This document appears to be the beginning of a story about a girl named Brianna. It describes Brianna waking up to find that her younger sister Cora is missing from their room at an orphanage. Brianna becomes panicked and frantic in her search for Cora. She confronts other children and her social worker, learning that Cora has been sent to live with a foster family temporarily due to concerns about Brianna's mental health and its impact on Cora. Brianna is devastated by this news and argues that she loves Cora and is the only family Cora has left after their parents died.

1. ~ 1 ~

2. ~ 2 ~
BRIANNA
“Under the moon, in the eerie night,
A little girl awaits, her outline in sight,
Amongst the shadows, her silence, her dread,
Fear of seeing the spirit of the dead,
She stands and stares, a blank look on her face,
Back away from her dark embrace,
For she takes souls when her ghost is seen,
Her face still and pale but her spirit so keen...”

3. ~ 3 ~
BRIANNA
To my Mum and Dad.
To Misty.

4. ~ 4 ~
Chapter 1
Her heart threatened to explode in her chest. A wave crashed
down into the mouth of the cave, casting a dark shadow that
filled Brianna with fear. She backed away as quickly as she
could, slipping blindly over jagged rocks that stuck out at
obscure angles and ran through sand that sucked at her feet,
pulling her down. The waves were gaining on her, tickling her
toes, mocking the way she was desperately trying to find a way
out. Roaring in her ears, the deathly laughing of the sea drowned
her screams to nothing but a mere whisper.
That’s what it had been at the beginning. The waves lapped at
the edge of the cave, urging her to leave, but she had refused.
Anger had gotten the better of her.
She was trapped with the sea chasing after her from behind
causing the walls of the cave to close in, in front of her. It was
useless. Never had she felt so scared in her life. She hadn’t

5. ~ 5 ~
imagined that she would be forced to her death by a raging
monster who wanted to swallow her up for his supper.
Her hands searched the slimy walls, fingers frantically reaching
out for anything that could lead to escape. Her hope now flipped
to desperation, causing her mind to swim with panic that
shallowed her breathing and coursed through her body. The
darkness that engulfed had her had wrapped in its arms, not
cradling her, but rocking her madly from side to side in a world
of confusion.
Come on Brianna, Brianna thought. Just keep going.
But that thought soon stopped as she scrambled to a dead end.
Her body crumpled as she smashed against a wall, her foot sliced
open on a rock and her head collided dangerously with
something that her brain didn’t register. She didn’t even hear
herself moan. Pain rocketed up her leg making her feel dizzy, but
her mind didn’t’ notice that. The stars that danced in her sight
caused her to slump down tiredly, slowly sinking deeper and
deeper as she finally gave in.
She hadn’t done anything wrong.
They had though, Middlestone orphanage.
It had all started when Brianna was accused of being mentally ill
and a danger hazard to her younger sister, Cora. The thought of
being separated from her sister had swung her life upside down,
sending her in a panicked frenzy that consisted of her yelling,
shouting and kicking those who warned her that if she didn’t put
herself right, she would be sent away. Brianna had lost it then,
refusing to let anyone take Cora away from her sight in case the
threatens came true. The thought of losing the last person of her
family, the last memory of her Mum and Dad had torn her heart
to shreds, but no one would listen, no one could understand.

6. ~ 6 ~
Everyone at the orphanage seemed to think that Brianna was
suffering medically.
One morning Brianna’s eyes flicked open, remembering the
painful dream she had had last night. The same dream she had
every night. It had been of her parents. The screams as the car
had swerved violently off the road, plunging into a ditch of
thorns and bushes. The sound of glass shattering had been
sickening, Brianna hadn’t seen what had caused it and she didn’t
want to know. Her Dad had only been trying to make them
laugh, singing at the top of his voice, laughing along with Mum
sat beside him, her smiles sending a sense of warmth through
Brianna’s heart. Then Dad’s hand jerked to one side, pivoting the
car to its doom, taking everybody along with it. The front seat
had rushed towards Brianna in slow motion, but in reality, the
impact knocking consciousness out of her had left a big bruise
on her temple. Cora was the one with fewer injuries, but her
mind was scarred the most. Seeing everybody unconscious in the
car whilst waiting a whole hour for the fire brigade to be able to
reach them must have been torture.
Brianna sighed and turned her head to find Cora’s bed empty,
her sheets perfectly smooth, her pillow plumped up so high it
looked like there was a chicken stuffed inside. Her heart skipped
a beat. Her eyes stayed glued to the bed for a few seconds, and
then slowly looked around the room. Her jaw clenched together
as a “Cora stuff free” room met her sight. It looked strangely
bare, with no toys scattering the fading tiles or the rows of
teddies that had previously occupied the lop-sided cabinets.
Brianna also noticed the wardrobe’s door lazily hung open,
exposing bare shelves and the picture of Brianna’s parents off
Cora’s bed side table missing. She thought nothing for a
moment, and then shot up onto the cold floor, her gaze snapping
back to the neat bed.

7. ~ 7 ~
That’s not right, was the first thing that came to Brianna’s mind.
Cora never makes her bed. I do it for her.
She ripped the door open, a fresh dent in the wall behind
appearing. Not that she cared. Important matters were pushing
minor worries aside. Glancing left then right, she shoved
children puzzled children out of her way as she marched down
the corridor, shouting her sister’s name.
“Hey watch it,” one girl complained.
“You watch it or I’ll smash your face in,” Brianna hissed
threateningly.
Cora was only five; she couldn’t have gone far. There was
nowhere for her to go apart from the canteen or the games room,
but it was too early for either to be open, so that ruled out some
possibilities. She peered her head in open doors, checking to see
if Cora had decided to camp out with them for a while, the idea
silly but hope making the thought optimistic. “Cora! Cora!
Where are you? Cora!”
“Hey, loud mouth! Shut your face will ya? Its half eight in’
morning.” It was Steven, a snob her age who thought about
nothing but himself. His head stuck out of a doorway, a crease in
his face from the frown he was using to greet her. The little slits
above his long nose showed grey eyes that hid under a messy
flop of watery blonde hair, those eyes fixed on Brianna.
“Yeh, ‘bout time your lazy butt made a move then isn’t it?”
Brianna spat back.
“Don’t get cocky with Steven young missy,” Steven tutted
sarcastically. “Especially with the issues you’re coming down
with.”

8. ~ 8 ~
“Get lost you freak! Keep that long nose of yours out of my
business, and go and admire your spindly rat figure in a mirror or
summit!”
Steven shut up after that, but her desperation still continued. She
scanned a group of young girls crowding round the toilet
entrance. Blonde, ginger, brown and black heads bobbed up and
down in the rush to be the first to get to the toilet, but none of
them appeared to be her sister.
No one had the golden hair that she had.
“All of you get out of my way before I make you!” Brianna
shouted.
“But we’ve been waiting here ages and I really need a wee!” a
girl complained.
“Shut the hell up,” she snarled before adding, “Unless you know
where Cora is.” Puzzled faces exchanged glances, the silence
taking the words from their mouths.
Brianna spun around in a circle with her hands clutched to her
ears. Her mind swum with possibilities of where Cora could
have gone. What if she had escaped? What if she had been
kidnapped in the night? No, that couldn’t have happened. Why
would a kidnapper have taken all her stuff too? Surely Brianna
would have been woken up by the noise. What if some of the
older kids had taken her and were bullying her right now? Was
she hurt? Did she need help? Was she even alive? Her eyes
widened in horror at the hundreds of questions that filled her
mind.
“Where is Cora!” she bellowed at the top of her lungs, bunching
her fists whilst clenching her jaw. “She can’t just... disappear!”

9. ~ 9 ~
Stood in the centre of girls ranged from five to eight,
embarrassment washed over Brianna, a red splash flooding her
cheeks as she glared back at the anxious faces that gawped.
“Brianna, Cora has gone away for a little while,” a voice
muttered from behind. Looking back, Brianna saw her social
worker approaching slowly. His head hung and his arms drooped
at his sides.
“Gone away..? What are you on about? I need to find her!”
Brianna frowned.
“Listen to me Brianna, Cora has left for a bit.”
Cora absorbed this news. “What? Where!” she demanded.
“A very kind family have agreed to take her in for a bit-”
“Why didn’t I get told about this? You didn’t tell me! You can’t
just take my sister away from me for no reason!” Brianna
screamed.
“Brianna, Cora has to be with someone else until you... your
mind... so it gets better. It isn’t fair on Cora when she has the
opportunity to live with a family that will love her like their own
child...”
“I love her! More than anyone else in the world! You stupid
man! Bring her back now!”
The social worker held her hand and looked into her fury-filled
eyes. “I know how you feel, Brianna. I have a son of my own-”
“Then you should know! You should understand that you can’t
take someone away from some else they love! My Mum and Dad
who are DEAD in case you haven’t noticed always told us that a
family should stick together in difficult times, so what do you

10. ~ 10 ~
do? Take my family away from me when I need them most!
Leave me to suffer! Cora needs me, she can’t live without me!”
Brianna cried, jerking her words. “Who will sing to her when she
has nightmares? Who will tuck her up in bed and tell her stories
before she sleeps? How can she eat without me feeding her with
spoons that make train noises? You should understand, you
should feel the same as I do. I love Cora more than anything in
the world!”
The social worker stared in disbelief at Brianna who sobbed
loudly with her face buried in her palms. He placed an arm round
her back and whispered in her ear, “I do understand. But one
day, you will be back together, I promise.”
Brianna’s head snapped up, her breathing became louder as the
anger bubbling inside began to boil. “You filthy animal! You
sad, crazed beast! I hate you and your stupid friends, planning to
break my life apart behind my back!”
“But Brianna, it’s for the best!”
“Why did you take her away?” Brianna wailed.
“Brianna, until your mind heals, until you are better, your sister
had to be taken away so that you wouldn’t influence her,
especially with your parents not being around for you. You sister
is still so young, Brianna, she needs some space so that you can
have time to recover too.”
“Why did you take her away without telling me though?”
“We didn’t want to upset you, Brianna. We thought it would be
best if we didn’t tell you so it wouldn’t be as upsetting for the
pair of you.”
“You can’t just take her away without letting me say good-bye!”
Brianna wailed.

11. ~ 11 ~
“You can’t just take her away without letting me say good-bye,”
a voice mimicked, the shrill laughing from Steven’s mouth.
Brianna scanned around through blurry eyes to see faces staring
at her, all wearing different expressions. Some pitied, some
mocked, others remained blank. Everyone was watching her and
the social worker knelt in the middle of the corridor. “Shut up
Steven! At least I have someone to love and someone loves me
unlike you who sits alone all day with one to talk to!”
The social worker cleared his throat. “Steven please be quiet and
everyone else, go back to your rooms and stay away. Brianna,
Cora needs to be away from you while your mind gets better.”
The crows began to disperse, children either shuffling back to
their rooms or quietly forming a queue outside the toilets.
Curious looks were given from cracks in the doors, much to
Brianna’s dismay.
“My mind is fine! If anything, you’ve made it worse by taking
my little sister away! That’s illegal!”
“Brianna, I am your social worker, I know what is right and
wrong!” he exclaimed.
“I don’t give a damn if you’re the King of England, you can’t
take my sister away!”
“Brianna, please. If you love your sister that much you should
know that this is for the best,” the social worker sighed.
Brianna kept on crying, her eyes puffy and red. The tears that
streamed from her eyes had formed a puddle in her palms; the
sobs that she let out drowned her words. “I-I love h-her.”
“I know Brianna, I know.”

