I could have stared at it all day. But I had to get back. Glancing down at my hand every few seconds just to check that the ring was still there, for some reason I couldn't help smiling to myself as I swam back to cla.s.s.

I joined the rest of the cla.s.s, huddled around a huge, flat rock in the center of the pool, where we examined our multicolored findings. I'd managed to sneak in while Miss Finwave was looking away, so she didn't notice I'd gotten back after everyone else.

The rock was covered with a collection that lit up the cla.s.sroom, splashing a hundred colors all around us. I stared at it. Seaweed in bright pinks and greens, sh.e.l.ls with the prettiest swirling patterns, sea flowers of every color, ancient jars filled with sand so bright it was more like glitter. Bright blue and green and orange crystals, shining white rocks. Neptune was going to be very pleased.

When Miss Finwave noticed me hanging back at the edge of the pool, she did a double take. Her face turned pale. "Shooting sharks, Emily!" she said, clasping a hand over her mouth.

"What?"

"Your hair!" She gasped, looking around frantically. "Quick, someone get me a comb! Hurry!"

"Here, she can use mine," Marina said, pulling a razor-sh.e.l.l comb out of her rope bag.

"Thank you, Marina," Miss Finwave said tightly as she proceeded to pull at the tangles in my hair, yanking my head again and again till the comb ran smoothly through.

"That's better," she said, examining me. "Now, let's see your contribution."

My hand was in my pocket. I was about to bring it out to show her the ring, but the strangest thing happened. The ring seemed to be weighing my hand down. I could almost hear it, begging me not to show it to Miss Finwave.

"Shona's already put our things out," I said, pointing to the sea fans and sh.e.l.ls she'd collected while she was with me. I held my breath while I waited for the reply. My hand still firmly in my pocket, I twisted the ring around on my finger so I could feel the diamond against my palm. Then I curled my fingers around it. Safe.

Miss Finwave simply nodded. "Very good. Nice work, you two," she said quickly, before moving on to someone else.

I let my breath out with a sigh. Then I glanced over to see Shona staring at me. "What's going on?" she whispered.

"Tell you later," I whispered back. "I found something!" Now that I'd managed to find out what it was without getting Shona in trouble, I couldn't wait to share it with her!

Shona's eyes went all round and big, but before she had the chance to reply, Miss Finwave had snapped her tail to get everyone's attention.

"Now then, children," she said, "well done. You have created quite a treasure trove in here! Neptune will be pleased with you. He'll be with us very shortly, and I want each one of you to adorn yourself with your findings, making yourself as beautiful or as handsome as you can. And the politest cla.s.s I have ever had, please. Is that understood?"

We replied with a synchronized "Yes, Miss Finwave" and then erupted into a scuffle of noise as we shared and compared our findings, bartering and bargaining with one another to get the best combinations of colors, textures, and patterns.

I looked around the pool at what we'd managed to do with our appearances. It was incredible how a few bits and pieces from the ocean floor had transformed every one of us. Althea had created extensions from some bright blue seaweed. Next to her jet-black hair, they made her look gothic and glamorous. Marina had made a starfish brooch for her bikini top and a belt from oyster sh.e.l.ls. Adam had attached a shiny silver crab's husk to some black ship's rope to make a belt that could have been worn by a rock star. Shona and I made bangles and necklaces from the sh.e.l.ls we'd picked up, wove the fans into hats, stuck shiny stones in patterns on our tails and surrounded them with swirling patterns made from glittery pink sand. We laid all the jewels we'd found on the rock in the center of the cla.s.sroom.

"Not bad, not bad at all," Miss Finwave said with a satisfied smile as she examined us. "Very good work. You should all feel as proud as piranhas."

Just then, a strange thing happened. Strange a" but familiar. Horribly familiar. The cla.s.sroom started to shake. The water in the pool bubbled and frothed. Stalact.i.tes shivered and wobbled above us, threatening to crash down and spear any one of us. The last time it had happened, I'd thought it was an earthquake. But it wasn't. At least I knew what it was this time.

"Here comes Neptune," Miss Finwave called above the noise of water swirling around and around, creating a whirlpool. "Get to the sides, children. It'll stop in a moment."

Don't panic. Relax. I tried to breathe smoothly. But my breath came out in sharp, spiky puffs.

