The Jewels; Mother of Pearl (#ABA2017)

Chapter Fourteen

Lola coughed as she crawled out of the water on the beach, her clothes sticking to her skin, her hair glued to the back of her neck and across her face and her body trembling with both fear and cold.

Annika walked next to her, her clothes dry and her hair flowing in the stormy wind. Lola was still kneeling over coughing water.

Annika caught Lola on the way down the cliff and they both crashed into the water below... but Annika forgot that mortal humans did need to breathe air regularly and may have drowned Lola about six times.

Lola continued to cough until her arms gave way and she just lay down on the sand, she stared at the sky, it was all cloudy and everywhere seemed windy. Annika stared at Lola for a moment as she heaved her breathe and coughed.

Annika kneeled down to Lola and practically picked her up and placed her on her feet. Lola was in a dazed trance as she felt Annika brush her clothes with her hands. She looked down at the mess that was her uniform and watched as Annika's hands brushed over the wet fabric, she was somewhat shocked when she saw that Annika wasn't just brushing off the sand, but also the water that had soaked into her skirt.

Lola was soon surrounded by a ring of wet sand, after a few minutes Lola was completely dry, other than the wind blowing water onto her skin.

She felt herself beginning to shiver; it ran down her back and went to the very edges of her finger tips and toes.

Annika stared at this this oddly and mimicked it.

"What are you doing?" Lola asked, she sounded she had been crying, with a dribbly and blocked nose.

Annika didn't say anything, she just started going through the pocket of her white blouse she was wearing. Lola jumped back, expecting to see her pull out some sort of radioactive device. Annika stared at her strangely when Lola jumped back, and she slowly pulled out her hand to reveal a thin, dark cream coloured string tied around a small, shiny pearl that was just a little smaller than the top of her pinkie.

The string was long enough to be a necklace; it overflowed off of Annika's hand from the way she was holding it.

She held it out to Lola, who stared at it in genuine fear, expecting it to explode or for some sort of nightmare to pop out it.

Annika motioned for her to take it.

Lola shook her head as she felt anger begin to bubble inside her, "No! I'm not taking some random pearl from someone I know is an Angel. I don't want anything to do with you or those... things!" she exclaimed gesturing to the now collapsed castle, some parts still stood but you could tell something had happened as it still continued to fall, "And I certainly don't want some stupid piece of jewellery from some stupid Angel! Now leave me alone... please."

Annika stared with unblinking eyes as she lowered her hand. Lola hugged her arms as she huffed through her nose, she turned, her hands rubbing the side of her arms as she walked, the wind was chilling and the sand was wet and seemed to stain her socks even more than they already were.

Lola wanted to cry as she walked on.

Annika stood there by herself, her hand still around the smooth pearl; she could feel it vibrating softly in her hand and Angel's words echoed in her head, and how she needed Lola to take the pearl.

Lola walked on for a few minutes before she finally looked over her shoulder, Annika wasn't standing on the beach anymore. "Good riddance," she mumbled as she turned.

Her nose nearly smashed into Annika's as she over reacted and stumbled back. Annika didn't react at all, all Lola could see was her hand holding the pearl so tightly it was shaking slightly. But her eyes, her navy eyes that once seemed to be peaceful or calming seemed to become as cold as the blowing wind, her anger reflected through her eyes but showed no echo on her face.