Stuck in the moment

Chapter five

I sat in the inside area of the ferry with the luggage while Jake and his dad where outside. I grabbed my bag and searched for the letter Jake's aunt had given me. I found it and stared at the familiar handwriting on the paper. I carefully opened the envelope and took out the letter.

Amelia,

When you read this, I'm probably dead. This means you have to tell Jacob everything I couldn't. Find the others at the southern end of the isle. They'll take him to the bird, who is to explain it all. I wish I could tell you more, but I can't in case this letter falls into their hands. Tell the others what happened to me. Farewell, lioness. May the stories have prepared Jacob for what is coming.

Abe Portman

I re-read the letter several times before putting it back in its envelope. I stuffed it into my suitcase, beneath my underwear. I then heard a soft ticking on the window. I glanced behind me and saw a peregrine falcon. It stared at me and I blinked once before it flew away. "Lass, we're nearly there. Grab yer stuff and get ready to land." a sailor shouted from the entrance. I gave the man a brief nod, before grabbing all three the suitcases and stepping onto the deck.

After we got off the ferry, we walked towards the small village where our hotel was. I followed mister Portman and Jake to a small, scruffy-looking hotel called 'the Priest Hole'. I scrunched up my nose as we passed some teens around my age. I stared at the ground as we entered the hotel. "What the...hello?" Jake's father shouted. "Hello?" I put my suitcase against a wall and looked around. The place looked like it hadn't been cleaned in years. Just then, someone laughed behind me, making me squeal a bit. "Oh, hey. Any idea where I'd find the manager of this place?" mister Portman asked the man wearing a yellow and red sweater. "That's me. Sorry to keep you. Just helping uncle Oggie to the loo." he said, shaking mister Portman's hand. He let out a small noise, but shook the sweater man's hand anyways. "I'm Kev. There's room upstairs." he told us. "Oh, great." mister Portman stated. I stood there, awkwardly glancing around the pub. "I'll be back in a bit." Kev told the man in the wheelchair. He agreed as mister Portman came over to us.

"Kev's just getting our suite ready." he explained. "Um, while we're waiting, I thought maybe we could check out the beach." "I thought we would go to the children's home." Jake said as mister Portman put the binoculars around his neck. "Is the beach were the birds nest?" "I thought we could just check it out real quick." Jake's dad tried. "Well, we could go to the home ourselves." I suggested. "Yeah, then you can take your time and enjoy it." Jake added. "Come on Jakey, you know your mom would freak." mister Portman stated. "Well, what if we can find someone to take us?" I suggested. I knew how much going to the children's home meant to Jake.

We stepped outside and mister Portman walked towards the teens. "Hey dudes!" he shouted. "Dad. Don't." Jake hissed. "Shh, I got this." his father replied. "Oh my lord..." I muttered under my breath. "I was just wondering if any of you guys might be interested in taking my son and his friend here to the other side of the island." he said. The teens just stared at us. I felt a bit uncomfortable and hugged myself. Jake's dad took some money from his pocket and offered it to the teens. One of them took it and mister Portman left us with the teens. They looked at me in particular as two guys stood up and signed us to follow them.

"Where exactly do ya need to go?" the shortest one asked. "The old children's home." Jake replied. "We weren't asking ya, were we? What does the lady have te say?" the taller one said. I stopped before the two Welshmen and stared at them angrily. "What is it, missy? Do ya like what yer seeing?" the short one asked. I slapped him across the face, hard. He held his face in shock. I then turned to the taller one. I wouldn't be able to hit him in the face, because he'd expect it. Instead, I kicked him where the sun doesn't shine. He groaned and grabbed his crotch. "Don't you bloody dare to treat me like that, ya bastard!" I shouted at him in a British accent.

You see, I didn't always live in Florida. When I was younger, we moved to Florida for my mum's work. My dad left us when I was just a baby. My mum and I moved in with my grandma. It was in the summer of that year when I first met Jacob. We became friends instantly, seeing that we both were outcasts.

