Part 27

Chapter 26

The next morning Nate and I were awaiting the arrival of Blake as we stood in another overly large room. Izzy was cradled to my chest asleep as per usual because it just didn't feel right to let her out of my sight and all of Nate's siblings as well as Holly were gathered in the room, only Aurelia and Blake were missing but Aurelia was sleeping at her friends mansion. Not that it should surprise be when Nate said mansion, cos this place was just ridiculous. Blake had brought by clothes for everyone because he'd 'seen' that they would all come along. I sighed as I once again paced the 'drawing room', when it clearly it wasn't as it was the size of a basketball court, before huffing and falling back into a seat. Where the heck is he?

"Speak of the devil and he shall come." Nate chuckled as the door to the room was thrown open. Blake was in his normal emo attire which even I can admit he look damn hot in, and couldn't help but notice the sharp intake of breath from the 4 other girls in the room. I just rolled my eyes before I caught the lustful look on Holly's face. Oh eww. This is soo gonna give me the creeps.

"Ok are you guys ready, we have a portal to catch." With that Blake walked into the centre of the room and pulled out bright blue chalk. He traced a circle on the floor with a border that held a variety of symbols in it. As he completed the last of the symbols they started to glow and a glowing archway formed in front of us. "Ari you'll walk through last, Holly you come through with me. You all go through in threes. Sammy can come with me. Aeron go with the Hayley and Raven, Maya you're with Theo and Dior. Just to warn all of the Antorians, this world is different to anything you have ever seen. The portal should open up in a park but once we leave the park you all stick together, no wandering off on your own. Got it? good." With that he took Sammy and Holly's hands and walked through the shimmering portal.

Theo, Maya and Dior tentatively approached the portal and gulped. "It's OK." I assured them. The three gave me shaky smiles before walking through. The twins and Aeron ran through the portal so last but not least was Nate, Izzy and I. "Come on it's time to show you my home." Together we stepped into the portal and were overcome with millions of sensations.

I felt like I was being pushed and pulled in a million directions as well as hearing a million different sounds that combined together in a soft hum that clouded over your senses removing any fear and making you feel at peace even with the tugging of an unknown force. I only realised I was back in my world when the hum suddenly vanished and the tugging halted. I looked around and smiled at the fond memories.

"I can't believe out of all the places you bring me to Devil's drop. Couldn't you find a better landing site than Stanley Park?" I said to Blake as I surveyed the steep hill in front of me and the huge tree with rope attached to in. "Why are we in Gosport anyways, I thought my parents were still at London because of Holly?"

"No they're back in town because I called them to tell them to come back here. I didn't really want to open up a portal in London, more likely someone would stumble upon it even at this hour in the morning but around here the kids won't start coming to school for another hour or so." He said looking around. "So this is the infamous Devil's drop you told me about?" He asked as he looked up at the steep climb ahead.

"Yup. Wish I still had my suspension bike so I could ride down it." I sighed wistfully.

"Bike?" All the Antorians chimed in together and I sighed again.

"I'll show you later. Come on." And with that I walked along the bottom of the hill until I came to make shift stairs in the muddy banks. I slowly ascended the stairs before following the familiar path through the woods. I could probably walk through here blindfolded not that I'd want to, probably fall and break something. I did fall a few times when school made me do bloody cross country through Stanley but it was a great place to skip lessons with the many places to hide.

After about 20 minutes of walking we came out at the car park which overlooked the beach front. I took in a deep breath revelling in the familiar salty air as the wind whipped my hair around my face. Up ahead I saw 3 cars with 2 familiar people standing alongside them and one complete stranger. "Here can you take Izzy a second?" I said to Nate. He nodded already knowing what I wanted. I grabbed Holly's hand and we ran the length of the car park into our parents waiting arms.

"I missed you soo much." My mum wailed as she squeezed me really tight. "Where the hell have you been couldn't you have left me a note? And you Holly don't ever do that again, I thought you'd been kidnapped for Christ's sake." I watched as tears began to form in her eyes.

