Bright Lights *Moved Elsewere*

[thrif]

Someone once said that you knew it was cold when you saw a lawyer with his hands in his own pockets. It was colder than that out in the cold, salty depths of the ocean. The dark blue waters looked almost black, tinged with reds reflecting off of the surface as a head burst from the water, coughing up phlegm and taking in greedy gulps of air. The golden glow reflected off of her dripping face and the water around her, and she turned to see the boat that had been her home for five weeks in flames, slowly sinking beneath the waves.

She floated with her head just above the water, trying to comprehend what had just taken place, and piece the pictures together. She recalled the smell of gas and a yellow life buoy inflating, feeling a strong arm around her waist before she jumped off of the side, feeling the force of the explosion before she hit the water.

She watched as bits of wood drifted around her – remnants of an old shelf that held most of their books, and maps, her sketches, and her brothers skate board… Her brother!

Where was her brother?!

“Archie?” She cried out, a knot tightened in her stomach as she floated above the waves. “Archie! Answer me!”

Her breathing became sharp and quick as she squinting against the stinging in her eyes, spying the outline of something floating towards her and felt an instant of fear flash down her spine. As it got closer to the flames, she then noticed the yellow tinge to the side and something hanging from the side of it. She felt her heart leap with relief as she realised what it was. The buoy!

She started to swim towards it, till she was close enough to grab the side of the flimsy raft and pulled herself on board. She lay flat on her back; still taking in sharp breaths as she squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed them, finally trying to get rid of the stinging sensation. She then heard a groan and looked back to see her brother hugging the side of the raft, his legs dangling off of the side.

“Archie!” she gasped, scrambling over to help pull him up the rest of the way.

“Clementine! What happened? Where’s Steve?”

“I donno!” She replied desperately.
Archie groaned, and closed his eyes shut tightly, gripped his left thigh and leaning his head back against the side of the raft. Clementine looked down at his legs, and under the light of the fire which was drifting further and further away with each wave that took them she could see dark blood dripping down into the raft and down his knee. Looking closer, she could see something metallic glint in the light, and realised that it was a piece of shrapnel - obviously from the boat - that had been imbedded into his leg. It was large, maybe twenty or thirty centimetres long, and she wasn’t even sure how deep it was.

“What happened?” She said, leaning towards him and touched his leg tentatively. He let out a loud yelp and shoved her hand away.

“Don’ touch it!”

“But it has to come out!”

“Just…wait.” He took a deep breath in and out, beads of water dripping off of his short dreadlocks into the water, causing ripples to form on the surface. The raft was moving with the tide, moving the buoy around, and bumping against the waves.

He never has liked the water. She thought. She had questioned him before they left on his reasons for coming with her out here in the first place. He knew he wasn’t the best swimmer either and had complained about 90% of the time that they had been on that darn boat.

She gave him a small ‘hmph!’ before she got up onto her knees leaning over the edge of the boat, looking out towards the sinking boat. “Steve!” she cried out. “Steven?”

Silence. She couldn’t hear anything but the waves against the boat and Archie’s breathing.

“Steve!” she tried again.

“Clementine.”

“Steve!”

“Clementine! He’s not there.”

“Yes he is! He’s got to be. Steve!”

“Clementine, he’s not going to answer you.” Archie felt a pang of sorrow as he spoke. He wasn’t used to hearing his sister so panicked. And even though he was the older sibling, he had grown used to having her be the smart one, the controlled one, the tough, gutsy one. She had always been the sort of person who could always handle any situation she faced. And her being scared frightened him more than anything.

“Yes he will!”
Before Arxhue could reply there was suddenly another hard bump against the side of the raft, causing Clementine to fall to backwards into a sitting position. Archie looked over the edge, just before they felt another hard bump that knocked the both of them back again.

“Don’t move!” Archie put a hand up at Clementine, just as she tried to look over the edge, herself.

“What is it?” she asked, her voice rose into a panic again.

