Secrets of the Underwater Kingdom

A kid discovers they can breathe underwater and finds a hidden merpeople civilization that desperately needs a hero.

Your name is Marina Chen, and you are eleven years old with a curiosity that gets you into trouble at least twice a week. You live in the tiny town of Lakeview, where the biggest attraction is Silver Lake — a deep, mysterious body of water that the old-timers say has no bottom.

'No bottom?' you asked old Mr. Petrov once, sketchbook in hand. 'Like, literally no bottom?'

He gave you a long look. 'Some lakes,' he said gravely, 'are doors. Not pools.' Then he wandered off muttering about pierogies. You wrote down what he said anyway.

You spend every summer exploring the rocky shores, collecting weird shells and sketching the strange fish you spot in the shallows. Most kids think the lake is boring. 'It's literally just water,' your friend Tess sighed last week. 'It's not just water,' you whispered to yourself afterward. 'Something is hiding down there. I can feel it.'

Today is the first day of summer vacation, the air smells like sunscreen and pine trees, and you are heading down to your favorite spot on the shore. 'Today,' you tell yourself, hugging the sketchbook to your chest, 'feels different.'