The war of the waves:Full version

Chapter One1

The Nighttime2

All was quiet in the home of Warbler. Trisha was in her room reading a book, Garth was in his studio drawing, and Drake was fast asleep. Garth was drawing a picture of his father, tears almost forced out. It was the second night he wasn’t there, but that was enough for all of the Warbler kids. Their mother was in her bed, knowing her she was doing a crossword puzzle. Garth ran to Trisha’s room with the picture clenched in his hand, tears forced back. He jumped on her bed and sobbed “I want him back; I want him here with us!” He showed her the paper and Trisha gasped. The colors he used were vivid, and his face looked as if it was as soft as a lamb’s ear. “Garth this is wonderful,” She began, stroking his hair. “You know, dad left you something years ago, in your baby box when he was going to go to the war.” Trisha said, still admiring the picture. Garth jumped up and pleaded with wet eyes “Oh, please, Trisha! Please show the box to me!” Trisha could never refuse such an alluring look as this, so she smiled, got up, and went to her closet. Garth seemed confused. “If it’s my baby box, why is it in your room?” He asked, apprehensively looking at the box. Trisha laughed and said “So you don’t find it, that’s why.” Garth frowned playfully and lifted the top off the box. He had to scoot his fingers in through the baby clothes to see anything. Trisha shouted and pulled up a letter “Look! Garth it’s from dad! This is the letter!” Garth took no vacillation and grasped the letter. “Well, don’t just stand there, open it!” Trisha shouted eagerly. Garth shot her a nasty look and opened the letter. A dollar bill flew out and landed at Garth’s feet. He picked it up and set it on the bed, then read the letter 3

“Dearest Garth,4

I feel, well, so sad on account of the war, and my leaving. If I must, I would search all the seas I plan to roam, every island of the three I might be on, and of course the three plains that are connected to the islands. Do not have fear! I will soon be back, darling, and when I am, I will never go back to the war; I swear all the things I am telling you are true. Do not be put down by other kids in school; they know what you are going through. I know Zack’s dad; he is in my troop.5

Shadows6

Lurk7

In 8

CORNERS Three plains lead to three islands,9

Ice, Fire, and storms.10

One in the highlands,11

The others are shores.12

Beware on the plain of ice,13

Wolverines might bite.14

But if they even try,15

Grab a piece of light. Fire holds lava,16

So watch your feet.17

Even hotter than java,18

The creatures you meet.19

Storms have lightning,20

Stay out of water, Birds that sing, Are sometimes WARBLERS.” 21

Drake heard the others and woke up; dashing in to see what was going on “Trisha! We HAVE to find dad! Wolverines, creatures, lighting, that sounds cool! And we ARE birds that sing; you’re in a chorus! Oh please can we go?!” Garth shouted. Trisha thought about the letter, rubbed her head and saw Drake in her doorway. “What’s this about?” He asked. Trisha gave Garth a stern look and proceeded to tell Drake what was going on. When she finished, she rubbed her head, sat down, and thought once again about Garth’s question. Drake thought his idea was marvelous, and agreed with him. Trisha thought over and over about worries she was yet to have. “That letter, is, was, impossible. There can’t be creatures like lava! Or wolverines that can’t be shielded from light! Shadows can’t even LIVE! This just doesn’t make any sense, guys.” She moaned, and tossed herself into her bed. Drake did not give up. “Trisha, please? Do you love dad or not?” 22