"Mum we're fine. And look Holly is all better isn't that what counts." I said before catching the eye of mysterious stranger at car number three. "Who's he?"

My mum turned to him and gave him a small smile. "He's your brother." Oh so this is the guy Nate was talking about. "I'll explain later love." She said with a warm smile easing any fears I had.

"Oh OK. Any news on Riley?" I asked. (Riley is mentioned in passing in chapter 13 but no name is mentioned.)I haven't thought about him much since he went away to war but he was my best friend and just because Riley's not my real brother didn't mean I didn't love him any less. He was my best friend when

I was younger and was adopted by my parents when his own parents died a few years back. Stupid idiot though only had to go and sign up for the army.

"He's being honourably discharged. A..a bullet went through his shoulder and tore through nerves causing irreparable damage by modern medicine. He doesn't want to stay on at a desk job and they won't allow him to continue with active duty so he's at hoe waiting for you. Blake said that there was too many of you for him to come meet you as well though." She finished by taking a deep breath. Then she suddenly took a good look at my face and gasped. "Arianna, what the hell have you don't to your face. Have you been playing with permanent markers again?"

I sighed. "No mum. I didn't do these and I've got them all over my body. Holly has markings too and so

does Nate." I said gesturing to my gorgeous angel stood next to me with Izzy in his arms.

She gasped as she took him in. "My god you match!!" She squealed, in horror or delight, with her I'll never know. I just nodded and took Izzy back off of Nate and gently rocked her in my arms to stop the cries that had escaped her little body.

"Do I want to know?" She asked as she peered curiously at the bundle in my arms.

"Maybe when we get home." I turned to all of the Antorians who had been eyeing the cars curiously.

"Right kiddies, time to get in the cars. Let's see Holly you got with Mum take Theo, Maya, and Aeron with you." Holly nodded and grabbed Maya and Theo's hands pulling them towards my mum's little Renault Clio. I laughed as Theo eyed it fearfully before following Holly and Maya into the back. Aeron just slammed the back door closed and chuckled as Maya and Theo jumped and then climbed into the front.

"Blake, you go with my dad and take the twins and Sammy with you." Blake nodded and pulled the twins over to my dad's pride and joy, his BMW. Sammy was gazing at the car with awe as he got closer to it. I watched as he carefully placed his hands on it. Typical boy, he's already in love with the car.

"Dior you're with us and my long lost brother. Come on." I pulled them over to my brother who was driving a rather beat up fiat punto . How I know the names of some of these cars I don't know. I shyly walked up to the guy who, now I looked at him, I saw that he looked like a younger version of my dad. "Hi" I said shyly.

He raised his eyes and gave me a wary smile. "You're Arianna right?" I nodded as I climbed in the back seat to see a car seat in place. I looked questioningly at him because it looked brand new. "That Blake dude said to put it in the car." I nodded and gently placed Izzy in the seat and strapped her in.

"So you're Maddox right?" I asked as I leant forward and pulled the seat belt forward for Nate and showed him how to plug it in. Maddox raised his eyebrow at this whilst nodding at me. "Well its nice to meet you Maddox. This is Nate, my husband for all intents and purposes, that is his little brother Dior and this little angel is Izzy my daughter. Don't say anything to mum I haven't told her yet." I said as I turned to Dior and fiddled with the seat belt before plugging it in and doing my own. "Okay all set, let's go." He nodded and turned the ignition on the car causing the engine to roar to life and the whole car to shudder with the vibrations.

"Do you want me to put some music on?" Maddox asked as he manoeuvred out of the parking space and followed the two cars out of the car park.

"Yeah go on then." I said. I watched as he pressed the button for the CD player but it said no disc.

"Sorry, radio it is." With that he pushed a button and the familiar ramblings of Chris Moyles of Radio one reached my ears. Now I've missed this. I almost laughed out loud to the startled expressions of Dior and Nate, they were frantically looking around for the source of the voice.

