On the surface it looked so clear and tranquil. The town was much like every other Scottish town, located on the outskirts of Edinburgh. It was surrounded by picturesque hills, perpetually filled with grazing sheep and cattle. The centre of attention in Rotterdam was the School. St Mary’s was an exceptional institution, perched upon on an impressive landscape. The stone walled mansion which housed the High School was situated upon the river Clairenest, lending to it an exquisite property value. The building was gigantic, the interiors were spacious. One would imagine nothing better than to picture the students during their lunch hour, sitting on the edge of this magnificent body of water to enjoy enlightened conversations and delectable food. The river grew thick and swift during the rains and formed a layer of deceptively treacherous thin ice during the winter. If the summer was surprisingly harsh (it almost never was) it would be reduced to half its size.
Clairnest supported a diverse eco system: it was filled to the brim with fishes, otters, eels, frogs. The frogs in particular seemed to be the noisiest inhabitants of the river, incessantly croaking their messages to each other with gusto. It was peaceful and wonderful. However, no student ever spent their lunch hour or study recess perched near the river. The thick blue ribbon of water cut right through the town and would be an important part of the town’s economy. No man, woman or child set foot on the banks of the river. Not since 2007 anyways. Some of the younger children did not dare look at it and the entire perimeter of the school which bordered the river was marked with an unsightly fence with NO TRESSPASSING blazoned every few metres.
The discrepancy which occurred on the river on the night of 1st November 2009 was known to a handful of people. This ring of students formed a pact to keep the truth to themselves and guard the secret with their lives. The local authorities believed them, which seemed obvious since one of them was the Inspector’s son and soon after the case was closed and the river cordoned off with vicious rumours accompanying the fate of those whose dared crossed it.
Or was it?
2013- Miami Dade, Florida.
Tim Reynolds was surfing. While he was keeping a watchful eye on the waves, a group of girls on the shore were doing the same to him. Nothing unusual since Timothy was of decent height and build with a mop of dirty blonde hair which always seemed to be perfect, what ever may be the weather:- wind, dust or rain. He had a face which could have adorned a Roman coin, long chin, chiselled cheekbones and blue eyes.
He smirked as he reached the shore and the girls made a bee line for him.
“Oh my God! That last wave was out to kill you!” a breathless blonde simpered.
“No, Tiff, I think this guy handled himself amazingly” cooed Natalia eyeing Tim up and down.
While the gaggle of girls kept talking, a scruffy voice spoke up, “Hey, um bud? If your fan club has had enough, you mind joining me?”
This was Reggie, though not bad looking he could never harness the magnetic charm that Tim has. Reggie was 5’8’’, a red head with scruffy stubble which was permanently attached to his face and a goofy smile. He was sweet and remained almost as innocent as when he was 3 when Tim (and his impish smile) first met him.
That was 17 years ago when they were mere toddlers. They shared a closed bond and maintained their friendship through simple and sinister times.
While the girls were looking at Reggie almost accusingly, Tim had decided on Tiffany the simpering blonde as his partner for the night. She was the most striking looking of the six girls and seemed to be an easy lay. He tilted his head towards her and Reggie understood.
“So Tiffany, you here for spring break?”, Tim asked as he borrowed a fag from Reggie and proceeded to light it.
“Yes, yes I am. God that accent is totally cool! You are from England?” she replied as she did her best to press up against him.
“No, Scotland” he drawled through another devilish smile which had the girls almost drooling.
Reggie was growing tired of the banter and quietly slid away, not that any of them noticed. He walked along the coast, jealous of Tim. Jealous mainly because he felt really lonely and was longing for some female company. Not those of kind of girls which he had just encountered no, he was looking for something meaningful. He could never share this with Tim since all Tim would do is mock him relentlessly and tell their gang of friends that Reggie had somehow managed to turn gay.
He stood out like a porcelain vase in front of ripped and tanned torsos. His own body was far from rippe, though not fat. It showed his mother’s love in terms of third helpings and his own love for Guiness in the form of a very tiny paunch.
Still, Reggie didn’t seem to mind as he had never wanted Tim’s washboard abs or cool nonchalance. He is and always had been a very content lad, knowing his limitations and most importantly knowing his place in the world.
That is probably the reason why he was more than mildly surprised when an olive skinned beauty in an eye catching yellow teensy bikini began waving in his direction. Reggie looked behind him to see if she was indicating towards someone else.
“Reginald Sawyer, is that you?!” she squealed as Reggie managed a weak smile.
He desperately started scanning his head, trying to remember who this sexy girl is and how was he lucky enough to know her. It was highly unlikely she was the result of a drunken night’s transgression since he never would forget her!