Chapter Two 23

Shadow 24

Trisha paced in her room, wondering how their plan would work. If she said no to the boys, she would remember this night as the night she refused to save her father. After the letter, she was hard at work, trying to decipher the riddle her father sent Garth. “Drake, can you get me on the Internet?” She asked, still pacing around. Drake reluctantly pulled up the Internet on Trisha’s laptop. She still had no countenance of excitement or fun. She just stared off into space while pacing around. “I’m done.” Drake groaned. Trisha didn’t move for a second, but she then looked at Drake with a wry smile. “Thank you, Drake. I was just thinking.” She seemed to air her words out. Garth came back from the kitchen with a count of how much food they had. “We have approximately 12,000 foods so far, and most of them are fruits and meats. That leaves us, let’s see, if we’ll be gone for two weeks or more, that leaves in the cupboard,” He stared at the paper with squinted eyes. “That leaves 11,704 more foods for mom. So, we can take a little more than we need, but not a lot.” Garth smiled at Trisha who was typing a plethora of questions in the search engine. Trisha clicked on an article that said: DAD TODAY, GONE TOMORROW. Garth looked at the screen with shock. “You’re going to read that odious, diluted, norm trash?” Garth hissed at her. “How dare I read about peoples losses that are related to ours?” Trisha recoiled viciously. “Garth, this is going to help us find dad, okay? So just be quiet, please.” Garth tossed a stuffed animal at her. “Hah, like that’ll work. It’s gossip spread by reporters, Trisha! If you look that up,” Garth paused. “If you look that up, it’ll tell you what people have told them. People that don’t know anything about it. I know this!” Drake sheepishly spoke up. “Can you guys not fight for once? Geez, I tell ya’. It’s hidden on an island, with three plains. The plains are water, fire, and ice. There is a route leading from one plain to an island. Besides, that island is where dad is. Didn’t you think of that?” Drake told all that in a quick breath without thought. Trisha looked up on the search engine: plains of elements. Nothing popped up except plane tickets. She searched it again and on the very bottom, there was a link that said LEGEND OF THE PLAINS. She eagerly clicked on it and waited for it to load. (This didn’t take long.) Garth looked aimlessly at the laptop screen and then at Drake. “How did you know about this?” He asked his big brother. Drake just shrugged. “Are you surprised I can do this? I think I’ve done it before, haven’t I?” His voice sounded hoarse. “Hah, does this mean you can cheat on tests for me?” Garth asked. His brother was not amused. “I mean, for you and me of course. You don’t think I meant- Hey! Drake what are you doing?” He called out to Drake, who was standing out of the room. “Shush, Garth. I hear something.” Drake whispered. He looked around the vast house in search of someone, something, anything, that wasn’t supposed to be. His eyes slowly caught among a strange shadow. But, when he looked to see what the shadow was of, there was nothing. Drake couldn’t believe the sight he saw. Garth poked his head out of the room and shrieked silently. Trisha looked out of the room and saw the shadow. She not only shrieked silently, but reached into her pants-pocket and pulled out her pager. She pushed the button for MOM and sent the message to her mother. Not a long time passed, for her mother poked her head out of her room and gasped. The shadow was getting closer. And closer. And closer. Still as silent as ever, the three kids stood as frozen as they were before. The shadow came so close to their mother’s door that she did a foolish thing: slammed the door and locked it.25

