When I opened my eyes again, familiar grey eyes were staring back at me. Uncle David. I immediately sat up, looking around frantically. "What's going on? Is Mom okay?" I asked, trying to focus my sleep-addled mind.

He put a hand on my arm, stopping me. "She's fine. Jay wanted me to wake you so you weren't late."

I shook my head, confused. "Late for what?"

He gently ushered me out of bed. "Your sign language class? Did you forget?"

My heart skipped a beat. With everything that had been going on with Mom, Dad, and Uncle Noah, I'd completely forgotten about the classes. How many weeks had I missed? Two? Three?

"Are the parents mad that there haven't been classes?" I called as I swam into my closet, pulling on a purple-and-grey shirt and a flowing dark-green skirt.

Wordlessly, he handed me a brush as I swam back into the bedroom. I accepted it gratefully, pulling my curls into a tight bun. "No," he responded. "By now, they must have heard a limited version of the truth. So they know just enough about what went on, but not enough to start asking questions."

I couldn't stop the rush of relief that flowed through me. The sun sparkled on the surface as I swam outside, enjoying the calmness of the current in the morning. All the mermaids and mermen I passed bowed and smiled. Occasionally, they would bend down and whisper to their kids, smiling as they gestured to me.

I smiled back, the warmth of their expressions filling me with happiness. Before I knew it, a familiar building with a large banner across it loomed before me. I swam inside, greeting the mermaids and mermen with a smile.

Aunt Bella smiled as she noticed me, finishing her conversation with a young merman before swimming over to me. She grabbed me in a hug, her grey eyes sparkling. "I'm so glad you're here. We have a lot of new arrivals and I'm in the market for another teacher."

My heart fluttered in my chest, even as I blushed shyly. "M-me? I mean, I'd be honored, but I'll never be as good as..." I trailed off, the words catching in my throat. Aunt Meri.

She squeezed my hand, a brief look of sadness appearing on her face. "You'll be great. Plus, it'll give me a chance to spend more time with you."

Before I could open my mouth to reply, a chorus of voices rose from the front of the room, young mermaids and mermen alike. "Come on, Miss Bella!" "Can we start now?"

Aunt Bella smiled at me before turning and swimming to the front. I followed her, nerves knotting my stomach, and halted beside her at the front of the class. When I saw those dark green eyes, that black hair, I had to fight back tears. The young merman turned to the mermaid beside him, whispering something before gesturing to me.

Drew and Faye. I bit back tears as I smiled at them. Faye's grey eyes widened, a large smile appearing on her face. She smiled at me, waving. I waved back, even as my smile wobbled.

"Good morning, class. Now, as some of you may have noticed, we have a special guest here with us today. This is Isadora, Queen Nerissa and King Jay's daughter," Aunt Bella said, smiling. I smiled shyly. "She's going to be assisting me with the class today."

A collective whisper moved through the class as they noticed me. "Let's get started," Aunt Bella said, raising her hands. I followed suit, surprised to see so many little hands do the same.

I was very impressed. She had a very organized curriculum, and the students seemed to respond well to it. The time flew by and before I knew it, we were nearing the end of the day. Before she dismissed the class, she turned to them, smiling. "Who wants to show Isadora what we've been practicing?"

The response was instantaneous. Hands went up all around the room. Her eyes roved over each of them before landing on a pretty young mermaid with long blonde hair and green eyes. "Olivia, why don't you come on up."

The mermaid rose from her desk and swam up to me, smiling as she bowed. I grinned at her. She glanced at Aunt Bella, who gave her a nod of encouragement. Looking around self-consciously, she raised her hands and began signing. I'd peeked at some of the lesson plans on her desk before class and noticed they had been studying the legacies of Merais and Antia.

I was mesmerised as I stared at her hands moving fluidly through the water. I think that's one thing most people don't realise about sign language. It's more than just a language—it's a way of storytelling. She lowered her hands as she finished, looking back up at me. I applauded, as did the others in the class.

The bell rang a heartbeat later. Olivia swam back to her seat as the rest of the students began gathering their things and preparing to leave. Aunt Bella swam up to me as the last of the students filed out. "I think that went very well. One or two of the students have a family member or friend who is deaf, but the majority were eager to sign up after hearing countless stories about your mother. She's pretty inspiring."

A hint of sadness creeped into her voice as she finished speaking. I nodded. "She is," I agreed.

She gathered the rest of her things and we swam out into the open water together. I waited until we had left the school behind before opening my mouth again. "I noticed Drew and Faye. Have they..." I trailed off, but she caught my meaning.

"They were the first to sign up. As you may know, your mother helped their mother during a difficult time for them, and she never forgot it. After she..." Here Aunt Bella paused, swallowing hard, "died, the kids came to live with your uncle and me."

As we were nearing the palace, she suddenly turned to me, questions in her gaze. "How's Nerissa feeling?"

A lump appeared in my throat. "Better. When Uncle David came to wake me up this morning, he told me that she was still sleeping. I'll check on her later."

As I said it, however, the vision I'd had yesterday surfaced in my head. Even though she'd slept soundly through the night, there was still the mystery of what I'd seen when I'd touched her shoulder.

Before we'd even neared the entrance to the palace, the front doors burst open. A mermaid sped to us, her pale skin ashen and dark-blue eyes wide. "What is it, Mom?" I asked, gripping her shoulders as she stopped in front of us.

She looked from me to Aunt Bella, her mouth opening and closing. The latter put a hand on Mom's shoulder, forcing her to meet her gaze. Mom took a steadying breath as she raised her hands. We just got word from Aquireth. Noah, Brandon, and Naia have barricaded the city, much like they did in Nepptheas. The citizens are trapped inside, forced to either surrender to them or forfeit their lives.

I drew in a sharp breath, my hands shaking at my sides. Claudia lived in Aquireth. We swam inside, where Dad and Uncle David were sitting at the kitchen table. They both had grim expressions on their faces as they looked up at us.

We stayed up late into the night, trying to figure out a way to safely free the citizens. When we finally went to bed, my head was spinning. As if we didn't have enough on our plates. If only I'd known what was going to happen next.

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