(Unsurprisingly), Wyatt haunts my nightmares that night. I hoped that I would be too exhausted for them to pentrate my mind, but I'm sadly disappointed. It's an out-of-body experience—I watch from a distance as the day I'd gotten the note replayed in front of me.

I see myself and Waverly say goodbye to Leith, then I pick up the note. A flash of black hair catches my eye and I gasp, clapping a hand over my mouth before realizing no one can hear me. Wyatt. He was there that day. But why?

I watch in silent shock as he monitored me, noting when I exit the resturant and swim away. He turns away after that, but not before I can glimpse the quiet glee and triumph in his eyes. I shudder, dread flowing through me. Was that the first time he'd been waiting for me? Or had he just been biding his time, waiting for the right moment?

I opened my eyes a few seconds later, taking a few deep breaths to steady myself. I felt shaky, like I'd just swum hard and fast. I repeated the motion over and over until I felt calm enough to get out of bed.

Drew's side of the bed was cold, so he must have been up hours before me. Before I'd even completed the thought, my eyes widened and I bolted from the bed, rushing into the bathing room. School! I'd totally overslept.

I got dressed in seconds flat, swimming like mad downstairs and out the front doors. "Bye, Mom! Bye Dad!" I didn't hear their replies as I swam, my breaths fast and heavy.

I managed to reach the school just as Ms. Jessica was closing the front doors. I couldn't meet her eyes, though I could feel the concern and worry all but radiating off her. The rest of the day passed in a blur. I sleepwalked through my classes, unable to get the nightmare out of my head.

It was only when we'd left the school, exhaustion and fatigue dragging me down, that Waverly spoke. Her voice jolted me out of my thoughts, bringing me back to the present. "Are you okay? You've barely said two words today."

All of my remaining energy was going into swimming, but I glanced at her, hoping my eyes conveyed what I couldn't say. She searched my face, nodding. When we finally got back to her house, I mumbled a hello to Mrs. Marshal, barely able to see through the tears flowing from my eyes. Just as it had been earlier with Ms. Jessica, I could feel her eyes on me, but she didn't say a word.

I was full-on sobbing by the time we got to her room. Everything—the nightmare, the note, Wyatt—hit me head-on. Waverly caught me as I started to fall, holding me tightly. The tears were coming faster than I could breathe. After a few minutes, during which I gasped for water as I cried, they finally subsided enough for me to speak.

"He... he was there that day," I said, chest hitching as I struggled to breathe. "Wyatt saw us—was watching us, and we didn't even notice. Who knows how long he's been watching me? And yesterday... when... when he—" The rest of my words were drowned in a torrent of tears.

Waverly's eyes never left my face, concern and worry shining in them. "When he what, Faye?"

My voice broke as I breathed the words, horror and shock lacing them. "He was in the palace two nights ago. I don't know how he got in—I didn't have a chance to see if there were signs of a struggle. A hand clamped down on my mouth as my eyes flew open and I choked on a scream. He grinned at me, then held a finger to his lips as he yanked me out of bed, pointing to the bathing room. 'Get dressed, quietly,' he'd said, voice lowered, 'then meet me at the back entrance. If you so much as call out, I'll be forced to take more... drastic measures.'"

Her eyes were wide with horror and shock, her mouth open slightly. She gripped my hand, squeezing as I took a breath and continued. "After I'd gotten dressed, I left my suite, hands trembling so violently I almost couldn't shut the door. Everyone else was still asleep, so the palace was silent. When I passed my parents' and Drew's suites, I bit down on a sob so hard I tasted blood.

"Wyatt was waiting for me when I got to the back entrance, impatience in his eyes. 'Come on,' he whispered as he silently opened the door. I tried glancing at the surface as we swam outside to gauge the time, but I only saw blackness."

My hands shook, tears welling in my eyes and spilling down my cheeks. "We swam for what felt like hours, finally stopping in a swath of seafloor leagues away from the palace. I looked around, confused. He grinned again at my confused look. 'Now we can begin,' he said. All the color drained from my face; the water from my lungs a heartbeat later. He wanted me to sing. But even as I opened my mouth to refuse, visions of my nightmare floated through my mind.

