Story: Leviathan (all chapters)

Chapter One
A sigh escapes my lips melodramatically and fogs up the window sadly.
"Tanith, please don't do that."
"Not my fault. I wanna sta-"
"We've been over this already." My father's stern voice drifts to the back of the car.
"I can't see why you don't trust me."
"Tanith sweety," My mother starts. I don't want to hear it I put my earphones into my ears and turn the music up.
"Whatever alright. I don't give a shit. Too late to go back anyway."
There is then a blissful silence within the car. Apart from the music blasting my ears of course. My mother rolls her window down a bit and the distinct scent of the sea wafts into the small capacity of our lithe car. I lean my head back upon the leather seat quietly taking in a breath. The only advantage of going to my cousins for the week is that I am able to visit the ocean. It has been three years since I last came down to visit them. My aunt and uncle would also be pleased to see me too, I know. The only thing that bugged me was my parents miss-trust within me. The fact that they won't allow me to stay at the house as they go on their anniversary vacation. I loll my head to the side and watch the outside world pass me by. The sea wasn't exactly 'beachy' in the traditional way. The beach around her was rough, not much sand and plenty of rocks. But I remember me and my eldest cousin Louise used to have a ball together. We'd climb the rocks, explore the caverns. It was like we were on an adventure. A smile comes to my features and I quickly shake my head resting it back and switching the song on my Pod. Whatever. I was still pissed, I wasn't about to let my parents think otherwise. Let them feel bad.

**^**

"Hey Louise, what's your cousins name again?"
Louise looks back on the couch looking up at her boyfriend on the couch as he takes a bite out of his apple with eyes on the television set. She opened her mouth to answer but a little voice piped up from the living room doorway.
"Tanith! Don't you wwemembaw?" Louises little sister stands in the doorway her hands on hips and eyebrows arched heavenward. She shakes her little head in disappointment, just as Louise or her mother would, trying as usual to be the big smart little girl which she was.
A bark of laughter makes the boy on the couch glace over his right shoulder and his sister steps in from another entrance and Gibb's slaps him making him wince at the play-slap. "Hey!"
"Hey yourself, you got the memory of a goldfish anyone ever told ya that?"
"Uh, sure YOU on a thousand occasions."
"And even little Gracie remembered!"
"Heyyy, I'm not wittle." Grace huffs at the doorway crossing her arms.
"Uhh, woops,"
"You better apologise Annette or you'll never hear the end of it." Louise tells her best friend covering a smile and laugh.
"Aww, sorry Gracie baby," Annette walks over and picks Gracie up swooping her into her arms and giving the seven year old a swing in her arms. "You're not little any more I know that. How old are you now?" Annette pauses and places a comical mask as she mock thinks pretending to forget. This makes Gracie laugh and Annette tickles the little girl making her squirm in her arms. "Ten?" A shake of the head and a giggle. "Oh, too little? How about eleven? Are you eleven?" Another shake of the head along with more giggles as Gracie hugs Annette around the neck.
"No, no, no! Not eleben!"
"Oh, well you're so big and smart." Louise watches from the couch now sitting on her boyfriend's lap as Annette and Gracie have their discussion. "So, how about you tell me then?"
"Seben!"
"Oh, of course!" Annette throws her head back hitting it with the palm of her hand. Almost as if Gracie's age was some kind of philosophical answer to the universe. This drama play makes Gracie giggle even more and Annette hugs the little girl before she grows restless in her arms and she's made to put her down.
"Alright so her name is Tanith I won't forget it then. So when is it that Tanith coming then?"
Louise re-adjusts herself a little looking at her watch. "Ten minutes I think. Just about."
"Ok then."
"Aww, there, there Tom." Louise pats the messy brown hair of her boyfriend and then grins. "We won't tell Tanith what a big dummy you are."
"Yeah, she'll find out for herself."
Tom glowers at his sister and takes a bite of his apple viciously. In return his sister winks before going to sit down on the red bean bag that Louise had previously occupied. She lets out a yawn and stretches turning her gaze to the television before a squeal of excitement catches her attention.
"I see their car. I see them!" Gracie is jumping up and down at the window and Annette gets up to see a silver ford pull into the driveway and park. "Can I get Taniths present?"
"Sure you can Gracie." Louise answers. Gracie runs off excitedly to retrieve the gift as Tom, Louise and Annette left the living room to greet their guests.

