Chapter One: The Break
Maria:
I looked back at the two family's behind me, memorizing their faces. Uncle Benjamin, Loveday, Marmaduke, Digweed, Coeur De Noir... and Robin De Noir, the boy who had tried to kidnap me not two weeks earlier. I don't know why my heart fluttered at the sight of him. Then I jumped. As I fell, I could hear Robin's cries stand out from Loveday's and Uncle's. "NO! Maria! NO!" Then I hit the water. It hit me like I had dove onto a slab of asphalt. All the air was knocked out of me as I felt the freezing cold water engulf me. Once I was fully submerged, I scrambled to make sure that all the Moon Pearls fell off of my dress and into the sea. As soon as I saw the last Pearl hit the sea bed, my vision started to stretch then squeeze, and blur as I ran out of oxygen. Then the darkness came.
Robin:
When Maria looked back at us, looking so desperate to save us, to break the curse, she slowly ran through all of our faces, first her uncle, then Loveday, Marmaduke, Digweed next, Father, and lastly, me. It seemed like she looked at me a split second longer. Or maybe I'm just crazy. And when she jumped, I could feel the air and color drain from my body, I couldn't help the cry that escaped from my mouth. I was the first to reach the ledge, but all I saw of her where a few fiery red strands of hair.
Loveday:
"Maria... please... don't...: I silently pleaded her. But, typical Maria, she didn't catch my look. As she jumped, it felt like the whole world had stopped spinning. Robin started running, but in slow motion. And when he screamed, it was so faint, like I was underwater. Then I realized I was yelling and crying as well. "MARIA!" When everyone reached the cliff, there was a heavy, thick, unbreakable silence. Then, when we finally looked up, we saw the moon, looming close, too close. Like a giant taunting us from above. It hit the horizon and there was a huge, massive, explosion of warm moonlight that bathed us then passed over Moonacre. When I could open my eyes, I saw a colossal wave coming towards us, and fast. We all took a few steps backwards, but knew, that when it reached us, we would all most definitely drown.
M:
I started to breathe again, and very faintly heard ethereal singing/vocalizing. I could feel myself riding - more like hanging like a ragdoll – a large creature, but my eyelids were just too heavy to check exactly what it was. I felt the sea spray on my face and could smell the salt. There was the sound of a huge wave slamming against the rocks, then silence. I slowly forced my body to sit up and my eyelids to open. I saw Robin first. Then Loveday and Uncle Benjamin. They were holding each other. I wonder if there's gonna be a wedding? I smiled so wide I felt as if my lips would split. "Maria!" Loveday was the one who broke the silence. I slid off the –unicorn?!- and met her on the ground.
She hugged me then started to lead me towards everyone else, who were seemingly frozen in place. "Robin, were you worried?" I asked him, with a teasing smile on my face. "Psh, no. Anyone could've done that." Loveday gasped and playfully hit her brother on the back of his head, almost knocking off his hat. All of the sudden, Dulac stepped out of the tunnels and cocked his gun at me, "I'll finish her once and for all!" Even more suddenly, Ms. Heliotrope ran out and started hitting him with a broken umbrella! Hmph. Ugh. "Oww!" Thud. "Maria! I've come to save you!" She yelled as she ran towards me and enveloped me in a bearhug. -I mean, as much as she could- We all laughed at that. A wave of fatigue washed over me at that moment. No one seemed to notice, except Robin, of course. He walked over to me and whispered in my ear, too low for anyone else to hear, "You can lean on me if you need to." I looked at him, mocking suspicion, "And why would I need to do that?" He caught on quickly. "Oh, I don't know, it's not like you just jumped off a cliff and almost drowned or anything." He said sarcastically and rolled his eyes as he draped his arm around my shoulder. I couldn't help but laugh. He pulled me to his side and forced me to lean on him. "I have to say Your Royal Highness, you fit here pretty well." I wanted to tell him exactly where my knee fit, but another wave of fatigue crashed into me. I actually was pretty glad he was supporting most of my weight, because I could feel the strength draining from my legs. "Princess?" Was the last thing I heard as my eyelids closed and my legs buckled, then a pair of strong arm catch me before I even had time to fall.