Relief courses through me when I see Mia alive and unhurt.

But remorse weighs heavily on my chest. I remember the day when she ran out of the Black Rose Bar. At that point in time, I lied about her father's death to protect her innocence, saying that he got lost. Because of my words, Mia believed me and ran out in search of him, not knowing that she would never find him. At least not alive.

That was the last time I saw her until now.

The poor girl huddles like one of those armadillos, trembling in fear and anxiety. Whatever she had experienced for the past couple of days outside must have traumatized her badly.

Turning around, I crouch down and place my hands on her small shoulders. "Mia? It's me, Delia. Remember me?"

Ever so slowly, she plucks her courage and cranes her neck to look up at me. Relief flickers in her huge, terrified eyes. "Delia?"

"Hi." I shoot her a warm, comforting smile and take her hands, which are slightly cold to the touch. How long did she stay here? I've so many questions that I want to ask her, but I don't wish to stress her anymore than she can handle.

"What's wrong? What happened here? Why are you alone?"

Her eyes water, her bottom lip quivering. "I-I...don't know. They told me to hide, and I did."

A shudder runs through her and she finally crawls out of the wardrobe, only to jump onto me for a tight hug. Grabbing fistfuls of my clothes in her tiny hands. Poor girl.

Behind us, Zarius and Maddie are confused, but I let them know that I've got this. "I know this girl. We sheltered together when the creatures first came."

Turning back, I rub Mia's back gently. "You don't have to be afraid now. The monsters aren't around and you have three of us who will protect you. Who were you with for the past couple of days?"

"Your mommy," she answers and I feel myself going immediately still. My heart almost trips in my chest before my blood pounds hard in my ears.

Did I just hear her right?

"Mom?" I squeak between anxiety and excitement. The feeling is almost unreal. So Mom found Mia after all. I've been waiting to hear news about her all week and she's closer to me now. And of course. With our phones not working, Mom would have returned to our home to take shelter. Maybe even hoping that we would reunite right here. Why did I not think of it earlier?!

Mia carries on talking. "And there was a man that we ran into too. He's really tall and friendly. And funny."

It struck all of us with confusion. "A man?" I repeat. "Where are they right now?"

Mia presses her face between the crook of my neck and shoulder, and I feel her shudder. "I don't know." Her voice breaks mid-sentence, sounding as if she's going to cry. "The bad guys took them away."

"Bad guys? You mean those monsters?"

"No. The monsters came during the night, and then they came. I heard the gunshots, and then Roxie told me to hide here." She pauses briefly and chews on her bottom lip. "So I waited and peeked through the gap in the wardrobe. There was a man who walked past me. He was wearing a soldier's uniform. I know it because I saw it once on TV."

Her words feel like they have sucked the air out of my lungs. The military came here? To my house? If they had come, why did they leave Mia behind?

Whatever that she's thinking of, she visibly flinches at the memory. "But I didn't want to go out. The soldier...he sounded mean. He dragged your mommy away while the rest hurt the nice man. I was so scared that I kept quiet."

Hurt them?

My blood runs cold and I exchange a stiff, worried glance with Maddie and Zarius. There's something awfully strange about the story. Why would the military attack civilians when they are supposed to be saving us? How long have they been here?

If they hurt Mom, I'm going to kill them.

My cousin kneels beside us and gives Mia a warm smile. "Hello, Mia. I'm Delia's cousin, Maddie. And this guy right here is a friend of ours—Zarius. Are you hurt? Can I look at you?"

I extract Mia away from me slowly to let Maddie take a proper look at her, but she grips onto my sleeve. Her hopeful eyes watch me expectantly.

"Did you come with my mommy?"

Oh no. Clara had chased after Mia during the storm and if the girl hadn't seen her mother at all, where did Clara really go? All I can think of is the worst probable outcome—dead.

"No. I'm so sorry, Mia."