Archie looked out, spotting a large dark figure out in the water. “It’s only a shark.” He replied.

“‘It’s only a shark’?! Is that meant to make me feel better?” She looked at him incredulously before looking down at the piece of shrapnel sticking out of her brothers’ leg. “Well I guess I know why it’s hanging around. Your leg.” It was almost an accusation.

Archie rolled his eyes “Oh! Well I’ll just stop bleeding then!”

Clementine sighed, and turned her face away before closing her eyes. She closed them tighter as she felt a pang of concern for Steve. He had invited them onto the boat, for a six month trip around the Pacific Ocean. He had seen hers and Archie’s interest in sailing and had offered to take them with him. Then they lost course, and then this happened. How did it happen?

She was just about to doze off when she heard a tearing sound. Her eyes snapping open, half expecting the buoy was about to tear in half. Instead she could see her brother, tearing his pants leg and putting tentative hand on the shrapnel.

“Are you crazy? You’re going to take that out with your bare hands?”

“You got a better idea?”

“You won’t be able to do it on your own.”

Archie ignored her, taking in a few quick breaths before taking in a deep breath and started to pull at the shrapnel. He screamed, causing Clementine to gag and turn her face away, but continued to pull until the piece of metal was finally free. Then, lifting his bloody hand in front of his face, he scowled at the object that had imbedded itself into his leg and threw it overboard with a look of pained disgust on his face. He gripped at his thigh with both hands before turning to his sister.

“You got a bandaid?” He said in a husky voice before he slumped onto his side. Clementine simply sighed, pulling her legs to her chest as she looked out into the dark water.

It was a long time before either of them spoke again, and the boat and fire had long been lost from sight. She felt the buoy rocking against the waves, as she tried to concentrate on the stars, particularly at the hazy band of white light arching across the sky. She loved the milky way. It always seemed so much brighter when she was at sea – so peaceful. If it weren’t for the moon light, Clementine would not have been able to see a thing.

“Hey, Clementine.”

She grunted. She had been dozing, not really asleep, but not awake either and it had only been when she heard her brother’s voice that he was bought back to awareness. “Yeah?”

“What if we don’t find land?”

“We’ll find land. All tides lead to land eventually.”

“Key word: eventually. What if we don’t find land soon?”

Here he goes again. Mister Cocky Arrogance has morphed into Self Doubt again. She sighed. “We wont.” She said simply, in no mood to deal with his drama.

“Well you know I have a point though. We could be floating around for days or weeks or…”

“Archie, I swear if you do not shut up I’m gonna...!”

“What are you gonna do? Splash me?”

Clementine growled and splashed him. “I’ll push you over board!”

Archie growled but before he could say anything, the buoy jumped abruptly and both siblings grabbed onto the sides to keep it – and themselves – from tipping over.

“That toothy son of a…!” Archie looked over board again, but was unable to see anything this time

“Shh!” Clementine put a hand to his mouth, causing him to yank away. He was about to growl again before he noticed her expression of complete and utter fear, silhouetted behind a very bright white light. Bright light?

He turned his neck in an instant, facing his right side now as he too watched a bright white light, in the shape of a ball, skimming across the water towards them.

[::Piffle::]

In fact it wasn’t a ball of light shimmering toward them but something much stranger then that, it was a girl on a horse but rather then riding through the water they glided atop the waves. For this wasn’t any girl and horse they were in fact the spirit guides of a strange island named Seraph Island that was invisible to those who were not meant to be there.

Slowly the girl and horse drifted closer, lazily toward the little boat, until they reached it then the horse galloping around to the back off the boat it headed back to the shore at a gallop. As if the boat had a sail upon it and the horse and girl were the wind to fill it the little dinghy began to drift along ahead of the horse and girl. In the distance a single figure stood on the shore of a beach, the moonlight shimmering down from the heavens to make her noticeable.