12. ~ 12 ~
“Then why did you let her go!” Brianna yelled, her sudden
outburst made the social worker jump. “You thieving kidnapper!
I’ll never forgive you!” With that, she bit the man on his
shoulder, jumped up, turned on her heel and fled down the stairs,
taking only two things, one of which was hidden in her pocket.
The social worker’s howl ringing in her ears was one of them,
the echo of pain sending a shiver of satisfaction down Brianna’s
spine.
A framed picture of Brianna with her parents and Cora was the
other. Dear little Cora.
Brianna had kept on running for hours, but she didn’t know
where to. She just kept running, ignoring the fire burning in her
lungs and the pain throbbing in her legs. She wanted to escape
from the people who had made her life an even bigger misery,
not caring if her stomach was growling with hunger or her throat
drying up with thirst. Fury kept her moving. She liked that. She
liked the thought of channelling her anger into running.
Coming across the cave had been a magical discovery. The walls
inside glittered with salt, the rocks sticking out of the sand
pulling funny faces that made her smile. The rock pools were full
of fish that played cat and mouse with each other and the shells
that were somehow glued to the walls of the cave made patterns,
so far in that she couldn’t see where they ended.
Cautiously, she stepped inside. Then laughed. How much Cora
would have loved this. A place for them to play hide and seek,
somewhere where they could be just the two of them. It would
have been perfect. But time had gotten the better of her, and
although she had see the sun slide away, and the sea gradually
draw closer, she had refused to leave, determined to stay for as
long as possible. Too long.

13. ~ 13 ~
One minute the sea was far, far away, then the next it seemed it
was surrounding the cave with a deadly depth. Instead of leaving
when she could, she thought the sea would roll back out again
just as quickly as it had come, not knowing that she was wrong.
Now Brianna sat in exhaustion, her face pale with beads of sweat
running down her forehead. She was propped up against the back
of the cave, water swirling around her neck, the black liquid
squeezing at her lungs with all its might. She tried to stand up,
but the sea pushed down on her body, forcing her to stay where
she was, not wanting to release its prey. Her teeth chattered as
the cold slowly numbed her toes, which soon spread to her
fingers, then to her arms, then to her legs, until she was shivering
uncontrollably. The water was rapidly rising, a new crash
sending waves roaring towards her, the lapping around her neck
now licking at her chin.
What had she been thinking, running away? She knew this
wasn’t the way she would find Cora, especially know. All she
had wanted was to see her sister, to be with her sister. She could
imagine it now, the headlines of the newspapers; “HAVE YOU
SEEN A LOST RUNAWAY GIRL?” “NINE YEAR OLD
RUNS AWAY TO LOOK FOR SISTER.” “MENATLLY ILL
NINE-YEAR OLD LOST IN SEARCH OF SISTER.” Was she
even mentally ill? She couldn’t remember.
A sudden thought sent blind panic soaring through her. She was
going to die. No. No! It couldn’t be! She had to live! She didn’t
want to be beaten by the cold blooded heart of the sea, she
wanted find her sister and hug her forever and ever. She had to
find little Cora...
Her quick, shallow breaths stopped. Her whole body stopped.
She was sucking in water. Sea water. The thought of this sent her
into frenzy, desperately trying to break through the force keeping
her down, but she was too weak, and her head was going dizzy.

14. ~ 14 ~
Her legs pushed frantically in the water, her arms flapping about
like a bird. Which way was the surface? Was there even a
surface anymore?
She went limp.
What was the point? She thought. I know I’m going to die.
She had given up. She had stopped trying to win.
I love you with all my heart Cora, my little sister. I’m sorry I
have to leave you but... A sob of bubbles floated around her. I
tried, Cora. I really did. I love you, and I’m proud of you little
Cora. Mum and Dad would be too.
Colours started to jump around in front of her. Brown. Navy.
Grey. Pink. Pink, that was Cora’s favourite colour.
I’ll watch over you in heaven, Cora. I’ll make sure you grow up
to be the happiest little girl in the world. I’ll be your angel. I’ll
tell Mum and Dad you love them too, because I know you do.
The colours were becoming brighter. Green. Blue. Purple. Pink.
I’m sorry I let you down. I hope you’ll forgive me for leaving you
even though you know I don’t want to go, you know I want to be
with you.
Red. Orange. Yellow. Pink.
I love you Cora. I’ll be your angel. I love you.
The colours stopped dancing then.

15. ~ 15 ~
Chapter 2
I could almost see the rope I was holding on to, slowly letting it
slip through my palms, taking my life with it. Each thread of the
rope was pinging away as death played tug of war, flicks of my
memories breaking away stitch by stitch only to enter his lair. I
was weakening, my strength dying out. Death’s strength yanked
with all its might, longing for me to release the rope so he could
ravel it up in his greedy arms and have it all to himself.
I love you Cora. I love you. Breathing in a lungful of air, I tried
to calm myself down. I was shaking, from the cold or fear, I
couldn’t tell. My eyes were squeezed shut; salt water stung my
eyes as I didn’t want my last moments on earth to be painful.
Clutching my fists into tight balls, my sharp nails dug hungrily
into my flesh whilst my shoulders hunched up to my chin as if
they were protecting me. My thighs throbbed from the clench I
was holding them in, the angle of which my feet were pointing
making them ache.
Through this pain, I managed to notice an agitated thought
nibbling away at the back of my mind. Something that made me
question myself, even though I wasn’t too sure what I was
questioning myself on.
A lungful of air. A lungful of air? A lungful of air!
The rope came crashing back down to me, covering my body
with its belongings, bringing with it all my memories as death let
go. I could see them rushing down from a place I couldn’t make
out, only I knew they were contently swimming in a brightness

16. ~ 16 ~
that seemed strange since they had been in an eerie place for so
long. The impact hurt me mentally but it certainly wacked
consciousness back into my dying soul.
The images in my head shuddered to a halt, the voice inside
quietened down. Something wasn’t right. I had been lost in a
dark world seconds ago and now I was... I didn’t know where I
was. It was impossible. God had saved me. Or had he saved me?
Was I dreaming? But if I was dreaming I would have to be alive,
right?
As thoughts swelled in my mind, I pieced them all together to
answer one overall question: Am I dead?
Cautiously opening my mouth, I forced my chest to rise and felt
a fresh feeling race down my throat. I savoured the moment,
trying to push aside the memory of being choked by nothing but
a dark, crashing invisible hand. My chest sunk again. Up. Down.
Up. Down. I kept that pattern going, making sure that I was
actually breathing something and that it wasn’t my imagination.
Turning my focus to something else, I absent mindedly kept my
chest rising and falling. Wiggling my fingers meant that I could
feel the slimy texture of what I thought must have been sand, the
grainy slop rubbing against my skin. I heard the faint splashing
of water, the ripples swishing around my legs sending a creep of
shiver through my body, which meant I hadn’t lost my sense of
touch.
Relaxing my eyelids, I could just make out the faint light seeping
through. I heard the chirping of a seagull somewhat away and
smelt the salt in the air I was taking in. A sense of excitement
and fear swept over me as a smile curved on my cracked lips
when I realised I might not have died, I might be alive!
Taking a deep breath, I slowly pried my eyes open. The haze that
met my sight blurred into a visible shape that was a lumbering

17. ~ 17 ~
wall above me, its sparkle in the daylight making me wince. I
flicked my eyes from side to side, seeing nothing but the same
surrounding. Fading after a while, the sparkle dimmed to light
reflecting off rocks.
It was then that I forced myself upright. Hovering was a circle of
light shining, small but bright. Was it near me? Or was it far
away? The thin air that I grasped gave me my answer,
encouraging my tired limbs to push up, holding a wobbly stance.
The noise of squelching feet sounded as I moved.. I didn’t know
where to, but what I did know as that the circle of light was
getting closer to my face. Time ticked on slowly, but all I wanted
was to reach this circle of light, to get out of the sniggering
shadows that watched me slyly. Their laugh seemed to echo
around the cave as the light shone into my face, threatening to
swallow me whole if I got any closer,
Where was I?
I squinted. A sheet of brown grains were spread out before me,
melting to a royal blue somewhere off in the distance. The pale
sky that floated was dotted with white splashes, the light from a
shimmering sun reflecting off the bobbing waves. Taking a few
cautious steps, I turned around to see the yawning mouth of a
cave, the walls that surrounded it looking smug about their place
in the scenery. My eyes slid away from this to look at the
towering cliffs above me, noticing the green trees that swayed to
the whistle of the breeze, painfully sliding towards their death,
nearing the big drop. A few rock pools were scattered here and
there, the nearest only metres away from my feet.
I didn’t notice anything else in sight. The sand stretched out
further than my eyes could see, and the cliffs didn’t offer
anything in their own way.

18. ~ 18 ~
I died here I thought. Or... have I died? I can’t be dead. Come
on Brianna, be realistic, how can you be dead if you can smell
the salt in the air and hear the seagulls call from the skies?
I sighed and dropped to my knees at the edge of a rock pool.
Dipping my hands into a ripple of cool, I scrubbed my skin,
hoping to soothe the itching that throbbed on them. I patiently
waited for an improvement, and when it came, I started to pick at
the sand that stuck to my fingers.
Am I alive? The question repeated irritably like a song stuck on
replay. Maybe God had saved me; maybe an angel got cross with
the sea and told it to leave me alone. The butterflies that churned
my stomach brought tears to my eyes. What if I was in heaven?
What if I was never to see Cora again?
Cora.
I groaned as the butterflies escaped and fluttered around my
body, making me tremble with sadness. My breathing quickened
as my eyes squeezed tight, the anger swelling as if it were a
balloon. I had to do something. I couldn’t be dead. I had to find
Cora-
“What are you doing?”
Shocked by hearing someone’s voice, my eyes snapped open.
“Look, what are you doing?” A little girl sat at the opposite side
of the rock pool was giggling. Her eyes were a vivid green, their
piercing stare fixed on me. She was only about four or five, the
same age as Cora. She had freckles spotted on her cheeks and
hair that flowed down past her shoulders, a golden colour with
faint curls. Just as Cora had. The expression she was wearing
made her look like Cora. But she wasn’t. She wore a pink scarf

19. ~ 19 ~
around her neck and a flowery dress that came above her knees,
showing pale legs with feet slipped into sandals.
“Pardon?” I asked.
“I said, what are you doing? You’re rubbing your hands really
hard!” She laughed again.
I frowned before looking at my hands. As true as her word, my
hands were glowing red, the anger that I had felt now sketched
into my palms. Feeling the little girl’s look upon me, I lifted me
head to meet her eyes.
“What’s your name?” she questioned.
“Erm... I’m Brianna.”
“Really? My middle name’s Brianna!” the girl cried. “My
Mummy says that it is very important that I remember my
middle name, she won’t tell me why though. Daddy says it’s
something to do with it being my full name. I’m happy that I’ve
got a middle name because it make it longer and some of the
girls at my school don’t have middle names and they’re so
jealous of me. So are some of the boys! In fact, there is only me,
Adam Christopher Temple, Kim Nicole Harrison and Joe
William Parker that have middle names.”
“And what’s your first name?” I said, reaching my hands out of
the rock pool.
“Elsa. Elsa Brianna Finch. It’s really long!”
“Yeah, it is,” I agreed.
“It’s very nice though. I’m happy I have a name like this one.”

