December 31st | New Year's Eve

I squeezed Benji's hand tightly, all the air robbed from my lungs. We were both shaking, our feet rooted in place, as we stared at the infamous Kay. For all the pieces of information we had on her, all the details, or lack thereof that Winnie, Henry, and the others gave, it didn't live up to standing in front of her now.

She was still in her old Year 12 uniform, though dirty and rustled from wherever she'd been. Her black hair was glossy and sleek with soft ringlets through the ends. Kay had the same rich brown skin as Winnie, but it's where the similarities ended and the biggest difference stood out.

Winnie was lying still on the slab behind Kay, who was standing, with no tail at all. The comet-like flare shone weakly, providing the only light in the cathedral cave, but it all seemed to drain out of sight as soon as it reached Kay's shadow.

There was no light in her eyes. No life to her soul. She was a void of power and she was staring us down like we landed right where she wanted us to.

"You must be Kay," I said quietly, my voice a whisper, but Kay, despite being at a distance and surrounded by pools of water, smiled at the sound of her name on my lips.

"Indeed I am," she cocked her head to the side, her neck clicking loudly at the action. Benji and I flinched. "And who are my dear sister's rescuers?"

Benji and I locked eyes. Would telling her our names really matter? "I'm Nancy," I said, using my middle name instead.

Benji forced a smile. "I'm Smithy."

Kay slowly tilted her head back vertical and said nothing else.

I swallowed. "We came to bring Winnie back."

Kay remained quiet.

Benji gained some courage in her silence and took a step forward. "We just want everyone back together again, you know? She's with the others, and we all were worried when we couldn't find her so we, um, kinda followed the past and tracked you to here? So....can we go?"

"With Winnie, I mean?" I added, noticing she was on her side facing away from us. I could see the shimmer of her back, her hair down and away from her ears, like someone had tucked it behind them. "Is she okay?"

Benji frowned. "She hasn't moved."

"Winnie?" I called out. Her partly glowing tail was the only sign she was alive. "Winnie, are you okay?"

Benji squeezed my hand again. "Kay's still not moved."

He was right. Kay was as still as death, watching us coldly. There was no warmth to her at all, goosebumps formed on my arms at the temperature slowly dropping.

"Should..." I whispered. "Should we walk over? See if Winnie's okay?"

Benji stared at me, wide-eyed. "You want to get closer to the voidmaid?" he whispered harshly.

"We can't just stand here talking to the walls, can we?" I whispered back, looking at the distance between Kay and Winnie, and the six pools of water around her. It must have been where the other mermaids were all hung up and changed, forced to sacrifice something to survive. Winnie being back here must be horrific; being back in the place she last felt love, with the person who took it away.

Benji wet his lips nervously and turned to Kay. "We...we can pay? We have money?" He said cautiously, but when that also garnered no response, he shrugged. "Fuck it, let's walk over, but for god's sake please don't get too close."

"We could try negotiating more..?"

"I don't know how to negotiate anything," Benji said, "and it doesn't seem to be working away."

I glimpsed at Winnie's tail, watching that golden light flare up and down her fins, and die out when the light reached Kay's shadows. The result of a sacrifice she made to escape her clutches. "Oh no," I whispered, the realisation kicking in.

Kay slowly smiled. "You understand, Sylvia Okenji."

I froze, squeezing Benji's hand tight. "Yeah," I choked. "Yeah, I get it."

Benji looked between us. "No, no, wait–"

"We have to sacrifice something in order to leave with Winnie," I spoke out loud.

"But..." He looked to Kay. "We don't have anything."

"Yes you do, Benjamin Smith. Everyone always has something to give." Her voice echoed around the chamber, her words reverberating down our spines. "Offer it, and if it is enough, you may all leave."

I turned Benji towards me, both of us shaking, both of us talking at once. "What do–?"

"I'll do it–"

"What? No, no, don't you dare–"

"Sylvia," Benji, "It's okay, I can–"

"Stop," I said, hushing him. "Let's think, okay? We saw what happened, we know what could happen, just...just think for a moment, okay? Let me think."

Benji slowly nodded, and in that brief pause, I thought, truly thought, about what I would give to see my friends save; to give up something, to hold them dear.

The past year flicked through my head, these past six months, and this month alone – how everything I'd done since my birthday party was to preserve everything I had. To stop giving my time to people who would only use me, to just be a living banker of secrets that no one else had the courage to hold. To be an ocean harbouring the sins of my friends, of their friends, of their family, of people they had just met.