The shadow seeped in the cracks of the door and slid across the walls. Drake heard another slam right beside him. “Ow, Trisha! What are you doing? That thing could hear you!” Drake whispered very hoarsely. Trisha shook her head. “No, Drake, you saw how that shadow only stuck to the walls?” She explained. Drake nodded, still not getting it. “Drake, if we are in the center of the room, it can’t hurt us. If we are underground, it can’t get us. If we hide in a corner and act like sissies it very much will try to hurt us. And if it can hurt mom, it can hurt us. So, how do we know it can hurt mom?” Trisha said still in a calm whisper. Drake looked up slowly. “You’re not suggesting we go in her room to find out are you?” He asked in a louder tone. Trisha bit her lip. “Drake if we stick to the middle, we know already we can’t be touched. So we simply open the door and stay in a line, not acting scared. We save mom, and then we go outside.” She explained, taking out a key. “Why outside? Of anywhere, why outside?” Drake asked. Trisha laughed to herself. “There are no walls outside, silly. That’s why out of any place outside.” Garth finally spoke up. “Well, then how’d it get in here? You don’t suppose it had a removable wall sticking to it, do you?” His words kind of made sense. But Drake proved him wrong. “Not if something created it while they where here.” He said. Trisha waited and said, “Okay, so now we go in mom’s room. Let’s go.” Garth took the extra pair of house keys and Trisha’s car keys and followed Drake out the door. Trisha held the key in her hand, as though she were going to pull out a door and unlock it. She reached the door and put the key in twisting it slowly, as not to alarm the shadow. Then she inaudibly opened the door. Her mother was on her bed, tears rolling down her cheeks. She shakily put out a finger to a nearby wall. There was the shadow. It came slowly over to the door. Trisha ran into the center of the room, followed by Drake and Garth. The shadow was intimidated, it had been tricked. “Mom, come in the center with me!” Trisha yelled softly. Her mother didn’t hesitate to listen. The door was still open, but the shadow just stood (Or whatever it did) on the wall, as still as a rabbit in the Arctic. Trisha walked slowly over to the door, and sure enough, there was the shadow, still frozen. The rest of the family walked out of the room and went outside. Their mother had some questions about what just happened, why and what that was. Neither Drake nor Garth could be too unwilling to this opportunity. “That thing was a shadow of, let’s see here, uh, dad?” Garth guessed. Drake shook his head. “No, no it couldn’t have been. It was a shadow of a sign. An island is where dad is, right? So the name or what inhabits it is a shadow!” Drake explained. “Ah, always the mystery solver in the family, Drake. Yes, he is on an island. It is far, far away from here.” Their mother answered, though they didn’t ask a question. “So, it is an island! Shadow Island, the name is. I don’t know how much of this night is real, but this is a very, very obscure clue. Somehow I too know the precise cause that shadow was here tonight, but I wish I never found out.” Drake Paced like Trisha once did, wondering how they could get to their father in three week’s time. “Stop pacing around in such a manner, Drake!” Trisha shouted seeming a little annoyed that she once did the same. “We can get there in time, Drake! Don’t worry!” Trisha whispered when their mother was walking to the door again. Drake shook his head in skepticism. Their mother (who’s real name is Aurora) Twisted the doorknob and shrieked. “Trisha! The door is locked! It found a way to-” Trisha chuckled and held out a key. Aurora walked over and took it. She twisted it in the knob and found it was the wrong key. “Trisha, this is the wrong key! Why did you take the wrong key! Now we’re locked out of our own house. Oh, goodness. That accursed shadow!” She was mad now. Trisha’s face went blank; her skin tightened at the thought of being outside forever, much less, when that shadow could lurk out at any moment. Sometimes even she could think up the worst excuses for taking the wrong key. “Trisha, I thought you took the right key, I really-” Trisha cut in Garth’s lecture right before he finished it. “Garth, I know I took the right key, that key was on my key-chain! I use that key when I get home. That lock is jammed or something.” Trisha felt bad for not knowing what she did wrong. Drake looked at her sympathetically and said “I know that was on your key chain, Trisha. You’re not wrong.” As soon as he finished saying those good words, a large moaning sound came from the house. Garth screamed as the doors flew open and light burst out.26

What was happening?27

Chapter Three28

There is a phrase which explains how you feel when you don’t know how to put it. This is the time that the Warblers could use that word. Drake ran to Garth and shielded him from the blinding light. Trisha was in shock so much that when the light burst out, she rolled down the hill and into the pasture. Aurora screamed, jolted running passed the boys and head into the pasture where Trisha was. Garth and Drake followed some time after with cuts on their face and tears in their eyes. Trisha rolled over to see her mother and brothers. “Mom, what was that?” She moaned. Aurora blinked the tears out of her azure eyes and smiled sadly. “I don’t know. Are you......okay?” asked her mother, glad to see she wasn’t hurt. Much. Trisha rolled over some more and revealed that her blouse was ripped up and she was scraped and cut up. Aurora let out a choking sob, and said “Well then, not just a scrape.” Trisha laughed, but even that hurt. Drake ripped of the part of his shirt that was too long for him and ran to the nearby pond. Garth shook his head and said “I wish you are okay, at least part of you. Please be okay, little warbler.” He half smiled and so did Trisha, still tranquilized by the pain. Drake ran back with the soaked cool cloth. Trisha rolled over to where the cuts were and Drake carefully wrapped the bandage around her. Trisha sighed with relief and thanked Drake. Aurora sighed and said “Will you be all right when I’m gone for my trip?” Trisha looked at Garth and then at Drake, and moaned “I think I will be okay.” Both Drake and Garth smiled, and looked off into the sky, as if nothing happened. “Are you sure you won’t need to go to Doctor Haley?” Her mother asked. Trisha shook her head. “No, I’m fine.” Garth helped Trisha up carefully. Apparently that wasn’t enough, and Drake had to bring out an invention he had made. He called it the Rolo-1000; It was an electric wheel chair with a recline on it. Trisha helped herself on the chair and relaxed in it the best she could. When they reached the deck of the house, Garth found the doors were not locked and went in. Then followed Aurora, Drake and Trisha. All the lights were turned on, except for one light: Aurora’s light. Trisha remembered the letter, and how it said the wolverines were repelled by light, but that shadow wasn’t a wolverine. But Drake figured it out after a while. “Maybe they just call the shadow wolverine,” Began Drake, in a whisper tone. That made perfect sense to both Garth and Trisha. It fit how it acted. “Come on guys, let’s get some sleep.” Moaned Garth, half asleep already. Trisha closed her eyes and sighed. She knew that when she awoke, their problems would melt away as quickly as they had come. As the Warblers drifted off to sleep, they all had a sense of security. They were going to find their long lost father, tomorrow. Only one day, they could close their eyes. 29

