhmmmmmmm-SNAP!
The dead fish on the surface jolted in a fresh wave of electricity. The crocodile surfaced briefly, the ridges of its back were broken andscarred. She could see parts of its ribcage were missing, replaced with sections of what looked like an old-fashioned antique turbine. And a clock, the hands spinning around like a timer. With each rotation, lightning arced out into the water.
It shouldn’t be possible. But then again…mermaids. Fairies. Flying children. And a world where nobody aged.
She tried to time the electric waves.
“One…two…three…four?—”
Vhmmmmm-SNAP!
“One…two…thee?—”
Vhmmmm—SNAP!
Shit. They weren't consistent. She kept counting for another wave. That time, it was five. The one after that it was back to three. All right. Between three and five seconds. She’d try to play it safe and say three. So…three seconds to get across between rocks, before the crocodile would electrocute the water and she’d be dead.
Really, that window was just a fail-safe anyway. She could make the jump. It was long, sure, but she could do it. She never had to touch the water. She just had to make sure she wasn’t touching the water. That was all.
Three seconds. She could do it. Jump, make it to the next rock, run to the boat before Hook sailed away.
Vhmmmmmmm—SNAP!
She could do it. She really could. The next one. She’d do it on the next one. Totally on the next one.
Three more cycles passed. The water was getting higher. It was now or it was going to be never.
Vhmmmm-SNAP!
One.