**^**

I step out of the car and turn my music down, I take out an ear piece and stick it in my shirt to get it out of the way so that I can 'exchange pleasantries'. I can't hold back a smile as Louise comes out of the house. She's sporting short shorts and wears a khaki shirt that says "POW" in capital orange and white comic colors with the classic burst bubble surrounding it. She runs to me with the excitement that was just the same as when we were eight and I could not help but run too. She jumped into my arms and I caught her, a laugh coming out of my mouth before I can stop myself.
"Tanith! So good to see you."
"Wow, good to see you too Louie." We hug and I squeeze her a little in my grip a grin set on my features. I really had missed her, and now that I was hugging her for the first time since forever I knew my smile wasn't going anywhere anytime soon.
"Hello." I let go of my cousin and she slings and arm around me and I see a boy and a girl step forward. The boy has messy matted brown hair and he smiles and waves a little. The one who had spoken was the girl beside him who grinned at me. The boy was of a stocky build and obviously worked out. He had straight teeth and a tan that said that this guy was pretty outdoorsy. I immediately assumed him to be the boyfriend that Louise had told me about over the phone. My eyes were quick to assess him. Not that I was interested. I was strictly lesbian. But I didn't want my favourite cousin to be with some jerk. He appeared okay, and levelled up with what Louise had only bragged about a million times on the phone. I step forward and put my hand out to shake his. He seems taken aback for a faltering second but has his composure back in a millisecond.
"Shaking hands, isn't that civil."
"My parents raised me to be as such. I'm Tanith Brown. Hi."
"Well, I'm Tom Sterling."
I turn my gaze to the other girl. Her name was Annette to the best of my knowledge she was Toms brother and Louises bestie. Now this time I'm definitely checking her out. Not to see if she's good enough to be Lousies friend. But more to the point that Louise mentioned Annette was bi. Single. And had SWORN to try and hook us up. I take her hand and she gives it a firm shake and holds my hand before pulling me into a hug. I try not to blush wondering whether or not Louise had told her to do this. God damn her if she did! Was she trying to make me blush and splutter like a fool?
Annette laughs whole heartedly and steps between Louise and I to bring us both under her arms. "Well this is how MY folks raised me to greet people."
"As if! You learnt THAT on your own." Tom butts in.
"Oh, shut it lanky."
"Tanith," My aunt smiles and leaves my mom and dad coming over and opening her arms in welcome. "How are you sweety?"
"Oh, fine Aunt Marley."
"That's good. I see you four have all said your his you mom dad and I are going to go inside now okay."
My dad is with my uncle and they're already heading in. Then Gracie comes racing out sporting a package in her hands. She stops when she sees dad and calls out a joyous "Uncle Sam!" And he gives her a hug.
"Do you wanna go to the tree house?" I'm bought back into the conversation and see Tom nod his head pulling sunnys from his shirt pocket and puts them on.
"We may as well." Annette lets Louise and I go as Louise links arms with Tom and Gracie collides with me in a hug.
"Tanith!"
"Gracie! Hello!"
"I hab a gift for you."
"We'll open it in the tree house okay Gracie?" Louise says as she and Tom begin walking.
Gracie nods her head with enthusiasm and insists upon holding my hand. Annette takes her other hand and we begin to walk toward the old tree house which Louise and I had played in since we were Gracies age; and possibly younger.

Chapter 2

Chapter Two
"So, your folks won't let you stay on your own huh?"
"Nope, it's as if they're afraid that I'd burn down their precious house or something, it really stinks." I scuff my foot in the floor boards and fiddle with the necklace that had been the gift Gracie had been so excited to give me. Gracie was sitting at the small kiddie table drawing away in a book with a look of certified concentration. Tom and Louise sat together snuggly on a single seat couch that looked about ready to fall apart. And yet still seemed to hold the pair finely. Leaving Annette and I the only option of sharing the small two seater couch. While Tom and Annette hadn't been looking she gave me a waggle of her eyes brows suggestively.
I had given her a warning look in return at the wrong moment and Tom had caught me. He noticed some silent conversation and raised his eyebrows looking from Louise to me. This earned him a look of innocence from Louise and an awkward avoidance of eye-contact from me.
So now I sat chatting in general with Louise, Tom and Annette. "Well that's a shame, Tom and I often have our place to ourselves, completely entrusted."
"More like our parents don't really care. Not in a bad way." Tom corrects himself realising that he just made his parents sound like jerks. "Just like, they're…relaxed y'know?"
"Yeah. I get it."
"Oh, well I for one am glad you're here cuz. I've wanted to introduce you to Tom and Annette for a while now."
"Well they'll have to put up with me for two weeks now!"
Annette laughs beside me and swirls around on the couch. She lays back sitting into the couch more and slings her legs over my lap. "Us? Put up with you?!" She flutters long lashes at me and grins cheekily. "More like YOU will have to put up with US!"
This makes everyone laugh. Me nervously and Tom and Louise exchange agreeing looks with Annette. Gracie is the only one who does not. She looks over innocently for a moment before sticking her tongue out and phasing out back into concentration on her picture.
"Well, I'm sure I'll be able to cope with whatever you guys can throw at me."
Louise smiles. "I'm sure you can!"
"So what do we do for the rest of the afternoon?" I asked looking at the other three.
"Well we could go for a walk on the beach for a while?" Annette suggests looking to see what the rest of us would say.
"Sure!"
I shrug smiling unsurely. I really didn't mind what we did. But having Annette half laying on me was…awkward to say the least. Anything was better than this… "That sounds fine to me."