Trisha was the first to rise, which was unusual because she normally slept for hours. She yawned and limped into the kitchen. The light was still on. But one thing bothered Trisha. There were deep claw marks etched on everything. Trisha looked morosely at the cluttered room. Her favorite painting, also one that Garth did, and Drake’s paintings were shred up on the ground. Trisha blinked back tears and ran into her mother’s room. Aurora was already up and dressed. “I just got up, did you?” Her mother yawned. She glanced at Trisha suspiciously and murmured “Trisha, what is it?” Trisha did not respond. She had a blank look on her face. Her mother got up and peered out the hallway, followed by gasps and shrieks of pure terror. She slowly walked into the bright room with her hand covering her mouth. She picked up the clawed picture of Mr. Warbler and wept a stream of tears. Her face was red, not only with sadness, but with rage at the Shadow. She had not heard a sound when she was sleeping, and that made her even tenser. She shook her head hastily and looked at Trisha. With an innocent visage, she sighed. Garth and Drake came stunned into the living room, which now you could call it the dead room. Chills swept up the spine, and a million questions balled in all heads. Where would the kids stay when I go for the five or six weeks that I’m gone? That question came from Aurora. ‘How will we get dad home?’ inquired Garth, Trisha and Drake’s minds. Trisha sighed again, and walked through the refuse to the carved oak door. Twisting the door knob, she laid her head down in grief. She exited the house with a miserable look on her face. Aurora looked at the somewhat damaged clock ticking by. It was eight thirty-seven already! She shifted uneasily and cleared her throat. “Boys, I’m sorry to say this but I’m going to have to go soon. I need a moment to, just, well...I need to say goodbye to Trisha and you guys, so...” She paused and then embraced Garth, then Drake. She blinked away more tears and laughed a little. “Try not to leave the house, well, worse.” She joked and then made sure they could stay with all they needed. She then said goodbye and looked for Trisha outside. 30

The Mission31

It is not easy business when you are saying goodbye. You can be emotional and cry many tears when one is leaving, you could not make a scene and say goodbye, but then afterwards cry when the person is gone as to not make them sadder or you could really wish the person would stay but you needed to do something that did not involve them. For Trisha, It was all of those things, plus guilt of not telling her mother about the trip they were going to try to take, but even then it would be best for her to not know. As her mother left in her car, Trisha waved, knowing her mother would have a good time. Trisha, covered in an assortment of weeds and cuts, trudged into the house and began to make a conversation with her brothers. In doing so, she figured out how to plan the trip, how to find their way, and how to keep safe along the way. “We’ll have to leave in the morning, so eat well, sleep well, and first thing is first: let’s clean up this mess the best we can.” She implored the boys. Reluctantly, Garth agreed, and put up a drawing that he made that the shadow had taken off the nail. Avoiding all the dangerous shards of mirror, Drake replaced the usual white mirror with his own blue one. Books were put back on shelves, sofa cushions where they belonged, and scrap paper was put in the trash. Amazingly, the room was back to normal. Garth packed food, Drake stared at the ocean ahead, thinking, and Trisha got a shower. Once Trisha was done, and the weeds were pulled out of her hair, she cooked lunch and everyone ate it as well. It was not all glum, for the Warblers had conversations and joked around. Afternoon came, and Trisha and Drake cooked a small dinner before they watched a movie. Perhaps, Garth thought, this was going to be fun after all.32

