What Lies Beneath the Fog

》12《

"Liam, hey, are you ok? You are pale as a ghost. Come on, you are spooking me out. I've had enough of this place," Dean said, looking at me suspiciously.

I didn't want him to think that I was going mad, but I didn't want to explain my behaviour either. I wasn't ready to share this feeling, this certainty that Anne Byron's ghost was pleading for help, neither with Dean nor Emma. Not yet, at least.

I would need to find out more about the local mystery before talking about this to anyone. Not everything was as it seemed, or what the people of the island believed. The White Lady was trying to lead me to something, calling me, and I felt compelled to oblige, to follow her.

Remembering Will's notebook that Dean had given me, I couldn't wait to read it. Maybe I will find something more there. An important clue hidden between the lines, or just a useful hint... Also, I was curious to see the old book in the library. Hopefully, the Victorian photographs will reveal something.

Desperate to change the subject, I asked the first thing that popped into my mind.

"The bridge we used is not the only way to reach this lighthouse, is it?"

"It is the safer and closer one of the two. Here," Dean said, leading me to the not too distant cliff's edge, "is the second one."

He was pointing into the void, separating us from the vastness of the churning water deep down. There was a narrow stairway carved in the rock's face, descending diagonally and disappearing into the sea. The stairs were steep, crumbling away in many places, looking even more precarious than the bridge that we had used to reach this cliff from my house.

The sound of the waves crashing over the rocks was accompanied by the loud screeching of seagulls. They were flying low, mere white dots against the blue canvas of the water, diving into the sea spray, hunting for the unlucky, stunned fish.

"It leads to a beach. The best beach of the island, actually. Now the tide is high, you can't see it from here, but it's quite large. We'll go there tomorrow, take the girls swimming," he informed me, a wide grin spreading like a flood over his previously worried face.

They must have spoken about it before because Emma smiled at me, unsurprised, agreeing.

"We'll take my father's boat and reach the beach from the sea. It's easier. And you get to meet my Claire. But now we must go back; her ferry will be here in an hour," Dean announced excitedly, already walking away.

Emma rolled her eyes and smiled. "They haven't seen each other since the end of the term," she giggled, whispering to me. "He really missed her..."

I had never had a proper relationship before, but now I was starting to think that three weeks without someone you liked to spend your time with could feel an eternity. Three weeks without  Emma would definitely feel long. And we have only just met...

These thoughts finally brought some colour back to my face. Luckily, Emma didn't notice; she was already walking away, following Dean.

Before we reached the bridge, I stopped and looked around one more time. The place looked absolutely normal, with no signs of anything extraordinary.

The sun was beginning to set; Dean and Emma definitely needed to go now if they wanted to reach Cala before dark. The fog was slowly returning, creeping up the cliff from the sea, and spreading around like a translucent blanket, covering the lighthouse for the night. It was all so picturesque and peaceful...

Then we crossed the bridge to our side of the island and said our goodbyes in front of my house.

"Tomorrow we will meet in the harbour, at ten. Don't be late," Dean told me.

"Fine, no problem. Shall I pick you up on my way down, Emma?" I asked, without actually thinking about what I was saying or about what Dean would think about it.

But he did not seem to be listening, or at least, he was pretending not to.

I felt as if I had known Emma my entire life... and hoped she felt the same way about me. I couldn't get enough of her company.

"Yes, that would be great," she responded, smiling at me. The smile reached her eyes and made them shine and sparkle, like the heather blooms covering the cliff around the lighthouse, when they reflected the rays of the sun.

"Fine, you two, enough for today. You can go on tomorrow. Come on, Emma, I really need to go."

And they were off, walking down the road at a fast pace, vanishing gradually like the summer day's light.

I remained outside as long as I could see them. Emma turned around once and waved at me, and I thought again about how different she was from any other girl that I had met before.

She was so... special. Genuine and unpolished, impish and impulsive...

"How was your afternoon?" Dad's curious voice pulled me out of my reverie as soon as I entered the cottage. He even stood up from his computer and met me in the hall to make his inquiries. Dad's curiosity had no limits.

"Those two kids look so nice," Mum joined in our conversation, her voice coming from the kitchen.

"Especially little Emma." Dad couldn't resist adding his point of view.

"I had a great time, thank you," I said loud enough for both of them to hear.

Dropping my backpack by the door, I walked towards the kitchen, leaving Dad behind, confused by my lack of reaction. I just wouldn't let him spoil my good mood by his childish remarks about Emma. He could say whatever he wanted.

"Mum, they are going on a boat trip tomorrow, Dean asked me to join them. Is that all right?" I decided to inform them straight away, as they already brought the subject of my new friends up.

I noticed them exchanging a look while I was trying to steal a wedge of a baked potato lying on a baking tray next to a roast chicken, which Mum had just taken out of the oven. Its delicious smell was filling the kitchen, making me realise that I was starving.

Mum slapped me on the hand before I could touch the food, though.

"Liam! Go wash your hands!"

Sometimes, I thought that even if I was dying of hunger, my mother would not let me touch food with unwashed hands. Shaking my head, I grabbed my backpack and rushed up the noisy stairs, dumping it into my room before progressing into the bathroom.

Over the dinner, Mum announced that she would be leaving on Tuesday. They agreed to let me go on the trip with Emma and Dean the following day; there was still enough time left to plan and organize our life without Mum before she would leave.

I was expected to join Dad on his otter watching expedition during her absence. Maybe I could invent a reason why I should be allowed to stay at home alone instead. There were so many things I wanted to do other than watching otters.

I had a mystery to solve, hopefully with Emma's help.