"Beach it is then!" Tom says. He tickles Louise making her jump off of him and he laughs getting up and hugging her around the waist in apology.
"Hey!" Louise elbows him playfully and pulling her hair over her shoulder she goes and kneels by Gracie. "Do you want to come?"
"Yes, yes, yes!" Gracies answer is immediate and she jumps up with excitement dropping her pencil on the table.
At this Annette (thankfully) gets off of the couch and starts to clamber down the ladder. I follow, and then Louise then Gracie then Tom last. Once on the ground Gracie demands a piggy ride and Louise helps her on Toms back. We laugh and chatter on the way down to the beach Gracie being the centre of attention as she asks me questions and tells me all about the beach. She tells me about how Tom would toss her in the waves on really hot days and they all went swimming together. From what I could gather these four were tight-knit. They were close, just by being with them all I felt so happy. I couldn't even remember the reason of why I ever even considered wanting to stay home. What had I been thinking?!
Once we reach the rocks Gracie gets off of Toms back and starts racing ahead on the rocks. I feel worried for a second and watch her carefully.
"Hey, Tan, you remember when we used to climb these rocks?" Louise asks me.
My worry for Gracie lessens immediately and I look down smiling in memory. "Yeah, I remember. We used to OWN this place."
"Totally, we were like, the best at climbing."
"And you still are." Tom put in his two bob taking Louises hand in his and smiling at his girlfriend. "Second to me only, of course."
"See how modest my brother is?" Annette says sarcastically so that Tom can still hear. Her eyes have a playful glimmer and I laugh as Tom puffs out his chest proudly.
"I am rather modest aren't I?" He says playfully in a deliberate manor.
Annette rolls her eyes as we weave between the jagged rocks and boulders, I look ahead again trying to spot Gracie. When I can't I begin to look around my heart-rate quickening. "Where's Gracie?!"
All four of us look about and I jump forward clambering atop of one of the rocks. I crouch on top of it not trusting myself to stand as wind tugs at my tangerine tussles of wavy hair. I spot her and smile. "I see her she's just ahead." I smile deviously and decide to demonstrate MY climbing skills father by launching myself from one rock to another. I stand on this one and then start playing hop-scotch from rock to rock. I nearly miss my footing on one rock but catch myself and use my momentum to my advantage launching myself over the next rock; as you would in a game of leap frog. I land on the rocky/sandy ground doing a barrel roll before standing slowly as I look over my shoulder. The wind works with me as I turn blowing the hair from my face. Toms mouth is slack jawed, he quickly straightens up before shouting out at me.
"Alright show off! Maybe I'm not best!"
I cannot help but feel proud of myself as Annette pokes fun of her brother and I look ahead to see Gracie running toward me carrying a stick. I brush hair from my face as the wind changes direction and stay kneeling down as Gracie comes closer.
"Hey Gracie, What have you found there?" I call out over the wind.
As she runs closer I asses the thing in her hands. It is smooth and was taller than the seven year old who was rushing forth. Upon a closer look I soon realised that the stick was no stick at all and was in fact stone by the looks of it.
"Lookit, lookit!"
I take the stick just as the other three catch up, we all look at the 'stick' and my eyes are quickly drawn to the sapphire at the end of it that was about the size of my palm. My eyes widened in shock and I smoothed my hands over the surface. "Woah." I breathed in awe at the feel of the slightest carvings in the grey stone.
"Is that a sapphire?" Louise murmurs in bemusement. I pass the 'stick' to her and she, tom and Annette all look assertively at it. It's passed between us and ends up within Annettes hands last.
"A staff?" Annette throws the suggestion out in the air and we all shrug.
"Where did you find this Grace?" I asked my littlest cousin my brow furrowed with a slight frown.
"Up ahead. In a cave."
"A cave?"
"Yup, it was weally big too." Gracie watches the staff and reaches for the sapphire touching it with her small hand. "Pwetty."
"Yes, very pretty." I murmur as it is passed to me again. "You guys wanna check the cave out?" I ask looking at the party around me.
"I don't know, the cave systems here are unpredictable, they can collapse, or go on forever. No one has really been in them."
"Yeah," Tom agrees with Louise stroking his stubbled chin a little as his own brow now furrows. "Also the tide is low at the moment. But I'm sure it will begin rising soon."
"How long 'till the tides begin to rise?"
"'bout and hour or two."
"Well," I say thoughtfully leaning on the staff a little. "If we just take a look at the entrance or something. I mean, I just wanna see where…" We all glance at the staff and sapphire as I finish my sentence. "Where THIS came from."
"Sounds fair enough." Annette smiles. "I wanna know too, don't tell me you two don't want to know, that you aren't curious?"
Tom and Louise can't help but agree.
"Okay, Gracie baby, show us the way!" Annette exclaims. Gracie giggles and happily leads the way skipping and telling us to 'keep up'. She really did love leading us. Her curly hair bobbing along with her skip and the wind tossing it back and forth.
This was going to be interesting.

