When Lucinda got there, Em was holding a giant basket of seashells. Then she went on to describe each and every one of the shells in details. Em's mom was impressed by how many shells her daughter had collected. This part of the beach was inhabited by a lot of sea creatures so you could find all sorts of fossils and seashells on the shore. Mom looked in the bucket that Em had put the shells she collected. The first thing she noticed was that the shells were very thick. Em had a huge collection of shells at home. She had so many that she reserved a whole cabinet for them. Now her mum understood while they lasted so long, Em had collected on the thick shells, wanting to keep them forever. The shells were absolutely gorgeous, there were shells of blush pink, deep violet, sky blue and there was even a ruby red shell. Suddenly, she heard a cry of satisfaction. She ran over and saw Em holding the most beautiful shell she had ever seen. It was a creamy pinkish orange, but it was translucent like a pearl, having soft rainbow colors reflected off it's smooth, shiny surface. Em held it up like a treasure and to her, it was. Her mum suggested washing off the sand inside the shell and Em took off towards the water, craddling the shell in her hands. After a few moments, Em hurriedly ran back to her mum, a look of confusion on her face.
"What is it, sweetie?" Mum asked as Em came running back, holding the shell.
Em's face was pale as she showed her mother the shell. Mum gasped. The shell had writing etched into it, slowly apearing.
"Hello, child of a guardian. You have been chosen to see the great sea spirit. I will expect you at dawn the next day. You will meet me at the Great Barrier Reef. I will be await for you.
I hope you have a safe trip,
The sea spirit,
Tempest.
"But… but Dad isn't a what... and… you aren't either right?" Em stammered, her face turned ghostly white.
"Look sweetie, I think we need to have a talk."