2.

We venture into the inky darkness of Whitecap Bay. Light shines upon us, pulsating from the lighthouse. An eerie stillness nearly paralyzes the other men as they push forth, singing faintly in hopes of catching the attention of a mermaid. I don't understand why they do this so willingly—the task is dangerous, and the consequences deadly. But then, there is little I understand of the motives of these men.

Tamara, their queen, appears at the side of the boat. Her lips curve into a smile as she echoes the song that one of the men has been singing to lure the mermaids, soft, and coaxing.

One of them—I cannot remember his name—leans toward the water to kiss her, hypnotized by her voice. And then she bares her fangs, and the placid water is suddenly filled with the shrieks of bloodthirsty creatures with shrill voices and razor-sharp fins.

Within seconds, the bay becomes a war zone of struggling limbs, seaweed ropes, and fire. I struggle to reach the shore as I try to escape from the falling debris, and pause for a moment, out of breath. And then I see it—a mermaid tail thrashing wildly under a fallen piece of wood. As a swath of fire circles the bay and forces the other mermaids to retreat, the creature's movement becomes more frenzied and frantic, and suddenly she emerges and our eyes meet, the shock we both feel echoed in the other's face as I swiftly stab her tail. The world is still. And then the other men catch up to us and seize her arms.

Captain Blackbeard emerges triumphantly from the heaving mass of men and congratulates me for succeeding where all the others have failed. As the mermaid struggles to escape, baring her teeth and hissing at her captors, my stomach sinks while the memory of her gaze pierces my chest.