A/N: this chapter starts where chapter 2 left off
Chapter 3
I dove in. I could hardly see the salt water was stinging my eyes. I should've been used to it, but I wasn't. I grabbed the gold and swam up and up and up. I didn't have any breath left; I couldn't get to the surface. The bottom was only about 20 feet deep, but it took a lot to even get down there, let alone swim up.
Next thing I knew, I was coughing up water and looking into Elizabeth's wet face.
"Wh-What happened?" I asked, dazed.
"You ran out of breath, and luckily this guy came by and saved you, then immediately ran off. Are you okay?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yeah, I guess," I said. "Is the-"
"The medallion is here, but it really doesn't matter, I didn't know the bottom was so deep. If I did, I never would've told you to get it. You scared me, Emily," she said, with that corny glint in her eyes.
"Okay, good. You were just trying to get it back. Now what is it?" I asked.
On the walk home, Elizabeth explained that she thought Will was a pirate so she took it, then never gave it back and if she lost it she'd regret it for the rest of her life and it was missing that morning. She didn't know why she'd regret it, but she said she would. After I got home, I saw Father sitting in his chair.
"Ah, Emily, glad you could come! Sit down, both of you, please,"
"Yes, Father?" Elizabeth asked as she sat down. I sat down too, but far away from the others.
"Emily, you ran away?" Father asked me.
"No! I was just at the docks!" I explained.
"Doing what, pray tell?" he asked me.
"Thinking," I looked him straight in the eye.
"About what?" he provoked.
"That's my business, not yours, Father," I informed him.
"I'm responsible for you, Emily, as I am for Elizabeth. You are my daughters and I want a straight answer and I want it now. Elizabeth?" he looked into Elizabeth's eyes, past them, into her heart, her soul, searching for the truth.
"We were just talking. Emily, here, needed a private moment," Elizabeth told him.
"Oh, that's reasonable. But for five hours?" he looked into my eyes, my heart, my soul, searching for the truth in me.
"Just lost track of the time, I suppose," I told him, my eyes fixed on the vase behind him, not on my father himself.
"Very likely story, I might as well believe it. Emily, Elizabeth, you may go now. Thank you. Oh, one last thing, Will said something about visiting you two girls in a few hours and I asked him to join us for dinner and he accepted. I want you girls to look good. Will is a fine boy but he is also company," Father reminded us, staring particularly at me.
Elizabeth headed for her room, me for mine. I picked out a scarlet velvet dress with a white velvet sash. I tamed my wild, brown hair and pinned it back. Soon, I was ready. Although Will probably wouldn't come for another hour or two, I would be ready. Will was so nice when we were little, why couldn't he be like that now? I thought as I sat on a chair facing the window, outside was the ocean. Because he loves Elizabeth. I thought.
I thought about the story Elizabeth told me about the medallion. If she wanted to give it back, why didn't she? I pondered the question for a moment. Then, Elizabeth poked her head in and yelled at me.
"You can't be just sitting there, Emily! We have company! Get downstairs, now!" she really needed to start treating me like family besides at the docks. What if she knows about my other hiding place, the one by the big palm tree? I asked myself. That would be so bad! But I did get downstairs.
Will turned out to not even be there yet. He was supposed to be there, or so Elizabeth said. When I saw no one was there, I went to the window seat and watched for him.
"What are you doing, Emily?" Elizabeth asked me. I jolted awake. I had been daydreaming about how good my life would be if I were Elizabeth.
"Daydreaming," I responded.
"Sounds fun," she snorted.
"Hey! Is it a crime?" I asked.
"No, just wake up before Will gets here," Elizabeth said, then walked back to the couch. She sat and fingered the medallion.
After a half hour, Will came.
"I'm so sorry I'm late, Governor. My master kept me late," he explained.
"That's quite all right, Mr. Turner," Father said.
"Good afternoon, Elizabeth, Emily," Will said. I got up, so did Elizabeth. We walked over to him.
"Good afternoon, Will," I said.
"Hello, Will!" Elizabeth smiled. "Excuse us, Father. We'll be upstairs," Elizabeth said, then went up the stairs. Will and I followed her.
As we walked into Elizabeth's bedroom, Elizabeth quickly shut the door.
"Why did you want me to come here, Elizabeth?" Will asked.
"Will, do you recognize this?" Elizabeth pulled out the medallion.
"Yes, I do. It was a gift from my father," Will turned the medallion over in his hands. "Why did you take it?" Will asked angrily.
"Because I was afraid you were a pirate, Will," Elizabeth told him. I just sat there on Elizabeth's bed like a dope. "I'm sorry," Elizabeth apologized.
Just then, I had to get out of there. I never knew why I had to get out, but I just did. I ran out of the room. No one followed, and I didn't even know if that was good or bad. I heard Will and Elizabeth talking after I ran out of the room.
"Should we follow her?" Will had asked.
"No, she's been acting strangely lately. I don't know why. She's been running off a lot," I heard Elizabeth respond.
I didn't stay to hear more; I just ran clear to my room and sat on my bed. I daydreamed more. I dreamed that Will and I were together, that I was Elizabeth, that my family was still alive. After about two hours of dreaming and staring out the window though, I walked downstairs. No one was down there, yet. We were to eat at exactly 6 o'clock. I didn't know what time it was, but I guessed it was around 5 or 5:30.
Once everyone had finished eating, Will went home and Elizabeth and I went upstairs. I knew she loved Will, everyone could see that. Again, in my room I wished I were Elizabeth. When I stood in front of the window, the frame of the window started to glow, then sparkle and shimmer. I looked at it closer, then everything went black.
