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Whoever had been on the decorating committee had outdone themselves, let me tell you.

I’d been to some super classy shindigs in my life, but this was a perfect ten.

The auditorium had been transformed from a boring old room into a fancy ballroom full of feasts for the senses.

Acrobats twirled and twisted their bodies into gnarly positions, while musicians filled the air with boppy tunes.

Flowers and vines clung to the walls, brightening up the room with royal blue banners with the crown all over them hanging from above.

I snagged a glass of bubbly from a tray as a winged server walked by.

Their outfit left very little to the imagination.

I threw back the entire glass, spilling a few drops on my suit, then quickly grabbed another before the dude could disappear amongst the guests and acrobats.

My nerves were not playing nice tonight.

Between the vault and meeting with Fallon’s dad, I was as jumpy as a dolphin on the waves.

I tried to focus on those around me and do the job I’d been given, which was to ensure the Overseer and Masters stayed put or create a diversion if necessary. A no-brainer.

It was wild what a little makeup, a comb through the hair, and a snazzy outfit could do.

The Potentials no longer looked like they had been dropped into a whirlpool.

Instead, they’d been transformed into fancy fishies.

I was pretty happy with how my getup turned out, too.

I wore a beige linen suit with a white shirt that was unbuttoned almost halfway down my chest, with brown loafers—no socks, of course.

I was the epitome of style in this pond. Except, of course, for my starfish.

She was hotter than the sun on a peak summer’s day. Before Starfish had left to break into the vault with Kendra, I’d gotten a glimpse of her in her dress. Wow-wee! That red number and those heels… It took all my strength not to chase her down and show her how much I appreciated the outfit.

But thinking of Fallon brought up all the emotions I had been trying to shove down and bury in the sand.

Guilt coated my tongue, tasting like an unripe lemon after cheap tequila.

I was in way over my head, drowning beneath the waves of my betrayal.

A castaway lost on an island with nothing to keep me company but some coconuts and my poor decisions.

“Are you okay?” Lou asked, her hand squeezing mine and bringing me back to the present. We were dancing in the middle of the ballroom, her sparkly pink dress catching the light of the chandeliers hanging above. “You’re making me jumpy.”

“Sorry,” I replied, taking a deep breath. I needed to be more careful, but my betrayal of Fallon was making it hard for me to hide my emotions. I was a mess. A hot one, but a mess, nonetheless. “I’m nervous. I feel like tiny baby crabs are crawling all over my skin.”

I’d managed to avoid any suspicion that I’d met with Fallon’s father so far, despite feeling an absolute mess about it.

Starfish likely chalked my shift in mood up to the crowning.

Noah and Kayden didn’t seem to notice anything too out of the ordinary, also likely thinking I was nervous about the crowning or stealing that weapon Ace was so obsessed with.

Ace… now he was another kettle of fish altogether.

That dude was suspicious of everything, and I knew he thought I’d been acting weird.

He’d seen too many frauds to know when a slippery eel was lurking in his reef.

And like the good dolphin detective he was, Ace was right.

I was a fraud. A giant blobfish of a human.

I’d colluded with the enemy like a no-good rotten pirate.

When my pod found out, they would make me walk the plank like I deserved.

But what was I supposed to have done?

My sister had been kidnapped. Zuri needed me. We couldn’t rely on our dad to save the day, but my siblings and I could rely on each other. I wouldn’t let her down, even if it cost me everything else.

It pained me that I couldn’t talk to my pod about it.

Nope, the message had been loud and clear that I couldn’t tell a single soul.

All decisions were left on my handsomely tanned shoulders.

So, I’d done something I thought I’d never do and met with Victrus Auger, not that I’d had any choice.

That dude was scarier than being circled by a shiver of hungry sharks.

He gave me the heebee jeebees. How Starfish grew up with him and still turned out normal was beyond me.

“Zane.”

“Mmm?” I glanced down at Lou, who was staring off to my left, worrying her pink lip with her teeth.

“The Overseer was standing right there in all her colourful glory and now she’s not,” she replied, turning her head to my right and scanning the room. “She’s gone.”

“She can’t be.” I looked about the room, my gaze running over everyone in it searching for the Overseer.

A group of Potentials stood around a performer who was breathing fire, while a few others danced near Lou and me.