20. ~ 20 ~
“Yes, you are a very lucky girl.” For some reason, I found
talking to Elsa fun, although she seemed overally chatty for such
a young age.
“Do you have a middle name?” Elsa asked.
“I do actually. It’s Jade.”
“That’s nice. I like the name Jade.”
The birds chirped happily whilst the singing wind blew joyfully.
“Are you allowed here on your own?” I challenged. “Does your
Mum let you come down here?”
“Mummy and Daddy are out all day today at work so they told
me to stay at home on my own. That’s way too boring. I don’t
like being inside all day on my own so I came to the beach
because no one ever comes here.”
“They left you on your own?”
“Yes they did. They said I’m a big girl now so I can look after
myself for a little bit when they are at work.” Elsa explained.
“And how old are you?”
“I’m five but it’s my birthday really soon! I’ll be six and an even
bigger girl!”
I gasped to mimic her joy. “Wow! What are you hoping to get?”
“I don’t know. I would love to have a bunny rabbit and call it
Fluffy but I haven’t asked Mummy yet. She might say no.” A
wave of sadness washed over Elsa as her eyes brimmed with
tears.

21. ~ 21 ~
“Don’t worry, Elsa. I’m sure your Mum will say yes,” I
reassured. “And if she says no, you can always ask for a doll or a
new toy.”
Elsa sighed, stood up, skipped around the rocks, then sat down
beside me. “Why are you here on your own?”
What was I doing here?
I’m here because I nearly died last night and God saved me in
the cave behind us but since I don’t know where I am I decided
to have a wash in the rock pool we are now sitting at.
I couldn’t say that.
“I came to play,” was what I blurted out.
“Can I join in?” Elsa’s asked, peering at me like an eager dog.
“Okay… I mean yeah, sure. What do you want to?”
“How about we build a big sandcastle?”
“That sounds like a good idea. Where do you want to build it?” I
said.
“Over there.” Pointing her finger, Elsa showed me where her
intention was to build. “I want it far away from the sea so the
waves don’t wash it away.”
The afternoon whizzed by, and our sandcastle grew at the same
pace. Four turrets surrounded by a moat stooped over a hole in
the sand where we decided our prisoners would be thrown if
anyone was naughty. Elsa hummed, I listened. The tide gradually
closed in, signalling for us to leave.
From what I had learnt about Elsa, she was a little girl who
wanted to be loved but wasn’t getting it, with parent who left her

22. ~ 22 ~
to occupy herself whilst they worked. Being only five, it wasn’t
right that this should happen, a danger to Elsa and to her parents
if someone found out.
As we dug, quick glances at the humming girl sent daggers
through my heart. How she looked like Cora. How I wished that
it was Cora digging opposite me, no matter how much I thought
Elsa cute. Shaking my head, I pushed my thoughts aside and
concentrated on smoothing the edges of turrets as I had been
ordered to do by Elsa.
“The sea’s close now. I don’t want to get wet and I have to go
home. If Mummy and Daddy know that I have been out they will
be cross and I definitely won’t be allowed a rabbit.”
“Okay, well you be careful on our way home. Watch out for any
cars, yes?”
“Yes.”
“Do you want me to walk with you?” I wondered.
“No, it’s okay. If I’m a big girl I have to walk on my own to
places.”
“It might not be safe, you know,” I warned insistingly.
“I’m sure.” With a nod of her head, Elsa started to walk away.
“Wait! Are you coming back tomorrow?” I called after her.
“Of course I am! Then I can play some more with you, if you
come too.”
“I’ll be here, don’t worry. Just come whenever you want!”
“Okay, bye!” And with that, Elsa sauntered up a path in the cliffs
and disappeared from sight.

23. ~ 23 ~
At least she had a home, unlike me. She had parents, food and
water. Shelter. A bed. Where was I going to sleep for the night?
Where was I going to sleep for the night? There was no chance I
was going to go back in the cave. I wasn’t risking my life again.
Tickling me, the sea licked my toes. I had to follow Elsa. Where
else would I go? Her parents might not want me to stay with
them, but at least I could find a way of getting back to Cora.
How happy she would be to see me.

24. ~ 24 ~
Chapter Three
The trek up to Elsa’s village had been a long one, lonely too.
With the sky fading to purple, the sun sliding down behind the
trees and the birds quietening down, my legs moved fast on the
rocky soil I was made to stumble through.
After crawling up the cliffs, I came across an overhead sign post
reading: WELCOME TO STEFANO REY. PLEASE DRIVE
CAREFULLY.
A long narrow road underneath this lead to a clump of houses
randomly placed along the tarmac now holding me up. Smoke
puffed out of chimneys and light seeped through cracks in the
curtains. No door was open, which didn’t surprise judging by the
cold that hung heavily.
Stopping, I shut my eyes. What was I doing here? A nine year
old girl wandering lost in some unknown town after hopping
dangerously out of death’s arms, trying to find her sister. It was
stupid. I had to find somewhere to sleep before the night
swallowed me up in its darkness.
A rustle. There among the leaves, came an unintended noise I
had heard. Quickly scanning my surroundings, I saw nothing but
black shadows. Anyone could be out there. Cautiously taking a
step, my arm reached out to reassure myself that there was

25. ~ 25 ~
nothing too close to scare me, and my worries were pushed
aside.
There it was again. The sound of discreet movement tip toeing
on a crunchy floor. I swallowed hard. “Come out,” I whispered.
A few seconds ticked by taking my patience with it. “Who’s
there?”
No one emerged from the shadows and I told myself that it was
probably the wind sweeping up the leaves it had blown around
bossily this morning. Keeping this as a thought, I clenched my
fists, turned towards a house then shuffled towards the entrance.
The blue door squashed between two walls encouraged me to
knock on it. Raising my hand, I bunched my fingers together and
poised my knuckles in mid air before taking a breath.
A rustle. I swivelled round, my eyes catching a glimpse of a
small figure gliding away, trailing her feet into the depths of
blackness. My heart jumped up to my throat, catching my breath
as I trembled in shock.
Someone was watching my every move. I could feel their eyes
staring into mine. “Come out, I won’t hurt you.” I dared myself
to whisper once again into the silence.
Go Brianna. Go and see who’s there.
No! Stranger danger! I argued with myself.
They’re probably just as scared as you.
Which is why you shouldn’t go.
Don’t be a pathetic wimp. I teased.
Get out there!

26. ~ 26 ~
“Don’t go,” I spoke aloud, forcing the taunting voice to settle
down.
A scurrying sound came from the darkness, as if someone was
trying to escape. I crept closer, my eyes wide, partly curiosity,
partly because I couldn’t see where I was going, the night now a
sheet of black paint.
“Is someone there?”
After a moment’s silence, I concluded with myself that I had
gone mad, sad but true. Misery loves company, madness
bringing it forth. I felt astonished at what I could hear alone in
the blackness of my dying mind, a noise without shape or colour
sounding strange.
“Who are you?” a meek voice quivered.
“I’m Brianna, who are you?”
The voice ignored my question but instead asked another one,
“Why can you speak?”
What a weird question I thought. “What do you mean?”
“Why are you speaking? You shouldn’t be able to talk.”
“Of course I can talk. Everyone can talk! Why don’t you come
out of the dark so that I can see you? Maybe we can be friends,”
I suggested, my sight trying to determine what was lurking in
those depths.
“No. No! Why am I talking to you? What am I doing?” The
voice mumbled a few quiet curses that I couldn’t hear.
“Come out of there, and come nearer,” I insisted.

27. ~ 27 ~
“Shush! No one can know about this, okay? I won’t tell anyone I
saw... you and you don’t tell anyone that you saw me. Not that
anyone will ask.”
“How can I tell anyone that I saw you if I can’t even see your
face?”
“Be quiet!” the voice snapped. “And go away. You’re not
welcome here.”
“I’m only looking for my sister,” I said.
After a brief moment of silence the voice spoke. “Go,” it said
with a raising tone. “Go! And never come back!”
“But...” I stammered.
“Get out of here,” came a snarl, warning me not to push the
conversation any further.
“Um okay...”
“I said go! Get out of my town! Forever! Never come back and
leave us all alone! It’s your entire fault that this happened, I
know it is!” the voice was now wailing, crying with sobs of
despair.
“I never did anything! I came here to find a place to stay before
setting off for my sister tomorrow,” defending myself was the
least I could do.
“GO!” the voice screamed.
I span on my heel and sprinted away, the cries echoing in my
ears. I hadn’t meant to hurt anyone. I wanted to be nice, but it
obviously hadn’t worked. Voices echoed from behind.
“What was all that about?”

28. ~ 28 ~
“Who’s there?”
“Come on, someone own up!”
I shook my head in disbelief at the commotion going on over
such a small fuss. The shouts followed me as I ran down a
snicket, the world rushing past.
The commotion wasn’t what made me frown. It was more to do
with the fact that the cries had stopped and the wailing had
disappeared. It was as if the voice had been a ghost, especially
since I hadn’t seen her.
As my head remained lost in a separate dimension of thought,
my feet took over and lead me out of town. Past the houses I
raced, the town sign flying over my head and the tarmac road
graduating to soil.
A faint moon lit the night, barely shimmering behind the misty
clouds that refused to let light break through. Creepy shadows
closed in on me, their shapes forming monsters to my eyes. Was
it the wind, or were they growling at me? Watching me panic,
branches grabbed like spindly fingers at my hair, enjoying the
luxury of torture in pure delight Eyes seemed to be gazing at me
from behind each standing tree, from in the bushes and amongst
the stars.
“I only want my sister,” I mourned to the hidden wildlife.
***
Curled up in a tight ball, the night had dragged past. Hunching
up against a tree trunk with my head tucked between my arms
had appeared to be the only way to stay comfortable even though
sleep wasn’t an option, fear using all its strength to keep my
eyelids wide. The hours, minutes, seconds had all seemed like a
million years, tripling with the more added on.

29. ~ 29 ~
Anyone could have been out there.
Then the birds had started to wake, their signs of dawn coming
through chirps of song. Distant rays of pink glowed from a
sleepy sun pushing at the dark sky, causing the stars to crawl
away vunerably.
Thinking of the previous night sent shivers down my spine as I
sat by the rock pool me and Elsa had met at. The tide was out. I
watched the swirling waves rise then fall and clawed at the sand
with my finger nails. It was something to do while I waited for
Elsa to appear; at least I hoped she did. I couldn’t leave to find
Cora without saying good bye to her. That wouldn’t be fair.
“Brianna!” a voice yelled.
I tilted my head round to see Elsa pounding toward me from the
cliffs behind. Gladness filled my empty soul as I watched her
short legs pound against the sand.
“Hey, Elsa.”
“Brianna, have you heard?” Elsa rushed to a stop, caught her
breath then collapsed on a heap in the floor, gasping.
“Elsa what’s wrong?” I cried, shaking her with my hands. “Get
up, you’re scaring me!”