Chapter 3

Chapter Three
I look around the mouth of the entrance. It has to be at least four average peoples height and its width was just as broad. Annette let out a low whistle beside me and Gracie goes forward to where there were stalactites were upon the ground. My eyes go upward and I see where they have broken off. I wonder for a moment how that may have happened but am interrupted by Gracie calling out and pointing to the pile. "This is where it was."
I walk over and bend down picking up one of the stalactites. They were rough, and weren't a grey stone like my staff. "Hmm."
"Hey look at this."
We all make our way to Tom who had gone deeper into the cave. He held in his hand a small carved ruby ring. It had a gold band and was thick. Tom slipped it onto his forefinger then held his hand out. He pulled out his phone switching on a torch tool and makes the ruby twinkle in the light.
"Oh my god." Louise murmurs rushing to his side and holding his hand steadily into the light.
"This is so cool!"
"I wonder how much more of this there is?" Annette asks mysteriously.
I look to her in a confused manor, and Tom and Louise; knowing she had more than just that to say looked at her expectantly.
"Well, think about it. An ancient lookin' staff thing, a clunky old ring with a massive ruby in it? People don't just wander into caves and lose these things y'know."
The gravity of her words takes affect and I look at the staff in my hand. Annette had a pretty good point. But…what did she mean by it? That we had stumbled upon…
"…Treasures, really old treasures, in a cave where god knows how many pirates or old ships have come."
"The rocks are too sharp. A ship would stand no chance coming here. It'd be smashed up on the rocks." I answer quickly tightening my grip on the staff.
"Yeah maybe, but we all know of the old shipping docks just up ahead. You know the ones they uncovered a few years back? Mercenaries once worked the harbour just a few kilometres from here."
"So you're saying we've uncovered some historical treasure?"
Tom answers for Annette by beginning to dance backwards his face alight with adventure. "Well hey, hey, hey, ladies there's only one real way to find out right?"
"Tom!" Louise follows him and smiling he turns from us beginning to walk in and shines his light around. "Tom! What about the tide?"
Tom looks at his watch. "We still have forty-five minutes. Probably an hour even." He adds when Louise looks about ready to argue again. I take Gracies hand as Annette and I begin to follow Louise and Tom, staying close. "Come one babes, just a look. Nothing bad will happen."
I look at Annette asking silently what she thought with a questioning glance. Annette shrugs then looks at the other two. "How about this; we explore for fifteen minutes. Then we come back out. Fifteen minutes in, then we get out of here; well before the tide rises."
I nod my head assertively. "That sounds sensible. What's the time now?" Even as I ask my hand goes to my iPod and switches on the light. My eyes see the time just as Tom answers.
"Two twenty."
My iPod reads at two twenty-one and I nod my head. "Well then, let's not waist time." I smile and Gracie lets go of my hand going to climb on a rock.
"Tom, Tom!" Gracie holds out her hands expectantly and Tom goes over to her chuckling as he lets her climb on his back and up on his shoulders.
"Okay, let's go."
"Alright." Louise says with some hesitance. "But we take the most direct route."
"Aye, Aye captain." Tom salutes and then passes Louise his phone. "Wanna lead the way?"
Louise takes the phone and we all begin to weave our way into the cave. It doesn't take long for the phone light to be the only light left. I turn my iPod on and crank up the brightness. Annette does the same with her own iPod as we all look around the splendour of the cave. I check the time and see that we are five minutes in before looking about the cave. The path ahead becomes trickier and Tom instructs Gracie to go on his back instead. She clings to him. Her legs around his waist and arms wrapped around his thick neck. With his arms free and the little one not tottering above his head Tom finds it easier to climb. We all follow and ahead I see that the cave expands. There is a gaping gorge of ahead and I walk up to it looking around. The slope is gradual and down below I can see rocks and shapes in the darkness I can't quiet describe. I think for a moment.
"We should go back." Louise says. "There isn't anything here."
I bite my lip and see Tom kneel as her looks down trying to shine his light. I can see he is disappointed. He wants to go. And so do I all of a sudden. I don't know what it was but something put my senses on high alert about this place. Like something was calling me. I cling to the staff and narrow my eyes as I look around. As if searching for something. But it was too dark. "How about I have a look on my own?"
"No way!"
"Well then I can go with her." Tom quickly jumps in to Louis's disapproval. "You, Gracie and Annette can wait up here."
