Gills

Gills-Chapter Five

Hi. You are so totally lucky you're getting this, as I feel so icky. The only reason I'm on the computer is because I have some French homework to do. :(

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Luke's POV

I jerk away from her.

"What?!"

She looks up at me, pleading. "Luke, listen to me. I wouldn't lie to you, you know I wouldn't. Look, I can prove it."

I look down at her sceptical. "Go on, then."

She takes a deep breath, calming herself. Then she ducks underwater.

I wait.

And wait.

And wait.

Until eventually, around 5 minutes later, she emerges from the water, her hair plastered to her face, not even the slightest bit out of breath.

"Well?" She asks me, expectantly.

"It's a hoax. A trick. You can't breath underwater, that's ridiculous."

She looks at me, and her eyes are sad. "Please, just.... Please."

God. This is hell. "I'll...try, Annie. I do trust you."

She nods, looking relived. "Thank you. That's all I ask for."

I pull her towards me, and she hugs me, hard. After a while we swim back to shore. She leads me round to some rocks, and between which is her bag and a towel. She dries her hands, and offers the towel to me. I roughly dry myself.

Her phone rings. She answers it.

"Hello? Yes, speaking....excuse me? No, you must have made a mistake...yes, but-....today? What time? Yes, okay, I'll be right there."

She looks at me, shell-shocked. "It's my grandma... she's dead."

"Annie! Oh, I'm so sorry." I start to pull her towards me, but she pushes me away.

"No, you don't understand. I... I didn't even know I had a grandma. Well, of course I knew I had one, but I didn't know her. I never met her. And my mother has never, ever talked about her. I just assumed she was already dead."

"Then why did your mother ring you?"

She looks at me, surprised. "No, it wasn't my mother that rang- it was the solicitors. There's a will reading today. And I'm in it."

"Seriously?!" What time?"

She consults her watch. "In about... an hour. Would you like to come with me?"

"Yeah, course. Let's get going!"

*

An hour later, we were at the office, surrounded by unfamiliar people. The reading had been going on a few minutes, but I wasn't paying much attention.

"And to my daughter, Hannah, I leave nothing," The solicitors voice drones on. "As I know she would not accept anything from me, after what I did."

What she did? What did she do?

"And to my grand-daughter, Annie, whom I never met, but cherished in my heart, I leave my diary, on the condition that she only shows it to those that can be trusted."

Annie is handed a beautiful, old fashioned diary. She runs her fingers over it, transfixed.

*

Hours later, we are sprawled on Annie's bed. I'm staring at the ceiling, listening to music. Annie is reading the diary. She hasn't put it down.

Annie gasps.

"What?" I ask, worried. Did she find a dead spider?

"Luke, you never believe this!"

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Cliff hanger! Ah! Anyway, please comment on this!