Chapter 3: Secrets, Chains, and the Sea

She held it out like it was evidence in a murder trial—no joke. The fabric shimmered, catching the light, and for a second, I thought it was just a piece of jewelry or a lost accessory. But the look on her face told me it was something more.

I took it, examined it. “Is this... a sequin? Sequined fabric?” I was confused. The sequins shimmered pale blue in the moonlight, as pretty as a piece cut from a dress. But what did it mean? Did Ethan bring other women on board? He was dead—was Savannah still jealous of a corpse?

I turned the sequin over in my hand, watching the way it caught the light. It looked cheap, almost like something you’d find on a party dress at the mall. But the color was exact—a dead-on perfect match for the mermaid’s tail. My heart started to race.

Seeing my impatience, Savannah pressed on. “I just found this in Ethan’s room. It’s the exact same color as the mermaid.”

Her voice was tight, almost frantic. I could see the wheels turning in her head, connecting dots I hadn’t even noticed. For the first time, I started to wonder if we’d all been played.

A bad feeling crept in. No. No. “What are you saying?”

I wanted her to be wrong, wanted there to be some other explanation. But deep down, I knew she wasn’t. Nothing about this trip had made sense—not the mermaid, not the blood, not the way Ethan died.

Savannah’s voice sharpened. “I think she’s not a mermaid at all. It’s all fake! Or at least, not what we think.”

The words hung in the air, heavy and dangerous. I felt my stomach drop, cold dread spreading through me. If Savannah was right, we weren’t just in over our heads—we were drowning.

Splash! Something heavy fell into the water outside.

The sound snapped us both to attention. I rushed to the window, heart pounding, but all I saw was the dark, endless ocean, moonlight glinting off the waves. Whatever had gone overboard, it was gone now.

Not good! If she’s not a mermaid, Travis could be in real danger. Even if I barely knew him, if he died, only Savannah and I would be left to face... whatever this was, human or not. We’d never make it.

I felt panic rising in my chest, the urge to run warring with the need to do something—anything—to stop what was happening. For the first time, I realized just how alone we really were.

We rushed downstairs. But when we reached the deck, the mermaid was half-lying on Travis’s lap, feeding him grapes. Her neck was still chained, red marks on her pale skin proof that what happened before wasn’t just a nightmare.

The scene was almost surreal—like something out of a painting, beautiful and grotesque at the same time. Travis looked smug, satisfied, like he’d just tamed the wildest animal in the zoo. The mermaid’s eyes flickered to mine, empty and cold.

Savannah spoke up first. “Travis, what was that splash just now?”

Her voice was sharp, demanding. She stood tall, shoulders squared, refusing to be intimidated. I admired her for that, even if I knew it wouldn’t make a difference.

Travis didn’t even look up, answering lazily, “That idiot Ethan was starting to stink, so I tossed him overboard.”

He said it like it was nothing, like dumping a body into the ocean was just another chore. I almost puked. I felt bile rise in my throat, but I forced myself to stay quiet.

“What? Why didn’t you tell us first? Who put you in charge?” Savannah’s voice trembled with rage.

She took a step forward, fists clenched. The anger in her voice was real, raw, the kind that comes from being pushed too far for too long.

Travis lounged back in his chair, running a hand through his hair, looking totally satisfied. “Ethan’s dead. That makes me captain now. This mermaid is incredible—I’m not done with her yet. We’ll hang out here a few more days before heading back—”

He grinned, teeth flashing in the moonlight. The arrogance in his voice made my skin crawl. For a moment, I wondered if he’d always been this way, or if the ocean had brought it out of him.

Savannah stormed up to him. “Why should you be captain? I was with Ethan for years—I’m basically the boss’s wife! Miles, listen to me—turn us around!”

She turned to me, eyes pleading, voice shaking with desperation. I felt caught in the middle, torn between fear and the urge to do something—anything—to stop this madness.

Travis burst out laughing. “Boss’s wife? Please. You’re just a free ride—think you’re special? Didn’t you know Ethan sent all kinds of your videos to the guys’ group chat? I can see those two birthmarks of yours clear as day.”

His words were cruel, calculated to hurt. Savannah’s face went white, then red, then white again. For a second, I thought she might collapse, but instead, she exploded.

Savannah screamed and lunged at Travis. In her rage, she grabbed the baseball bat and swung at his head.

The bat whistled through the air, missing Travis by inches. He side-stepped, laughing, taunting her with every breath. The mermaid watched, expression unreadable, as the chaos unfolded.

“Are you out of your damn mind?”

Travis’s voice was sharp, mocking. He looked at Savannah like she was nothing, just another problem to solve.

The mermaid shot Savannah a cold look, then slid off Travis and handed him the paring knife he’d just used to peel an apple. Travis got the hint, dodged the bat, and as Savannah closed in, stabbed the knife into her throat.

The movement was so fast, I almost missed it. One second Savannah was screaming, the next she was on the floor, blood pouring from her neck, eyes wide with shock. The mermaid watched, her face blank, as if she’d seen it all before.

“Cough, cough...” She coughed, wetly.

Blood spurted everywhere. She couldn’t get words out, just choked on her own blood—arterial spray painting the floor.

Her eyes met mine, pleading, accusing. I did nothing.

I stood frozen. Seeing a corpse in a movie is one thing—watching someone murdered in front of you is another. Travis pulled out the knife, more blood gushing out. He wiped the blade on the mermaid’s pale face, and as he wiped, he got turned on again. He picked her up and carried her to the bedroom. Before leaving, he tossed me a command: “Toss her overboard.”

His voice was cold, matter-of-fact. I felt sick, but I nodded anyway, too scared to argue. The mermaid’s eyes lingered on mine as Travis carried her away, empty and unreadable.

Within minutes, Savannah’s pupils dilated, her body cold and stiff. A pool of blood spread around her, making her skin look even whiter, almost innocent.

The sight of her like that—so still, so small—hit me harder than I expected. I knelt beside her, brushing a strand of hair from her face. For a moment, she looked just like she had the first time I saw her—untouchable, perfect, out of my league.

I couldn’t help but remember my first day of college, but, look, seeing Savannah in a white dress and falling for her instantly. I mean, that was just a poor kid’s hopeless dream. The city taught me a harsh lesson soon enough. When I got up early to save her a seat at the library, she was already in Ethan’s Porsche, doing whatever it took to keep him happy. But I can’t blame her. Who’d turn down all that money?

I let my hand rest on her forehead for a second, a silent goodbye. I wanted to hate her, but all I felt was sadness—for her, for me, for all the things we’d lost along the way. Her perfume lingered, faint and floral, mixing with the coppery tang in the air.

I stepped forward and closed Savannah’s eyes, then dragged her body to the double-door fridge in the salon. After that, I knelt on the deck and scrubbed the blood stains with a rag. I couldn’t bring myself to throw her into the sea. I just wanted to get back to shore and go home—my family was waiting. Travis killed her; it had nothing to do with me.

The cold from the fridge seeped into my bones as I pushed her inside. I scrubbed until my hands bled, until the deck was clean and the smell of bleach covered the coppery scent of blood. All I could think about was home—my mom’s cooking, my dad’s terrible jokes, the life I’d left behind.