30. ~ 30 ~
Chapter Four
I sat Elsa up in the sand before placing my hands on her
shoulders. Looking at her square in the eye I tried to soothe her.
She was trembling and the occasional sob escaped from her lips,
tears streaming down her face.
“Shh,” I reassured. “Why are you upset?”
“A l-little boy at-t the village...” Elsa cried.
“Yes, what about him?” I asked.
“I d-don’t know t-they wouldn’t t-tell me.”
I waited for Elsa to calm down. “What won’t they tell you?”
“They said I was too young to know what happened,” Elsa
explained quietly “Being a big girl doesn’t mean I can know
everything my Daddy said.”
“Do you know anything at all or not?”
“They only told me a little bit and I don’t know whether I want
to know any more. It sounds really scary.”
I didn’t know what Elsa was on about and I didn’t want to press
the situation too much, but curiosity got the better of me. “What
do you know?”

31. ~ 31 ~
“A little boy who lives near to me, h-he...” Elsa swallowed.
“Now, now. You tell me what has happened to this little boy and
we speak no more of it.”
“He’s dead,” Elsa whispered.
I stared at her for a moment in confusion. “What?”
“He’s dead,” Elsa repeated. Her green eyes swivelled towards
me, coated in a sparkle of tears. “He’s only five like me and that
makes it worse because now I’m scared that I die.”
“How did he die?” I stammered, ignoring Elsa’s worries.
“No one would tell me. Mummy said I’m too young to worry
about death and Daddy said I’ll be scared to know which I am,”
Elsa sulked.
“What was his name?” I asked.
“Chris Barker or something like that. I don’t think he had a
middle name though.”
“So you have no idea at all how he died? Did he have a car crash
or was he ill?”
“He couldn’t have been ill because I’ve seen him quite a lot t
school before, but it was this morning. I was asleep then all of a
sudden I just heard this screaming from far away. Daddy rushed
outside with Mummy and I watched from the window. There
were lots of people crowding round his house, some were crying
and others had faces white like a ghost! And I mean it!”
“What happened next?”
“Mummy ran back to me and shut the curtains so I asked what
was happening but all she said was that the little boy had died.”

32. ~ 32 ~
“Nothing else?” I frowned.
“Nothing else,” Elsa confirmed.
We sat for a few minutes in silence listening to the crows calling
from beyond sight, sat in the bumpy sand with our feet resting in
the sunlight. “Are you sure you have no idea how he died?”
“Well everyone knows what really caused it,” Elsa sighed.
“What do you mean?” I asked, slowly acknowledging this news.
“Don’t you know?”
“Know what?”
Elsa gasped in shock. “The... you know... story.”
I couldn’t help but let confusion show on my face. “What story?”
“Brianna! Where do you live?”
“Um, around, you know.” I stammered.
“Yes but where? Where’s your house?”
“It’s, um, nearby, I mean not too far away, just... on the outskirts
of town. Yes, that’s where I live,” I lied. It couldn’t be that hard
to fool a five year old.
“In the same town as me, Stefano Rey? Or is it the next village
on?”
Never, in my entire life, had I encountered such a curious
youngster. The questions she asked seemed out of the ordinary,
not to mention the words she spoke.
“Oh wait, please don’t tell me you live in that old house called
Lockwood Estate.” Elsa warned.

33. ~ 33 ~
“No, I don’t,” came my immediate reply.
“Phew! So what street do you live on?”
“It’s called... Field Close...”
“That street doesn’t even exist! I won’t tell anyone where you
live, I promise.” Elsa tapped her heart to show she was telling
the truth.
“I know.”
“Where do you live, then?”
Giving a silent groan, I knew Elsa wasn’t going to drop the
subject. “I... um...” I struggled to say. I felt like I was prying
words out of mud, desperately trying to keep hold of them but
letting them slide out of my grip. Changing the subject, I turned
to face the curious girl. “What were you saying about what I
don’t know?”
“Oh, that. Well it’s Stefano Rey’s myth. I don’t know whether I
believe it or not, all my friends do though.”
“Right, well I’m listening.”
“Okay. But remember no one of this is true, yes? Well I don’t
think it is anyway. Maybe it is… Anyway, there’s a ghost who
haunts the town of Stefano Rey at night, only coming out when
she want to kill someone.”
“How does she kill them?” I interrupted.
“Hang on! She doesn’t exactly kill them, it’s only when she is
seen. Every time someone sees her, a person in the town dies,
but no one knows how. It’s like magic, I think. It has only ever
happened once before really when someone has said they have
seen her and then someone else has died, even though that was a

34. ~ 34 ~
long long time ago. I don’t think anyone knows why Stefano Rey
has this myth but I’m really scared of it.”
“Surely, have more than only Chris and the person a long time
ago have died?” I asked.
“Yes, but they all died for a reason. They were either ill, or were
in an accident, but these two died for no reason.” Elsa pointed
out.
“I see. What does this ghost look like?”
“I don’t know and I hope I never have to know. I never want to
see her because I never want to die,” came with determined
shake of the head.
“Is the ghost an old ghost, or a young ghost?”
“She’s meant to be around ten years old so quite young.”
Absorbing this news, I gulped as I let the butterflies in my
stomach roam free. “And every time she is seen someone dies?
Or just the person who has seen her?”
“No, someone else.” Elsa said. She had calmed down now and
her body language was more relaxed than it had been ten
minutes ago. “But no one has seen her for sure and I’m very
happy about that.”
Had this little boy, Chris died from someone seeing the ghost, or
was it something else? “Elsa, who told you this?”
“My friend, Kim’s big brother. He never lies so I believe him
and so do all of my other friends. Somehow they already knew.”
“Hmm, why do people live here then if this myth is true?”

35. ~ 35 ~
“I don’t know. That’s all I know. I’m not even sure if the myth is
true, even though I know Kim’s big brother wouldn’t lie to me.”
Elsa said.
“Okay. I’ve never heard of that before!”
Elsa’s stomach rumbled loudly. “Ugh. I’m so hungry. I didn’t
have any breakfast! Mummy rushed to work and Daddy forgot
feed me it. I’m too small to reach the cereal in the cupboard.”
Listening to Elsa made me realise that I hadn’t had any food
since emerging from the depths of the cave. Why wasn’t I
hungry? I hadn’t had a drink either, yet I wasn’t thirsty. Probably
from all the stress I had been under since I nearly died. Too
much worrying to spare any time for hunger.
A yawn escaped from Elsa’s lips. Black lines were sketched
under her eyes in her skin. “Waking up so early made me really
tired too. The sun wasn’t fully up when the screams started.”
Sleep. Why wasn’t I tired? Not a single drop of it last night and I
didn’t feel tired. I rolled my eyes, knowing that with the
conditions I had slept in, there was no way I could have slept.
“Why don’t you go home then? Catch some zz’s?” I suggested.
“What are zz’s?”
“Never mind. So. This ghost. Why is she here?”
“I think it’s something to do with her dying and then coming
back to life to haunt the world as revenge.”
“Revenge from what?” I asked.
“I don’t know. She was angry about something though.” Elsa
said. “I’m scared.”

36. ~ 36 ~
“I am too,” I confessed.
“You’d never even heard of the story before so why are you
scared?” Elsa exclaimed accusingly.
“I’m not scared of that, well I kinda am, but it’s to do with
something else as well.”
“What?”
“It’s nothing. You’re not old enough to understand.”
“Yes I am! Tell me! If I can understand this story, I think I can
understand what you’re worried about,” Elsa pressed.
I sighed reluctantly. “I’m worried that I can’t find my sister.”
That was partly true.
“Why, have you lost her?”
“Yes.”
“Oh.”
“And I need to find her soon,” I explained.
“Well good luck finding her, I’m sure you will,” Elsa
encouraged.
“Thanks,” I said, appreciating Elsa’s words.
My emotions were now flared with fear after listening to the
ghost story Elsa had told. Such myths had never occurred to me
as real, but somehow the one Stefano Rey held made me feel
anxious and I knew why. It couldn’t be possible, but it was.
Elsa glanced at me. I forced a smile and her sight returned to the
soaring birds, so innocent, so young.

37. ~ 37 ~
I had to do something. I couldn’t let this go on without anyone
knowing, keeping the secret locked at the tip of my lips, waiting
for it to accidently tip over the edge. Urging me to keep quiet,
my head spun with opportunities, trying to push away the gut
instinct overpowering me.
“Elsa, why don’t you take me on a tour of your town?” I
suggested.
“You live there though, why would I?”
“Ahh,” I smiled, mentally panicking as I pretended to catch her
out. “Yes, but I don’t know any of your friends do I?”
“Well, you could meet them if you wanted,” Elsa fidgeted.
“Yes, that would be great!” Grinning, I knew my plan was
starting to take place. “Shall we go?”
“Um, okay, if you want...”
“Hey, what’s up?” I questioned, noticing her sad expression.
“Nothing.”
I lifted my eyebrows.
“I don’t have many friends,” she blurted out.
“I don’t mind, let me meet your best friend.”
“He’s called Joe Parker, his middle name is William,” Elsa
pointed out.
“Cool. Right, off to Stefano Rey we go,” I said, jumping to my
feet before shaking the sand off my trousers. Elsa copied,
making us both giggle, then we made our way towards the cliffs,
a friendly silence lingering between us.

38. ~ 38 ~
My plan was going to work; I could feel the determination in me
squirming with anticipation, alongside a strong wave of
nervosity. The urge to keep going batted away the squeals of
terror, I could almost visualise the battle being fought in my
mind.
I was going to keep going. I was going to sort this out before I
set off to find Cora, who was probably counting each day that
passed without my hugs to comfort her when she was sad. Why
was I doing this? Part of me didn’t know. The other part that did
blared out warning sirens. Why?
Because I had seen and was going after her.
Who?
The girl who haunted Stefano Rey.

39. ~ 39 ~
Chapter Five
“This is Joe,” Elsa introduced.
A small boy with cropped, fair brown hair stared at me through
chocolate eyes. Cheeky freckles dotted his pale face, mimicking
the attitude he wore. “Hey, what’s your name?”
“Brianna,” I replied.
“Nice one,” he grinned, reaching out a hand which I shook with
a nervous laugh. “So, where d’ya meet her Elsa?”
“On the beach. We built a big sandcastle yesterday,” Elsa told
him.
“Ah. Why didn’t you invite me along?” Joe teased.
Elsa had brought me to the centre of Stefano Rey, where Joe
normally played. Sat in the soft grass made the situation more
comfortable, seeing as we were the only people in sight.
According to Elsa hardly anyone tended to hang out here.
Around us were a few houses, the patch of grass surrounded by a
metal barrier most likely to prevent dogs polluting its fresh,
green colour, apparently Joe’s favourite colour.
“So how old are you?” Joe asked me.
“I’m nine. What about you?”
“I’m eight,” he answered. “Elsa’s my best friend and I keep an
eye out for her, you never know these days...”

