Page 91 of Surface Pressure

Autumn’s mind raced for some kind of response. Her clothes were still damp despite her trying to dry them off on the walk back to the camp. But he honestly hadn’t seen anything? He hadn’t seen her spluttering or fighting against Soulara when she’d been taken? Cocking her head to the side, Autumn tried an answer that could be played off as a joke. “I took the long way back.”

“You’re an asshole,” Marshall snapped and turned around.

Autumn considered going after him, but what was the point?

Helping Soulara!

That was the point.

“Marshall, wait up.” Autumn didn’t catch up for several feet despite her almost jogging.

“What now?” He turned on her, sounding exasperated. He rolled his eyes when he finally faced her.

Whatever showed in her face made the anger slip slightly from his glare. They stood in silence for second before Autumn pressed her lips together tightly. Fear raced up her spine and back down it. This was either going to get her in even more trouble or it was going to work to her advantage.

“I need to tell you the truth.”

What? Where did those words come from?

Shock raced through her intensely, mirrored by Marshall’s widened eyes.

“Please.” Autumn wanted to scream at herself, wanted to tape her mouth shut and go back to not letting anyone near her, not letting anyone touch any of her emotions.

But if this was a consequence of letting Soulara in, of loving Soulara, she would find a way to live with it. Trust didn’t come easily and holding the truth close to her chest had always been the only way to live.

But that was back on Earth.

She wasn’t on Earth any longer, and maybe she would never need to go back.

Marshall gave a short sharp nod, turned toward the tech rooms, and slowed his steps to allow Autumn to keep up.

The room burned bile up Autumn’s throat. It wasn’t the same tech room, but that didn’t stop the memories of having to stand up to Soulara, of pitting herself against her love, in order to protect innocent strangers.

“You’ve got five minutes. Start talking,” Marshall snapped the moment Autumn closed the room door behind her.

She tried to swallow, but her mouth was as dry as dirt. What she wouldn’t have given for a drink. Even one of the horrid reconstituted liquids they had on base.

“I want to stop Chalmers.”

Marshall scoffed until his eyes met Autumn’s. “You’re serious? And how do you plan to do that?”

“Soulara will help us if we can find a way to disable our collectors.” Autumn clenched her fists, keeping her voice low and quiet. She didn’t want anyone to overhear, and she was really hoping this was one of the rooms without microphones on the cameras. Though she had her doubts about that.

“Soulara?” Marshall’s eyes narrowed. “The mermaid you’ve been seducing in order to steal more than the lives of these creatures?”

“That’s not what I’ve been doing.”

“You think that asshole doesn’t check what people are up to before he drags them into his office to threaten them?” Marshall hissed.

Autumn could see how much he wanted to scream at her, but his sense of self-preservation was strong. He kept his voice low, though his face grew red and a vein in his temple thumped purple as he spoke.

“Do you want to know the truth or not?” Autumn wasn’t as shocked this time though she understood Marshall’s instinct to step back.

“Fine. Three minutes.”

Autumn told him everything. About the mermaids and her new ability to swim. About sabotaging the collectors, about deciding that no matter how things went, she would not be leaving this planet. Her fate would be the same as the mermaids.

“It’s the first time I’ve understood what home is supposed to feel like,” she finished, everything about her so calm in a way she’d never experienced before. This was exactly what was supposed to happen, right? When she found love?

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