"How long do we have left?"
I check my iPod. "About five minutes."
Louise sits down on the ground and huffs. "Fine, but just come back soon 'kay?"
I nod my head and Tom and I begin our decent. It doesn't take long for us to reach the bottom and I give Tom my iPod to give him some light. We then both begin to explore a little looking about curiously. I place my hand on a large powerful rock. I look over to where Tom is and see that all is fine. I need to keep an eye on his light so he doesn't wander off. I look back to the rock and walk parallel to it as I gaze about the expansive cavern. The rock has a smooth texture to it with rough ridges evenly spaced across it. I hear a shout from behind me and I spin on my heel my eyes searching for the light for Tom. There's another shout and I realise that Tom has begun laughing. "Tanith, Tanith come look!"
I walk over to see a collection of chests. They looked like movie props, but the gold, rubies, sapphires, emeralds and countless other priceless rocks looked as real as you could get. My mouth was slack jawed and I struggled to make a sound as I watched them glitter and glow warmly in the little light that shone form my iPod.
"Louise! Annette! You gotta come see this!" Tom yells cupping his hands over his mouth to amplify his words.
"It's been more than five minutes!" Annettes voice calls back to us from somewhere above and across the way. I see the light from above and listen as Annette calls out again. "Get your butts back up here!"
"Come down here!"
"NO! Whatever it is that you've found down there, either drag it up here, or leave it behind!"
Tom frowns and shakes his head but doesn't reply. He passes the iPod back to me and from up on the praecipe there's a silence for a moment or two before Annette calls down again. "You have till I count to three to say you're coming up or I'll go down there!" She waits a moment. "One!"
"Alright!" I yell back at her as Tom hauls a chest up in his arms. "What are you doing?"
"Bringing it with us, may as well show the girls."
"You won't be able to carry that."
"Watch me." He smiles proudly as he begins to jog forward. I follow reluctantly looking around. My heart is buzzed with adrenalin and I look back at Tom just in time to see him lose footing and take a fall. "Ahh!"
"TOM!" I rush forward on the slippery rocks and see that he has fallen through a slight crevice.
"What was that?!" Annette calls out.
"Tom fell!" I call back as I put the staff to the side. I hear a small curse but ignore upstairs for a moment as I position myself over the crevice a leg on either side. "Tom, are you alright?"
"Ugh, shit no, My leg is killing me. Agh, and my head and my back." He strains and frees an arm reaching for my outstretched hand. I clasp his large clammy hand with my own and heave. Tom pushes with his good leg getting himself unstuck enough to haul himself out.
"Tom!" The sound of Louise is really close and the calling of Toms name comes from both Gracie and Annette as well. I shine my light in the direction of theirs and they come over. They find us and Annette jumps the small crevice as she carries Gracie. She puts the seven year old down, then with a face painted with a murderous expression she punches Tom's good arm.
"You idiot! We told you to come up!"
"Tom, are you alright?"
"Yeah, but I won't be able to carry the chest up that slope." He winces. Then his eyes widen, "oh! The chest?!"
I look back to the crevice and wedge my way down to retrieve it. "So, I guess you guys found more treasure?"
"Oh yeah!" I answer. "And mr. muscle over there wanted to grab some souvenirs."
Annette grunts and as I lever the chest over my head she takes it from my straining arms just as Louise jumps over the crevice. She shines Tom's phone on her boyfriend and begins to look over the small gashes. The one on his left leg is worst and as I get out of my hole I really can see how bad it is. I shiver as I remove my jumper then my shirt and move forward wearing my singlet. "Here, we'll use this to stop the bleeding at least, and then we can take better care of it back at the house."
Tom nods his head and I begin wrapping my shirt over his gash on his leg tying it off tightly. It makes him wince but there's not much I can do to help that. Besides, a little tough love never hurt. I get up and tie my jumper around my waist before leaning down to retrieve the staff. There is a sudden sound that captures my attention and as Annette picks up Gracie and Louise pays attention to mr. muscle I jump across the crevice listening. "Shh, shh," I signal to the others to be quiet and the quiet lasts just a couple seconds before Tom interrupts with; "What is it?"
This time it is Annette that shushes him and she jumps over the crevice to join me. Gracie laughs as they jump, her arms wrapped around Annette's neck securely. She cocks her head to the side and as Gracie's giggle subsides we all here the distinct sound of rushing water, of crashing waves.
Of the tide arriving…a lot earlier then what any of us expected.

