Elegy (A Watersong Novel) (6 page)

“If you don’t like this, it’s your fault,” Thea said. “You said you wanted this. You
asked
to be a siren. And then we trusted you and left you on your own, and you went batshit and almost ruined everything for us.”

Liv’s smile fell, and her eyes darkened. “I did not go batshit.”

“You threw a huge tantrum because you didn’t like the way Harper talked to you. Penn asked you to do one simple thing.” Thea held up one finger to demonstrate. “
One
thing. She gave you the gift that you wanted, and in turn, she just wanted you to keep tabs on Harper and help find out what Gemma is up to. That’s it. And you couldn’t handle it.”

“I could handle it,” Liv insisted. “I just didn’t think it was fair.”

“Well, life isn’t fair.” Thea shrugged. “Get used to it.”

“I don’t know how you can give me all this power and expect me to do nothing with it. I can change form, and I can control men with my voice.”

Liv had been getting louder as she spoke, and by the time she stood, she was practically shouting at Thea. Her eyes had changed from their usual dark brown to golden-eagle eyes, and Thea could see the beginnings of her fangs protruding from her mouth.

“I can kill at my discretion,” Liv said, her voice booming through the living room. All of its sugariness had dissolved. “I decide the fate of everyone I come in contact with. I’m practically a god, and you want me to sit on the couch while you
read
?”

Thea said nothing for a minute, almost in shock at the maniacal glint in Liv’s eyes, before finally whispering, “Penn made a terrible mistake with you.”

With that, Liv dove at her. Thea leaned back, her head resting on the arm of the couch, and Liv hovered over her. She was still mostly human, aside from the many jagged rows of teeth in her mouth. Her face was mere inches above Thea’s, and her eyes were filled with contempt.

“No,
you’re
the one who made a mistake,” Liv said, her voice mutated by the monster inside her, making her sound demonic. “I am not some little parakeet you can keep in a cage.”

“Neither am I,” Thea growled.

Her hand was around Liv’s throat in a second, her fingers elongating and tightening around Liv’s windpipe—not enough to kill her but enough that Liv could feel her power and strength.

“You think you’re so powerful, little girl?” Thea asked, and leaned even closer to Liv as her eyes widened in surprise. “I’ve had this power a lot longer than you, and I actually know how to use it. I will not hesitate to rip off your head and spit down your throat if you do not calm the hell down.”

The back door slammed shut, and Liv instantly retracted her teeth, and her eyes changed back to normal. Thea didn’t let go of her throat, though, so Liv remained hovering over her, even after Thea heard Penn’s wet footsteps on the floor as she walked into the living room.

“What is going on here?” Penn asked, and Thea finally let go of Liv, allowing her to sit back down on the couch. “I leave for a few hours, and come home to this? I thought I told you girls to play nice.”

“We were playing nice,” Liv said sunnily. “Thea and I were just getting to know each other.”

“Yeah, we were having a real heart-to-heart,” Thea muttered, and sat up straighter on the couch.

Penn stood to the side of the living room, eyeing the two of them, and said, “It looks like it.”

“You’re all wet,” Liv said. “Were you out swimming?”

“I was out taking care of something,” Penn replied, and sat down in a chair, seemingly not caring that her dress was soaking wet and would dampen the furniture.

“Oh, I was wondering if we could go swimming. Thea said I had to wait until you got back,” Liv said.

“Maybe later.” Penn smiled briefly at her, then turned her attention to Thea.

“Because I’ve been sitting inside all afternoon without anything to do—” Liv began, but Penn held up her hand to cut her off.

“Have you talked to Gemma today?” Penn asked Thea, completely ignoring Liv.

Thea picked up her script from where she’d set it aside on an end table and pretended to be immersed in it. “She texted me to ask why I wasn’t at rehearsal.”

“Do you know if she’s still searching for the scroll?” Penn asked as she combed her fingers through her long hair.

Thea kept her eyes fixed on the page and her face as expressionless as possible when she said, “She hasn’t said anything lately.”

“What scroll?” Liv asked.

