I felt something grab ahold of my arm and just as I opened my mouth to scream, it was blocked by a hand. Matilda. She was quick and quiet, dragging me into the underbrush. I murmured an apology before she slung me over her shoulder and ran towards the house.

I had a view of them as the mermaids caught wind of what was happening and collectively hissed low at us. It was the same sound that I’d heard at the zoo when I’d been in the crocodile exhibit.

They were dragging themselves using their arms. One arm outstretched towards us. They waddled and their hair streamed in front of them like they were clumps of dead seaweed.

Matilda got me to the house and took me to the cellar. There were articles pasted to the walls and posters about mermaid research. There were books and models and CCTV camera monitors everywhere. I was aghast. All this time I’d thought she was an old recluse. On one of the walls was a diploma for a PhD in marine biology.

“I’m sorry I didn’t know, I just thought it--”

“I don’t care. Did they bite you.”

“Yeah on my leg.”

“We’re going to need to amputate it.”

“What the . . . NO! You can’t just cut my leg off.”

Matilda ignored me, she set about opening cabinets and taking out vials.

I was shocked. “What are you doing? I’m going to tell mom about this. That you’re not some old bat. You’re rich and smart. She’ll take all your money and you won’t be able to do this.”

Matilda turned and struck a match before lighting a burner that she’d put a beaker on top of. “No one’s going to believe you Maggie. I could set a mermaid on your mom. Now that they’ve seen you, they’re not going to leave you alone. You can’t leave.”

“I have to go to Canada. My mom and dad are at that oil rig.”

“Jim has never held a steady job since your grandfather passed away. He’s not going to. Your mom is trying to go up there with him so she can separate him from his girlfriend. Do you even like your dad?”

I couldn’t speak. I wasn’t surprised either. Matilda quickly turned and spilled whatever was in the beaker into my open wound. I recoiled, but my foot was already so numb that it didn’t hurt.

I leaned over to my leg and saw that theplace where the thing had bitten me had turned to a silvery consistency. Matilda pulled open the blanket that was wrapped around her shoulders and I could see her whole neck and upper arms were covered in the same silvery scarring.

“They got you too.”

“The three sisters have lived here for over five hundred years. My goal is just to ensure human survival in case their kind ever decides to invade.”

“You’re kidding . . . that’s so cool. I mean I still think you’re insane, but wow. This is amazing.”