Warning; this one's going to be quite short. I hope you enjoy it anyway . I'm rather depressed today. Because there was a strong chance I was going to be able to go up to London at the weekend to go and see Evanescence's concert. From backstage. And possibly meet them. And it would have been amazing. :DDD. Buuuut….then my dad had to go to Manchester, so I couldn't go because no one could take me. So I have been binging on chocolate mousse. On the plus side, I am going to see my other jointfavouritebandever (Within Temptation) this weekend :)))). But I'm not going to be able to go backstage or anything :( . Ah well. No use crying over spilt milk, eh?

Anyway, enough deviating and on with the story!

Chapter Nine

I drift in the sunwater, letting the ocean rock me like a mother cradling a child. My hair drifts around my face like seaweed, brushing against my cheeks, tickling me. Sunlight streams from the surface, through the skin, sending rippling shafts of brightness dancing through the water. I feel the lights glow against my skin as the refraction ripples over me, casting exotic, rippling tattoos over my skin. Faro's hand is in mine, warm and reassuring as we drift through the ocean, the two of us basking in the light. But the sea starts to get rougher and rougher; it grows dark and treacherous. The sunlight disappears, turning the water murky. It presses down on me, and I can feel myself sinking, being drawn down to the depths. I can't feel Faro's hand anymore; it has slipped from mine and now I'm alone, floundering, helpless, as I sink into the Deep. The weight of the water presses down on my limbs making them clumsy and heavy, hard to move. Then something wraps around me; a tentacle, maybe. Something has hold of me; something is holding me tightly and securely; I'm caught and can't get free. A giant squid maybe, pulling me further down into the fathomless ocean, or maybe it's the Kraken, the Kraken is awake again and has me in his clutches, ready to take his revenge.

"Faro!" I call his name in panic. "Faro!" I thrash desperately, trying to escape, but the Deep is crushing my limbs and it's hard, so hard…

"Faro!"

"Shh, keep still Sapphire. You're hurt."

"Mmmh?" The voice is familiar, and I frown, my mind leaving the depths of the sea as I try to place it. It's definitely not the Kraken's sneering giggle, but a male voice, deep and full of concern. Faro? No. No, I can tell that it's not Faro.

Someone's hand brushes my cheek, pushing hair out of my face. "Almost there."

The person is carrying me, I realise; that's what had a hold of me. I can hear their laboured breathing and then the familiar crunch of the gravel as they walk along our driveway. The gate creaks as they nudge it open with their foot, and after a moment I hear the familiar trill of our doorbell, followed by Sadie's barking. I groan and let my head loll back against the person, feeling as if someone's trying to hack it in two. Whoever the person is, they are nice and warm, and their chest is muscled; I can feel that even through the soft wool of their jumper. They smell nice too, like lemon blossoms. The door opens and Sadie's barking intensifies.

"Mal? Is that you?" There's a sharp intake of breath as the new voice's owner catches sight of me in Mal's arms. "What happened?" The voice, which I now recognise as Conor's, is sharp with worry.

"I was on my way here when I saw her go over the edge of the cliff." Light presses on the exterior of my eyelids as he carries me inside and the door is shut behind us. "She must have been blown over; you know how windy it can get up there, and she's not exactly heavy, is she?"

"Conor? Mal? What- Sapphy!" I can hear Mum waddling over as fast as she can; though with the baby that's not very fast. The baby? It takes a moment for that thought to register correctly. Yes, that's right. Mum's having a baby…we kept going on at her to have a new baby…

"What happened?" A man is speaking now, his voice urgent. "Set her down on the sofa. Conor, call an ambulance."

"Is she that badly hurt?" Conor's voice seems to have gone up several octaves.

"She's unconscious and bleeding from her head; I'm not taking any chances."

"I was just walking down the path." It's that Mal boy's voice again. "On my way to see Conor. I saw her get blown over; I'm not sure, but I think a bird might have attacked her, which made her lose her balance and then the wind caught her and she just…fell. I ran to where it happened and she'd landed on an outcrop a little way down. I managed to get down there and get her up…it was only about a meter down and I got her up onto the cliff and climbed up after her, but she must have hit her head on a rock, and she wouldn't wake up…" he trails off, and a tense silence falls.

I'm put down on the sofa and someone, Mum, I think, pulls a blanket over me. "Mum?" I manage to mumble through my semi-conscious state.

"Roger, she's speaking!" she calls, her voice shrill.

Roger. That's his name. And he's…who is he again…a friend of Mum's… No. Wait. Roger is…Mum's boyfriend? So where's Dad? For some reason I think he's out at sea. But why would he be there?

"Okay, that's good Jennie, just calm down. Think of the baby."

The baby? Yes…yes, I remember the baby...I remember something about a baby…But the baby isn't…Dad's? I thought Dad had a baby...

Confused thoughts swim round and around my head, none of them making sense to my muddled brain. I hear Mum take a deep breath and I think I hear her sink into a chair. I try to open my eyes, but my lids feel too heavy. A wet nose nuzzles my hand, and I feel soft fur under my fingers. Sadie. Yes, Sadie is here. But why? Did Jack bring her around for me to play with? She licks my fingers, whining softly, before resting her head on my leg.

"Sapphire?" That's that Roger man kneeling down next to me, touching my arm. "Sapphire can you hear me?"

I don't want him here. I can't remember who this guy is, only that he's a diver, a diver who's…who's my Mum's boyfriend…diver's shouldn't be in Ingo…I want Dad. Where is he? Where's Dad?
"Dad?" I frown, but that makes my head hurt so I stop. Dad should be here, but he's not. I can't quite remember why. Where is he? My thoughts swirl in and out of consciousness, in and out of memories. For some reason I picture Dad, for a moment in the Peggy Gordon, his hair blowing in the wind, the waves lapping against the wood softly. But he's sailing away from me, far away, far across the briny sea and over the deepest waters…"Dad?"

I hear a muffled sob from across the room.

"Jennie…" Roger's voice is soothing. "She'll be fine. She's probably just got a concussion."

Dad's gone. The memories are coming back now slowly.

"The ambulance is on its way." That's Conor again. I hear him move over and sink down next to me, taking my cold hand in his warm one.

"I'll go up to the front gate and wait for them," Roger says, before darting out of the door.

I feel someone kneel next to Conor.

"Is she going to be all right?" It's the boy who rescued me, Conor's friend. What was his name again?

"I hope so," Conor says softly.

"She was calling a name," the boy says, and I can almost sense his eyes on me. "I think it might have been her boyfriend's."

Conor stiffens, clutching my hand even more tightly for a moment. "What? Whose name was she saying?" he snaps, sounding strangely fierce.

"Some guy called Faro," Mal says softly, a hint of resentment in his voice.

The thoughts fogging up my head are too confusing to dwell on. I stop fighting the heaviness overpowering my limbs and finally let myself sink back into unconsciousness.

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