I was drowning. I think I finally realized it when I got the letter from Tiger Shark. Drowning in grief, pain, and fear. It only became more apparent when I got the news about my village. In the days that followed, I hardly slept and barely ate. Only at the behest of David and Jay did I manage to get food down. It was ash in my mouth.

Early one morning, when no one else was awake, I silently rose from my bed, grabbing my bag. My knuckles were white as I stuffed clothes and food into the bag. I knew it was risky, going back to my village, but I had to see if Meri and Naia were alive.

I left a note for David and Jay, promising them I'd be back tomorrow. This time, I intended to keep my promise.

The faster I swam, the more pain flooded my shoulder. By the time I got to Nepttheas, it felt like lava moving through my veins instead of blood. I welcomed the pain, however. I was so focused on it that I hardly noticed the graves littering the sea floor.

They went on for miles. Some were adorned with trinkets—small pearls, bits and pieces of shells from the surface—while others just had water lilies placed strategically on and around the graves. Water lilies were a sign of respect for the dead, I remembered. I swam up to one of the graves, rooting through my bag. I didn't have anything fancy, but I placed a small white lily against the grave, saying a silent prayer.

My hands clutched the strap of my bag as I swam away, fighting back tears. I nearly wept with relief as I came upon my house. Before I so much as approached the doorway, an avalanche of grief overwhelmed me, quickly followed by an onslaught of anger. I struggled to make sense of the sudden emotions as I cautiously pushed the door open, nearly slicing my tail fin on the broken glass on the floor.

It was a mess. All our furniture was either toppled or shredded. Our kitchen had been ransacked. They'd taken everything. What broke my heart the most however, was when I saw my room.

It was unrecognizable. The pictures on my wall had been smashed, pieces of their frames littering the floor along with shards of glass. I carefully swam through it, trying to find any clues as to where Meri and Naia might be.

I froze as a vision appeared in my head—along with a familiar face. Tiger Shark. I was reading his letter, but it wasn't my voice that I heard in my head. It was his. Cold, agonising fear swept through me as I realised what had happened. This had been Tiger Shark's plan all along. He'd wanted me to come to Nepttheas so I'd be away from Aegrem—away from Jay and David, unable to protect them.

I raced back through the village, zooming into the open water, faster than I'd ever swam in my life. Within minutes, my lungs were straining, working overtime to allow water in, then push it out. All the while, I was pleading with everything I had, praying that I wasn't too late. Tears were beginning to form in my eyes, but I wouldn't let them fall—wouldn't give Tiger Shark the satisfaction of him successfully breaking me.

I was sobbing openly as I arrived in Aegrem, hardly able to see through the torrent of tears rushing down my cheeks. I swam through the village in a daze, barely paying attention to my surroundings. It was a miracle I even recognised our house. All the lights were on—inside and out—so I took that as a good sign.

My hands were clenched into fists as I opened the door, a cry escaping me as I saw Jay and David inside, unharmed. Relief slammed into me as I rushed into the latter's arms. He was the one who broke the hug, scanning me for injuries. Are you okay? We were worried when you didn't come home.

I wanted to tell them everything, but before I could so much as open my mouth, exhaustion shoved relief out of the way and took over. Jay grabbed my hand, murmuring to David before leading me to our room. My eyes were half-closed as we swam in and he shut the door behind us.

Do you want to talk about it? Jay asked as we got into bed.

Part of me wanted to tell him everything right there and then. The other part was slowly succumbing to the exhaustion that had been gnawing at me since I'd gotten back. I shook my head. Tomorrow. I'd barely finished forming the word before sleep dragged me under.

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