Okay hey guys :D yes, it's another girl-on-the-island story, but I read this freshman year and fell in LOVE with it, unlike everyone else.
Rated T for later chapters. Might have to change to M...depends on my mind...
I own nothing...William Golding, the wonderful creator of Lord of the Flies does. Also, I must admit 100reasonswhy inspired this idea in my head.
Warning: Basically nothing for this chapter...later.
Note: Yes, I do four dots, not three. Judge me...
And I'll start naming chapters later.
Chapter 1
~Avy's POV~
I've got to get out of here. I think as my roommate drones on about how the drains were once again clogged up with curly blonde hairs. This is the fourth time I've heard this lecture in the past three months. Ugh. Kill me now. Just as Kayla was about to start her "don't brush your hair in the shower" bit, someone knocks on the door. I smile smugly and proceed to get up and answer the door.
"Hey chica. What's up?" a loud voice shouts as the body that goes with it enters Kayla and I's dorm room. In walks a pale, lanky girl with shoulder-length, dark brown hair and chestnut eyes.
"Hey Kayla! Loving the ponytail!"
"Hey Beth." my roommate gripes, leaving the room.
"Geez, what got her cheeks in a pinch?" Beth asks, motioning to the next room. I shrug. "Huh. Anyway, ready to go?" I smile and nod, grabbing the suitcase feet. We walk down the long hallway leading to the lobby and out to the parking lot where her blue Camry sat waiting for us to hop in and drive to Southport. She pops the trunk open and throws my bag in, slamming it closed.
"Off to Southport to visit Daddy-kins!" I laugh as I sit in the recently cleaned car. After about thirty minutes of craziness, I ask, "Do you think Daddy-kins and my daddy will be happy to see me too?"
"Of course they will Avy. Why wouldn't they?" she frowns. "Aren't you excited? We haven't seen our dads in two years! Be excited!"
"I am! So where does this Gracie live?"
"IT lives in Liverpool." Beth groans. "It's such a hassle to go get her AND she's a brat. Only children are always brats."
"Why are we even picking her up?" I ask.
"Dad's friend is going to Manchester. I don't know why she didn't take Gracie, she has to go through Southport anyway." she says as she rolls her eyes.
"So where are we? Are we almost in Liverpool?" I ask. Just then, Beth takes a sharp right turn, snapping both of our necks.
"Sorry, her grandma's house is down this way." she apologizes, rubbing her neck. At exactly three miles per hour, we drive down the street, finally finding the house. We get out of the car and as we approach the door, Beth groans. "Here goes nothing." She rings the doorbell and a dog on the other side starts barking. An older woman open the door, not bothering to catch the large dog beneath her. The dog lunges at Beth's legs, ripping a hole in her tights. She screams in exasperation at the hole in her uniform tights and the reddening mark on her pale leg.
"Oh Tweety! Get back! Gracie! Time to leave!" the elderly woman shouts into the house. Stomping erupts above the grandmother's head and a girl presents herself.
"You can put your stuff in the car sweetie." I say, flashing a smile at the girl. She groans and stomps off.
"So where are you girls off to and where are you coming from?" the grandmother asks sweetly.
"We're going to Southport from Owestry." Beth answers and I smile as everyone does.
"It's beautiful there. Well, except for Moreton Hall. Boarding schools are the devil's missionary works on earth." the grandmother says with a disapproving frown. The smile on my face quickly disappears and Beth gasps, placing her hand on my arm. I force a smile back on my lips.
"Good day Ma'am." I sprint to the car and slam my door closed. Beth follows closely after.
"Avy, she didn't-"
"Just drive. Please." She nods and switches the car into reverse. After a little while, Beth breaks the silence.
"Do you mind driving the last forty-five minutes? My hands are starting to cramp up real bad."
"Yeah. If you drive over the bridge, then I can drive the last forty-five." I say, motioning to the bridge we were approaching. From the backseat, we hear a small whimper and I turn around.
"What's wrong Gracie?" I ask.
"I don't like bridges." she whispers, her eyes filled with tears. I unbuckle and quickly climb into the backseat. She reaches for me and I take her in my arms. She hides her face in my shoulder and I lightly rub her back. What seems like an eternity later, Beth pulls over at a gas station. I get out of the backseat and takes the driver's side, adjusting the seat to fit my short legs. Beth laughs and I just roll my eyes. I was waiting for the short joke that always came, but this time didn't.
