Page 7 of Anchored to the Storm

As soon as I could, I lifted my palm and smacked the door I was pinned against. I roared at her, “Hey! This ain’t how this is goin’ down!”

Then I waited.

I felt her release me. My body became mine again, and I hated it.

What?

Extremely confused by the chaos of emotions and needs battling inside me, I mumbled, “Thank you,” assuming she could hear me from wherever she was.

One could say stubborn streaks ran deep in my family because, as if something otherworldly wasn’t happening, I straightened my shirt, my still-damp jeans, and backed away, pretending to be unaffected. Then I ran to the bathroom to run water over my face, which had broken out in a sweat.

As soon as that refreshing water splashed against my skin, I peered into the mirror. Sonofabitch. My reflection sparkled, and all the longing I’d carried for her over the years crashed into me like an animal instinct of the ages. One that had been created before man ever existed, and I barely had a choice about whether to obey it.

Especially when her responsive pain started to echo in my soul, I grabbed my chest, wincing in equal discomfort because I wasn’t sure what to believe. I hadn’t appreciated being summoned seconds ago with my will controlled and not my own. Is that what is happening again?

Unexpectedly, her need for me shot through my ribs like a bullseye into my heart, sending me backward and crashing into the tub, tearing the shower curtain clean from the rod. Then a high-pitched scream tortured my eardrums.

I was thrashing from inner and outer pain when Styx suddenly appeared in front of me. The only reason I stayed grounded at all was because his expression appeared alarmed but not horrified. Over Saleeni’s wails, I couldn’t hear him speak but I read his lips that said, “Why are you fighting this?”

I could barely think as I shouted, “It’s so loud!”

His eyes widened. Horror now present. I read his mouth say, “High-pitched sound?”

I twisted in pain. “Yes! Yes! Won’t stop!”

Clearly, he wasn’t hearing it; however, he appeared well aware that something tragic, if not life-altering, was occurring. “Maddox!” his lips yelled to me. “Something’s wrong!”

Hands still over my ears, I squinted, studying his mouth as if it were a lifeline. “With her?”

“Yes!” He stood, grounding his feet, preparing to carry my load, then held out his hand as he had a couple of hours ago. He was already proving true to his promise, being whatever I needed.

I grunted in pain as I dared to move a hand from my ear and slap our forearms together.

Our bond locked once again, and Styx gritted his teeth while yanking me up and out of the tub. We both bumped into the sink and the small counter behind him while he was trying to catch my weight.

I was struggling so hard to manage the pain and yanking sensation attacking parts of me I could only describe as my invisible soul. “Styx.” So overwhelmed, I fell into his shoulder. “I can’t function.”

Abrasive hands grabbed my face and shook. “Hear me!”

Again, I stared at his mouth, desperate for guidance.

“Only me!” my grandfather demanded with the dominance I needed.

It captured my full attention. I blew out air, trying so hard to do what he said.

Then, all of a sudden, the shriek began to fade out as Styx’s voice faded in. “Only me.”

I inhaled, breathing now that he was winning an ounce of control over me. “What’s happening to me?”

“I don’t know,” he was trembling, “but the last time I heard that shriek… my mermaid died.”

My body wanted to cave in disbelief, but my heart, my spirit, demanded I react with urgency.

He nodded. “Get to her, Maddox. Now.” His hands dropped from my face. “Or possibly lose her forever.”

Moving in slow motion, like the time warp I had experienced underwater, I headed toward her. I could see myself practically falling out of the bathroom, backward, scrambling to stay on my feet. As soon as I saw it in my peripheral view, I faced the steel door. My bare feet were already running toward it. My finger was already extended to push the code that I had so easily remembered, even though I only heard it once.

As if outside my body, yet the one controlling it from inside, I watched my hand turn the doorknob and open the door. I witnessed every movement from two perspectives, like my own eyes and those of my soul’s perfect companion. My bare feet hit the pavement outside the door, then I saw my toes sinking in the muddy grass. A strength I’d never felt before dominated me. I was transforming. Into what? I had no clue. But my mission was clear as the sun.