A bloodcurdling scream breaks the silence in the water, making my heart skip a beat. "Hello?" I call out, not expecting anyone to really answer. "Is anyone there?"

I turn around in a slow circle, wary eyes scanning my surroundings. I'm not far from Beltmare's palace. But why am I here? The scream sounds again, sending a chill down my spine. A child, I realize. It's a child's scream.

Drew and Faye's faces flash in my mind, spurring me into action. I zip towards the sound, hand hovering over the dagger at my side. When I finally reach the source, horror and shock and grief paralyze me.

I see the grown mermaid first, her slender build and dainty features unmistakable. I look closer and shudder. Her eyes, once so full of love and light and happiness, are now cold and empty. She has a tight grip on the sleeve of a young mermaid, tear-filled eyes locked on mine. "Please," I say cautiously, holding my hands out in front of me as I inch closer to them. "You don't want to do this. She's just a child."

I stare in disbelief at Aunt Bella, face red with anger. Faye whimpers, the sound cracking something inside me. Before I can get any closer, a hand grips my shoulder, pinning me in place.

I whirl around, hands shooting for my daggers. Cunning eyes meet mine, making my breath catch in my throat. Tyler has a smug grin on his face as he looks from Aunt Bella to Faye then to me. "Please," I whisper, my voice breaking. "Please. She's just a child."

Tyler just stares at me, the smug grin turning manic. Another flash of movement has me whirling again, body tense, hands gripping my daggers. The mermaid in front of me is bloodied and battered. Tears streak through the silt on her cheeks, curls bouncing wildly as she whips her head back and forth. When her eyes land on Faye and Aunt Bella, she lets out a heartbreaking wail, the sound breaking my heart clean in half.

"You have a choice, Isadora," Tyler says, ignoring the glare Mom's shooting him. "Your mother, or your friends. Choose wisely," he continues, pulling a pendant on a string out of his pocket, "because you can't have both."

Red-hot rage shoots through my body, making my blood boil. Mom locks eyes with me, desperately shaking her head. Unspoken words pass between us, but I can see the agony in her eyes. She knows that I would choose her in a heartbeat, but wants me to save Aunt Bella and Faye. She would rather die knowing that she had a hand in their rescue than in their deaths.

"I—I can't," I whimper, tears filling my eyes. Within seconds, they're streaking down my cheeks, blurring my vision and making my breath hitch. How can she possibly expect me to make that choice?

"Tick-tock, Isadora," Tyler says, but his voice is muffled by the roaring silence in my head.

I'm apparently silent too long, because Tyler suddenly shakes his head and swims over to Aunt Bella. She doesn't move a muscle, glassy eyes staring straight ahead. Faye screams again, the sound dragging a stifled sob past my lips.

"Please," I choke out, my voice thick with tears. "She's just a child!" My voice breaks on the last word, but it doesn't deter Tyler. When he extends the Lost Soul Pendant, it takes everything in me to fight the power that emanates from it, the sudden pull.

He clutches it in his hand, but unlike all the other times, this is different. Instead of seeing the various souls swirl around him as they're released from the pendant, he seems to absorb them. The light from the pendant is blinding, but he makes no effort to shield his eyes.

He lets out a cruel laugh. "At last!" He shouts, his voice suddenly becoming deeper and harsher. I dimly feel Mom's hand grip mine, but I can't look away. Aunt Bella screams, followed by Faye's high-pitched wail.

When the light finally subsides, I'm left pale and shaking. The Lost Soul Pendant is all that remains of Tyler. No ashes, nothing. Mom's expression is identical to what I'm sure my own is. Her face is deathly pale; tearstains linger on her cheeks. She lets go of my hand, rushing over to Aunt Bella and Faye. Instead of following her, I cautiously swim over to where the pendant rests on the ground.

A single thought enters my mind, pushing through the shock and horror: Now what?

My eyes were dull as I opened them, the sun streaming through the windows. The shock of the nightmare had been pushed aside by numbness. I knew what to do, but how could I do it? Especially with the horror of those visions lingering over me.

I rubbed my eyes, exhaling deeply. When the knock sounded on our door, I couldn't help but flinch. Kai poked his head inside, frowning. Before he so much as opened his mouth, I was up and heading for the closet.

"Tyler," I explained helplessly as I pulled on a purple shirt and grey skirt. I couldn't say anything else; my thoughts were tripping over one another as I struggled to process the nightmare. Kai swam up to me, putting a hand on my shoulder, forcing me to pause.

