that I’ve been too kind,” Penn said, returning to her rant at Gemma. “I’ve let you into our fold. I’ve given you the greatest gift you could ever ask for, and you throw it all back in my face.”
Gemma stumbled a few times, her wet feet slipping on the marble floor, but Penn never slowed down. If she didn’t hurry up, Penn was liable to rip her arm out of its socket.
When they made it outside, it got harder for Gemma to keep her footing. The back door opened right onto the beach, and the sand made it nearly impossible for her to stand.
Penn must’ve tired of dragging her along, because she yanked Gemma’s arm so hard Gemma stumbled to the ground. Gemma sat up but didn’t get to her feet.
“What is wrong with you?” Penn shouted, glowering over her.
“I didn’t ask for this!” Gemma shot back, trying to match Penn’s glare.
“Neither did I!” Penn growled. “But I made the best of it! Why can’t you?”
“How have you made the best of it?” Gemma asked. “What have you done that’s so great?”
“Don’t you dare question my choices!” Penn shook her head. “You have no right! And you know what? It doesn’t matter what you think or what you want or if you’re happy.”
“Why don’t you just let me go?” Gemma asked.
“You are a siren and I can’t let you go!” Penn shouted. “The sirens have to stay together. If one of us leaves for more than a week or so, we all die. You have to stay with us. As you agreed. If you want to be miserable, that’s fine by me. But you will not die. We had an agreement, and you will do what I say!”
As much as Gemma hated to admit it, she knew Penn was right. So she let out a deep breath and looked up at her. “Fine. What do you want me to do?”
“For starters, get in that ocean and swim before all your hair falls out and your skin starts to slide off.” Penn pointed to the water lapping on the beach.
Gemma wasn’t sure if Penn was exaggerating, or if the next step in her deterioration really would be her skin falling off. But she didn’t want to find out, and she definitely knew it wasn’t in her best interest to push Penn right now.
She got up and walked out into the ocean, giving in to the song that had been haunting her for days. The waves knocked her down, and she fell into them.
When her legs didn’t turn, she began to panic. The familiar flutter of the transformation didn’t come. The waves started pulling her out to sea. She tried to swim and fight it, but she was too weak. The water was taking over, pulling her under, and if she didn’t transform soon, she would drown.
And then, when Gemma was beginning to think it was too late, it finally happened. It wasn’t as smooth or as pleasurable as it normally was. Her legs thrashed for a while before they became a tail.
She breathed in deeply, grateful to be able to again, and then she swam off.
For a moment, all her cares evaporated. Her skin felt alive, tingling with the magic of the water. Even her scalp began to prickle, and Gemma realized that her hair was growing back. All of her aches and pains were washed away.
As she swam, darting around in the ocean like a dolphin at play, Gemma considered running away. Or swimming away, as it were.
She could leave this all behind, Penn and the sirens and the issues with feeding. Thea had told her of Aggie’s plan to die that way, to just swim out to sea and let themselves starve. Gemma could do that. The other sirens would eventually die without Gemma, and this would all be over for everyone.
But then she thought of Alex and Harper. As soon as Penn realized what she’d done, that Gemma had left, Penn would go after them and kill them.
Penn may have been able to kill her own sister, but Gemma never could. She couldn’t even stand the thought of Harper being hurt.
Gemma surfaced, and the sun was completely over the horizon now. She was quite a ways from the shore, but she could still make out Penn’s figure standing on the
Gemma stumbled a few times, her wet feet slipping on the marble floor, but Penn never slowed down. If she didn’t hurry up, Penn was liable to rip her arm out of its socket.
When they made it outside, it got harder for Gemma to keep her footing. The back door opened right onto the beach, and the sand made it nearly impossible for her to stand.
Penn must’ve tired of dragging her along, because she yanked Gemma’s arm so hard Gemma stumbled to the ground. Gemma sat up but didn’t get to her feet.
“What is wrong with you?” Penn shouted, glowering over her.
“I didn’t ask for this!” Gemma shot back, trying to match Penn’s glare.
“Neither did I!” Penn growled. “But I made the best of it! Why can’t you?”
“How have you made the best of it?” Gemma asked. “What have you done that’s so great?”
“Don’t you dare question my choices!” Penn shook her head. “You have no right! And you know what? It doesn’t matter what you think or what you want or if you’re happy.”
“Why don’t you just let me go?” Gemma asked.
“You are a siren and I can’t let you go!” Penn shouted. “The sirens have to stay together. If one of us leaves for more than a week or so, we all die. You have to stay with us. As you agreed. If you want to be miserable, that’s fine by me. But you will not die. We had an agreement, and you will do what I say!”
As much as Gemma hated to admit it, she knew Penn was right. So she let out a deep breath and looked up at her. “Fine. What do you want me to do?”
“For starters, get in that ocean and swim before all your hair falls out and your skin starts to slide off.” Penn pointed to the water lapping on the beach.
Gemma wasn’t sure if Penn was exaggerating, or if the next step in her deterioration really would be her skin falling off. But she didn’t want to find out, and she definitely knew it wasn’t in her best interest to push Penn right now.
She got up and walked out into the ocean, giving in to the song that had been haunting her for days. The waves knocked her down, and she fell into them.
When her legs didn’t turn, she began to panic. The familiar flutter of the transformation didn’t come. The waves started pulling her out to sea. She tried to swim and fight it, but she was too weak. The water was taking over, pulling her under, and if she didn’t transform soon, she would drown.
And then, when Gemma was beginning to think it was too late, it finally happened. It wasn’t as smooth or as pleasurable as it normally was. Her legs thrashed for a while before they became a tail.
She breathed in deeply, grateful to be able to again, and then she swam off.
For a moment, all her cares evaporated. Her skin felt alive, tingling with the magic of the water. Even her scalp began to prickle, and Gemma realized that her hair was growing back. All of her aches and pains were washed away.
As she swam, darting around in the ocean like a dolphin at play, Gemma considered running away. Or swimming away, as it were.
She could leave this all behind, Penn and the sirens and the issues with feeding. Thea had told her of Aggie’s plan to die that way, to just swim out to sea and let themselves starve. Gemma could do that. The other sirens would eventually die without Gemma, and this would all be over for everyone.
But then she thought of Alex and Harper. As soon as Penn realized what she’d done, that Gemma had left, Penn would go after them and kill them.
Penn may have been able to kill her own sister, but Gemma never could. She couldn’t even stand the thought of Harper being hurt.
Gemma surfaced, and the sun was completely over the horizon now. She was quite a ways from the shore, but she could still make out Penn’s figure standing on the
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