Wow! It's been SO long!

I am SO very sorry! What with school, I haven't gotten a chance to update. Stupid school.

Well, anyway, Happy Thanksgiving! And also, happy birthday to MEEEE!

Yup, it was my birthday a few days ago! I am officially one year older than a year ago (cuz that totally makes sense, right?)!

So this chapter is dedicated to me! Yay!

Mucho Love-o,

Live :D

PS did anyone else notice that the last chapter's title sounded like the title of a Magic Tree House book? Anyone? I used to LOVE those books! Man, those were the days (yup, those days five or six years ago... the good ol' days.)

"Marie?" Mum's muffled voice calls from the other side of the bedroom door, "Supper's ready. Do you feel well enough to eat?"

I lay with one arm cast across my eyes, victim to an awful, pounding headache. "Not really..."

I hear her loud sigh even through the door. I know what she's thinking: that I didn't eat last night, either, and had hardly any lunch. I feel bad for causing her to worry, but I just haven't the energy to eat. "I'll eat later, okay?"

"Alright. I wish the pharmacy was open on Sundays. We've already run out of pain killers. I'll leave you alone now." I hear her steps retreating down the stairs.

I must have drifted off, because when I open my eyes and take my arm off my face, my room is dark. I look at the alarm clock on my bedside table. It's quarter to nine, meaning I was asleep for three hours. The headache is almost gone, which is nice, but if this is anything like the last few times, it'll be back before dawn.

I swing my legs over the side of my bed and carefully stand. I'm not dizzy- a very good sign. I wonder momentarily what woke me, but the answer very quickly becomes obvious.

Whoo. Whoooo, whooooo, who. Who-whoo.

An owl, singing its lonesome song somewhere outside. I cross my room to the window and look out at the night, the moonlight gently touching everything with a soft glow. The sea, which I can glimpse through the trees, distantly shines, and shadows are laced through the strip of forest. It is a full moon, and everything is beautiful.

Outside, the owl suddenly stops calling, and I swear I can hear the faint rustle of feathers as it glides into the indigo and silver night.

I sigh as the pounding in my head begins again, and go back to bed.

The Next Day

The wind whips Sapphire's long, dark hair into her face as she climbs down to the cove. The day is overcast, but warm, the clouds a leftover from a late night rain shower that also left a dampness to everything.

But things are always damp by the sea, Sapphire thinks, a little smile playing over her lips. Always wet near Ingo.

"Hey, Saph!" A voice calls out from behind her. "Where are you off to?"

Sapphire, having arrived safely at the bottom of the cliff, turns and waves at her brother as he makes his way down the rocks to join her on the sand. "Where do you think?"

Conor's tan face breaks into a grin. "Come on, then!" With that, he takes off across the beach. Sapphire is about to follow when she is struck by a sudden wave of dizziness.

Sapphire... little sister, you mustn't... stay away...

She gasps, dropping to her knees. "F-Faro...?" Her heart starts pounding, black splotches dancing across her vision and light fluttering behind her eyes, flickering at the edges of her vision. Flash images play through her mind, but she can't make out what they are showing.

Sapphire... Sapphire...

"Sapphire! Sapphire!" Conor has come to kneel by her side. "Hang in there! I'll go get Mum, or Roger- or both, or- hey! Sapphy!"

Sapphire feels her body go limp, her cheek hitting the cool sand. Before she gives into the exhaustion that suddenly overwhelms her, she manages to whisper, "Faro..."

Humming a song in some strange, musical language, Aislyn flips onto her back, allowing the soft current to carry her along. She stares up at the sky, looking like rippling blue-green glass, far above her. She is not really doing much of anything - just drifting, something she finds herself doing more and more lately. Especially since she started having those mysterious headaches...

In the back of her mind, Aislyn wonders about her daughter. The last time she saw her, she was so tiny, such a fragile little creature. Everyone, even the healers, said that she could never survive. Aislyn can still see the child's enormous blue-grey eyes, looking up at her with such... life. That child, with those eyes - could she really be dead now? Even with her pale face, her sheer delicateness, Aislyn could not believe that she was not alive. Not when she felt her, felt her presence in the back of her mind, and heard her voice, like a violin, heard her distant laughter, saw her in her dreams.
No, Aislyn thinks determindly, she is not dead. Nerfani is alive somewhere. I can feel it.

Dun Dun DUN!

Dramatic Ending!

Please R&R! It would be the bestest b-day present EVA! Actually, no... Legolas (You know, Lord of the Rings? Yep, cuz I'm just a nerd like that. He's such a beautiful, amazing, awesome, wonderful, etc. Elf. -Sigh-)

XXX

Mucho Love-o,

Live :D