40. ~ 40 ~
“What do you mean?” I asked, puzzled.
“What do you mean what do I mean?” The boy frowned.
“Joe, Brianna had no idea about the myth until I told her earlier
on today so I don’t think she’ll know a lot,” Elsa jabbed in.
A roar of laugher from Joe made me jump. “Where are you
from? Somewhere we’ve never heard of?”
Yes. I replied in my thoughts. Seeing my blank look, Joe sighed.
“Have you heard of the rhyme?”
Shaking my head, he leant in only to start whispering.
“Under the moon, in the eerie night,
The little girl awaits, her outline in sight,
Amongst the shadows, her silence, her dread,
The fear of seeing the spirit of the dead,
She stands and stares, a blank look on her face,
Back away from her dark embrace,
For she takes souls when her ghost is seen,
Her face still and pale but her spirit so keen...”
Blinking, I shivered as a breeze swirled down my back, its cold
touch making me tremble. The sound it made echoed Joe’s
voice, the rhyme he had recited dancing in my ears, smirking
with glee. I gulped. Elsa had gone pale whilst Joe was waiting
for me to react, an impatient twitch to his lips urging me to
speak.

41. ~ 41 ~
“No, I hadn’t heard it,” I confessed.
“I didn’t tell her because I couldn’t remember it,” Elsa said.
A warm smile from Joe addressed to Elsa lightened up her mood,
unlike mine. Each word that Joe had spoken spat at my face with
dread.
“Have you ever seen the girl?” Came the mumble from my lips.
“Me? No. I don’t want to either. I don’t leave the house at night,
it’s too dark and scary,” Joe muttered. “Have you?”
I hesitated momentarily before slowly moving my head from
side to side, hoping that Joe wouldn’t be able to see the lies
trapped in my eyes. Elsa didn’t notice anything being so young,
but I thought I caught a glimpse of suspicion flicker across Joe’s
expression. If I was right, he made a good job of hiding it.
How was I going to find this ghost? If I saw her, it would mean
that someone was going to die and I couldn’t let that happen
again. Maybe, just maybe, there was a way I could persuade her
to stop haunting Stefano Rey.
If I told her politely, she might just listen.
“Joe, what else do you know?” If there was a way to get this
ghost to leave, I would have to do a bit of research first.
“Not much. I know she can only haunt people at night. So if she
was out at daytime, it wouldn’t count. No one would die.”
“Does she come out at daytime?”
“I have no idea. We might be seeing her every day without
knowing it, I guess.”

42. ~ 42 ~
Nodding, I asked Joe if he knew more. If I was able to see what
she looked like, I could talk to her in the daytime to explain why
she should go.
“She’ll try to trick you, like sending you away or trying to be
your friend, one of the two so that she can see you and someone
will die. Then she can take their soul.”
The voice. It had tried to send me away.
“Why would she send you away if she wanted to see you
though?”
Joe shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe she tells you to go then she
can see you properly while you run. I’m not sure.”
“How long has she been a ghost?” I wondered.
“Brianna, how do you expect me to know? I don’t stalk her.”
Chuckling, I turned to Elsa, occupying herself by making daisy
chains. She lifted her head and said, “This one is for you Brianna
because you’re my best friend too.”
A ring of flowers was placed in my hands, filling my heart with
joy. No matter how scared I felt, I knew that Elsa would always
be there to cheer me up. I hugged her, bringing her close to me
as I whispered in her ear, “You’re my best friend too. You
remind me of my sister, you know.”
“I do? What does she look like?”
“The same as you, but her hair isn’t as curly.”
“What are you two whispering about?” Joe sulked. “I like secrets
too.”
We both giggled. “Nothing, girl stuff,” I grinned.

43. ~ 43 ~
Sighing, Joe got up, stretched, then looked down at us before
saying, “Shall we go to the park?”
“Yes!” Elsa cried, looking up at the sky. “Blue! My favourite
colour!”
“Do many people hang around there?” I asked, hopeful that I
might get an idea of who this ghost was.
“No,” came the reply from Joe to my utter disappointment. “It’s
abandoned.”
“There’s only one swing and a slide but me and Joe love it, don’t
we Joe?” Elsa laughed.
“We do Elsa. It’s great fun.”
***
We spent the following afternoon in the park under a blistering
sun, Elsa enjoying the rocking sensation as I pushed her back
and forth on the swing. Joe used up most of his time running up
the slide then skidding down to my great amusement. Bored of
playing on his own after a while, he called Elsa over, who
hopped off the swing, racing over to her friend.
I propped myself onto the plastic seat, closing my eyes and
relaxing to the gentle swinging. Joe and Elsa’s shouts and laughs
were about the only reason I was able to stay awake, the rock
half lulling me to sleep.
No matter how hard I tried to keep my thoughts harpy ones, I
knew that I was going to have to leave soon; I couldn’t spend
another night shivering in the forest or hiding at the base of a
tree. Cora was waiting for me, I had to get back to her.
“Brianna, look!” Joe squealed.

44. ~ 44 ~
I lifted my eyelids to see Joe and Elsa about to descend the slide,
Elsa sat on Joe’s lap. Broad smiles were spread across their
faces, not a care in the world to make them worry.
I shouted an encouragement before Joe let go of the handle bars,
sending them whizzing down to the ground. They’d barely found
their feet again before Elsa was streaking up the steps to the top.
A rustle.
It wasn’t my imagination, I had heard it. Placing two wary feet
on the ground, my eyes scanned the bushes in the surrounding
areas, desperate to catch something within them.
“Brianna, what are you doing?” Joe asked.
“You two stay there until I come back,” I ordered. “I won’t be
long.”
“Elsa stop it!” Joe demanded, tugging his hand away from Elsa’s
grasp. “Where are you going Brianna?”
“I need to find something, I’ll be back in five minutes.”
“Joe, hurry up, she’s going to come back. Joe, come on!” Elsa
insisted.
Joe mumbled something before turning away to follow Elsa up
the slide. My steps lead me to where I had heard the rustling,
trees and bushes blocking my sight. Shades of green and brown
clustered before me, distant chirps of songs whistling in the air
from the birds who sang.
There it was again. The rustling of leaves of someone who was
tiptoeing in hope of escaping as silently as a ninja, but my
hearing was too sharp. I could pick up the squeak of a mouse if I
had to.

45. ~ 45 ~
Determination rushed through me, pulsed around by the sense of
fear. This ghost couldn’t hurt me in the daytime, but my
imagination ran wild on what she would look like. A blank look
on her face, still and pale? Or maybe rosy cheeked the imitation
of an ordinary girl. I was going to get this ghost to leave Stefano
Rey no matter what she looked like, finally putting everyone at
peace.
Hopefully she would listen.
“Who’s there?” I spoke, sounding more confident than I felt.
No one answered, the leaves in front of me fluttering with
suspicion as I drew closer.
“Who’s there?” I repeated slightly louder.
Joe and Elsa’s screeching came from the distance, their faint
laughs carried on the humble breeze. Sighing, I spun on my heel,
ready to make my way back to them.
Then out of the blue, it was there, a footprint marked in the soil,
pointing in the direction of the trees. A flicker of hope sparkled
within me, the X on a map, the green man on a set of traffic
lights was leading the way and I knew I had to follow it, my gut
instinct clarifying the few doubts.
Darkness engulfed me, casting deep shadows on my soul as I
ventured through the shrubbery. It was one thing imagining what
was going to happen, a totally different one for the outcome to
take place. I felt the same way as I had done the previous night,
black shapes following my every move with eager eyes, not
knowing what might jump out at me behind each tree I passed.
Twigs snapped under my feet as I watched the daylight dim to a
mere glow.
“What are you doing?” came a hiss over the crackle of leaves.

46. ~ 46 ~
A gasp of breath caught in my throat followed by a wave of
shock trembling though me. Was this the person I was looking
for?
“Who’s there?” I demanded.
“I told you to go, didn’t I?” the voice snapped. It was a high
pitched sound, like the one of a girl who wasn’t allowed her
favourite sweets, and to me seemed too young to belong to such
stubbornness.
Even my excellent hearing couldn’t pick up the location of this
person, or ghost, to be precise. Squinting, I peered with caution,
picking up each detail my eyes could see, not much with the
light being so feeble.
“Where are you?” I questioned, my words directed at a nearby
tree.
My question was ignored. “Why didn’t you go?”
“Whoa, you should be the one leaving! Killing all these innocent
people!”
The voice remained silent for a few moments, making me
wonder whether she was going to confess her sins and come out
of hiding. “Don’t you know who you are?”
“Of course I do, I’m Brianna Harris,” I answered.
“Do you know what you are?”
“A girl.” It felt stupid talking to thin air, especially since I could
barely see ahead of me.
“You obviously don’t then, or are you being awkward?”

47. ~ 47 ~
Puzzled, I racked my brains for a way to catch this ghost out.
“How long have you been in Stefano Rey?”
“Since I was born. Why?” she replied.
“You mean since you died,” I deliberately-over-the-top-
corrected.
“What are you on about?” the voice half sighed, half asked.
“You know perfectly well what I’m on about. You have been
haunting this town since you died and now you’ve come back to
get your revenge.” I listened with satisfaction at the sound of her
silence. “Leave these people alone! You’re a selfish idiot, or
should I say, a selfish ghost!”
The mumble that followed was barely audible. “You have no
idea, do you?”
“No idea about what? How you died?” I spat, glad that my
confidence was gradually building over the layer of nervosity.
“Brianna, I’m being serious. I’ve lived here since I was born and
I am one hundred percent sure that I’m alive.”
“No you’re not. You’re that ghost that haunts this town and I’m
going to make sure that you leave before I go to find my sister
Cora.”
“Brianna-“
“What’s your name?” I interrupted. “Or do ghosts not have
names?”
“Lily Faye Wilkinson,” the voice said.
“You have a name?” I let slip how surprised I was in my tone
when I spoke.

48. ~ 48 ~
“Brianna, I’m not a ghost!” the voice insisted.
“Well then, if you’re not, come out and show your face,” I
challenged.
When no reply came, a shiver of fear rushed over me. I felt like a
character out of a horror film at the tension moment of dramatic
irony, the audience waiting for me to turn around to see the
ghastly face of a pale figure with black bags under her eyes,
white rags, bare-footed and back combed hair.
Then the music would creep on, eerily getting louder and faster
while the camera crawled around slowly, the heartbeats of those
watching threatening to explode their chests as they gawped at
what would appear before the character’s eyes-
“Brianna.”

