THE SUN SET over the ocean slowly, as if the waves were swallowing it whole. Cadence shielded her eyes from the glare and heaved her beach bag over her shoulder. She kicked at strands of sea grass tangled along the shoreline and scanned the horizon. Shrieking sea gulls soared overhead, dipping under darkening clouds. “Help me!” The voice echoed across the seashore. Cadence’s head snapped up toward the sound.
“Hello?” Cadence said. “Who’s there?”
All she could see was a vast ocean and an empty beach.
“Help me . . .”
The muffled voice seemed to be coming from the caves.
Cadence took off running down the beach toward Rocky Cove, her bare feet slapping against the wet sand. Within moments, the sheltered rock formation came into view, looming over the
