"Last stop, Smuggler's Cove," Dr. D shouted as he parked the Cassandra at the dock. After tying it in place, he, Sheena and I hopped off the yacht and walked along the dock toward town.

"Home sweet home, huh, Billy," said Sheena.

"Yeah, home sweet home," I replied, sounding bored.

"Oh, come on," replied Sheena. "We all knew this was gonna happen at some point."

"But, I liked going on our adventures."

"I didn't!"

"That's the thing about adventures," said Dr. D as he walked out of the station. "They have to end at some point, Billy."

That's me, Billy Deep Jr, my sister Sheena and our Uncle George, but everyone calls him Dr. D, and we had quite the adventure together on the sea. Three, in fact. And after dealing with mermaids, giant fish, and ghost pirates, I can see why Sheena would want to just relax. I just didn't think we would be back in Smuggler's Cove so soon.

Smuggler's Cove, where our parents live, is a little beachfront town with an ice cream parlor, a general store, a hotel, a seafood restaurant, a marine supply store, a museum, a boat shop, an antique store, and a lobster shack on the dock. There's also an old lighthouse, a fort that was used by pirates and later by Patriot soldiers during the Revolutionary War, and an island that was used by pirates that's only a boat ride away. Despite the fact that the town is quite old, there are some new stuff here as well such as a Blockbuster Video, a K-Mart, and a drive-in theater.

Long, long ago, pirates once came to this town to bury their treasures. But so far, few had been found over the years. I guess that's why this place likes to use the history as a way to draw in tourists. It's also why I liked to find adventures wherever I can. Unfortunately for me, there's not much adventures to find in this town. That's why I like going out on adventures with Dr. D. Sheena not so much.

"So, why are we back home," I asked.

"Well, I just got called from the university to do a lecture on marine biology," Dr. D said. "Nothing important."

"Oh."

"Come on," Sheena said. "It'll be a good chance to catch up with Mom and Dad again and meet our old friends from school."

I thought to myself, I guess it would be nice. "Okay. Maybe Ben is still around," I said out loud.

"And Anne," Sheena said.

Ben and Anne were our friends at school. They were cool and nice. Ben was a fan of anime while Anne was captain of the school tennis team. I always wondered how they had the time to hang with us.

The three of us approached Sheena and I's home. It was a small house with a backyard that led straight to the beach. Sheena rang the doorbell and our parents came out. Mom was the first to hug the two of us. Sheena and I clearly took after her. Same straight black hair, skinny frame, knobby knees and elbows, and thick, dark eyebrows. Dad looked like his brother: short and thin with curly brown hair, but he had no bald spot and he didn't wear glasses.

Dad and Dr. D hugged and Dad said, "I hope my kids didn't give you too much trouble."

"Not really," Dr. D said as he scratched the back of his head. "They were well-behaved." We didn't tell them about our adventures. They would never allow Sheena and I anywhere near Dr. D again. "How are things at the restaurant?"

"Booming," said Mom, looking quite pleased. "And thanks to summer vacation, I couldn't be happier. All those tourists coming in and spending money, it's great!" Mom owned the seafood restaurant, The Red Octopus. Mom wasn't that inventive with names, but she makes one heck of a chef. She was the boss of her own restaurant while Dad worked as a security guard for the museum.

"So, what are you going to do while I prepare for my lecture," asked Dr. D.

"For once, we're going to do what I want to do," said Sheena. "Just lie on the beach and relax."

"All day," I asked incredulously.

"No. I also want to catch up with my friends. I'm sure you do too, Billy."

I thought it over and said, "Are you sure you want to do that?"

"After everything we've been through, we could use some down time."

I got bored right away. Sheena and I sat on our beach towels, watching the people run up and down the beach, surfers riding their boards in the water, and a group of teens playing volleyball. I wondered if they were from the local high school. I didn't really care. I just sat on the towel, playing Super Mario Land on my Game Boy.

I suddenly felt like I was being watched. I looked up and looked around, but saw no one in particular. Then I saw it: a blonde girl looking at me with wide sea-green eyes. She just remained still, looking at me. For some odd reason, something about her looked familiar. I dropped the Game Boy and approached the water. My eyes remained locked with hers as I continued to make my way toward her.

I was just about to reach her when I suddenly heard Sheena say, "Billy?" I turned around to face her. "What are you doing," she asked.

"I just wanted to see that girl," I explained.

"What girl?"

"Right..." I turned around, but she was gone. "But, she was right there!"

"Billy, you've been in the sun too long."

I glanced back at the spot where I saw the girl, and was about to argue when I decided it wasn't worth it. I returned to shore and went back to playing my game. But I knew I saw something in the water. And I knew I saw it before.