He isn't coming to see me. I haven't done anything wrong, I told myself again and again. I'd make sure I didn't have a scale out of place this time. He wouldn't even know I was there.

We swam to the side of the pool, falling over ourselves and one another and barely managing to keep our new accessories in place.

And then the water calmed just as suddenly as it had started. The pool shone brighter than ever; the walls glistened and gleamed; the cave was silent as we waited.

The dolphins came first, swimming into the pool in a row as straight as an army's front line. Behind them, Neptune's chariot slid smoothly into view. Gold, grand, and adorned with a thousand jewels, it s.n.a.t.c.hed my breath away every time I saw it. I had to shield my eyes from the dazzling light it shone around the cave.

The cla.s.s fell even more silent. And then there he was. Neptune. In our cla.s.sroom! Sitting back in his chariot, his golden crown on his head, his trident held high, his beard reaching down to his chest, and the deepest frown on his face, Neptune arrived in the cave.

As the chariot came to a halt, the dolphins immediately swam around to the back and lined up along the opposite side of the pool from us.

Without speaking, Neptune raised both hands in the air. Holding the trident aloft in one hand, he snapped his fingers twice with the other. A second later, someone else swam into the pool. We couldn't see who it was at first. He had his head down, reverently bowing to Neptune. But as soon as he raised it, I gasped. I'd know that face anywhere: the broken teeth, the odd eyes, the creepy sideways looks.

Mr. Beeston.

Neptune nodded to him and he swam to the edge of the chariot. "Your Majesty," he said in a deep voice, "please allow me to attend to your wishes. Whatever it is you need, you know you only have to a""

Neptune banged his trident impatiently on the floor of the chariot. "Enough!" he bellowed.

Miss Finwave swam forward and bowed her head. "Your Majesty, it is an honor," she said simply. "I have taken your orders very seriously and have set about my work, enlisting the help of the children, as I told you a""

Neptune raised an eyebrow into a wide, white arch above his eye.

Miss Finwave went on quickly. "We have merely begun some collections in your honor. They have not been told the reason for these collections."

Neptune sniffed. "Very well," he said. Then he snapped his fingers and motioned for Mr. Beeston to come toward him. Mr. Beeston swam forward again, simpering and drooling like the creep that he is.

"Explain to the children why I am here," Neptune said to him.

"I a" certainly, your Majesty," Mr. Beeston stammered. "Right away." Then he pulled on his crooked tie and cleared his throat before swimming toward us. Flicking his tail to propel himself higher in the water, he glanced back at the chariot. A brief glower from Neptune was all the encouragement he needed to get started.

"Children," he began, smiling around at us with his horrible creepy smile, "as you know, Allpoints Island is a very special and important place. For many reasons. And one of those reasons is the kraken."

A sound like thunder boomed into the cave. I looked around to see what it was. No one else seemed to have noticed it. They were all looking at Mr. Beeston.

There it was again.

That was when I realized it was my heart, beating so loud I could feel it thud in my ears. The kraken. Neptune's sea monster. Had something happened to it? Had it awoken again? That was the absolute worst thing he could possibly have come to tell us. Not only would it mean we were all in danger again, but Neptune would remember whose fault it was, who had released it in the first place. I slunk low in the water, trying to hide, trying to make myself invisible. I could feel my face heating up. As it did, the ring seemed to burn in my pocket, spreading heat through my fingers, which were still folded tightly around the diamond.

"As you all know, the kraken was disturbed recently." Mr. Beeston paused and looked me directly in the eye. Why couldn't I make myself invisible? Why?

Then he looked away again, surveying the whole cla.s.s. "Well then. Since that time, I am pleased to say that, as the chief kraken keeper, I have ensured that no further disturbances have taken place. I have regarded my duties with the utmost vigilance, loyalty, and a""

"Beeston!" Neptune growled.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesty," Mr. Beeston said, twisting to bow low again. Turning back to the cla.s.s, he continued. "However, there are one or two unresolved matters from that sorry period. Not everything is exactly as it should be."

"GET TO THE POINT!" Neptune exploded, shaking the cave so much that a rock fell from its perch and splashed into the water, spraying us all.

