Lost Tides: Elemental Seekers Series

by H. M. Sandlin

  The plane pulled up to our gate, and we both stood up to grab our things and get off. I turned around as we got off the plane, shook hands with Chet, and thanked him one more time before saying goodbye. He headed down towards the baggage claim while I headed straight towards the pickup area. Someone was supposed to be meeting me there, and I was hoping it would be my parents.

  As I stepped outside into the darkness, I realized I forgot about the time change. I checked my phone to see what the time was in Ireland and was shocked to see it was the middle of the night. I turned and saw my mom and dad standing in front of a black car waiting for me. As soon as they saw me, they ran forward, throwing their arms around me and giving me lots of kisses.

  “Ok, ok,” I laughed, “I missed you guys too.”

  “We haven’t seen you in forever,” my mom said. “I think you’ve gotten taller.”

  “I don’t know, mom,” I said, standing next to her. “We were about the same height last time I saw you.”

  She laughed. “I keep picturing you as my little girl. I forget how old you are. You are almost an adult now.”

  “I’ve still got a while before I’m eighteen, mom. I haven’t been away from you for that long.” We laughed, and she gave me another hug.

  “Let’s get in the car, and we can talk more,” my dad said, smiling. “We have lots to catch up on.” When we got to the car, I saw that someone else was driving. He turned around to shake my hand.

  “Sally, this is Gary. He’s going to be hanging out with us while you’re here,” my dad said.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” I said to him.

  “You too,” he said. “Let me know when you want to go somewhere, and I will take you.”

  “Thanks.” I turned back to my parents, “Is this normal for you? Do you have someone keeping an eye on you all the time?”

  “No, I think they are upping the protection since you are here.”

  “I wish we didn’t have to worry. I’m sorry, mom and dad.”

  “There’s no reason to be sorry. None of this is your fault. There are some bad people that want you. I’m glad we have people like Gary to help protect you.”

  I looked at my parents and smiled, “I’m so glad I’m here,” I told them.

  “We are too, honey,” my mom said. “Now, let’s get back to the haven.”

  We spent the ride talking about everything going on in my life and some of the new stuff I was learning. It would only put my parents in more danger if they knew too much about me. I asked them about their new jobs, and they both seemed delighted to be living and working in Ireland.

  When we pulled up to the haven, my eyes widened in surprise. It was a beautiful castle. It even had three towers. I couldn’t wait to go explore it when the sun came up. As soon as we got out of the car, an older gentleman walked down the stairs to greet us. “Mr. and Mrs. Abeneb, how wonderful to see that you made it back safely. And Sally, we have heard so much about you. How are you?”

  “I’m good.” I wasn’t sure what to say.

  Dad stepped in, “Sally, this is Mr. Ruter. He’s the head of the haven.”

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Ruter,” I said to him.

  “It’s nice to meet you too. Come in, come in, don’t let me get in your way. I’m sure you would love to do some exploring with your parents. Everyone wants to see the castle the first time they come here. Be careful, and please stay on haven grounds unless you let me or one of the staff know first.”

  “Yes, Mr. Ruter. I will,” I called to him as we walked inside. I was surprised that he was still up, considering the time here.

  The inside was as impressive as I expected it to be. It definitely still looked like a castle inside but with a lot of modern touches.

  “You get to live here?” I asked my mom.

  “Yes. There’s plenty of space. The adults and guests are on the South side and the kids are on the North side. We don’t go over to that side very often. There’s no reason, so I’m not sure if there’s anything over there you would want to see. Most of the adults stay over here or in the towers.”

  “This place is awesome.” My parents continued showing me around until we went to the second floor, and they stopped in front of a room.

  “This is your room,” mom said.

  “Where is yours?” I asked, not wanting to be far from them.

  “We are on the third floor,” mom said, “but don’t worry, it’s a quick walk to get there. This is the key to your room, it will also give you access to other parts of the castle.”

