I knew this was another trap, but I had no choice, absolutely no choice. Not knowing what else to do with Miyoko but take her along for her protection, I squeezed her hand, closed my eyes to avoid being blinded, leaned over toward her ear, and told her what we had to do. To my surprise, she didn't complain.

We ran to the railing on that side of the boat, and we both climbed onto it, swinging our feet up and over until we were sitting on the topmost part, our feet dangling on the side toward the ocean. I told Miyoko to grab onto my neck.

Then I called upon the Ice.

With a thought, I pushed a stream of ice into the waters below me and then willed it to expand and continue outward in a wide path toward the place where my dad had fallen. The waters of the ocean intermingled with the misty air swirling into Ice, and in seconds the frozen walkway I'd envisioned had formed. Before the ship could drift away from the flat iceberg I'd created, Miyoko and I jumped onto the hard, frosty trail. It was a decent fall, but the Shield protected us, and a bounce or two later we were running down the icy trail, slipping and sliding the whole way. It took all my effort to not look into her eyes.

We skidded to a stop at the end, and looked down, the worry for my dad increasing with every passing second. I imagined him encased in water, not breathing. Before I could blink an eye, Miyoko let go of my hand, and dove into the ocean, headfirst.

I tried to stop her, but she was gone. For a frantic second, I hesitated, some fear of sharks and sea monsters bubbling up from nightmares past. Then, I followed her.

But I went feet first like a scaredy-cat.

The waters enveloped me like a blanket of slushy ice. It was freezing, and ripped the breath from my lungs. It didn't feel wet so much as it felt like cold, biting pinpricks of steel. Every control function in my body went into panic mode, and seemed to shut down. I felt a rising terror that I would never breathe again.

When my eyes instinctively opened, seconds after the plunge, stinging pain shut them right up. I opened them again, just barely, squinting in an attempt to shield them from the salt and minerals in the water. It still hurt, but there was no choice but to endure it.

A great light was scanning the ocean around us, penetrating the dark and murky waters like a flashlight through smoky air. I turned to the source but stopped just in time, natural warning beacons going off in my head, just as if you accidentally looked at the sun. It was Miyoko, looking for my dad.

My brain was growing tired as I thrashed at the waters, trying to look where the light went. I needed air. With no power to fight that urge, I broke the surface and gasped, sucking in as much water as oxygen. The taste of it, the volume of it, gagged me like someone had shoved a thick towel down my throat. Wracking coughs exploded from me, and it took every ounce of effort to tread the water.

Then, the Shield kicked in.