Reddening, Mr. Beeston spoke quickly. "The kraken held many jewels in its lair. The spoils of many a warship, the cargo of many a cruiser, were safely buried and out of danger while it slept. But since the recent troubles, some of these treasures have become dislodged. Items that were buried deep, deep, down in the caves under Allpoints Island have emerged or been dispersed."

Mr. Beeston stopped and closed his eyes. Then, continuing more quietly, he said, "Most have been recovered. I have made sure of that. Entrusted with such an important task, I would not have dared fail. However, I a""

"Beeston, that is ENOUGH!" Neptune rose in his chariot. With his head towering high above us all, it seemed he was almost as tall as the ceiling. "I shall continue. Then maybe the children will understand what has happened here. And WHY."

Pointing at Mr. Beeston with his trident, he said, "Certain folk have let me down. Those entrusted with the highest of honors have allowed the privilege of my trust to slip through their fins. And as a result, I have lost some of the treasure that is rightly mine. This is not a situation I am prepared to endure."

He paused, looking around the silent cla.s.sroom. "I want it back," he said eventually in a voice as quiet and as threatening as a rumble of thunder from miles away. "Every last jewel, every last coin. All of it."

I felt my hand burning up as though it were on fire. The ring! It was scorching a hole through my palm. It was as though it was trying to tell me something. But what? It was so strange. One moment it made me feel happy and at peace; the next, it sent my heart racing like an engine. I tried to lift it out of my pocket, but I couldn't! My hand was jammed fast and wouldn't budge. I bit hard into my cheek to take my mind off the sensation.

Just then, Miss Finwave swam forward. "Your Majesty," she said, "please allow me to show you what we have collected for you." She motioned to us to clear a path toward the rock in the center of the pool and waved a hand out toward it. Treasure winked and sparkled from every inch of the rock.

"The children have done well, wouldn't you agree?" Miss Finwave said, turning to Neptune.

But he wasn't listening. His eyes feasted greedily on the jewels as he swam all the way around the rock. "Perfect," he said, his mouth dribbling slightly, his eyes glinting as much as the jewels. Reaching out with both arms, he swept the multicolored gems toward him, clutching them to his chest.

As he glided back to his chariot, his hands crammed with jewels, he turned back to us. "Well done, children," he said. "You've done the island proud. Miss Finwave, excellent thinking. I wonder if anyone else who was set this task has fared so well. I shall visit them all and reward the most conscientious. Now that I am here to oversee this operation and ensure no one attempts to trick me out of my treasure, I will no longer keep it confidential. You may speak freely of your task. And you may be proud of your work."

His eyes leaving the jewels for only seconds at a time, Neptune looked around at us all. I'm sure he stared directly at me when he spoke again. "It will all be returned. Every last item. Do you hear me?"

With one final, terrible stare at all of us, Neptune banged his trident loudly on the floor of his chariot. The row of dolphins returned in a flash, picking up the reins in their mouths. Now that he had a chariot full of jewels, he wasn't interested in us.

"Beeston, wrap it up," he called over his shoulder. "Return to me if you have any more news on my lost treasure. And not before."

With that, the dolphins swam into action, whisking Neptune out of the cave.

Once Neptune had left, Mr. Beeston seemed to swim higher in the water. When he spoke to us again, his voice contained the old creepy snarl I knew so well rather than the simpering tone that he adopted whenever Neptune was around.

"You have heard your king," he said, looking slowly around at us all. "I do not need to tell you how powerful he is. When he says he wants something to happen, it will happen. It will indeed. And I, my friends"a" he raised a hand to smooth down his hair a""I shall make sure of that. Now that this mission is no longer secret, every single inhabitant of this island will take part in this project until our king is satisfied. Do you hear me?"

We all nodded. Most of the others looked too nervous to speak. I wasn't nervous, just annoyed. Who did he think he was, telling us what to do like that? He didn't frighten me!

Just then, Mr. Beeston's gaze fell on me. He looked into my eyes, then glanced toward the pocket at the side of my tail. Did he know? Should I tell him now? I tried to pull my hand out. Again it felt chained down. I couldn't even move it! What if I could never move my hand again? The panic must have shown in my eyes as Mr. Beeston swam closer to me. "Got something to share, Emily?" he asked, his voice as slimy and ugly as a conger eel.

"No!" I said quickly. What else could I say? Well, yes, possibly, but it appears to be a magic ring that is digging into my palm, holding my hand down so I can't actually show it to you just at this moment? I don't think so.