Chapter 3
I dove in. I could hardly see the salt water was stinging my eyes. I should've been used to it, but I wasn't. I grabbed the gold and swam up and up and up. I didn't have any breath left; I couldn't get to the surface. The bottom was only about 20 feet deep, but it took a lot to even get down there, let alone swim up.
Next thing I knew, I was coughing up water and looking into Elizabeth's wet face.
"Wh-What happened?" I asked, dazed.
"You ran out of breath, and luckily this guy came by and saved you, then immediately ran off. Are you okay?" Elizabeth asked.
"Yeah, I guess," I said. "Is the-"
"The medallion is here, but it really doesn't matter, I didn't know the bottom was so deep. If I did, I never would've told you to get it. You scared me, Emily," she said, with that corny glint in her eyes.
"Okay, good. You were just trying to get it back. Now what is it?" I asked.
On the walk home, Elizabeth explained that she thought Will was a pirate so she took it, then never gave it back and if she lost it she'd regret it for the rest of her life and it was missing that morning. She didn't know why she'd regret it, but she said she would. After I got home, I saw Father sitting in his chair.
"Ah, Emily, glad you could come! Sit down, both of you, please,"
"Yes, Father?" Elizabeth asked as she sat down. I sat down too, but far away from the others.
"Emily, you ran away?" Father asked me.
"No! I was just at the docks!" I explained.
"Doing what, pray tell?" he asked me.
"Thinking," I looked him straight in the eye.
"About what?" he provoked.
"That's my business, not yours, Father," I informed him.
"I'm responsible for you, Emily, as I am for Elizabeth. You are my daughters and I want a straight answer and I want it now. Elizabeth?" he looked into Elizabeth's eyes, past them, into her heart, her soul, searching for the truth.
"We were just talking. Emily, here, needed a private moment," Elizabeth told him.
"Oh, that's reasonable. But for five hours?" he looked into my eyes, my heart, my soul, searching for the truth in me.
"Just lost track of the time, I suppose," I told him, my eyes fixed on the vase behind him, not on my father himself.
"Very likely story, I might as well believe it. Emily, Elizabeth, you may go now. Thank you. Oh, one last thing, Will said something about visiting you two girls in a few hours and I asked him to join us for dinner and he accepted. I want you girls to look good. Will is a fine boy but he is also company," Father reminded us, staring particularly at me.
Elizabeth headed for her room, me for mine. I picked out a scarlet velvet dress with a white velvet sash. I tamed my wild, brown hair and pinned it back. Soon, I was ready. Although Will probably wouldn't come for another hour or two, I would be ready. Will was so nice when we were little, why couldn't he be like that now? I thought as I sat on a chair facing the window, outside was the ocean. Because he loves Elizabeth. I thought.
I thought about the story Elizabeth told me about the medallion. If she wanted to give it back, why didn't she? I pondered the question for a moment. Then, Elizabeth poked her head in and yelled at me.
"You can't be just sitting there, Emily! We have company! Get downstairs, now!" she really needed to start treating me like family besides at the docks. What if she knows about my other hiding place, the one by the big palm tree? I asked myself. That would be so bad! But I did get downstairs.
Will turned out to not even be there yet. He was supposed to be there, or so Elizabeth said. When I saw no one was there, I went to the window seat and watched for him.
"What are you doing, Emily?" Elizabeth asked me. I jolted awake. I had been daydreaming about how good my life would be if I were Elizabeth.
"Daydreaming," I responded.
"Sounds fun," she snorted.
"Hey! Is it a crime?" I asked.
"No, just wake up before Will gets here," Elizabeth said, then walked back to the couch. She sat and fingered the medallion.
After a half hour, Will came.
"I'm so sorry I'm late, Governor. My master kept me late," he explained.
"That's quite all right, Mr. Turner," Father said.
"Good afternoon, Elizabeth, Emily," Will said. I got up, so did Elizabeth. We walked over to him.
"Good afternoon, Will," I said.
"Hello, Will!" Elizabeth smiled. "Excuse us, Father. We'll be upstairs," Elizabeth said, then went up the stairs. Will and I followed her.
As we walked into Elizabeth's bedroom, Elizabeth quickly shut the door.
"Why did you want me to come here, Elizabeth?" Will asked.
"Will, do you recognize this?" Elizabeth pulled out the medallion.
"Yes, I do. It was a gift from my father," Will turned the medallion over in his hands. "Why did you take it?" Will asked angrily.
"Because I was afraid you were a pirate, Will," Elizabeth told him. I just sat there on Elizabeth's bed like a dope. "I'm sorry," Elizabeth apologized.
Just then, I had to get out of there. I never knew why I had to get out, but I just did. I ran out of the room. No one followed, and I didn't even know if that was good or bad. I heard Will and Elizabeth talking after I ran out of the room.
"Should we follow her?" Will had asked.
"No, she's been acting strangely lately. I don't know why. She's been running off a lot," I heard Elizabeth respond.
I didn't stay to hear more; I just ran clear to my room and sat on my bed. I daydreamed more. I dreamed that Will and I were together, that I was Elizabeth, that my family was still alive. After about two hours of dreaming and staring out the window though, I walked downstairs. No one was down there, yet. We were to eat at exactly 6 o'clock. I didn't know what time it was, but I guessed it was around 5 or 5:30.
Once everyone had finished eating, Will went home and Elizabeth and I went upstairs. I knew she loved Will, everyone could see that. Again, in my room I wished I were Elizabeth. When I stood in front of the window, the frame of the window started to glow, then sparkle and shimmer. I looked at it closer, then everything went black.