Hey everyone! I'm sooo sorry! I know I said I'd update, but school got in the way again...mainly in the form of the dreaded exams...They are big. They are bad. There are 18 of them. I'm expected to get A* in all of them. They are the reason why I'm doing 5-6 hours of revision a day. They are...GCSE's! Aiiiiiieeee!
They are horrible. And they're the reason why there have been no updates. For ages. My mum really doesn't help. This is the woman who basically told me I was a failure if I didn't get into Oxbridge. Buuuuuurn! Okay, rambling over, down to business.
Firstly, to everyone who has reviewed: THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Also, to people who are worried I may give up on this story, I say this now: I have never on my life given up on a story, and refuse to give up on any story in the future. I may not update for a while, I may put it on hiatus, I may cry and bitch about if I get writers block, but I will NOT give up on it. Especially if I get loads of reviews (hint hint...*wink*).
(This excludes one of my Hunger Games fanfics. But that thing was BAD. Ugh. Just...Mary Sues, everywhere. Ew. No. I can't continue that. Let's just not talk about that. It shames me too much. *A single tear is shed*.)
Thank you to everyone who has read this and I really hope you enjoy what is to come! I'm actually writing this authors note at 5 to 11 at night, so the chapter will hopefully get fully written tomorrow, during my free period. Which is meant for I.T revision, but meh. See? That is how much I love you all. I hope you enjoy and PLEASE keep reviewing!
Also, on the subject of review dedications, I have now made a list of people who I have not given dedications too yet, and am working through it slowly...if I mention you by a old user name, then it's because I wrote the list before you changed it :D.
Also, I'd like to say an absolutely MASSIVE thank you to Darling Summers, Mbali97 and ayamey22, who all reviewed BOTH of my new Ingo fics; a one shot called Time To Fly and a sing-fic called Memories. Thank you so much guys, you are awesome!
I shall also be putting up another one-shot soon, a Mapphire (as I have christened Mal/Sapphy) fic. It can't go up yet though, because the online Cornish dictionary I use (yes I speak a little Cornish :D) is currently in the process of being updated, so therefore I can't use it help me translate stuff into Cornish (aka Mer :D)
Also, this chapter has a double barrelled dedication, because I forgot to add in my dedication for the last chapter in my last update! Sorry!
Dedicated to: LollyMau, FlyHigher, nightwatchman707 AND 12345, SPLASH & TheLiningIsSilver.
You guys totally rock!
Chapter Six
I catch the bus into St Pirans along with Sadie and make my way towards the ice cream parlour. It's on the a street called Back Lane, right by St Pirans harbour. I pause, staring out over the sea for a moment, listening to the soft hush of the waves and the screech of the seagulls overhead, my eyes roaming over the various fishing and sailing boats before climbing the steps. Sadie follows me on to the terrace, where I loop her lead around one of the railings next to the bowls of water put out for dogs by the owner. She begins to lap thirstily as I head inside. Rainbow is sitting at the long counter stretching along the wall, dressed in her trademark pair of rainbow tights and an embroidered jean skirt, waiting for me.
"Hey Sapphy!" she says, bouncing up when she sees me and hugging me. I hug her back, unable to shake the image of a rainbow coloured dog bouncing up to greet me; although of course, if Rainbow was going to be any animal, that's what she'd be. Maybe not rainbow coloured, but a dog all the same. Loyal, trustworthy, faithful and enthusiastic, that's her. Just like Sadie.
"Hey Rainbow," I say, smiling and taking a seat next to her, looking round curiously. She's right; I haven't been in here before, which is unsurprising considering how much time I've been spending in Ingo lately. My eyes come to rest on the sign on the wall, and I can't hold back a grin.
NOBODY CAN RESIST A MOOMAID.
LEGEND HAS IT THAT A YOUNG CORNISHMAN WAS LURED INTO THE SEA BY THE BEAUTY OF THE MERMAID OF ZENNOR.
TODAY YOU'RE MORE LIKELY TO BE SEDUCED BY DAISY, PRIMROSE AND SID VICIOUS - JUST THREE OF THE COWS THAT HELP MAKE TREMEDDA FARM'S ICE CREAM.
THEY ARE THE LEGENDARY MOOMAIDS OF ZENNOR.
I have got to tell Faro about this place. He will be known to me as the Moomaid of Zennor from now on.
The shop is very white, with butterscotch yellow panelling underneath the counter. The floor is black slate and there are metal tables and chairs outside on the patio. I bet it's heaving in the summer, especially with all the tourists.