Finally the dinghy came into the shore and bumped against the sand, the figure standing on the beach began to walk over and the horse and girl galloped away within seconds they disappeared on the breeze. Simply dissipating into thin air before those on the beach, the figure came closer, a young girl of 17, a smile lit up her face as she went to welcome the newcomers to the island.

“Hello, I’m Ellen, Ellen Page, please let me show you where you can find shelter and food.”

She said easily completely at ease with the strange horse and girl that had been there moments before, since she was used to things like that she had been trained for this. It was her job as it had once been her mothers to welcome the new arrivals to the island, for this wasn’t any old Island and there were things that the newcomers needed to know things that only her line understood.

The girl walked into the surf to help the two occupants of the dinghy to pull it onto the shore, after all it was made of sturdy material it could come in handy for something. Though it wasn’t much good as a boat they had better boats then this, besides dinghies were hard to control. This time she decided against calling them by name first as they were likely to be freaked out enough by the horse and rider to be able to handle this strange girl knowing there names.

[thrif]

It all happened in a matter of seconds.

The bright light continued to drift across the water till it began to take on the form of a white horse, and there appeared to be someone sitting on top of it.

Archie felt his whole body go rigid with fear as it started into a gallop towards the little buoy that his sister and he sat in. He grabbed for Clementines hand, realising that her body was shaking, and he was glad to realise that she was still beside him. He wrapped his fingers around her palm and gave it a gentle squeeze.

What was happening? Had the shark gotten then after all? Was this some sort of trick that the afterlife was playing on them?

The horse began to gallop behind the boat and suddenly he felt the apparition pass through them. His throat contracted as if he had just plunged into icy cold water and his breath felt like ice in his chest. As it passed through him he felt something tug the buoy forwards and a moment later it was sailing smoothly behind the horse. He closed his eyes tightly, trying to rid himself of the scene in front of him, knowing in his right mind that it was all impossible.

Had he passed out or something? There was no way that this was real. No way. He was dreaming that’s all.

The light shining from the horse acted as a beacon of light, guiding the way to wherever it was taking the two siblings. In a matter of minutes, he started to feel the dinghy slow down till he felt it hid a bank of sand. And standing right in front of him, was a teenaged girl, or at least she looked like a teenager.


Clementine dared not even blink her eyes as the life buoy made it to the sand and she watched the horse and girl disappear into a gentle gust of wind, floating as easily as a feather. The moon cast an eerie glow around the beach, and through the thinned brush of a forest in front of them. She then noticed the young woman; maybe a few years younger than herself walk up to them and hold out her hand to help them off. She heard the words spoken from the girl and unconsciously answered with her own name. “Clementine Blink.”

Her eyes drifted to her brother, who was looking as pale and the girl on the horse had been. Only she really got a good glimpse of the young girl, who could probably only count nine or ten years of age, also looked very similar to this young woman.

“Archie.” Her brother said, almost tripping over himself as he got out of the buoy. He was still shaking, but by this time, Clementine had already regained most of her composure.

“Ellen.” Clementine spoke, to help herself memorise the name. She was about to ask a question before she heard boots crunch against dry leaves and twigs, and a moment later a second person appeared from behind the curtain of darkness. Clementine had to blink a few times to get a better look at him as he approached them, casually putting an arm on the young girls shoulder. He was a man, maybe late twenties she realised. He was tall, about six-foot something she supposed. He had a tanned complexion, and was fairly muscular, most likely as a result of a few good years of body building. He wore dark jeans and work boots, with a blue t-shirt that seemed to enhance the colouring of his eyes – which where blue. With blonde hair, not quite shoulder length, but hanging around the back of his neck and ears. His jaw was squared; his nose was long and straight. His chin jutted out slightly and he was clean shaven.

"What're yawl doing out here?" The man asked in a southern accent, “I went up to your place to see if I could borrow some spark plugs offa ya Ellen but y’ weren’t there again.” He stopped. Looked at the two siblings, then at Ellen and then at Clementine before he smiled. It was then that Clementine realised he had dimples too. "Well, well, well! It’s been a while since we had a few good newbies ‘round. ‘Specially some so cute as these.” He gave Clementine a wink, causing her to feel her face grow a little hot.

