I'm in Rosewood Manor, but I'm completely alone. The hallways are empty, not even a servant to be found. A chill runs down my spine, quickly transforming into a knot in my stomach as I swim. After swimming for a few minutes, I come across the door to the study, an... unworldly feel to it. A small voice in my head tells me to turn back, but I ignore it as I put my hand on the knob.

What I see as I opened the door steals the water from my lungs. Somehow, the furnishings of the room had changed entirely. I froze, a scream on my lips as Tiger Shark appeared, followed by a little girl, no more than five years old. I felt like I was going to pass out as the little girl turned her head towards me, her black curly hair and dark blue eyes hitting me like a punch to the stomach. It was me.

Tiger Shark grinned at the girl—me—before grabbing something from a table beside him. When he turned around, I backed away, steadying myself against an identical table behind me. A pendant on a chain dangled from his hand, the stone shining brightly in the dim lighting. My heart stopped dead as recognition slammed into me.

The Lost Soul Pendant. The girl's—my—eyes were wide as she notices the pendant. Mesmerized by its beauty, the little girl reached out a hand to touch it—and backed away in horror. Her mouth opened in a scream as multiple translucent figures suddenly burst from the pendant, descending through the water. Tiger Shark's grin never faltered, even as he watched the little girl.

The ghosts shrieked as they swam through the water, causing the little girl to scream and clap her hands over her ears. The rest of the scenario played out as if I myself had scripted it. The shrieks only grew louder, causing the little girl to collapse on the ground, her hands over her ears and eyes squeezed shut. A paralyzing dread creeps over me as the memory ends, realization hitting me head on: this must've been when I'd lost my hearing.

Wake up, I angrily shouted at myself, my heart breaking at the memory. My entire body jolted forward as I opened my eyes, trembling so hard I thought my bones would crack. I clapped my hand over my mouth in an attempt to muffle the sob dangerously close to escaping.

I got dressed in a daze, swimming into the kitchen. Jay was already awake, his face tight and worried. He smiled, but the gesture was tight. Putting a steadying hand on my back, he led me to the kitchen table, clasping my hand in his.

What happened? He signed.

Tears filled my eyes, spilling down my cheeks as I looked down at our joined hands, then back up at him. I shook my head, a few tears leaking down my face. Wait until the others get up. All of you need to hear this.

I distracted myself by making breakfast and had just finished putting the food on the table when David, Bella, and Meri swam in. Their faces were a mirror of Jay's own expression. I gestured to the table with a shaking hand.

As soon as we had finished eating, they turned to me, concern on their faces. This is going to sound crazy, but... I know how I lost my hearing.

The concern quickly turned to shock as I finished signing. The thought of explaining, of dragging myself back through that scenario, made me want to pass out, but before I had so much as raised my hands, I felt a hand slip into my own. Looking down, I smiled slightly as I saw Jay's hand in mine.

I took a shaky breath, about to raise my hands when the front door suddenly banged open. Jay and David instinctively pushed Bella, Meri, and me behind them, grabbing their hidden daggers, as a mermaid swam into the kitchen.

Her face was pale, her eyes shining with tears. Hello, Nerissa. Naia's hands trembled as she signed. Shock froze me in place, a dozen questions running through my head. There was no trace of the wound I had given her only days before, no sign of pain or agony. How was she up and moving around? How had she healed so quickly?

Those questions swirled around in my head, making it next to impossible to focus. A terrible, persistent sense of dread curled up in my stomach as she swam into the living room. For the first time in my life, I wished that I hadn't lost my hearing, if only so I could hear the news that would surely change my life forever. If only I'd known how much.

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