Soon, though, the wild ride was over and the boat slowed down to a gentler speed as they left the bay behind and moved down the coast, following a line of high, craggy cliffs. Rocks jutted up from the water at the cliffs’ feet, and beyond the rocks were caves like dark, gaping mouths. Switching on a microphone, Dave Pengelly began to give a commentary. This was where the seals lived and bred, he told them. All the caves had names – there was Cat and Mouse, Echo Cave and the big one – ‘just up ahead, where the waves are breaking’ – was called the Deadman. Looking at the tide slapping dark and dangerous at the entrance, Lizzy could imagine how it got its name, and shivered.
Everyone was looking for a glimpse of the seals as they passed the caves, but there were none to be seen. Nor were there any dolphins either, which was very disappointing. It was just one of those things, said Dave. Sometimes they appeared, sometimes they didn’t, and you couldn’t predict. Rose, who was feeling better now that they were moving more slowly, grinned at Lizzy and said, ‘Maybe they ought to get some tame ones, and train them to come when they’re called.’
Lizzy smiled back but said nothing. The ride was wonderful anyway; just the feeling of being out here, with nothing but shining sea in every direction, was more than enough.
After a while they gave up the search and turned back towards the harbour. The boat speeded up again, and was powering over the water when someone pointed further out to sea and shouted, ‘Look – oh, look!’
It was the dolphins. They came streaking towards the boat, sunlight glinting on their backs. They were moving so fast that Lizzy thought they must surely crash into the side of the Sea Lion. But at the last moment they swerved, then suddenly, incredibly, they were playing alongside, just metres from the astonished passengers. One leaped right out of the water, twisting in mid-air. Lizzy just had time to glimpse a silvery streak along its back before it plunged down again and dived under the boat, to emerge on the other side. Cries of delight went up, and even Dave Pengelly was staring in amazement.
‘This is something special!’ he called over the microphone. ‘I’ve never known them do that before. You don’t know how lucky we are!’
The dolphin with the silver streak was on Lizzy’s side of the boat now. She leaned over, her eyes shining, and it seemed to her that the dolphin looked back at her. Its eyes weren’t like a fish’s eyes at all, but warm and intelligent as any human’s. But of course dolphins aren’t fish, she reminded herself. They’re mammals, just like us.
As if it had heard and understood, the dolphin made a chittering noise that sounded very much like laughter. Lizzy laughed too. It seemed that this particular dolphin wanted to be friends. In fact she could almost believe that it had come to see her and no one else. What had she said to the lifeguard yesterday? ‘I’d love to get closer to them.’ Well, her wish really had come true.
The other dolphins dropped back as the boat headed towards land, but the silver-streaked dolphin – her dolphin, Lizzy thought, though she knew the idea was foolish – kept pace with them. It was so close that she could almost have reached out and touched it. Suddenly she couldn’t resist the temptation, and she did reach out, stretching one hand towards the beautiful creature.
‘Lizzy!’ Mum called anxiously from behind her. ‘Don’t be so silly – sit up!’ She grasped Lizzy’s shoulder, pulling her back. As Lizzy straightened, she felt something tangle in the straps of the lifejacket she was wearing. There was a faint snapping noise, and a small object dropped from her neck and bounced on to the boat’s side.
‘My locket!’ Lizzy’s delight turned to dismay. She made a wild grab, but before she could reach it, the locket slid off the smooth, slippery rubber hull, fell into the sea – and vanished.
‘No, oh, no!’ Lizzy cried. ‘It’s gone! My locket’s gone!’
For a moment she had an overwhelming urge to dive into the sea and try to get the locket back before it sank out of reach. But the moment passed. The locket was already gone, and there was nothing she could do. There was nothing anyone could do.
The dolphins had turned back out to sea but Lizzy didn’t watch them as they sped away. All she could think about was her locket. It had been her only link with her real parents, and now it was lost forever. The family all tried to console her, but she was too heartbroken to be comforted. Besides, what could they say? No words could make any difference.