It will be a while until my next update, I am only just writing chapter four now.

Chapter 4

Chapter Four
"We've been here too long!"
"Then let's go." Annette answers Louise's trembling voice sturdily and she looks back. "We can still beat the tide."
"Right." Tom leans down taking the chest into his arms.
"WHAT?! No way are you taking that thing Tom."
"What you expect me to leave it?"
"Uhh, yeah!"
"I agree with Louise you already hurt yourself once." Tom ignores both Louise and I as he leaps over the gap and begins walking briskly ahead.
"The idiot." Annette scowls and Gracie clings to her neck more, her slender shoulders shaking a little as she looks about.
"C'mon. We better keep up."
At this Louise joins Annette and I before dashing ahead to keep up with Tom. We walk fast, one of the lights on the ground and the others shining the path ahead. The ground is already wet with over an inch of water and I notice it quickly rising on my canvas sneakers.
On top of that my body pulses with adrenaline, and then there is something else, something which tugs at the back of my mind. Like one of those little headaches that buzz around your mind for hours after the initial pain of the 'headache' has left. My hand is tight on the staff as we climb the steep rocky path back up to the ledge. Tom luckily does not fall again, yet instead I find that I lose my own footing as we scramble up the steep slope. My jaw slams into the rock and I try raising my arms in a last ditch effort to catch myself. Annette, Louise and Tom all look back at me and Annette asks me if I am okay.
"Y-Yeah," the water is beginning to cascade down the slope and my heart races in my ribcage. "Keep going, keep going!" I urge them, as we clamber up still, I feel blood warm on my face and wipe my mouth as we climb up the last stoop of the slope and come to level ground.
The cave erupts with a colossal sound of crashing stones the ground and earth trembles everywhere. I drop to the cavern floor covering my head, so do the others as rocks slides and falls from everywhere. We're all screaming and my eyes are opened wide in a state of shock. I close my mouth and I can hear Gracie crying. I stop screaming and screw my eyes shut tightly, the cave-in doesn't last long but ahead we can still hear the unmistakable sound of rocks which continue to fall. I am the first to rise on unstable legs that shook and threatened to betray me and make me fall. My breath was just as shaky as my legs and I looked about our little group. Louise was already standing and Tom was also shaking. Annette sat up a little looking around with a mouth formed in a hard line. She took a breath and seemed to reform herself in that single breath of air. She had Gracie clutched to her chest. The poor creature had begun to cry, her nose and eyes ran, she was in a stupor about what was happening and Annette attempted to soothe the little girl absent mindedly as she looked about. "Stay here." I asserted to the group. "I'm going to check ahead." I go to take a step, but Annette who is closest to me takes hold of me before I can get away.
"You're what? No, if anyone goes anywhere we need to agree to it first."
The water was getting past my ankles, I realised my shoes were filled.
"Time is of the essence, I just want to see if the path ahead is clear! One of us will have to." I felt a fear deep set in my chest and my heart pounded against my ribs.
"We can't be separated!"
Annette didn't loosen her grip on me and I held back a snarl. I jutted my chin out pridefully. "Someone needs to see if the path ahead is clear." I stand by that.
"Let her go Annette, just, be careful." Tom strides over to Annette and I, putting the chest down so that he could put a hand on his sister's shoulder. "Someone has to, unless you're volunteering?"
"Be careful."
I run off before Louise can start, holding the staff as I jogged ahead. The water was rising still, it all was happening so fast if we stayed there and tried to discuss what to do then nothing would have happened and we'd be drowned like rats. Ahead there was naught but bad news that hurt my eyes and filled me with dread. It sounded like the rocks had stopped falling, but the water was coming in fast and the path previously taken by our small group had now been blocked. To exit we'd have to take another path, but that would risk us losing our way. These tunnels were treacherous. And that was on their good days.
I had been about to turn back to race and tell everyone the news when I heard a shifting of rocks, rumbling that shook the cavern and more screams from Tom, Annette, Grace and Louise.
I bolted back as I heard a deep voice echo through the cavern. "Who enters my cave? And wakes my slumber? Speak your names."
"Grace! Louise!" I ran round the small bend and saw that they all hid behind a rock as the rumbles and the enchanting voice came from out beyond where the rock dipped and fell. "Tom, Annette!" I duck behind the rock clasping Louise on the shoulder as we all looked from one another.
"The path?"
I shook my head to Tom, "it is blocked. We have to take ano-"
"Speak!" The word was laced with a growl and everyone flinched.
"What's that sound?" Louise trembled. "Is it the rocks?"
"Another cave in?"
"Are you kidding?" Tom said. "That's a freaking roar! Not rock and stone."
I was terrified as the rest, but once they said roar, and no one mentioned the voice I bought it up. They all looked at me as if I were mad.
"Tan, there is no v-voice? What are you-"
She was cut off by the voice again and I turned my attention from the rest as I rose to my shaky legs.
"I sense your fear youngling. I feel it as my own, you who holds my sapphire staff, name yourself child."
I felt a foreign strength help my heart beat stronger and stop my head from throbbing, my legs from trembling. I straightened my back grasping the staff in my hand as I looked out into the darkness where the voice came from. "Tanith, Tanith Perry Brown."
"Open your mind Tanith, let me in to see your ailment." The warmth spread through me even more and my eyes drift shut. I was vaguely aware of Tom, Annette and Louise calling my name, with my free hand, I signalled for them to give me a moment. I allowed my mind to open and felt a presence sift through them. He -it was a he- looked and a flash of the memory of arriving in the cave the blocked path from the avalanche of the cave in all flickered through my mind and I opened my eyes once I felt his mind leave mine just lingering at the edges still giving me strength. "I see your reason for fear. I have chosen to help you."
"Tanith!" Louise grabbed my arm. She stood beside me, and the others stood too, the water had risen to my knees almost and I looked down then at Louise.
"What happened?"
"We kept trying to call you but you wouldn't answer, when we try-tried-" She had tears in her eyes and she was trying to pull me away. In a stupor I began to follow, concerned for her tears.
"When you tried what? What happened Louise?!"
"You wouldn't budge." Tom said. "We tried but we couldn't move you. It was the weirdest shit I'd ever seen."
Annette and Louise were trying to guide me away when I stopped all of them. "Wait."
Before any of them could ask why we all heard a sound of movement from behind us. As I turned, the head of what I somehow already knew to be a dragon came into view and everyone was in silent awe at the sight as he climbed and the mass of his body filled the Cavern we were in. He had a blue-grey face and two types of scales from what I could see, His under belly had thick scales that shielded his chest like an armour whereas the scales along his back and the rest of the mass of his body were of a smaller scale, set in ridges and looking simular to fish scales in a way. They shone with water, the Dragon having just left water which had filled the drop off point where the chests had come from. He had no wings and his back was heavily laden with spikes that stuck up high and deadly.
"Tanith Perry Brown, you carry my staff and so I humbly offer you my service."
"Will you show us a way out?"
"Tanith! Are you crazy that's a Dragon!"
"Tell you accomplices to hold the staff so they hear my voice."
I relayed the instruction; and Tom was the first to comply taking hold.
"Tell your friends to do the same."
Tom was so shocked that he yelled and took his hand from the staff.
"Tom!"
He put his hand back onto the staff and he only needed to give the others a look for them to put their hand onto the staff as well.
"Good. Now, younglings of humans as you are, I know of how you have come to be in this predicament. I offer you a way out, if you can trust to ride my back, I will take you to safety." He paused turning his head this way and that looking at us all with cerulean eyes that put the sapphire stone of my staff so shame. "What say you?"
We looked form one to the other and I myself looked down at the water that had started rising to my waist. "Please!" I looked up holding the staff with both hands. "Help Us!"
The others pleaded too, all except Grace who clung to Annette, her face blank. She had probably gone into shock of some sought.
The dragon dipped his head and climbed the rest of the way to meet us. He laid down stretching out his foreleg as a step ladder to his back between his shoulders.
"Then climb aboard. There is not another moment to be spared!"

