"Come home, little one."
The words entered my mind like a whisper.
I couldn't explain it.
I didn't want to obey the creature.
Yet every part of me wanted to move toward it.
My feet began moving.
One step.
Then another.
"Bjei!"
Shawshank grabbed my wrist.
I stopped.
"Let me go."
"No."
"I have to go to him."
"You don't have to do anything."
"He called me his daughter."
"He's trying to control you."
I looked at the creature's enormous hand reaching through the broken gate.
"Then why does it feel like I know him?"
Shawshank stared at me.
"Because whatever is behind that gate is connected to you."
"Then maybe I belong with him."
His face changed.
"No."
The word came out almost painfully.
I looked at him.
"Why?"
"Because you belong with the living."
"And what about you?"
His eyes softened.
"I've spent my whole life beneath the sea."
"Then I'm not afraid."
"You should be."
"I'm not."
Shawshank stepped closer.
"You should be afraid of losing yourself."
His words stopped me.
"What do you mean?"
"The deeper you go, the harder it becomes to remember who you are."
I looked at the darkness behind the gate.
"What happened to the people who went there?"
"They never returned."
"Not even my grandmother?"
He looked away.
"No."
I felt tears forming.
"So she's really gone."
Shawshank didn't answer.
A sudden roar shook the chamber.
The creature pushed its enormous hand farther through the opening.
The queen screamed at the guards.
"Seal the chamber!"
The guards rushed forward.
Darius fought them back.
"Get Bjei out!"
Shawshank pulled me toward the exit.
I followed him, but something inside me resisted.
The golden mark on my ankle burned.
I looked back.
The creature's eyes were still watching me.
Then I heard a voice.
Not its voice.
My grandmother's.
"Don't go deeper."
I stopped.
"Grandma?"
Shawshank turned.
"What?"
"I heard her."
"Where?"
"Inside my head."
The creature suddenly roared.
The sound drowned everything.
The golden light around me disappeared.
The pull stopped.
I collapsed.
Shawshank caught me before I hit the ground.
"Bjei!"
I opened my eyes.
His face was inches from mine.
"Are you okay?"
I nodded weakly.
"I think so."
He touched my forehead.
"You scared me."
I smiled faintly.
"You were scared?"
"Very."
"Why?"
He looked into my eyes.
"Because the thought of losing you…"
He stopped.
"What?"
He looked away.
"Nothing."
I reached for his hand.
"Tell me."
He looked back at me.
"I don't want you to disappear."
My heart fluttered.
"I'm still here."
"For now."
Before I could answer, Darius appeared.
"We have to leave."
Shawshank helped me stand.
"What happened to the queen?"
"She's trapped inside the chamber."
"For how long?"
"Not long enough."
We hurried through the passage.
As we moved, I noticed something strange.
The underwater kingdom looked different.
The beautiful lights were flickering.
The coral was turning dark.
Fish were fleeing in every direction.
"What is happening?"
Darius answered.
"The gate has weakened the kingdom's protection."
"Can it be repaired?"
"Yes."
"How?"
He looked at me.
"By you."
I stopped.
"Me?"
"You are the heir."
"I don't know how to do anything."
"You will learn."
Shawshank took my hand.
"We'll teach you."
Darius looked at him.
"You can't stay with her forever."
Shawshank didn't let go.
"Watch me."
Darius almost smiled.
Then his expression became serious.
"We need to reach the surface."
My heart jumped.
"The surface?"
"Yes."
"Can I go home?"
"Not yet."
"Why?"
"Because the queen will follow you."
I looked at Shawshank.
"What about my mother?"
Darius's face softened.
"She needs to know you're alive."
"Can she see me?"
"Maybe."
"How?"
"There is an old connection between the sea and your family."
I looked down.
"Then take me to her."
Darius nodded.
"But we must be careful."
We continued toward the surface passage.
For the first time since I had been dragged beneath the sea, hope returned to my heart.
I was going home.
I was going to see Angela.
I was going to see Christel.
I was going to demand every answer.
But as we approached the passage, Shawshank suddenly stopped.
"What?"
He was staring at the water ahead.
"Someone is there."
Darius reached for his weapon.
"Who?"
A figure slowly emerged from the darkness.
A young woman.
She had long silver hair and pale blue eyes.
She smiled when she saw me.
"You finally awakened."
I frowned.
"Who are you?"
She looked at Shawshank.
Then at Darius.
Then back at me.
"My name is Seraphina."
"What do you want?"
Her smile disappeared.
"To warn you."
"About what?"
She moved closer.
"The queen isn't the only one hunting you."
My heart sank.
"Who else?"
Seraphina looked toward the darkness behind us.
Then she whispered:
"Your father isn't the only man who wants you."
She turned away.
"And one of them is already on the surface with your mother."