I'd been learning to say no for months, and staring at Kay, how she watched me intensely, I couldn't say yes. I couldn't think of anything I would give, because I'd already given years to everyone else, given the most valuable thing I had – my own time – to the betterment of everyone else.

I had only just found my feet. I couldn't trade them for a tail.

It just wasn't my story, and definitely not how mine would end.

"No," I said slowly. "There will be no trade, because Winnie's life isn't a transaction, it's not a...a object you can swap out with something else."

Kay stopped smiling. "You...You refuse to sacrifice?"

I clenched my jaw. "You know my name, Kay, what else do you know about me? Do I seem like the person who would give?"

In a blink, the shadows moved, and Kay herself was standing in front of us. She grasped our necks tightly, lifting us off the ground with ease, as her shadows danced beneath our feet like flames and her eyes pooled with a rage, a power, I couldn't look away from.

She hissed quietly, staring at each of us in turn, long enough for us to start swinging our legs and struggling against her iron grip, to feel the air in our lungs burn. She broke off her hiss with a grunt, dropping us both on the floor at her feet. "Nothing!" Kay let out a hefty sigh. "How disappointing. Utterly useless. There is nothing in your lives that I haven't tasted before, nor nothing worthy of handing over my sister for."

Both Benji and I reached for each other with one hand while we coughed air back into our bodies, I pressed against my throat, feeling the bruising Kay had left behind with her clawed grip. "W-What?" I croaked.

Kay turned, staring at us collapsed at her feet. "You see, little rescuers, Winnie is my sister. She is mine, and she is not yours to rescue. She is mine – I blessed her, I took her love, I took everything from her so she will forever remember her power is only an extension of me. Everything memorable about her is from me, and me alone."

She crouched down in front of us. "You see, it's the same with all your new little friends. They were my friends once too. And now, now the very thing you remember them for, is thanks to me. I blessed them, I changed them to be the best possible symbol of power, and you stare in awe at the things they lost, the things they gave up for a small taste of what I'm capable of." Kay stood over us with a snarl. "Whenever you see power, you'll only remember my name."

I coughed again, wincing as I lifted my head to stare at her, and caught the flicker of gold where Kay once stood. Winnie had moved, just a little. Her hand was stretched to the closest pool of water where her fingers touched the surface – her tail flared a little brighter, a little stronger, that comet flaring to life once more.

Winnie's power was sensing pheromone changes, Jason had called it mind-reading. Henry had mentioned when Winnie was first taken that he couldn't sense her with his own sonar – she must have been out of the water all this time.

If Kay could move as quick as she did just now for our throats, then she could move fast enough to capture Winnie and get her above land before Henry could find her.

She only needed to touch the water again to be found again, to go back to the water, but she couldn't do that with Kay watching to stop her, who was probably at her side tucking her hair behind her ear, reminding her of the hatred Winnie was left with thanks to her power.

Kay still hadn't turned around to see her sister touch the water, to alert her finned brethren. I had to keep her attention on us. "What," I forced out, looking at Kay's lifeless eye, wishing on every bone I had that she didn't turn around. "What would be enough?"

Kay scoffed. "You have nothing you can give me."

"But...But what," I coughed, sitting up a little taller. "What is enough? Can, can we get it? If you give us time?"

Kay paused, watching as Benji also sat up, leaning on me as he held his bruised throat. She cocked her head to the side, her neck loudly clicking, and those shadows in her eyes swirled. "In time..." Her voice lowered as she pondered. "Could you give me what I want?"

Benji swallowed, staring. "What do you want, Kay?"

The void stared back. "Power."

I risked a glance behind Kay to see how Winnie was doing, if the others were here. They had to still be searching for her, Henry's tail would be alight that beautiful, vibrant jade, and they would be on their way – they'd be able to find her, find us, and save us from Kay.

Would they be strong enough? That shadow of thought whispered in my ears, and I looked back up at Kay, and paled at her expression.

"You think they will save you?" She whispered with such venom, such confidence that she would always win, that she had enough power to win. "You think they will come for you?"

Winnie's golden tail flared so brightly that I winced, the comet blazing through the shadows. She turned her head and smiled victoriously at her sister. "I believe in them," Winnie said. "And I don't fear you."

