Rhodoreef

27. The Overdue Inheritance

"Dea, where in the blazing geysers have you been?" Gramma demanded, her hold tightening on her arms. "I've been worried sick! You said you were going to that factory, but you disappeared. Do you realize how serious this is? Where were you, child!"

Dea couldn't get a word in. It was just as well, since a lump had lodged in her throat. Her stomach was a shriveled husk, and a multitude of aches smoldered away like sputtering embers. Tears pricked her eyes again as she stared at Gramma's face, furrowed deeper than ever.

"Are you hurt?" The old merwoman peered closer, and her voice shook with alarm. "What happened to you? Speak!"

"I—I'm sorry, Gramma."

In the silence that stretched out, the distant gurgle of the fountain wafted in. The ocean outside the window popped out from the opaline walls and cast a bluish tinge on Gramma's tan skin.

The old merwoman slowly released her arms. "You...you went onto land."

The numbness spread again, and Dea clenched her jaw. "I'm sorry."

Gramma clapped a hand to her mouth, and her small eyes swiveled down to the plaster on Dea's swaying tail. "We need to go to the hospital—"

"It's fine—listen to me," she said, her voice breaking as urgency seeped in. "It's even worse than you can imagine. Serendiva is the human country closest to us, and it's powerful. The humans have captured merpeople who've gone onto land. Maybe they were nomads, but there must be Callians among them too. And they got Burpy. They got my cow, Gramma. I know things—I need to warn the state."

Dea paused, shivers quaking her entire form. Exhaustion almost overwhelmed her while her heartbeat thudded in her ears, amplified in the large, immaculate space.

Suddenly, Gramma pulled her into a hug, knocking the breath out of her. "You're all I have—and I could have lost you too. What were you thinking, little urchin...What were you thinking..."

Dea tried to corral her thoughts while a tidal wave of emotion swept over her. She sucked in air, and her bleary eyes fastened on a school of butterflyfish swimming outside the window. They appeared to mock her with their upbeat waltz.

She was no different just a few days ago—a sheltered fish with mundane struggles that now seemed inconsequential. The coral atoll was her entire world—a pocket universe where humans and darkness were nothing but bedtime stories. It was incredible how a mere day upended her whole reality.

"I'm not surprised about what humans have done," the old merwoman finally mumbled and leaned back to survey her granddaughter. "How did you get hurt? Tell me what happened!"

Her fists balled against her sides. "But what are you doing here? I don't understand."

"That is...Everything was planned yesterday, but then you decided to swim away." Gramma shook her head. "When they said you hadn't reached the Seastar factory, I was frankly bumfuzzled. They told me you'd gone rogue. I couldn't believe it."

Dea said nothing while guilt crystallized into a formidable weight in her gut.

"The state has been on high alert since they discovered that you took off. Mr. Massa sent a special force to track you down. As if all of this wasn't bad enough, a blasted human ship had come close again yesterday. That child, Hima, was distraught, saying your animal disappeared. That poor animal...I know how much you cared about him, Dea. It's appalling that...I must admit, I've fed him a few scraps myself. I—"

Dea's hands were so tight, nails dug into her skin. Minute plops made her realize that tears were rolling down her cheeks. They dropped into the water, creating tiny ripples.