The boat chugged on while Lizzy sat silent in her seat, her face stained with tears. Behind them in the sea, her locket sank deeper and deeper, turning and twisting and glimmering in the strange underwater light. From somewhere below, a pair of eyes saw it as it spiralled down. There was a sudden movement, a disturbance and rippling in the water. And from behind a rock on the seabed, a shape emerged and swam towards the strange, shining object…
At home Lizzy went to her room, lay down on the bed and cried into her pillow until there were no more tears left. She didn’t want tea or supper. Mum brought her a tray and tried to persuade her to eat something, but she refused, and at last Mum decided that the only thing to do was leave her alone until she felt better.
It was dark when Rose came to Lizzy’s room. Lizzy was still awake, staring out of the window at the lighthouse beam flashing over the sea. Rose sat down on the ledge beside her sister and put an arm round her shoulders.
‘Tell you what,’ she said. ‘Tomorrow morning, straight after breakfast, we’ll go to the beach and look for your locket.’
‘T-to the beach?’ Lizzy sniffed.
‘Yes. The locket’s so small and light, there’s a chance it’ll get washed up on the shore.’
‘It won’t,’ Lizzy said miserably. ‘I’m sure it won’t.’
Rose shook her gently. ‘Don’t talk like that! You never know. If we both wish hard enough, we might find it. Worth a try, anyway, yeah?’
Lizzy tried to smile through her sadness. Though they sometimes quarrelled, Rose could be really nice sometimes.
‘OK,’ she said. ‘We’ll try. And… thanks.’
‘Don’t be a muppet! Any excuse to go to the beach.’ Rose stood up. ‘Night, sis.’
She went out, leaving Lizzy feeling a little bit better.
It was still early and there were few people on the beach when the girls arrived the next morning.
‘Right,’ said Rose briskly, putting her fists on her hips and surveying the golden sand. ‘It’s such a long beach, better if we start from opposite ends and meet up in the middle. Tell you what, you go from the lighthouse end.’ She put on her new sunglasses and twisted her shoulder-length dark hair up in a clip to make herself look older and more sophisticated. ‘If I go the other way, I can ask the lifeguards if anything’s been handed in.’
Lizzy hid the faintest of smiles. She knew very well that Rose wasn’t only interested in finding the locket. But it didn’t matter. She was grateful to have help.
As Rose headed towards the spot where the lifeguards were setting up their equipment for the day, Lizzy hurried off in the opposite direction. The lighthouse was about 300 metres away, on a low cliff beyond an outcrop of rocks that marked the end of the beach. Lizzy walked to the outcrop, and then slowly started to retrace her steps. A wavy line of washed-up shells and seaweed showed where the high tide had been, and she sifted through the flotsam with her bare toes, hoping against hope that she would see a tell-tale shimmer of mother-of-pearl.
It was a gorgeous day, with not a cloud in the sky, but Lizzy was hardly aware of it as she searched. Though she did not want to admit it, she was certain, deep down, that there was no real hope of finding her locket. It was too tiny, and the sea too vast. The chances that it would have been carried here by the tide must be millions to one.
Suddenly, though she couldn’t explain how, she felt sure that she was being watched. It was a peculiar feeling, like a prickling somewhere in the back of her mind. Lizzy raised her head and looked out to sea.
A single dolphin was swimming not very far from shore. She could see its dorsal fin rising and
falling with the swell, and it seemed to be keeping pace with her as she walked. Lizzy stopped – and the dolphin stopped too, rocking gently in the water. This was strange… and then an even stranger thought took form in Lizzy’s head. It was impossible to tell from this distance, of course, but she was convinced that it was the dolphin with the silver streak on its back. The same one that had swum alongside the boat yesterday and looked at her…
On impulse, she turned towards the sea and started to wade into the shallows. However, she was no more than knee deep in the water when the dolphin gave a flip of its tail and was gone. Lizzy shaded her eyes against the sun, looking for another glimpse. But there was no sign of the dolphin.
She felt numb with disappointment. Just for a moment she had wondered if the dolphin had been trying to tell her something. It was crazy, of course. Totally stupid, in fact. Why should it have been the same dolphin? And, even if it was, why should it be interested in her? With a sigh she turned away – and jumped as she came face to face with a boy, not three steps from where she was standing.
