To my best friend, Mavin, he was a hero—the legendary Professor Sterling Allen. To me, he was the man who had haunted my dreams since I was fifteen. For years, I was the "little guest" in his shadow, a girl he barely noticed. But I’ve turned eighteen now, and the game has changed. From the frozen glass towers of Toronto to the gold-dusted heat of Dubai, I’ve followed him, watching the cracks form in his stoic mask. Now, as the fog rolls over the Big Sur cliffs, Sterling thinks he’s still the one in control. He thinks he’s the teacher and I’m the student. But by the time the Pacific tide comes in, I’ll have him on his knees, begging for the one thing he swore he’d never touch.