A Search for Paradise (On Hold)

Chapter 1

Hey everybody! I hope you all enjoy this chapter :)

Amanda Seyfried as Sara & Dakota Fanning as Vera >

Chapter 1 – Ten Years Later

The beads of sweat running down my face mixed with my tears as I sprinted towards Forbidden Bay. I needed to see Tristan and Jayce immediately.

I climbed through the cubby we had made to block the hole in the wall so nobody could see it, tripping as tears blurred my vision.

Jayce and Tristan were waiting for me, sitting on the sand and relaxing. They both leapt to their feet as I came into view. Tristan reached me first, grabbing my shoulders and pulling me into a hug. Jayce too, wrapped his arms around me.

“Sara, what’s wrong?” Tristan asked, anxiously scanning my face. His question triggered a second waterfall of tears.

“C’mon Sara,” Jayce said, his usually playful voice serious. “You can tell us.”

I looked into their identical light blue eyes filled with worry and was only able to manage out one word: “Konan.” I felt both of the boys’ muscles tighten.

Konan was a man who lived in my village. He was two years older than me with his mind set to marrying me. Arlo – who married Mila and blessed her with a beautiful daughter, Mae – agreed with Konan and did everything in his power to get me to like him. Then, unknown to me at the time, Arlo arranged the wedding; my wedding. I hated Konan. Whenever I saw his stormy eyes or his formidable figure, it made me boil with fury. No way was I going to marry him.

“What’s he done now?” Jayce asked gently. He and Tristan stared into my eyes intently.

“I’ll tell you when we get out of here,” I answered, wiping my eyes on Tristan’s shirt. I grabbed Jayce’s hand and Tristan’s arm stayed around my waist as I pulled them towards the log boat we had made when we were ten years old. We made it so we could get off the island and explore the tiny island, just too far away to swim. Nobody else went there, so we called it our island – STJ Island. Tristan and Jayce rowed the boat towards STJ Island while I curled into a ball, trying to compose myself.

In a short matter of minutes, the boat stopped skimming over the water and Tristan and Jayce lifted me off the boat, making me laugh despite my previous tears. They plopped me on a wooden seat we had carved years ago and stared at me expectantly.

“Well,” I began, “you know how Arlo organised my engagement with Konan?” I sneered his name. Tristan and Jayce nodded. They were the only people I had told. “Today I overheard Konan talking as though he owned me. He also said to his friends that once I was married to him, he would force me to do everything for him and basically take away my freedom.” I covered my eyes and sobbed once more. I could just imagine how Tristan and Jayce would exchange angry looks. They knew how much I needed freedom or I would go crazy.

“Sara, it’s going to be fine,” Jayce said softly. I took a deep, shuddering breath and gave them both a shaky smile.

“I’m alright now. Thanks,” I said, my voice only quivering slightly. Jayce’s face lit up and he jumped to his feet.

“What should we do now?” he asked excitedly. Tristan and I laughed together – Jayce could be such a kid sometimes.

Tristan stopped laugh and he frowned. “Did you hear that?” he asked. Those words reminded me of what Arlo asked before he nearly found me ten years ago when I snuck after him.

“I don’t hear anything,” Jayce replied, shaking his head. “Bro, I think you’re going mad.”

But then I heard it. The bushes rustled and somebody yelped. I walked towards the bushes and peered in. In the bushes laid Vera, sticks poking out of her straight blonde hair and a nasty red spot on her arm.

“What happened Vera?” I asked, pulling her up and touching the spot gently.

“Something bit me,” Vera answered. “It stings, Sara!” she whimpered, reminding me of the young girl I still thought of her as.

I reached behind the seat and pulled out the remedy I got from Seraphine a few months back. One thing or another on STJ Island always bit Tristan, Jayce and me, so it was useful having something to fix the sting. I rubbed a bit on the angry red splotch on Vera’s arm and it instantly faded.

“So, Sara,” Vera said casually, but her eyes were irate. “I never knew you had friends over on Forbidden Bay.” My eyes flashed to Tristan and Jayce who were standing by the water, looking unsure of what to do.

“You followed me,” I accused. “But I thought today was your day babysitting Mae?” Mae was three years old and very adorable.

“It doesn’t matter! The point is, you’ve been lying to me for, what, my whole life?”

“Only ten years,” I corrected quietly.

“Oh, only ten years huh?” Vera shouted at me. I flinched and saw Tristan hovering near me in case I had another breakdown.

“Sorry Vera,” I apologised. “But really, you would have tried to convince me to stop spending time with them and I can’t! It’s a nice escape from the same old boring days. You fit in on Anya but I don’t! I need something more.”

Vera cast her eyes down. “I’m sorry. I just felt a bit… let down. I tell you everything – everything – and it hurt me to think that you’d been keeping something so big from me. But now that I think about it, I’ve been stupid to not have noticed it earlier.”

I pulled Vera into a tight hug and the fight was forgotten.

I introduced Vera to Tristan and Jayce, and we all had a swim in the ocean.

“Vera?” Tristan asked. “How did you even get here?” I focused my attention on the conversation, curious as to what her answer would be.

“I swam,” she replied simply.

“What, are you a fish or something?” Jayce joked.

“Seriously Vera,” I said. “It’s a long swim, I don’t think you could have down it.”

Vera’s eyes narrowed. “I’ve always been a strong swimming, Sara. I’ve always beaten you at swimming.”

I allowed that. It was true, whenever we had a race, she would always beat me.

Vera left STJ Island after I made her promise not to tell anyone – especially Mila – about what she found out today. She promised, but I still felt uneasy about her knowing. 

Well, what did you think? I'm not very happy with this chapter, but I'll let you guys judge that. Thanks for reading! Oh, and check out Huckleberry98's story - Avery Delilah Brooke and the Sealed Promise. She is such an amazing writer, and her description is... out of this world! You'll regret it if you don't check it out! 

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