It was exactly five o’ clock when the alarm clock rang and the sun was trying to breach at the horizon. Packed and ready from the night before, the journey began. The family walked elatedly to the beach. There was a problem they had not revised: Transportation. How humiliating it was for them to come to the beach with not a raft nor a service to take them. “Wait, doesn’t the beach offer canoes and rafts for free?” Inquired Garth. Wow, had they really not thought about that? They took a medium sized canoe and set off. The water was warm, and at about dawn, the motor boats came. Loud and fast, those boats were, and made wake so harsh, Trisha and Drake stopped. About three boats swerved passed the canoe, carrying tourists and neighbors from around the cove. With all of the family’s help, the canoe trudged on. Catfish and bass swam by, taunting Garth by the looks of it. Cutting in and out were beautiful fish, ones that probably no fisher had seen before. Mesmerized by all of the fish and water plants as well as landscape, the siblings pushed farther on, nearing the coast not far from Virginia. Minutes crept by like a caterpillar. Hours, even slower. Was it just them or was it that time as slower when you are at sea? The ocean stretched on for miles and became narrower and narrower. Reaching a peaceful stop, the family was ashore. They took a quick picnic, their only meal for right now, and approached the bay. The sun was setting in the distance when Garth fell into a soft sleep on the back of the canoe.33

It was morning now, and the canoe had made it to the coastal plains of North Carolina. Garth was very hungry and searched the sack for good food, preferably an apple or a tangerine. You must note that this was in the summer and the heat pounded down on the ocean. Trisha and Drake were asleep so Garth took over. Whew! It was hard work alone, and he had to retrieve a bottle of water to start, just so he could keep cool. The water slapped across the canoe, and when the mild wind blew, the salty sea air whipped Garth in the nose. Taking a bite of his apple, he hefted on. From what it looked like, there were no signs of life around them, but Garth could make out a part of a sandy beach, and a lighthouse. It looked small in the distance, so small that Garth thought that he could step on it from here. This must have been weird for Garth, because you see, he had never been outside of this hometown is Lake Anna, Virginia. The beach neared closer, as the lighthouse did. The canoe was going with the wind now, instead of against it. Garth saw a fish, or what he thought as a fish, with a spot on its tail. Gulls circled the lighthouse and the beach, and Garth began to see people walking, swimming, and sunbathing. There were people next to the lighthouse, and there were people crowded around someone singing lively country music. “Oh, boy. Trisha! Drake! Wake up!” Garth yelled. Drake’s shocking blue eyes flashed open, and Trisha yawned getting up. “Where are we, Trisha? Do you know where we are, Drake? Somebody tell me where we are, please!” Garth panicked. Trisha smiled; rubbing her eyes, and took out a banana from the sack. How should she tell him that they traveled faster than they tried? Drake took a paddle and began to row, keeping silent. Garth, exasperated, started to paddle too. “Garth, this place, where we are, is North Carolina.” Trisha said after finishing her banana. Garth stopped paddling. “North Carolina! Where is North Carolina? Is it in France or Spain or something? What did I miss?” Garth asked. Drake tried to keep a straight face, and Trisha looked away to hide her smile. “Garth, we are still in America.” Smiled Trisha. Garth was still puzzled. “Which America? North America or South America?” He asked, looking around the beach, which was coming closer and closer by the second. Trisha took Garth’s paddle and helped Drake. A wave the size of three dogs stacked up was thrashing in the distance. Garth gulped, crossed his legs, and took the only paddle left. “Hurry, before we get knocked over by that wave!” Garth shouted. Drake picked up his pace by a yard faster. Trisha could make out people’s faces on the beach, and sighed, but did not stop. The wave was getting bigger now, and came closer than ever. The size of Garth squatting down, the wave attracted surfers out. Just a little bit further, thought Trisha. Drake’s eyes enlarged and his sleek black hair was swaying a little. Garth paddled one more time harder, and something hit them. The canoe was shoved in the ground. The food sack flew out on the beach. No tourists seemed to notice anything going on. The Garth sized wave was being tamed and shrunk by surfers, and was the size of a stool now. The siblings climbed out of the canoe and picked up the concealed bag. Still, the people danced to the music being played, and sunbathers kept their eyes closed. The once small lighthouse was no longer in the distance; it was about a half of a mile away and stood above them, bigger than two full grown elephants. “Trisha, Garth, welcome to Cape Hatteras.” Drake announced, smiling and shielding the sun from his eyes. Tons of laughter arose from an area next to the huge brick lighthouse. A muscular boy Drake’s age was trying to climb the lighthouse! Anyone in the right mind would call for help, or someone should have came after him and pull him down, but no one in the crowd seemed to care weather the boy broke his neck off if he fell. Still, however, the boy looked physically fit and agile enough to be able to climb at least twelve feet onto the structure without falling, but anything past that, Trisha thought, he would be sure to fall or slip. Garth ran into the crowd yelling for someone to get him down, and oh please won’t someone listen to me! The group of tourists next to the stage where the country music was once played had now been moved away, and a girl in a cow suit was singing and dancing, and entertaining the whole crowd so that no one was stuck doing nothing. In desperation, Trisha had one idea. It might not work, but it was worth a try. It was dangerous, but it would work if she was with Drake. She rushed over to the ice cream stand and bought a big cone. Drake had no idea what she was doing, but stood by her side. Trisha, with enough guts, hit the boy in the back with the ice cream cone.34

