Faint chirps sang around me, drawing me out of sleep. My eyes cracked open. Pale yellow light streamed from the sky directly in my line of sight. I rolled over, the ground shifting underneath me. My face planted in a soft but coarse mound. Huh?

I opened my eyes to see sand. Sand! It had been so long since I'd been on dry land. I scanned my smooth arms, no longer wrinkled from water. Satisfaction swelled inside me. Finally, I was close to home. Warm air engulfed me like a cocoon. My head thudded down on the fluffy ground, my mind growing still.

"Why isn't she awake yet?" a voice whined.

"I don't know. Maybe because she's still sleeping?" another replied sarcastically.

"Kiara has experienced much trauma. She needs time to recover," a third said.

"For more than twelve hours?" the second said.

A shadow cast over me, blocking the sun's heated touch. My eyes focused on a blonde-haired girl hovering over me. I exhaled a heavy sigh. I had forgotten about the strangers I met, Nereids, I believe they called themselves. Everything was still a bit hazy due to a throb in my head, but I forced myself to think, to remember. They were going on about something regarding the mer-people, something about death. My death.

"She's awake!" Etyma squealed, jolting me from my reverie. "Kallais, she's awake! Ptolema, she's—"

"I get it," Ptolema grumbled.

"Come on!" Etyma said, unphased by Ptolema's irritation. She raced across the beach to where Ptolema and Melaina sat.

I hesitated. Could I really trust them? They took me from the mer-people, who had cared for me like I was their own. Surely they weren't that bad. But then again, the Nereids saved my life, too. They could have abandoned me to the sea monster. After all, I was the only one it grabbed hold of. Yet they risked their lives right in front of me.

I sighed. It was either them or the mer-people, and right now, the Nereids were my best chance of getting home. I stumbled after Etyma, half expecting her to turn around and seize my wrist since I was so slow. In a strange way, she reminded me of a younger version of Catilli.

Is there any way this is a dream? Perhaps my mind had transposed Catilli into an alternate reality while I slept. If that was the case, however, the dream was extremely long, the longest I'd ever had, as well as the most painful.

Pain stabbed my left leg with each step, making it wobble under my body's weight. That, combined with my headache, convinced me that this wasn't my imagination.

"Did you sleep well?" Kallais sang. She was a few paces away from the others, balanced on one leg with the other tucked behind her neck. Her face angled toward the sky, glowing with tranquility. If I were in that position, I'd be crying, not relaxed.

"I think so," I said.

A frown twitched on her forehead. "You think? Why don't you know?"

"I...don't know." I didn't know anything anymore.

"Do you at least feel better?" she asked.

"My head hurts, as does my leg. Otherwise, I think I'm okay." I sank into the sand beside Melaina. She gave me a tiny smile.

"We were so worried about you," Melaina said, her voice sweet and soprano.

"Especially when your air bubble broke," Ptolema added gruffly. She sat across from me, striking a dagger against a stone.

"It was pretty scary," I said. My mind played a flashback of water filling my lungs. I pushed it aside with a shudder. "Thank you for saving me."

Ptolema shrugged. "No problem."

"Y-you risked your life for me," I continued. Part of me wondered if Ptolema understood the gravity of the situation.

"I know." She held her knife up to the sun, then returned to sharpening it.

Melaina's hand squeezed mine. "We just wanted you to be safe."

I glanced around. We seemed to be on a tiny island, so tiny that through a thin line of palm trees at the top of the beach, I could see the opposite shore.

"Is that why you brought me here?" I asked.

"Yes, it's our island hideout," Melaina said.

"Who wants a coconut?" Etyma chirped. She plopped beside me, the shelled fruit in her palm.

My stomach grumbled. I hadn't eaten all day yesterday. And it was an eternity since I last ate fresh coconut. They were always so difficult to crack that my mom never bought them.

"Yes please," I said. "But how do you plan to open it?"

Ptolema smirked. "Leave it to me." She took the coconut from Etyma and set it in the sand beside her. With one swift motion, she punched the coconut. It split in half with a resounding crunch. Milk spilled onto the golden sand. My jaw went slack.

"How did you do that?" I marveled.

"Centuries of practice," Ptolema said with a shrug. "Here you go." Behind her disinterested facade, I noted a hint of pride. I didn't blame her. That was worthy of America's Got Talent.

I took one half of the coconut, but paused. Her words clicked in my brain. "Wait, centuries? How long have you been alive?"

"Probably since around 500 B.C."

The coconut nearly slipped from my fingers.

"It's no biggie," Ptolema said. She casually opened four more coconuts.

I lifted my own to my lips before any more surprises caused me to drop it in the sand. The lightly sweet liquid cooled my throat, somehow untouched by the hot air. It was the best coconut milk I'd ever tasted. The artificial store bought stuff didn't even compare. I gulped it down, then tore into the meat on the shell. I devoured it in a matter of minutes.

I glanced at them, eating much slower than I, and was struck by how young they looked. Sure, Ptolema and Melaina had to be older than me, but they didn't look more advanced than thirty.

