When I open my eyes again, I immediately know I am dreaming. However, within seconds, I realize this is not an ordinary dream. Because directly in front of me is a mermaid a few years older than me with brown hair and brown eyes. At first, I stare at her blankly, confusion clouding my eyes until recognition hits me in the gut. It's Ella.

A strangled sob breaks from my lips as I lurch forward. I hardly remember anything about my older sister, but as I stare at her, it's like looking at a face I'd forgotten about and then rediscovered. When she speaks, her voice is warm and soft, just as I'd imagined. "Oh, Faye." Her voice breaks as she throws her arms around me. I hug her back even tighter, holding her as if she'll vanish if I let go.

When we finally break apart, I clutch my chest, feeling like my heart is breaking in half. "El—Ella, I m—miss you so much. We b—both do. Mom and Dad are t—taking such good care of us, but we miss you both every day. It's n—not the same without you."

Sobs break up my words, but she shakes her head, wiping a tear off my cheek. "Mom and I miss you both every day, but we're together now, and we can watch over you. We may not be there physically anymore, but we're always with you in here." Ella smiles sadly as she places a hand over my heart.

I squeeze my eyes shut as another tear slips down my cheek. "Ella, please. Please don't leave me." Even though I know this is only a dream, I want to keep us both here forever—where nothing bad can happen. Even though I know this is only a dream, I want to keep her here with me where she's safe.

"You don't need me anymore. You have Drew and Jonah and an entire family who loves you and who would die for you." As the words leave her mouth, she frowns as anger darkens her eyes. "But be careful of the Sirens, Faye. They will try to trick you; they will lure you in with the promise of a family, one who will never leave or forsake you.

"But don't fall into their trap. They will tell you lies and make false promises, eventually forcing you to choose sides. You will ultimately have to pay a price that will alter your life forever. Get out while you still can. I only wish I had when I had the chance. I would have gotten Mom out, too." Ella's voice breaks as a shudder slips down my spine.

My eyes widen as I tighten my grip on my sister's hands. "Are you talking about the Sirens?" I didn't know she'd known about them. When I'd learned that being a Siren was hereditary, I always thought that a mermaid eventually learned about them when she reached a certain age—around her 17th birthday. In Ella's case, she'd never turned 17; her murder had occurred when she was 14.

Ella nods but doesn't elaborate, tears gleaming in her eyes. "I miss you, Faye. Tell Drew I love him. I love you both. Promise me you'll take care of each other." When her voice breaks again, the tears spill down her cheeks like a waterfall.

I'm seconds away from shaking my head and begging her to stay when an image of the Lost Soul Pendant materializes in my mind. I choke on a sob as I open my mouth, tears coming faster than I can form the words. "Y-you can come back. We h-have the Lost Soul Pendant. You and M-Mom can both come back." Despite the intense sorrow weighing me down, my heart leaps at the revelation.

Another sad smile, and then Ella shakes her head again. "Noah probably got rid of our bodies the second he had the chance. You could search for years and not find them. Remember what I said: we may not be there physically anymore, but we're always with you in here." When she places a hand on my heart a second time, I falter. She takes my weight effortlessly, holding me tightly as my sobs, heartbreaking and sorrowful, fill the water.

I can't go through this again. As I clutch my sister, memories of Jacob's final moments flash through my head. I see the resigned expression on his face—immediately followed by shock as the light leaves his eyes. I hear his voice for the umpteenth time, resigned and calm. "'I know I haven't always been the best father, but I truly believe this is the only way I can atone for my sins. And the only way I can see Carla again.'"

Ella's earlier words resurface in my head, and I nod before I can form the words. "'Tell Drew I love him. I love you both. Promise me you'll take care of each other.'"

I sniff, trying my hardest to hold back the tears threatening to spill down my cheeks. "I-I love you, Ella," I choke out, but she's already fading away before the words leave my mouth.

When she responds, her voice is faint. "I love you, too, Faye." I see a fading glimpse of brown eyes sparkling with tears before she vanishes.

The dream evaporates before my eyes as my vision fades to black. When my eyes opened, I choked on a sob as I bolted upright. I bit back a muffled cry as pain shot up my arm. Faint moonlight seeping in through the windows provided little light to see by. My heartbeat slowly returned to normal as I looked beside me and saw Jonah fast asleep.

At my sudden movements, though, he stirred, then opened his eyes. Blinking several times, he sat up as his eyes focused on me. Taking in my ragged appearance—wide, terrified eyes, deathly pale face, trembling hands—he gently took my hand, using the other to brush a sweaty strand of hair off my forehead.

"Take a breath," he said softly, his voice low and soothing. "You're safe. I'm right here. It was just a nightmare."