Julian, the king’s old advisor, looked suspicious standing beside a frozen sculpture of a dolphin.

He tapped at the dolphin’s fin until it chipped, catching the ice in his glass.

The sight made me gasp. I always knew he was evil, but mutilating a dolphin even in ice form was next level.

I looked away in disgust and saw Master Luna chatting with some old fuddy-duddy with rosy cheeks and whose black dress clung tightly to her figure.

Next, I spotted Master Nolan, who was spinning his way around the dance floor wearing a maroon suit and a bucket-load of gel in his hair.

A wide-eyed Potential danced in his arms. The dude had some serious moves.

And Master Jeremiah… Starfish had sent us a message earlier to tell us she’d dealt with that evil dude, which I was more than happy about.

He’d deserved everything he’d got and more.

I only wished I’d been there with her. I realised Lou was right and that the only person missing was the Overseer.

“I can’t see her either,” I said, frowning. Shit, the one thing we were supposed to do, and we failed. Fuck, I was letting Starfish down again.

“Zane! Are you listening?”

I startled, almost tripping over my feet. “Son of a sea cucumber! Sorry, Lou.”

“I said what do we do now?”

“We—”

The music stopped and our dance slowed to a halt as we looked towards the stage.

Master Luna stood before the microphone, smiling broadly at the Potentials with her bright red lips.

“Excuse the interruption. As our esteemed Overseer mentioned, tonight is an exciting time, not only for the Potentials gathered but for the country. Tonight, the new ruler of Terrulia will be crowned.”

Applause filled the room, and some dude even cheered. Couldn’t he see we were being fancy tonight? Pesky seagull.

“Could all Potentials please head to the foyer where you will be debriefed regarding the rest of the evening. As for our valued guests, please continue to enjoy the festivities of the night. Thank you.”

I glanced down at Lou as my insides performed all kinds of synchronised swimming tricks. This was not good. “We need to think of a diversion.”

“Okay,” she replied as we were ushered towards the back of the auditorium with the other Potentials. “Shit, ummm…”

Think Zane, think.

“Hey!” I shouted, shoving the Potential closest to me as we entered the foyer. “Pincers to yourself, you cheeky crab.”

One of the dude’s eyebrows shot into his hairline as he righted himself, rolling his shoulders in his black suit. “What are you on about, dickhead? Do you wanna start something?”

“Me?” I placed a hand on my chest. He stormed towards me, looking like a sunburnt penguin. “You’re the one with the wandering fingers.”

“Zane,” Lou warned beside me.

I simply sent her a wink. I knew what I was doing. Yeah, it wasn't my best idea, and it could get me hurt if I wasn’t smart about it, but my pod was on the line.

“Shut the fuck up,” the dude hissed, spitting on my face in the process. Now that he was so close, I was pretty sure he had been one of Victoria’s lackeys once upon a time. Oh well, time for this volcano to explode.

“Look, I’m just telling you what he said,” I replied, pointing at the dude to my right. “He was telling everyone you’re handsy.”

Victoria’s lackey looked at the dude in question and I let my magic in, firing up that anger. “You've been talking shit about me?” he accused.

“I don’t even know you,” the other dude insisted with his hands in the air. “Ocean boy is making shit up.”

I shook my head, my shells clinking with the movement. “I’m not.”

Victoria’s lackey narrowed his gaze at me, and I took the opportunity to make him soothed and calm like there was no way I could have been the one pissing him off so badly.

They couldn’t have known that I had full access to my powers so there was no chance of shielding from me.

I felt the moment it worked. The dude glanced between us, looking unsure, but then Lou saved the day, a true dolphin of the pod.

“He told me the same thing!” she exclaimed.

I grinned. Teamwork made the dream work.

“He was telling everyone who’d listen,” she continued.

“Fuck this,” Victoria’s lackey growled, throwing a fist. It connected with the other dude’s jaw and shoved him into Potentials nearby. A couple of people screamed as a dress was torn, and the brawl took on a life of its own.

“Nice work,” Lou said beside me as we watched the two dudes roll around on the polished floorboards. The rest of us formed a circle around them, spectating as blood dripped from Victoria’s lackey’s nose whilst the other dude’s jaw was purpling up nicely.

I couldn’t have planned it better if I tried. “Thanks.” I glanced at the door, hoping to see the others walk through. “Hopefully this gives them enough time.”