Pebbled beach

                                                  Chapter One

          I got out of the car and stepped on to the hot, black, tar road. The sun was shining on the sea, which was lying like a large grey dog on the steep, pebbled beach. The small, wooden wharf sticking in the side of the sea had beautiful boats bobbing in the whispering waves. To the right was a long, brown cliff masked by a white mist. To the left were the ruins of a castle, trees sprouted from the top like hairs from my grandfathers ears. There was a fair in town, every where there was laughing children, barking dogs, people chatting and seagulls fighting over dropped chips, not noticing that a sparrow had taken it. The merry-go-round was producing soft, tinkling music as it slowly turned, the kids grinning ecstatically, and their parents waving to them from behind the protective fence.

          Both my parents had died in a horrible car accident. It was all over the news in New Zealand. I left soon after the funeral. My cousin, Connor, had just picked me up from the airport. He was slightly older than me, I was 19 while he was almost 22. He had wanted to cheer me up, I just wanted to forget all about it.
          He took me to meet my aunt and uncle. Then we went down to the beach. I was standing there, looking out over the sea, not noticing anything but the view.
          “Are you coming Viviana? Or you gonna stare at the sea all day?” Connor asked me with a twinkle of laughter in his intense blue eyes. This, like everything else about us, contradicted the fact that we were cousins, my eyes were the light green of sunlight on leaves in the middle of summer. His hair was black as night, while mine was golden as the sand with sun-kissed highlights. His skin looked like the sun had never seen it with little freckles speckled like chocolate chips in my aunts cookies, while mine skin was olive brown. He had the Jackson bones which you could most definitely call large, while I was on the smaller side of tiny.
          As we walked to the dairy, where we were to meet Connors friend, I noticed the cloud covered cliff again. “What’s that?” I asked him, my slight Irish accent unnoticeable next to my his.
          “It’s the Giants Causeway. Have you ever heard its legend?“ I shook my head.“What!“ Connor exclaimed in mock horror, “Your father never… Oh sorry.“
          I had stopped at the mention of my father. Looking at my feet. “Never mind. What’s the legend?“ I mumbled, starting to walk again.
          Connor looked at me from the corner of his eye, unsure weather I had meant it or not. “The legend goes that a giant from Scotland challenged Finn Mc Cool, an Irish giant, to a fight to see who was the greatest. So they started to build a causeway from Ireland to Scotland but the Scottish Giant was nervous about Finn, so he sent a spy to see how tough he was, Finn found out and dressed himself up as a baby, told his wife what to say and tricked the Scottish giant into thinking that Finn was huge. The Scottish giant ran back to Scotland, ripping up his side of the cause way behind him.”

          By this time we had reached the dairy and Connor let me go in first. I looked around, not knowing who I was looking for, but expecting a boy of about 22, like Connor. The dairy was completely packed, lots of people had come in to have an ice cream. Connor pointed over my shoulder to a table in the corner with only a boy sitting at it. “There’s Tye. Go say 'hi', I’ll get some thing to eat, you want chips?”
          “Hey!” I protested, but he had already gone. I made my way through the maze of tables to the one Connor had shown me.
          “Um? Tye?” I asked uncertainly, he turned, his eyes were deep forest green with flecks of copper around the centre, his hair was dark blond. A well built arm draped over the back of his chair. He was the most hansom boy I had ever seen. He didn’t look as old as Connor but I didn’t ask in case it was considered rude.
          “Yea. That’s me. What can I do for you?” His wonderful accent rolling the r’s over is perfectly formed lips.
          “I’m Viviana, Connors cousin.” Tye’s grin showed his pure white teeth.
          “Hey Viviana. Sit down. Where’s Conner?”
          “He went to get chips.” I replied, sitting in the chair across the table from Tye.
          “He left you to make your way through the dairy alone? That’s sad.” It was obvious he was joking.
          “Hey Tye. I got the chips.” Conner said when he got back, putting the chips in the middle of the table
           “So what are we doing to day?” I asked, taking a chip.
           “We’re going to the fair of course.” said Tye.
          “What ride do you want to go on first?” Connor asked, with his mouth full of chip.
          “I don’t know.” I said with a shrug, “What ever you guys want to do is cool.”
          “How bout the Haunted House?” Tye suggested.
          “Sounds fun.”
          “That’s cool with me.”

