Hailey had a bad feeling, which admittedly wasn't all that uncommon after her official Cano ceremony two months ago. Of course, when the only thing you could remember from the very thing you'd been waiting for your entire life was agonizing pain, bad feelings were a given. Though this particular bad feeling had her completely unwilling to get out of bed.

Are you going to sulk all day?

Hailey groaned at the sound of Rika's voice intruding into her thoughts.

"I'm not sulking," she said.

Oh, really? Then why are you still in bed? Can you honestly say it has nothing to do with your mother snubbing you last night?

Hailey groaned even louder and rolled over to face the wall. "I'm certainly not happy about that, but I'm sure I'm right, regardless of what she thinks."

Hailey.

"What?"

Do you want my opinion?

Hailey stared at the wall in silence for a few moments, resisting the urge to tell him that she only wanted his opinion if he was going to agree with her. Of course, he most likely already knew how she felt and was only asking for permission because he didn't agree with her, just so that she wouldn't be able to complain about him giving his opinion when it wasn't wanted.

She rubbed her left temple where she could feel a migraine beginning to form. "Just don't parrot my mom," she said.

Rika laughed softly. I believe your dream to simply be a nightmare.

Hailey snorted. "I thought I said not to parrot my mom? Can't you word it any differently?"

All right. I believe your dream stems from a fear, which is why it has continued to reoccur every night.

"But it seemed so real," Hailey murmured as images of water rose inside her head. She could vividly see the bubbles streaming around her face as she expelled her final breath.

Of course it did, Rika replied. Because it's a real fear. Your dream is your subconscious's way of expressing itself.

"Are you sure?"

Without a doubt. Your dream is surely not a vision of the future, just a simple subconscious expression of a very real fear.

Hailey rolled over onto her back. "I'm not scared of water, though."

She waited for Rika's response but he was quiet.

"Rika?"

When there was still no response, she sighed and sat up, the covers tumbling down around her waist and exposing her upper body to the room's frigid temperature. Why her mother insisted on the house always being so cold, Hailey would never understand, but like the rest of her family, she wouldn't question something so trivial.

She kicked the blankets off, climbed out of bed, got dressed, and made a half-hearted attempt to tame her wild hair by pulling it into a ponytail before making her way downstairs. Despite Rika's assurances to her dream not meaning anything, she still felt uneasy, like she was balancing on the edge of a cliff and one wrong movement would send her tumbling toward the ground.

"Morning, Hailey."

Hailey turned around to find her older sister Emberlee leaning against the wall by the front door. Her arms were crossed over her chest and she wore an expression of extreme annoyance.

"Morning," Hailey said hesitantly. She wasn't sure what Ember was doing, but she certainly seemed like she was up to something.

"Do you know what time it is?"

Hailey lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. "Time for you to stop acting like Mom and policing what time I choose to get up?"

Ember scoffed. "Oh, haha, very funny. Or maybe it's time for you to get your head screwed on straight and act more responsible. Didn't you make plans with Ian?"

Hailey winced. "Did he come looking for me?"

"Oh, only about half a dozen times."

Hailey groaned and rubbed at her aching temple before pulling out her phone to see that she had ten missed calls and several texts from Ian. He would probably never let her live this one down, especially now that she was Cano. The Cano were supposed to be better than those who hadn't gone through the ceremony, and not just physically but in attitude and appearance and basic demeanor.

But there was no reason to put this off any longer. She would just have to face him.

She moved toward the door, and Emberlee stepped to the side to block her path. Her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"I don't get it," she said.

Hailey paused, uncertain.

"Why you?" Ember continued. "Why were you chosen to be Cano? You don't deserve it."

She continued to glare at Hailey for a few moments before shrugging, her glower turning into a tight smile. She stepped past her sister and disappeared into the next room.

Hailey closed her eyes and counted slowly to five to steady her suddenly awry nerves. She'd known that there had been some discontent from her family members and some of the other families when her mother had chosen her to become the next Cano. It wasn't because she hadn't trained hard enough or that she didn't want it as much as anyone else, but because she was spurious and frivolous. Apparently, anyone who was even slightly irresponsible wasn't good enough to be Cano in anyone's eyes except her mother's. Even Rika seemed to think it had been a bad choice.

And Hailey knew that she would never be like Emberlee. Ember was meticulous and beautiful. Always neat and perfect, nothing ever out of place. She was fast and decisive. Strong and willful. Hailey was lacking in many of these things; she was and always would be inferior to her sister.

Ember should have become a Cano, not her, and everyone knew it.

She opened her eyes and shook her head slightly, willing the thoughts away before stepping outside.