49. ~ 49 ~
Chapter Six
A scream burst from the tip of my lip at the sound of my name
from so close. My eyes swivelled round faster than my body did,
catching a glimpse of a figure before it blurred into place.
She stood there, swaying slightly, a pair of leather shoes strapped
to her feet. A stripy dress flowed from her shoulders, frills sewed
to the bottom seam. Chestnut curls fell freely from her head,
bobbing around her tanned face that fixed onto blue eyes, boring
into mine. She looked around my age, but nothing like my
complex, bobbed brown hair and muddy brown eyes with pale
skin a big contrast to hers. Somehow, she looked strangely
familiar, the feeling creeping up on me as if I had seen her in
film before but I couldn’t remember which one.
Swallowing hard, I opened and closed me mouth like a fish, not
quite knowing what to say.
“Not so much of a ghost then, am I?” Lily laughed.
“You... w-why-I...can...” my words spilt out, jumbled up.
Lily looked at me blankly, waiting an explanation for my
gibberish.
“I-I know who y-you are,” I threatened. “Don’t t-try lying to
me.”
Lily gave a snort of amusement as I said this, clearly finding the
subject funny. Confused, I watched patiently, hoping she would
recover from her giggles to share the joke with me, eventually in
which she did so.
Sighing contently, her lips curled up into a mocking smile,
showing her dominating authority over me. A sense of weakness

50. ~ 50 ~
trickled through my body, Lily suddenly seeming too tall and too
big.
“You don’t know do you? You’re not lying,” she grinned.
“Y-yes I do know, actually,” I defended.
“Then why won’t you admit it?”
“I’ve admitted it loads of times,” I exclaimed. “W-why won’t
you listen?”
“Because I haven’t heard you say it,” Lily pointed out. “You’ve
never said it to me before.”
Groaning, I kicked at a twig laying at my feet sending it
twizzling a few metres away.
“What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?” Lily teased.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I mumbled. “You’re
the g-ghost yet you say I don’t know something...”
“You don’t!”
“Well what is it then?”I cried.
“Brianna, Brianna, you come across so bold, yet inside you are
as vulnerable as a lamb,” Lily tutted.
“For goodness sake! I end up lost looking for my sister who is
most likely frightened to death in some strange family’s house, I
nearly die in a cave, I find out that this town is haunted by a
ghost, I find the ghost and when I come to try politely ask her to
leave she turns the blame on me. Plus I don’t even know what
you’re on about!” I shouted, my glare glued on the girl before
me.

51. ~ 51 ~
A few moments passed as my rant absorbed into Lily. I thought
her face was turning to a mocking expression, but to my relief,
her eyes drooped with pity. “I’m sorry, Brianna…”
“Sorry about what?” I snarled.
“Brianna, you…”
“I what? Am as innocent as a lamb? Or maybe a sheep if you’ve
changed your mind,” I snapped.
Lily inhaled deeply then slowly exhaled, a sighing sound
escaping from her mouth. “Brianna there’s something that I need
to tell you.”
***
Sat in Lily’s bedroom, a feeling of suspicion pounded in my
head. I eyed the girl cautiously as she flipped through files in
draws by her desk, warning sirens wailing in my gut.
From what I could tell, Lily was a typical girl, her walls coated
in sickly pink and a fluffy magenta carpet covering the floor.
Looking out of the window, a pang of worry struck me thinking
of Joe and Elsa, wondering if they had got home safely.
It had taken Lily a while to persuade me to follow her, my
“stranger danger” doubts blaring out from the many times the
rules were drilled into our brains at school. But was else would I
do anyway without shelter? I followed her then, knowing no girl
my age could be more dangerous than a night spent in the
woods.
My attention was drawn to Lily as she stopped moving, her gaze
fixed on something in her hands. Realising her eyes were shut, I
peered over her shoulder to catch a glimpse of what she was
holding, but after a moment she snapped out of her daydream

52. ~ 52 ~
and continued scuffling thorough what looked to be documents. I
resumed to sulking on her chair.
Time ticked on before Lily finally pushed a piece of paper in my
direction across her desk. My first impressions were the oldest
possibly made photograph until Lily urged me to look closer.
A family were stood on the beach gathering in front of the
opening of a cave, tall cliffs towering above the rocky walls.
The total of six consisted of a woman, a man, three boys and a
girl about aged five. Everyone was grinning wildly at the camera
apart from the little girl, who smiled but her forced expression
made her looked worried. Her wide eyes weren’t fixed on the
lens of the camera or whatever had taken this picture long ago,
they wandered slightly to the right mimicking the angle at which
her body faced too.
“What about this picture?” I asked.
“Keep looking,” Lily encouraged.
My mind was fixed upon the way that the little girl was placed
and why she looked uncomfortable. I peered to the right of her,
expecting to see a sea monster creeping up but instead I saw the
darkness from the gawping cave.
Shrugging, Lily didn’t respond, merely keeping her sight locked
on me. As I swivelled my eyes back to the print, I noticed
something I hadn’t before.
Lurking in the darkness of the cave, a figure dressed in white
rags was placed to the right of the little girl. It wasn’t easy to
spot her and judging by the way the picture was taken, she
wasn’t meant to be part of the family photograph. Barely being
able to see her, I leant in closer to the picture, trying to make out
who this figure was amongst the black smudge.

53. ~ 53 ~
“Who is it?”
“Keep looking,” Lily repeated.
“Is that all you’re going to say?” I muttered.
“Just do it,” she sighed.
I focused my eyes up close causing my sight to go cross eyed.
The figure could just be made out to be a girl, short, dark hair
scruffled in all directions. A white top that looked like it had
been wrung in a bowl of water hung from her neck, only the
upper part of her body seen due to the place where the family
was sat.
The little girl who sat in front of her wore golden curls and gazed
through green eyes, the same as her brothers. The figure behind
seemed ready to pounce, though her still position counter acted
this thought.
“Who are they?” Lily breathed in my ear.
Realisation jolted through me then. My bottom lip trembled and
my body started to shake. I gasped, fearing to make eye contact
with Lily. Peering at the picture once more, a puzzled sob caught
in my throat.
“Why am I in this picture?” The figure amongst the shadows was
me. “And why is Elsa there?”
“Brianna-“
“I never remember this!” I cried. “What am I doing in Elsa’s
family picture?”
“Brianna, shush! Let me explain,” Lily said.
“This had better be good,” I shivered.

54. ~ 54 ~
“Brianna, this picture was taken quite a while ago, long before
Elsa’s time.”
“Then why are we in it?” I interrupted.
“This picture was passed down in my family from one
generation to the next, no one ever knowing who took it and
when. No one knows these people,” Lily continued. Questions
poured into my mind as I tried to get a word in edge ways. “Yes,
you and Elsa are in this picture, along with her Mum who you
may also recognise.”
I ignored this, more important thoughts battling their way to my
speech. “And who took it?”
“There are many things that I don’t know, Brianna. I don’t know
when it was took and by who, but I do know why.”
“Why?”
“The cave behind them, where you are stood. What do you
notice about it?”
A few moments dragged on. “That’s the cave where I nearly
died,” came my response.
Lily nodded. “That’s the cave, yes.”
“Wait a minute, I don’t know you yet you seem to be keeping a
record of my life...” I frowned.
“Brianna, some things are better left unsaid,” Lily muttered.
“Hey! That’s not right! You can’t expect to get away with tings
that quickly, especially since I’ve been given a picture with me
in it that I don’t even remember!” I shouted in fury, banging my
hand on the desk.

55. ~ 55 ~
“It’s normal that you can’t remember, honey.”
“Don’t you honey me! I bet you’re younger than me!” I warned.
“Let me explain then everything will piece together!”
“Fine. Go for it. What’s even the point me being here,” I waved
my hand dismissively.
“Thank you. Brianna, you’re dead.”
I stared at her, expecting a laugh to follow her words, but the
serious tone she spoke in didn’t imply that.
“You died in that cave. You drowned.”
“Why am I here then?” I sighed.
“I’m sure you’ve heard of the myth haunting Stefano Rey,
right?” Lily asked.
“Can I leave now? I have to find my sister before it gets dark,” I
rudely said, getting up of the chair.
Lily grabbed hold of my hands and I cupped them in hers. “You
won’t find your sister.”
“No, not at this rate I won’t.”
“Brianna, listen for goodness sake! Stop being awkward! This
picture, don’t you want to know why you’re in the background
of it, lingering like a ghost?”
Hearing her words in this way drew my attention. I slid back into
my chair, attempting to give the impression I was bored out of
my skull, but Lily knew she had me hooked.

56. ~ 56 ~
“This picture, as I have said before was taken long ago by
someone unknown. You are in it, in the cave you died in. Don’t
you think that’s a tiny bit fishy?”
“A bit,” I yawned.
“Even more with the myth that Stefano Rey carries... and the fact
that a young boy named Chris died the other day.” Lily looked at
me as if she could see the wheels spinning in my head, my
excellent hearing almost picking the sound up. “You never feel
pain, you haven’t realised you’re not wearing any shoes, you’re
paler than a sheet of snow and you mysteriously appeared out of
the blue, literally. Who would survive such consequences in a
cave like that? Brianna...”
”What?” I gulped.
“You are the ghost of Stefano Rey.”

57. ~ 57 ~
Chapter Seven
“You are the ghost of Stefano Rey,” Lily repeated. I didn’t
respond so she clicked her fingers in front of my nose. Blinking,
my view swayed as I tried to focus on Lily’s face but my vision
blurred.
“Brianna? He-llo?” a vague voice called.
There was no point me denying that the figure hiding in the cave
was me, no matter how human or not I was, I could still
recognise my face in a mirror.
Part of me still waited for Lily to burst out laughing, giggling at
how effective her joke had turned out to be, although the second
half of me knew that this wasn’t going to happen. Another part
of the jigsaw had been fixed in, many still to be found.
“W-what?” my voice wavered.
A friendly arm patted my arm. “I’m sorry.”
“Who are you?” I whispered angrily. “How do you know this?”
“Brianna, I’ve told you, some things are better left unsaid.”
“Tell me,” I growled, pushing her hand away.
“I’ll tell you what I know but-”

58. ~ 58 ~
“Get on with it!”
“Okay, okay!” Lily raised her hands in a surrender position. “All
I know is that this picture has been passed down in my family for
years...”
“How do you know that?” I demanded.
Lily pointed at the woman on the picture. “She’s my great-great-
great something grandma. My grandma gave it to me and told
me that whatever happened, I had to keep this. At first I thought
she was going mad, but when I saw you night before Chris died,
I realised what I had to do.”
“How did you?” I questioned.
She lifted her shoulders and pulled a confused face. “I just did. I
felt it. The ghost has hardly been seen in the previous years and I
just knew that I was the first one in my family to have to deal
with the situation.”
“What situation? Why did your family get themselves into this?”
I asked impatiently.
“I’m not sure; I think it’s as if we are watch guards for this town,
making sure that if anything does happen again, we sort it out.”
I found this hard to believe, along with everything else I was
trying to absorb. My mind couldn’t grasp the idea of me being a
ghost; I still didn’t have enough proof to get the idea to click into
place.
“I don’t know why I should believe you,” I said quietly.
“Well, you’re in this picture that was taken many years ago-“
“I can understand partly why I’m there if I am really a ghost, but
why is Elsa there, she isn’t a ghost, is she?”