"Come on Sapphy; ice-cream time!" Rainbow grabs a menu eagerly. I am more hesitant.
"Rainbow...ice-cream has sugar in...Are you sure-"
"Yes!" she says earnestly, her eyes ever so slightly crazy. How much sugar did she have last night?
I stare at her for a moment. "...You can be very scary sometimes..."
"Oh shurrup! Let's get some ice-cream! What do you want?"
I stare at the list and my jaw drops. "...How many flavours are there?"
"Over 30." She said, grinning.
"Okay...any Chocolate and Pecan?" A sudden memory drifts back to me.
I am eleven and I have my hands clamped over my ears, trying to block out the roar of the sea. Chocolate and pecan ice cream, spag bol...The sea roars louder though, drowning out everything else...
"Sapphy?"
Rainbow's voice breaks the spell. "Huh?"
"Come on, wake up, dreamy! You want Belgium Chocolate?"
"Yeah...yeah sure..."
She grins and orders, and soon our ice-cream arrives in butterscotch yellow cardboard tubs, with a picture of a...well...what can only be described as half cow half fish on the front. I'd love to see Faro's face if I showed him one of these...
"So what were you thinking about, dreamy?" Rainbow asks, sitting down again. I join her.
"Oh, you know. Stuff."
"Stuff."
I glance up at her. "Huh?" Oh no. Here it comes. She knows what I thought she didn't know.
"So...er...not a particular someone?"
I try to look innocently clueless. "What?"
"Not...er...your mystery boyfriend?"
Ah crap. She does know.
"Who told you I had a boyfriend?" I say calmly, trying to keep my face impassive.
"Well...Mal may have mentioned it." She looks at me with reproachful eyes. "You never told me! I felt like an idiot!"
I sigh, and decide to just tell the truth for once. "Rainbow, I don't have a boyfriend."
Now it's her turn to look bewildered. "Then why did Mal say you said you did?"
I frown. "Why have you been talking to Mal so much?" Since it's obvious now that it's not because he likes you…
She flushes. "Weeeeell..."
"Yes?" Blushing? Maybe he does like her? Maybe she likes him? Oh no! Oh no! Please don't like him! I can't deal with a love triangle right now!
"There may be a slight chance that Conor and I have been trying to set you two up..."
"WHAT?!" Oh no. Oh hell no. They did not. Heads are going to roll.
"You'd be cute together! And he really likes you!" Oh great, what is this, a trip to guilt mountain?
"So whatever I say you are going to take back to Mal?" I say, trying to remain calm. The attempt is not succeeding.
"Not everything! Just bits…"
This explains a lot. Like Rainbow giving me a makeover. And Rainbow talking to Mal. And the secret Conor was keeping. And no one batting an eyelid when Mal whisked me away to what it seems was supposed to be a romantic setting. They. Set. Me. Up. Both of them. I was TWEEZED for this!
"AGH!" I stab my ice-cream with my scoop. "Rainbow Peterson, I swear..."
"Don't hurt me!"
"HURT YOU? I'LL FLIPPING KILL YOU!"
"HELP ME, MAD GIRL WITH AN ICE-CREAM SCOOP!"
~x~
We decide to leave the shop after the strange looks we're getting and end up walking along the harbour towards Porthgwidden Beach. St Pirans has four main beaches; Porthmeor where we had the party last night, Porthgwidden , the smallest, which is tucked away in a gap in the headland, the Harbour, which the ice-cream parlour opens out onto, and Porthminster, which is the furthest away from St Senara and is the last beach before Carbis Bay. I used to dislike the town; it seemed too crowded after the wide open fields and cliff tops of St Senara, but now I'm spending slightly more time here it's beginning to grow on me. The winding streets are full of tourists in the height of the summer season, but they're emptier at this time of year, and although you get the usual chains of shops, now and then you get an interesting place. I'm not a big fan of shopping, but whenever Rainbow manages to drag me out of the sea my preferred places of purchase would have to be Kudos, a little independent shop that sells absolutely amazing nature styled jewellery, amongst many other things; in fact, the whole shop is just insane. There are potted plants, bonsai trees and the like outside it, and loads of wind chimes hanging in the doorway. You duck inside, and there are cases of jewellery around, set with precious and semiprecious stones, all colour coordinated, and surrounded by every object imaginable. Old guitars, chairs, tables, hangings, globes, notebooks, ukuleles, binoculars, a miners lantern, a revolver…there's even more upstairs. Once you've made it past the African cravings and ornate mirrors on the stairs, you enter into a room full of vintage teddy bears, Russian military coats, more musical instruments, baskets of shells, ceiling hangings, an old metal divers helmet, telescopes, geodes, glass balls, fishing nets…it's crazy. And I love it.
