The Other Side: Chapter Fourteen

Chapter 14

When I woke, I was sore and still dog-tired (and my left eye was twitching), but I seemed to ignore those sort of trials Darcey would have moaned about. Instead, I sat up in the semi-dark and looked around the hut.

Shyzi was lying on the bed next to me, and I could hear his heavy breathing. The other two were both snoring.

I supressed a giggle.

Soon, I started to get bored, so I carefully rolled out of bed, padded across the room and walked to the beach.

 

The sun was just rising, tinting the dark sky with hues of molten red. I was mesmerized by the beautiful colours.

All too soon, the sun rose higher into the sky, and it was the white-blue of a new day. I wriggled my toes in the grainy sand and sighed, contented.

 

I wondered what day it was. Yesterday was a... Sunday, so today was a Monday. I supressed a sigh. That meant that tonight was a special hymn-singing day, and I hadn't learn't any hymns at all. I remembered how they had sung them though, with power and grace and royalty. They were amazing hymn singers... and hymn sayers.

 

My singing voice was average. I could hold and note and not go out of tune, but I didn't have anything that truly made my voice a great singing one. I tried singing a few of my favourite songs with the same power that they did, but all I heard was an average singer trying to sound cool. I sounded stuck-up.

 

My peaceful world was abruptly shattered when the gong went. I scurried back into the hut, but the other three were already awake and getting changed.

Flushing red, I accepted the clothes Shyzi held out for me and put them on, self-concious. Today it was a black dress with a black cardigan. I was astonished to find I didn't have any shorts to wear underneath the dress, but I didn't press the matter.

 

Then, we walked to a large concrete building.

"Why are we going here?" I asked Shyzi.

He took my hand and smiled at me.

"Breakfast time."