They stared at each other. He must have crept up behind her, Lizzy told herself. But where had he come from? He wasn’t anywhere in sight a few moments ago. Despite the warm sun, she felt herself shiver. The boy, who wore a T-shirt and swimming shorts, was about her own age. He had jet-black hair and unusually pale skin, and he was wet, as if he had just come out of the sea. He was a complete stranger. But she had the weirdest feeling that she knew him.
Then she saw his eyes. They were a very intense blue. In fact, they were exactly the same colour as her own.
The spell that held Lizzy snapped as the boy spoke. He said, ‘Hello. Is this what you’re looking for?’
He stretched out one hand, palm open, and Lizzy’s eyes widened in astonishment.
She gasped, ‘My locket!’
Chapter Three
‘Where did you find it?’ In her joy Lizzy completely forgot the weird sensation of a few moments ago.
The boy just shrugged. Then his bright blue stare fixed on her searchingly and he asked, ‘What’s your name?’
‘Lizzy. Lizzy Baxter.’
‘Oh.’ He sounded puzzled – or disappointed? She wasn’t sure. ‘I’m Kes.’
Lizzy clasped the locket in her hand. ‘How did you know it was mine?’
‘Easy. I opened it, and I saw that curl of hair inside. Then I saw you, with hair exactly the same colour. I mean, it’s pretty unusual, isn’t it? So it’s got to be your hair in the locket.’ He paused. ‘Is it your hair? Or someone else’s?’
There was something odd about the way he said ‘someone else’s’, almost as if he very much needed to know the answer to his question.
‘I don’t know,’ Lizzy admitted. ‘It might be mine, but…’ The words tailed off as she realized that he wouldn’t be interested in her story.
He was interested, though, and his eyes became very alert. ‘But what?’ he asked eagerly. ‘Whose hair is it, if it’s not yours?’
Lizzy had never explained about the locket to anyone. Even her school friends didn’t know the story; it was just something she didn’t talk about. But suddenly words came, and before she even had time to think, she heard herself say, ‘I don’t know. I’m adopted, you see. The locket was mine when I was a baby, but I don’t know anything about my real parents…’ Abruptly she stopped as she realized what she was doing. Kes was a stranger. She had only just met him. Why was she telling him this?
Kes was staring at her again, and suddenly Lizzy’s weird feeling came back. Something was going on. Something strange. Something she didn’t understand. It scared her, and that made her angry.
‘Why do you want to know?’ she demanded. ‘It’s nothing to do with you! I’ve never even seen you before, but suddenly you’re asking me all these questions. Why? What do you want?’
‘Hey, Lizzy!’
The voice startled them both, and Lizzy turned to see Rose heading along the beach towards them. Rose waved – and Kes turned and hurried away along the beach.
‘Wait!’ Lizzy shouted. But he took no notice. He was running now, splashing through the shallow wavelets towards the rocky cliff where the lighthouse stood. ‘What’s going on?’ Rose asked, reaching Lizzy and stopping. ‘Who’s that boy?’
‘I don’t know. But he found my locket.’ Lizzy showed it.
‘Brilliant!’ Rose punched the air. ‘I told you, didn’t I? If you wished hard enough –’
Lizzy was not listening. She was staring after Kes’s running figure, and suddenly she knew she had to go after him. There was a mystery here. She wanted to know what it was. She had to know.
‘Lizzy?’ Rose was startled as with no warning Lizzy started off after Kes. ‘Lizzy! Where are you going?’
Lizzy took no notice. She ran as fast as she could, but Kes was faster. He had already reached the rock outcrop at the foot of the cliff and was scrambling up it, and by the time Lizzy reached the rocks he had disappeared over the top.
Lizzy started to climb. Rose had come after her; she too clambered up, and found Lizzy standing on the path at the cliff top. There was no one else in sight.
‘Where did he go?’ Lizzy asked in a small voice. ‘He’s just vanished.’
Rose stared around. A short way ahead the path divided. One track curved inland, while the other led to the lighthouse and then on along the coast.
‘Whichever way he went,’ she said, ‘he must be one heck of a fast runner.’
Lizzy didn’t answer but only went on staring, as if she couldn’t believe what she was – or wasn’t – seeing.
