Chapter 4

Chapter FOUR It had started to get dark by the time we finished our crowns, so we all went up to Marina's room to get ready for bed. Delphina had cheered up and was laughing and chatting with us all. But I noticed that she didn't say anything else to Emerald and chose the bed furthest away from her. We all went into the bathroom

to brush our teeth except Emerald, who was busy rooting around in her suitcase. I decided to put my pyjamas on, even though I was the only one who did so. 'Mermaids don't need to wear pyjamas, I suppose!' I said to Pink Rabbit, as we snuggled down together in our shell bed. I slightly regretted picking the bed next to the window now as Emerald had picked the one next to me, and all the other merfriends seemed further away. I couldn't easily join in with their whispering, which went on for ages and ages after Marina's mum turned out the lights. And, of course, Emerald didn't join in. She just curled up in a tight ball and

ignored everyone. It made me feel just the tiniest bit homesick. I wriggled down underneath the blanket, hugging Pink Rabbit tightly through his magic bubble.

'Let's try and stay awake for a midnight feast!' came Oceana's voice through the darkness. 'Of course!' said Delphina sleepily. We can eat the leftover party food,' Marina said, yawning. 'Everyone, try and stay awake!' 'I'll tell a ghost story!' said Finn. 'It's about an old abandoned shipwreck...' But even though the merfriends all tried their hardest to stay awake, one by one they stopped whispering and drifted off to sleep until I was sure that I was the only one still awake. I lay there and gazed out of the window. It felt strange not to see the starry night sky, as I did from my

bedroom at home. Instead, small glowy fish kept darting past the window against the inky black of the deep sea. I shivered and cuddled Pink Rabbit closer.

Now that it was dark and quiet, my mind kept thinking about how far under the sea I actually was. Miles and miles away from Mum, Dad, and Honeyblossom. It made me feel a bit funny, and my heart began to pound a little faster. What if my magic necklace stopped working? What if somehow Marina forgot the way back to the beach tomorrow? Scary thoughts kept tumbling into my head, making me feel more and more frightened and alone, when suddenly I heard a little snuffling sound from the clamshell bed next to me. It sounded like Emerald was still awake! 'Sniff.' I frowned into the darkness. Was