The Magic on the Island #Onceuponnow

Part 2: Second Chapter

The following day, Daniel and I go site-seeing, though it's mainly for my benefit, since I should know my settings for the next four plus years. The whole chill café and shopping area was our first stop, where I discovered that he was the creator of the mermaid statue. We did things like that, stopped by a surfing meet and went back home. Also, for as a note, we biked the entire time! It was so fun getting back on my old horse! It had been a while since I had rode.

"Thanks for showing me all of that. I had fun getting to know this place." He smiles at me as we walk our bikes up to the side of the house. The sun was just starting to set and it took me away, yet again.

"I'm glad you had fun Autumn. We can do is again anytime you like." I nod.

"Hey Daniel, I'm going to take a walk on the beach." He looks wary at first with the sun going down but still let's me go.

I start to walk down the beach when I suddenly get the strong urge to explore a bit of whatever's beyond the trees. I wander on walking amongst golden light and exotic plant life. I'm going to have a good life here, I just know it. Whenever my mom gets back we can-

My thought never gets finished. It's as if the ground was snatched out from under me. I'm falling straight down into a dark hole. Suddenly, I'm reminded of the Batman vs. Superman intro when little Bruce fell in a cave and rose out of it with bats, but instead I'm falling down a rabbit hole like Alice into the unknown, into my own wonderland slowly and then faster beyond belief. Though my life started falling down the rabbit hole the day my birth father came to get me, when my whole world changed.

I hit a rocky surface with a sickening smack. My head is on fire and it feels like it's going to explode. I look up and see a dizzying orange and yellow light, my vision is blurring. Am I dying? No, the light is the sunset. As I look, I see that I'm in a cave that looks onto the sea. The walls have little holes in them that hold trinkets of all design. Singing, a soft sweet voice is singing. Then my world goes black.

I'm back in the sunlit cave, standing looking out at the ocean. But I'm not alone, half in the water sits the woman I saw on the beach. I walk towards her and see that she isn't just dipping her legs in, she has a tail! It swiftly flicks through the water in a fiery orange and red color. Suddenly, she looks beyond me with a surprised look on her face. Then I'm awake, in my bed at the house, sunshine flowing through the windows, it must be the afternoon. Daniel's sitting in my desk chair, asleep.

"Daniel? What happened? How did I get here?" He stirs, then jolts awake.

"Autumn, I'm thrilled you're awake, but what the hell were you thinking? You almost gave me a heart attack!" He sits further back in the chair obviously relieved but still upset.

"It started to get late and I came looking for you, I found you lying on the sand unconscious. So, I want to know what you were doing out there to lead up to you being knocked out on the beach."

"I remember walking through the trees and then, falling." I put a head on my forehead trying to think, to remember. I know there was more I just can't remember! Daniel furrows his brows for a moment.

"There are a lot of holes near where you're talking about that drop off into underwater channels. You could have drowned! But, none of it matters, I'm just glad that you're safe." For some reason I notice his bare wrist of all things.

"Where's your bracelet?" He looks down at his wrist.

"Oh, it's just in my room I took it off earlier to shower." That's really odd seeing as since I've met him he has always had it on. He stands, about to leave.

"Since you're awake I'll let you rest. Holler if you need anything." Then he's gone. This is too suspicious, he never bothered to ask where I went, plus if he saw me unconscious on the beach wouldn't a parent's first response be to take me to a hospital? I've watched enough movies to know that. If I could just remember where I was so I could investigate! "...holes...drop off into underwater channels." It had to be one of those, that's what I fell through!

I rip off my blankets then throw on my shoes and tie my hair back. Slowly, I creep into the hall and sneak through the back door. It takes me about ten minutes to find the cave, it's shockingly close. I look for something to lower myself with, when I consider jumping I feel something hard beneath my shoe. As I brush aside leaves I see that it's a wooden rope ladder. This is getting really strange. I climb down and the cave I once thought dark is now fully lit by the sun's slanted rays. It's about my room's size times three and I get a better look at the trinkets I saw last night. There's pearls, seashells, random jewelry and- Daniel's bracelet along with the necklace from Scar! What is this?

"Hello."