Clara sat on the edge of Ivy's bed, the darkness pressing in around them like an oppressive, unseen weight. The house felt quieter than usual, the kind of quiet that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand at attention. Ivy slept beside her, but Clara couldn’t bring herself to close her eyes. Not tonight. Not anymore.

She had tried. Tried to find peace in the rhythm of Ivy's breath, in the soft rise and fall of her chest. But every creak of the floor, every gust of wind against the window sent a surge of cold dread up Clara's spine. The unease gnawed at her, the feeling that something was wrong, something far worse than she'd yet understood.

The silence stretched, deepened. Then, suddenly, Ivy spoke.

Not the innocent babble Clara had grown so used to, but words ,words no child should know.

Clara froze, her breath caught in her throat. The room, still dark and heavy with the quiet of midnight, seemed to close in around her.

"What did you say, baby?" Clara whispered, her voice trembling despite her effort to remain calm. She turned toward Ivy, trying to see her through the dim light of the moon filtering through the window. But Ivy's face was obscured by the shadows, her eyes gleaming with an unearthly light.

Ivy turned her head slowly, the smile that spread across her face more unsettling than comforting. It wasn’t the smile of the daughter she knew. It was something else—something cold, something far too knowing.

In a voice that felt like a whisper straight from the deepest parts of the night, Ivy’s words dripped with malice.

The blood drained from Clara’s face as those words landed like ice in her veins. A wave of nausea washed over her, but it wasn’t just the words. It was the way Ivy said it. The way her eyes gleamed in the dark. As if Ivy knew. As if Ivy was no longer the little girl she’d fought so hard to protect.

Ivy wasn’t just a victim anymore.

She was the monster.

Daniel’s name seemed so distant now. He had been the harbinger, the creature lurking in the shadows, but Ivy? Ivy was the true terror. She was the demon now—the one responsible for the slaughter, for the footprints in the blood, for the whispers in the dark. Daniel had been nothing more than a puppet, a means to an end.

The realization hit Clara like a cold slap to the face.

"He’s still here, Mommy."

A chill washed over Clara, freezing her to the spot. She stared at Ivy, her heart pounding in her chest. The blood drained from her face as the words echoed in her mind, carving themselves into the fabric of her fear.

He’s still here.

Clara’s pulse quickened, her thoughts spiraling. It wasn’t just a simple nightmare, or a slip of the tongue. This was something else something far more sinister. She’d seen the signs, the strange behavior, the way Ivy recoiled from certain things, how her eyes sometimes seemed to glint with a knowing darkness. But this? This was different.

The fear took root in Clara’s chest, a cold, suffocating terror. She wanted to scream, to shake Ivy awake, to demand answers ,but the words were trapped in her throat. The air in the room felt thick, impossibly still, and for the first time in a long time, Clara felt utterly alone in the presence of a horror she couldn’t understand.

Then, as if to solidify the nightmare unfolding before her, the memory came rushing back. The news reports she had heard just days before, the police searching for clues, the strange footprints that had been found near the bodies. The blood-soaked trail that led from one gruesome scene to the next. The local authorities had said the same thing each time: tiny, baby-sized footprints, barely visible in the blood, leading away from the bodies.

The trail had ended somewhere deep in the woods, fading away, as though the child, the one leaving the bloody prints, had disappeared into the night.

Ivy’s whisper echoed in the room, haunting Clara as the reality of what had been happening began to sink in.

"He’s still here, Mommy."

And Clara knew, deep in the pit of her stomach, that Ivy wasn’t talking about the demon inside her. She was talking about something far worse.

This could be a haunting reminder of the terror that’s been unfolding, with the disturbing connection between Ivy and the murders coming to the surface, while still maintaining the mystery and dread surrounding her transformation. Does this fit what you had in mind?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FAQ: I’m an Undergraduate and Interested in Law of the Sea — Should I Submit to the UMN Law Scholarship Repository?

Question

I am an undergraduate student fascinated by the Law of the Sea. I have done some research or written a paper on topics like maritime boundaries, UNCLOS, or marine environmental protection. Does it make sense to attempt to submit that work to the University of Minnesota Law School Scholarship Repository?