We reach the military base and go through the first gate. They search the whole car, all of our suitcases, and us. They finally let us pass through the gate, giving us a parking pass. We park outside of the large electric gate and walk to the nearby pedestrian gate. On the other side of the narrow passageway, a group of soldiers are standing, laughing at an apparent joke told. They see us coming and one soldier, a tall, tanned being, flashed a very white and attractive smile at us.
"Hello ladies. Can I escort you anywhere?" he asks in a deep, seductive voice.
"Yes. I'm Beth Stoker and this is Avy Hollison and we've come to visit our dads, Sergeants Stoker and Hollison. They work with the Military Reformatory School for Minors." Beth says with the biggest, fakest smile I've ever seen. Another soldier hands us visitor passes as the first soldier chuckles and motions for us to follow him.
"So have you brought a new recruit, or does she need an introduction?" the soldier asks jokingly. He motions toward Gracie, who was being very quiet.
"This is Gracie. We're baby-sitting." Beth answers, a complete change of tone which went unnoticed by the soldier. He leads us through one more gate before he stops in front of a large grey building labeled "Military Reformatory School for Minors".
"Here you are ladies. Show them those passes and you should be home free. Oh and I'm Lance Corporal Shults if you should need me again." he says, waving to us. We make our way up to the entrance of the school which was heavily guarded. The guard on the left side of the door smiles at us and I immediately recognize him.
"Hello Sergeant Miller." I say as he reaches for the visitor pass to scan it.
"Hello Avabeth! It's nice to see you and Bethany! And a new face too!" he says as we pass through the doors and into the office. Mrs. Richardson, the receptionist for the school, looks up and smiles at us.
"Hello girls. How are you? I haven't seen either of you in so long!" she squeals, getting up from her desk and hugging us. We converse with her for a few minutes before stepping toward the door.
"We'll be back. Going to go see our dads." Beth says, hand on the door handle.
"Okay dears. Just a word of warning though: these boys are no longer twelve and neither are you. Just be on your guard and alert an adult if they do anything to you." Mrs. Richardson adds, her eyes fierce.
"Will do!" Beth says over her shoulder, halfway out the door into the hallway. The hallway smelled like boy, if that was even considered a smell. I could practically envision my dad and his classroom through the white concrete corner that stood between us. Just as we were about to be home free, not having to come in contact with the ignorant boys that attend the school, four of them round the corner. They were the same year as Beth and I and were the same age too. I just couldn't remember their names, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing. I stared at the white tiles in front of me, but as I look up, I see that they are all staring at us. Once they pass us, idioticly thinking we were out of ear-reach, they begin to talk quite loudly.
"Did you see them?"
"Duh I saw 'em. How could I not?"
"Dude, I'd take the blonde one to bed. She'd be-"
"Dudes, those are the sergeants' daughters."
"Which ones?"
"The tall one is Stoker's. The blonde is Hollison's, they look just alike."
"Wow guys are idiots." Beth whispers. I nod. We walk a little farther and reach Sergeant Stoker's room. Beth knocks and a booming voice yells for us to come in.
"Daddy!" she yells, running over to his desk. He stands up and hugs her.
"Hello baby girl. Hello Gracie. Hello Avy." he says, acknowledging me.
"Hi Sergeant St-"
"We've been over this Avy. You call me daddy-kins." The nickname earned a few laughs from the few boys that were in the class and Sergeant Stoker turns to them. "Who gave you permission to make noise? Hmm? No one? Alright then, that's what I thought." Turning back to us, he says, "Go see your dad. Before he has his meeting." We exit the room just as the same four boys from the hallway enter. They smirk as my cheeks turn a nice shade of pink, remembering what one of them said about me. I knock on my dad's door. A boy of twelve or so opens the door. He smiles at us and ushers us in. My dad looks up from his computer and smiles at us as he gets up.
"Hi Daddy!" I say as I rush over to hug him.
"Hello Angel. Hello LOUD angel." he says, chuckling at Beth, who I bet he could hear across the hall.
"Hey Sarge!" Beth says, beaming. Just then, Sgt. Stoker rushed in the room in a panic.
"Jay! Turn on the TV! Channel 3!" he yells. Daddy rushes to the television set in the corner of the room and turns it on. Pictures and sirens flash on the screen and he turns the volume up.