I couldn't see Kay's expression, but her fists clenched tightly as she noticed Winnie's hand in the water. There was a heartbeat of silence, where the shadows froze, before Kay sprung like a wave. She was over Winnie's body in a second, shoving her away from the water.

I shrieked, Benji yelling out, as Winnie flew, the smack of her body hitting the cave wall echoed in the chamber as she rolled, landing hard on the ground between two pools of water. Her face was scrunched up in pain, her hands shaking, her tail quivering with flickers of gold but her power dimmed quickly.

Kay stood in the center, her chest heaving. "You think, you think, you are free from me?" she shouted, her claim echoing around her. I forced myself to get to my feet, Benji helping me up as we both stood before the pools. "You have no power here! This is mine, all mine, and you are beneath my fucking feet!"

Benji and I locked eyes, ready to charge at her, but Kay was faster. She was ripping off a stalagmite at her feet before flinging it towards Winnie.

Water from the nearest pool erupted, moving as fast as Kay, and a flare of blue formed between Winnie and the stalagmite, shattering it to rubble before it got close.

Caspar lay between the sisters, his tail pulsing with his strength, both shielding Winnie and standing up to Kay.

The void hissed. "Caspar."

His hands braced either side of his torso, his tail blocking Winnie from sight. He didn't say a word, his jaw clenched tightly and his blue eyes electric. He only had to wait before all the pools burst with the other mermaids.

Daniel shot out from the pool Caspar had emerged from, his copper tail flaring still from where he must have pushed Caspar out first to help Winnie. His eyes locked onto Kay with a burning ferocity.

Jason emerged from the next pool, his arm shimmering with his invisibility as it gripped the edge. He had the chance to wink at Benji before carefully watching for Kay's next move.

Trent burst through another pool, water running down his broad shoulders as he used his white-laced tail to climb out of the water, his hands gripping the wet cave floor tightly while he moved to be closer to Winnie, lying between her and Kay.

Lastly, Henry himself emerged from the pool closest to me, the jade light turning the water a summer green. He wiped his hair away from his eyes and took in the scene; Kay stepping back from the mermaids protecting Winnie, Daniel bracing himself in the water and Jason turning invisible, and Henry looked up and Benji and myself.

His dark eyes found mine. "Are you okay?"

"Better now," I smiled. "Thank you."

Henry's gaze softened. "We're getting out of here Sylvia, we'll get you both home."

Kay's laugh broke the tension, her arms stretched as she spun in a circle. "What else have you got in store for me, friends? What damage could you really do?"

"Let's find out, bitch." Caspar didn't hesitate in launching a piece of the crumbled stalagmite at Kay's head, but she was only just faster to avoid it. I pulled Benji down as pieces of debris started being thrown, how quickly the fight erupted.

"We've got to get to Winnie," I whispered to Benji over the roar of the fight, wincing when Daniel shot out of the water as fast as Kay, his tail knocking her feet out from under her, as he dove into another pool out of sight. Caspar lunged for her but Kay slipped out of reach, dodging his strength and leaping over Trent's grip.

Henry pointed to the pool Jason was in, with a finger to his lips, before he leapt towards the fight, somehow hitting Kay away from where she lunged towards Trent.

I looked to Jason's pool, slightly confused, but Benji pulled me with him as we inched closer. I almost jumped out of his grip when the water moved, and Benji started to turn invisible. It spread over to me, and I looked down to see my feet were completely missing, clothes and all. I couldn't see Benji in front of me but felt him pull me past the pool, scooting around the edges of the cathedral.

We could only quietly shuffle closer to Winnie's still form. With Trent, Caspar, Henry and Daniel all pushing Kay back, I could see how much damage Winnie had sustained from Kay's attack. I crouched low as debris flew over my head from another one of Caspar's dangerous throws. I felt Benji strain, and looked back to see a trail of water following us – Jason must be only able to turn people invisible too if he maintained contact, and now Benji was practically dragging him to Winnie's side.

Once we were close enough, I bent over Winnie and called her name. She was wincing still, and my hands hovered. "I...Winnie can you move? I need to see your back," I whispered.

She opened her glassy eyes and stared at me, I realised Jason must have let go because both Benji and I were visible now. Winnie's entire body trembled in pain. "N-Not broken," she strained. "Move m-me."

I swallowed, nodding to Benji as we counted to three, before gently pulling Winnie body over so she was on her stomach. I winced as she tensed, her face scrunching up and her mouth open in a silent scream.

