Isabella's POV:
I let out a sigh before stretching my hands above my head, feeling sleepy from the late night I had last night. Sluggishly I pulled my long hair into a high ponytail, hoping to keep it in place for the day.
My hair had grown back out over the last six years and I hadn't given the thought to cut it. It was down to the bottom of my back again, and pulling it up was the easiest way to deal with it, because cutting it off would remind me of something I would rather not remember.
"Layla! Layla come back over here!" I call out to my daughter, seeing her beginning to wander out the front doors, but seeing that she was caught, gives me a sheepish smile and closes the doors again.
Layla was the reason I got no sleep last night. She kept having nightmares and coming to me crying, and instead of trying to calm her down and send her back to her room, I let her stay with me and we ended up talking for two hours before the curious little girl fell asleep.
I was able to get my own house four years ago, a beautiful little cottage not too far away from my mother's house, with a nice view of the ocean. It wasn't extravagant like the mansion I grew up in, but it was lovely nonetheless.
Layla came up to me, her bright green eyes shining as her blonde hair bounced up and down from her excitement.
"Momma, come on! We going to see Gramma!" she says and I smile at her, nodding my head and slipping my shoes on. "Don't worry, baby girl. We're going." I say, taking her hand and leading her towards the door.
Once we got outside, we strolled down the beach side, Layla laughing and having fun picking up different sorts of shells and clumps of sand. She was my world now, and I can't imagine anything worse than something happening to my baby.
It was painful sometimes seeing her green eyes, because they were a reminder of the person who left me alone to raise her by myself. I almost wish she had inherited my blue eyes...but then another side of me was glad she didn't.
"Momma! Momma! Look!" she yells happily and I come out of my trance, smiling as she pointed out at the sea. "The sun looks pretty!" she exclaims and I look, seeing the sun reflect on the water in the morning light.
"It does look very pretty." I agree, smiling down at my daughter, who was just as curious and amazed by the ocean as I was. "Can we go out there?" she asks curiously and I swallow hard, shaking my head.
"No, we can't go out there right now. The waters aren't safe." I say, gently taking her hand and leading her down the beach towards my old house. "Pooey." she mutters and I giggle. "One day I'll take you. I promise." I say reassuringly and she gives me a dazzling smile.
Her blonde hair was curly, just like her dad's, but she did inherit my bone structure, at least. She also was a tiny little girl, not very tall at all. But that was fine, she was absolutely adorable.
"Is Gramma going to come outside today?" Layla asks me curiously and I shrug my shoulders. "We'll see how she's feeling, okay?" I say and she nods her head, seeming satisfied by my answer. We continued to walk until we came to the familiar house, the door opening before I could even knock.
"Ahh, Miss Isabella! It's so good to see you again." Darla cooed as she saw me and I gave her a bright smile. "It's good to be here." I reply, leading Layla inside before Darla closed the doors behind us. "Miss Darla!!" Layla exclaimed happily, giving the old maid a hug. Darla laughed at my daughter's antics, giving the small girl a hug.
"Well it's good to see you too dear." she teases and Layla smiles up at her. "Where is she?" I ask and Darla motions to the study. "Doing some work so early this morning. She needs a break." she replies and I thank her quietly before taking Layla's hand and leading her towards the study.
"Go give Grandma a hug, okay?" I tell Layla and she nods, excitedly rushing through the door as I opened it and I hear a surprised laugh, followed by Layla's giggle. I walk inside, seeing my mother behind a desk, a smile on her face.
"Well, I can't say I'm not happy with this surprise. How's my favorite granddaughter?" she says, pinching Layla's cheeks affectionately and Layla giggles. "I'm your only granddaughter!" Layla replies and I smile at them.
After my mother found out what happened, she immediately opened up her home and let me stay until I got a job to where I could support myself. She fell in love with Layla instantly once she was born, as did I. The only thing we both didn't like was that Layla would always inquire about her father. She was a brilliant little girl, and I knew that it would be only a matter of time until she tried to figure it out on her own.
It was tough, being on my own, but I wouldn't want to give Layla up. I wish I could give her a brother or a sister to play with...but seeing as I haven't had any sort of relationship for six years, it was impossible for me to do so.
