Free Emily Windsnap and the Monster From the Deep by Liz Kessler Page A

right when I desperately needed her to come out with her usual wacky nonsense. I’d heard enough. I had to get out before she told them everything. Maybe her vision had me in it!
    I glanced up and tried to catch Mom’s eye. She was watching Millie with a look of admiration on her face. How would she look at me when she found out what I’d done? I couldn’t bear to imagine it.
    I edged quietly away from Dad toward the darkness at the back of the pool. I could hear Millie’s voice warbling across the water. She sounded as if she was humming. Everyone was watching her. This was my only chance.
    “I’m sorry,” I whispered into the darkness, and slipped quietly away.

    I swam frantically through the dark tunnels, not even thinking about where they were leading me. I pounded past underwater stalagmites faintly lit up with soft, glowing crystals, around twists and turnsand crevasses, almost gasping for the sight of the sky. I had to get out of the caves. Had to think.
    Eventually, I came out into the open water. The light shocked me. Two little blueheads hovered at the cave’s mouth, pecking at the rock as though giving it little kisses.
    A noise behind me. Splashing. Someone was following me!
    I dived down into a thin cave under the rocks, stumbling upon a group of fat hogfish who looked up at me with black eyes before scattering away to find another den.
    I watched the cave’s entrance. It was Dad!
    I swam out from under the rock. “What are you doing here?”
    “Emily!” He swam over toward me. “Why have you run away?”
    I retreated farther under the rocks. “I’ve let you down. You, Mom, everyone. We’ll get thrown off the island and it’s all my fault. I’m so sorry.”
    Dad squeezed into the crevasse with me, scattering clouds of sand as he slithered along the rock. “No one’s going to throw you off the island, little ’un. Why would they do that?”
    “You don’t know!” I wailed. “You don’t know what I’ve done.” A tear snaked down my cheek, mingling with the water. All this time! All those years without him, and now that I’d found him,I’d done something so stupid, so awful, he’d hate me forever. I’d ruined everything.
    “What? What have you done?”
    I bit hard on my lip, squeezing my eyes shut.
    “Whatever it is, you can tell me. We’ll figure out what to do together.”
    My face was wet with tears. “It was me!” I blurted out. “ I woke the kraken!”
    “You what ? But how —”
    “I went exploring! I knew I shouldn’t have, but I did. It was in a cave. I’m so stupid! I found it. I woke it up, Dad. I’ve ruined everything. I’ll never be able to show my face on the island again. You’ve only just got out of prison and now — oh, Dad, I’m sorry.”
    Dad stroked my face. “Look. I don’t quite understand, but it’ll be okay. We’ll fix this. I’ll look after you.”
    I pushed his hand away. “Dad, it won’t be okay. Don’t lie to me. I’m not a baby !”
    He stared at me, his face red as though I’d hit him. As I held his gaze, he nodded slowly, as though he was watching me grow up in front of his eyes, catching up with who I really was, instead of who he remembered me being. “You’re right,” he said eventually. “Of course you’re not.” He turned to swim away.
    “Wait.” I grabbed his arm. “I’m sorry.”
    “You know what you are?” he asked, his voice as tight as his mouth.
    I shook my head, holding back fresh tears.
    “You’re my daughter, that’s what you are. You’re a Windsnap. And you know what that means?” Before I had a chance to answer, he added, “It means we’re going to straighten this out.”
    “I’m not going back to the meeting. I can’t. Please.”
    “Who said anything about going back there?”
    “What, then?”
    Dad stopped swimming and searched my face. “We’re going to the cave. Show me where it happened.”
    “The kraken’s cave?”
    “Why not? You heard what Neptune said. It’s probably still in