Darkness. Walls underneath my hands, the stone scraping them raw. My breathing was ragged as I swam, my strength depleting with every stroke. Just when I thought I couldn't swim any further, torchlight momentarily blinded me. As I blinked away the spots in my vision, my breath caught so hard I choked.

I didn't know where to look first. Two mermen, side by side, each gripped the arms of two very scared mermaids. The first merman, his green eyes gleaming with malice, clutched the arm of a grey-eyed mermaid, her dark skin pale. The merman next to him gripped the arm of another mermaid, her onyx eyes impossibly wide as she noticed me.

I opened my mouth to cry out, but something glittered at both mermen's necks, filling me with dread. I couldn't see them from this far away, but I knew that they weren't good. Terrified faces swam in my mind as I struggled to think. Noah. Tyler. Bella. Claudia.

Somehow, I was moving. Tyler's face came into view, clutching the arm of a terrified Bella. Bella's eyes locked on mine, her gaze pleading. I looked over to the other mermaid, her onyx eyes wide. Claudia, I mouthed. I floated in front of Tyler and Noah, my back straight and head held high.

My notepad was in my hand before I even knew what I was doing. Let them go. I'll do anything.

I knew that I was pleading, but I didn't care. Claudia's face was pale, silent tears rolling down her cheeks. Tyler looked down at me, his gaze menacing. The reflection of a hidden dagger glinted in the dim light, sending chills down my spine. He then glanced at Noah, nodding.

Noah produced a dagger of his own, resting the tip on Bella's cheek. She cried out as it broke the skin, causing a trickle of blood to slide down her face and chin. As quickly as he'd produced the dagger, he sheathed it, closing his hand around the pendant at his neck. The dark-blue stone glowed at his touch, illuminating his face in blue light.

He ripped it from his neck and swam over to me. I swallowed hard, not daring to breathe. Terror was written on Bella and Claudia's faces as they, too, hardly dared to breathe. Noah glanced at them, sneering. "This is your queen? Your friend?" He spat out the word as if it tasted bad. "Who would ever want a useless, broken queen?"

I was rooted to the spot, struggling to hold back the tears that were so close to falling. My eyes shone as I blinked them away, avoiding Bella and Claudia's gazes. I could do nothing but stare as the words left his lips, every insult like knives being pelted at me. After a while, his rant never ceasing, I even started to believe him.

He was right. So were Alyssa and Naia. Who was I kidding? I was unfit to rule. I wouldn't even be here if I hadn't had left work at that precise moment. I would never have met Jay. Or David.

I was sobbing now, tears that blurred my vision and stained my face as they cascaded down my cheeks in rivulets. Noah's words played over and over in my head, on a loop: Who would ever want a useless, broken queen?

I was so disoriented when I opened my eyes, it took me a minute to realise someone was shaking my shoulder. Multiple pairs of eyes stared at me, wide with concern and worry. The torrent of tears had lessened to choked gasps, most of which were punctuated by hiccups.

Jay gently took my hand, his gaze never leaving my face. What happened?

As he signed the last word, a wave of exhaustion passed over me, so intense my eyelids fluttered closed. I forced them open, refusing to give myself over to the darkness and nightmares.

Do you think I'm broken? Each word was signed with more hopelessness than the former.

Bella swam to me, her grey eyes brighter than I'd ever seen them. Of course not. You are one of the strongest, most inspiring people I've ever met. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise.

I blinked back tears as I squeezed her hand. David met my gaze, his eyes kind. As I looked into his eyes, the eyes of my husband, and one of my dearest friends, I knew where I had to go. My entire body protested as I rose, my head spinning so violently I almost couldn't move.

Jay gripped my hand, worry in his gaze. Where are you going? It's not safe. I knew the others were thinking the same thing: what if Tyler is waiting to ambush you?

I ignored him, wrapping my cloak around myself and grabbing my bag. The swim to Nepptheas would take me most of the day, then I had to find Brandon, so it'd probably be midnight before I returned. I have to do this.

Whatever Jay saw in my gaze had him relenting, though he did so reluctantly. I kissed him deeply before leaving the house. Mermaids and mermen bowed as they noticed me, smiles on their faces. I felt the warmth of their smiles in my heart, bright as the sun. A little mermaid, no more than nine years old, came up to me, a large smile on her face, and handed me a folded piece of paper.

I grinned at her as I opened it, my heart bursting with joy. It was a very detailed portrait of me, highlighting the joy in my dark blue eyes whenever I smiled or laughed. My black hair was dark as night, the curls framing my face. I swiped at my eyes, catching tears before they smeared the drawing.

I bent down to meet the mermaid's gaze. She bowed, the large grin still on her face. Her mother nudged her and she raised her hands, signing. I hope you like the portrait I made of you, Queen Nerissa. When I grow up, I want to be just like you.

I tried my hardest to block out Noah's voice in my head as I focused on the mermaid. Her signing was flawless. I responded in kind, my hands moving fluidly through the water. Thank you so much. What's your name?

Her excitement faltered, as if she was chastising herself in her head. Lauren. Lauren Coburn.

I thanked her and her mother before swimming away, the portrait safely tucked into my bag. Before I'd even approached the outskirts of Nepptheas, torchlight caught my eye, the outline of a merman becoming clear. Though his face was shrouded in shadow, there was something familiar about him.

I flipped my hood over my curls, hiding my face from view. The water turned cold as I passed him, glimpsing his face out of the corner of my eye. Brandon. His dark green eyes—usually bright with malice—were sunken, his cheeks hollow. He looked exhausted, like he hadn't slept in ages.

I continued swimming, Brandon's face permanently etched in my mind. He looked... broken. I sped home, the journey seeming to take an eternity. My body was numb, my mind blank as I swam into our room, Jay's concerned gaze following me. What happened?

I silently undressed and swam into bed, finally releasing the torrent of tears that had been building up inside me since I'd left Lauren. Jay said nothing, just slid into bed beside me, wrapping his arms around me as I cried, my body shaking with the force of my tears. The sadness eventually gave way to exhaustion, that sweet oblivion blanketing my senses.

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