Lost (Parrlyn)

Chapter 22

I really can't promise frequent chapters. 

My days are pretty busy but I WILL get this book done by March. (Before I head back to school)

Enjoy!

"Cathy! Cathy, wake up!" I heard Anne call, shaking my shoulders gently. "Wake up!"

"What is it?" I asked, sitting up slowly. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes and blinked lazily at Anne. "What's wrong?"

Anne looked at me. I noticed that she was chewing on her lip and her brow was furrowed, looking like she was making a difficult decision. She reached out to grab my hand, that's when I noticed-

"Who gave you that?" I quizzed, eyeing her wrist sceptically. "I haven't seen that before..."

Anne had a lime green patterned watch fastened tightly to her wrist. Green Chrysanthemums and Carnations were stitched into the leather in an orderly fashion, making the watch look sophisticated...and dignified... 

Nobody in my family could've afforded a present as luxurious as this. But then how did she get it?

"You'll see," She replied. Her expression was grim, and the usual sparkle in the eyes was gone. "I have a feeling this will come as a bit of a shock..."

I pulled myself up to my feet at those words.

We had only been at the camp in Weymouth for a couple of days now, but I was surprised at how well my family had adjusted to the change. They acted as if they had all been living there for a lifetime.

It wasn't long until we would board a new ship to America. It wouldn't be long until we would be living in a new home, starting a new life afresh in a new country. Just thinking about America made me tingle with excitement. This was something I could only dream of when I was younger. I couldn't believe this was really happening!

Anne led me outside of our small, compact tent that we were staying in. It was mainly built out of bits of debris that were found along the shores, but it felt like safe heaven.

Once we were out of the tent, she raised her finger and gestured over to the beach. 

Perplexed, we both walked out of the camp and down to the beach. As I stepped out onto the sand, I felt the golden grains gently massage the soles of my feet. It was pleasantly warm.

I looked up and saw Mary, Edward and an unfamiliar girl crowded around a deep hole. They had been digging together and were all beaming from ear to ear. It made me smile, seeing the kids happy.

"That's Janie," Anne explained, pointing at the girl.

Janie looked like the sort of girl you would find surfing and doing water sports. Her skin was tanned and her hair was scraped back in a messy ponytail. I studied her carefully, noticing how relaxed and laid back she seemed around the kids. Her laugh was loud and infectious. I immediately took a liking to her.

"Her family are rolling in cash," Anne added, looking down at her watch, "She was the one who gave me the watch."

"Then why is she trying to get out of England like this? Shouldn't she be boarding big jet planes or something?"

"Her parents are wanted for treason. This is her only way out of the country without losing her family."

Janie noticed me staring and waved cheerily over to me. I couldn't help but smile.

"Anne!" She yelled, "Come look at what we're doing!" 

"Coming!" Anne responded, grabbing my arm. "Let's go over to them."

We both drifted over to the kids, unable to stifle our grins. It filled me with happiness to see our kids look so overjoyed, something I haven't quite seen before.

"Annie!" Janie squealed, leaping up to her feet. She threw her arms around Anne before then turning to me. "Hello."

"Hey, I'm Cathy," I greeted warmly. She smiled up at me and said,

"I'm Janie. Your name is pretty, by the way."

"Thanks."

We stared at each other for a few moments before she trotted off to return to the kids. As she shared a joke, I could see joy spread across all of the kid's faces. I was glad that Mary and Edward had met somebody like Janie...

That's when I realized somebody was inside the hole. I saw the flash of a small black bun bob up and down from the hole, making me look at Anne asking for an explanation.

"Please don't freak out," Anne begged, "But... Mae, come and say hello."

Mae... The name sounded familiar.

The girl clambered out of the hole, her face rosy and pink from being in the sun. Her face and features looked strangely like...mine...

When she saw Anne, she grinned. Then when her gaze shifted over to me, her smile switched off only to be replaced by a cold glare.

"Mae?" I asked, my insides filling with dread, "It's been so long..."

"I don't want to see you," She snapped back in an injured voice. "Leave me alone, mum..."

Thanks for reading the chapter!

I'll update when I can :)