He winked at her? Back up! He winked at her!

She really could not help but smile as her eyes darted away for a moment. He must have seen her staring! And now she was smiling!

Clementine, stop being an idiot!

Marshall had actually been looking for Ellen when he showed up. It was half true that he wanted spark-plugs. It had actually been Jerry who needed them. The middle aged man had come knocking on his door asking for spark-plugs to put into one of the cars he had been working on at the shop, but he hadn’t any so he figured that Ellen might have some spare. It wasn’t everyday that Marshal actually did favours for anyone but the old bloke had done him a few recently and he figured that he owed him something in return. He may be a thief, and hoard everything he can get his hands on but he had grown fairly fond of Jerry in the few years that he had lived on the Island. The guy had often said he felt a ‘connection’ with him. Whatever that was supposed to mean.

[::Piffle::]

Ellen smiled brightly as they introduced themselves true she already knew their names but they didn’t need to know that they both looked scared enough as it was especially the male Archie. He especially looked on edge the female Clementine though seemed shockingly relaxed for someone who had been led here by a spirit. Looking down she noticed that the males leg was bleeding badly and made a mental note to take them either back to the ranch or to the hospital.

“It’s nice to meet you both…”

She was about to ask them both to follow her back to the town and to inquire as to whether Archie was fine to walk on that leg or not but she was pulled up short when she heard footsteps behind her. Soon followed by a hand on her shoulder she looked up at Marshall and shook her head. With a grin waiting for him to stop talking she knew the spark plugs weren’t for him what would he need them for anyway other then to horde. Typical Marshall flirting with the new arrivals she thought he was hopeless but a decent bloke all in all.

“Now come on Marshall, what would you need spark plugs for? Your not suddenly becoming all nice and running errands now are you?”

She said with a grin folding her arms and looking up at him.

“I got some back at the ranch, how bout you two come along with us, I can patch up that nasty gash for you and get some food together”

Ellen offered kindly and thought she should get Marshall to do her a little errand afterward.

[thrif]

Marshall chuckled. "Now we both know that aint my style Ellen. Y' want something, y' gotta give somethin' first. Called bargaining. It was Jerry. I owe him a favour."

Marshall had started to develop cliptomaniac tensancies after he left his aunt and uncles house as a young adult. While travelling he had taken up some con-artist work to pay off some guys he had gotten in trouble with and he just supposed some of the techniques he aquired stuck. His way was if you wanted something, you had to give something first. It was all fair. If you wanted something bad enough, you had to get it yourself.

He hadn't been blind to the fact that the new girl had been staring at him. He had gotten that reaction many times from the newcoming females before. But it wasn't long before they realised that he wasn't any of their type. He was just a hard one to get.

Archie had been uncharacteristically silent as the introductions where made, but he was not blind to the look that his sister gave the older man, or the wink that he gave her. It was quite typical of her really. She had always been the sort that was always interested in older guys. Something about wanting a man - not a boy or some dribble.

"Food sounds great actually." Archie spoke up. His head was hurting and he wanted to sit down anyway. He nodded a thanks as Clementine walked over and put his arm over her shoulder, supporting him around the chest with hers as she helped him walk forwards.

[::Piffle::]

Ellen had thought it might have been Jerry he was the local mechanic and he was the one most likely in need of spark plugs. Ellen walked to the mans other side and offered a shoulder to lean on as well, the path was wide enough to walk three side by side and the ranch was closer to the beach then the town was so better to go there anyway. She grinned and looked over at Marshall.

“Well I’m glad you feel that way then Marsh, I need a favor of you later, but first lets all get back to the ranch”

She said with a smile not telling Marshall what the favor was.

[thrif]

Marshall eyed Ellen with suspition wandering what the hell she'd want from him. She hardly ever asked him for favours. Not many people did because of the obvious reason he'd always want something first.