The other shop I like is the Shell Shop, which is actually just by the ice-cream parlour. The lampshade on my bedroom light is from there; strings of tinkling blue circles of shells dangling around the light bulb and casting a blue light on the wall. It makes the room look like it's underwater. That's why I like it.
"So this boy then..." Rainbow says as we walk along the cobbled streets towards Porthgwidden, Sadies's lead in my hand. "What's he like?"
"Rainbow, I told you, I don't have a boyfriend!"
"I know, I know! But I can tell that you like someone."
I flush, although I'm not sure why.
"See? I am your best friend, I pick these things up!"
"Shurrup Rainbow!"
"Aha! So there is someone!"
"No there's not!"
"Tell me about him! Teeeeeeeell me!"
"Fine." I sigh and try to make something up to make her shut up. Farewell to my policy of not lying.
"What is his hair like?"
I say the first thing that comes into my head. "Dark. Longish and dark."
"Oooh, is he a surfer? Does he like the water?"
"He loves the water."
"Like you! Oooh, good match! Eyes?"
"Green. Bright green."
We arrive on the beach and I let Sadie off of her lead, pulling her ball out my bag and throwing it for her. She runs for it eagerly, bounding over the sand to claim it.
"Body? Is he a muscle man?"
"Rainbow!"
"What? I'm contributing to the conversation!"
I sigh softly. "Yes, he's strong. And...and tanned." Sadie returns, and I bend down, wrestling with her for a moment in a struggle for the ball before she releases it and stands there, poised, her tail wagging.
"How old is he?"
I throw the ball back over the sand and she bounds off again happily, her ears flapping in the wind.
"Older than us. Around Conor's age."
"An older man, huh? Nice..."
I can't help laughing at her enthusiasm, but when I look at her, her own face is rather gentle.
"You really like him, don't you?" she says softly.
I look away quickly and duck my head, mumbling something unintelligible. Sadie returns again, giving me an excuse to avoid her gaze as I crouch down again and murmur words of praise, ruffling Sadie's fur with one hand as I try to extract the ball with the other.
"I can tell Saph. What's his name?" she says, trying to coax it out of me.
"Not saying. You'll probably try and match-make us," I grumble and I rub Sadie's tummy.
"Why?" she looks eager, "Do I know him?"
"No you don't!"
"Awww..." when I finally glance up, I can see the disappointment on her face.
"Promise me now Rainbow. No more matchmaking."
"Saaaaaaaapphy..."
"Promise."
"Okay. I promise."
"And no more tweezing."
"Humph. Fine. No more tweezing." I offer her the ball and she takes it, throwing it for Sadie who races off again, her tongue hanging out of her mouth. "But if I see any cute tanned boys with green eyes, dark hair around Conor's age, I will stalk them."
"Riiiiight...have fun doing that Rainbow," I say, really hoping that she's joking.
She laughs sinisterly, and I grin, although I'm privately wondering to myself why I've just given her a description of a certain dark haired, green eyed someone who just so happens to have a tail…
I hope you enjoyed! I won't take up any more of your time, especially after the MONSTER of a A/N at the beginning...:S, but it would be amazing if some of you could review. Also, once my exams are over I'm going to sing a cover of O Peggy Gordon and put it on my YouTube channel (SapphireLovesTheSea). I wanted to accompany this cover with some Ingo-related fan art. If any of you have done or would like to do some fan art that you're okay with me using in the video (you'll be credited :D), than please send me a link! My DeviantArt user name is SapphireLovesTheSea (again ;D), or you can PM on here or on YouTube :D Thank you!
Sapphire
Xxx
P.S. If there is excess art, then I may use it in my cover of The Parting Glass :D
P.P.S. I'm sooo sorry if the spelling and grammar in this chapter was a bit off; I'm exhausted from exams and have a killer headache...I've proof read a couple of times but have probably missed a load of stuff...I'll probably go back a remedy it later though...
P.P.P.S. The Moomaid of Zennor ice-cream parlour really does exist! It's amazing! I went there on my Ingo Pilgrimage. The description of St Pirans is from what I can remember about St Ives, the town St Pirans is based on. If some details are a little off, I'm sorry; the last time I went there was almost two years ago...