"'If I do this,' I'd said quietly but not weakly, 'you'll leave my family alone?'"

I clenched my hands into fists as the words left my mouth. "Mock pity had appeared in his eyes, on his face as he nodded. 'Of course, Faye. I keep my promises.'"

A broken sob slipped free from my lips and I almost faltered. Just as I had done before, I dug my nails into my palms, the pain steadying me. "Before I even opened my mouth, I conjured images of my family in my mind, clinging to them with all that I had. I would do anything to keep my family safe—even if it meant putting myelf at risk. I never paused in my singing, however. Even as my voice broke, as silent tears streamed down my cheeks."

Only when a voice filled my ears—far-away, but urgent—did I falter. It was Drew. I opened my mouth to shout back, but froze as Wyatt suddenly appeared in front of me, gripping my sleeve. He locked eyes with me, the threat in his own clear as glass." Here I had to steady myself, taking several shaky breaths.

"If I breathed a word of what we'd done to anyone—even my family—he would make sure I suffered. I quickly opened my mouth and shouted back to Drew. I glimpsed a flash of black hair, then I was speeding towards him. He welcomed me into his arms, clinging to me, a hand stroking my hair. He'd been terrified when he'd woken up and couldn't find me."

It was only when the words had left his mouth that I realized Wyatt had disappeared. Drew asked me if I was okay, if I was hurt. I quickly assured him that I wasn't, a wave of exhaustion crashing over me as I did so. I moaned and he slung his arm around my shoulder as we swam home."

Tears appeared in Waverly's eyes as she lifted a shaking hand to her mouth. My own filled my eyes seconds later, spilling down my cheeks. "After dinner, which was near-silent, I was leaving the dining hall when a flash of black and a sinister grin out the window caught my eye. The scream came out of me before I could stop it. Mom and Dad were in front of me almost instantly, scanning me. They were frantic, and for a heartbeat, guilt shot through me. I hated scaring them, but I could have sworn I'd seen..." I trailed off, but the name was reflected in my gaze. Wyatt.

"I got as far as my suite before I faltered. I collapsed in tears. He's everywhere, Wav. I can't escape him, even if I wanted to. When I heard Drew's voice, it broke me. I opened the door to reveal worried eyes. I'd barely been able to say two words, my voice breaking as I'd collapsed into tears for what felt like the umpteenth time."

Waverly took a breath and let it out slowly as she processed my words. She was opening her mouth to respond when a knock suddenly sounded on my door. I threw her an apologetic glance as I swam backwards to the door. I opened it to reveal a mermaid and a merman, dressed in clothes of purple and grey with traces of black and red hidden throughout the fabric.

The mermaid grinned, her smile wider than I'd ever seen it. "Faye!" She squealed, opening her arms for a hug.

Despite the lingering heaviness inside me, the smile on my own face was genuine as I swam into her waiting arms. An (unexpected or expected) visit from Aunt Izzy and Uncle Kai always managed to put a smile on my face. "Aunt Izzy! What are you two doing here?" I glanced behind them, as if I'd see her parents flanking her.

She quickly shook her head, dismissing the concern clearly showing in my eyes. "Everything's fine, Faye. Kai and I were just missing you guys, that's all." Her own eyes filled with concern as she scanned my face, then Waverly's. "Are you okay? It's not Drew or your parents, is it?"

I didn't dare glance at my friend. If I did, I knew I'd completely unravel. Instead, I blinked back tears and swallowed hard as I responded. "No. Mom, Dad, and Drew are fine. Can you two stay for lunch? I know they'll be ecstatic to see you both."

Just as I'd predicted, the three of them were indeed ecstatic to see Aunt Izzy and Uncle Kai. I introduced them to Waverly, and they immediately fell into friendly conversation. When dinner rolled around, I ate in my suite alone, finally able to unleash the torrent of tears that had been building up inside me again all day. I fell asleep the minute my head hit the pillow, not even bothering to change my clothes.

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