Answer — Rich Insight

In short: yes, it *can* make sense — but only under certain conditions. The Repository is primarily designed for faculty scholarship, law journals, centers, and events. Undergraduates are usually not directly listed among the eligible depositors. However, if your work meets certain criteria, there are pathways for inclusion. Below is a detailed breakdown of what to consider, what works are accepted, and how to strengthen your chance.

What to Check First

• Collection type: The Repository accepts certain collections that might include student and international law work. The Minnesota Journal of International Law collection is one such collection listed under “Submit Your Research.” ([UMN Submit Research](https://scholarship.law.umn.edu/submit_research.html)) 0
• Authorship status: Typically, submissions are by UMN Law faculty, staff, or affiliated research centers. If you're not yet affiliated, you may need mentorship or collaboration with a faculty member to submit through their office. 1
• Publisher rights and permissions: Ensure your paper is either unpublished or you have permission to share (or post a pre-print or accepted manuscript). The repository staff check for rights and embargo policies. 2
• Quality and relevance: Undergraduates are stronger candidates if the work shows analytical depth, original thought, and connection with Law of the Sea frameworks like UNCLOS, maritime dispute cases, environmental obligations, maritime boundary jurisprudence, etc. Use peer feedback if possible.

Benefits of Submitting Your Law of the Sea Work

• Visibility: Once accepted, your paper is indexed and made searchable via Google and the Digital Commons Network, increasing likelihood that others cite your work. The Repository shows “Top Downloads” and “Recent Additions” lists which raise awareness. 3
• Academic credibility: Having your work in an institutional repository adds to your academic résumé — useful for graduate school or scholarship applications.
• Networking: Faculty and researchers working in marine law often look at international journals and repositories to find collaborators and student researchers. Your contribution could open doors (internships, co-authoring). For example, bodies like the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea offer internships to students with demonstrated research interest. 4
• Skill development: Preparing for submission forces improvement in writing, proper citations, adherence to academic and copyright standards, and clarity of argument — great experience even if not accepted.

Challenges and What to Be Aware of

• Limited eligibility: If you are purely an undergraduate with no formal affiliation or mentorship, you may face barriers in submitting directly. Sometimes the collection requires faculty oversight. 5
• Publisher restrictions: If you published the work in a journal that assigned exclusive rights, or doesn’t allow posting, it may be rejected or require you to submit only a limited version (pre-print). 6
• Peer feedback and polish: As a student idea, your work may need heavy editing or refinement (cite sources, footnotes, clarity) to pass repository review and stand amongst faculty work.
• Visibility expectations: Even when accepted, repository work may not carry same prestige as peer-reviewed published articles — though it can complement them strongly.

Practical Tips to Make Your Submission More Irresistible

• Partner with faculty mentor: If possible, have a professor or researcher review or co-author, or formally sponsor your submission to increase credibility.
• Choose a strong topic: Focus on specific recent issues, e.g., disputes over maritime zones, coastal state obligations under UNCLOS, marine environmental damages, deep seabed mining regulation, etc.
• Use current cases or scholarship: Cite recent rulings, treaties, reports (e.g., from RAND’s Law of the Sea work) to show that research is up-to-date. 7
• Follow proper formatting and metadata: Prepare an abstract, citation, PDF/Word file, check author names, date, keywords; check repository’s FAQ for style and permissions. 8

Conclusion

Yes, submitting your work on Law of the Sea as an undergraduate to the UMN Law Scholarship Repository can make sense, especially if you meet eligibility, prepare well, and align your topic and writing to academic standards. Even if direct submission is not possible at first, use university mentorship, collaboration, and iterative writing so that your work becomes repository-ready. The process not only enhances your visibility but strengthens your research profile deeply.

Sources: University of Minnesota Law School Scholarship Repository, “Submit Your Research” page; UMN Scholarly Publishing guidance; International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea Internship Programme; RAND’s Law of the Sea Research; uncited Liberty Convention (UNCLOS) summary.