Dad was speechless. Mom just kept glancing between Carla and me, her eyes wide. When Mom finally spoke, her voice was hoarse. "Carla? I-Is it really you?"

Mom sounded just as stunned as I had been. I couldn't blame her. Carla threw Mom a soft smile as she swam in front of her. As they reached for each other, Mom let out a sob when their hands touched. Her sobs cracked something inside me. I couldn't stop tears from sliding down my face, but I did my best to stifle the sobs that followed.

Carla was trying to talk through the sobs that wracked her body, the words jerky and rough. "I-I can't t-thank you e-enough—"

Mom shook her head. "You don't ever have to thank us. We were—and will forever be—honored to be Drew and Faye's parents." Her voice broke as she breathed the latter's name, a sob shuddering through her.

Carla's eyes gleamed with tears, her voice shaking. "I-I never g-got the c-chance to s-say goodbye." An ear-shattering wail swallowed her words—that of a heartbroken mother—and Dad barely managed to catch her before she hit the ground.

A flash of movement from beyond Ani caught my eye, and I glanced over to see Jonah approaching, confusion on his face. I inclined my head to Jonah, and Ani nodded. She swam toward Jonah, putting a hand on his arm as she led him toward where we were floating in front of Mom and Dad's suite.

When Mom spoke, her voice shook. "H-how? I-I don't understand—" She broke off, shaking her head.

Carla blinked rapidly, trying to quell the tears forming in her eyes. "Noah was going to kill me, but everyone had been so distracted by Ella that I was able to slip away without him noticing. For years, I hid in an abandoned house, scavenging for food and surviving with nothing but the dress and cloak on my back."

She let out a sob, the tears in her eyes quickly spilling down her cheeks. "I wanted to find Drew, but when I heard you and David had adopted him and Faye, I couldn't bear to separate him from the only family he knew. It was agonizing to stay away for all those years, but... Fearing Noah would kill me for good if I came looking was the incentive I needed to stay away.

"I couldn't be more grateful that you two took Drew and Faye in and loved them like your own. You gave them the stability I never could, and I will be forever grateful for that." Carla's voice broke on the last word, and she covered her face with her hands as she wept.

Dad swam towards Carla, his eyes shining with tears. He wrapped her in his arms, muffling her sobs. It was only when Jonah reappeared and spoke that they broke apart. "Hello. My name is Jonah Maxwell. I..." He swallowed hard, his throat bobbing. "Was Faye's husband."

When Carla noticed the ring hanging on a chain around his neck—nearly identical to the one on his finger—she smiled through her tears. "All I ever wanted was for Drew and Faye to be happy. From what I've learned, Faye appeared to be very happy. I can see how much you loved her—and still do."

She swam to Jonah, wrapping her arms around him. He stiffened and then relaxed, leaning into the hug. "Thank you for being such a loving and kind husband to my daughter." Her words were hushed, barely more than a whisper. But it was clear from the tears that gleamed in Jonah's eyes as he pulled away that he heard her.

He swallowed hard and then nodded. "Your daughter..." he trailed off, stiffening again as he shot Mom and Dad an apologetic glance. They waved him off, tears gleaming in their eyes. "Faye," he amended, "brought me out of a very dark place. The day I married her was the happiest day of my life. I treasured every day—every moment—with her. 

"I miss her every single day. I know that nothing I can say or do can ease the ache we're all feeling, but I wanted to introduce myself." His eyes gleamed with tears as he swallowed hard.

I was still pinching myself that Carla was even here. It was chilling when I realized that Naia and Brandon were unaware of her reappearance. "We should—" The hair on the back of my neck suddenly stood up, cutting off my words. I didn't see or hear anything, but my instincts told me it was far deadlier than a crossbow and could cause catastrophic damage.

Dad's head snapped up a heartbeat before I opened my mouth. "Get out of here! It's a—"

The next few moments happened in slow motion. I abruptly stopped speaking when something bright crashed into a nearby window, sending burning shards everywhere. Unfortunately, I was closest to the window, which meant most of the shards hit me. I grunted as the impact threw me backward into the wall.

My head hit the stone with a loud crack, and I saw stars as I slumped to the ground. The torch hit the ground by the wall, shattering the glass. The lava hissed as it bubbled onto the broken pieces of stone.

I struggled to catch my breath as my head spun. Only when tearing pain ripped through my shoulder did I move, arching my back as I cried out. I winced as a sharp ringing began in my ears. My vision was blurry, but after a few blinks, it cleared enough to survey the damage around me.

Mom and Dad were lying against the wall across from me, eyes closed, both unnervingly still. Carla was bracing a hand against the wall, panting hard. I exhaled as Jonah sat up, rubbing his head after being thrown down the hall. When I heard his voice, far away and faint, I had to swallow hard to push down the sob rising inside me. "Drew?"

