They know. The seriousness of his voice confirms my suspicion. “Be right there,” I say, trying to sound as calm as possible, but my heart is pounding, my chest tight.

On the way down, I do my best to breathe deeply and calm my shaking hands. Okay, Mason. Worst case, they send me away. In many ways that’s actually the best case, because it gets me out of this weird scenario with Emma, but now I have the mermaid to think of. I can’t leave before I figure out who she is, and I most definitely can’t leave without my notebook.

By the time I reach the landing, I know exactly how it’s going to play out. They’re going to tell me I’ve broken the rules and then they’ll be monitoring my every move. Yes, I snuck out, but it wasn’t for anything bad. I was stargazing. No one would have even known if it weren’t for the mermaid showing up.

The mermaid.

It all sounds completely crazy in my own head. How am I going to explain it to anyone else?

Downstairs, the kitchen is its usual disarray. Audrey is sitting in the middle of the table, surrounded by a bunch of markers, and Hazel and Zoe are coloring on the floor. Hazel jumps to her feet when she sees me. “Mason! Do you want to play games with us? We can play Uno or Candyland.”

Audrey tugs on the hem of my shirt, pointing to the quote I’d scrawled on in my room. “Um. You can write on your arm?”

I’m so anxious, I can barely process what she’s asking—if I’m caught, how will I figure out how to see the mermaid again? And I have to find her. I know I’m supposed to. It’s a certainty in my gut that I can’t really explain in any logical terms. A sign, yes. Fate? Serendipity? The stars aligning? All of the above?

“Hold on a minute, girls,” Emma says, walking into the room with a cup of coffee and the container of half-and-half, which she holds out to me. “Coffee?”

Wait. Is this sympathy coffee?

“Yeah. Thanks.” My stomach is still in knots, but I manage to take the mug from her and catch the carton of half-and-half she slides my way. The table is littered in all manner of kid clutter—drawings, sticky plates, three stuffed animals, and a pink sparkly shoe. The chaos is only adding to my distress. They must be seriously regretting adding me to the mix.

Simon walks in carrying a plate and quickly takes the seat next to Emma. “Good morning, Mason.” He glances at Emma, and she gives him a little nod. “Mason, I wanted to show you this.”