has every right to be queen here. But she still feels degraded by what happened to her. And no mermaid should ever allow herself to feel that way. That’s almost like saying we deserved what the humans did to us.”
Luce thought she was starting to understand; she felt an ache of tenderness for Catarina as the truth sank in. “That has something to do with why we all changed? Into mermaids?” It felt awkward to say the word out loud, but somehow Luce was sure that she’d hit on the truth. “We changed because of what human beings did to us.”
“Yes,” Samantha agreed. “That’s what we are. They made us.” Suddenly she gave an awful laugh, sharp and high. “And then the humans wonder why their ships sink! They wonder why so many of them end up drowned! And they never even suspect we’re here!” Samantha wasn’t calm at all now. She sounded like a vicious baby.
“But there wouldn’t be any mermaids anywhere in the world if the humans weren’t all so evil!”
i 55
Luce couldn’t help thinking that there must be something wrong with what Samantha was saying, but she wasn’t quite sure where the problem was. She felt a little dizzy. There was a soft waving in her head that matched the rhythm of the lapping water. But one thing seemed clear from what the other mermaid was telling her: the ship that had crashed into the cliffs yesterday must not have been the first one ever to sink in the waters near this cave. She gazed around at the dim space with its glowing crystals like half- obliterated stars, listening to its constant resonance as the waves roared outside. Like living in the hollow of a violin, sustained in one endless note . . .
“You mean you sink ships a lot?” Luce asked. Her own voice sounded wrong for a mermaid, broken. The others always seemed so clear and confident, even when they were angry or sad.
“You mean ‘we,’ ” Samantha corrected. She was very cool and stiff now. “You’re with us now, Luce. We sink ships when we can get away with it, which isn’t anywhere near every time we see one. That ship you sang to yesterday we wouldn’t have ever tackled a ship that big if you didn’t force us to. There just aren’t that many of us, and only a few can really sing.” Samantha shook her head. “That was impressive work, Luce. I bet Catarina would have been a lot angrier than she was if you weren’t so talented.” Luce didn’t like being told she was responsible for what had happened to the ship, but she couldn’t help feeling flattered.
It felt odd and exhilarating to hear the admiration in Samantha’s voice. Even so, she didn’t think she could let that pass.
“ Catarina kept saying that, too that I sank that ship,” Luce objected. “But I didn’t do anything. I mean, I heard the singing, and then the ship came straight at me, and it was really just 56 i LOST VOICES
an accident that there was a cliff right there.” Luce was trying to remember exactly how everything had happened; it had all been so overwhelming, and her memories seemed to get mixed up. “I didn’t even know it was me doing the singing. It was just like something I felt, like it came out of nowhere . . .” As she said it Luce wasn’t completely sure whether or not she was telling the truth. How could she sing like that and not realize she was doing it?
Samantha looked at her skeptically for a long time, and Luce began to cringe a little. Mermaids flashed away under the water, one by one. Soon they were all alone in the cave.
“Maybe,” Samantha finally conceded, but she still seemed doubtful. “Maybe you just started spontaneously singing the perfect song of persuasion, and everyone on that ship went mad for it, and you didn’t know what you were doing at all. But that ship definitely went down because of you, Luce. And we definitely had to clean up your mess. You still don’t realize what a big job that was, do you?”
Luce looked at her in bewilderment. She realized that Catarina had
Luce thought she was starting to understand; she felt an ache of tenderness for Catarina as the truth sank in. “That has something to do with why we all changed? Into mermaids?” It felt awkward to say the word out loud, but somehow Luce was sure that she’d hit on the truth. “We changed because of what human beings did to us.”
“Yes,” Samantha agreed. “That’s what we are. They made us.” Suddenly she gave an awful laugh, sharp and high. “And then the humans wonder why their ships sink! They wonder why so many of them end up drowned! And they never even suspect we’re here!” Samantha wasn’t calm at all now. She sounded like a vicious baby.
“But there wouldn’t be any mermaids anywhere in the world if the humans weren’t all so evil!”
i 55
Luce couldn’t help thinking that there must be something wrong with what Samantha was saying, but she wasn’t quite sure where the problem was. She felt a little dizzy. There was a soft waving in her head that matched the rhythm of the lapping water. But one thing seemed clear from what the other mermaid was telling her: the ship that had crashed into the cliffs yesterday must not have been the first one ever to sink in the waters near this cave. She gazed around at the dim space with its glowing crystals like half- obliterated stars, listening to its constant resonance as the waves roared outside. Like living in the hollow of a violin, sustained in one endless note . . .
“You mean you sink ships a lot?” Luce asked. Her own voice sounded wrong for a mermaid, broken. The others always seemed so clear and confident, even when they were angry or sad.
“You mean ‘we,’ ” Samantha corrected. She was very cool and stiff now. “You’re with us now, Luce. We sink ships when we can get away with it, which isn’t anywhere near every time we see one. That ship you sang to yesterday we wouldn’t have ever tackled a ship that big if you didn’t force us to. There just aren’t that many of us, and only a few can really sing.” Samantha shook her head. “That was impressive work, Luce. I bet Catarina would have been a lot angrier than she was if you weren’t so talented.” Luce didn’t like being told she was responsible for what had happened to the ship, but she couldn’t help feeling flattered.
It felt odd and exhilarating to hear the admiration in Samantha’s voice. Even so, she didn’t think she could let that pass.
“ Catarina kept saying that, too that I sank that ship,” Luce objected. “But I didn’t do anything. I mean, I heard the singing, and then the ship came straight at me, and it was really just 56 i LOST VOICES
an accident that there was a cliff right there.” Luce was trying to remember exactly how everything had happened; it had all been so overwhelming, and her memories seemed to get mixed up. “I didn’t even know it was me doing the singing. It was just like something I felt, like it came out of nowhere . . .” As she said it Luce wasn’t completely sure whether or not she was telling the truth. How could she sing like that and not realize she was doing it?
Samantha looked at her skeptically for a long time, and Luce began to cringe a little. Mermaids flashed away under the water, one by one. Soon they were all alone in the cave.
“Maybe,” Samantha finally conceded, but she still seemed doubtful. “Maybe you just started spontaneously singing the perfect song of persuasion, and everyone on that ship went mad for it, and you didn’t know what you were doing at all. But that ship definitely went down because of you, Luce. And we definitely had to clean up your mess. You still don’t realize what a big job that was, do you?”
Luce looked at her in bewilderment. She realized that Catarina had
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