This was not the room of an average sixteen year old. But then the occupant was not your average sixteen year old. Whilst most girls her age were interested in shopping, clothes, makeup and boys, Katrina Gibbson or Kat as she was known to her friends was most content when she was sinking her teeth into a good book. This was what she was doing at this moment in time, sat on her bed reading a book with a large cup of tea on her bedside table. Kat was quite short in height at only five foot and she was not skinny but then she was not fat either. She had stopped growing upwards at fourteen but she hadn't stopped growing outwards in some places. She hoped it wouldn't be too long before she stopped growing in that particular place but she wasn't going to hold her breath. Her hair was brown and normally tied back in a ponytail. She had an oval with skin that tanned whenever she went out in the sun. Her nose was ordinary but her eyes were unusual. They had an outer ring that was dark blue, a central ring that was light blue and an inner ring of green. At this moment in time she was wearing a navy blue t-shirt and a pair of jeans. She had not put socks on as she knew she wasn't going anywhere. She had returned from private school the day before and was reading to pass the time until her friends, Lucy and Benjamin who preferred to be called Ben, arrived. They were visiting so that the three of them could spend some time together before Lucy went on holiday with her parents. Also Kat would be moving away to live with her aunts whilst at college. However even though the three of them would be splitting up they would keep in touch by letters and emails regularly. Her room was more like a small apartment that had once been the loft of parent's house. There was a bedroom, a small kitchen area and a bathroom. Her parents were Lord and Lady Gibbson and so the house was more like a mansion.

When she was ten Kat had asked if she could learn to look after herself and her parents had agreed. There was even a front door that had a letter box and a doorbell for if she had visitors. Her bed was on the right hand side as you walked through the door. There was a small bedside table with three drawers to the left of the bed. On this there was a small purple lamp, a vanilla scented candle, a small box of matches and a glass coaster with a picture of the original cover of Agatha Christie's 'Death on the Nile'. There were three bookcases lined up on the left wall from the door. Two of them were filled top to bottom with a collection of fiction books. The other bookcase was filled with folders and textbooks on various topics that interested Kat such as forensics and Archaeology. There were also folders with patterns for various crafts that Kat had learned over the years. Besides reading one of Kats favourite things was to challenge herself to learning a new craft.

In the corner there was a stack of boxes filled with various materials that she used in her crafts. One was filled with various colours of wool while another contained pieces of fabric. The quilt on the bed was one that had been made by Kat along with the blankets on her bed. There was a wardrobe the other side of the bookcases and a chest of drawers was at the end of the bed. Next to this there was a washing basket at the opposite end of the room to the entrance there were two more doors, one that led to the kitchen and one to the bathroom. Between these two doors there was a television with a three person sofa a short distance away from it. The sofa was a dark red in colour and made of a velvety material. The carpet was soft and dark purple. The walls were covered with purple floral wallpaper and the ceiling was also purple with a purple lamp shade. From the way the room was decorated it could be determined that Kat's favourite colour was purple.

The bathroom was painted orange. On the left side of the door was the sink and opposite this was the toilet. In between these there was a cabinet on the wall that was filled with medicines such as paracetamol. On the sink there was a toothbrush in a clear plastic cup and a tube of toothpaste. The kitchen was painted red on the walls and the cupboards were blue. The cupboards were filled with cooking and eating utensils. There was also a cooker, fridge and freezer in the kitchen.

Time passed by during which Kat simply read her book. Just as she finished reading the book, the doorbell rang.

"Perfect timing" she thought. She glanced at her clock and saw that the time was six pm.

"Hmm" she thought, "someone is an hour early". She got up off her bed and opened the door. Ben was stood on the other side of the door. He was a little bit taller than her at five foot four inches. His hair was dark brown and short and he had blue eyes. He was wearing jeans, a short jacket, t-shirt and trainers. In his hand he was holding a bag.

"You're a bit early" Kat said.

"I know, I came early for a reason. There's something I need to talk to you about" Ben said.

"Come on in" she said as she moved aside to let him in.

"I brought what I needed to" Ben told her.

"So what's the theme for tonight?" Kat asked. Movie nights that Kat, Ben and Lucy did always had a theme that the movies would be.

"Murder mystery" Ben said whilst he grinned like a Cheshire cat. The three of them took turns to choose the theme, the last had been Kat's choice and she had opted for Vampire movies so they had watched a couple of different versions of Dracula along with Van Helsing. The person who chose the theme also brought the movies to where they were holding the movie night. The other two then provided snacks. Bothe of them knew that Lucy's favourite genre was Crime and that she wanted to study forensics at university. Ben put the bag by the sofa and then sat down on it.

"So what did you want to talk about?" Kat asked.

"My parents are dragging me to a family reunion and I've been told I can take a friend with me. I know its last minute but I was wondering if you would go with me" he replied.

"Won't there be other children there?" she asked.

