EPISODE 2
696 Words
Episode 2: The Depths That Remember
The word where hung between us, heavy and suffocating. Lyra didn’t answer. She simply turned and began to swim deeper, her tail slicing through the water like it belonged there.
“Wait!” I called. “You can’t just say that and leave.”
“Then follow me,” she replied.
I hesitated. Above us, the surface shimmered faintly—far away now. Somewhere up there was my life. My parents. Everything I knew. Everything she called borrowed. My chest tightened. This had to be a dream. But it felt too real. The water, my breathing, the way my body moved—it all felt natural. Too natural.
Lyra glanced back. “You’re running out of time.”
“What does that mean?”
“If you stay near the surface too long… they’ll feel it.”
“They?” My voice shook.
She stopped. The water around us went still. Even the fish disappeared. “You ask too many questions for someone who doesn’t understand the danger.”
“Then help me understand!”
She sighed. “Fine. But you won’t like it.”
“I already don’t.”
That made her almost smile. Then she turned again—and this time, I followed.
The deeper we went, the darker it became. The silver light faded into deep blue shadows. Shapes moved in the distance—too big, too slow. I tried not to stare.
“Stay close,” Lyra said.
I swam faster. My tail moved effortlessly, like I’d always had it.
“Good,” she murmured. “You’re adapting fast.”
“That’s not good, is it?”
“It depends if you want to survive.”
Then I saw it.
A city.
At first I thought it was a trick of light, but no—it was real. Towers of coral and stone rose from the ocean floor, glowing faint blue and green. The whole place looked alive. And there were… people.
Mermaids.
Dozens of them.
Some looked human. Others didn’t. Some had glowing markings, others had eyes that shone in strange colors. And all of them stopped when they saw me.
Watching.
Whispering.
“Why are they looking at me like that?” I asked.
“They know what you are,” Lyra said.
“And what is that?”
She looked at me. “Trouble.”
We swam into the city. The pressure in the water felt heavier now, like something unseen was watching. The whispers followed us.
“They brought her back…”
“She’s too early…”
“Does the Queen know?”
“They’re talking about me,” I said.
“Yes.”
“Why do I sound like a problem?”
“Because you are.”
I stopped. “I’m tired of that answer.”
She turned to me, serious now. “You shouldn’t be here yet, Elara. Your awakening wasn’t supposed to happen now.”
“Awakening?”
She nodded at my tail. “That.”
I stared at it. “Then why did it happen?”
Her eyes darkened. “Because something is changing.”
“What kind of change?”
Before she could answer, a deep sound echoed through the ocean. Low. Powerful. Everything froze. Every mermaid turned in the same direction.
Lyra went still.
“What was that?” I whispered.
“The Queen knows you’re here.”
My heart dropped. “I didn’t do anything!”
“It doesn’t matter. Your existence is enough.”
The sound came again—louder. Closer.
“Is that bad?”
Lyra looked at me, and this time she didn’t hide it. “Yes.”
“Why?”
She leaned closer, her voice barely a whisper. “Because if the Queen thinks you’re a threat…”
The water felt colder.
“…she won’t let you live long enough to become one.”
My chest tightened. “Lyra—”
“Don’t panic. Not yet.”
Not yet?
The sound echoed again. And this time, something massive moved in the shadows beyond the city.
Watching.
Waiting.
My breath caught.
What exactly did I just become part of?
To be continued…
- Writer
