Straining against the iron grips of the two mermen that have bound my hands behind my back, I scream and plead so much that my throat is raw when I finish. My heart is beating so fast I think it's going to explode. I can't breathe.

All I can see, all I can hear, is
Drew and his heartbreaking whimpers. The merman holding his wrist smirks at me, eyes filled with smugness. Ronan knows. He knows how much Drew means to me.

I float on a cliff overlooking the ocean floor, trying relentlessly to free myself. Every time I hear the small, scared whimper, all I want to do is help Drew. When the mermaid appears, I almost cry out in relief. Mom. She can help Drew. Then everything will be okay.

I've almost convinced myself when I notice what's hanging around her neck. I choke on what I assume is a cross between a gasp and a scream.

Everything's normal—her black curly hair is down around her shoulders, dark blue eyes fixed on mine. But when I look closer... I freeze, all the color draining from my face. The pendant around her neck, its color identical to her eyes, is glowing brightly.

Pushing through the fear coursing through me, I swim toward her, gripping both her shoulders and gently shaking her. She shows no sign that she recognizes me, nor that she sees me. I look into her eyes, almost crying out when I see the emptiness in them. "Please, Mom. That's Drew. You don't want to hurt him. You don't want to do this. Come back to us!"

I know she can't hear me, but as the words leave my mouth, I scan her face, hoping for some spark of recognition. Her eyes remain cold as they stare into mine, however. I whip my head around towards Ronan, eyes blazing with anger. "How could you do this?" I cry, voice shaking. "He's just a child!"

Ronan swims to me, dragging Drew behind him. The latter's face is pale, eyes wide and fearful as he looks at me. "He's someone your family cares about dearly. If memory serves, I believe I said I would kill everyone you loved. Did I not?" A malicious grin is on his face as he stares at me.

Before I can even think of a response, Mom pulls out a hidden dagger, the tip perilously sharp. Drew's face is deathly pale and I can hear him quietly sobbing even from far away. When I look into his eyes, fear is the main emotion—but confusion is a very close second. He knows Mom, knows her heart—that she would never normally do this.

"Drew, look at me," I say calmly, focusing all of my attention on the young merman. His eyes lock onto mine, widening slightly. "Don't look at him. Focus on me. Listen to my voice."

Sniffling, he stares into my eyes and I can tell it's taking all of his concentration to do as I say, and not focus on the dagger inches from him. "Everything's going to be okay," I say, wishing more than anything I could make him believe my words.

Ronan scoffs, gesturing to Mom. With a wave of his hand, she's suddenly moving, gaze blank as she swims. Faster than I can blink, she has a fistful of Drew's shirt in her hand. He lets out a cry that breaks my heart clean in two. A sob breaks from my own mouth as she raises her hand, angling the dagger towards his chest.

Before I can give myself time to second-guess my decision, I'm suddenly moving, my tail a blur in the water as I speed toward them. I hear Mom let out a grunt as I slam into her, knocking the knife from her hand. Her face remains a blank mask as she swipes the dagger off the ground. "Mom, please! It's me! It's Isadora! Mom, I know you're in there. Come back. Please!"

As the words leave my mouth, I clamp down on a shout as the dagger bites into my neck, drawing a thin line of blood. Something shifts in the water, almost imperceptibly. Mom's eyes glaze over, then slowly clear as she straightens, ripping the pendant off her neck. Shame—deep and agonizing—replaces the blank expression in her eyes as she looks at me.

Her body is trembling and she's breathing heavily as she throws the dagger off to the side. My breathing matches hers as we stare at each other. She falters, collapsing into me. I grip her arms to hold her upright. "It's okay," I say, trying to mask my own tremors. Her eyes fill with tears as she brushes a hand over the wound on my neck.

My eyes flew open as I sat up in bed, chest heaving. Even though I knew it was just a dream, the terror and fear carried over into the real world, casting a pall over my mood. Was that some sort of premonition? Would Ronan really be foolish enough to try something like that?

Needing to distract myself, I swam into the bathing room, quickly getting dressed and ready for the day. My expression, it seemed, was stuck in a permanent state of exhaustion. Dark circles had taken up permanent residence under my eyes, highlighting the emptiness in my gaze.