Chapter 5

The dragons scales were rough and the spikes were like stone. The biggest spike was just above the dragons shoulder-blades. I sat there in front of it, grasping hold of the shorter spike that was in front of it. I clasped the staff not wanting to lose it. Behind me was Annette, Louise, followed by Tom who held Gracie under one arm, the chest precariously in the other. The arm supporting Gracie wrapped around her and gripped the spike closest to him, holding them on the dragon. The dragons’ movements were powerful, he rose and I felt my stomach drop, then twist and twirl in a gripping fear. The dragon lurched forward a rumble in his throat as her rushed forward. The path which they had originally taken was blocked and he took a path beside it. But it didn’t take long for the dragons stride to bring them all to a dead end.

“What are you doing?!” I panicked, “there’s no path ahea-”

“Tell your companions to hang on!”

Hastily I relayed the instruction.

Everyone did as was bid, anticipating what was going to happen then the dragon all of a sudden rose with a mighty roar and smashed through the thin rocks and everyone screamed in terror and surprise. The dragon was practically swimming now and the wide entrance was closing up fast. To avoid the stalactites which looked like deadly bars of a prison in the dying afternoon sunlight the dragon warned his riders that he was about to dive. I counted down from three, taking in a deep breath and shutting my eyes as I held on, trembling to the spike in front of me. Water rushed about me as we all was submerged. The dragons streamline body slipped naturally through the water as he swum out into the open ocean. My lungs burned and my heart hammered as we rose in the waves. The sun was a beacon sinking into the ocean to my left and the dragon turned right facing the shore, where the sandy beach was, and the shrubs lined its border, hiding the houses that were beyond. I pushed wet hair back from my face. I could taste the ocean and blinked the water that hung heavy on my eyelashes. I wipe my eyes and we’re nearly at the shore. The dragon is able to stand now and he ambles over to the shore and eases down to the ground. He stretches out a leg and promptly I climb down, slipping on the slippery scales and landing ungracefully to the ground. “Ow.”

“Are you alright?” said Annette as she climbed from the dragon and landed on both feet just beside me. She offers me her hand and I take it.

“Yeah, thanks.” I say as I’m hauled to my feet. Then Annette moves away to help Louise down.

“Tom, what is it?” Louise and Annette both look up to where Tom is when they realise he hasn’t moved. He stares blankly at the spike ahead of him. He is still and silent gripping the spike with a large hand. I saw his knuckles were white, as if holding onto that spike were the only think keeping him upright. Then we all recognise the same thing at once.

“Tom,” Annette’s voice comes out forceful and strained, “where is Gracie?”

Tom looks at us. No, not at us. To do that he’d have to actually see us. His eyes are glazed over in shock and there is the thump of the heavy chest hitting the sand dully.

“Tom, where,” Louise’s shoulders shake and she looks at her boyfriend with a horrified expression, “is my Sister?”

The dragon’s eyes closed and he bowed his head as Tom got down, jumping straight from the Dragons back. “I–just before we went under the water. I told her to hold on tight. I had a hold of her by the…by the Jacket. And—”

“You let her go…You had a proper hold of that god damned chest but,” I see my cousin filled with rage and she rushes forward and pushes Tom as violently as she could in the chest, “you didn’t have hold of my sister!”

