Chapter 3

Helena POV

I didn't understand. I remembered going to that party. I remembered the beer on my tastebuds, but I couldn't remember what happened afterward. I was gone for three days and I don't know what happened to me. They had a doctor examine me, and I was fine. I felt fine... I wasn't abused in any way, so where had I been?

"Helena?" the policeman in front of me whispered. "It's okay. We will try and help you remember, okay? Now..." He opened the notebook, pressing down on the top of the pen, writing on the blank page.

"Take it again from the top. Tell me what happened."

"I told you... I went to a party. Pete invited me, and I remember watching the waves, and I’m sorry. I can’t... I can't remember. It's like the memory is there, but all I can see is water. I am surrounded by a body of water... That's all."

"Did you happen to go for a swim that night?"

"No..." I shook my head vigorously. "I can't swim,"

"Okay, Helena..." The cop flipped over the cover of the notebook, sliding the pen through the spirals at the top.

"There is nothing much we can do if you don't remember anything. You said it yourself: you were drinking, probably drunk, so you probably went for a swim."

"No... I didn't, okay? I’m terrified of the water, so trust me when I say I didn't go for a swim."

"It's okay, honey. It's okay... Officer, with all due respect, I suggest that you leave. You're trying to force a statement out of my daughter, and not only that, but your questions also sound more like accusations."

"Marlon, I’m just doing my job, man." He stood from our couch, leaving with the rest of the officers.

"Helena..." My father sat across from me, his eyes red from crying with bags under them from lack of sleep.

"Dad, I swear. I didn't go to anyone's house. I remember going to party and waking up on the beach. That's it."

"And this boy, Pete... You think he probably spiked your drink?"

"I don't know... I don't remember hanging out with him, or..."

"It's okay... Tomorrow is another day."

Nodding, I stood from the couch, leaving him sitting alone. Walking up the wooden stairs, the lumber creaked beneath my feet as I made my way to my room. Lying in bed, I tucked my hands under my head, staring at the ceiling. Did Pete spike my drink as a prank to make fun of me? Or was this all on me by having too much to drink? I needed to remember because if someone was behind what happened to me, they needed to pay for what they did. Taking a deep breath, I rolled over to my side, smiling as the moonlight shone through my window, gracing me with gentle light. Blinking a few times, my eyes grew heavy, and I fell asleep.

I struggled to stay afloat. Each time my head went above water, I gasped for air. I was drowning. Holding my breath, I opened my eyes under the water, looking for a clue to where I was. There was an underwater passage, and up ahead, I could see a faint light. It got brighter each time I blinked. My lungs were burning from the inside; the sensation grew more painful the longer I held my breath. Was this what dying felt like? I longed for sleep. As my eyes grew weary, my vision became a blur, my body sinking deeper into the water. Closing my eyes, I opened them again. There was someone, a man... I couldn't see his face. The glow in his eyes temporarily blinded me, but I could feel his touch. His hold on me made me feel safe.

"Helena," he called.

I opened my mouth, trying to speak, but water rushed down my throat.

"Helena."

“Yes, I can hear you,” I thought.

"Helena." His sweet voice grew distant, transforming into a voice I recognized.

"Helena!" I opened my eyes. My father was standing on my bed with his hands on my shoulders. The terror in his eyes made my insides flip.

"Dad... Wh-what happened?" I pulled my body up and sat in the middle of my bed.

Taking a breath, he clasped his palm across his chest, staggering backward into the chair behind him.

"I think you were dreaming... You kept coughing, and at one point, I thought you were having a seizure."

"I was drowning."

"What? I thought you were over the pool thing..."

"No... It isn't about that. I don't know where I was, but someone tried to save me."

"What do you mean?"

"It was a man... I couldn't see his face, but his eyes were like the moonlight."

Standing from where he sat, he went over to me, sitting on the edge of my bed.

"It's just a bad dream... Everything is going to be alright; you want some warm milk?"