"I'm Leslie Banks and I'm here at the crossroads of A565 and Liverpool Road where a bomb of epic proportions has been discovered. Lieutenant Criss! Can you give us any general details?" the reporter says, catching an officer before he rushes to the scene.
"All I can say is that Korea is moved on from America and has matured in epic ways. Anyone within a 100 kilometer range of A565 and Liverpool Road needs to evacuate immediately!" the lieutenant speeds, running to the scene.
"Why weren't we informed earlier? We need to evacuate!" my dad shouts.
"I know. They're getting backpacks with clothes and food for all the kids and then they've got a plane heading to Dublin waiting outside." Sgt. Stoker says.
"What about the girls? Are they going to be able to have a backpack too?" Daddy asks.
"Yeah. They get food and an extra uniform. We're gonna put the three of them on the plane as well. I've got Colonel Addison ready to help them." Sgt. Stoker says pulling a tall, fair-skinned, fair-haired boy into the room. "Ralph, these are Beth, Avy, and Gracie. Take care of them, they're family."
"Yes sir." Ralph says, having a deeper voice than I expected. We all hug and they escort us to the cafeteria where some of the soldiers were handing out navy blue backpacks. Before I get in the line to grab one, my dad pulls me aside.
"Avabeth, I need you to be strong and take care of the boys. Especially the younger ones. I love you so much baby girl."
"I will. I love you too Daddy." I say, my eyes welling up with tears. I hug my dad and hurry over to Ralph who is waiting with Gracie. We wait a few more seconds for Beth, who won't let go of her dad. I rush over and pull her off, giving him a quick hug before we leave. She runs back and gives her dad one last hug before we receive our backpacks and are boarded on to the plane. Not even five minutes after everyone was on the plane, we had started take-off. At least half an hour passes before Gracie, Beth or I even attempt to make any sound, still afraid.
"Avy, are we gonna be okay?" Gracie asks from the seat to my left.
"Of course we are honey. We're just going to Dublin for a couple days until the problem is gone. Then we can go home." I sooth.
"A couple days? That's all I need Miss Hillson." the boy sitting across the aisle says. I look over at him. He was tall, as tall as Ralph. He had bright red hair that almost mesmerized me. Most red hair made me cringe, but his was a gorgeous, deep mix of crimson and copper.
"It's Hollison." I whisper, not wanting to provoke him.
"Oh, I'm so sorry, I apologize. I forgot. Abby, is it?" he asks with an undertone of mockery.
"Avy." I say. I keep eye contact somehow, watching the dangerous fire behind his smile.
"Avy. That's a pretty name. It matches a pretty girl. I don-" he starts, being cut off by Ralph.
"Shouldn't we have landed by now, Jack? Dublin is only forty-five minutes away by plane. It's been almost an hour and a half." he says with a hint of concern. The boy with red hair, Jack apparently, scoffs.
"Addison, chill the hell out. Listen, we left at 12:47. What time is it right now?" he says with a smirk.
"It's 2:13. I told you, an hour and a half." Ralph says, showing Jack the time on his phone. Jack's eyes widen and the corners of his mouth fall.
"Maybe there was something wrong...maybe-" he gets cut off by the sound of a loud clang. The plane jolts slightly downward and there are screams from some of the younger boys in the back. We feel the plane start a slow but steady plummet. Ralph, as panicked as can be on the inside, stands up.
"LISTEN UP! GRAB THE BACKPACK YOU WERE GIVEN AND WE NEED TO GET OFF THE PLANE NOW! FIND A FRIEND AND START HEADING TO THE FRONT TO JUMP OFF! ANYONE TOO AFRAID TO JUMP WILL BE PUSHED! LET'S GO!" Ralph barks over the sobs of some younger boys in the back. Beside me, Gracie starts to whimper and I hold her to me. I grab her backpack and put it on her shoulders, doing the same with my own. Beth grabs my trembling hand, her hand trembling as bad as mine. We make our way to the emergency exit in the front of the plane. Ralph, Jack and another boy were pushing the door open, trying not to fall out once they got it open. Ralph grabs my arm and pulls me to the opening. It seemed as though it was a vortex, a portal to another realm.
"GO NOW!" Ralph shouts over the screaming wind.
"I LOVE YOU AVY!" Beth screams, squeezing my hand.
"I LOVE YOU TOO BETH! AND GRACIE!" I scream, squeezing both of their hands as we jump, plummeting down, down, down.