I watched as his steady gaze took everything in: my haunted face; eyes so wide the whites were showing; the tremors in my hands. "What happened?" Kai asked, his gaze never leaving my face.

I wanted to explain everything to him, but I just didn't know how. The anxiety from the dream had returned in full force, leaving me shaky and unsettled. "We have to stop him. Before..." I struggled to get water into my lungs. "We have to stop him before he hurts them."

We had barely reached the entryway of the palace before the screams began. "No!" I shouted as I rushed outside. I floated in front of what I could only describe as a nightmare come to life.

I didn't know where to look. My eyes darted from left to right, struggling to process the scene in front of me. Aunt Bella was clutching Faye's sleeve, the look in her eyes cold and empty. Tyler was off to the side, gripping Mom's shoulder. The former was smirking; the latter crying openly.

It was nearly identical to my dream, only with one subtle difference: all of my family was here. Dad and Uncle David were floating beside Mom, their expressions filled with shock and horror.

Pushing past the fear, horror, and anger whirling around inside me, I swam up to Aunt Bella, hands trembling at my sides. "Please," I sobbed, looking her in the eyes. "You don't want to do this. She's a child! She's just a child!" My voice broke on the last word, but Aunt Bella remained impassive.

I threw a pleading glance at Mom, tears already forming in my eyes. Her own eyes were welling up, a sad smile on her face. Somehow, she already knew everything. She knew the choice I was struggling to make. Tyler looked from Mom to me, his face turning impatient. "Tick-tock, Isadora."

When I didn't move, he did, shoving me to the ground and pulling the Lost Soul Pendant out of his pocket. I put out my hands at the very last second, preventing me from face-planting. I bit back a sharp cry as small rocks and debris sliced up my arms, blood swirling in the water.

I dimly heard Faye whimper, the sound muted by the roaring in my head. When I finally managed to push myself up off the ground, I was doing everything I could to resist the sudden pull, the power emanating from it. My arms were shaking from the various cuts, my head throbbing.

Just like in my nightmare, he clutched the pendant in his hand. But like in my nightmare, this time was different. Instead of seeing the various souls swirling around him as they were released from the pendant, he absorbed them.

The light was blinding. I threw my hand up to shield my eyes, everyone else doing the same. At least I hoped they were. I couldn't see them, so I couldn't be sure. As Tyler let out a cruel laugh, he spoke, voice suddenly deeper and harsher. "At last!" He shouted.

I felt Mom's hand grip mine, but I couldn't look. I heard Aunt Bella's scream, followed almost immediately by Faye's high-pitched wail. When the light finally subsided, I tripped over my own tail trying to get away. I could feel my entire body shaking; I had no doubt my face was deathly pale.

Where Tyler had floated only moments before, only the Lost Soul Pendant remained. No ashes, nothing. Even his clothes had vanished. Mom let go of my hand, rushing over to Faye. I, however, swam over to Aunt Bella, putting a hand on her shoulder. She flinched before I saw the light return to her eyes.

When she saw me, she crumpled. I caught her before she hit the ground, holding her up as she sobbed.

"Bella!" I heard a deep voice shout from behind us. My muscles went slack; it was all I could do to keep my grip on Aunt Bella.

I felt strong arms wrap around her, taking her weight. Uncle David's face was white with shock and horror as he glanced at the scene before him.

My eyes shined with tears when I finally let all the trapped emotions inside me—anger, grief, sadness, doubt, anxiety, depression, emptiness—out. I gripped my curls, throwing my head back as I let out an ear-shattering, heartbreaking scream that ended in a sob.

As quickly as the emotions had surfaced, they vanished, leaving me numb and empty. In their place was a hollowness, a void that I wasn't sure could ever be filled. When I felt warm, strong arms wrap around me, lifting me off the ground, I could barely muster the strength to lift my head.

The ghosts returned, my mental wall having shattered sometime during the confrontation with Tyler. Instead of trying to feebly fight them off, I let them swarm me. A deep, warm voice broke through the haze that had settled over me, pushing through the others. "I've got you, Isadora. I'm right here. You'll be okay."

I wanted to respond, wanted to tell him how much I loved him, but speaking was impossible. Instead, I laid my head on my husband's chest, breathing deeply. I would be foolish to think that the war was over just because Tyler was dead.

Indeed, when a voice spoke up from behind, chilling me to my very core, I knew that the war was far from over. "At last we meet. Isadora, is it? I can't tell you how pleased I am to finally meet my granddaughter."

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