Emily Windsnap and the Siren's Secret - Liz Kessler [47]
I was captivated by Morvena’s story. “So then did Melody tell them what had happened?” I asked.
“No. They knew not to push it. Melody has always been proud, and loyal. If she was determined not to do something, she would stick to her decision, no matter what. She didn’t want them to suffer on her behalf, and she didn’t want any of us to see how unhappy she was. I’m the only one who’s really seen her distress, and even I have never known what it’s about.”
“She’s never told you?” Shona burst out. “I thought you were her best friend!”
“Being someone’s best friend doesn’t always mean telling them every tiny thing about yourself, you know. Sometimes it means having enough trust to let them have their secrets and still be there for them.”
Shona wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know about that,” she said. “I can’t imagine ever having secrets from Emily.”
“Me neither,” I said, but my cheeks burned as I said it. Was I keeping a secret from Shona by not telling her about my feelings for Aaron? Or had I just not talked about them because I wasn’t even sure of them myself?
“Anyway, so we came to this place,” Morvena went on. “It was like a little adventure — almost a holiday. Spirits were quite high for a few days. And then the change happened.”
“What change?” asked Aaron.
Morvena nudged her head upward. “The waterfall, for one thing. We thought that was why this was such a good hiding place. It was the only way in, but then we realized that it wouldn’t let us out.”
“How did you hear of this place at all?” asked Shona.
“One of the other sirens told Melody about it.” Morvena drew in a sharp breath. “Zalia. I never knew how she found out we were looking for a hiding place. That’s another thing Melody has never shared. And I suppose I’ll never know if she knew what was going to happen. If she had anything to do with it. My own theory is that Zalia was a traitor from the start — and she was the one who somehow helped to lock us up here.”
Shona was staring wide-eyed at Morvena. “And you’ve been here ever since?”
“So long I only know it’s more years than I have wrinkles,” Morvena replied with an attempt at a laugh. “After we realized we were locked in, things began to change pretty rapidly. Then we all noticed our voices sounded harsher, and soon we discovered that we could no longer sing.”
“So you couldn’t get out?”
Morvena shook her head. “Like I said, I’ve never believed anyone’s singing could stop the waterfall.” She turned to Shona. “And your singing convinced me totally. If that wasn’t good enough to still the falls, no singing could be.”
Shona’s cheeks flushed deep red as Morvena went on. “We figured out that Melody was being punished for something. But none of us imagined it was anything that serious. We all thought our voices would return shortly and we would go home.”
“But they didn’t return,” Shona said.
Morvena shook her head. “One day, early on, the others were starting to panic. Wailing and screaming every day — it was awful. That was when Melody told us a siren song would get us out, and that we just had to stay calm and be patient and wait for our voices to return. It worked — in as much as it calmed the panic.”
“And then what happened?” I asked.
Morvena looked at me. “The waiting began,” she said. “Over the long years of waiting, the others have held on to this idea more and more firmly. It is as though this is their faith; this is all they believe in; this is their impossible salvation.”
“But you don’t believe it?” I asked.
“No. One day, I was going over to see Melody in her room. From outside, I could see that she was crying, and I knew she wouldn’t want me to see that. So I waited. But instead of turning away, I watched her. She had something in her hands. Something I’d never seen before.”
“What was it?” I asked.
“A shell. A conch. White, with gold and silver flecks running in spirals all around it.”
“Swishy!” Shona breathed.
“She was holding it in