He decided to take lead up front, towards the ranch. It wasn't a far distance from where they were and he'd rather not be too close to that young woman - Clementine. Good name. Not one you hear very often.

He knew that he could feel an attraction there but it was physical based. Having a couple of new faces around could be fun actually. Especially that boy - Archie. He wondered what it was short for. He hadn't met any Archie's before.
The way that guy looked at him when he winked at Clementine signalled that the guy was obviously close to the girl. A boyfriend? Naw. The contact between the two didn't signal that.

"Depends on what you want to give me in return." he turned to face her, a sneaky expression on his face.

[::Piffle::]

Moving forward and helping to support the older male as they headed toward a second path and toward the ranch that Ellen and her baby sister Alison called home. The longest part of the walk was probably the walk from the edge
of the property to the house but all in all it only took about half an hour.

Looking at Marshall Ellen laughed.

“Your freedom from Jerry’s debt of course I don’t have to give you the spark plugs and I don’t have to let you have cheap rent, think about it boy.”

She said with a grin she was only joking really she would give him the spark plugs and wouldn’t raise the rent but he needed to be reminded of what she had given him and besides she never asked much. As they walked she could hear the tell tail sound of the babbling brook up ahead, sure enough as they walked through the last patch of trees there it was. Spread out before them with an ornate wooden bridge stretching over the water below. Turning back to the other two she smiled.

“Don’t worry we are nearly there.”

She said kindly, as they crossed the bridge and walked through the last of the trees which opened up to the pastures of the ranch she could see the barn which housed the horses and just past that was the house. Off in the distance she could see her best friend in the field, the beautiful brown and white mustang mare she had rescued a few years back now Satoria.

The mares ears perked up hearing the people cross the bridge and seeing who was with the party of people she whinnied happily trotting toward them her ivory flags blowing out behind her in the wind. Coming closer to group she began to slow looking for the young Allison, it was funny with those two Satoria was a high spirited horse but when around Allison she was the gentlest being on the planet and Allison absolutely adored her.

“Hey Satoria my girl”

Ellen said gently as the mare came to walk beside her, see Ellen met a lot of people and she had many friends but it was with Satoria and the other animals that she truly felt she could be herself, with everyone else it was like an act hiding her true hurt and pain behind a bubbly personality.

[thrif]

Marshall looked at Ellen for a long moment as they walked up the path leading towards the house. It was a large property, possibly the largest on the Island. When he first showed up on the Island, he had often snuck onto her property to hang out with the horses in the barn, or find a good place to sleep out in one of the paddocks. It wasn't really until Jerry offered him a spot on his property that he stopped. Most of the time.

She couldn't be serious?

He grinned at her, he corners of his face dimpling as he did so. "Y' seriously think that empty threats are gonna work on me? C'mon sweetheart, who's kidding who around here? Now be serious. What are you gonna give me?"

"All I've heard you do so far is try and bargian your way through everythin'. You're like a packrat." It was Archie who spoke this time. He was limping and leaning heavily against the two girls who supported him. Both where surprisingly strong for their petite sizes. His sister pulled his arm closer so that there was less weight on his injured leg.

"We are testy." Marshall said with a hint of surprise. He hadn't heard the guy speak till then abd was surrpised at the tone.

"It must be exhausting." Archie continued.

"What's that?"

"Living like a parasite. Always taking, never givin'." He grimaced as his sister's fingernails pinched into his skin. He was sure it had been deliberate.

Marshall chuckled, before saying sarcastically. "Boy, you got me pegged don't you?"

"I ged it. You don't want to get off this place because there's nothing for you to go back for. Nobody to miss, and nobody missing you."

"Aw, you feelin' sorry for me?"

"I don't feel sorry for you. I pity you."

Marshall laughed again. "Tihs cause I winked atcha sister?"