I blinked hard, struggling to focus. When I heard Carla's broken and tiny voice, my heart jolted. "Drew?" She swam unsteadily toward me, and I winced when I saw the small cut above her eyebrow, bleeding freely. I shook my head, regretting the movement as it spun again.

I pointed with a trembling finger to where Mom and Dad lay motionless against the wall. Neither had moved for quite some time and as I focused, I could see various cuts oozing blood on both their faces from shards of glass. Carla wanted to stay with me, but I was more concerned about Mom and Dad.

"Please." My voice broke, and I heaved a breath to steady it. Nausea washed over me, and I swallowed hard as I closed my eyes. Carla finally relented and swam over to Mom and Dad.

I opened my eyes again when I felt someone shaking my shoulder. "Drew." Jonah was beside me, his face blurry. Blinking hard, I forced myself to focus. His voice was ragged, and I could feel the exhaustion and pain radiating from him. "We..." He trailed off, taking a deep breath. "We need to get to the infirmary. Your parents could have concussions. We're lucky that Ani ducked into a room—"

I cut him off, my heart in my throat. "Ani? Where is she? Is she okay?" My voice rose with every word, and I knew I was on the verge of hysteria. Nothing else mattered if Ani was hurt. Jonah blinked, reading the urgency in my gaze.

"I'll find her, Drew. Don't worry. But you... you need to get to the infirmary. Take your parents and Carla with you. I'll bring Ani as soon as I can." He let out a ragged breath, squeezing his eyes shut.

I flinched as a sharp pain surged through my skull, raising a trembling hand to feel the back of my head. I winced when my fingers came back dotted with blood. Summoning my depleted strength, I slowly pushed off the wall, wobbling as I got off the ground.

Lights flashed behind my eyes as I swam, blinking against the spots that swam in my vision. When I got closer, I noticed with no shortage of relief that Mom and Dad had both opened their eyes. "We need to get to the infirmary. Jonah..." I trailed off as a wave of dizziness washed over me. I sucked in a breath before continuing. "Jonah's gone after Ani. He said he'll bring her as soon as he can."

I was panting heavily; somewhere in the aftermath of the explosion, my shoulder had started aching again. Carla nodded, looking over at Mom. "I'll get Bella." I focused on Dad, so I didn't have to see Mom wince and cry out as Carla tried to lift her off the ground.

I didn't waste a second as I bent down in front of him, careful because his gaze was still muddled. Gently touching his shoulder, I held my breath. "Dad? It's Drew. Can you hear me?"

His lips moved, but I couldn't hear him. I leaned closer and could barely make out the words. They were low and barely audible. "Bella. W-where..." He trailed off, wincing as he leaned forward, hissing a breath through clenched teeth.

I shook my head, regretting the movement yet again as my head spun. "Carla's got her. Come on. We need to get to the infirmary." Even as the words left my mouth, I dreaded the journey. We were all injured, and I had no idea how the rest of the palace fared after the attack.

I sucked in a breath as I wrapped Dad's arm around my shoulder, hissing out a breath as my shoulder barked in pain. The swim to the infirmary simultaneously seemed to last an eternity and a heartbeat. When the entrance loomed ahead of us, I breathed a sigh of relief that bordered on a sob. My voice was barely more than a whisper as I tried to speak. "H-Help."

I had no idea how my voice was audible to anyone inside, but by some miracle, Dr. Murphy was just inside the front doors. She turned toward the sound, eyes widening in horror as her mouth opened. "Drew! Oh, my gods! What happened?"

The pain had increased until it felt like some lava from the torch had found its way onto my shoulder. I couldn't speak, so I merely shot Dr. Murphy a pleading glance. Even though I trusted her with my life, the last thing I wanted was for her to get caught up in this.

My eyes kept closing, but I heard Dr. Murphy gasp, and suddenly, her voice was very close. I cracked my eyes open. "Drew, listen to me. I need you to stay awake. Can you do that?" Another doctor swam up and carefully slung Dad's arm around his shoulder, leading him deeper into the infirmary.

When I heard Ani's voice, I struggled against the urge to rush over and wrap her in my arms. "Drew? Are you okay?" Her voice broke with a sob, and I had to suck in a breath to prevent one from slipping past my lips.

Jonah was suddenly beside me, his voice low and rushed. "I'll keep an eye out in case Naia or Brandon decides to show up uninvited." However, as the last word left his mouth, I saw him falter.

Ani swam towards me, her teary eyes full of worry and fear. "Hang on, my love. Just hang on." Her hand found mine, and she squeezed hard.

My head was spinning again, and I was teetering on the edge of consciousness. I heard Dr. Murphy speaking to Ani quietly but couldn't make out the words. Dread had taken root in my gut, a persistent ache I couldn't shake. How were we ever going to come back from this? Would we ever recover?

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