Chapter 2 As I nervously swam up to the cove, I was already preparing myself for the verbal abuse on it's way. I doubt Conor would be covering up for me this time, after all Conor's on vacation with Rainbow and Patrick, how would he know where I would be? I quickly pulled myself out of the water and onto the shore. I forgot how cold it could be in February. The beach was iced, and anything above the high-tide line was covered in half a foot of snow. This would make things significantly harder to climb, considering my hair and clothes were already starting to freeze. What is it here, negative twenty below zero? As I shuffled my way over the rocks, I scratched my leg. Not that deep of a scratch, but the blood spread quickly before freezing over on my now-red-and shaking legs. It didn't help that I couldn't feel anything below my shoulders. Wait, what am I talking about? I can't feel anything! I eventually made my way up to the house. I could already tell Mum was home. She and Roger's cars were parked out front, along with the sounds of Mum sobbing and Roger comforting her. So I took a deep breath and opened the door. I saw Mum look up and both her and Roger's eyes widened significantly. "SAPPHIRE TREWHELLA! WHERE THE H*** HAVE YOU BEEN?!" Mum and Roger chorused together. "Out." I responded, walking towards the stairs to lead me to the bathroom for a nice hot shower. That was, before Mum blocked my way. "Sapphire Trewhella, your soaking wet, half-frozen, and have been missing for the past two and a half days. Where the f*** is 'out' and why were you there for so long?! If you don't respond, you won't be seeing the light of day for the next month." Mum warned dangerously close to having Roger have to restrain her. What's my excuse now? I don't particularly like lying to people, but at least I won't have the guilty consience of Conor, whose a terrible liar anyway. "At a pool party with an old friend from St. Pirans." Mum's face softened a little, but she kept blocking my way. "And why again were you at a party for two and a half days?" She persisted. "I got stuck in St. Pirans. I was with my friend, and by the time the party was over, there was a ton of snow on the ground. most of the roads were blocked, and her power was out. I would've called, but with the power out I couldn't." I responded skillfully. That sounds pretty reliable right? I mean, there is a lot of snow on the ground, so it's not impossible that that happened. "We were getting back in her pool for a dip when we found out the roads were open again, so I took the bus straight back." That explained my being wet. Mum finally stopped interragating me over things and let me go upstairs. I was almost out of sight when Roger called out. "Sapphy, How'd you get that cut on your leg? You might want to bandage that up." he called. "I slipped. It's not that bad, it just looks that way from spreading in the water, then freezing." I answered before finally making it up the stairs and into a nice hot shower. It felt good to dethaw. I wonder what my Mum was thinking… There must be a limit to how my times I can lie to her. Not long after I was out of the shower and done with my homework, Conor returned from his week-long summery vacation and received a warm welcome. Why should he receive a warm welcome when I didn't?! He was gone for a week doing who-knows-what and Mum's happy for him?! Needless to say, when we were called down for dinner that night, it was quite a quiet one. with the exception of one thing. "Sapphy, Con, you Mum has something she'd like to tell you two." Roger said between bites, in a very serious tone, yet not making eye contact with either of us. I stared blankly at Mum, waiting for her 'news', while Conor did the same, with his head slightly tilted as if curiously awaiting something. "Well… Sapphy… Conor… Granny Carne came over the other day and did a check-up of me… I'm pregnant with your little half-brother or half-sister." Mum announced happily, with a smile directed in Roger's direction. Excuse me? Did I just hear… I mean I knew it had happened, but I thought I'd mistaken myself. Rage started bubbling up inside me. How dare they?! How dare Roger try to take Dad's place! I was fine with them marrying because I didn't want Mum to be lonely… but, this, is too far. It must've shown on my face, how angry I was, because Conor put a firm grip on my shoulder before I pushed my chair back from the dining table. "Please excuse me." I said coldly before I ran to the door, nearly ripping it open and sprinted outside. "Oh no! Sapphy come back!" I heard Mum protest as she, Roger and Conor jumped up from the Oak wood table and followed me in hot pursuit. I sprinted down to the path to the cove, with my family about ten strides behind me. I shoved apart the bushes and continued up the icy rocks, dodging piles of deep snow. Roger and Mum were closest to me, just reaching the rocks as I, with a mighty jump, managed to propel myself off the cliff-like rock face and onto the crunchy frozen shore. Out of breath, I collapsed on the far end of the beach. Roger, Mum, and Conor were all clearly out of breath too. I gave them my best 'I hate you' glare, and made sure it made eye-to-eye contact. 'Faro!' I screamed in my mind, shortly after seeing him lingering right below the surface of the waves a little bit out farther. "Sapphire! What's your problem with the fact that you're having a new sibling?! Is it because I'm not your father? If that's it then you need to-!" Roger was cut off as Mum stood up and started yelling at me. It was different enough to even see her down at the cove, by the sea, but to see her here scolding and punishing me was even weirder. "Sapphire Trewhella. You need to stop obsessing over the past! Your father drowned six years ago! Don't give me the 'I think he's still alive!' crap! You know as well as I and Conor do that Mathew isn't coming back. You need to move on and stop retreating to this cove! You've been better about that lately, but now I don't know! You used to come down here for hours on end every day. I know, it hurts, but your Dad isn't coming back, Sapphy. He's dead. It's time for us all to move on." Mum tried to reason with me, and there was no way I was going to take this, this excuse for 'moving on.' "No Mum. You're wrong. I already have a half-brother. I don't want another. I was barely okay with Mordowrgi being born, but now I have to deal with a sibling who won't even share my-" "SAPH, SHUT UP!" Conor yelled. "Mordowrgi isn't any brother or half-brother of mine! He's not yours either!" Conor stepped in. "You're right. Conor, Mordowrgi isn't any brother of ours. He's our broder. I don't know why you won't accept that, I don't want any other half sibling than Mordowrgi." I responded sharply, slipping into Mer for a moment, and gaining some shocked looks from Mum and Roger. "Just leave me be… I'll be back in a while." I announced as I trudged on past them towards a high rock. "Just where do you think you're going? You're going to stay right here or you're grounded." Roger demanded as he caught a tight grip of my arm. I yanked my arm out of his grasp and continued walking forward until I met the rock, and started climbing up it. "You want to know where I'm going, Roger? Mum? Somewhere you two can't get me." I cleared my throat before I rehearsed my Dad's favorite song, 'O Peggy Gordon' twice. The first time in full Mer, and the second in English. "I wish I was away in Ingo Far across the briny sea, Sailing over deepest waters Where love nor care never trouble me…" Mum's eyes widen and she starts to tremble in Roger's arms, this song was way too familiar and she knew it. Even Conor was looking furious. "Saph, are you leaving for good?" Conor asked, trying to contain his rage. "I'll be back, eventually." "Sapphire, get you butt down here right now." Roger demanded, overcome with rage, and my Mum in tears. "No." I responded before calling out finally, in Mer. "Faro! Let's go off!" I dived perfectly from my high rock into the deep waters, stopping to surface with faro, about a mile out, so they could see I was with someone. Then I swam underwater with Faro, let out all the Air in me, and caught a current to Saldowr's caves.