"Yes but I don't really get on with them and some of them I won't have ever met" Ben replied. Kat thought for a moment.

"I'd have to check with my parents but I can't imagine they would say no" she said. Just then there was the sound of keys opening the front door.

"It sounds like dads home. We might as well go ask them now" Kat said. Ben nodded and the two of them went downstairs to the entrance hall.

The entrance hall was sparsely furnished; there was a set of hooks on the left side of the door for hanging up coats with an umbrella stand underneath it. Stood by the door was Lord Henry Gibbson, Kat's dad. He was tall and slim with brown hair that was a little bit spiky and brown eyes. He was wearing his usual suit and tie combination. This time the suit was navy blue with a black shirt and purple tie. He had back shoes on his feet. Just a moment later Lady Beatrice Gibbson came out from the living room to greet her husband.

"How was work dear?" Beatrice asked him.

"Same as usual, nothing new" Henry replied, his origins obvious from his Scottish accent. The aunt that Kat was going to stay with was her father's sister who lived in a town in the north of Scotland. When her parents had married Henry had chosen to take Beatrice's surname rather than the other way around. Lord Henry Gibbson was a defence lawyer although there were times when he considered changing to prosecution. Times like now as he was defending a man who was being charged with killing his wife and children because she was planning to leave him and take the kids with her to get away from his violent and abusive nature. It was obvious to him from overwhelming physical evidence that he was guilty and the man was showing absolutely no remorse.

"That bad?" Beatrice asked. Henry did not need to answer, his face said it all. Beatrice knew he would tell her later but for now it could wait. She was much shorter than her husband at five foot four inches whilst Henry was more than six foot tall. Her hair was also brown but was turning grey in some areas. Beatrice was the average size for a woman and she had blue eyes.

"Mum, dad, there's something I need to ask you" Kat said.

"What is it Kat?" Henry asked.

"Ben has invited me to go with him to a family reunion and I was wondering if I could go" Kat replied.

"Before I decide I need to ask Ben three questions. Where, when and how long?" Henry asked.

"It's on a remote island north of Scotland; my parents would pick her up in a couple of day's time. It's a month long and there's and there's ten days for travelling; five days there and five days back" Ben explained. Henry contemplated for a minute.

"It sounds like a good idea to me, I don't see why not. What do you think honey?" Henry asks Beatrice.

"You've never been away from home for this long, are you sure you'll cope?" Beatrice asked her daughter, uncertain.

"I'll be fine. Besides I am moving away at the end august so this should be a good tester for me living away from home" Kat answered, trying to soothe her mother's worries. Beatrice and Henry looked at each other for a few minutes.

"Okay, you can go. You'll need to pack tomorrow, let us know if there's anything extra that you need" Beatrice said.

"Thanks mum, thanks dad" Kat said. Ben and Kat then headed upstairs to wait for Lucy.

"Henry, are you sure this is a good idea?" Beatrice asked.

"I'm sure she'll be fine, you've nothing to be worried about" Henry said.

"I'm not worried, I just have a feeling that something is going to happen and our daughter won't be the same person when she returns" Beatrice said. Henry looked at her sceptically.

"You're imagining things, nothing's going to happen" Henry said. Beatrice did not look convinced.

"If anything happens she'll contact us but as I said nothing is going to happen" Henry said. Beatrice sighed.

"I Hope you're right" Beatrice said.

Half an hour later and Lucy arrived. Lucy was a similar height to Ben and of similar build to Kat. Her eyes were light green with dark green flecks in them. Lucy loved dying her hair different colours and she had recently dyed it blue. Perched on the end of her nose there was a pair of red square glasses. Strangely the school that Kat, Lucy and Ben had attended had not minded Lucy changing her hair colour which was unusual as it was a private school. Private schools were normally very strict when it came to uniform but not his one. The school did not believe that a uniform made any difference to a student's performance and so only had one because it was a requirement by law. The uniform was simple in that it was black trousers or shorts, a white shirt or blouse and a maroon jumper that had the school logo on it. There was no tie or blazer. Having a simple uniform meant that students and staff alike could focus their attention on achieving the best of their abilities. The school did not care about league tables as which was why the school was popular as many parents believed they took attention away from the schools job of helping each student reach their potential. Lucy was planning on studying forensics at university while Ben wanted to join the police force and Kat had her heart set on Medical school. A short while later the three friends were sat on the sofa watching Agatha Christie's 'Death on the Nile' with Peter Ustinov while eating pizza. Each of them wondered what the future held in store for them as individuals and as a group of friends.

