Crescent Cove

Chapter One: Frangipani

"Come and play with us, Frangipani!" a bunch of children squel as I open up the fragile front door.

    I smile fondly at the nine kids begging me silently with puppy dog eyes.  How I didn't slam the door and scream at them amazes me; not being a morning person and being woken up at seven in the morning does not appear on my list of favourite things.

    "In a bit!" I yawn.

     "No, now!" a sweet six year old named Clarice pleads.

     "Look, I'm still in my pyjamas," I point out.

      They hesitantly agree and make me promise to come outside as soon as I can, before closing the door.

    A slightly less tolerable person would fall back asleep as soon as the door clicked shut, but, being me, I pull on a pair of bleached denim shorts and a white t-shirt. I slip on some jandals before pulling the door on the one-roomed hut closed behind me. I step onto the golden sand and walk towards the circle of children who are sitting on a large rock. A wave sprints forward and splashes the kids, making them collapse in giggles. 

    "Hey!" I yell to them, beckoning them towards me. They rush forward to greet me. "Where's the fire?" I joke. 

     They all speak at once, a torrent of words greeting my ears. I silence them by putting my hands up surrender-like. The silence worms it's way through the kids until the children cease to speak.

    "Um, Pani? What are we doing today?" an eight year old named Greg breaks the silence. I grin mischieviously and lead them into one of the many forests on this island.

     We take a dark path, the only area of light is sourced through the gaps in the trees. A few of the very young children start whimpering. I scoop a three year old named Sienna onto my left hip and a four year old named Clover grasps my right hand tightly. Even though I'm thirteen, I'm quite strong, so I manage to keep Sienna aloft until we reach a cave. 

     "Today's lesson," I start to announce, "is on the Cave of Evangeline. Can anyone tell me why it's called that?" and the lesson begins.

    Because we all live on an isolated island in the middle of no where, there is only one school, and it's taught by me; a thirteen year old who can't even read or write.

    I hand out leaflets filled with pictures I drew, before suiting everyone up with ropes and tying them around skinny waists. A look of fear flutters across Greg's face as he realises what we're doing.  I start explaining the pictures. 

     "We are going into the Cave of Evangeline today," I explain, "which is why we have ropes around our tummys!" I poke Sienna's stomach and she collapses in a heap of giggles.

    "All long hair tied up," I instruct, and hand out pieces of elastic knotted together. 

    I tie my sun-bleached blonde hair into a high ponytail And attatch my rope to a rock outside of the cave. From my research, I have discovered that five metres into the cave, you find yourself at a cliff edge. What's at the bottom of the cliff face is impossible to tell without climbing down.

     "I'm going to go down the cliff," I inform the group. "If I'm not up by the time the sun is at the top of that tall coconut tree, go get my dad. See you soon!" and with that, I start abseiling down the rocky face. 

     The kids are all shouting at me, wishong me luck, so it's easy to tell, with the fading of their voices, how far I've gone. Their voices are faint whispers by the time my feet reach cold water. I lower myself down and realise that it only reaches my collarbone. I dip my finger into the water and lick it; it's not saltwater.