‘Look,’ Rose said at last, uneasily, ‘I don’t know why he ran off, any more than you do, but you’ve got your locket back. That’s what matters, isn’t it?’
Lizzy bit her lip. ‘I suppose so…’
‘Well, then. Come on. Whoever he is, we’re not going to catch up with him now. Let’s go back to the beach. He’ll probably show up there later, and you can talk to him then.’
Lizzy’s shoulders slumped. She followed as Rose led the way back down the rocks. But her face was thoughtful, and every minute or so she looked back over her shoulder, hoping that Kes might reappear. He didn’t, of course. But Lizzy was determined that she would find him again. When she did, she would have some questions to ask. And she would want answers.
Lizzy was swimming, but couldn’t work out where she was. Beams of light played over her, and the only colours she could see were dim blues and greens that swirled in every direction. Suddenly she realized that she must be under the sea, and immediately she felt frightened. She couldn’t hold her breath for long – she must reach the surface, or she would drown!
She tried to turn and swim upwards. But she couldn’t do it. Something was holding her back – in fact she was sinking, deeper and deeper, as an invisible force pulled her towards the seabed.
A voice was calling her name. She had never heard the voice before, but it called to her over and over again. There was something eerie about it, almost as if it wasn’t human. Lizzy desperately wanted to call back, but she dared not open her mouth.
Now she was no longer underwater; instead she was standing on the beach. She could still hear the eerie voice calling to her, but other voices had joined in, and when she looked towards the sea, she saw dolphins leaping clear of the swell. She was certain that the voices were theirs, and that they were calling to her. But why? What were they saying?
Lizzy woke up in fright to find daylight flooding in at her window.
For a few minutes she lay still, as the confusion of dream and reality untangled itself in her mind. It had been so vivid – the voice, the sea, the dolphins – as if it had really happened.
She looked at the clock on her bedside table and saw that it was nearly half past six. The house was very quiet, but in the distance she could hear the early morning bustle of the harbour and the fish market. The beach would be empty at this time of day. If she left a note to say she had gone for a walk and would be ba
ck in time for breakfast, Mum and Dad wouldn’t worry…
She pulled on shorts, sweatshirt and sandals, and slipped quietly out of the house. As she hurried towards the beach she realized that she didn’t know why she was doing this. It was just a feeling, an instinct. As if something in her mind was telling her that the dolphins would be there.
They were. As soon as she reached the long, deserted sweep of the sand she saw them, close in to shore, leaping and dancing. A shock went through her as she realized that the sunlight, the frolicking dolphins, even the spot where she was standing, were all exactly the same as her dream scene! She even thought – though she couldn’t be sure – that she could hear the high-pitched whistling cries that dolphins make, just as, in the dream, she had heard their voices calling.
Lizzy’s pulse began to race with excitement. Kicking off her sandals she waded into the sea, splashing out until the surf was foaming around her thighs. If only she had brought her wetsuit – she ached to swim out through the waves to where the dolphins were. Crazy though the idea might seem, she was sure they were waiting for her.
Then her heart gave a huge thump as one of the dolphins turned towards the shore. Very slowly it started to swim towards her. The others did not follow, but cruised up and down, watching. The first dolphin came closer…
And behind her, a voice said, ‘Lizzy?’
Lizzy whirled round. Kes was standing at the edge of the sea. Again he was wet, as if he had been swimming. They gazed at each other, until a bigger wave than usual broke behind Lizzy and nearly knocked her over. She staggered. Kes splashed through the water to grab her arm and help her regain her balance, and they stumbled together to dry sand.
‘I’m sorry,’ Kes said.
‘Sorry?’ Lizzy’s heart was thumping again. ‘What for?’
‘Running away like I did yesterday.’ He stared down at his own feet. ‘I’m not really supposed to come here. But… I had to see you again.’
She swallowed. ‘Why?’
There was a long silence. Then Kes said in a low, quiet voice, ‘It was your locket. You see… my sister was taken away when we were babies. She had a locket just like yours. I was too young to remember, but my mother told me about it. And when you said what you did about not knowing who your real parents are…’
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