He swam closer. "Are you sure? I hope you know how seriously Neptune would view it if anyone tried to trick him out of anything, even the smallest jewel. . . ."

That was when I lost my nerve. Why? Why did I let him get to me? Why couldn't I just brush away his words and his sneering manner and threatening tone? Or perhaps it had more to do with the reminder of what it was like to be on the receiving end of Neptune's anger.

"I a" I found something," I said.

He moved closer. "Found something?"

"A a" a ring." I could sense Shona next to me, almost feel her eyes staring at me a" almost hear the question in her mind. I didn't look at her.

"What kind of ring?" he asked.

I would have shown it to him. I would have. I'd have handed it over on the spot if I could. But I couldn't. The ring felt like a claw, gripping my palm, pinning my hand to my pocket. "A diamond," I said, feeling warmth flood through me as I thought about the ring. "A huge diamond. All shiny and sparkly a" the most beautiful diamond ring you've ever seen."

Mr. Beeston sniffed. "There was no such ring in the collection," he said, starting to swim away from me.

"And it had a thick gold band that was battered and twisted out of shape," I called to his retreating back. Now that I'd started talking about the ring, I couldn't stop myself from saying more. A second later I wished I had, as Mr. Beeston stopped and turned. "Wait a minute!" His face had gone gray. "Diamond, you say?" he sputtered.

I nodded.

"A huge diamond, a battered gold band?"

I nodded again.

"Battered as though it had been thrown away, discarded?"

"As though it had been through a war!" I said.

Mr. Beeston swallowed and wiped a strand of hair from his face. "I don't believe it," he said. "That must be the a"" Then he stopped. "Where is it?" he hissed quietly, close to my ear.

One last time, I tried to lift my hand. I couldn't do it. What was I going to do? I couldn't say that the ring wouldn't let me take my hand out of my pocket! How utterly ridiculous would that sound? No one would believe me, let alone Mr. Beeston. And, anyway, I could sense it, feel it, trying to pull me back, shut me up.

"I lost it," I said eventually.

"Lost it?" Mr. Beeston spluttered. "Lost it? You can't have lost it!"

"I dropped it in the sand. Sorry," I said, turning my face away and praying he wouldn't notice my reddening cheeks. They felt almost as hot as the ring, still burning a hole in my hand.

He swam closer. "Let me see your a""

At that moment, Miss Finwave swam in between us. "Mr. Beeston, in case you hadn't noticed, the children gathered plenty of jewels for Neptune. And he seemed perfectly happy with our work. So I would be very grateful if you could please acknowledge our efforts just a little bit and leave us to get on with our school day. We have a lot to do."

"Very well," Mr. Beeston said. With a curt bow to the teacher, he swam to the edge of the pool, toward the tunnel that led out of the cave. Turning back toward us when he reached the tunnel's entrance, he added, "Thank you, children," and smiled.

Then Miss Finwave flicked the end of her tail in a loud snap to get our attention, and everyone turned back to face her. Everyone except me. I was still looking at Mr. Beeston. He was still looking at me. "We're not done yet," he mouthed. "You'll see."

And with that, he swam off and disappeared into the darkness of the tunnel.

I pretended to listen like the rest of the cla.s.s as Miss Finwave started to talk about the afternoon's test. I pretended I didn't care about Mr. Beeston's silly threats or Neptune's anger or any of it. Neptune had been here to see us all, not just me. And Mr. Beeston hadn't really whispered a threat to me as he left. Not really. I must have misread his lips, or he was talking to someone else. It was just me imagining things again.

I gripped the ring for comfort. At least I had that.

And if it felt as though it glowed and burned on my finger, reaching out for me with a sharpness that almost cut through me a" well, surely I was imagining that too.

It was hours before I got the chance to speak to Shona. We didn't manage to catch a moment on our own, with everyone crowding around in groups to talk about Neptune's visit all throughout lunch and then having to sit in silence for the ocean studies test.

At the end of the day, we swam out through the tunnels with Althea and Marina.

"That was easy!" Marina said as soon as we were out of earshot of the cla.s.sroom.

"What did you put for number four?" Althea asked.

"Angelfish," Marina replied quickly.

"Yeah, me too."

Shona was busy stroking the glittery gold starfish she'd won for best outfit.