Penn glared at her. “The scroll you were supposed to be watching out for. Remember? Back when the plan was for you to stay with Harper and make sure she didn’t figure out how to kill us all. You were supposed to find out what she knew about the scroll, but instead, you threw a fit, and now you’re here.”

“Oh.” Liv paused. “
That
scroll.”

“Yes,
that
one,” Penn said, and rolled her eyes.

“But … you guys still have it, right?” Liv asked.

“I have it under lock and key,” Thea lied, and avoided making eye contact with anyone.

She’d given Gemma and Harper the scroll last week, but if Penn found out, she’d kill her. Not figuratively, but literally rip off her head, tear out her heart, and murder her. Penn had put Thea in charge of the scroll because she didn’t trust Lexi with that kind of responsibility, and Penn was too busy playing with Daniel to concern herself with it.

That was the one good part about Liv’s leaving college. If she snooped around Harper long enough, she’d have been bound to figure out that they had the scroll, and Penn would eventually deduce that Thea had given it to them.

That didn’t change the fact that Liv was psychotic and couldn’t handle a simple assignment.

“Where is it?” Liv asked.

Thea cast her a look. “Like I would trust you with that information.”

“What would I do with it? I don’t want to hurt you guys.” Liv smiled warmly at them. “You’re my family.”

“It’s better if you don’t know,” Penn said. “The fewer people that know, the safer it is.”

“Well, if Thea has it, then Harper or Gemma obviously don’t. So we’re safe. What does it matter if I’m at college or not?” Liv asked.

“Why don’t you just go out and swim for a while?” Penn suggested. She kept her tone amazingly even when she talked to Liv, using more self-discipline than Thea knew she had.

“Really?” Liv asked, and practically jumped off the couch.

“Penn,” Thea hissed. “She shouldn’t be unsupervised.”

Penn waved off Thea’s concern. “She can handle it for a few minutes. I’ll come out and join you, so stay close to the bay.” As Liv darted off to the back door, Penn called after her, “And don’t kill anyone! I mean it.”

“I won’t. Thank you!” Liv shouted as she ran out the door.

“It’s so ridiculous.” Penn shook her head. “We have one siren who refuses to feed and another one who won’t stop. Maybe we should have Gemma and Liv hang out together, and they can rub off on each other. Then they’ll end up somewhere in the middle. Like me.”

“You think you’re in the middle? You eat like once a week,” Thea said.

“It’s better than Liv, who thinks she should eat three times a day. And your once-a-month diet is impossible.”

“It’s not impossible.”

“What was all that about when I came in?” Penn asked.

“Nothing much. Just that Liv is totally insane and horrible and way worse than Lexi and Gemma combined.”

“She’s not so bad,” Penn insisted. “She’s new. Give her time.”

“Really?” Thea arched an eyebrow. “That’s the card you’re playing now? You were ready to behead Gemma for much less.”

“We’ve got two horrible sirens, and we need to make at least one of them work.”

“And your money’s on Liv?” Thea was dubious.

“My money’s not on anyone right now.” Penn sighed and stood up. “I should probably go out and join her.”

“You’re really going to swim with her?” Thea asked.

Penn shrugged. “Why not?”

“You’ve been swimming for a while,” Thea said. “I mean, I assumed you were out stalking Daniel, too, but it couldn’t have taken that much time.”

“I wasn’t stalking him.” Penn laughed and started walking toward the back door. “And I swam around for a bit after I talked to him.”

Thea got up and followed Penn. “How did it go?”

“What?” Penn stopped near the kitchen island and turned back to face Thea.

“Your talk with Daniel. Based on your current good mood, I’d guess it went fairly well.”

Penn smiled coyly. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Why are you sneaking off to see Daniel anyway? Why don’t you just tell me that’s where you’re going?” Thea asked. “I know you are, and I don’t care that you have some weird crush on him.”

Penn laughed and put a hand on either side of Thea’s face, almost cradling it as she spoke to her. “Thea, my dear sister, I love you. But we’ve spent nearly every day of our entire lives together. This is something that I want to keep private. Just for me. Let me have it.”

Then Penn leaned forward, giving Thea a quick peck on the cheek before turning around and walking away.

