Chapter One

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Chapter One: The Dagger

The cool sand felt calming under my bare feet as I walked towards the beach. As I reached the water, I pulled my shirt over my head and tossed it behind me, where my shoes and my wet wipes lay. There was no one on the beach as it was almost midnight.

I reached the ankle deep water and took a lung full of sea weed smelling air. My shorts lay abandoned on the small pile of belongings I had. I went deeper and deeper into the ocean. The water now reached my collar bones. I took a deep breath and went underwater. The midnight glow of the moon wasn't enough to show much. Some shiny pebbles and corals glistened under the pale, translucent light.

Not able to take the pressure in my lungs anymore, I broke the surface of the water. With the two piece clothing sticking to me like second skin, I made my way to the small blanket and laid down. The shimmering stars yearned for my attention. I quickly took out my note book and a pencil, and I wrote the lines that came into my mind. Putting the date on top of the page on the left hand corner and named the title as 'Stars'.

Twinkling bright in the sky, Seeing them, I wish I could fly, Like a million little bulbs they glow, And to us, their smiling faces they show, Sometimes they fall, sometimes they blink, Their glowing faces seem to win, They need to go during the day, "Gotta study" they seem to say, They make the night sky even better, And to them I will write this letter. I hope my letter reaches him, The shiny star, not at all dim, He and his friends always glimmer, In the night breeze, they seem to shimmer. The poem is true up till the day, That one, the little children say, "Twinkle twinkle little star, How I wonder what you are, Up above the world you fly, Like a diamond in the sky."

I put my notebook beside me, along with the pencil, and closed my eyes.

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"Honey, is that you?" The voice of a man rang through the house. I flinched at the concern laced through the words.

"Yes dad."

"Happened again?" He asked as he crossed the hallway and pulled me into a hug.

I sighed as I relished the warmth he provided and buried my head into his chest. "Yeah."

He sighed. "You know that medication and going to a doctor helps right?"

"But I don't want to dad. My insomnia is not that bad. I won't die from lack of sleep."

He pulled away from me and cupped my face into his hands.

"Look honey, you know that I am not gonna force you to go see a doctor or anything. Just tell me if anything bothers you, okay?"

I nodded and he pulled me into a quick hug yet again.

"Oh and Scarlet", he turned back to look at me, "Don't go too deep in the ocean sweetie, you don't know what can be hidden in there."

Smiling at him, I walked up to him and hugged him again. After that, he went into his room. I dragged my feet up the stairs and into my room. _________

The morning light peeped through the seams of my curtains, and I pulled them back to let the warm sun shine on my face. It was 6:14. It was hard not to be a morning person when you didn't even sleep. No fragrance worked. Ever. The insomnia just kept coming back.

I had already packed my bag for the day, and I was just brushing my hair as the dark, brown locks cascaded over my back like a water fall. I went down in the kitchen to the smell of crepes. Assignments and exams had been in my mind, but as soon as I got the whiff of the delicious goodies daddy was making, all of them vanished. Damn I was hungry.

Dad was standing over the stove, one hand swirling the pan and the other stirring a pot of scrambled eggs. I walked up behind him and hugged him from the back. He smelled of aftershave and a cologne I gifted him for Father's Day. I couldn't help smiling. He was the best dad a girl could ever hope for.

"Oh. You're here. Good. I was just going to call you." He handed me my plate of crepes as I filled another with some of the eggs and sat on the dining room chair. Digging in, I literally moaned as a burst of amazing filled my mouth. He cooked like a professional chef.

"I am pretty sure that that sound isn't used here darling." He said his mouth twitching as he took a seat in front of me and twirled his fork in the scrambled eggs. H only did hat when he was nervous. I laughed out loud as he just smiled.

"Daddy, are you okay? I think you have a meeting today, don't you?" I said as I completed the last of my crepes.

He frowned and looked down at his still full plate of food. Pointing the fork at me, he said, "How in the world did you know that?" He was trying to lighten the mood, so I took the opportunity.

"You see, I have learned from my master, the Great Sherlock Holmes. The art of deduction is very easy for me now," I wiggled my eyebrows for extra effect as I stood up to grab some juice. He started laughing and shook his head as he quickly tried to finish his breakfast.

"No but seriously dad you are acting nervous, wearing crisp clothes which you never do, and wearing that cologne you only use when you have something important," I leaned on the counter and said with the glass in my hand.

"Wow, you did actually learn a lot from Sherlock." I raised my eyebrow. "Okay fine, yeah I do have a meeting with a company today. They are thinking about financing the publishing of my book."

My eyes widened as I kept the glass down and rushed to hug him. Yep. I'm a born hug-bunny. I kissed is cheek, and squealed. "That's so awesome daddy! I'm so excited! You deserve so many awards for the book. Its awesome."

He laughed and kept me at an arms distance, a bright shine in his eyes. I felt so happy seeing him like this. Since mom left, he never was very cheerful. He always had a touch of sadness in his eyes.

"Thank you sweetheart, I love you so much." He kissed my forehead. "Now go! You are getting late for school."

"Love you too dad."

As I parked in an available slot and got out, I was forced into a bone crushing hug.

"C-can't breathe" I managed to say.

"Scarletttt!!" My best friend relieved me to take a deep breath.

Kayla was just so over excited about everything. And that was the thing that I loved so much about her. She could cheer up almost everyone with her dazzling smile and bubbly mood.

I looked over her shoulder to see Madelyn smiling. She had always been the shy one. She didn't speak much all the time. All she did was nod and hum at the right places.

We went together inside and towards the first class that Madelyn and I shared. History.

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I was on the way to the small park that I went to everyday for my daily dose of exercise.

'Back to you' by Louis Tomlinson and Bebe Rexha was blasting through the headphones.

I started to walk, my pedometer doing it's work. I know that all that stuff doesn't work, but it was an inbuilt in my phone.

You know the feeling you get when you wear your headphones, and you feel someone is behind you? Yeah. That creepy feeling. I was getting that right now.

I looked over my shoulder but saw nothing.

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Night came again, and yet again, I couldn't sleep. I took my backpack and went towards the beach.

Tonight, the stars were gleaming more, but there was no moon. New moon.

I took off my clothes, and with the two piece bikini barely covering my body, I went into the water.

There was something weird today. The sea seemed eerily calm, the sounds of faraway boats were not heard, the pungent yet calming smell of the sea was masked with something different.

I wasn't far from the beach. The water was just seven to eight feet.

Suddenly, I felt something wrap around my ankles and pull me.

I tried to break free from it but I couldn't. The salt water was burning my eyes.

My lungs would soon explode from the pressure.

I sunk even lower, until I reached the bottom.

I looked at my ankle. Sea weed. That looked and felt like fingers.

There, half buried in the glittering sand, lay a dagger.

I picked it up, and voices clouded my head, my vision blurred, and black spots danced before my eyes.

Somebody's hand making its way towards me is all I saw before falling into the deep pits of unconsciousness.

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