Knights of the Ocean

Chapter 1

1

Well this was officially going to suck. Big time.

I stood on the pavement beside the pickup car park, like I had been for an hour now and knowing my luck, the heavens had opened and the rain was pouring down. Trust English weather to do this when I least wanted it to.

It wasn't even warm rain; I could feel the droplets soaking through my thin cardigan. If I had known it was going to rain I wouldn't worn such a summery outfit. That's the annoying thing, the nearer the coast you are, the milder it gets. I could see the beach from the station and could make out a storm was rolling in from the channel and we were going to get the brunt of it.

I pulled out my phone, checking the time. 16:05. I had pulled into Brighton's train station an hour ago and was waiting for my, off the rails, mother to take me to her house. I huffed and wrapped my arms round my chest, trying to cover up my now very see through t-shirt; it was getting colder by the minute and I could no longer feel my fingers. The sea had turned an ominous grey colour and I made out the red flag down on the beach, meaning no one was meant to go in the water. Bet it would be good for surfing though.

Finally there was a blare of a car horn as Tracy sped up the round in her bright green Volkswagen Beetle, waving at me out of the window. "Andrea!" She called, in a shrill high pitched voice. I grimaced, picking up my suitcase from the pavement and waiting for her to pull up in front of me.

At full force she mounted the pavement, spraying me with dirty water as she went past. I wiped the puddle water from my face and went to put my suitcase in the back of the car but was stopped when Tracy raced towards me. She looked a mess if I'm honest; with a ludicrously short skirt and a top that someone my age would wear to get into a club without ID. "Andrea!" She shouted again, embracing me, making me drop the suitcase.

"Tracy no one calls my Andrea; I hate that name. It's Andy now." She looked a little put out for a second, but I couldn't be totally sure, her eyebrows seemed to be drawn on in a permanent surprised expression.

"Why?" She whined, sounding like a five year old. "I like that name." she cooed. I suppressed a groan and managed to put a slight smile on my face.

"Because I prefer Andy, and I want you to call me that." I stated, ready to argue this till the day I die.

Tracy sighed like a grumpy teenager, "Fine." She grunted before strutting to the driver's side of the door, leaving me to put my heavy suitcase in the boot before trudging to the passenger's side.

The radio was blaring a hideous pop song that Tracy knew all the words to. I watched the houses whip past me in a colourful blur. "You're lucky you know, I live like, two minutes away from the beach. Real good price for the rent as well." Tracy said turning to me, not looking where she was driving at all. "I'm sure you will make loads of friends. I enrolled you in a college not far from here. You start tomorrow." I held back a groan but I was actually slightly impressed that she had remembered that I needed to go to college. "Thanks Tracy." I muttered, still looking out the window, seeing the coast coming closer to us. "Why won't you call me mum sweetie," she moaned.

"I'm just not used to calling anyone mum." I said simply, which was not totally a lie. But the truth was I did not know this woman sitting next to me. As my only relative willing to take me in, I found myself living with her until I left for university. I had not seen her since I was four when she left my father and I for another man, who I was sure, was no longer in the picture. Tracy did not deserve to be called a mum; she had done nothing for me, ever. I did not feel comfortable labelling her as something she clearly was not. "Yeah, definitely long time no speak. I've just been really busy, and you lived so far away. You know how things are sweetie. But we can just put that behind us now, we can be the best roommates ever!" She squealed, as if this was one big sleepover. I laughed and tried to look as if I was being somewhat enthusiastic but no part of me could look forward to this.