The great gathering
Lilly's in terrible trouble and only Connie can save her. Will she get there in time or will it all go horribly wrong. And can Iona and the other three mini-universals save Col as he fights Kullervo's old forces, but who is there new leader.
Chapter 1 Kinga
There was one person who I wanted more than anything to foster me, her name was Kinga. She came to my school, Birchwood, to do a reptile presentation. As soon as she walked through the door something clicked inside me, it was like I was with my mum and dad.
After Kinga had finished, she said that some people could stay behind and handle the animals, which were mostly snakes. Of course I stayed behind and so did Heather. She always got what she wanted and everyone liked her because her mum and dad were really rich, well that's what she said anyway. She was also said to be the bravest person in the class, yet she refused to handle a snake. "What a wuss" I thought, but then I loved snakes and would jump at any chance to hold one.
After Heather was gone I was left alone with Kinga and the snakes. Kinga said that "animals and humans should be treated equally." She also said that "no person should be judged and that no one rose higher than anyone else".
After that she talked about her family and how special each person was to her. She talked about her daughter and her daughter's husband who had a girl called Iona.
That was when I started to listen, her daughter had the same name as me. There was something that interested me about this woman's granddaughter.
"My daughter was a great person" whispered Kinga. She looked at the floor as if she was very upset.
"Did you say your daughter was a great person? Did she do something that made you unhappy or something?" I asked. There was something in what she had said that made me feel sorry for her.
"Yes. I did say was, you see, well I don't usually talk about it but..." she stopped suddenly. That made something come to my mind. It seemed so obvious now.
"It's ok you don't have to talk about it. I was just curious, that's all I'm sor..."
She cut me off mid sentence "No it's ok it's just... that they died I don't know much of how. There were only two eye witnesses and they both refused to talk." When she said that, I knew that I should tell her my story, and see if we have more in common than just both liking snakes.
"It's ok, I know what it's like to lose someone that's close to you... my mum and dad died six and a half years ago. I was there when they died. My mum and dad loved to travel though they would always refuse to go without me. It was hard because my mum couldn't go on a plane because she got very badly airsick. Though my dad couldn't go on a boat because he got very badly seasick so they always split up. The day they died, my dad agreed to cope with his seasickness and go with my mum and me on a boat. That one day when my dad decided to come with us, was the worst possible time. A huge wave broke over the stern and they both went over. In fact everyone went over, except for me and the ships captain. I begged him to go back and get them, they were slowly sinking under, but he refused. There was nothing I could do. I was put in a care home with no known suitable family to take care of me."
Two days later, I was in my room staring out of my bedroom window, watching the sea, waves splashing at the shore. A seagull landed on the sand still damp from where the wave had just sloshed away and began to clean it's feathers. Just when the seagull had moved onto its right wing the wave lapped at it's feet, a bigger wave following the last that smashed into the bird resulting in it taking flight and squawking viciously at the wave. Watching the seagull reminded me of the seal that I had rescued from the beach. It had got itself tangled in a plastic bag. I had named it spray and I still go down to visit her. It makes me angry to think that someone would just throw there rubbish in the nice blue shining blue sea. Everyday I went back to see if she had swum out to sea. A knock on the door disturbed me, and interrupted my thoughts, I am ignoring it. I still thought nothing of it when Kathy, the person whose in charge if one of us has the possibility of a future foster parent rang a bell indicating a meeting. I ignored the summons. I was still day dreaming, it was only when my best friend Mia came in and told me there was a meeting that I broke away from my window.
Making my way down stairs and into the large wood panelled room which was used as a dining room where the meetings were always held. I realised that I was the only one that had been missing. Kathy had already started. Making my way with Mia to our normal seats, I saw Kinga was standing by the door smiling at me, I started to listen to Kathy "as I was saying this is Kinga Potowska she is here to see if there is a child that would suit her, she's a potential foster parent. Well let's let her introduce herself, Kinga." After a brief pause while everyone turned to face Kinga she started to talk.
Kinga talked in the same proud voice she had been talking in when she was giving the lecture. It was really weird. In school I had hoped that she would turn up out of the blue and foster me, but this made me speechless, I was a quiet girl normally.
"Well as Kathy just said my name is Kinga and I'm looking to foster a child, the child has to like snakes and not mind travelling because that's mostly my job, which is generally helping animals, people and places that are about to be destroyed. I would like to talk to everyone and see which person suits me the best."
When it was my turn Kinga said "When I first saw you there was something inside me that said you were special and that you are the right person for me. Sorry but this is very hard to explain. But all I would like to know is, well, it's one thing. When I first saw you I felt some thing click did you feel the same? Would you like me to foster you?"
"That's two things!" I said.
"Don't get cocky." Replied Kinga.
Not wanting to loose the best person who could possibly foster me in the world I shut up. "The answer to those questions is yes and yes!"
"Great well we should go tell Kathy then come on!"
We walked down the carpeted floors to a small room on the left hand side with a desk and filing cabinets. There was a long talk that I barely listened to I was to busy imagining what my new life would be like.
They finished the papers and told me it was now all official.