"Yeah. Yeah, that would be nice," I smiled.

"Alright, we can drink it out front on the porch." He walked away.

How could a dream feel so real like it already happened? Was it connected to my disappearance? Did I almost drown, and someone rescued me?

"What happened to you out there, Helena?" I mumbled to myself, resting my chin on my knees, noticing the open book behind me on the bed. I must have fallen asleep while reading.

Gliding the blanket over my shoulders, I marched down the steps, looking around as I pushed open the door. The crisp night greeted my face with an icy kiss, but I didn't mind it. I’d lived out here long enough. I’d gotten used to the frigid whistles of the wind in my ear, whispering rumors as it blew by.

"Here." My father handed me a mug. "This will make you feel better."

Smiling, I took the mug from his grip, sitting in the chair next to him.

"Ocean breeze..." I took a deep breath. "Nice."

"You remind me of her, you know... Serene. The way she used to blame astrology for her mood swings, and teach us about the stars and Orion's dog, and..."

Clasping my ten fingers around the mug, I brought it to my lips. He brought up this conversation because of what happened. For three days, he searched for me, dragging him back down memory lane when we lost her.

"I miss her," he added, staring up at the sky. "I miss her every day." He brought the cup to his mouth.

"So do I, Dad. So do I."

A few minutes passed, and we sat in silence. I chugged down the rest of the milk, and I was starting to feel drowsy. Shifting my gaze to my father, I smiled as he slept peacefully, soft snores escaping his lips as he rested. Standing, I took the cup from his grip, tapping him lightly on the shoulders.

"Dad," I whispered.

"It's time for bed. Come on."

"What time is it?" He groaned.

"I don't know, but I know its late."

Trying to stand up, he threw his arms around my shoulders for support. His breath had a putrid odor, one that I recognized. Sniffing the edge of the cup he was drinking from, I discovered that he wasn't drinking warm milk, but gin... He was drinking again, and I was the one who drove him there.

Laying him down on the couch, I took the blanket from around my neck, covering him up with it before walking to the kitchen. What had I done. If only I never went to that party and disappeared to God knows where, Dad wouldn't be drinking again, and I wouldn't feel like a maniac. Setting the mugs down in the sink, I squeezed down the handle of the tap, letting the water flow down my fingers. Suddenly, vague images began to flash before my eyes. It was a place... like a castle in an orb, made from stones and gems, seaweed hanging from the walls. There was water, coral reefs, fishes encircling it.

Pulling my hand away, my heart tightened in my chest as I tried to breathe. I could not explain it, but the ocean was calling for me. Dashing out, I ran... I ran as fast I could to get to the beach. My skin was burning, and my instincts were telling me that the ocean could make it feel better. My toes sank into the sand as I walked slowly towards the ocean. The closer I got, the angrier the waves got. Each became more powerful than the one before, roaring across the ocean, violently crashing onto the dark land.

The water had risen a little over my waist now. I could not feel the ground beneath my aching feet. “I no longer have fear for the ocean,” I thought.

"I-I am not afraid," I cried out with a soft chuckle. "Do you hear, my ocean? I am not—"

Something was happening. There was a bright light below me, and my feet... I couldn't wiggle them freely like before. Now, they felt like they were being glued together. The dress I was wearing began to rip off me the closer the light got. Shielding my eyes from the piercing gleam, I looked away from it. After a second or so, I decided to look again. My nipples were covered with scales, colors varying in several shades of blue. From my waist down was also scales. I couldn't see my feet, but they felt merged into one. Lifting my hand from the water, I inspected my fingers. Between them was a thin sheet of skin, joining them all together like a fin.

"What the—"

Something pulled me under. While I tried to wiggle out of its grip, I realized I was breathing underwater, but it was different from breathing air through my nostrils. Touching the side of my neck I could feel tiny slits opening and closing. Are these gills? I hit my head on a rock, losing consciousness.