Her back was bruised, broken open, and imbedded in her spine were pieces of rock from the cave wall. She was already bleeding, swelling already with bruising, and I quickly grabbed Benji's hand as he moved to brush the stones away.

"If we move those she's going really start bleeding," I whispered, ducking again when more debris smashed overhead. "I...Normally I'd take her to a hospital, but, you know?" I gestured to her faintly glowing tail.

Benji pursed his lips. "Yeah the tail's an issue."

I sat by Winnie and watched the fight, and winced as Kay backhanded Trent so hard he landed next to Winnie. Benji quickly leaned over her so the debris from the wall landed on him instead. I heard him wince, but waved away my concern and I locked eyes with Trent as he struggled to get up.

He flicked his eyes to Winnie. I shook my head. "We can't move her."

His dark eyes shifted between Winnie, myself and Benji, and back to the fight – Kay was gaining the upper hand, punching Daniel back into the pool when he tried to leap out and knock her down again. She pinned Henry down on his side, his tail flapping wildly, and she hissed, raising another hand but Caspar quickly caught it and flung her over his shoulder.

As Kay landed on her feet, hissing, scraped, covered in dust, she took a step forward to charge them all again when Trent sat up straight. "Enough!" he bellowed. Kay froze in her tracks. "Enough," he said quieter, not looking away from her.

The void seemed to simmer around her. "You give up?"

Trent's shoulders dropped. "I offer a sacrifice."

"No!" Every mermaid shouted, and Winnie weakly stretched a hand out to him. With the light of all their tails I saw the rope scars around her wrist shine – a reminder that nothing comes without a price.

"Trent," I shook my head. "Don't."

He smiled weakly. "I'm the only one here with something to offer, Sylvia. She'll only accept a trade from me."

Benji frowned. "Why only you? Why can't it be me, or someone else?"

The void seemed to hum. "Because he never sacrificed anything the first time," Kay turned to Trent, eyes burning coldly. "You knew the greatest burden and pain I could inflict was letting you have my power, your ability the same as the others, without having given anything for it. Your greatest pain would be watching the others cry and bellow and your guilt would be greater than anything I could conjure."

The penny seemed to drop in the silence that followed. Caspar turned to Trent. "Is that true?" he was quiet as he lay by Henry, who was still clutching his chest like Kay had done more damage than I thought. "Trent?"

He only nodded. "I have yet to sacrifice – so I sacrifice now. You never go near them again, you never look to harm them again, you let everyone go, let them walk out of here and leave us alone, and you leave them alone. That, in exchange for my sacrifice, is my offer." His voice shook as he stared Kay down. "Do we have a deal?"

Kay seemed to vibrate, and for the first time, there was life in her eyes. My heart sunk to my toes, the colour draining from my face, and I knew what she would say as she smiled, before anyone could say anything else.

"I accept, Trent."

Someone shouted out in response, and Jason burst into visibility with a shard of stalagmite, plunging it into Kay's back. She shrieked, and my sight was drowned by the multitude of shadows that erupted around the cathedral, the flare of white amidst like a burning star, and I watched in horror as the shadows, the darkness, the void folded against the brightness of Trent's power.

But as the spectacle burst, ashes shooting out from the centre of the star, all that remained was a stalagmite covered in tar.

Kay and Trent were gone.

"No," I whispered, going to stand, when the lights began again – the mermaids tails all flared as bright as their colours dared, all of them screaming as their tails melted down, their colours and powers soaking into the legs that burst forth from them all.

My eyes were wide when I realised – Winnie always said that Trent was good with his words. Let them walk out of here. He'd given them their legs back. I scurried across the cave as Jason struggled onto his stomach, clear from the water. I saw Benji stretch over and pull Daniel from the water. I reached Henry and Caspar as they were blinking their pain away and staring at their feet.

"You're okay," I assured, smiling at Henry as I hesitated to touch him, seeing the redness on his chest from where Kay had pinned him down. "It's gonna be okay," I said quickly, turning to Caspar, who was wide-eyed looking at his legs. "Can you stand?"

Caspar blinked up at me. "Can...Can I?"

I stood, locking eyes with Benji, both of us blushing slightly. I removed my light cardigan and went over to Winnie, covering her body as best I could. Benji removed his button up shirt, and his singlet underneath, and handed his singlet to Jason, winking at him, before handing his shirt to Daniel, who was lying still.

"Daniel's out," Benji called. "He's got a pulse though."