I did as he said, though it felt like I'd had the water knocked from my lungs. Jonah took a deep breath, then squeezed my hand, urging me to copy him. Swallowing hard, I repeated the process for several minutes, but the panic didn't fade. When my husband looked into my eyes, I mouthed a single word, a name: Drew. He was halfway to the suite door when he looked back at me. Without a word, he disappeared, reappearing moments later with a concerned Drew.

My brother—my sweet, loving, protective brother—took one look at my face and rushed to me, pulling me into his arms. He held me as I sobbed, exchanging a worried look with Jonah over my head. When the tears finally subsided, leaving me shaky and exhausted, I sat back on the bed, breathing heavily. Drew's voice was soft when he spoke, the words barely more than a push of breath.

"Are you okay? Jonah said you'd had a nightmare." Concern filled his words, but when I opened my mouth to respond, a sob came out instead. Visions from the nightmare flashed through my head as everything came crashing down. It all came out in a rush—the nightmare, seeing and talking to Ella and telling her that we could bring her back, watching her fade away before my eyes.

Drew's face was white, his grip white-knuckled on my hands. He stared at me for several minutes, not saying a word. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet. "Did you see Mom?" I could tell in his gaze that he knew I hadn't—nevertheless, he wanted to hear me say it aloud. I hesitated before responding.

I longed to tell him the truth, but I also hated lying to him. He wanted both of them back as desperately as I did—possibly even more so. My voice was barely more than a push of breath when I finally responded, not meeting his gaze. "No. Only Ella was there." I looked up at him as I heard the stifled sob slip from his lips, followed by another silently shuddering through his body.

After he'd calmed down, he spoke, his voice breaking. "I miss them so much, Faye. I see their deaths every night in my nightmares—I see the exact moment the light leaves their eyes. The thought of losing you like that..." He trailed off, his breath shuddering as he tried to get his emotions under control. It was several minutes before he could speak again. "I couldn't bear it. I can't lose you, too."

When it came, the knock on the suite door made all of us jump. Wordlessly, Jonah swam to the suite door, opening it with barely a sound. I heard a muffled conversation with whoever was on the other side, then the door closing. He swam back into the bedroom with Dad in tow. Dad's face was pale and weary, his jaw tight as he clenched his teeth to keep words from spilling out.

A knot of dread formed in my stomach, clawing its way up my throat and making speaking impossible. Jonah spoke, voicing the words we were all thinking but didn't dare say aloud. "Who died?" It took everything in me not to react as the words left his mouth.

Dad swallowed hard before responding. When I saw his hands trembling at his sides, my heart stopped. "We got word from the guards at the entrance about an hour ago. A mermaid was found just outside the border barely conscious.

"The guards said she didn't appear to have any visible injuries, yet her eyes were glassy, and her clothes were rumpled and stained with silt. When they tried to ask her if she was okay, she didn't speak, only shied away when they tried to touch her." Dad paused, taking a deep breath as if preparing himself for whatever his next words would be.

When he met my gaze, it was as if someone had sucked all the water out of the room. I went limp, the water disappearing from my lungs in a rush as Jonah lunged to catch me. Dad's voice cracked as he spoke, the words hitting me with the force of a killing blow. "It was Waverly. Bella and I went down to check on her, and she whimpered as she shied away from me. I sent word to Laguna but haven't heard back."

I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. Zander was using the same tactic on Waverly that he had with me—break her so wholly and irreparably that there would be no chance of putting her back together again. I shuddered as the aftermath of what Zander had done to me resurfaced in my head. I wouldn't wish that on anyone, especially not Waverly. Despite everything we'd been through, no one deserved to suffer like that.

That old, long-buried feeling of wariness and fear washed over me, drawing another shudder and a shaky breath from me. I hadn't thought about that incident in a long time, but I felt my old walls snap back into place as I met Dad's eyes. "Where is she?" My voice was barely above a whisper, yet I knew he heard me.

Dad rubbed a hand over his face before responding. "In the hospital. Laguna should already be there, but I told Bella to wait until she arrived to leave."

Even though all I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and sob, I followed him to the hospital, my heart pounding so hard I was amazed no one else could hear it. Zander had succeeded in breaking me; I could only hope the same couldn't be said for Waverly. If he had, I didn't know if I could get through to her like my family had with me. One thing I knew for sure was that Zander was beyond saving—anyone who could do that to their daughter and not feel a shred of remorse or shame was truly lost.

I shuddered as I approached Waverly's room, Dad and Jonah trailing me. I hoped and prayed I wasn't too late and that I could undo the damage Zander had caused. It was the only thing keeping me from falling back into that dark place I'd been in the weeks and months following what Zander had done to me. With a trembling hand, I knocked on the door, the sound reverberating through the silent hallway.

"Come in."

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