A Thousand Salt Kisses Later (Book 2 of Salt Kiss series)

Help From Friends

Another day, another move, I thought as I glumly watched the Man with a Van dump my stuff in the corner of Jemima's room.

After he had finished, Jemima paid him, and I managed a grateful smile.

"Thank you," I said, tearfully.

She walked over and sat next to me on the bed.

"No worries," she said putting her arm around my shoulders "I'm sure you'd do the same for me."

"My life is such a mess," I sniffed.

"No it isn't!" protested Jemima. "Look, nobody has any money right now. I mean, half our year have already moved home."

"Yeah, I guess," I said, feigning comfort.

"And it's sad that you and Sam broke up, but there's no point being with someone if it doesn't feel right," said Jemima firmly. "It would have happened somewhere down the line - better now, than if you'd have moved in with him."

I nodded. I knew she was right but inside I still felt sadness. It felt like I had lost one of my best friends. I really missed Sam and kept worrying if he was okay.

He had been so hurt when I had told him. I kept picturing his blue eyes staring ahead, unable to absorb the shock. They had glassed over with tears, and for the first time ever I had seen him cry.

"Why?" he kept asking, unable to understand what had gone so wrong in such little time.

"It's me," I had repeated lamely, wiping away my own tears. "I'm just not in the right place anymore for this relationship. I'm shit, I know. I'm shit."

Of course, I was aching to call him. He had been the one I turned to whenever I had been worried or upset about anything over the past year.

But then I remembered that I couldn't. He was the one person that I could not pick up the phone and call.

"So, my Dad's going to come with his van on Tuesday," said Jemima, changing the subject, "and he says he can fit both our things in it."

I nodded and forced another smile. "Great," I said.

Now, not only am I going back to Starfish, I'm moving back to Starfish.

"Look, I will be there all summer and so will Rosie," said Jemima seeing straight through my strained smile.

Our good friend Rosie had never left Starfish, much to our surprise. She had started her own highly successful business instead, when she was just eighteen, going against all of our advice. It was called 'Board Babes,' a range of surfing gear for children.

I had always had her down as someone who would go off to uni, love it and never come back, but she had stayed on in the region building on her successes. She often featured in local magazines as Coney's big entrepreneur. She had certainly shown us all.

"I am looking forward to seeing Rosie," I told Jemima now, brightening a little as I thought of our adorable friend.

She was the sweetest, most hilarious girl and I had only seen her a couple of times since leaving Coney when she came to town to visit us. We did, however, still speak on the phone at least once a month and were in constant Facebook contact.

"Me too, but I'm your bestest friend, remember," said Jemima pointedly.

"Yes, nut nut, you're my bestie," I said, shaking my head at her. Jemima was ridiculous sometimes, but I loved her dearly.

***

I was climbing the rocks around the lighthouse by my home on the island, but they had become sharp slates, and I kept cutting my feet. Why wasn't I wearing any shoes?

Suddenly I heard a sound like a thousand wind chimes. I recognized it instantly, and I knew that the mers were here. Was Llyr among them?

A little rowing boat appeared from around the corner; someone was in it. Maybe it was him.

"Crystal," came a voice.

I tried to climb down the rocks nearer to the sea, but they were getting sharper and sharper. My feet kept getting sliced as I stepped on each rock and they were stinging from the pain.

'You will damage yourself,' I thought, as I looked down and saw blood streaking the rocks. 'You can't do this.'

The boat got nearer, and the details of the man in the boat filled in. It was Sam!

"He's gone," he said to me from the boat.

"Who?" I shouted. What was Sam doing here anyway?

"You know who," said Sam. His tone was flat, he looked up at me, expressionless.

I stepped down another rock and felt the agony of the now razor-sharp slate penetrating my skin.

"What are you talking about?" I cried, confused and in pain.

"Be careful if you go swimming today," said Sam. "That's all I can say."

"Sam," I said, looking down at the now gaping wounds in my feet. "Sam, can you help me?"

But Sam carried on rowing, gliding passed in the calm waters. He didn't care about me anymore, I realized.

"Please, Sam!" I shouted.

"Please," I begged. "Please. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you. Please, just help me one last time."

I gasped and sat up. I wasn't on the rocks anymore.

I could see a ceiling. I was in a room, it seemed. A dark room.

Suddenly a light came on, and a girl's hand was on my arm.

"What is wrong?" she was shouting.

I clawed at the sheets, pulling them up frantically to look at my feet. They were completely normal. I wasn't bleeding, and the painful stinging sensation was starting to subside.

I realized the girl next to me was Jemima, and we were in her bed in London.

I exhaled with relief and lay back down; I could feel my heart pounding within my rib cage.

It had been a dream, a horrible, horrible dream.

"Sorry, I had a nightmare," I said, as we lay there. "Can we keep the light on for a little while?"

"Yeah, sure," said Jemima, sounding worried. "Want to talk about it?"

"I hurt my feet, on some rocks," I said, leaving out huge chunks of the dream.

"Oh," said Jemima hesitantly. "Ouch."

"Yeah, it really hurt," I said, turning on my side and facing the wall.

It had really hurt as a matter of fact. I had never had a dream before where I had actually felt pain.

That was what was really freaking me out. It had felt so real. And if it was so real, then who was the 'he' to which Sam had referred?

Was it Llyr? Has Llyr gone? Is he still alive?

My mind was suddenly swimming with questions. Questions to which I wanted answers.