She knew where Brian was because of his light. He’d wanted her to stay near him, concerned that she might be disoriented in the dark. But she had assured him she was fine, and he had grudgingly allowed her her freedom. At first they had swum in the combined glow of their lights, but little by little Caddie had moved away from him, until now a dark expanse of twenty or so feet separated them.

The water was shallow—less than twenty feet—and she knew in which direction the shore lay. This freed her to enjoy her dive. Yet despite the thrill she felt from being there, and from her encounter with the little octopus, she was dissatisfied. This she blamed on her father. He had ruined things. Again.

She blamed Hudson too, of course. Her father wouldn’t be behaving the way he was if it wasn’t for Hudson. But it was her father who was most at fault, due first to his failure to recognize his own feelings and, now, because he was shutting her out in favor of self-pity. She had said nothing to him about her suspicions; with Hudson gone, she’d thought things would return to normal. Well, she thought, whatever passed for normal when it came to her and her father.

By now, she imagined, he knew. Hudson had been on his way to talk to her father, and why would he do that unless it was to tell him that his daughter thought he might be gay? She wondered how he’d reacted. She supposed one of two things had happened. Either her father had admitted that he had feelings for Hudson or he had denied everything. Whatever his reaction, she would be the one he blamed. Certainly it wouldn’t be Hudson. Even if he couldn’t face what he felt for Hudson, she knew enough about men to know that he would spare the person he cared for most. And that person wasn’t her.

Goddamn him, she thought. Why hadn’t Hudson just left them alone? She didn’t think he loved her father. If he had, he would have seen for himself that her father had fallen for him. But she’d had to point it out to him, and he’d seemed genuinely shocked to hear the news. Most queens, she thought, would have taken the opportunity to bask in such a conquest.

Unless he’s as clueless as my father is, she thought. As if that was possible.

In the middle of this thought, her light went out. There was no dimming of the brightness, no warning—it simply died. It was as if the moon had fallen into the sea. She was floating in complete blackness.