  I looked around the room before going to the couch and sitting down.

  “These are big rooms,” I told my parents.

  “I know, but you get used to them pretty fast,” mom laughed.

  It made me so happy to see her and dad laughing and relaxed. I was worried they were miserable here. It made me feel better knowing they weren’t. I started putting my stuff into the dresser while I talked to my parents. Once I was done, they showed me how to get to their room, and then walked me back to my room.

  “Get some sleep. We have a big day tomorrow,” dad said.

  “What are we doing?”

  “It’s a surprise. You need to get some rest now. We do too.”

  “Ok,” I said, “thanks for staying up with me.”

  “I wouldn’t have been able to sleep until we talked for a while anyway, Sally,” mom said as she gave me a hug goodnight. Dad gave me a hug too, and then they both left.

  I wasn’t sure I could sleep yet, so I walked around the room. I had doors that led out onto a balcony. I pushed them open to head outside. It was a bit chilly but beautiful. I could see more stars than I ever had before. I wished on the first one I saw. I wanted my mom and dad to stay safe. After a few minutes, I walked back inside and shut the doors. I grabbed a blanket and my phone and curled up in the chair to read a book. When I started to get sleepy, I crawled into the bed.

  I woke up and took a shower before heading to my parent’s room. I wanted to know what surprise they had for me. I knocked on their door and waited for them to open it. When they did, I gave them big hugs.

  “What are we doing today?”

  “It’s a surprise,” dad said.

  “But I want to know. Maybe a little hint?”

  “No hints. You’ll see soon. First, we need to let Gary know,” dad grabbed his phone and sent a text to Gary.

  “He should be here in a few minutes. Let’s head down to the entrance.”

  As we walked down, I saw a lot of people coming out of their rooms and hurrying through the halls. No one gave me a second look, which I was grateful for. I still hadn’t gotten the creepy man from the airport out of my head. I was worried he would send people here to try to take me.

  Gary pulled up in another black car, and we got inside.

  “Hi, everyone,” Gary greeted us.

  “Hi, Gary,” we all replied.

  “Where should we start?” he asked.

  “Let’s start with breakfast at Annie’s. She has the best waffles, and Sally loves waffles.”

  “Sounds good. We should be there in about twenty minutes if traffic isn’t too bad.”

  Breakfast at Annie’s was spectacular, and she really did have the best waffles. My dad knew me well. I was stuffed when we got back in the car.

  “Where now?” I asked.

  “It’s a surprise. Gary knows where we are going, but it’s going to be a long trip.”

  “That’s ok, we will have plenty of time to catch up.”

  We spent the entire drive talking about all the different things they had learned and how much fun they were having discovering new things. They were happy when I told them about my friends and how glad I was to have met them. I didn’t tell them any of the bad things. I didn’t want them to worry about me. Gary pulled the car over, and we got out.

  “We have a short walk, and then we are there,” dad said.

  We walked down a small path and I saw where they had taken me. W
e were at the Cliffs of Moher.

  “I remember how much you always wanted to go see them,” mom said. “I figured this was the perfect time.”

  “Thanks, mom,” I threw my arms around her and then ran up the path to stand as close to the edge as I dared. I could barely breath looking out at the beauty surrounding me. I had always wanted to come here. I was glad I got to see this with my family. I smiled as they walked up and put their arms around me. This was the best surprise ever. We spent the rest of the afternoon walking along the cliffs and relaxing like a normal family. We eventually left to go get dinner and head back to the haven.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Christmas morning came quickly, and I wasn’t surprised when my mom and dad dragged me over to their tree to give me presents. Since I couldn’t leave the school, I didn’t have anything to give them.

  “I want to try to make you something,” I told them. “Do you want to watch?”

  “Of course we do, but you don’t have to give us anything,” Mom said.

  “I want to,” I told them. “As soon as I have the right stuff, I will try it.”

  “Whatever makes you happy,” Dad said.

