Dr. Violet, my boss and mentor, was both a unique individual and a force to be reckoned with, with her gray hair spiked in an unconventional style that mirrored her personality. The oversized lab coat and lavender pants were her trademark, along with a purple mug always filled with hot cocoa and marshmallows.
My grandfather was a striking figure as well, the power of his presence unmistakable despite his age. His sharp eyes seemed to hold a million secrets, the weight of countless scientific breakthroughs etched into his weathered face.
“Morning, Isla!” Dr. Violet greeted me first, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
My grandfather turned around and beamed at me, wrapping an arm around my shoulders in a warm hug, the familiar scent of his expensive cologne calming my frayed nerves.
“We have something exciting to show you,” he said, a matching sparkle in his eyes.
“Is it another piece for your exotic private museum?” I teased. My grandfather had an insatiable curiosity for the bizarre and extraordinary, and his personal collection was filled with treasures that would make any explorer green with envy.
He chuckled, a deep, booming sound that filled the lab. “Something better,” he promised, shooting a glance at Dr. Violet.
My heart skipped a beat at his words, a flurry of possibilities racing through my mind. “Did we finally get revenge?”
The thought of Sam and Rose finally facing the consequences of their betrayal sent a shiver of satisfaction down my spine.
My grandfather’s eyes turned steely, the light-heartedness vanishing in an instant. “Not yet,” he said, his voice a low growl. “But we’re close. Their families have abandoned them, so their resources are running low. They won’t be able to hide much longer.”
His words rang with a promise, a vow of retribution that filled me with a sense of impending closure. The nightmare was almost over. Once they were taken care of, I would finally be able to leave these walls without fear.
That chapter of my life would finally come to an end, and I’d be able to move on to the next knowing they couldn’t hurt me anymore.
The air in the lab seemed to shift as my grandfather led me toward the test aquarium room. Each step echoed in the stark, sterile corridor, the world holding its breath in anticipation. Dr. Violet matched my pace, her face an unreadable mask of intrigue.
“I know I’ve been nagging you about how you were saved,” my grandfather confessed as we walked. His voice was soft, remorseful, an unfamiliar tone that left me feeling uneasy.
I chewed on my lower lip, anxiety knotting in my stomach, the memories of that harrowing time threatening to surface. The chill of the ocean water, the fear, the hopelessness—it all came rushing back like a tidal wave. The sight of that creature—part man, part shark—had been burned into my mind.
It was a topic we’d rehashed countless times, each conversation leaving me feeling rawer and more exposed. My miraculous survival, the tale of my unlikely savior, was not easily accepted by those around me. They’d said I was hallucinating, seeing things under the influence of the cocktail of drugs they’d pumped into me.
Nonetheless, given the recent revelation that aliens were real, I’d hoped that someone other than my grandfather and Dr. Violet would believe me.
Sighing, I looked up at my grandfather, searching his familiar face for a hint of understanding. “I’ve been telling the truth. It…it was like a merman, but with a shark tail. It cut me loose. It saved me.”
We came to a halt before a door markedTop Secret, the ominous label sending a chill down my spine. My grandfather’s hands gripped my shoulders, his intense gaze meeting mine. “I know,” he said, his voice a murmur barely louder than the hum of the underwater facility. “I believed you then, especially after the recentStardancerincident. I’ve known you were telling the truth this whole time.”
A shock ran through me, my heart pounding in my chest. “What are you saying?” I asked, my voice trembling.
Dr. Violet moved past us and keyed in the access code, placing her hand on a scanner. The door beeped in response, sliding open to reveal a sight that made my heart stop and my breath hitch in my throat.
The light in the room beyond was soft and ethereal, reflecting off the water in a gigantic top-of-the-line tank that occupied most of the space.
There, in the expansive display aquarium, swimming amidst the artificial currents, was a figure that had haunted my thoughts for months.
I wasn’t crazy. It was real. And it was here.
The merman with a shark’s tail.
The very creature from my memories that had saved me.
The one I had started to believe was a figment of my drugged imagination was right in front of me.
CHAPTERTHREE
ISLA
For a moment, I could only stand there, my heart pounding in my chest as I stared. A dull buzz began in my ears, growing in volume until the background noise of the facility faded away. The weight of memories, of what had once been and had now returned, bore down on me with an intensity that threatened to break my resolve.