59. ~ 59 ~
“No, you’re right, it’s a sign. Perhaps this girl is one of Elsa’s
ancient relatives and with you in the background, the time had to
come when this girl was back alive in the world so that you
could come out of the cave but only remembering from then. A
time loop,” Lily suggested.
Her theory worked when I put deep thought into it. “How do I
know that I’m a ghost and how do I know that this picture wasn’t
edited or something?”
Lily bit her lip as her eyes slid down to where my heart was with
her eyes brimming with tears.
“Oh...” I swallowed. I raised my shaking hand to place it on the
skin under my neck, feeling around for a pulse. My trembling
fingers meant it took time for a few seconds to pass with
distraction. The ones that did crawled on painfully, my emotions
expecting the reassuring thud to make contact with icy touch.
But it never came.
“No!” I yelled. “No! Make it all stop!” I shot up out of my seat
and smashed a glass vase standing on the window sill. Shards
flew in all directions yet Lily kept seated and didn’t react.
“Why? I’m an orphan with a lost sister who drowned looking for
her and now I’m a... g-ghost.” I sobbed hearing my own words,
burying my hands into my palms.
“Brianna, I can help you,” Lily soothed.
“Shut up, you witch! This is all because of you!” I shouted. “If
you had never had told me about this I might still be happy for
once with my sister, but no! You have to go and spoil it!”
“Brianna, at least I told you! You’d get back to the orphanage
you knew to find a shopping centre there waiting instead!” Lily
shouted back.

60. ~ 60 ~
The breath I drew in to wail got stuck in my throat. A shopping
centre?
“I’m sorry,” I apologised, stifling a cry. “It’s just hard to take
in.”
To my surprise, Lily smiled comfortingly. “I know, I would be
the same.” She pulled me into a hug and rubbed my back.
I groaned.
“What?” she asked.
“Will I be a ghost forever?”
“That’s the one thing I have absolutely no idea about, Brianna. I
don’t know how to help you with that one, I was hoping for
some reason that you might know but that seems silly now.” Lily
told me.
“So the rules are if someone sees me at night, then someone in
the village dies, right?”
“Well a child dies, yes, so do your best not to be seen. Oh, and
Brianna, there’s something else I think I may have worked out
for myself...”
“Go on,” I said.
“I think you may have died because of someone seeing the ghost
at night.”
“But I thought I was the ghost?” I frowned, confused.
“Yes, that’s the part that I’m trying to work out. There may be an
unknown time loop within your ghost. I mean, like... your time
froze as other’s lives went on.” Lily explained.

61. ~ 61 ~
Holding my breath, I crouched down to sit on Lily’s chair,
clutching my sides for comfort. “What do I do now?”
“Well...” Lily thought for a minute then added, “You will have
to see what happens, I guess. You can always come back to me,
I’ll be here.”
“What about your parents? They won’t want a ghost in their
house.”
“They don’t know about you, my grandma gave the picture to
me, not them. It’s as if she knew I would be the one...”
Minutes passed.
“W-why am I the ghost?” I asked.
Lily gave an apologetic shrug. “Brianna, some things are better
left unsaid.”
A crow outside cried out to the hazy world, mimicking the
mourns ringing in my soul.
Or the one that I thought I once had.

62. ~ 62 ~
Chapter Eight
The stars that pirouetted in the night sky kept me awake as I
swung sadly on the swing, listening to the repetitive creaking
that accompanied my movements. As distant moon glowed
grumpily in the sky, I could have sworn I saw a tear trickle down
his face.
Trudging here from Lily’s house, I had found the picture neatly
folded in my pocket. Now I clutched it in my hand, not knowing
what a ghost did with time, or did a ghost have time?
Joe and Elsa’s squeals rung in my ears when I glanced at the
slide towering next to me, a sense of guilt pounding in my
stomach at the thought of leaving them here to follow Lily. Had
they got back safely? Did they know they were dealing with a
ghost?
Chris had died because of me, Lily having seen me one night.
My lost soul wanted revenge by taking other’s lives, even though
I felt overpowered with failure at having taken his life away.
“Brianna!” a hush floated from the bushes.
“Lily? It’s blooming night time, you’ll get someone killed!” I
answered, scared stiff. A ghost scared of seeing a human, how
pathetic.
“Brianna, it’s me Joe. Why did you leave us?” Joe accused.
Someone had seen me again.

63. ~ 63 ~
“Damn!” I cried. “Joe shut your eyes!”
“What?”
“Do it!” I ordered. “Have you got them shut?”
“Yes... Brianna what are you playing at?”
“Shush! Did you see me?”I asked stupidly.
“Yeah, that’s how I found you,” Joe replied.
“Oh no,” I gasped, thinking of all the children in Stefano Rey.
Elsa. Joe. Their friends. It was dark, Joe had seen me and now
one of them was going to die. “Joe, go home. I felt sick and
rushed back.”
“Can’t I stay with you?”
“No!” I snapped.
“Why are you being so mean?” he complained.
I softened my tone even though inside I was blaring with anger
at getting someone killed. “Sorry, I feel sick. I’ll play tomorrow
with you at the beach, okay?”
“Okay,” Joe mumbled.
“Joe, why are you out here at this time of night?”
“I snuck out because I’m not scared of the ghost anymore, she
doesn’t really exist,” he sighed.
“Right... well... Erm- see you tomorrow, yeah?” I stammered.
“See ya.”

64. ~ 64 ~
The minute Joe’s silhouette disappeared, a queasiness settled in
my stomach, not being able to think who would have to give
their life away so that my myth could live on. Even worse, I
didn’t dare imagine how they would have to die, leaving the
years to come behind.
Someone screamed. Cringing, I bit my tongue as multiple sounds
echoed the first one, sickening cries that sounded fear and death.
I shot of my seat, scanning the surroundings before racing in the
direction of which I had heard the commotion. If this was my
doing then I was going to be the first to discover what had
happened.
I noticed a heap sprawled on the road. Approaching, I shuffled
towards the lump holding my hands to my chest as a reassurance.
The nearer I got, the more detail I could see and when I was
close enough to make out what lay out before me, I clasped a
hand to my mouth, my eyes bulging with terror. If I had had a
heart at this moment in time, I knew it would have skipped a
beat.
Throughout the tangled mess of limbs, the contorted face of a
little boy kept still, frozen by the power of death. A stream of
blood poured from his mouth, dripping onto his neck that
remained ripped open on one side whilst what was once a leg lay
cut open. His arms were twisted disgustingly in a pool of blood
that had formed from his shredded abdomen, of which once had
a pulse. If it hadn’t been for the mangled flesh, he may have
looked peaceful with his eyes closed.
I spun on my heel and retched, knowing that I wouldn’t throw
anything up. I couldn’t think of what animal could have caused
such cruelty, perhaps there was not animal, simply the curse that
had picked him from the rest of the children.

65. ~ 65 ~
Now facing the opposite direction, I noticed the outline of
something sketched into the pavement. I drew nearer, my legs
weak from shock.
The numbers were written in blood, smeared as if someone had
tried to write them with their bare hands. I gulped, determined
not to glance back at the little boy whilst I walked around the
numbers to get a clearer view of what was there. I swallowed a
retch. Upside down, the numbers wrote HELL.
I couldn’t take it any longer; I had to find a way of breaking this
curse. Children couldn’t be dying innocently because of me, it
wasn’t fair.
A police car sirened some distance away. Ducking behind a wall,
I shut my eyes and let the noise shrill through my head, only
realising that it was getting louder minutes later. Nausea swept
through me making me feel dizzy. I could make out faint flashes
of blue and red through my eyelids as the car got closer, soon
dazzling me though I hadn’t let the sight strike me yet. My eyes
were still closed.
“Officer Turley, call for back up immediately!” a voice
bellowed.
I snapped my eyes open to see two police men talking next to a
police car parked on the pavement at the opposite side of the
road. With their attention drawn to an emergency, they didn’t
notice my figure crouching a few metres away.

66. ~ 66 ~
“Aye aye Sergeant Upp!” Sergeant Turley answered cheekily,
clicking his heels and reaching for his walkie talkie.
Sergeant Upp was a stereo-typical police man, with a round belly
and a trimmed moustache. The two men resembled a comedy
act, Upp short and stout whilst Turley much taller and skinnier.
Upp marched up to Turley, held him by the scruff of his neck
and yanked his face close to his.
“Now, listen you,” he snarled. “You may be a newbie but that
ain’t mean you can mess round with us!”
“I’m sorry!” Officer Turley gasped for breath.
“You’d better be,” Sergeant Upp cried. “We have a serious
situation here and I don’t want to spend time faffing around!”
“Yes, of course,” Turley assured, fumbling blindly in his shirt
pocket for a source of communication.
“Move it!” Upp yelled.
“Sorry, I’ve never been under so much pressure,” Turley
defended himself. He twisted a few buttons on his walkie talkie
before saying nervously, “H-hello?”
“Give that here,” Sergeant Upp snapped, snatching the remote
from Turley’s shaking hands. “Are you receiving me Price?
Over.”
“Hanz Upp is that you?” an uncertain voice spoke through the
remote.
“Oh for heaven’s sake, not another newbie! I wish to speak to
Sergeant Price, not some untrained idiot!” Sergeant Upp yelled.
Muffled sounds came from the walkie talkie as Price was passed
the remote. Meanwhile, Turley hooted with laugher. “Hanz Upp?

67. ~ 67 ~
That’s your real name? Oh my gosh, what a name for an
officer!”
“Turley shut that mouth of yours immediately! We are in a
serious situation and I do not want to hear you giggling in my
ears!” Upp shouted.
“Hanz Upp... wait till I tell my mates that...” Turley mumbled
mockingly as a voice crackled in Sergeant Upp’s remote.
“Sergeant Upp are you receiving? Keep it down; you’ll wake the
whole neighbourhood! Over.”
“All clear, Price. We need back up by Stefano Park instantly
including an ambulance with the highest trained paramedics.
And I mean now. Over.”
Minutes passed while Price asked for Upp’s demand. “They’re
on their way.” he said. What has happened? Another bike crash?
Over.”
“No, Price. Are you sure back up is arriving? Over.”
“Yes, yes. I’ve sent for three police cars and an ambulance. So,
what’s wrong? Over.”
“Price, you’re too nosey to be part of the police squad. I was
called to an elderly lady who claimed she kept hearing screams...
I...”
Sergeant Price heard the trail in Upp’s voice and grew cautious
when Upp didn’t say “over”. “Upp! What is it? Over.”
“A little b-boy... dead on the floor, there’s blood everywhere...
oh Lord above help m-me... o-ov-er.” Upp wept.
I watched as Turley’s grin formed into a frown, not realising
how serious the situation was that he had been called out to

68. ~ 68 ~
assist. He hadn’t seen the body yet and I felt sorry for the
seconds he would have to endure when he did.
“What was that Sergeant Upp?” Turley quivered.
“Boy, if you had been paying blooming attention then maybe
you would know what was going on!” Upp boomed but then his
voice softened. “I’ve never had to deal with something this big
before.”
“I’m sorry, I...” Turley replied quietly.
Shivering with fear, I tucked my knees to my chin whilst rubbing
the goose bumps that had formed on my arms. Multiple sirens
wailed in the background of my thoughts, taking the noise that I
wanted to make from my lips.
Quickly peering over the edge of the wall, I flicked my sight
from side to side, glancing at the arguing officers down the road.
The urge to look at the boy was unbearable, even though one
more image to fill my head would make me sick. Although this
was the case, I felt my eyes being dragged by some imaginary
force, tugged by the power of will to turn and see the corpse
lying on the concrete floor, waiting for my eyes to absorb more
detail. My head turned away as my eyes kept spinning round.
I stifled a scream.
Blood gushed from the boy’s wounds, spurting from his lips and
bursting from his legs. I sobbed whilst the red cascade rushed
from his abdomen, flowing onto the floor and flooding the
nearby area. His eyes shot open, the silent gasps from his mouth
making me gag with guilt as his arms flapped uncontrollably,
desperately trying to clutch the area from which the pain came.
Shaking my head, my teeth chattered, muttering reassurance to
myself that none of this was true, that I was trapped in a

69. ~ 69 ~
nightmare with Cora waiting to calm me when I would wake.
Faintly came the sound of Sergeant Upp and Officer Turley
shouting at the sight of the boy, not quite knowing what they
should do next.
Sliding my stare to the little boy, I froze. His spasms had stopped
and his lips were moving ever so slightly, almost like he was
reciting a rhyme.
His eyes were fixed on me.

