Flowering Jellyfish

Time can sting like saltwater against a fresh cut. Fourteen-year-old Cordelia Rowen knows this well. One moment, she's spinning tea parties in her play kitchen; the next, she's awake in the early hours, haunted by dreams that smell of salt and taste of the ocean. When her father leaves on a business trip, Cordelia's mother takes her to the aquarium to shake off the loneliness-and there, beneath the towering tanks and drifting currents, Cordelia is drawn into a world that feels both strange and familiar. Glowing jellyfish sway like ghosts in the water, shimmering with colors she's only glimpsed in her dreams. A fleeting glimpse of a boy through the glass, a wave of déjà vu, and a cold piece of sea glass in her hand spark a fascination she can't explain. Each discovery-every shell, every shimmering fragment along the shore-pulls her deeper into the mysteries of the ocean and herself. As Cordelia explores friendship, wonder, and the quiet ache of growing up, she learns that curiosity can guide her, the tides can teach her, and some connections are as fleeting-and as unforgettable-as a handprint on glass.