See? The second chapter is much longer. Isn't that lovely?

The light of the sun stung her sea-green eyes. Or, was that perhaps just sand in her eyes? She wasn't sure. Blinking up at the sky, Gwenyth realized something was wrong. She pulled herself into a sitting position, with her head spinning.

"Wh-Where am I? Did I fall asleep at Hipster Cove? Where is everybody?" The teen wondered aloud, trying to take in her surroundings. The small, sandy beach was void of human life, and far too quiet for the girl. Steep hills seemed to trap her from all around. Gwenyth stood uneasily, looking for a way out that didn't require scaling a 40 to 60 foot wall. A modest formation of large, but climbable rocks could be seen just beside the waves. She teetered uneasily towards them.

"This can't be our hideaway. The way out is to the right, not the left." She mumbled, trying to hold her balance. The waves rolled back and forth on the sand, but crashed rather ferociously against the rocks. Gwenyth bent over to untie her shoes.

"And what the fuck was I thinking wearing my fricking high-tops to the beach? Geez. Talk about bad planning there, Gwen." She tied the shoelaces together and hung them around her neck before walking into the knee-deep waves. They pushed and pulled her already wobbly legs as she tread through. She grasped the closest rock as best as she could and pulled herself up. Her wet foot slipped and hiss of pain escaped her lips as her shin hit the jagged edge.

Gwenyth rubbed her, probably bruising, leg before reaching out to the next formation and used it to help herself up. She shifted forward, carefully reaching to the rocks for support and moving her bare feet wherever she could. Always keeping an eye on their placements, as slipping and busting her head open was not on her list of good ideas. This continued until she reached a small, but walkable path. Some large rocks were scattered along the tight walkway, and she had no choice but to climb them, but it was an otherwise easy stroll from there.

"Now what?" Gwenyth whined once she reached, what must have been, the main part of the beach. Straight ahead, the sand stretched out in a curved fashion before turning into the water. There was still no sign of human life.

"That's never a good sign." She murmured under her breath, still not liking the silence. The sand felt good as she walked along the beach, but Gwenyth was getting more and more concerned for her well-being.

There was always someone at the beach, no matter what the weather or time of year. Someone, anyone, even just a few people scattered here and there. Gwenyth had never seen such a desolate shoreline in all her life. The coast was sunny and warm. It felt like one of those days when the waves were calling out to the people. Nothing important going on today? Call in sick, skip school, or whatever. Today is most definitely a beach day; consequences can be dealt with later.

So, where the hell was everybody? Or just anybody?

What appeared to be a pathway caught her eye and she headed inland. Once the sand began to turn into dirt and weeds, Gwenyth put her shoes and socks back on.

The path was well worn, and gave her a tiny bit of hope. After all, worn out paths don't get worn out on their own, right? She smiled and might have started to skip if she wasn't so busy trying to figure out where everyone was. Living where she did, a mere thirty minutes or so from the coast, it wasn't uncommon for Gwen and her friends to hitch a ride out to the beach at the last minute. It was usually Hipster Cove, but that wasn't always the case.

"SHIT-FACED-MOTHER-TRUCKER!" Gwenyth screeched as she suddenly tripped and fell. "Owwww~," She whined, before popping up. "What the hell, man?! Why are my legs so weak? And why the heck am I so dizzy? AND WHERE THE FREAKING HELL IS EVERYBODY?!"

Gwenyth cursed in shock as a flock of birds flew from the trees around her.

"F-Fucking birds. Giving me... a heart attack like that." She pushed herself back up, starting to walk once again. Her breath began to shorten and her body swayed more as her vision became less and less steady.

"Just... a little... more..." She huffed. God damn it! What was wrong with her? she wondered. Why did she feel so weak and worn out?

"TIMBER!" A voice called. Gwenyth turned and screamed as a tree began to fall towards her. She successfully jumped out of the way and landed on her face. A jumbled string of curses fell from her lips as the world continued to spin. Now she'd done it.

Gwenyth managed to pull herself onto her forearms, but could barely lift her head. She rolled onto her back, making her all the more woozy, and saw a small group of people standing above her. They seemed to be shouting at her, but all she heard was a gargle of muffled voices before she completely blacked out.

Her dizzy vision danced across the wooden ceiling, unable to keep steady. That isn't helpful, Gwenyth thought bitterly. Two muddy voices were barely able to break through the fog in her mind.

"-do look alike."

"Doctor... and I both know... impossible... not the same."

"I understand, Katsuya. I truly do. But this girl needs-"

"That's enough. The both of you." A third voice demanded softly. "She seems to be coming around."

Gwenyth blinked once, then twice before she realized the people were looking at her. She sat up carefully, much to the youngest man's displeasure. He was probably in his early forties, wearing tidy clothes and thick-rimmed glasses. The most notable thing about him was his dark, clumpy hair sticking out in several directions.

"Take it easy now," he said, cleaning his glasses. "Not often we find strange girls fainting in our forest."

"Sorry." Gwenyth mumbled. The man laughed trying to smooth out his wild hair. Beside him was an old couple. The man was big, bent, and balding, and covered in all kinds of grease, dirt, and powders. Gwenyth could hardly tell he had an apron on, the pockets filled with all sorts of tools she couldn't name. There was a strong air about him that made Gwenyth feel like a small child in comparison. The woman was quite considerably shorter, which may have been due to her sitting down. Her silver hair was done up in an extravagant bun and her elegant blue dress looked like it came from right out of a granny fashion magazine. That is, if there were such things.

"No, no, it's alright. My name is Dr. Yamata. I'm the medical practitioner of this village." Gwenyth nodded. "And this is Katsuya Yuzuki, the local inventor, and his wife Maaya, our famous seamstress."

"Don't give her all the fame and glory! Who do ya think does all the grunt work?" Katsuya shouted at the Doctor, who then flinched.

"Oh, hush, you rapscallion. You'll scare the poor boy." Maaya tut-tutted, patting his arm a few times. The burly man huffed, and Gwenyth fought down a laugh.

"And what're you laughing at?" Katsuya asked catching her silent giggles. "What's yer name kid?"

"I'm Gwenyth. Gwenyth Jones. Nice to meet you." She said putting out a hand that Katsuya shook with more force than necessary.

"Well, Gwenyth Jones," Maaya smiled, "If I'm not mistaken, you're not from around here, are you?"

"Well, that depends. Where's here?" She asked, happy to finally get some answers.

"Toguchi Village, dear, of course." Gwenyth's eyes widened. She had been up and down the state's coast, and never heard of such a place.

"Toe-what-chi?"

"Toguchi."

Katsuya scoffed. "You telling me you've lived on Tabi Island all your life and never heard of the main village Toguchi? Gimme a break, kid."

"W-WAIT, WHAT?! ISLAND!? I'M ON AN ISLAND RIGHT NOW?!"

"QUIT YER YAPPING, YER GIVING ME A HEADACHE!"

"SHUT UP OLD MAN, HOW THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO REACT!?"

'Hipster Cove' is my personal nickname for a little hideaway at the beach I regular. I have no idea if it has an actually name...

Still getting back into the swing of writing, but I think it's coming along nicely. :)