As far as makeup went, concealer (waterproof, of course) had become the only thing I did in the morning. I at least had the good sense to make my hair presentable, even if all I did was wrestle it into a bun.

Come to think of it, I couldn't remember the last time I had really smiled or enjoyed anything. My cloak, wrapped tightly around my shoulders, had become sort of a shield at this point. When I reached the dining hall, the chatter seemed impossibly loud. I winced, but swam inside anyway, heading for our table.

When Mom locked eyes with me, I almost stopped breathing. Her eyes were filled with concern, but I shook my head, dragging a smile to my face. I took my seat beside Kai, leaning in to gently kiss him on the cheek. "You were fast asleep when I got up this morning," he whispered. "Did you sleep well?"

It had become second nature at this point to nod whenever someone asked me that. Reliving the nightmares (and the emotions that had accompanied them), had just become exhausting. Kai pushed a plate of food toward me and I took a piece of shrimp, nibbling on it.

I zoned out, only tuning back in when I heard Dad mention my name. Judging from the expression on his face, I could tell this wasn't the first time he'd tried to get my attention. "How's class going, Izzy?" His gaze was soft as he looked at me.

"It's going great," I heard myself say. "All the students are really benefiting from it, I think."

It was an out-of-body experience—I heard my voice, felt my lips moving as I spoke, but I wasn't in control of my body. Instead, I watched from afar, able to see the concerned glances my parents shared. I was also able to see my pallor up-close from another perspective.

It was jarring. I'd seen myself in the mirror, but was not at all prepared to stare into my own eyes. Not a spark to be found, their normal glow had been replaced by dullness. They looked sunken, the hollowness in them now impossible to ignore. Just when I was summoning up the strength to return to my body, I saw myself suddenly stiffen.

Familiar shapes swooped in and out of my peripheral vision, their faces and voices taunting me. "'How much longer do you think you can keep this up, Izzy? The kind, generous princess act?'" "'Deep down, you know it's a facade. Eventually, you'll break and everyone will see what a weak, broken princess you truly are.'"

I snapped back into my body just in time to hear Dad speak. "I spoke to Bella last night. She said that Drew has another cometball game coming up and wanted to know if we would be there."

Mom's face lit up, her eyes filled with joy. Of course. We'll all be there cheering him on.

Kai and I nodded our assent, but my mind quickly wandered. Did I really want to be around all those people? The better question was, could I handle being around all those people? So far, I'd noticed the ghosts only appeared when I'd been stressed, upset, or angry. But I couldn't take any chances.

I ran a shaking hand over my curls, squeezing my eyes shut and taking deep, even breaths. Breakfast finished soon thereafter. Kai and I swam into the open water, enjoying the beautiful day. "You feel up to telling me what happened during breakfast? You totally zoned out."

When I didn't immediately respond, he only took my hand. He knew I would talk when I was ready. "Mom," I finally said, my hands curling into fists. "She... she was going to kill Drew. Ronan was there and he was controlling her. She had the Lost Soul Pendant around her neck and her eyes..." I trailed off, shuddering.

Kai didn't press me. After I got my emotions under control, I continued. "There was no warmth in them, no light whatsoever. She looked nothing like the queen she is today. I managed to free Drew and Mom, but not before she..." My throat tightened, forcing me to pause.

"Before she what?" Kai said softly, eyes filled with concern. He rubbed a thumb over my hand, his touch soothing.

"She and I fought when I tried to knock the knife from her hand. A total stranger had taken over her body. After she'd sliced a line across my neck, I managed to rip the pendant off her throat." I rubbed my neck, a phantom pain making the skin ache.

"Focus on the mermaid she is now, kind and generous and smart. Just like you." He had a sad smile on his face as he brushed a stray curl off my forehead. I knew he hated seeing me struggle, but I also knew that no matter what he did, nothing would make this better.

We spent the rest of the day by ourselves, neither of us feeling up to socializing. I almost fell into bed that night, my body aching and eyes heavy. "It's okay to sleep," Kai said, noticing my hesitation. "I'm not going anywhere."

Despite my valiant battle, my eyes finally fell closed, exhaustion sweeping me away like a wave.

Read and review!