No fun in the sun! 35

The reaction that came after that one throw was like yelling at a psychotic bull while in red clothes. The boy, who proved himself as a man, jumped off of the lighthouse. Garth gasped amid the crowd and ran for cover. The teen boy got back up and stared at the crowd with a vicious look on his face. “Who threw that slime at me?” He yelled scanning the group for a suspicious person. He pointed one bony finger at a boy about two years younger than him and growled. “I know you did it, Kelvin!” He shouted and stared him down like a parent scolding a small child. “N-no Tanc, I didn’t do it!” Tanc hissed at Kelvin and stepped away slowly. Garth was moving about the group, behind someone one time, and crouching under someone else the next. After numerous amounts of people were blamed and rejected, including Hanna, Evelyn, Josh, Randy, and the two O’Malley twins Katie and Cody, Tanc did not give up. Trisha then did a foolish thing. She did a very, very, very foolish thing to do. When Tanc neared her side, she pointed blame in the crowd, not being very accurate. “He threw the ice cream!” She shouted, only to protect herself. Amid the crowd, hidden behind a crowd of girls, stood Garth looking wide eyed at Trisha, probably puzzled because she had blamed him when it was her fault. That wasn’t like Trisha. That was more like one of the other blamed kids, calling out names, or rather stuttering them out, just so that Tanc would not skin them and sell them at a fish market. Trisha, of course, was not trying to point at Garth, her finger just was near a group of girls, and Garth, well, he was behind them. Innocent enough, Garth spoke loud and strong. “Why would I do such a thing, Tanc? I don’t know what she’s talking about. I don’t even like ice cream. I hate it so much, I wouldn’t even touch it.” Garth lied, though the part about him not throwing the ice cream was true. Tanc smiled, an icy smile with sheer amusement touching them. His lips were red like an apple, but that did not make him any sweeter. “I see your point,” Tanc chuckled softly, his golden eyes twinkling. “But what may I call you? Is your name, hmm, you look like a Percy... Maybe not though. Oh, I know what your name is!” Tanc continued, his gaze finally meeting Garth’s. Garth stayed cool, no matter what the pressure was. “I know, your name is, Liar!” He roared, but the chuckle was still in his voice. Garth narrowed his eyes and shook his head. His mouth formed a curve at one end, and finally showed his teeth. Like rows of sharpened pearls, these were, and Garth himself scared people away from him sometimes. Tanc’s eyes were wider than usual, and he began to quiver a little bit. Trisha now cursed herself for putting upon such a fate for Garth. Drake kept at Trisha’s side and watched his brother start to move closer. I can’t stand this anymore! I am going to tear apart that Tanc... I’ll do it right now! Garth’s mind roared, edging him closer to Tanc. Garth’s mind was too overpowering, he raced, screaming to Tanc, his teeth bared and fists balled. 36

