ᴛʜᴇ ꜱᴏɴɢ ꜱɪᴅᴇ

l i n h

The next morning, everyone froze and stared at the Exillium entrance.

The girl and boy were both back, their friend group surrounding them on either side.

I could practically feel Tam's smirk behind me as he nodded in approval, but all I could feel was worry when the Coaches advanced on the small group. The blue Coach narrowed his eyes, his voice like a knife when he spoke. "So you've chosen the path of defiance."

The girl, undeterred, lifted her chin. "We mean no disrespect," she replied. "Just like we meant none yesterday."

"We were just trying to do the right thing," the boy put in.

The red Coach's jaw was set. "And yet your 'right thing' disregarded our authority," she said. "You understand the position this puts us in, don't you?"

I felt an unexpected surge of sympathy. None of this was the Coaches' faults. They were only trying to keep control of us—they didn't have a choice in this.

The girl seemed to be having similar thoughts, and after a long hesitation, she finally told them, "Sometimes the greatest power comes from showing mercy—especially to those who may not deserve it."

I stared at her, wide-eyed. It was such an impossibly wise thing to say; she couldn't have just thought of that now, could she?

The Coaches must have been feeling the same way, because they'd gone silent, and they only grew more stunned when the girl added softly, "Aren't we all hoping for a second chance?"

The pause that followed seemed to last for years.

Finally, the red Coach gave the slightest of slight nods, and the blue Coach exhaled slowly. "Don't make us regret this," he warned them.

"We won't," the boy promised, and just like that, everything was back to normal.

"How?" I breathed as everyone scattered to their Hemispheres, still unsure if I was dreaming or not.

Tam only gave another smirk.

Days passed, each one generally uneventful. The group of five ended up fading to the background, just like every other cluster of Waywards here.

Until one morning, when the Coaches announced the skill that I hated most: breath holding.

My heart pounded as I pulled on my wetsuit. The situation was pretty ironic, really, considering I was a Hydrokinetic, but that was exactly the point. Ever since that day I'd flooded Atlantis—earning my infamous name—I'd never been able to bring myself to be near a large expanse of water again.

This time would be different, I told myself. This time I'd be able to do it. I'd get the water to cooperate with me, obey me.

But as soon as I got within two feet of the water, I recoiled. Not the way you recoil when you see something disgusting, or when you get slapped. No, this was like I couldn't trust myself to get any closer.

Tam glanced at me. "Linh?" he shadow-whispered gently.

"I'm okay," I said, keeping my voice quiet, my eyes on the glassy water. "It's all right." No it's not.

He gave me a Yeah, right glance, but helped me move closer to the lake's edge. My hands shook as I got closer, but I tried to steady my breathing. I can do this. Focusing on the pounding of my heart, I took a big gulp of air before plunging in, floating facedown.

Immediately, the water started churning. Calling me. Calling me to play, to flood—to destroy.

And for a terrifying moment, I almost gave in. It would be so easy, so easy to let the water take me . . .

I jerked out of the water with a small scream, stumbling back and splashing water everywhere.

Tam grabbed my shoulder. "Whoa, what happened? You were only in there for, like, half a second."

"Half a second?" I panted, trying to ignore the swirling water beneath me. It had felt like hours.

He frowned. "Yeah. You wanna try again?"

I took a breath and nodded. I could conquer the water; I would conquer the water. You control the water, Linh, I reminded myself. The water doesn't control you.

I dove back in.

This time, the calls were even louder, even more persistent. I could practically feel them dragging me in, persuading me to let go. To embrace my power.

This time, Tam yanked me back. "Linh?" he asked, but his voice was so far away, too far away. "Linh! Hey, come on, what's wrong? You okay?"

Was I okay? No. Not near water, no.

"I can't," I whispered, my body trembling from the cold. From the fear.

"You can," Tam insisted. "Look at me, Linh. You can do it, all right?"

I shook my head. "I can't," I told him, my voice shaky. "I can't. I can't, Tam. It's too much."

We both knew we weren't supposed to be using each other's names, but we also both knew it didn't matter now. No one could hear us, and even if they could, we didn't care.

When it came to each other, we never cared about anyone or anything else.

I shook my head again, spraying droplets of water. Water. My enemy, my friend. "I can't," I mumbled. "I can't."

But I tried. And I tried again. Over and over, the same thing. Until the water's urge was so strong I nearly slipped into its grasp—the only thing stopping me was Tam, pulling me back again.

I felt my eyes burning with tears as I sucked in air. I'd never be able to control the water. The water would always be stronger.

I can keep you calm.

The sudden voice in my head made me think, for a moment, that Tam had shadow-whispered to me. But this wasn't his deep voice, this was a lighter, feminine voice. Startled, I looked around until my eyes found the new girl, the one who I'd come in my head to think of as the rebel. She was a Telepath, I remembered. She was transmitting.

I wanted to ask before I tried it, she explained. If you don't want me to, make a sound so I know.

I hesitated, but stayed quiet. Anything that would help me with the water. Tam raised his eyebrow questioningly at me, but I ignored him.

Okay, the girl said. Here goes.

I took a breath and then dunked under the water, waiting for whatever she was going to do, hoping I wasn't making a mistake by trusting her. And it was that moment, that one second where that thought ran through my brain, that a burst of something that reminded me of sunshine and turquoise water—harmless water—seemed to crash into me. It was something that made a feeling of bliss rise up in my chest until I felt like I would explode. Explode in a good way, somehow, like I'd burst into a million glittering stars of light.

It was only when Tam gently tugged me out that I realized I'd spent a long, long time under the water.

"Thirty-two minutes," he said, a rare, genuine smile curving his lips for the briefest of moments.

"What?" I stammered, gasping for air.

He nodded, his face serious again. "I know. Did the girl do something?"

"I don't even know," I panted, taking off my goggles. "It was like inflicting, but...instead of pain, it was joy."

He raised his eyebrow again. "What?"

"I don't know," I repeated. "But we have to thank her somehow. Come on, Tammy. I think it's time we met her. Answer her questions if she really does have any."

He blew his breath out, and then reluctantly gave a short nod. "Guess we're finally gonna meet this girl."