Gentle ripples passed over her, a watery caress that contrasted with her growing unease. Blinking slowly, Eliza tried to make sense of her situation. She found herself submerged, an unexpected aquatic world unfolding around her. Panic crept in as her ankles remained bound, immobilized as if by an unseen force. An attempt to move her arms yielded no results - they were ensnared in an unyielding grip. Seaweed, sinuous and trailing, wrapped itself around her legs with an almost possessive hold. Every movement was thwarted by the constricting tendrils, her struggles mirrored by the rippling sea plants. An urgency to breathe set in, her chest tightening in a desperate plea for air. But the very element that should sustain her had become a stifling barrier. A strand of slimy seaweed clung to her lips, smothering her mouth and nose. It seemed as if the water itself had turned against her, a sinister transformation that threatened to consume her.

As the only daughter to one of the most powerful Mafia families, Shay has sought to figure out her own path despite the overbearing pressures from her Family. After a family dispute leads to Shay and her mother to go into hiding, Shay attends Elite academy--her own perfect Hell. With an incredibly awful (or ingenious) disguise, Shay's new identity is going well until Jacob Smith shows out of nowhere. Not only does he seem to know every right button to push, but he also seems to know everything about her. Shay's seemingly normal school life explodes with a new set of problems. Old and new enemies are coming for her and she needs to choose whether she will carry the Ricca name. Goodbye Nerd Disguise, hello old identity, old life, old friends, and new enemies. It's the Family business, where plotting someone's assassination is just part of the daily duty. (Unedited first draft) FYI title may be misleading at first.