By now, Mia's tears have spilled down her cheeks. "Does this mean she got taken away by those monsters? Daddy too? They have been gone for far too long. I miss them."

I can't answer. I'm at a loss. This time, I can't even pretend that everything's alright. Because it's not. I miss Mom too.

Patting her back, Maddie decides our next step. "We should go. If what Mia said is true, it means we aren't safe here, isn't it?"

We all nod in agreement, but there's something else that I want to do before I leave. As the rest shuffles out of the room, I grab my bag and stuff my own clothes into them. I swap out my now worn-out shoes to my favorite sneakers. Knowing that I'm going to ruin them anyway makes me feel a teeny weeny sad.

Zarius casually leans against my bedroom door, scanning every inch of my room. It feels weird to have him here, and it's not exactly looking in the best state, especially since they have turned my room into a mess. There is a dent in the middle of my tablet, which is resting like a dead corpse on my study table. My torn curtains are falling off the broken rod. Dirt and dust cling to my rumpled bed.

I pick up a photograph of me and Mom. I was pretty young then, probably around eight, and it was my first time at Disneyland.

Mom has been abducted, and I need to find her. Fast.

I shove the photograph into my bag as a keepsake and heave it over my shoulders. Zarius follows me as I move into Mom's bedroom, heading towards the safe storage on the wall beside her glass cabinet of branded bags.

"Human soldiers," he starts, "I dislike the idea of them running around. Never like their ships scouring our oceans, much less what they carry in their hands."

"You've seen a navy ship?"

"Countless times, but we always avoid them."

I hit a password and unlock the safe door, pulling out all the firearms that Mom had kept in there. I wave an unloaded gun at Zarius. "And you know about these too?"

He gives me a steely smile. "A long time ago, when I was very young, I ran into treasure hunters a couple of times. They would fire at us with pellets. Quick and deadly, but of course, we were faster. They tried to steal from the islands in our territories, but ended up falling to their demise."

A thought crosses my mind. "If they shoot at you, could you die from a gunshot wound?"

He pauses for a brief second. "Merfolks are great at healing," he answers slowly, "but we're not impenetrable. We age and we die. Most from natural causes, but sometimes, some get killed."

I picture people finding out about Zarius and all I can think about is how they would freak out and treat him like a monster. I don't want him to be hurt. "So I guess it's best if you don't run into the soldiers."

Zarius studies me intently with a questionable frown. "Whatever that you're planning, Delia, don't leave me out of it. We'll save your mother together."

I give him a bitter smile. "I know, and sorry—I always seem to need your help. Your merfolk senses are way off the charts."

"You do not have to be reserved around me."

Humored, he holds out a hand towards me and I take it, letting him pull me to my feet. In the kitchen, Maddie feeds Mia some cereal in a bowl that's mixed with a packaged banana milk.

Mia smiles at me. "Sorry that I ate your Froot Loops. It was yummy, though."

It is hard not to smile at those words. I grab myself a chair and join them at the dining table. "You can have them all. We can even drop by the supermarket and grab more of them, including some inhalers. Did your asthma act up again?"

She shakes her head. "The friendly man helped me with it. He fixed my lungs. And he showed me how to play with water. He even made me animal bubbles that float in the air."

Zarius and I both freeze, exchanging a look of disbelief. "Youngling." He steps forward and kneels on one knee until he's at her eye level. His tone is gentle and curious. "Can you describe to me what this man looks like?"

She blinks once in surprise at his sudden question. "Tall. Blond hair. With blue eyes," she says before pointing at me. "He looks like Delia. You said it before that you don't have a daddy, but you didn't mean it, did you? I saw them do the kissy-kissy thing."

The confounding silence that ensues thunders in my ears. It feels like a bomb has dropped on us, incinerating my ability to think and talk. Countless times I've imagined the day I would meet my dad, but never have I thought it might happen when the world is ending.

If Mia's right about the man who could do water magic like Zarius, then is this man truly...the father that I've been waiting for?