          We quickly finished our chips and left the dairy. There was a huge queue at the Haunted House. It took about an hour to get in. As we stood, Connor talked continuously. I learnt that Tye was about to turn 20 and was in the same class as Connor. Then Connor started talking about himself and I tuned out looking at the sea again.
          Just as we got to the front of the queue, Connor got a text message. “Its from Mam, just asking what’s happening.” Tye made a movement in the air as if he was cracking a whip. I laughed and Connor looked sheepish.
          We went into the Haunted House. As the day passed I came to like Tye more and more.

          I walked down to the wharf and sat on the edge, the waves leaping up to where my toes hung a metre above the water. The boys came and sat on ether side of me. Not saying anything we watched the sun sink from a blazing red sky into the grey sea.
          Connor slipped his hands into his pockets and pulled out a letter. “What’s that?” Tye asked. I was staring at the sealed envelope.
          “It’s a letter from your dad. Mam said to give it to you, but I forgot.” We sat there for about twenty seconds, though it felt like an hour.
          “Do you want me to open it for you?” Tye asked quietly.
          “No. I want to do it.” I slowly ripped the seal, and pulled out the letter and started to read.

                              “My dearest daughter.
                              If you are reading this then it means I am not around to tell you myself.
                              I know this is a harsh way to tell you, but you need to know. You are not
                              my biological daughter. Your mother and I adopted you when you
                              were about 12 years old. You were found outside a hospital in Ireland.
                              You had lost your memory and they couldn't find a DNA match for you,
                              no one knew who you were, the only thing we knew was your name.
                              We knew this because of your locket. Your name was engraved on the
                              back, but there were no pictures or any indication of who your parents
                              were.
                              From your loving father,
                              Philip.
                              P.S. This is a really stupid way to tell you this, I don't even know how to
                              say it. I'm sealing this letter  because it is about the hundredth and they
                              all seem to be getting worse.
                              P.P.S. The locket is in the envelope.”

          I looked in the envelope. There, at the bottom, was a small, golden, heart shaped locket. It swung on a golden chain as I pulled it out. On the front were five little gems. A diamond was right in the centre of the heart, glimmering like the moon reflected on a pond. To the right was a sapphire, as blue as the sky on a clear summers day. To the left was an emerald, like a leaf lying on the golden grass. Above the diamond was a ruby, as red as a drop of blood. And below the diamond sat an amethyst, a purple I had seen no where else. I turned over the locket. Etched on the back, surrounded by beautiful designs of leaves, were the letters V-I-V-I-A-N-A .
          “What does the letter say?” Asked Tye. I handed him the letter starring down at the locket in my hand, silent tears rolling down my cheeks.
          Connor leaned in to read it too. “Wow. May I have a look at the locket.” I showed them, not wanting to let it go. A strange look came into Tye’s eyes.
          I got up walked to the side of the wharf. There I stood looking towards the ruined castle. It was almost sunset. The marry-go-round had stopped a while ago now. The sea gulls had gone back to their nests, and parents had taken their tired children home. Tye and Connor came to stand beside me.
          I held my hair out of the way and clipped the locket into place. As I let my hair down the wind started whipping the waves into giant foaming walls. Tye grabbed my hand just as a wave swept over the wharf, sweeping my feet from beneath me and over the side of the wharf. If I hadn't been holding on to Tye’s hand I would have fallen in to the freezing, writhing water. Connor lay on his stomach and grabbed my other hand, they started to pull me back up
          “Hold on!” Tye yelled over the sound of the storm. Waves were splashing over my head as the tide tried to tug me away from the wharf.
          Suddenly the water below me disappeared. I looked down. There was nothing but blackness, for two metres in a circle around me. You couldn't see the bottom, it was to dark. I looked back at Tye. I felt my hand slipping from his grip and saw Connor start to tip off the wharf.
          I fell, pulling Connor down with me.

          There was black everywhere. The wind whistling past me caught my breath before it reached my lungs, preventing me from breathing properly. I looked up, the entrance of the hole I had fallen in to was a pinprick of light in the darkness which surrounded me.
          Then I blacked out.



