Chapter 5

Chapter FIVE I woke in the middle of the night with my teeth chattering. Inkibelle and I had burrowed deeper into the sleeping bag, but it was freezing! I got out of bed and unzipped the flap of my little tent. It was dark outside except for the glowing jellyfish above and the lantern that Auster had left next to the hydrothermal vent, so

I turned on my torch. Then I swam over to the vent and warmed my hands for a bit. I wished I had accepted Mum's offer of another blanket! Or even better... I wished I had a huge fluffy sleeping bag like Delphina's. It had looked so warm and cosy. Wrapping my arms tightly around myself, I stared towards Mum and Auster's tent, wondering if I would be able to sneak in and borrow the conch shell without waking them. Silently, I swam over to the jewel-encrusted tent flap and began to unzip it slowly, making only a very slight rrr sound. When I peered inside, I could see Mum and

Auster sleeping soundly in their giant, fluffy, and extremely squashy sleeping bag. Next to them, on a ridiculously fancy portable bedside table, was the conch shell necklace. I frowned at it for tempting me. Using it would break the rules of a proper camping holiday, but this was an emergency.

Giving another shiver, I crept forwards and gently lifted the conch shell off the table. Then I hurriedly swam out of their tent and back outside. I would quickly use the shell to transform my sleeping bag, and then I would put it straight back!

The conch shell was very beautiful— all pearly and rainbow-y, and for a moment I just admired it in the torchlight. Then, remembering how Auster did the magic before, I put the shell to my lips and began to blow, imagining the new sleeping bag that I wanted—a giant, squishy, fluffy, soft...

'Emerald?' I spun around in the water at the sound of Delphina's voice, and the flurry of bubbles that had come from the shell spun with me. 'I saw a light,' said Delphina, peeping through her tent flap. 'What are you...?'