Zayan arrived at the dock, the faint sound of waves breaking the silence. His eyes scanned the area with growing frustration. Jace had been right his speedboat was gone.

“if Annalise came for her friend, she would’ve left me a text,” he muttered, pacing. “she’s too hot-headed not to gloat. Or… could she have stolen it as revenge?”

He stopped abruptly, checked his pocket, and froze.

“my keys…” he whispered. They were gone.

The memory came rushing back. Captain Will's daughter. He had seen her earlier at the port. She was capable of operating a boat, and if Clara left the port, it all points to one conclusion.

“if Clara truly can't swim due to her hydrophobia and my keys are missing and I saw that girl earlier, she and Annalise could be working together and took my boat as a way to offend me, but I don’t think Annalise would do such, or can she?” he muttered angrily. “who does she think she is?”

Before he could think further, his phone buzzed. It was his father, his stomach tightened. Bracing himself, he answered.

“Zayan,” his father’s voice was sharp and controlled, “Where is Annalise?”

Zayan’s stomach sank. “I don’t know, Dad. Why are you asking me?”

“Her parents called. She’s missing. So are her friends, they left after swimming practice to look for Clara, and no one has seen them since,” his father said, frustration laced with worry. “do you know anything about this?”

“I…I was at the port earlier,” Zayan admitted, his voice faltering.

 His father’s tone turned icy. “And what did you do there?”

“I…left Clara there. She’s hydrophobic. But I thought she was pretending. I didn’t think”

“you what?” his father roared, cutting him off. “do you realize what you’ve done? You left that girl, whose father I already have a bad history with, at the port, and now she’s missing? And Annalise too? Zayan, do you know how this looks?”

“I swear, I didn’t know this would happen!” Zayan stammered, panic creeping into his voice. “I think they’re on Queen Marabella’s island. Captain Will’s daughter might have stolen my keys and taken my speedboat. She’s always talking about that wanting to go on that island, and there’s always a rumor about lack of signal on the island.”

His father exhaled heavily. “Queen Marabella’s island?” he muttered, more to himself than Zayan. “this is a mess. I’ll inform the Coast Guard.”

“Dad, I…”

“shut up and listen,” his father snapped. “do not tell anyone what you did to Clara. Deny being at the port. Do you hear me? If this gets out, it’ll ruin everything I’ve built.”

Zayan swallowed hard. “yes sir.”

The line went dead.

 Zayan immediately dialed Jace.

“what now?” Jace’s annoyed voice came through the line.

“Clara and her friends are missing,” Zayan blurted. “I think they’re on Queen Marabella’s island.”

“What?” Jace’s tone shifted, alarmed.

“I need you at the port. Now,” Zayan said urgently.

Jace didn’t hesitate. “I’m coming.”

The moon hung high in the night sky, casting its glow over the jagged cliffs of Queen Marabella’s island. The cave they had found was now bathed in silvery light.

Inside, the moonlight poured through a small opening in the pool below. Strange, ethereal symbols began to shimmer on the rocky walls, their glow ripping across the water’s surface.

The symbols shifted and danced as if alive, reflecting off the pool and onto the cave floor. The water itself seemed to pulse with light, growing brighter until it almost became blinding.

Suddenly, they froze. Their gazes locked on the pool as if drawn by an invisible force. The air in the cave grew heavy, and a strange hum vibrated through the stone walls.

Then, just as quickly as it started, the light dimmed. The moonlight shifted from the opening, leaving the cave in eerie silence.

Monica blinked, swaying slightly. “what…just happened?”

Clara’s voice broke the quiet, trembling. “please…get me out of here.”

Monica and Annalise helped her out of the pool, their movements sluggish as if they were waking in a trance. They quickly dressed and stumbled out of the cave, disoriented and scared.

They walked back to the shore, and sat on the sandy shore, staring blankly at the waves. Their minds were hazy, fragments of the cave’s strange events slipping through their grasp.

The distant sound of engines broke through the stillness. A pair of coast guard boats appeared, their searchlights sweeping across the beach.

“over here!” Miranda managed to call out weakly.

The guards found them lying on the shore, dazed and barely able to speak. Whatever had happened in the cave was now buried beneath their confusion, leaving behind only a lingering sense of unease.