I quickly lost myself in the game, my eyes trained on the young merman with black hair, face twisted in concentration. He glanced around the court, trying to find one of his teammates to pass the cometball to. Quicker than I could blink, another young merman from the opposing team was sneaking up on Drew from behind.

I opened my mouth to shout a warning, but I didn't need to. As if he'd sensed movement behind him, he whirled around, feinted a throw, then passed the cometball to another teammate. That teammate—a young merman perhaps a year older than Drew—shot down the court, headed for the opposing team's goal.

Everyone sat on the edge of their seats, eyes glued to the court. When the cometball slid over the goal line, cheering broke from each side. Even the opposition had congratulations for the team. Drew's face was flushed, eyes sparkling as he scanned the sidelines. When he glimpsed my face, he was off the court in an instant, speeding towards me.

"Izzy!" He shouted as I wrapped him in a hug, whirling around and around. When we finally stopped, I grinned at him.

"That was amazing! You were so fast—I couldn't keep up!" The smile was permanently affixed to my face.

Dad clapped Drew on the shoulder, congratulating him. "You were amazing, Drew. Your team is doing great."

Mom echoed the sentiment, her eyes sparkling as she signed. It was such a good game! You're getting better every time I watch you.

Drew ducked his head at the praise, but I noticed appreciation in his eyes. When Aunt Bella's curls appeared in the distance, I grinned. She swam towards us, clutching a young mermaid's hand. Faye looked at each of us, her gaze finally landing on her brother's face.

When I saw the nervous smile on Aunt Bella's face, my heart skipped a beat. Uncle David was with her, an identical expression on his face.

"David? Bella? Is everything okay?" Dad asked, a quizzical look in his eyes.

It was then that I noticed Aunt Bella was holding one hand behind her back. "Drew, Faye, we just want you both to know how much we've loved having you in our home. We love you as we would our own children...." Here she paused, blinking back tears.

Uncle David squeezed her hand encouragingly. She took a deep breath before continuing. Smiling through the tears streaking down her face, she spoke. "From the moment you both came into our lives, it has been nothing short of a miracle. You bring joy and light into our home, something that had been missing for a long time." Her voice broke as she swiped at her eyes.

Uncle David took over, eyes filled with joy. "When we first met, you both were reeling from the loss of your mother, something none of us were sure you'd recover from. But I now know that she'll always live on in both of you. Which is why we are overjoyed to welcome the two newest members of the Solomon family!"

Aunt Bella finally revealed what she'd been hiding behind her back—two official adoption certificates. Drew and Faye's full names were written across the top of each of them, with Aunt Bella and Uncle David's signature at the bottom.

The noise from the game quickly faded away. Drew's eyes were huge in his face; a large smile bloomed on Faye's own, her eyes wide. "T-thank you," Drew finally said, voice hitching. "Thank you so much!"

Faye was a blur in the water as she zoomed into Aunt Bella's arms, her small body shaking with tears. I found myself blinking back tears of my own as I watched the four of them. Kai squeezed my hand; when I looked at him, his expression was grave.

The excitement of the day disappeared in an instant, as if someone had sucked it out of the water. The earlier confrontation with the mermaid came back to me, bringing with it a fresh sense of uneasiness. Dad noticed, the happiness on his face quickly melting into concern. "Izzy? What is it?"

All eyes turned to me. I'd been too shocked to really try to understand the mermaid's words at the time, but they swept over me now with sharp clarity. She'd thought that Mom had been responsible for the numerous deaths that had occurred when my grandfather had been alive. "'How could anyone let a murderer onto the throne?'"

Each word was a dagger piercing my heart. I quickly explained, stumbling slightly when I got to the part about Aunt Naia. With every word that came out of my mouth, Mom's happy expression disappeared, shock and anxiety replacing it. Dad spoke up, voice calm as he gently squeezed her hand. "Did you recognize this mermaid? Did you get her name?"

I shook my head, chastising myself for it. "Everything happened so fast..." I trailed off, looking at the seafloor. Shame again burned through me, heating up my entire body.

I dimly heard Aunt Bella and Uncle David say their goodbyes to Mom and Dad, Faye and Drew trailing them. Mom suddenly looked at me, questions in her eyes. What did she look like, Izzy?

I thought hard before responding. "She had chin-length blonde hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a dark-blue shirt paired with a long, flowing skirt." I racked my brain, trying to remember if she had any outstanding features—birthmarks, freckles, etc—but I kept coming up empty.

Mom put a hand on my shoulder, concern in her eyes. It's okay, Izzy. We'll find her eventually.

I nodded, trying not to let the disappointment show on my face. I was failing everyone—Kai, Mom, Dad... My mood grew darker and darker until I had retreated so far inside myself that I wasn't aware of anything around me.

As expected, translucent figures swooped in and out of the corners of my vision, eyes hungry. I braced myself for their biting words, the criticism coating their tones. When nothing happened, confusion filled me. I risked a glance at the face closest to my own.

It was filled not with scorn or anger, as I'd come to expect, but urgency. "Look at that which is broken, then you will find the tools with which to fix it."

Puzzled, I couldn't even come up with a response. A tight grip on my shoulder suddenly pulled me out of myself back into the present, where a mermaid with a blonde bob and brown eyes was floating in front of Mom, practically shaking with the force of her tears. Mom, on the other hand, was motionless in the water, face white as a sheet.

I didn't understand what was happening... until Mom spoke. It was one word—a name—but it was filled with years' worth of regret. "Lyn?"

Lyn's gaze flicked from Mom to me, then back to Mom. Recognition bloomed on her face, along with shame. "Oh, Nerissa. Beck... he..." Any more words were quickly drowned in a torrent of tears.

Mom embraced her shaking form, stroking her hair as she cried. When she'd regained her composure, she turned to me, dipping her chin in acknowledgement. "Your mother was close with my daughter when they were little. After she... died and the news spread about the murders, all I could think about was getting justice for her. I'd never met Tiger Shark, but I'd heard of him."

She took a deep breath before continuing. "My husband was murdered seven years ago. When I saw you..." She trailed off, shaking her head.

Her unspoken words were clear. I thought you had something to do with the murder.

I stared at the mermaid in front of me, heart aching for her. She'd lost her husband and only child, yet she still found a reason to get up in the morning.

I tore my gaze from her eyes, looking up at Kai. The bottomless pools of his eyes stared back at me, steady and calm. Waiting.

It was only then that I understood the ghost's words. It wasn't my family history that had been haunting me; it was their actions and the consequences that had followed those actions.

I shook my head. "I'm so, so sorry about the loss of your husband and daughter. Rest assured, we will do everything we can to make sure no one else has to endure what you've been through." As hard as I tried to steady it, my voice broke on the last word, exhaustion coating it.

She nodded, then turned back towards Mom. The latter glanced at me, concern in her eyes. I shook my head again.

After Mom and Lyn swam away, Kai and I started back to the palace. I was almost positive his tight grip on my hand was the only thing keeping me upright. "Get some sleep," he said once we were alone in our suite.

I tried to nod, but my face crumpled. Tears streamed down my cheeks, sobs echoing in the silence of the room. He held me the whole time, rubbing my back. Even when my tears had ceased and quiet whimpers had taken their place, he never moved.

Eventually, the sadness ceased and heavy exhaustion returned, blanketing my senses until only nothingness remained.

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