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This sounds great! Are you still writing this one?
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(view spoiler)[Crash! In. Splash! Out. Crash! In. Splash! Out. The sound of the sea moves through her head, and allows the bad thoughts to leave her mind. The smell of the sea is unlike any other; it flows into her nostrils like a drug, making her feel revitalised and leaving a salty taste in her mouth. The gentle caress of the wind, as it plays with her long dark hair, sends freedom through her body. She keeps her arms outstretched; the feeling is unlike any other. It's like flying in a void of darkness, where she can be wherever she wants to be. She opens her eyes… still nothing… nothing but the dark void. She has always wanted to believe that the sea will make the void go away, but it never does. Her mother used to describe the sea to her when she was little, but now that has all stopped. She is only left with simple memories.
The girl kneels down in the sand, before taking a hand full of it. It is soft, giving her a sense of freedom as it runs through her fingers and is taken by the wind. As she moves towards the water, the waves whirl in and surround her legs, trying to coax her into its depths as they roll back, but she does not notice this… the void is all she knows. As another wave creeps in around her, she scoops up the water with two hands, washing them of sand, before using it to wash her face… it may wash away the darkness, she thinks as she prays to the sea, but still the void continues.
Rising from her place, she wipes the sand from her knees and legs, washing them with the water as it surrounds her ankles. And after saying goodbye to the sea, she makes her way back to the path.
"Nerine!" a voice calls, as the girl climbs up the embankment, "What are you doing down there! You know you are not allowed on the beach on your own in your condition! Heaven forbid what might happen to you if the tide should come in!"
Nerine feels a firm grip on her arm, as she scrambles up the path. A sudden jolt and the sounds of the sea fade in the distance. She is going back to the house.
The girl watches from the garden of the grand manor, as her stepmother drags Nerine towards the house. The lush, green grass is a big contrast to the blackness of her stepmother's dress. The girl watches Nerine's lips. Nerine does not want to go back to the house. The girl watches her stepmother's lips. Nerine has to go back. It's for her own good. The girl wishes she could hear the conversation; however there is nothing but the void. She takes in the fresh, clean air, and watches, as a hawk circles above, before diving down and out of sight. I wonder if the hawk shrieked? The girl questions herself, but the answer will never come.
Her stepmother and Nerine are climbing up the stairs of the grand manor now. Stepmother Cassandra has her back turned. Nerine's crying. I cannot read what they are saying. The girl thinks. It's the void. The void will not let her hear the sound of people's voices. The void will not let her hear the sound of birds chirping or the trees swaying. A tear rolls down her cheek. The void blocks out the Earth's cry.
A tap on the shoulder alarms the girl. It is her sister, Tempest. Kaia, are you alright? The girl reads her sister's lips, before wiping away her tears. Kaia, come in and get ready for dinner. The girl nods and takes one last look at the beautiful garden. Still no sound. Kaia prays to the earth for a cure for her deafness, before rising and making her way to the grand manor.
Tempest walks with her sister into the manor. She hears the sounds of the cooks banging pots and pans; she feels lucky that she can hear them. Nerine makes her way out of the bathroom with Cassandra, and both are soon ascending the stairs to Nerine's bedroom in the attic.
"What are we having for dinner?" Kaia asks.
She furiously sniffs the air, before bowing her head. "I… I don't know."
The void has hit her again. Every time when she feels that she may be able to smell something in the air, the void brings her back down. All she wants is to smell the sea, smell the food, smell anything at all, but the void does not allow it. She smiles at her sister; she does not want anyone to know how it hurts. After all, she is the oldest; therefore she must be the strongest.
“Have you called everyone to dinner, Tempest?” Her father questions as they walk into the dining hall.
“No, sir.” She bows her head, “Couldn’t Aurora eat in her room tonight?”
Her father’s face begins to wrinkle, “Tempest, we are a family! No matter how you see it, Aurora is part…”
“It’s alright, father… I’ll get her,” Kaia cuts in, “I was going to fetch Selina anyway.”
“Thankyou, Kaia, but it will not be necessary to bring Selina down. She will come when she is hungry.” He says sternly.
“But…”
“Please call for Aurora, thankyou.”
It’s not right, Tempest thinks; He has always shunned Selina, whilst Aurora has been given much attention, even more than his own daughters.
Aurora hears the footsteps coming up the stairs. Snuffing out the candle, she makes her way back to her bed, and covers herself with her blankets. A knock on the door has her slide further down into the darkness of her blankets. The door creaks open.
“Aurora?” It’s Kaia. She probably wants her to come down for dinner. Aurora pretends to sleep.
“Aurora? Father would like you to join us for dinner.”
“I’m not going down there.” Aurora murmurs, knowing full well that Kaia cannot hear her.
Footsteps move closer to the bed. Aurora closes her eyes, pretending to sleep. Kaia peels back the covers and finds Aurora’s fiery red locks hiding her face.
