"Bjei!"
My mother's scream echoed through the water.
I stood frozen.
Shawshank moved in front of me.
"Stay behind me."
I clutched the blue stone tightly.
"That's my mother."
"I know."
"I have to find her."
"You can't go out there."
"Why?"
"Because whoever is outside wants you to."
I looked toward the window.
The shadow was gone.
Only the endless blue darkness remained.
Then the house shook again.
I grabbed Shawshank's arm.
"What was that?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he looked at the blue stone in my hand.
"Give it to me."
"No."
"Bjei."
"You said you wanted to protect me. Then tell me what this is."
His eyes remained fixed on the stone.
"It belonged to your grandmother."
I stared at it.
"How do you know?"
"Because I've seen it before."
"Where?"
"In the palace."
My fingers tightened around it.
"Why would my grandmother leave it for me?"
"Because she knew you would eventually come here."
I shook my head.
"She couldn't have known."
"She did."
"How?"
Shawshank took a breath.
"Your grandmother could see things before they happened."
I stared at him.
"You mean she knew I would meet you?"
He looked into my eyes.
"Yes."
A strange warmth moved through me.
"Did she know I'd fall in love with you?"
Shawshank became silent.
My face became warm.
"I didn't say that."
"But you were thinking it."
He smiled slightly.
"Maybe."
For a moment, everything around us disappeared.
The danger.
The secrets.
The fear.
There was only the two of us.
Then the blue stone suddenly burned against my palm.
I cried out.
Shawshank grabbed my hand.
The stone released a bright flash.
And a voice filled the room.
My grandmother's voice.
"Bjei, if you're hearing this, then you've already met Shawshank."
I looked at him.
He stared back at me.
The voice continued.
"I don't know whether you can trust him."
Shawshank lowered his eyes.
I listened carefully.
"But I know one thing. He is not the danger you should fear."
The message paused.
Then my grandmother whispered:
"The danger comes from the person who brought you into this world."
My heart stopped.
My mother?
The mysterious man?
Who?
I looked at Shawshank.
"What does she mean?"
"I don't know."
The stone glowed again.
Another message appeared.
"Bjei, your mother loves you."
Tears filled my eyes.
"But she has been protecting a secret that could destroy both worlds."
I covered my mouth.
Both worlds?
The land and the sea?
The message continued.
"Do not hate Angela for her silence. She was forced to choose between losing you and losing everything."
The light faded.
The room became silent.
I wiped my tears.
"My mother knew."
"Yes."
"She knew about the sea."
"Yes."
"She knew about my grandmother."
"Yes."
"And she knew about Shawshank."
Shawshank nodded.
I looked at him.
"Why would she tell you to stay away from me?"
He hesitated.
"Because your mother believed that loving me would put you in danger."
My heart tightened.
"Is that true?"
"Yes."
I looked away.
I didn't know what scared me more—the danger or the fact that I was beginning to care about him.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
Three slow knocks.
Shawshank's expression changed.
"Stay here."
He moved toward the entrance.
"Who is it?"
No answer.
He opened the door slightly.
A young mermaid stood outside.
She was breathing heavily.
"Shawshank…"
"What happened?"
"The queen knows."
His face hardened.
"Knows what?"
"That Bjei has the stone."
I stepped forward.
"What happens now?"
The mermaid looked at me.
Fear filled her eyes.
"She is coming for you."
Shawshank shut the door.
"How long?"
"Not long."
He turned toward me.
"We have to leave."
"Where?"
"There is a place the queen cannot enter."
"Where?"
He walked toward a hidden panel in the wall.
"Your grandmother's sanctuary."
The panel opened.
A narrow passage appeared.
I stared into the darkness.
"Did my grandmother build it?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
Shawshank looked at me.
"To hide something."
"What?"
He smiled sadly.
"The truth."
I stepped into the passage.
Shawshank followed.
Behind us, the house began shaking violently.
The queen had arrived.
As we disappeared into the darkness, I heard a voice outside.
Cold.
Powerful.
Furious.
"Bjei! You cannot hide from me forever!"
I looked at Shawshank.
He squeezed my hand.
"We have ten chapters to survive."
I frowned.
"What?"
He smiled.
"I said we have a long way to go."
We continued into the darkness.
And neither of us noticed the figure watching us from the far end of the tunnel.
A figure wearing the same necklace as mine.