"It's the radio, the voice is coming from the speakers. I pointed to the speakers embedded in various parts of the car frame and this we're in right now is a car, it's our version of a horse and carriage." Maddox looked at me strangely in the mirror but upon seeing the contemplative expressions of the boy s faces said

"Are they Amish people that have just escaped the colony or something?"

"Or something." I replied with a chuckle as the opening notes to Florence and the Machine came on and I absently began to sing along to it.

There's a drumming noise inside my head

That starts when you're around

I swear that you could hear it

It makes such an all mighty sound

There's a drumming noise inside my head

That throws me to the ground

I swear that you should hear it

It makes such an all mighty sound

Louder than sirens

Louder than bells

Sweeter than heaven

And hotter than hell

I ran to a tower where the church bells chime

I hoped that they would clear my mind

They left a ringing in my ear

But that drum's still beating loud and clear

Louder than sirens

Louder than bells

Sweeter than heaven

And hotter than hell

Louder than sirens

Louder than bells

Sweeter than heaven

And hotter than hell

Louder than sirens

Louder than bells

Sweeter than heaven

And hotter than hell

As I move my feet towards your body

I can hear this beat it fills my head up

And gets louder and louder

It fills my head up and gets louder and louder

I run to the river and dive straight in

I pray that the water will drown out the din

But as the water fills my mouth

It couldn't wash the echoes out

But as the water fills my mouth

It couldn't wash the echoes out

I swallow the sound and it swallows me whole

Till there's nothing left inside my soul

As empty as that beating drum

But the sound has just begun

As I move my feet towards your body

I can hear this beat it fills my head up

And gets louder and louder

It fills my head up and gets louder and louder

There's a drumming noise inside my head

That starts when you're around

I swear that you could hear it

It makes such an all mighty sound

There's a drumming noise inside my head

That starts when you're around

I swear that you could hear it

It makes such an all mighty sound

Louder than sirens

Louder than bells

Sweeter than heaven

And hotter than hell

Louder than sirens

Louder than bells

Sweeter than heaven

And hotter than hell

As I move my feet towards your body

I can hear this beat it fills my head up

And gets louder and louder

It fills my head up and gets louder and louder

When the song finished I leant back in the seat with a smile to find that all of the boys were looking at me. Okay I admit as the song had gone on I had got more and more into the song and had as a result sung louder and louder. I smiled sheepishly and looked at the sleeping baby next to me. See my singing isn't that bad if I didn't wake Izzy up. I looked out of the window and saw that we were nearing the where my parents live but we still had another 10 minutes or so. The roads were relatively quiet with the odd car passing us on the road but that's about it.

I kept quiet for a few minutes until Paramore came on and I couldn't help but sing along to the lyrics but was a bit pissed when Maddox turned off the engine halfway through the song. I hummed the tune as I unbuckled the rest of the passengers and leant across to open the door for Dior before unbuckling Izzy and pulling her into my arms and getting out of the car so that I was standing in on the street of the all too familiar house. Think what you want but although we lived in the worst council estate in Gosport, it wasn't that bad of a place to live, the road looked a little bit shabby but my parent's house was really nice on the inside.

Nate and Dior looked around dubiously at the road before following me up the short garden path and into the house. It all looked the same but the strange thing was, I no longer felt like I belonged there. I went into the room that was directly onto my right into the seriously crowded living room. Everyone was sat down either on a couch or on the soft cream carpets. I sat on the arm of the chair and Dior and Nate stood awkwardly in the doorway whilst Maddox sat of the floor at my feet.

"I guess we've got some explaining to do." I said looking into the expectant eyes of my parents just as I heard footfalls on the stairs and my one of my favorite people came into the room. "Riley!!!"

© Katherine Pocock 2010

[OK fact for you all Stanley Park and Devil's Drop are real places and yes I did ride down the ridiculously steep hill on my bike but I have to say it is really fun tho don't do it unless you are reckless as you can get really hurt. I tried to describe it as best I could but it's been oveer 4 years since I've been there soo yeah...anywho hope you liked this chapter]