The Girl from the Sea: A Graphic Novel

Meanwhile, Keltie enthusiastically approaches the boat’s captain, striking up a cheerful conversation. Keltie asks if she can steer, admitting the crowded, noisy birthday party is not really her “scene.” Amused, the captain agrees and warns her to keep the boat on course. When he steps away to use the bathroom, Keltie excitedly takes the wheel, planning to shipwreck the boat.

Back with Morgan and Serena, Morgan continues describing Keltie’s world, explaining the seals, the rookery, and why Keltie is so determined to protect them. Serena listens in disbelief as the pieces come together. She turns away. Serena finally tells Morgan that, if this matters so deeply to her, she will talk to her parents about changing the boat’s route so the seals are not disturbed. However, Serena wishes that Morgan had talked to her reasonably instead of making up a story. Serena sits on the boat railing, emotional and conflicted, and tells Morgan to tell Keltie that she has agreed to talk to her parents.

Morgan hesitates but then goes to find Keltie. She begins telling her she spoke to Serena, but before she can finish, Keltie grabs her hand and insists Morgan come with her. Keltie leads her to the center of the boat and asks her to hold onto the railing. She tries to explain something urgent, but Morgan interrupts, excitedly announcing she convinced Serena to reroute the boat. Keltie freezes, horrified. She blurts out that she may have accidentally set the boat on a collision course with the reef. Morgan yells that this is a disaster, and Keltie sprints toward the controls, determined to fix her mistake.

Meanwhile, Lizzie finds Morgan and gushes about her time with Gorgeous Josh, but her excitement fades when she sees Morgan’s panicked expression. Morgan urgently tells her to hold onto the railing. The images shift to show the boat cutting across the water while seals swim beneath it. The captain confronts Keltie, asking whether she touched anything. Keltie, guilty and frantic, admits she did. She pushes the captain aside and grabs the wheel, turning sharply. The sudden movement sends tables crashing and nearly throws guests off balance. Morgan grabs Lizzie to keep her from falling as the boat lurches violently. For a moment, everything tilts, then stabilizes. However, the images show Serena slipping from her perch on the railing and falling into the sea.

Keltie collapses over the wheel in relief once the crisis is averted. The captain, furious, declares her permanently banned from the boat when they dock. Keltie finds Morgan and Lizzie and assures them everything is okay now. They laugh in shaky relief.

The scene shifts to Serena, alone in the water, desperately swimming after the boat and calling for help.

Back aboard, the DJ announces the birthday celebration, and everyone sings while Lizzie and Jules bring out the cake. Morgan and Keltie cling to each other, sharing a quiet moment of relief. Morgan even allows Keltie to cuddle her in public.

People start calling out for Serena. Morgan looks up and realizes, with horror, that Serena is not in her spot on the railing. She tells Keltie that Serena had been sitting there earlier. Keltie listens to the seals and tells Morgan grimly that they say Serena fell.

Panicked, Morgan runs to the top deck and throws a life buoy into the water. Serena reaches for it, but a wave pulls her under again. Keltie tells Morgan that she has to save Serena. Morgan protests as Keltie can barely swim in her human form. Keltie insists the only way is to use her seal-skin. Morgan tears up, knowing what that means. If Keltie puts on her seal-skin, she will not be able to return to human form. Keltie holds her hands and says she has to fix this because the accident was her fault. Morgan whispers that they had plans. Keltie gently reminds her that sometimes plans must change.

With a trembling hand, Morgan gives Keltie the seal-skin and tells her she has to come right back. They share a brief, emotional kiss before Keltie wraps the skin around her shoulders and leaps into the water. The moment she breaks the surface, the skin ripples across her, and she transforms fully into a seal. She sweeps through the water, searching desperately until she finds Serena sinking below the waves.

Keltie approaches Serena, who stares in shock and fear at the seal swimming toward her. Keltie moves the skin slightly away from her face, revealing her human features. Serena’s eyes widen in recognition. Keltie gently grips Serena’s wrist in her mouth and pulls her upward. Serena finally reaches the life buoy and holds on.

As the partygoers gather at the stern, the captain, Jules, and Lizzie pull Serena in with the rope attached to the buoy. Morgan, trembling, stands apart from the crowd, her eyes locked on the water. She watches the captain haul Serena, soaked, exhausted, but alive, onto the deck. Morgan collapses to the floor, crying in relief and heartbreak. Below, Keltie rises to the surface. She pulls aside the seal-skin just enough to show her human face again. Morgan leans over the railing and begs her to come back to shore, reaching toward her. Keltie apologizes and looks down at her hand, now entirely covered in the seal-skin. Tearfully, she tells Morgan she must remain in the sea for seven years.

Morgan promises she will wait, but Keltie shakes her head. She tells Morgan to follow her plans, to live more, do more, become more, and that in seven years they will meet again and share their adventures. They hug and kiss through tears. Then Keltie’s face melts into seawater as she slips entirely into her seal form. Morgan watches her disappear beneath the waves.

The boat returns to the dock. Guests stand quietly, subdued after the chaos. Jules, Lizzie, and Serena sit together until Serena gets up to find Morgan. She discovers Morgan slumped at the stern, still staring out at the water. Serena looks at the teeth marks on her arm and tells Morgan she knows now that she was not lying. Morgan admits she herself was not sure she fully believed everything until tonight. Serena says Keltie saved her life and asks quietly if she is gone. Morgan nods, apologizing again. Serena helps her up and tells her she wants to go home to watch a bad movie and eat too much birthday cake with her best friends. Morgan agrees.

The narrative shifts to a beach montage. Morgan looks both happy and wistful as she plays in the surf with Min and Aiden. She explains in narration that the seals are safe now and that the town has grown used to the boat. She works at the kayak rental place, blushes when a cute girl notices her, and calls her dad.

Later, Morgan rides her bike home and stops on a hill overlooking the sea. Her neighbors, Earl and Val, join her. They comment that it is a good day to look for seals. Morgan asks if they knew about Keltie. Earl nods, telling her there have always been selkies on the island. Morgan admits she cannot talk to anyone about it because it sounds too unbelievable. Val gently tells her that a selkie’s love is special.

Morgan says that Keltie wanted her to be “more alive,” and Val tells her Keltie would want her to live fully, not stand at the cliffs waiting. Morgan asks how they know so much about selkies. Earl removes his glasses, revealing bright, dark eyes just like Keltie’s. He and Val smile and say they are very familiar with selkies. Together, the three of them watch the seals moving through the water.