"Something's wrong with Henry too," I said, making sure Winnie was covered before turning, unbuttoning my shirt, knowing my bralette underneath covered mem enough that I could help the others. I handed my shirt to Caspar, who threw it over Henry.

"I don't care," Caspar said and began sitting up. I held out two hands and he grasped them gently and I held on tight as he began standing for the first time in a year.

"Easy, easy," I said as he began to tower over me, leaning, wobbling on shaky legs. "Are you stable? Are you okay?" Caspar nodded, still wide-eyed as he stared at his feet. "Okay, help me and Benji carry everyone out."

Benji blinked. "Carry?"

"Yes," I said, making my way to Winnie, thinking how I can best carry her out without hurting her too much.

"How are we going to carry them out? The, the cave's so steep Sylvia."

"We'll figure..." I was about to finish my sentence when I suddenly had a thought, and shot up again, running past them all, past the pools, to the entrance of the cathedral where Benji and I had entered, looking up.

I glimpsed the metal bridge above, it glinted in the faint lights, and I waved Benji over. "Benji, what are the chances that Leah's still up there?"

"Leah?"

"Yeah, if she calls, says her friends are missing, they get people searching, and they find us all down here, they'll have the tools to get us out, for sure." I said, thinking out loud, as I tried to judge how far down we were.

Benji looked up at the bridge. "Likely, she won't drive off, and we've been gone long enough for them to notice we're missing, but how are you going to explain the others?"

I paused, noticing Caspar try walking towards us, shuffling on weak legs. "We use Caspar."

"What?" He said, stopping.

"He's the only one with a missing person's report, right?" I said, turning to Benji. "We can't stay down here, and Winnie, Henry, and Daniel need to be looked over, but we won't be fast enough to get them out and to safety, so we call Leah, get her and officials down here, and we say we tripped over the rail further on, fell down the cave, and found these guys all down here, how we recognised Caspar's missing person's picture," I looked at Benji's baffled expression. "Would that work?"

"Sylvia, that's completely insane," but Benji immediately reached for his phone. "But it's got to work, we'll make it work."

Jason began crawling towards us on all fours, ripping off Benji's vest and handing it to Caspar. "Mate, take it before they fall over in shock." He joked, slowly getting to his feet and standing for the first time. "I don't need it."

"What do you mean?" Caspar frowned at him, holding his shoulder to stable him, and himself.

Jason winked, before he turned invisible before our eyes. "It still works, man."

Caspar looked where Jason had been, confusion bunching his brows. "I-I don't..."

"Trent asked Kay to let you walk out of here," I filled in. "There was no catch about taking your powers too."

The room seemed to still at the mention of Trent, and everyone turned to where the bloody stalagmite remained. I swallowed, knowing that there would be a time to wonder, to think about what had happened to Trent and Kay, to ponder where they were and even if Kay was still alive, if Trent was still alive, but Winnie was bruised and bleeding, Daniel was unconscious, and Henry was beginning to wheeze.

"Jason can keep an eye on everyone at the hospital, right?" I said, "You can stay invisible for that long?"

"Sure thing," Jason said, his voice echoing but he was nowhere to be seen. "I can hold this."

"Okay," I turned to Benji, who was holding his phone up like it was a young Simba. "Please tell me you have signal."

Benji suddenly grinned. "I have one bar bitches, let's go!"

"Call Leah, quickly," I turned to Caspar. "If powers are still intact, then yours is too, you can help carry Henry out."

"I can take Winnie–"

I held my ground. "Winnie's lighter, I'm not as strong as you, and she's naked now. I think she'd be more comfortable if I carried her."

Caspar entire face reddened. "Right." He cleared his throat as he looked at Benji's vest, then his much chest, and just tied the clothing around his waist as best he could. "Henry, mate, I'm carrying you."

I overheard Benji start talking up a wildfire on the phone, as Jason became visible again, kneeling over Winnie with me. "I can help you with Winnie, then Benji with Daniel, and I'll follow you guys when the ambulance arrives."

I nodded, looking at Winnie's wounded back. "We need to keep her as straight as possible." She's already curled her legs in, but there was damage on the back of her thighs as well. I adjusted my cardigan on her so it was around her waist, tied on her hip. "Okay, Winnie, I'm gonna carry you like a baby okay? Jason, go behind her so you don't see anything, and help me get her upright."

Jason nodded, crawling between Winnie and the cave wall. "Winnie, sorry, this is gonna hurt like a bitch."

