It was the roaring thunder that woke her first followed by the blinding light above her. A cool breeze brushed over her, causing her to shiver. Maybe she shouldn't have opened her window last night.

Niylah struggled to open her eyes against the bright light assaulting her eyes. The roaring continued as Niylah's eyes struggled to adjust to the light. She was expecting to find herself nestled in her new bed but, as she sat up, leaning on her hand to support herself, she felt the cool sand squish between her fingers. The thunder had been the sound of the waves rolling up against the shore. Confused and in shock, she struggled to her feet before brushing off the sand clinging to her. Her head was spinning and she reached a hand up to hold it, hoping to steady herself. How did she get here? Niylah had never been one to sleepwalk, but here she was, waking up on the beach.

Niylah looked over at the waves washing onto the beach and she tried to remember the events of last night. She could only recall the moments before she fell asleep. She was positive she had fallen asleep in her bed. She knew she was too tired to text her mom so she had decided to put it off until today.

Another breeze blew past her and she hugged her arms to keep from shivering. She had to get back to Tom's before he realized she was gone.

The trek home wasn't too difficult, though her feet were sore from the pebbles she'd stepped on. Sleepwalking Niylah had forgotten to put on shoes. Fortunately, Siren's Bay was relatively small and the walk home wasn't long. She had managed to find the town with ease and her memory allowed her to find the way home rather quickly. As she walked into the driveway, she noticed that Tom's truck was still out front. She wasn't sure what time it was, but she was hoping it was early enough that he was still sleeping.

Luck wasn't on her side as she stepped into the house and was greeted by Tom's surprised face. “You're up early,” he commented from where he sat at the kitchen table.

Not knowing how to bring up the sleepwalking, Niylah decided to go with it. “Yeah, couldn't sleep so I checked out the town before it got busy.”

Niylah shuffled out of view to hide her feet. She was sure that would seem out of place and she didn't want to be hounded with questions. Tom would worry and call her mom. Maybe that would get her out of spending the summer here, but she didn't want to make her mom worry. She had enough on her plate as is.

“I'm going to wash up,” Niylah started down the hall but Tom called out to her, stopping her in her tracks. She backed up until she was standing in the entryway of the kitchen.

“I'm heading to the docks today. Make yourself at home. There's not much to eat at the moment but I can stop by the store before I come home. I'm not used to guests.”

Shocker. He was a bachelor who seemed like he spent far too much time being waited on by Dottie.

“Okay, sounds good.” Niylah gave him a nod. Before he could stop her again, she headed down the hall to her room. She let out a breath of relief as soon as the door closed behind her.

With her toiletries and a change of clothes, she headed across the hallway to the bathroom.

A sigh escaped from her lips as the hot water washed over her. She didn't realize how cold she was until the water warmed her bones and she melted against the shower wall. “It's just stress,” she told herself. That would make sense. After all, she was in a new environment and forced to spend three months here. Stress-induced sleepwalking made sense, right?

Still, something tugged at the back of her mind, but she didn't know what it was. It was like an itch that couldn't be scratched. Had something happened last night that she couldn't remember?

She absentmindedly began washing up as her mind focused on trying to remember something – anything – but it seemed futile. Maybe it wasn't important. Her mom always said that if it wasn't important enough to remember, then it wasn't important enough to worry about.

The shower definitely left her feeling refreshed, but she figured she should eat something. Heading to the fridge, Niylah wasn't entirely surprised to see that Tom had been telling the truth about needing to go grocery shopping. A lonely jug of milk sat on the middle shelf below some questionable-looking Tupperware. She picked up the jug and hesitantly opened the lid. She recoiled as the acrid stench permeated her senses. Closing the fridge in disgust, Niylah decided she'd go grocery shopping herself. Tom was at work and she had nothing else to do. She might as well help.

The day wasn't terribly cold in comparison to the morning. The sun fought to penetrate the overcast skies and a cool breeze blew her damp hair out of her face as she walked towards the town center. Surely there was someplace she'd be able to buy groceries at. Even this small of a town had to have a grocery mart somewhere. As she grew closer to the storefronts, Niylah looked past them to the marina. Maybe she should ask Tom if there was anything specific she should pick up. She'd even cook dinner tonight but she wanted to know what he liked first. The girl strode past the stores and headed straight for the large Siren's Bay Marina sign. She knew her father worked on a fishing boat and, from the hat he sported and, knowing this was the only marina in Siren's Bay, she guessed this was where he'd be. She could vaguely remember running down the docks excited to meet him whenever his boat came in. The thought made a small smile tug on the corner of her lips. Hopefully, he was working on the vessel instead of being out on the ocean.

As she headed down the slope towards the water, she spotted her father's boat at the far end of the dock. She could make him out as he stepped onto the Ne Hwas. She remembered the stories he told her about the name's origins; how it seemed fitting to name his fishing boat after the Passamaquoddy legend about mermaids. After all, they lived in a town rich in siren folklore. Though it wasn't her own tribe's legend, it was still a well-known legend among mermaid enthusiasts.

Niylah neared the Ne Hwas and her hand lifted to wave to her father, but realizing that he was with someone, she stayed quiet so she wouldn't interrupt. She was close enough to hear them speak and she was about to turn around to prevent herself from eavesdropping before a harsh voice startled her. Alarmed, Niylah ducked behind the neighbouring boat to listen.

“You're trying our patience,” the man warned. Niylah peeked out from her hiding spot to try and see who this stranger was, but she couldn't catch a glimpse of his face. He was taller and stockier than her father. His hair was lighter than Tom's, blonde, but his voice sounded aged.

“I know, I know,” came Tom's tired response. “But fishing hasn't been good this year. There's boats from all over invading our waters and overfishing.”

“I don't want to hear your excuses. You have until the end of the week to give us a good supply otherwise it won't be me you'll be dealing with.”

Niylah ducked down as the man began to turn around. She heard feet shuffle as he climbed off the boat. From where she hid, she could see the man as he walked past her. She definitely didn't recognize him as a local. He looked far more put together than the rest of the people she'd encountered so far. What the hell did he want? And just who the hell had her father gotten himself involved with? She realized that this summer would become a lot more complicated than she had initially thought.