Bending Light

1~Visit To Cairnholm

(A/N): Sorry if the character doesn't exactly fit you—it's hard to write a book without giving her character a specific personality.

FYI:
• (Y/N) = Your Name
• (Y/L/N) = Your Last Name
• (Y/H/C) = Your Hair Color
• (Y/E/C) = Your Eye Color
I'll add more as they come up. Anyway...

May 15, Pre-Jacob, but barely :

As the boat rode (or tumbled, in her opinion) over the open sea, the water threw droplets on (Y/N)'s face, the wind whipping her hair. Though the air was warm, her fingers were nearly frozen to the rail of the boat by the ice-cold water.

But today, she could not have cared any less. The sun was shining, the clouds had gone away, and she couldn't resist closing her eyes as she breathed in the fresh, salty air.

When she opened them, a blue butterfly was on her nose. A laugh escaped her lips and she couldn't help but enjoy the perfection of the day as it flew away. Unfortunately for her parents, who seemed to be having seasickness, the day was just getting started. Her younger sister seemed alright, and the sun shone against her hair. At the moment, she was playing some mindless game on her tablet whilst whistling something that was ridiculously out of tune, which began to drive (Y/N) crazy. Still, she was on vacation, and she meant to fulfill its purpose by relaxing, having fun, and being adventurous.

This trip was an important one to her. She could learn, explore, and maybe ask around (which would be an adventure in itself since she was so shy). She had so many reasons for coming, and once she arrived, she wasn't going to waste a second.

Just last month, she had gotten a history assignment that she (for a specific unnamed reason) had decided to take to another level; she decided that she would travel West to East through some of the most prominent wartime countries. Convincing her parents was easy enough– her family was pretty big on history, especially WWII. Since her life was mostly devoted to books, her parents were delighted to leave the house and view history, especially because they were both teachers on the subject. Then came the travel plans.

This was a very big trip, by most people's standards, but the (Y/L/N)s had been going on trips since (Y/N) was born. They certainly had the money for it, just like her aunt Maryann Portman's family. Supposedly they had inherited it from someone important.

The main issue was with the first stop: Cairnholm, Wales. The place had nearly been destroyed by bombs during the war, according to one website. The thing was, there was only one website that talked about it, and consequently the only one with hotel listings.

Technically, it wasn't a listing—there was only one hotel there, period. It was called The Priest Hole, which didn't sound very appealing, but it was their only choice. Her history teacher had reccomended Cairnholm, and (Y/N) remembered it from the stories her grandpa Abraham had told her about it. It had seemed to be very small, but it would serve its purpose. Anyway, they had been to smaller places before.

    As the boat neared its destination, there seemed to be an ever-thickening fog. It shrouded the island as if to say Come, but beware. Enter at your own risk. (Y/N) did enjoy a mystery though, and the fog didn't seem especially ominous, so enter she did.

When they arrived at the island, the veil of fog slightly lifted, and (Y/N) noticed that there were hills and cliffs, which seemed to provide a barrier from nearly any threat imaginable. After (Y/N) and her family exited the boat, they gathered their things and (Y/N) watched the fog fill in behind the now-retreating transport vessel.

After they arrived at the hotel—which was more like a bar with sleeping quarters on the upper level—they unpacked and headed downstairs for lunch.

2:30, the clock read.

Although there were snacks on the ferry, (Y/N) was starving. As they walked down the stairs, (Y/N)'s sister decided that she wanted to go to the museum across the street once she had eaten her lunch, and as they were seated, her parents mentioned a shop they wanted to go to.

"I think that I would like to visit the museum as well, Natalia," (Y/N)'s father told her mother.

"I was also considering that. I suppose that we can go buy a few things after eating. And Elise, we will meet you at the museum at 4:00," (Y/N)'s mother said to her father and sister.

"I would like to stay in my room, please, and map out places to explore tomorrow, if you don't mind, " (Y/N) said.

"And I would like to check out some stores before I go to the museum, I suppose," Elise said.

"Alright, perfect! We'll all meet at the museum at 4 o'clock then, and we'll tour it together," her mother decided.

By then they had ordered their lunches, all of which were steak and fries (since that was practically the only thing on the menu), and were finishing them up. (Y/N) had decided that the fries were actually plastic in disguise and was happy to leave the noisy bar when she had finished.

Once (Y/N) got to her room, she arranged her not-so-comfy bed and started to read her book. When she went to map out the next day, she heard voices in the alleyway underneath her window. When she looked down, she saw the owner of The Priest Hole arguing with a strange man.

    "I want you to stay away from my bar," the owner said. "New folks aren't common in Cairnholm. Tourists are fine 'cuz they know not to get into anybody's business. But you, however, are verrry suspicious, and I don't want you 'n your sort givin' me a bad rep! What is your business here anyway?" The owner was waving his arms around in agitation, which was slightly amusing.

"My business is not yours," (Y/N) heard the other man growl.

    (Y/N) watched as the strange man walked away, relatively nonplussed. The strange conversation kept echoing in her mind as she tried to map out the next day's events, and before she knew it, it was 4:00.