Tom stumbled back and Louise began to cry unable to restrain the tears. Her face was twisted in anger and anguish and she ran her hands through her hair and walked toward the ocean her eyes frantically searching the wild afternoon waves. While I had been watching Tom and Louise in shock none of us had noticed that Annette was already rushing out into the waves. She waded through the shallow water calling out. The winds were picking up as they always do when a storm was coming. The dragon looked out to Annette as well and for once I realised how quiet that he was. I walk over toward him and grip the staff in both hands holding it tightly. “Please, can-”

“I know what you are going to ask. The answer is that I cannot. I knew the moment when the little one left my back that I could not. Not with the rest of you still with me. Anything else, any manoeuvre to try to save her would have drowned all of you.”

My eyes sting with hot tears and the dragon moves toward me and his snout touches my cheek with a gentleness that I would not have expected from such a large creature. “What about now?”

His heavy head shakes slowly from one side to another.

“Tan! Tan, your dragon, he can sa-save her right?!”

I shake my head and Annette joins us at last. We’re all dripping wet and I shiver at the cold wind.

“She is alive at least.”

I look at the dragon in shock. “Alive?”

Louise’s face fills with hope at the word and she rushes over and puts her hand on the staff. Annette joins her and we all look at the dragon waiting.

“I am not of this earth originally,” the dragon explains. “Dragons travel between worlds. I came here for rest from my old home. We can only open one portal every hundred years. I opened a portal and sent the child to my home. There are humans there; she has a chance of them finding her.”

“You mean you trapped her on some planet!”

The dragons gaze fell on Louise. “At least she is alive. And because it was such a tiny portal, I think I may be able to open a second one. One that we can go through and perhaps find your sister.”

Louise’s face breaks into a smile as her hopes are lifted once again.

“You will have to be quick, I will only be able to keep it open for so long."

“Go for it then.” Annette says letting go of the staff and stepping back.

The dragon is amused, I <i>feel</i> it’s amusement. I’m overloaded with amazement at <i>everything</i> that has happened to be too astonished at this. I watch as the dragon’s neck stretches out his snout appears to hit something solid and the air shimmers like a flat pond which has had a rock thrown in its centre. The shimmering rings stretch and reach outward and slowly but surely we see an image. It looks like staring through a dirty window. But ahead I can see grass of a field. As the image becomes clearer and clearer Louise is already stepping forward. Tom finally moves from where he had been sitting and walks toward the portal as well. I stay by the dragon and when he moves his snout from the portal, it is as if the window had been flung open! I can smell the grass. The fresh air. It feels as if it doesn’t belong, with the sound of the ocean behind us. I brush my hair from my face holding it where it was so that the wind didn’t blow it everywhere as it had been before. Louise goes through the portal just as Tom yells out, “Louise!” He rushes after her and the dragon follows he glances back a moment before the bulk of his form goes through, his tail swishing behind him.

I look nervously at Annette, “should we follow?”

Annette pulled herself out of her stupor and walked over to stand by me. “W-well, they are only going in and out right?”

I tighten my grip on the staff again. “I don’t want to wait. I’m going in.”

“Okay, then I’ll come too.”

We look at one another and I can feel my heart tremor within me. We both walk through together and the dragon I can see is standing over to my left. And then there is Tom, bent over and giving CPR to the lifeless little body of Gracie. My heart freezes but I manage to make my way down the grassy slope to put my arms around Louise. She stands back and lets Tom work at emptying Gracies lungs of water. I remember Louise telling me how Tom had a summer job of being a volunteer lifeguard in the summer. It was probably the only reason that she was even letting him near her right now.

“Hurrry.” The dragons rumble warns us.

“Guys,” I release my cousin as I look back at the portal. The dragon had the tip of his tail sustaining it. But it was beginning to shrink, “hurry, the portal won’t stay open much longer!”

Gracie coughs and water splutters from her mouth, Tom lets out a shout of relief turning her to her side. Louise flings herself from me to Toms side sweeping the coughing child into her arms. She runs her hands through Gracies curls and Tom sits back looking at them both.

The dragons roar shatters the moment. He moves restlessly and his eyes roll as he looks at the disappearing portal. Annette and I urge Tom and Louise to make a move. I am already making my way back up, racing to Annette. Urging my legs to move up the slippery slope, back to the portal, back to home. Annette stood by the portal still, calling to us to hurry. I reach the portal and leap through. The wind was wild back on the beach, and suddenly cold. No sound passes through the portal and I stand on the edge. The portal grows smaller and I place a foot and then pass my shoulder through it. The wind beats my back and I make wild arm movements.

But it is too late. Too late.

It all seemed to happen in the blink of an eye. I edged more into the grassy field, my foot alone left on the sandy beach. No matter what they weren’t going to fit. Then all at once the dragon growls a warning at me, the portal closes, my foot is saved by the speed of the dragons tail lashing out and whipping the back of my leg. Forcing my leg from the portal when it shut closed.

Tom arrived first, then Louise, they both stop short and all of us have eyes on the empty space where the portal once shimmered.

“We’re trapped.” The obvious is stated by Tom. His voice hollow and his mouth agape.

We were trapped.

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5