The two Welshmen stared at me in fear as I continued my way down the street, the three guys not too far behind. "So what are your names?" Jake asked after a while. The short one had my handprint across his face while the tall one still limped a bit. "I'm Worm, this is MC Dirty D." the short one said. "MC Dirty Bizniz." the tall one corrected him. "I thought you changed it." Worm questioned. "No." MC...something replied. "No, you did, remember? When Ruth said 'MC Dirty Bizniz' made it sound like you cacked yer trousers." Worm stated. "Yeah, but she said that 'Dirty D' sounded like a personal hygiene problem." MC told him. "Wait are these nicknames or..." Jake asked. "Stage names. We're the sickest rappers in Wales." MC said. "Go on, Worm, show the lady and the Yank how it's done." "What? Now?" Worm asked. He nodded and I groaned.

They started to 'rap' about Jake's dad and something about chicken jalfrezi. "Oh, yeah, no, it's good." Jake told them. "That was terrible." I stated. "Do ya think you can do it better, missy?" Worm challenged. "Try me." I said through gritted teeth. "MC, give us a beat." Worm said.

"I am from this place, yeah, don't challenge me, lass. I know you like me, girl, don't think you're too class." Worm finished. I rolled my eyes and started. "You think you're so much, yeah, you think you're so big. Well, I dare to say that you have a very tiny dick. Don't challenge me and try to beat my ass, 'cause darling you know not to mess with sass. I bet that you'll start crying, go run to your mum, just don't forget this, you filthy scum." I spat at him. The three guys stared at me as I simply smirked. "How did you do that?" Jake asked me in a whisper. "Poetry class. 7th until 10th grade." I explained. He nodded before following MC and Worm.

"Should we take the shortcut, D?" Worm asked. "We'll get there quicker, take it from me." MC reassured us. "What, down here?" Jake asked, pointing down a narrow path leading into the forest. MC hummed in reply as Worm muttered something sounding like a 'yeah'. I glared at the two Welshmen before descending down the hill, Jake close behind me. I walked over the small bridge across a creek. Jake hesitated for a bit before following me. "This way?" Jake asked. The boys on the road above pointed at the forest. I then spotted a piece of swamp and jumped over it. "Jake, watch out for the-" But before I could finish my sentence, Jake's leg was already stuck. MC and Worm laughed at him as I helped Jake out. He lost his shoe in the swamp. "Is this even the way to the children's home?" he shouted. "Right through those trees." MC stated, pointing at the forest in front of me. "Come one, Jake." I whispered, slightly pulling his arm. He followed me through the trees.

There it was. The children's home. The thing was, it was completely wrecked, a ruin of a beautiful house. I heard Jake's breath shake. "I'm sorry..." I whispered. Tears fell down his cheeks as we stared at the remains of the building. I walked towards the pond, touching the water. It felt like death itself. Deep down I knew there was life there, from birds or other insects, but in that moment, it felt like this place contained nothing but death.

When we returned to 'the Priest Hole' I walked over to mister Oscar, or as people know him around here, uncle Oggie. I sat down opposite of him as Oscar laughed. "No use crying over a lost shoe, boy-o." he cackled. Jake sat down next to him. "The children's home, what-what happened to it?" Jake asked. "A German air raid. Bomb fell right on the roof. September the 3rd , 1943." Oscar explained. "Where did they go after? The headmistress and the children?" Jake asked. "Not one survivor. Poor little buggers. And they were lovely, too." Oscar stated. I hung my head as Jake raced up the stairs to our room. "Oscar, when the bomb fell, what were the children doing?" I asked. "All asleep." he said. "Killed in their sleep...how brutal!" I exclaimed. "Those were brutal times, my love. Now, I believe you must go to your friend, it seems that he had a rough day." Oscar told me. "Yeah, you're quite right. Thank you, Oscar." I replied, standing up. "Glad to help." he merrily stated.