Disclaimer: I don't own the Charlie Bone series, Jenny Nimmo does

Disclaimer: I don't own the Charlie Bone series, Jenny Nimmo does!

Plot: Olivia's thirteenth birthday, in Florida! At first it seems to be going perfectly to plan, but then somebody goes missing and everything goes haywire……

Pairings: Kinda TancxEm

Chapter Two

Lightening suddenly cracked through the sky, and as thunder boomed overhead like a giant drum, rain started to pour down onto the hastily packing-up party.

Emma dashed for the cover of a nearby tree, glad that she was still in all her clothes, and not clutching a towel like some of her friends were doing.

Charlie was already sheltering under the palm, his t-shirt and shorts soaked to the skin from all the rain. (It couldn't have been from the swimming, because he had been forbidden to go into the water due to a cold.)

He looked disturbed. "Why is everyone packing up when Tanc's still out there?" he wanted to know.

"We can hardly stay out here in this weather!" Emma pointed out. "And what about your cold?"

"Blow my cold!" Charlie said, almost angrily. "The hotel's miles away – we can hardly leave Tancred here for god knows how long!"

Billy came running up, his white hair dripping into his ruby-red eyes hidden by the huge glasses perched on his nose.

"I can hardly see a thing through these!" Billy wailed, taking off his glasses and furiously wiping away the rain-drops that had been distorting his vision. He put them back on and beamed at them. "Ah, that's better!"

"As I was saying," Charlie continued, "We can't just drive off and leave him here!"

Billy looked very interested. "What are you going to do about it then?" He didn't need to ask who they were talking about – it was pretty clear.

Emma gave a half-laugh. "There's nothing much we can do!"

"We could always go and look for him," Charlie mused thoughtfully. "But it'd be pretty hard to find him in the dark, and we haven't got torches."

"And we have no idea where he is." Emma added dejectedly. They stood in the rain for a while, wondering what on earth they would do. Then Billy spoke up.

"I bet he'd be out on those rocks we saw when we went looking for shells earlier!"

Charlie's face lit up, and Emma felt a glimmer of hope stir. "Yes, he said then that it would be a great place to sit!" Charlie said excitedly.

"But I doubt it'd be very safe in this weather – just look at the waves out there!" Emma pointed out across the surging and writhing water in the cove. "And it'd be even worse out on the rocks as there's no protection. We could be swept away!"

"We just have to risk it!" Charlie decided. "Let's go and tell the others!"

The three children scurried across the wet sand to where their friends were huddled under a cluster of small palms, slipping and sliding as the sand slopped everywhere.

"No way!" Lysander said instantly when Charlie outlined their plan to him. "It's way too dangerous."

"I agree with Lysander." Fidelio decided too, and Gabriel looked positively terrified at the thought of clambering over slippery rocks in a storm.

"You can go if you want, but I'm staying here!" Olivia said mutinously, folding her arms across her chest defensively. "There is no way I'm going after Tancred when he's in a strop."

"He's not in a strop!" Emma protested. "Just a bit upset, that's all."

Olivia gave a 'huh!' of disbelief and turned her back on them. It was clear that she'd be no help whatsoever.

"What about you, Naren?" Charlie asked. He was starting to think that it might just be him, Emma and Billy on this rescue mission.

Naren looked indecisive. "I – I don't know." she said uncertainly, glancing at Olivia's back. "I don't really like storms, and…"

"And what?" Billy asked.

Naren flushed and kicked at the sand. "I'm scared of the dark." she admitted in a half-whisper.

Charlie was shocked, disbelief written across his face. "Oh – OK then." he said sadly, and turned away.

Emma and Billy hurried after him, squinting into the fierce rain lashing down into their eyes.

OK then! This chapter is a bit shorter than the last one, as I haven't had much time to write because I've been away.

Thanks to all three of my reviewers: ThePrincessTigerLily, GoldenPeony and a random person who called themselves 'duuuuuuuuuu'.

I really appreciate reviews….hint hint…..and constructive criticism is good...though I don't mind compliments!

Chapter Three should be up shortly….and as a teaser, I'll tell you one thing……IT'S GOT SHARKS IN IT!