"How do you stay so, uh, youthful?" I regretted my question the moment I spoke it. I hardly knew these people. It wasn't my place to ask such things.

"Because we are forevermore," Kallais said in her usual ariose tone.

Ask a weird question, get a weird answer.

Kallais changed her position, planting her head in the sand. She brought her legs in a pike above her head so that her upside-down body was completely straight. Her flowing pants fell into rings around her thighs. She stretched her legs into a split, left leg forward, right leg back, until both her feet rested on the sand.

What. The. Heck. How was she so flexible? I couldn't even do a normal split.

"We ate the fruit of an Uttri tree," Ptolema said, snapping me from my thoughts. "It ages us at a rate of one year per half-century."

I nodded, though what she spoke of didn't register.

Ptolema raised an eyebrow at me. "You don't know what an Uttri tree is, do you?" I shook my head. She smirked. "It's kind of complicated, but essentially, the rare Uttri fruit has the ability to slow down the body's natural aging processes. It also preserves our skin so that however we looked when we consumed the fruit is how we'll stay for the rest of our lives. Hence, our youthful appearance."

"We had to eat it on our birthday in order for it to work," Etyma piped up. "At the exact time of day we were born."

"That sounds...difficult," I said.

"But absolutely worth it." Kallais released her stretch to join us.

Silence filled the air as the others finished their meal. I didn't exactly know how to begin my questioning.

So, about those people who tried to kill me....Remember how you said the mer-people wanted to kill me? Are you sure people want me dead?

I sighed. All of those options were terrible.

My eyes drifted to the ocean, waves rising and knocking each other over. The crash of the water washed away my scattered thoughts. The urge to jump in gushed through me. But I suppressed it, even though it pained me, even though my heart revolted. I didn't want to be rude to the Nereids. Besides, I couldn't risk being swept away again or encounter another beast of the sea.

In the distance, I saw a flicker of blue and green. I leaned forward. The sight almost reminded me of scales. Was it a mer-person coming to get me?

Anxiety pulsed through me. Or was it another creature, even more sinister than the strange serpent?

A fish, at least the size of my torso, leapt into the air. I squinted against the glare of its ombre scales reflecting the sun's rays. It skimmed toward the beach. I wasn't sure if I should be terrified of it or not. The Nereids didn't bat an eye at the fish, intent on finishing their meal. Perhaps they didn't notice the zooming creature, or perhaps they did and were unconcerned. In case it was the latter, I decided not to say anything.

As the fish neared the beach, it sank under a large wave. The face of a man burst to the surface. I gasped. Wait, where's the fish? I looked the human up and down. He stood in soaked blue trousers and a green button-down shirt. It was awfully close to the scales of the fish. In fact, it was too close. Humans shouldn't be turning into fish and vice versa.

The human waded to the shore, shaking clumps of wet brown hair from his tanned face. I continued my search for the fish, but it seemed to have vanished from the sea.

"Pisces!" Etyma cried. "You're here!"

"Just finished my morning swim," the man said. He flashed a brilliant grin, one that reached his sea-green eyes.

Those eyes...they were so familiar. In fact, everything about him was familiar, from his hefty frame to his tanned skin. When his gaze settled on me, an image clicked in my head.

"Y-you're the merman," I stammered.

The man's face jolted with surprise. "I'm sorry?"

"From the party. You know, back in Oamer."

"Ah, yes." He settled between Ptolema and Melaina, sand pressing on the hem of his shirt. "I was waiting for an opportunity to get you away from the people of Oamer." He spoke in a calm, deep voice, every word exuding wisdom beyond his younger appearance.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I'm Pisces."

That's right, Etyma had called him that minutes ago. But a simple name didn't tell me who he was.

"I mean, what are you?" I flushed. That came out wrong. "I mean, you seem to be both a merman and a human..."

Amusement danced in Pisces' eyes. "I'm a constellation."

I blinked, unable to comprehend what that meant.

"I'm what is called a Star Guardian," he continued. "There are twelve, one for each of the zodiac constellations."

"You're...not human?" I said.

"It's a bit complicated. All you need to know is that my job is to protect you."

"Protect me? Like a Guardian Angel?"

Pisces laughed. "No, I serve all people equally. Whenever I hear of an issue at sea, such as a capsized ship or in your case, a captured human, I try to remedy the problem and rescue the people involved."

I felt like I was going crazy. I'd seen mermaids and mermen, hippocampi, and water nymphs, and now I was expected to believe that there were sentient guardian stars. Next thing I knew, Santa would visit our beach.

"Though we do get an intuitive sense when one of our own is in danger," he continued.

I considered what that could mean for a moment, but decided against asking about it. There were more pressing matters at hand.

"So...the mermaids and mermen..." I didn't know how to continue. Fortunately, Pisces seemed to have more answers than my jumbled questions.

"More than a millennium ago, the Oamarens discovered that when a mer-person marries a human, he or she becomes a shapeshifter, able to go between a human and merman or mermaid state. Ever since, they've sought out humans to transform their own. That's why Lira dragged you under. Likely, you ventured too close to their territory, and she welcomed the opportunity to kidnap a human."

