The ghosts haunted me as I slept—fitfully, I might add—but before they could so much as touch my face, I opened my eyes as I felt a hand on my shoulder. Jay's face was grim and pale as I blinked up at him. What's going on? I signed.

He wordlessly shook his head as he took my hand and led me to our living room. A horrifying sight greeted me as I swam through the door. Meri was lying on the ground, her tail thrashing wildly as she writhed in pain. Her eyes had rolled back in her head, tears streaming down her cheeks as she struggled.

Bella and David each had both hands braced on either arm, restraining her. Their dark skin was ashen, their eyes wide. David's eyes met mine, filled with anger and fear. It was only then that I noticed a large wound on her wrist, clear liquid oozing from it.

My eyes widened as I took a stroke backwards, fear engulfing me. I turned to Jay, my hands shaking as I signed. Get me a syringe, towels, and bandages.

When I was about seven, I'd had an unpleasant encounter with a shark. I'd been looking for food when I came upon the remnants of a mostly-dead fish. The smell of blood filled my nose as I suddenly felt hot breath on my neck. When I'd turned around, I came face-to-face with blue eyes.

I'd floated in place for several minutes as the shark scented me, then moved back to his kill. I'd been preparing to make a swim for it when the shark suddenly turned and sank its teeth into my arm.

I don't even remember how I managed to swim home. Mom had taken a first-aid class before Meri was born, so she knew exactly what to do. She'd passed some of her knowledge onto us, but I never thought I'd actually have to use it.

Questions filled his eyes, but he nodded, swimming into our bathroom and reappearing moments later with everything I'd asked for. Considering my hands had been shaking only moments ago, they were suprisingly steady when I laid them on the wound.

A single image filled my head, knocking the water from my lungs: Meri backed up against a wall, pale and shaking, as familiar translucent figures caressed her cheeks.

I ripped my hands off the wound right as David swam back in. He took a deep breath before gently inserting the syringe in her wrist, extracting the poison. As if someone had flipped a switch, her struggles stopped, her body going limp. Jay glanced at me as he applied the bandage. What did you see?

I wordlessly shook my head, running shaky hands through my hair as I took jagged breaths. Jay and David helped Meri into the spare bedroom. Squeezing my eyes shut didn't help. The image haunted my mind no matter what I did. I clenched my hands into fists, anger almost overwhelming me. I knew we couldn't do this alone; I just didn't know who to turn to.

Then, suddenly, I did. Though the mere thought of it terrified me, I knew what I had to do. The hardest part was finding Mom. I had nothing to go on, no idea where she might be.

I swam into our bedroom, grabbing a very old, very tarnished gold locket of hers. I honestly had forgotten I'd even had it. The others were checking on Meri, so I left a note before swimming outside and shutting the door behind me.

I waited until I was a few leagues away before closing my hands around the locket and closing my eyes. Almost instantly, an image appeared in my mind: Mom, bundled in a raggedy cloak that almost obscured her features, swimming into an abandoned house. She glanced over her shoulder a few times as she swam inside, as if she was afraid she was being followed.

After she made sure she was alone, she scribbled a note on a piece of paper, then whispered a name onto the paper. She cupped her hands around the paper as a brisk wind caught it and sent it flying out of the window.

I vaguely remembered Mom telling us legends about Merais possessing a locket that allowed him to move objects. I'd never known anyone that had possessed the locket, however.

My heart pounded as I waited for the note to come to a stop. When it did, I thought my heart was going to burst out of my chest. Tiger Shark grabbed the note, scanned it, then scribbled his response on the back. As he did so, I got a chance to see both of their messages.

Mom: This is getting too risky. I can't keep this a secret from the girls forever. I have to tell them about your... gift.

Tiger Shark: You promised. You swore you wouldn't until they were old enough.

What gift? What did she mean? The vision ended a moment later, bringing with it a heavy sense of exhaustion.

I made my way back to the house, numbly swimming past the others into our bedroom and shutting the door. A few minutes later, I was vaguely aware of Jay sliding into bed beside me.

He glanced at my shoulder and winced, concern in his eyes. My body shook with silent sobs, the information I'd gleaned swirling around inside my head. The exhaustion was so intense, it dragged me almost immediately into a deep, dreamless sleep.

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