  It ended up being a fantastic day. We spent the whole day catching up on everything and filling ourselves with delicious food that my mom made. I hadn’t felt so relaxed since I learned I was an elemental.

  We didn’t get to see any other cool sites the next day, but I loved walking through the gardens around the haven. Sometimes I would catch my mom or dad looking at me strangely, trying to figure out the new me, but then they would smile, and I knew everything was ok between us. I didn’t realize what a stress it was not seeing them while I learned about magic.

  The next day I was walking around the haven waiting for my parents to come down when someone grabbed me from behind. As I reached up to try to hit them, a familiar voice spoke, “Hey, Sally, did you miss me? I know you must have.” Tider laughed before releasing me.

  “Really, Tider?” I scowled at him, “I could have hurt you.”

  “Nah, you would never hurt me,” he said, dancing away as I took another halfhearted swing at him. Finally, I burst out laughing, “You know it’s only been a few days since I saw you, right?”

  “It’s been over a week. You should be missing me terribly.”

  I laughed again. “I did miss you, Tider,” he smiled triumphantly at me, “like a big sister misses her little brother so really not that much.”

  I laughed as his triumphant look fell. “Honestly though, you know I missed you,” I said, throwing my arm around him and ruffling his hair.

  He pulled away from me, but not before I saw his big goofy grin. I couldn’t wait for him to meet my mom and dad. They would love him too. I heard a quite laugh behind us. I spun around and saw Richard leaning against the wall. When I looked at him, he straightened up and walked over to give me a hug.

  “Hi, Sally,” he said. “What have you been up to?”

  “Hi, Richard. I have been hanging out with my parents. I waited for you to get here like I promised.”

  “So, what’s the plan?” asked Richard.

  “Yeah, when are we sneaking out of here to look around?”

  “Not yet,” I said. “I figure we can get a ride to the bay where I think we need to look and check things out before we go sneaking around. It will be faster if we have someone from the haven drive us than if we try to sneak through the woods by ourselves.”

  “I think that’s a great plan,” said Tider. “When can we leave?”

  “I don’t know. I have to ask my parents first. I wasn’t sure when you were coming, so I had plans with them. Maybe we can change them a little, and you two can come with us.”

  We talked about their trip for a few more minutes before my parents walked in.

  I gave them a big hug and turned to introduce them to my friends, “Mom and Dad, this is Tider and Richard. I’ve told you about them.”

  “Hi, Tider,” Dad shook his hand. “How are you doing?”

  “I’m doing good,” Tider said.

  “How are you, Richard,” Mom looked over at him. “We’ve heard a lot about you too.”

  “I’m good, Mrs. Abeneb,” he said politely. Dad walked up and gave him a firm handshake.

  “Thanks for helping Sally out with everything she’s learning,” he looked at Tider and Richard, “both of you. It’s good to know that she has good friends who are there for her. If you boys ever need anything, just ask. If we can do it, we will.”

  Dad stepped away from them as he cleared his throat and walked over to me. “Since your friends are here, we can reschedule our plans for today. I’m sure you would love to show them around.”

  “We were going to see if we could go to Annagh bay. We learned about it in school.”

  “Of course. Let me call Gary for you.”

  “Don’t you want to come too, dad?”

  “Oh no, honey, you guys go ahead. Your mother and I will spend a nice day relaxing until you get back. Then we can all grab dinner.”

  “If you’re sure,” I said. I wanted to spend more time with them, but if they came, they might get suspicious and not let me leave the haven.

  “Of course we are,” Mom told me. “Go have fun with your friends. There will be plenty of time to talk later.”

  “Thanks, Mom and Dad.”

  “It was good to meet you, boys. We will see you all for dinner,” Mom said.

  “Gary will be here in a few minutes. I let him know where you wanted to go. Don’t be too late and listen to Gary.”

  “Ok, Dad, I love you guys,” I said as they headed down a different hallway.