Drake held Trisha back from Garth and Tanc. One punch after the other came, shoving included every other second. Thankfully, though, this fight did not go on for even two minutes. Trisha burst free of Drake’s grasp and charged at Tanc. Tanc was shoved into the hot sand, and Trisha was still standing, panting and gasping. Garth, though, was panting and glaring at Tanc. Tanc did not move for a while, but then he got back up, slowly. He wiped the sweat off of his face, rustled his blue jeans, and popped his neck a little. Trisha was quivering and feeling sorely mortified, but proud that she stood up to this tanned and muscular boy. When no one moved and the wind blew, Trisha as well as Garth began to feel scared. Tanc then spread a wide sincere smile and shook his head at Trisha. He laughed a hearty laugh that just showed more malevolence in him and muttered something under his laughs. Garth’s eyes enlarged as Tanc slowly trudged over to Trisha. Drake walked through the sand and crowd and as soon as Tanc even got close to Trisha, Drake grabbed her by the arm and looked at Tanc in the eye. “She’s my sister, pal. You had better not touch her.” Drake hissed at Tanc. Trisha, scared out of her life, held on to Drake. Garth growled quietly facing the sand. The truth was, as far as Garth knew, was that Trisha had thrown an ice cream cone at a stupid, strong teenager that scared the life out of everyone and she blamed him for it. Garth wasn’t growling, you see, because of Tanc. He was growling at Trisha. Trisha knew what the real truth was in this misfortunate incident. She hadn’t tried to frame poor sweet Garth, she just happened to point her finger in the crowd of girls. No one moved for a longer time and Drake squeezed on Trisha’s arm hard. Trisha shouted, louder than before.37

“Don’t hurt Garth! It was me! I threw the ice cream! Here, I even have the receipt for it, so don’t try saying anything.” 38

“Give it here.”39

“Why? So that you could rip it up? No!”40

“I said, give it here, girl.”41

Drake’s temper grew, but he managed to stay calm. Trisha felt like punching Tanc right there. Instead, she stalled. Garth was no longer mad at Trisha, so he got up and trudged over to her.42

“Move it, Liar.” Tanc insulted Garth. “Your sister is about to be fried.”43

“You want to bet on it?” Trisha hissed.44

The crowd went wild. Chatter and betting went on and a boy was even selling bets to see who would win this fight. Garth was shocked at Trisha. Tanc was contemplating the reason in Trisha’s side. He saw the printed evidence. A girl in the crowd giggled and pointed one finger at Tanc. He obviously did not like being made fun of. He limped over to the girl who made fun of him and grabbed her long pony tail. Yells of sheer terror were thrown out of the girl as each yank became stronger. The rest of the crowd, too scared to do anything, watched in sadness. Her friend called out “Leave Hanna alone!” Tanc was too shocked to do anything now. The girl ran off and joined the older people next to the dancing girl in a cow suit. Tanc’s power was going down. The friend had a strong look in her eyes. The people next to the friend stared at Tanc looking furious. He then realized that he had been hurt by a girl of probably seventeen or eighteen. Nevertheless, he had been stood up to by a crowd of people who were too scared to stand up to him in the first place. Trisha realized the quietness and the serenity of the shore so she brought up the conversation.45

“Are you scared of us? Are you scared like they were of you?” She asked looking at the crowd. Tanc turned around, looking not so aloof.46

“What makes you think that?”47

“Well, seeing how you were quivering at me and looking at the crowd with a look that said ‘don’t hurt me please!’ I think you’d be pretty scared. Do you get my drift?”48

He thought about this. He was really scared?49

“Who are you anyways? Are you anywhere from North Carolina?” He asked, procrastinating, probably.50

“We’re from Virginia. Lake Anna, Virginia, to be exact. Why do you ask?”51

“I’m from Asheville...” His voice sounded distant and quiet.52

TO BE CONTINUED.....53