Winnie jerked her chin weakly, breathing deep with her nose as she mentally braced herself. I put my hands under Winnie's arms and, with Jason's help, hauled her upright. She groaned in pain, and Jason paled at the back of her head. "There's a lot of blood from her head, Sylvia, that, ooh." Jason's cheeks puffed out. "Oh fuck."

"If you throw up on me I swear I'll throw up right back," I challenged.

Jason had gone white as a ghost. "Yup, noted, just, hmm." He kept his face turned. "Let's just get Winnie in your arms."

"Then you can throw up, come on." I put Winnie's arms around my bruised neck and had a hand on her thigh, ready to pick her up. "Okay on three, we're all going to stand and Winnie, your legs around my waist, and Jason, throw up in the water, okay?" When I got their weak nods, I started to count.

On three, I stood, straining under Winnie's weight as she curled her legs around me, and Jason made sure the cardigan covered everything, pulling her hair away from her wounded back. "I got you," I said, putting my arms around her hips and holding tight, and Jason immediately turned away to gag into the water.

"I'm good!" He weakly gave a thumbs up, standing tall when Benji came over from helping Henry into Caspar's arms, who was carrying him bridal style so he was upright and gravity wasn't pushing his chest down.

"Leah's on her way with, I think, the entire crew of the caves." Benji smiled and knelt to Daniel's unconscious form. Jason immediately crouched by his twin as Benji checked his pulse. "It's still strong, I think he just passed out."

Jason nodded, a visible weight off his shoulders. "Come on, I'll help you."

"I know," Benji smiled, adjusting his glasses as the two of them carried Daniel into Benji's arms, also bridal, keeping his head elevated.

"How long until Leah arrives?" I asked, slowly making our way towards the entrance we slid down, where the bridge was above us. It must have been over 200ft high, only a glint of metal from where we were, but I could already hear movement, and I knew the loudest voice immediately. "Speaking of," I smiled.

All of us huddled around each other, the adrenaline fading and the cold finding us all once again. I felt Winnie move in my arms, her mouth moving to my ear. "Thank you," she whispered. "Thank you."

"I got you," I whispered back. "I've got you."

Benji turned to Jason. "My phone's in my back pocket, I don't have a password, but message Sylvia and keep us updated, okay?"

Jason nodded, looking at his kin, his former tailed friends. "I will," he then smirked at Benji. "Any nudes I should be aware of?"

Benji laughed. "Add some if you like."

"I will," Jason grinned, slowly getting Benji's phone from his pocket, both of them a little red in the face.

I smiled at them, turning to Henry, who was watching me from Caspar's arms with a quiet intensity – and I instantly knew what he was thinking, after all this time knowing him, I could read his expression so vividly. My smile was softer for him, and he returned it with his own, unique grin.

"OI!" I heard Leah shout from the bridge, and bright lights beam down on us. "SYVLIA?! BENJI?!"

Daniel stirred at the sound of Leah's voice as I called out to her. "We're down here! We need help!"

"On it!" She shouted back before turning to the crowd around her. "Now you, figure out the fastest way down there, and you, keep me updated with everything that's going on to save my friends, and finally you, you and I are going to have a lengthy chat about your safety regulations!"

I smiled, Winnie leaning heavily against me. "You okay Winnie?"

I felt her nod. "It's all over," she whispered.

Tears fell onto my shoulder. "I'm sorry," I said to her. "I'm so sorry we didn't find you sooner, that it had to end like that, with Kay and Trent."

Winnie pressed her face tightly to my neck, her breath tickling my bruises. "We'll be okay," she said quietly. "We'll find him."

I nodded, watching as rope began tumbling down the cavern and people started abseiling down with stretchers. "Stick to the story guys," I said out of hearing shot for them. "We'll find each other, okay?"

Jason vanished before our eyes, out of sight of the officials who were rapidly descending to us. Leah was still shouting at them, encouraging them to get there faster, helping prepare everything on the bridge with more stretchers and first aid, while also giving the manager an earful.

"Do you promise?" Henry asked, watching me carefully. "That we'll find each other?"

I smiled at him. "Always. You have my word."

~

AHH IT'S FINISHED! Just the epilogue remains. 

I hope you enjoyed Siren Bay - my little love letter to Australia, to stories and sacrifice and secrets and the relationships that are forged throughout. 

Let me know what you thought! 

Libby x