Archie squared his jaw and was silent for a moment, Marshall turned to continue walking, a smug expression on his face. Archie looked up as they crossed a bridge and could see an old looking barn and ranch up ahead, and a white and brown horse grazing in the field. It made its way towards them and he watched the horse approach them. That moment, Marshall spoke again. "Fine. One freebee. What is it y' want from me?" he adressed Ellen this time.

"Oh really?" Archie breathed.

"Hey! Don't sound so shocked. I might get offended."

"What's your problem?" Clementine hissed at her brother, making sure to keep her voice at a low level.

"I don't trust him." Archie glared at the older guy. "The redneck jackass."

"I figured." She said dryly.

"I don't trust him with you."

"Geeze, Arch. I can handle him."

[::Piffle::]

Ellen grinned at the exchange between the two men it wasn’t uncommon for new male arrivals to take an instant dislike to Marshall and it was a rather entertaining sight to see. Once the bickering had ended and he had offered his services and asked about his mission she smiled. Archie was rather heavy and she was small for her age 17 in years but shorter then most her age but her mind and strength were developed well beyond her age.

Ellen remained silent for a moment allowing Marshall to wait she liked to tease him making him wait to hear his task it was more fun that way and as they passed the barn and were a hop step and a jump from the house she decided to tell him.

“Allison is with Jerry so when you take the spark plugs too him could you please collect her as well as the other two new arrivals from the café and bring all 3 back here? Oh yes and by the way spark plugs are in there back wall second set of shelves 3rd row from the top take what you need.”

She said pointing at the storage shed off to the right of the barn before helping Archie up the steps of the old Victorian house and offering him and his sister a seat in the cane chairs at the front while she opened the front door and went to fetch the first aid box from the bathroom.

[thrif]

Marshall smirked as he waited for Ellen to answer him. She liked to try and bait him from time to time and it was interesting practice having these sorts of war-of-wars with her. He knew her types. He'd been with them before. See women where easy. You make them smile, give them a bit of attention and they think that they own you.

"So pick up baby. Spark plugs in storage shed. Get two more newbies from the cafe...wait. What're they doin' at the cafe? That shoulda bin closed hours ago." Marshall stopped mid-stride, turning to watch her help the little injured dipshit up the stairs and seat him on one of the cain chairs. He looked at the leg a moment and noticed the deep cut in his thigh, about 20 centimeters long. He wasn't sure how deep but from the look on the kids face it was pretty painfull.

[::Piffle::]

Ellen stopped with the door to the house open at his question, she turned looking back at him with rolled her eyes,

“Waiting for me, but since I have work to do here now they are waiting for you so off you go.”

She said with a quick grin in the other two’s direction before she entered the house and let the fly screen door shut with a snap behind her the big wooden door left open as she walked up the stairs to the bathroom to get the first aid kit.

The brown and white mare stood in the yard at the foot of the stairs to the house watching the interactions of the people with tilted head.

[thrif]

Marshall turned with a quiet 'hmm', catching Clementine's eye briefly. She shrugged and turned her attention back to her brother.

He made his way to the storage shed and took the spark plugs off of the shed before he headed out towards Jerry's house. It wasn't too far, about five minutes down the road. He walked up the drive way past the old pick-up truck and knocked on the broken screen mesh on the door a few times.

He really oughta fix this place up. He thought as he waited a few seconds before knocking again. "Hey Jerry! Yawl home or what? I'm here to pick up a baby."

He heard footsteps approach the door and a moment later, sure enough was Jerry holding a small sleeping blonde one-year old in his arms. "I never picked you as the paternal type, Marshall. Where's Ellen?"

"Got me runnin' errands for her." He said, exchanging the spark plugs for the baby. He stiffened up slightly as she woke up for a few seconds, making a small fuss before she nestled down again into the crook of his arm. Jerry noticed his expression and chuckled. "She's only an infant, Marshall she wont bite."

After a short goodbye, Marshall started to make his way down the road again, towards the cafe.

[::Piffle::]

This post is being continued in the following thread :: Strangers Ahoy