Page 53 of Between Salt and Serenades
She ignored my younger sister as hurt burrowed deep into her expression. I knew my mother all too well to think she was truly mad at me. She was terrified. After coming back from land, I understood her more than I ever had. I understood why both of my parents hid the truth about land—because they knew what it was like to have Barthoah tear a family apart. The last thing my mother needed was to lose another love of her life to the land, be it a mate or a daughter.
I realized I’d been back for all of two minutes, and I was already following in their footsteps, hiding the truth from Zellia.
“I got that exactly where you think I did.”I motioned to the necklace in my mother’s hand. The muscle in her jaw ticked, and the whites of her eyes grew pink. If we’d been on land, I knew that was when tears would have trickled down her face.
“Where? Someone tell me what I’m missing,”Zellia said.
“Zel, do you remember going to Barthoah?”I asked.“Depths, you truly were a child then. I wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t.”
Zellia bit her lip and squinted her eyes, like if she focused enough, memories of Barthoah would come flooding back to her. While sirens had impeccable memories, even we didn’t have minds of steel.
“A bit, but it’s foggy,”she admitted, playing with the fin on her elbow the way she always did when she was nervous.“I remember Dad’s place, seeing the sea from the shoreline, which was an odd sight, and of course, Dad’s other home…”
“His workshop,”my mother said.
I nodded, and my eyes flicked down to what lay in my mother’s hands.
“More like our grandfather’s workshop,”I corrected her, meeting Zellia’s intense gaze.
“Our what?”my sister asked, her fingers curling inward, just shy of a fist.
“I told you I had a lot to catch you up on,”I said with a sheepish smile. I wasn’t yet convinced telling her was the right thing to do, but I knew my parents wouldn’t have. Something about that told me I was ending some sort of cycle of lies, and that in itself allowed me to hold my chin high as I told her every little detail of my talks with our grandfather. I told her both sweet and bitter truths and watched as the pink in my mother’s eyes deepened to crimson red.
When I was done answering Zellia’s endless stream of questions, my mother finally spoke. She held out the necklace to me and said, “You better hide this in that box of yours. Add it to the collection of glass from the men who we’ll never see again.”
My mother had been quick to make me a new spear. I’d been in the Dresslee for three days, and yet life seemed to settle back into place far quicker than I ever imagined it would. Why had I thought if I came back for only five days, it’d feel like I was just a guest, not a permanent resident once more?
The truth was, I barely needed the spear. Tetwin and the other hunters had been so invigorated by the plentiful fish, that for the first time in a long time, we didn’t all need to hunt. For the first time in what felt like forever, they’d actually caught enough fish to go around.
I happily left my spears in the Ever Wanderer, and for brief, blissful moments, I let myself believe everything about my return home could be permanent. I allowed myself to forget that this fish would soon run out.
The fish Rory had dumped over the Dreslee wouldn’t stick around forever, and even if they did, there were only so many. I’d give it a day before we were left with nothing once more, especially at the rate people were eating.
The council of elders knew I’d been responsible for the return of fish. They had scouts looking out for me, Zellia being one. She hadn’t been the only one to see me chase dozens of fish through the Dreslee.
After this, it didn’t take long for the council to summon me. My mother and Zellia had escorted me to the three stone pillars at the far edge of the kelp forest for support. The four elders who remained led the council discussion regarding the circumstances of my return. I’d been honest when I’d told them the fish came because I’d convinced a fisherman to help me. While I’d led them to believe hypnosis was at play to dim their anger, most of them still had questions.
I, of course, knew that there would be a big request coming from my lips, but I hadn’t found a way to let them know the fish weren’t here to stay. I hadn’t let them in on the fact that I needed as many sirens as possible to help me defeat the responsible hybrids in Barthoah. Depths, they still didn’t know the hybrids were involved in our hunger and suffering in the first place. The name “Tinelle” had been one I’d only spoken above sea level.
“Sid,”a familiar voice called. Zellia hung off the edge of the Kilkov the way she always had. The last time I’d seen her like this was the day I unknowingly left for Barthoah. With no fat left in her once-round cheeks, she seemed so much older than when I’d left. Surely, time moved faster down here.
“Zel, I’ve been captured by fishermen, and it wasn’t all so bad. Won’t you join me up here?”I knew of her hesitancy to get too close to the surface, but no fisherman would bother to throw a net into these empty waters, not when twenty-three netted enclosures existed.
Even if one did, maybe I’d ask them to drop me off at the Selkie Cove on their way back to land. Three days had already been far too many without Breena.
“Maybe next time. I came because there’s something I wanted to show you.”
“What is it?”I asked.
“Just come with me. You’ll see!”she giggled. Ever since we were young, Zellia loved surprises. She’d loved surprising people far more than being surprised, but my parents and I always played along. Her laughter was too infectious to go to waste.
I chased her out of the Kilkov, and she giggled in my mind the entire way back to the Dreslee.
“Okay, okay. We both know you’re faster than me. There’s no need to show off,”Zellia said.
I slowed and flipped onto my back so she was facing me. Zellia rolled her eyes, her chest heavy with fatigue. Cocking her head to the side, she stared at me far longer than anyone should. Her gaze was penetrating, as if she was analyzing every part of me.
“What?”I asked when her gaze began to freak me out.“Why did you bring me back to the Ever Wanderer, Zel?”