                                                  Chapter Two

          Tye wasted no time in jumping into the strange hole after Viviana. The darkness surrounded him. He dived, going faster and faster. He flew past Viviana, noticing that she was unconscious and continued to dive until he saw green beneath him. Tye flipped swiftly and landed, feet first, in the middle or a clearing. He looked up and caught Viviana as she tumbled from the portal, for that is what the hole was. He placed Viviana on the ground under a tree, but he had forgotten about Connor. He tumbled out of the portal. If he was conscious before, he wasn't when he hit the ground. CRUNCH! Tye rushed towards him and pulled him under the tree with Viviana. Placing a hand on Connors forehead, a light showed under them and the damage done by the fall was undone.

          Suddenly the sound of bells split through the silence of the clearing. Tye jumped to his feet and staggered as a wave of dizziness swept over him. The bells sounded again, from the opposite side to where Tye heard them before. They didn’t sound like they were on a horse or on a caravan. Tye had a bad feeling. He glanced over to Viviana and noticed the locket lying in plain sight. He knelt beside her, carefully slipping his hand under her neck and silently removed the locket. Viviana stirred and her eyes opened.
          “Hey. You OK?” Tye asked. Viviana was looking behind him with fear in her eyes.
          Behind Tye a man was holding a piece of wood in what could only be called a menacing way. “Tye, look out!” Viviana whispered hastily to Tye as the man lifted the wood. Just as Tye was turning around the man swung. It hit Tye on the side of the head with enough force to knock him out. He fell on top of Viviana. The man took two large steps and stopped looking down at Viviana where she struggled to get out from under Tye. Viviana looked up at the man. He had flaming red and dark, foreboding eyes.
          “Well, what have we got here?” The man asked. The piece of wood still in his hands. Viviana lay there trembling. “Oh, I am sorry young miss. I do not mean you any harm.” Viviana looked at Tye lying on top of her and then at the piece of wood in the mans hands. The man smiled but it did not reach his eyes. “Do you fear me?” He said leaning closer.
          A sudden wind picked up the man and threw him five feet into the air. He landed quite a distance away looking dazed. The piece of wood went flying and hit a tree on the far side of the clearing. As if this was a signal, other men appeared from various hiding places. They were all holding weapons of some sort, from pieces of wood to bows and arrows. There were no guns Viviana noticed. Several advanced to where Viviana lay trembling.
          “Don’t hurt the girl.” The man with red hair said. “She's talented.”
          Viviana had no idea what the man was talking about, but his men advancing faltered slightly. Two men grabbed Tye lifting him of Viviana. The instant she was free Viviana jumped up and started to run through a gap in the trees. Something stirred behind her and she glanced over her shoulder, noticing Connor. Viviana skidded to a stop. The men stepped forward and grabbed her.
          “What do you want us to do with her Antoninous?” One of the men holding Viviana asked the man with red hair.
          “Bind her, gag her and put her in my caravan.” Antoninous said with a smile. Viviana started struggling against her captures, but there grip didn’t slacken.
          “What about the boys?” Another man asked. Viviana froze, and Antoninous noticed. He sauntered over to her and stood there looking down at her.
          “What do you think I should do with them? Do you think I should release them? Or kill them.” Antoninous had moved over to where Tye was being held by two of the men and at the word “kill” he pulled out his knife and held it to Tye’s throat.
          “No!” Viviana yelled, straining to get away from her captures once more. Antoninous smiled, an evil look coming in to his eyes. Antoninous put his knife away as Tye stirred.
          “No, I wont kill him. I’ll keep him. I need a new servant or two.” Antoninous said, looking at Viviana. “Well what are you waiting for? Why aren’t they all bound and gagged!” He continued, this time to the men holding them. Viviana found herself lying face down on the ground with her hands held behind her back. She felt a rope being tied around her wrists. She started to kick and had the satisfaction of hearing one of the men curse as she hit what she thought was the back of his knee.
          “Do not hit her.” Antoninous yelled. Viviana looked around. A man was beside her. He was lowering his hand with a very nasty look on his face. Behind him, Viviana saw Tye and Connor. They were lying face down, both still unconscious.

To read more of my stories follow this link: http://www.writing.com/main/view_item/user_id/celtic_writer