“Aurora, will you be coming down?”
Aurora does not move as her adopted sister’s hand brushes the hair away from her face, before leaving. Aurora sheds a tear. The void has struck once more. All she wants is to feel the touch of a loved one holding her. She just wants to feel loved. But the void never allows it. She remembers a time when she felt this, but that time has now gone. There is nothing any more… just the pain of losing what she once had.
Kaia returns. “Aurora is asleep, father.”
“Then we shall have to send the cook up with a plate of food after we have eaten.” He responds.
At that moment Cassandra and Nerine enter the room. Nerine is dressed in her finest clothes. She scowls as she sits at the table. “I don’t want to wear this stupid dress!”
“You will wear the dress like a proper lady.” Cassandra snaps, “It is not nice for a young lady like yourself to walk around in shirts and britches.”
“I hate it!” Nerine screams, as the cook begins to lay the food out on the table.
“Listen to your, stepmother!” He growls, “Now it’s about time that we had a nice, quiet dinner, without you children squabbling all the time!”
There is silence throughout the meal. Tempest wants to say something; tell him what she really thinks of him, but she holds back – again.
“I think I heard mother at the sea today.” Nerine breaks the silence, as she struggles to get comfortable in the dress.
“Enough, Nerine.” He growls, “We will have no more talk about these nonsense stories you keep conjuring up.”
“But I did hear her, father.”
“I said enough!” He rises from his seat and slams his fists on the table, “Damn child, you never listen do you! Your mother has passed! She is not at the beach – she is in heaven – with God.”
Tears well up in Nerine’s eyes. “I didn’t say ‘beach’… she’s at the sea.” Nerine runs to her bedroom in tears.
That is enough for Tempest. “You always think that you are right! If it makes Nerine feel better to believe mother is at sea then let her have that! Just because you are our father…”
Cassandra grabs her arm, “Tempest, do not talk to your father like that.”
“No, let her say what she has to say.” He challenges.
He has always done this. Whenever Tempest puts up a fight, he would attempt to make it bigger; she knows that it would be useless to continue. Tempest shakes her head and races up the stairs to her room.
“I have guests tonight, Cassandra. Make sure the children stay in their rooms – I do not want them disturbing our meeting.”
“Yes, Ripley.” Cassandra leads Kaia out of the dining hall.
The night feels cool and the smell of the sea enters the girl’s bedroom. Selina watches from her balcony as a carriage nears the manor. She hears a gruff voice telling the horses to whoa, before a tall dark figure exits the carriage. Selina goes back into her bedroom.
“There’s that strange man again that father met with last month.” Tempest states, while brushing Nerine’s hair, “I wonder what his dealings are with such a frightening man?”
“Maybe he owes father money?” Nerine suggests.
Kaia is busily organising her cards and cannot hear the conversation that her sisters are having. Upon turning them, Kaia gasps.
“What is it Kaia?” Tempest drops the brush and wanders over, closely followed by Nerine.
“What is it? Are you using your cards?” Nerine questions impatiently, “Tell me about the pictures?”
Kaia grabs her little sister’s arm and allows her to sit on her lap. “The cards are strange. This spread seems to suggest that ill fortune will surround this house.”
Tempest throws up her hands, “Well… what else is new. Ill fortune always surrounds this house – I thought it was something exciting.” The older sister pulls Nerine off Kaia’s lap and goes back to the bed to finish brushing Nerine’s hair.
“Tempest, this is different. It’s like an evil presence or something.” Kaia explains with a hint of panic.
“Yes… like father.” Tempest mutters under her breath.
Nerine gasps, “You can’t talk about father like that… OW!” Tempest brushes the girl’s hair roughly.
“Kaia, I am sure that it’s not going to be too bad, whatever it is.” Tempest puts the brush on the dresser and gives Kaia a hug. “You put too much faith in those cards. Now we need to be off to bed, before father punishes all of us.”
“Maybe Selina will know what’s happening!” Nerine exclaims, as her two sisters tuck her into bed.
“Now you just leave Selina alone.” Tempest directs, “You know that she likes her privacy. She doesn’t need a little child running around giving her a headache with nonsense chatter.”
The sisters kiss Nerine goodnight, before Tempest leads Kaia down the attic stairs to her bedroom.
Kaia does not notice the loud voices growling downstairs, and Tempest tries her best not to alert her sister to it.
“No, I will not accept it!” She hears her father shout, “This has gone on for long enough!”
“You will accept it or you will bare the burden of the consequences, Ripley.” A gravelly voice retorts. “I do not believe that you would want to fall out of favour with the guild.”
“What’s wrong?” Kaia interrupts Tempest’s eavesdropping.
Tempest smiles. “Nothing… Just daydreaming.”
Kaia sees through her sister’s lies, but decides not to press her further. Then with a hug goodnight, both enter their rooms. (hide spoiler)]