The room is quiet save for a slight wheezing behind me. I lie still for a moment with my face against the pillow, comforted by the sound of somebody else's presence. Smiling slightly, I turn to see Muriel's blue eyes fixed on mine, her face crisscrossed with slithers of sunlight.

"I've missed you, little sister," she whispers, pressing her hand to the curve of my cheek, and I instinctively slide my own hand on top, her skin as soft as I remember.

"I miss y–" My eyes flicker open to a view of the ceiling, my body cold despite the rays of sunlight brushing my skin. With my heart now pounding I quickly roll over, finding Muriel's space on the mattress as smooth and untouched as it was before I'd slept. I squeeze my eyes shut, desperate to see her face one last time, even if it is only in my dreams.

It's no use. I prop myself up on one elbow and look around the room. Reece's bed is empty, only an imprint in the stark, white sheets where his body had once been. I shift my gaze to the small bedside table, where Reece's spare gun rests on top. I expect he must have woken up early and left to get some supplies, so I decide to have a shower while I wait.

Seeing Muriel in my dreams has shaken me, reminded me of just how much I miss her and the other girls. But it has also given me a slither of strength, of courage. Marine World may have already claimed both her and Crystal, but I'll be damned if I let them claim Asia and Jewel, too.

After working out the tangles in my hair, I dry myself and get dressed in the robe provided before making some coffee. I do it just like Reece showed me back in the motel room, feeling somewhat triumphant when it turns out the same way his had. I might not have grown up knowing how to do certain things, but thanks to Marine World's helping hand, I'm a quick learner.

With my steaming coffee in tow, I grab the packets of food from the table and perch myself on the edge of the bed, gorging myself on strange foods while waiting for Reece to return. Having spent so many days together in such close proximity, it feels strange him not being here, like I don't know what to do with myself.

After I've demolished the rest of the food, I grab the clicker from the bedside table, mindlessly flicking through channels until I come across a familiar voice.

"Welcome to Marine World."

Where every visit is different, I think at the same time as the commercial. It's the same commercial that would play on the transparent tv screens through the glass of my enclosure. The voice is of that same woman–silky, enthralling, the kind of voice that could convince you anything is possible. And she does.

The camera zooms into a shot of a green, scaly tail gliding through water so clear it can't possibly be the same water from our enclosures. The shot pans out to show a mermaid swimming, her long, brown hair floating in waves as she moves against the currents. "Home of the only mermaid enclosure in the world."

The clip switches to three mermaids I don't recognize swimming side by side. They break the surface and give the camera the perfect smile before disappearing again. It has always been Muriel, Jewel and Asia in the commercial, filmed long before Crystal and I ever came along, and there is only one reason I can think of as to why Marine World would bother changing it now.

They're getting rid of Asia and Jewel.

"You need to see it to believe it."

It dawns on me that this is the real reason the guests flock to Marine World. Not because our routines are good or because we are beautiful to watch, but because Marine World sucks them into a land of fantasy, a land where anything is possible–even mermaids.

A picture of Marine World's entrance flashes across the screen, the words, Marine World: the place where dreams come true, written underneath a logo of a mermaid. I stare at the screen long after the commercial has ended, a wave of nausea creeping through my body.

Yes, I think darkly, gripping either side of the duvet cover. Everybody's dreams but ours.

By the time three hours have past I've drank almost four cups of coffee. There is no way Reece would be gone for over three hours unless something was wrong, and each time the little red number on the bedside clock changes, I grow more and more certain.

Marine World has found him.

I flick through the channels in a bid to distract myself, my eyes already wetting with tears. If Marine World has found him, it won't be long before they find me, too, and despite the tears now streaming my cheeks, I know I can't just sit and do nothing. I snatch the pen and paper from the table and try to think of a plan despite my fear.

Since Reece had the car keys, I'm going to need to find myself a car if I want to put any mileage between Marine World and me, so I scribble that down at the same time a tear drop splatters to the page. I brush away another and try to focus, but it's no use. My eyes are so blurry I can't see a thing, and all I can think about is the fact that Reece is probably dead and it's all my fault.

It isn't long before the sadness turns to rage. Marine World keeps breaking me down, keeps taking the people I love while I sit powerless to stop them. I get to my feet, reaching for the pillow before slamming it against the wall. I'd hoped it might ease some of the anger inside me, but all it does is intensify. I throw the other pillow, harder this time, but it bounces off the wall as light as a feather before dropping to the floor. I'm about to do the same, my shaking legs no longer able to hold me, when the door handle turns.

I grab the gun from the bedside table, pointing it at the door. Reece bursts through it with a bag in his hand, but he freezes at the sight of the gun.

"I thought they'd caught you," I say shakily, my cheeks still wet with tears. "You left without saying anything."

Slowly, Reece lowers his bag to the floor, one hand outstretched to pacify me. "I'm sorry," he says, walking toward me. He takes the gun, throwing it onto the bed before pulling me into his chest.

After a brief moment, I pull away and move over to the kettle. Once my back is turned, I'm able to flick away the last few tears without him seeing. Reece hovers behind me, so close I can feel the heat of his body.

"I just went to get some gas and supplies," he says. "If I'd known I would take so long I would have said something, but you were asleep, I didn't want to wake you."

I nod, still rendered speechless by the thought losing him.

"Aura."

Slowly, I turn to face him. I feel foolish for crying. Marine World conditioned us never to cry; I can't help but feel like I'm doing something wrong whenever I do. "I'm sorry," I say, taking a deep breath. "I shouldn't have overreacted. I–"

"It's my fault," Reece says, his eyes softening. "I shouldn't have just taken off like that. I didn't mean to scare you."

For a moment, we just look at one another as something I can't identify stirs deep inside my stomach. "They're gone," I say. "Asia and Jewel are gone from the commercial. That means they'll be gone from Marine World soon if they aren't already. We're running out of time, Reece."

"I know." He grabs the bag he came in with before placing it on the bed. "I'm going to make a call to the guy whose cabin we were supposed to be staying at. Get him to drive to Marine World and check they're still there." A brief pause ensues as he pulls what looks like some kind of weapon from out of his bag. "Then we're going back to break them out."

Hey readers, hope you enjoy this chapter!