"Will you come outside to play today, Gramma?" Layla asks, pouting with her bottom lip sticking out and I see my mother give her an endearing smile, and I know she's already lost the battle. "Of course! Just sit in my lap and I'll have your mother bring us out." she says and Layla claps excitedly, sitting in her lap with a big smile on her face as I walked over to grab the handles of my mother's wheelchair.
She never made a full recovery from the incident six years ago. She had full movement everywhere except her legs. For some reason, her legs were paralyzed when she was stabbed. But we adjusted to it quickly, and soon she got used to being able to do things while sitting down. Darla was a huge help to her as well, reaching up high for her when she couldn't.
I rolled the two of them towards the front doors and Darla graciously held it open for me. "We won't be out too long." I say and she nods. "I'll make lunch." she says and I thank her again before we continue down the path, down into the sand where it was safe for Layla to play but also safe for my mother to sit.
Layla hopped off of my mother's lap and began to play in the sand, bringing up little shells and rocks to my mother and having her inspect them for 'treasures'. A particular shell Layla brought up was absolutely beautiful, without a single crack, and my mother studied it closely while Layla anxiously waited for her diagnosis.
"I think this is the one. The treasure of the day! You found it so fast this time!" My mother cheers and Layla jumps up and down happily, a huge smile on her face. About two years ago, this became her favorite game: searching the beach for shells or rocks and bringing them to my mother or I to see which one would be deemed a 'treasure' for the day.
"I knew it! I want you to keep that one, Gramma! I'll find another." Layla says happily and I smile at my daughter. "Momma come look with me!" Layla encouraged and I laughed, giving in and following my daughter until she got up to the shore, her feet getting wet by the water and she giggled.
"Not any further now, Layla." I warn and she nods her head. "Yes ma'am." she replies and I smile, seeing her looking around in the water to see if she could find anything. "Oh! Momma look!!" she squeals in excitement and I go to her, looking down at the spot she was pointing at.
"I think this is treasure!" she yells and as I spot what she's looking at, I feel my heart skip a beat for a moment. Layla bends down and picks it up, turning to me with a smile and showing me the bright gold coin. "This definitely has to be treasure! It's so shiny!" she exclaims and I give her a smile.
"Let's go show Grandma." I say and she dashes off towards my mother, and I have to run to catch up with her, laughing at how much energy she had. That gold coin... I thought, trying to keep a frown off my face. That wasn't just any coin.
Layla showed the coin to my mother, who glanced at me for a moment, but I just shook my head. She then proclaimed it as a treasure and Layla grinned happily. "Momma, I want you to have this one." she says and I smile, taking the gold coin from her small hand.
"Thank you, baby girl. But what are you going to keep as treasure today?" I ask and she thinks for a moment before a smile comes to her face.
"Darla's ice cream." she says and both my mother and I start laughing. She was definitely her mother's child. "Well I'm sure Darla will be thrilled to know her ice cream is counted as a treasure." I say giggling and Layla laughs too.
From then she began to build a castle in the sand, but it wasn't turning out so well since she still hasn't fully grasped the concept of making a sand castle. But she wouldn't accept help on building, because she was determined to make it herself.
While she thought of different ways to build a castle, I looked at the coin in my hand, wiping the surface before turning it over. My eyebrows scrunched down as I looked closer, noticing a small stain on the coin...it was blood.
I closed my eyes for a moment, sending up a silent prayer in hopes that this coin didn't come from a ship that had come across that dreaded ship and their captain. It made my heart sink, knowing what had become of the once beloved ship.
Only rumors were told, of course, but the very few who survived all said the same thing: the captain was ruthless, and so was the crew. One man I talked to about a year ago described the captain as a savage and how blood was basically what he wore.
Shaking my head, I came out of those depressing thoughts, turning my attention back to Layla. It pains me to say that even after six years, I still can't get rid of him. He's still there, lingering in my mind always, and always making me sad every time I hear a report of another ship destroyed by him. Even after all this time...
Harry still has my heart...but I'm not sure why.
So here's the first chapter!! It's a big time gap, I know, but it is for a reason, I promise! So please let me know what you think about it and how you think this is going to go! The updates are going to be a tad bit slower, but please just bear with me here guys! Love y'all!!