Sophie Wells loved stories. At twenty, she spent her days shelving books in a cozy bookstore, sneaking pages of fantasy novels between customers. Her own stories, scribbled in a worn notebook, were her escape from a quiet life where no one noticed her. But Sophie never imagined she’d live one.

It was a rainy evening when it happened. Sophie was closing the shop, her notebook open to a tale about a moonlit sea, when the pages glowed. A hum filled the air, and before she could blink, the world spun. She fell through a cascade of silver light, landing knee-deep in warm, glowing water. Above, a massive moon hung in a starry sky, its light dancing on a coral reef that stretched around her.

“Whoa,” Sophie breathed, her sneakers sinking into the sand. “This isn’t Ohio.”

Her hoodie was soaked, but her notebook was clutched in her hand, its pages dry despite the water. A tingling spread across her wrist, where a spiral mark like a crescent moon now glowed faintly before fading into her skin.

“Okay, Sophie,” she muttered. “Don’t freak out. This is… a dream?” But the water lapping her legs felt real, and the air smelled like salt and jasmine.

A splash broke her thoughts. A boy emerged from the water, his teal hair shimmering and a grin lighting his face. He had webbed fingers and scales along his arms, but his eyes were human, sparkling with mischief. “Well, aren’t you a surprise!” he said, swimming closer. “I’m Kael, mer-prince of Thalindra. And you’re standing in my reef.”

Sophie stared. “Mer-prince? Thalindra? I’m Sophie, and I’m super confused.”

Kael laughed, flipping onto his back. “You’re in Thalindra, land of moons and tides. That mark on your wrist? Means you’re a Tidecaller. You can control lunar waves. Cool, right?”

“Tidecaller?” Sophie’s head spun. “I write stories, not… control waves!”

Before Kael could reply, a soft glow appeared beside Sophie. A tiny creature floated there, no bigger than a cat, its body like liquid moonlight with eyes like pearls. It spoke in a chime-like voice: “Greetings, Tidecaller. I am Lumi, your moonspirit. You were summoned to save Thalindra.”

“Save?” Sophie’s voice cracked. “Summoned? I just want to go home!”

Lumi’s glow dimmed. “The Moonlit Curse awakens. Without you, Thalindra’s seas will perish.”

Kael frowned, sitting on a coral outcrop. “Yeah, the curse. It’s bad news. The seas are turning dark, and the Moonveil Sorceress is behind it. Your mark makes you her target.”

“Sorceress?” Sophie’s stomach dropped. She wasn’t brave. She wasn’t a hero. But before she could protest, the water trembled. A wave surged, black as ink, and shadowy shapes moved within it—creatures with glowing eyes and jagged fins.

“Shades!” Kael hissed, diving to Sophie’s side. “Curse-spawn. Run!”

Lumi zipped ahead, and Sophie splashed after, clutching her notebook. The reef led to a glowing beach, where a woman waited, her armor carved with wave patterns. She held a staff topped with a pearl. “Stay back,” she said, her voice steady. “I’m Marin, tidewatcher. You’re the Tidecaller?”

Sophie nodded, breathless. “I think so?”

Marin’s eyes softened. “Then we need you. Stand behind me.”

The shades lunged, and Marin raised her staff, summoning a wave that scattered them. Sophie’s mark burned, and her notebook glowed. She opened it, and her moonlit sea story shimmered, the words lifting off the page.

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“Sophie, your mark!” Lumi chimed. “Call the tide!”

“How?” Sophie cried, dodging a shade’s claw. The warmth in her wrist surged, and she traced the moon mark. A wave of silver water erupted, pushing the shades back. Sophie gasped. “Did I do that?”

Kael grinned. “Told you! You’re a natural!”

But more shades rose, and Marin’s wave faltered. Sophie’s tide was weak, and her fear surged. As a shade lunged for her, a dark figure appeared on the reef’s edge—a woman in a flowing cloak, her eyes glowing like the curse’s shadows. Was she the sorceress? Sophie’s mark burned hotter, and her notebook’s glow intensified, revealing a new page she’d never written.

wordsCliffhanger: Who is the cloaked woman, and what does Sophie’s mysterious new page mean for her fight against the shades?

Chapter 1: The Tide That Pulled Me

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