“Okay…” Thea was too dumbstruck to talk for a second. “What’s going on? You’re freaking me out. Did Daniel do something to you?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Penn assured her as she opened the back door. “And don’t worry. Everything will be fine. I’ll get Liv under control, and this will all work out. I promise.”

Penn laughed again, then shut the door behind her. Through the broken window, Thea watched as she jumped off the cliff.

Thea put her hands on the back of her head and let out a deep breath. Penn’s attempts at calming her only made things worse. Whenever Penn assured her that everything would turn out okay, things always went to hell.

So if the past was any indication, all of this was going to end up very, very bad.

SIX

Breathless

It was still strange, waking up in a house without Harper. The laundry wasn’t magically folded in the basket, and the dishes didn’t miraculously do themselves. Gemma didn’t mind stepping up and filling the hole her sister had left at home, but it still felt very weird.

The freedom was nice, not that Harper wasn’t still texting and calling her all the time. Gemma wasn’t completely sure how Harper managed to get schoolwork done, but knowing her, she was probably finishing it all, along with extra credit assignments.

The biggest thing Harper’s absence had left her with was time to think. Gemma no longer had somebody across the hall to discuss things with. She had told her dad everything now, but it wasn’t the same as talking to Harper.

As Gemma scrubbed the dishes from last night’s supper, her mind wandered to all the things that worried her. Like if she would ever really be able to break the curse, and what was taking Lydia so long with the scroll translations.

And why had Thea skipped play practice the night before? Thea claimed she had to babysit Liv while Penn ran an errand, but she refused to explain beyond that.

Daniel had shown up late for rehearsal last night, and he’d seemed out of sorts. Gemma tried to talk to him about it, but he’d just brushed her off. She couldn’t help but fear that Thea’s absence and Daniel’s uneasiness were tied together.

After Gemma rinsed off the last dish and put it in the drainer, she leaned against the sink. She stared out the window at Alex’s house next door, and her worries were replaced by a familiar longing pulling at her heart.

It had been over a week since she’d last spoken to Alex, and that conversation had been tumultuous. He’d yelled at her until she finally explained to him that she’d gotten him to break up with her using her siren song. He was hurt and furious, but then he’d kissed her.

It was the first time she’d kissed him in over a month, and sometimes at night, she’d replay it over in her mind. He’d been angry, so his lips had pressed against hers with urgency and passion, but the tenderness hidden beneath had been unmistakable. The very thought of it made her heart ache.

Gemma decided that she wasn’t going to live this way. He was right next door, and if she missed him, then she should go see him. She didn’t want to waste what little time she had left on this earth missing someone who lived right next door.

She dried off her hands, smoothed out her hair, and walked over to Alex’s house. Taking a deep breath, she knocked on his front door. But all of her confidence completely disappeared when he opened the door, and she saw him standing in front of her.

His T-shirt pulled taut against his chest and arms, and Gemma’d almost forgotten how much more muscular he’d gotten since he started working at the docks. He’d gotten his chestnut hair cut since she’d seen him last, but it was still a little longer than he usually wore it, so it landed just above his eyebrows.

Alex looked older, and she hadn’t gotten used to it. There was still some of his innocence, some of the boy next door hidden in his features, but he had a new maturity and strength to his face—a hardness in his jaw and brow that wasn’t there before.

But it was his eyes that struck her momentarily mute. For the first time in a while, she could actually see
him
in them. Lately, his mahogany eyes had been a mask revealing nothing, but now there he was, the boy she’d fallen desperately in love with, and it was enough to take her breath away.

“Hello?” Alex asked, sounding bemused as she stared dumbly up at him.

“Hey,” Gemma said with a dopey smile. “Hi. I hope you don’t mind that I stopped by.”

“No, of course not.” He grinned, his whole face lighting up, and he stepped aside. “Come on in.”

“Are you sure?” Gemma hesitated before entering, but he gestured widely to his house.

“Yeah. I’ve been meaning to talk to you,” he said.

“You have?” Gemma asked uncertainly as she slid past him.

“Yeah.” Alex walked toward the living room, so she followed him, and he looked back over his shoulder as he talked to her. “I mean, I talked to Harper when she was still in town, and she kinda updated me on everything that’s going on with you.”