"Hello, daughter."
My entire body went cold.
Nathaniel stood in the middle of my living room, water dripping from his clothes onto the floor.
But that wasn't what terrified me.
It was his eyes.
They were completely black.
"Dad?" The word escaped my lips before I could stop it.
Angela gasped.
"Don't call him that!"
Nathaniel slowly turned toward her.
"You still haven't told her everything."
Mom stepped backward.
"Stay away from my daughter."
He smiled.
"Your daughter?"
His laugh was quiet and frightening.
"You stole her from me."
"I saved her!"
"You killed me."
"It was an accident!"
"Was it?"
His eyes returned to me.
I couldn't move.
My mind was filled with questions.
"You're dead."
He smiled.
"So I was told."
Shawshank stepped in front of me.
"Don't come any closer."
Nathaniel looked at him.
"You're Azrael's son."
Shawshank's expression hardened.
"And you're Nathaniel."
"Yes."
"Then you shouldn't be here."
Nathaniel laughed.
"Neither should you."
Shawshank moved closer.
"What do you want?"
Nathaniel's eyes returned to me.
"Her."
"No," Shawshank said.
Nathaniel smiled.
"You sound exactly like your father."
"Don't compare me to him."
"You should be proud."
"I am not him."
Nathaniel's expression suddenly became serious.
"Neither am I the man your mother thinks I am."
I stared at him.
"What does that mean?"
Nathaniel looked at Angela.
"Tell her."
Mom shook her head.
"No."
"Tell her what happened that night."
"Stop!"
"You owe her the truth."
Angela began crying.
I stepped closer.
"What happened?"
Nathaniel looked at me.
"The night you were born, your mother didn't kill me."
I froze.
"What?"
"She thought she did."
Angela looked terrified.
"I saw you die."
"You saw my body fall."
Nathaniel's voice became low.
"But something beneath the sea brought me back."
I stared at him.
"What brought you back?"
"The same thing that awakened you."
My ankle suddenly began burning.
I looked down.
The golden mark was glowing.
Nathaniel smiled.
"There she is."
Shawshank grabbed my hand.
"Don't listen to him."
Nathaniel looked at him.
"You don't understand what she is."
"Then explain."
"She isn't simply human."
I felt my heart pounding.
"I know."
Nathaniel shook his head.
"No, Bjei. You don't."
He stepped closer.
"You are the daughter of the sea and the surface."
I swallowed.
"You've all told me that."
"Then you know nothing."
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black object.
My blue stone.
I gasped.
"Where did you get that?"
"Azrael gave it to me."
Shawshank immediately looked alarmed.
"My father?"
Nathaniel nodded.
"He wants her to have it."
"Why?"
"Because it contains a memory."
"What memory?"
Nathaniel looked directly at me.
"Your birth."
My heart stopped.
"You have a memory of the night I was born?"
"Yes."
"Show me."
"Bjei, no!" Angela shouted.
I ignored her.
Nathaniel held out the stone.
The moment my fingers touched it, the room disappeared.
I was standing somewhere else.
A storm was raging.
Rain battered the windows.
My mother was screaming.
My grandmother was holding a newborn baby.
Me.
Nathaniel stood nearby.
And beside him stood another man.
Azrael.
But he looked younger.
Human.
He was holding Angela's hand.
I stared in disbelief.
Then my grandmother said something.
"The prophecy has begun."
Azrael looked at the baby.
"She is mine."
Nathaniel stepped forward.
"No. She is Angela's daughter."
Azrael's expression changed.
"She carries my blood."
My grandmother shook her head.
"She carries something far more dangerous."
Suddenly, the baby began crying.
The sea outside rose violently.
The windows shattered.
A wave rushed into the room.
I saw my grandmother place a necklace around my tiny neck.
Then she whispered:
"When she turns eighteen, the gate will open."
I gasped.
The vision changed.
My grandmother handed me to Angela.
"Take her to the surface."
Angela cried.
"What about you?"
"I will stay."
Azrael stepped forward.
"No!"
My grandmother looked at him.
"You will never have her."
Then everything went dark.
I was thrown back into my body.
I collapsed.
Shawshank caught me.
"Bjei!"
I struggled to breathe.
"I saw it."
Angela was crying.
"You saw everything?"
"Not everything."
I looked at Nathaniel.
"You were there."
"Yes."
"And Azrael…"
"He was there too."
"Why did you lie to me?"
Nathaniel's expression softened.
"Because your mother begged me to."
I looked at Angela.
"Mom?"
She covered her face.
"I was afraid."
"Of what?"
"That if you remembered your birth, the sea would find you."
I looked at Nathaniel.
"Why did you come back?"
His smile disappeared.
"Because someone has been pretending to be me."
"What?"
"A man has been walking around the surface using my name."
My stomach tightened.
"Who?"
Nathaniel looked toward the broken window.
"The queen's servant."
Shawshank frowned.
"What does he want?"
Nathaniel looked at me.
"To make you believe that your father is dead."
"Which father?"
Nathaniel smiled sadly.
"That is exactly the question they want you to ask."
Suddenly, a loud knock came from the front door.
Everyone froze.
Three slow knocks.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Nathaniel's face changed.
"They found me."
"Who?" I whispered.
He looked directly into my eyes.
"The man who has been wearing my face."
The door slowly opened.
And standing outside was another Nathaniel.