70. ~ 70 ~
Chapter Nine
I rocked gently on the sand, consoling myself it wasn’t my fault
that the boy had died last night; it hadn’t been my will to let my
cruel curse take him away like that. The expression he wore
replayed in my mind, never leaving, always there.
Goodness knows what had happened to him when I left. After
his piercing stare had cut through me, I had fled, running to
anywhere my legs took me, finding my way to the beach in time
to see the rising sun.
The purple glows had comforted me, gradually changing to a
soft pink as my sniffles died down. The birds had tuned up then,
warming their voices at the new start of a day. When the oranges
streaks glistened to red, I had veered round and watched the stars
fade away, desperately hoping the colour of blood would leave
my thoughts.
“Brianna! Brianna!” a recognisable voice from behind screeched.
Without looking up, I yelled back, “I’m here!”
Elsa raced up to me and plonked herself down by my side. I
appreciated her company but I didn’t bother showing any sign of
it, my mind still fixed on the little boy.
“Have you heard?” Elsa panted.
“Heard what?” I mumbled.
“Adam’s dead,” Elsa coughed. “He died last night, I don’t know
how though.”

71. ~ 71 ~
Nodding, I hadn’t thought about the news spreading, now
realising the grief Adam’s family must have been in. Tears
welled up in my eyes and I quickly brushed them away,
intending for Elsa not to see.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Nothing. Sand got into it.”
“Oh.”
“So this boy’s called Adam?” I wondered.
“Yeh, I knew him quite well, I guess,” she muttered, looking
down at her shoes.
We sat for a while in silence, Elsa gazing at the sky. With the
minutes that passed, she grew more and more impatient, her
constant fidgeting showing that she was bored.
“What do you want to do?” I questioned to her greatest pleasure.
“I was thinking we could maybe play in the caves? I’ve never
been there before and you’re old enough to take me.”
On top of the churning in my stomach, another surge pounded
the butterflies, followed by a sense of nausea. The thought of
entering the dark caves again didn’t seem like a plan, even with
the glimmering rock pools and the shining walls that had first
appealed to me. Sighing, I rose to my feet and stretched my
arms. If anything right now could make me feel better, it was to
see Elsa’s smile.
“Oh go on then,” I spoke. “But we have to leave before the tide
comes in, okay? No arguing.”
A vigorous nod from the little girl’s head made me chuckle as I
lead her by the hand to the mouth of the cave. She skipped by

72. ~ 72 ~
my side, laughing whilst tripping in the salty puddles. I tried to
grin at her humour even though inside I was crying out tears.
If time had moved on as Lily said, I was sure to never see Cora
again. This hadn’t quite dawned on me and although I knew it
was true, the idea didn’t seem realistic enough to believe. My
emotions were now focused on Adam, and the future tears would
spill for Cora.
Our game started off as hide and seek amongst the jagged rocks,
my warning to Elsa limiting our hiding spaces no further down
the caves to where the shadows clustered. There was no chance I
was venturing down in the blackness any time again.
When Elsa found me multiple times, we altered our game to
building sandcastles at the edge of the cave. Concentrating
helped distract my thoughts from Adam, although I could always
feel the nibble at the corner of my mind reminding me of the
horrors I had witnessed.
The sandcastles with great turrets lead us on to a competition of
who could ride the best imaginary horse in the dim light, Elsa
claiming the prize as hers.
Throughout our day my sight kept glimpsing at the tide, deciding
when it would be the right time to leave. I didn’t want Elsa to die
the way I had done and I was determined to keep her safe.
Not noticing the sun slipping away as we made each other laugh,
the walls of the caves darkened to our oblivious eyes. Elsa
always had a joke to spare at the right times when my mind
wandered back to the previous night, drawing me back to the
present tense.
“Hey you guys,” Joe called from the opening of the cave.

73. ~ 73 ~
“Joe!” I smiled. “Fancy seeing you here! How did you find us?”
“Elsa told me this morning that she was coming to the beach to
try and find you and since she didn’t come back this afternoon I
thought I’d come and find her.”
“Ah, that explains it then,” I said.
He walked towards us and pretended to pet Elsa’s horse before
turning to address me. “What were you doing last ni-?”
“Oh my gosh Joe,” I interrupted, not wanting a reminder of the
incident. “Why don’t we play hide and seek with you? That
would be mint, right Elsa?”
“You bet!” Elsa grinned.
“Hang on, Brianna, tell me what you were up to first,” Joe
demanded.
“And... you’re it!” I cried, tagging Joe on the shoulder then
running deeper into the cave.
Elsa shrieked as Joe neared her, her echoes bouncing off the
wall. Joe made a roaring sound to scare Elsa, her giggling
squeals forming a smile on my face.
“Joe! Stop it you’re scaring me!” she laughed.
“I’m a DINOSAUR!” Joe roared back.
I heard Elsa’s footsteps approach me before they died off and her
breathing slowed down. I was crouched behind a rock, the
shadows concealing my hiding place and I stopped moving when
Elsa’s silhouette appeared.
“Brianna?” he voice whispered cautiously.

74. ~ 74 ~
“I’m here,” I answered. “Behind the rock in front of you.”
“Can I hide with you?” she pleaded, fumbling for a spot by my
side.
“Of course you can. You’d better be careful with Joe he’s very
sneaky.”
“I bet he’s creeping up on us right now,” Elsa giggled.
Waiting for a long time, I cradled Elsa’s head in my arms,
soothing her shivers and encouraging her that we were winning
the game. She agreed and laughed at the thought of a girl beating
a boy.
“What’s wrong with that?” I asked.
“Boys always beat girls!”
We had been hiding for over thirty minutes and I was starting to
get bored. I gently pushed Elsa aside then got up and held out my
hand. She took it, pulling herself up.
“Where are we going?” she questioned.
“Back out. It’s getting late and either Joe has played a good trick
on us or he has given up. I don’t want to stay trapped here when
the tide comes in.”
“Oh but we were really well hidden!” she complained.
“I know, sorry. I’d rather keep you safe though. I bet you Joe is
waiting outside all happy and smug.”
“What does smug mean?”
“Proud of yourself but boasting about it,” I replied.

75. ~ 75 ~
We had been making our way to the exit until I stopped to look
around. The sky in the distance was purple but the surroundings
in the cave were black, engulfing us within its grasp.
“Elsa? Brianna!” Joe’s faint voice called from the outside of the
cave. “Hurry up!” My eyes widened when I heard the urgency in
his voice.
“Joe? What’s wrong?” I shouted back.
“Elsa! Where are you?” His voice carried through the cave.
“We’re coming!” I yelled, but to my dismay, his answer was the
calling of our names.
“So he is waiting outside. Cheat,” Elsa pouted.
“Come on, Elsa. We’ve got to hurry!” I said, tugging her hand.
“Why?”
“Because I didn’t realise how dark it is and the tide is coming in
really soon.”
We stumbled through the sand, the sky changing to blue in the
distance and the shadows gaining size. I quickened my pace,
Elsa running by my side. Dragging her by my hand, I practically
pulled her onto the floor with me when I tripped on an unseen
rock. Ignoring the pain in my shins, I shuddered with shock
when my hands splattered in a pool of water, the splashing
continuing when Elsa made her way round to help me up. I
crawled forwards, my knees sloshing in the icy ripples. Looking
up, the sheet of waves that spread before my eyes seemed
endless, cutting through the horizon line.
“Are you okay?” Elsa gasped.

76. ~ 76 ~
“Elsa, quick! Run to the beach as fast as you can! We’ve got to
get there!” I cried.
“What? Why?”
“The tide’s coming in!”

77. ~ 77 ~
Chapter Ten
Elsa didn’t see the importance in this news, but I felt her hand
tense when we hurried forwards and our ankles sliced through
water. The panic I had felt the previous time I was in the cave
lunged through me, the thought of knowing I had made the same
mistake filling me with rage.
My firm grip kept Elsa securely by my side, her cold fingers
trembling in my palm. I lead her into the direction of the mouth
of the cave, the sea rising rapidly as the tide rolled in. Its
calmness had now turned agitated, frequent waves lolling at my
calves.
The force of the sea was slowing us down, keen to lead us to the
back of the cave and taunt us as it drew near. Elsa’s short legs
weren’t an advantage, especially with the constant moaning of
the cold hurting her toes. Her fingers couldn’t quiet clutch my
hand, the frost bite numbing her touch.
Suddenly, her hand freed from mine and I heard a splash next to
me. Spinning round, I squinted, trying to visualise what had
made the noise but my sight didn’t pick up anything other than
black.
“Elsa, what was that?” I asked, knowing that more important
matters were occurring. When no answer came, I repeated my
question. “Elsa? What was that?”
Shuffling forwards, my foot stepped on a hard object amongst
the sand, and bending down to touch it, my fingers recoiled in
horror at the feel of flesh.

78. ~ 78 ~
“Elsa, where are you?” I cried.
The little girl didn’t answer, only it being then that I realised she
was sprawled out within the waves. Gasping, I lifted her up in
my arms to hold her close to my face, surprised at how little she
weighed. I shook her body, but the limp response confirmed that
she was unconscious, so I slung her over my back and used my
free hand as a guide.
It hadn’t occurred to me that Elsa wasn’t immune to hypothermia
like me, the result now unchangeable. I imagined her blue lips
and purple toes, the cold rushing through her blood.
The sea now came up to my thighs, making the journey even
more difficult as well as having to carry Elsa. Multiple times she
spluttered, but her arms remained drooped down my back. My
muscles ached from pushing through the tide, the number of
waves washing against my belly button growing, not being long
until the sea was up past it.
Pausing for breath, I filled my lungs with air although I wasn’t
really sure if that was an illusion. Ghosts didn’t need to breathe,
did they? My thoughts clouded up and I groaned when a new one
registered: Was this how Elsa was going to die because she had
seen me in the dark? Someone else was meant to die, not the
person who had seen the ghost.
A tear trickled down my cheek as fury soared mightily. I
readjusted Elsa and made sure she was still breathing before
setting off with a fresh sense of determination. I wasn’t letting
the curse take my little friend’s life away. A frenzy of mixed
emotion made me shake. Petrified at the way I was trapped, I
didn’t let this stop me trying from saving Elsa’s life.
For some reason, I slipped the picture Lily had given me into
Elsa’s trouser pocket, not knowing why but feeling obliged to do