"Why hasn't someone stopped them?"

Pisces let out a hefty sigh. "Unfortunately, there're many intricacies regarding intergalactic law. In fact, there are some cases in which we can't save the captive. But we do our very best, or at least, the Nereids and I do."

I nodded, though there was so much more I wanted to know. For starters, why was I so inclined to believe Pisces, despite the fact that we just met?

"How...how do I know if I can trust you?" I said. My gaze met Pisces,' his eyes sincere and glittering. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be rude. I just feel so lost and confused."

"I don't blame you. It's good to be cautious." He stood in the sand and offered me a hand up. I took it gratefully. It lessened the pressure on my bad leg. "Come with me."

I followed him down the sloping beach to the sea's edge. Cool water lapped against my toes, the only familiarity in this bizarre situation. Pisces crouched down, cupping his hands. A wave splashed over them, and he threw the water upward. A giant bubble formed in the air. It glided down to the wet sand beside me. I squinted at the dim image of a girl, her body half buried by sand. Only a few clumps of black hair remained on her scalp, and her pale skin was wrinkled. But worst of all were her dark brown eyes, staring into a void.

The dead girl's face shifted in my mind's eye. I saw the lively girl on TV in Lani's apartment. Her name was...Shaila.

Shaila.

I gasped. That's what Catilli called me during the Ending Soiree. They took her before me.

And she didn't make it out alive.

I didn't move—couldn't move. I just stared at the dead girl, numb with shock. That could have been me.

A wave surged forward. The bubble burst, just like my world had. Everything made sense now. The whirlwind of activities, the expensive purchases, the delays—they were grooming me to accept Nitov's proposal. Nausea churned in my stomach. How had I actually considered marrying him?

"Am I that naïve?" I whispered. A hand rested on my shoulder.

"We all make mistakes," Pisces said.

Tears bloomed in my eyes. "I-I actually considered accepting."

"I imagine you would."

I faced Pisces. "What do you mean?"

"You were under the influence of water charms. They manipulate human emotions to infatuate you. Before you know it, you're sucked into a marriage with no way out." Pisces peered down at me, compassion in his gaze. "You might have trusted the wrong people in the past, but what matters is that we learn from our mistakes, which I believe you already have."

"Really?"

"Of course. After all, you were more cautious in trusting us, am I right?" I nodded, heat warming my cheeks. Pisces smiled. "There's nothing wrong with that. Trust must be earned, and that takes much longer than a day. Though I think we may garner it very soon."

"Oh?"

"We're sending you home."

Joy enlivened my face. "You'll do that for me?"

"Yes," Pisces chuckled. "You've been gone from your family for far too long."

"How long have I been gone?"

"Based on the news reports, four days."

"Only four? But Lira said I was knocked out a few days prior."

Pisces sighed. "She probably lied to you."

"But why would..." Realization dawned on me. She was trying to make my condition seem more dire than it really was.

Pisces' eyebrow twitched. "I think you know why."

Silence lingered between us. The sun beat down overhead, risen to its full height in the sky. Sweat pricked my skin. I could go for a swim to cool off, not just from the heat, but also from all that had transpired.

"Kiara!" I turned to see Etyma racing toward me. "Let's go swimming!"

"Now Etyma," Pisces began, "Kiara needs to rest up for her long journey home. She can't get too tired out from the ocean."

"It'd just be a few minutes," I said. "Please?"

"Pleeease?" Etyma mewled. She dropped to her knees, poking out her bottom lip.

Pisces grinned in spite of himself. "Fine."

"Yay!" Etyma dashed into the water. I trailed behind. Water sloshed against my ankles, then calves, then knees. I crouched in the waves, and the strain in my muscles gave way. For some reason, I'd missed the ocean, though I couldn't figure out why. I spent the last four days of my life underwater.

It was strange. All my life, I was drawn to the water, yet after four days in Oamer, I wanted to leave. And now, I once again missed the ocean.

Water doused my face. My head whipped to the side. Etyma giggled, trotting away.

Almost alone.

My lips tugged into a smile. I started after her, but the moment I stepped on my left leg, it collapsed. I fell, engulfed in water. A laugh bubbled in my chest. Waves splashed around me, nudging me to the shore. This was what I needed. I longed for the carefree ocean that washed away my fears.

Pisces loomed over me. His eyes danced like the sea.

"Alright, I'm afraid that's all for now," he said.

"What? But I just—"

"I know. But we need to preserve your energy." Once again, he helped me to my feet.

Pisces was wrong. The ocean didn't weaken me; it restored me. Already, my sore leg felt a little stronger. Excitement swelled within me. I was ready to leave right now for civilization. For Lani.

The feeling was short-lived. By the time we reached dry sand, the stiffness returned to my tingling leg. I collapsed onto the beach, sucking in air.

"Enjoy the daylight while you can," Pisces said, sitting next to me. "Once the sun sets, your journey begins."