Nightmares haunted my restless sleep, fueled by guilt, shame, and regret. I either saw Raina or that nameless mermaid. In one such scenario, Raina's back is to me, but she suddenly turns and meets my eyes, disgust twisting her features. She scoffs, the sound piercing my heart. "You didn't even try to save me, even after you tried so hard to trust me and let down your walls. And look where it got you."

The bitterness and hatred oozing from her voice is so intense that I have to blink back tears. My voice is small as I speak. "Raina, please. You were my friend. I loved you." Pain twists my words as my heart clenches.

"You're right. I didn't try to save you, and that decision has haunted me ever since. But please understand, I didn't know until it was too late. If I'd known, I would have sacrificed myself if it meant you could live." My voice breaks on the last word.

Though it pains me deeply, I voice the words waiting on my tongue, each leaving a bitter taste in my mouth. "Leena told me everything. About how you and I were the same—how you and I both believed the best in everyone, even when those around us desperately tried to convince us otherwise. She told me she begged you to cut off our friendship, convinced it would end in your untimely death." My chest hitches as my voice falters.

Tears fall down my cheeks like raindrops, my breath shuddering as I force myself to keep going. "She told me how you saw a lonely soul in need of healing and were too happy to get to know me. And it's true. When we met, my past had broken me. I was tired of being abandoned, of those I loved promising they would never leave, and eventually doing just that. To this day, I wake up every morning terrified that those I love will eventually leave."

I swipe at my cheeks, taking shallow, ragged breaths. Raina's expression is like stone, her eyes steely and empty. When she speaks, her words hit me like rocks, pelting me with gut-wrenching accuracy. "Mark my words, Faye Mercer. You can't have everything. Sooner or later, everyone you love—whether by force or choice—will leave. You'll be alone, just as you should have been all along."

I clutch at my chest as if hit by a physical blow. Something inside me cracks so violently that I can't contain the cry that slips from my lips. Hopelessness and despair engulf me, clouding my mind and tightening my lungs. I try to take a deep breath but only manage a weak inhale.

As if in response, I hear a ghostly voice, calm and soothing. "Faye? Wake up, sweetheart. You're safe. I'm right here."

My eyes flew open as I struggled for breath. Claustrophobia began to smother me as I rose from the bed, my entire body trembling. I didn't know where I was going—I only knew I needed to get out. I was out of the suite in a flash, swimming hard for the entryway. Faces passed me in a blur, but I paid them no heed. It was all I could do to keep breathing, struggling to get even the tiniest bit of water into my lungs.

I didn't stop when I emerged into the open water. If anything, I increased my speed, trying to outswim the claustrophobia threatening to overwhelm me. If I paused for even a heartbeat, I knew I wouldn't be able to start again. The memories and faces and voices would smother me.

Finally—when my muscles were screaming—I collapsed feet away from Aegrem's entrance. Every part of my body, from my arms to my tail, trembled. I sobbed, and it was partly due to the exertion. But it was also because of the memories and faces and voices etched in my brain.

I heard Raina's voice and saw her face as she spat those words at me—the words that haunted my mind and heart. "'Mark my words, Faye Mercer. You can't have everything. Sooner or later, everyone you love—either by force or choice—will leave. You'll be alone, just as you should have been all along.'"

Anguish bubbled up inside me, surging from my gut and up my throat to where it exploded out of my mouth. I screamed until my lungs felt raw, until I was sure I had no voice left. Overcome by grief and anguish, I let my head fall into my hands as I sank to the seafloor. It was all I could do to remember to breathe, and I wasn't paying attention to my surroundings.

That meant when the assassin hidden behind a cluster of rocks a few feet away from me raised her crossbow—a weapon I'd heard of but never seen before—and took aim at me, I never saw it coming. Only when I heard the faint whistling noise did I lift my head, albeit agonizingly slowly, and look around. The bolt slammed into my tail, knocking me face-first into the ground.

Dazed, I slowly pushed myself to a sitting position, ignoring the rush of dizziness that overcame me. Without even looking, I already knew the bolt had torn my flesh and embedded itself in my tail. My vision blurred, then cleared enough for me to take notice of my surroundings. I was feet away from the entrance, but I knew I didn't have the strength even to attempt to swim.

I also knew calling out for help would be useless because all that would do was alert the assassin to my location. So I did the only thing I could think of. Slowly and painfully, I dragged myself inside Aegrem's gates, gasping in pain. I was hoping and praying I would come across someone who could help.

When my arms were shaking so badly I couldn't hold myself up any longer, and my breath was coming through clenched teeth, I collapsed into the silt and closed my eyes. My chest was heaving, my breathing ragged as I struggled to catch my breath. I heard voices getting closer with every faint heartbeat. I was too exhausted to move, but the sound gave me hope.

"Oh, my gods. Faye. Sweetie, can you hear me?" "Help! Somebody help!"

I'd never heard Aunt Izzy's voice sound so frantic. When I felt hands on me, roving over my body and searching for wounds, I somehow found the strength to open my eyes. My vision was blurry, but once it cleared, I saw Uncle Kai's face pale as a sand dollar, his eyes filled with fear. "Hang on, Faye," he kept saying. "Just hang on."

I drifted in and out of consciousness as they swam at breakneck speed to the palace. The next time I opened my eyes, I was lying down on a bed in the hospital. Blinking several times to clear my vision, I looked around, breathing slowly and deeply. At some point, while I was unconscious, someone (a doctor, most likely) must have removed the bolt because a large blood-soaked bandage covered my tail fin.

Sucking in a sharp breath, I pushed myself up to a sitting position, biting down on a scream. Even the tiniest movement caused pain to explode in my tail. Tears filled my eyes, but I hurriedly blinked them away. I couldn't afford to break down right now. Someone was targeting me, and we needed to figure out who before anyone else got hurt.

When I heard the sound of low voices, my heart simultaneously leapt and sank. I knew they were worried about me, but they would also want to know about the attack, some of which I wasn't sure I was ready to discuss. I already blamed myself—I should have been more aware of my surroundings—but I couldn't get rid of the lingering fear inside me.

"Faye?" I heard Mom's voice, choked with sobs, and a lump rose in my throat. I saw Mom first, Dad entering a heartbeat behind her, hands on her shoulders. I tried for a brave smile, but my face crumpled seconds later. Everything—the fear, the pain, the guilt—came back with a vengeance.

"Oh, sweetie," Mom murmured, her arms coming around me as I faltered. "It's okay. You're safe now. It's over. It's going to be okay." I knew she meant her words reassuringly, but they had the opposite effect.

I wasn't safe, and it wasn't going to be okay. Not for a long time. Someone was trying to kill me—who knew how far the threats would escalate? And, possibly the most important question, would we be able to figure out who before it was too late?

Read and review!