The Sister’s Secrets: Rose. Katlyn Duncan

       Prologue

      Rosemary knew it wasn’t the morning when her eyes cracked open. The waves crashing against the shore were louder than ever. The darkness in her bedroom might have affected some people, but not her, not at that moment. Moonlight filtered through her curtains, billowing them as if ghosts danced under the sheer white fabric. She narrowed her eyes slightly, sharpening the edges of the furniture in her room.

      Damp sheets clung to her body, and the taste of the salt in the air filled her mouth. She pulled her hair back and rolled it around her hand, tugging the thick strands off her neck.

      According to the fish clock hanging from the wall, it was 11.22 p.m.

      Why was she awake?

      Maybe a sound from outside woke her up? Her body tensed. Was someone about to rob them? She heard Reen in the back of her head: ‘Don’t be such a worrywart.’

      She stood up, ready to alert Mom and Dad. But Mom didn’t sleep so well. Waking her up for no reason would make for a rough day tomorrow. It was the weekend, and she was sure that Mom would be miserable if she disrupted her sleep in any way.

      She flattened one leg of her shorts, her fingers brushing against the fresh scratches on her knees. Reen played harder lately, and Rose was up for the challenge.

      Then, she heard it.

      This splash was different from the rhythmic movement of the ocean outside of her house – the background noise of her life.

      She strained to hear the voices that filled her ears. Two people spoke in hushed tones. Both were female.

      Mom?

      Padding across the room, she flung open the curtains. The dark mass of water making up her front yard reached out to the infinite sea.

      No one was on the beach. Rose strained to hear and place the voices. The binoculars, from Dad for her tenth birthday, sat on the desk. If she could figure out what was going on, there was no need to alert her parents. Besides, there was no way that she was going back to sleep after this.

      She lifted the binoculars and peered through them. No one came out to the private beaches of The Burrow unless they were looking for trouble. She at least wanted to tell Dad what was happening.

      Then she saw it. Something reflected off the water. The white light flickered several times before blinking out entirely.

      She couldn’t make out the words around the whispers, but they intensified. A tugging sensation in her stomach forced her to put her binoculars on the sill and propelled her to climb over and onto the wooden patio.

      Whispers, faint and teasing, reached all corners of her mind. The voices were familiar yet, bizarre.

      Rose pinched her arm to make sure she wasn’t dreaming. Sharp, biting pain radiated over her skin.

      Definitely not dreaming.

      As her feet pressed into the soft sand, she tilted her head to the side to listen for the whispers.

      They were gone.

      She stood straighter and peered into the distance. It might have been a good idea to bring the binoculars, but she had an idea where she’d seen the flickering light. If she went back, she might miss what she was looking for.

      The water pulled the sand from under her feet as she walked over the surf. The cool liquid over her skin warmed the chill in her spine. Water did that to her.

      That same pulling sensation tugged at her chest, beckoning her forward.

      She walked further until the ocean touched her ankles, then her knees, and stopped when it reached her chest. Her foot outlined the familiar dip in the ocean floor.

      One more step and she wouldn’t be walking anymore.

      With a glance over her shoulder, she pushed forward.

      The shock of the water at her shoulders stung like a thousand little needles prickling her skin. The salty water seeped into her mouth. Her arms moved to her sides and her legs kicked out as she treaded water.

      There were no other sounds around her, not even the whispers.

      Even though she felt at home in the water, the creepiness of the situation snapped her back to reality.

       What am I doing out here?

      Her heart hammered in her ears as she kicked her feet to find the ledge again. The second her toes brushed against what she thought was the ledge, she cupped her hands, pushing forward.

      As soon as she touched the sandy ocean floor, something slick wrapped around her ankle and pulled.

      Rose’s entire body went under, and water flooded her mouth and nose. Pumping her arms, she was desperate to find the surface. Her hand broke through, and she kicked as hard as she could.

      When the night air touched her cheeks, she gasped. She barely had time to fill her lungs before she went under again. Her lungs burned as she fought against the force that threatened to pull her further into the water.

      Whatever held on to her was strong. Brackish water filled her vision. Black spots blinked in her eyes, and she needed, more than anything, to find the strength to swim to the surface. Her life depended on it.

      The slick seaweed tightened around her ankle, searing her skin. Since it wasn’t letting her go, she reached down to try and snap it from the root.

      Her body stilled, frozen by the icicles in her veins as realization flooded her.

      It wasn’t seaweed.

      The scaly and cylindrical rounded object burned against her leg and it was about to drag her to the watery depths of the ocean.

      Her pulse spiked. Instead of fighting it, she tried to untangle it from around her ankle. Fire raged in her lungs. She kicked with all her might, attempting