  Gary got there a few minutes later, and we all piled into the car. We were pretty silent the whole way there since no one wanted to say anything in front of Gary.

  “When someone goes out of the haven, do they always get this type of protection?” I asked Gary when I couldn’t take the silence anymore.

  “No. Very few people have it. The key members of the haven have security, and your parents have protection to a lesser degree, but that’s about it. Occasionally, we will be called for security for someone else at the haven, but it’s usually only for a day or two.”

  Gary took us as close as possible to the bay before pulling to the side and parking, “We will have to go on foot from here.”

  Gary walked to a small path that led up into the hills. “Make sure you stay on the path,” he warned. “I don’t want anyone slipping and falling.”

  We followed him single file along the overgrown path. I was so distracted by the sights that I didn’t see the loose rock until it was too late. I tripped and fell into Tider’s back. Richard reached out and grabbed my pack to keep me from falling over, but Tider ended up sprawled on the ground.

  “Sally,” he turned towards me, “what happened?” Both Richard and Gary looked at me too.

  “I tripped on a rock,” I said, my face turning red. “I’m sorry I knocked you over.”

  He laughed, “It’s ok. Try to pay attention to what’s around you this time.”

  “I will,” Gary and Tider turned back around and headed up the path.

  “Are you sure you’re ok?” Richard asked.

  “Yeah, I wasn’t paying attention. It’s so beautiful here.”

  “It is, but remember what we are doing. We have to be careful, Sally. Especially if that guy at the airport knew you. The Pulhu could easily know where you are.”

  I swallowed dryly, “I know, I’m paying attention now.” Every time I thought of that man, my skin crawled.

  I started watching the area around me, making sure no one followed us. I didn’t see anything and began to relax as we stepped to the top of a hill. When I looked out, I couldn’t believe my eyes. We had made it. Sitting below us was a small lake that was separated from the ocean by a narrow stretch of land.

  We still had a small hike to get down to the beach, but I didn’t care. We walked down to the lake with no more falls and stopp
ed to have a small snack. As I walked around the lake, I could feel magic thrumming in the air. I knew we were at the right place. Everything I read said we would need to find a cave underwater to get in. I turned and headed for the beach, the guys following me. As I walked the shoreline, I kicked a few pebbles into the bay. I reached down and filled a small plastic container I brought with sand.

  I came prepared and started to take my shirt off. I had a bathing suit underneath so I could go into the ocean and start searching.

  “Sally, what are you doing?” asked Gary running up to me.

  “Going for a swim,” I told him calmly.

  “You can’t go for a swim now. It’s too cold, and this area can be dangerous for swimming.”

  “It’s ok, Gary. That’s why we have magic, right?”

  “I’m sure we can make a fire when we get done so we don’t freeze. Look how beautiful it is. The sun is shining, there aren’t any clouds, and the waters are calm. Come on, we just want to go swimming for a little while. I promise we will be careful, and we’ll stay close to each other.”

  “Fine, but you have to stay where I can see you. Understood?” Gary didn’t look happy, but he didn’t fight us either.

  “Thanks, Gary.”

  I quickly walked into the ocean. The temperature stole my breath away. Now that I was in the water, I could feel magic swirling around me. It was part of the waves, and it confirmed that this area was magically protected in some way.

  I wasn’t sure where to begin, so I dived in the rest of the way and opened my eyes. Everything looked a bit distorted underwater, and my eyes stung from the salt. I swam farther. I needed to be able to get far enough out that there could be a cave beneath us. After searching for twenty minutes, I realized this could take a lot longer than I thought. I looked at the beach and saw Gary waving at us.

  “Richard, can you head in, see what Gary wants and keep him occupied? I’m going to use my water magic to move faster in the water so I can check a bigger area. Tider can do the same in the opposite direction.”

  “No problem, but be careful out here. The Pulhu might not be here, but this current is pretty strong.”

  “We will.”