2: Chapter Two

~~The next day Kat spent the time packing. She had grabbed her largest case and was pulling clothes out of her chest of drawers to put into it. When she was satisfied that she had enough for the trip she went to her bookcases and started looking through her books to choose what she wanted to with her to read. She didn't know if there was going to be a library where she was going and so wanted to be prepared. She stood there for several minutes trying to decide what to take to read. After pondering for some time she decided to pick a letter of the alphabet and choose books by an author beginning with that letter. The letter that she chose was C and so she ended up putting more than a dozen of her Agatha Christie novels plus a couple by Michael Connelly, Patricia Cornwall and Trudy Canavan. This meant that the majority of the books in her case were crime novels and this she liked because she had an urge to read a crime novel. After that she grabbed a very large backpack and filled it with some clothes for the five day journey to the remote island. Then she grabbed a couple more books to read on the way there. This time she grabbed Labyrinth, sepulchre and citadel by Kate Mosse and put them in the backpack. Then she decided it was time for a cup of tea and so she went to the kitchen and put the kettle on. The rest of the day she spent drinking tea and reading. Later she got a phone call from Ben saying that a taxi would be picking her up at ten o'clock in the morning the next day. She knew that there were a couple of things that she could not pack until the morning like her toothbrush, toothpaste and hairbrush. Apart from that she felt she was fully packed.
The next day the taxi picked Kat up at ten in the morning. Kat then put her case in the not and her backpack in the back of the taxi. Her music player was fully charged for a rather long journey and the charger was in her case. She hoped that where she was going had electricity. The journey to the island was going to be long. First there was a taxi journey to the north of Scotland which would take all day then a boat would take her and obviously others to the island that was north of the United Kingdom. Kat did not know anything of this island she was going to nor had she ever heard of its existence. She had studied maps of the world before and she had never spotted it before. She had no idea as to why she had agreed to go with Ben and it was something she would contemplate for the rest of her life. Just as she was about to, leave her parents came out to wave her off. Her mother was carrying a large bulging bag which she handed to Kat. Kat looked at her, a confused look on her face.
"Food and drink for the journey, it's going to be a long trip" her mother said. Kat sighed, knowing her mother meant well.
"Look after yourself, okay?" her dad said.
"And be very careful" her mum added.
"I'll be fine mum, I can take care of myself" she said. Kat saw that the driver was anxious to get going and so she hugged her parents.
"I'll see you in a month and a half's time" she said. She then went to the driver to tell him she was ready to go.
The driver was Jerry, a man who lived in the nearby town with his family. This was where the school Kat had attended was; they stayed there during the week and spent the weekends at home. If the student was travelling from a long distance away then they spent weekends there as well. This was not the case for Kat, Ben or Lucy. Kat's home was north of the town whilst Ben's was west of it and Lucy lived in town with her parents at their bookshop.
Jerry was six foot five inches tall and had very dark skin, eyes and hair. His family had lived in the town for several generations and he considered himself British as did his children. When his great, great, great, great grand parents had moved there they had been uncertain about the reception they would receive but they had had nothing to worry about; they were welcomed with open arms and friendly smiles. For that was the way in the town, everyone was welcome, no matter what. Kat got in the taxi and waved to her parents as they waved back. Jerry got in and they started their long journey north. Kat put her earphones in, turned her music player on and closed her eyes. She had not slept well the previous night, having had several nightmares that kept waking her up. Nightmares that when she thought back on them, gave her a sense of foreboding. With her selection of classical music going into her head is wasn't long before she was asleep. Jerry looked at his passenger and wondered what the future had in store for her. Jerry was well acquainted with Lord and Lady Gibbson as were many of the people who lived in the town. They were well known for their generosity and kindness. If anyone was fundraising for something they would be the first to make a donation. All who knew them knew that they did this because they believed in sharing what they had. Kat also shared these ideals.
After two hours Jerry pulled into a service station so that they could both have a toilet break and something to eat. Kat woke up just as they pulled in.
"Sleeping beauty's decided to wake up" he said.
"Hmm, oh sorry" she said, still in a bit of a daze.
"Don't worry about it. You looked so peaceful so I didn't want to disturb you. Did you have trouble sleeping last night?" he asked. Kat nodded.
"I kept having nightmares" she replied. Jerry parked the car and the two of them got out to use the toilet. When they got back, the two of them sat in the back of the taxi to eat. Jerry also had a bag of food to eat. For the first few minutes there was complete silence save for the sound of food being eaten.
"So where are you going for this family reunion?" he asked.
"I don't actually know. All I've been told is that it's a remote island north of Scotland only I'm sure I've never seen it on a map" she answered.
"Could be that the owners don't want tourists visiting and so have made sure that it doesn't appear on any map" Jerry Suggested.
"That's true" Kat said.
"So if you don't know where it is exactly, why are you going?" he asked her.
"I don't really know. I guess it seemed like a better option than sitting at home all summer" she said. No more was said. A short while later they finished eating then continued on their journey north. For the rest of the journey they stopped every two hours for a toilet break and a quick bite to eat to sustain them. Eventually they arrived at their destination. Jerry pulled up outside a very fancy looking hotel. Kat gasped in shock when she saw it.
"Wow, this place is snazzy" she said, gazing at it. Although the building itself was plain there was a long awning over the entrance and a gentleman in a posh suit with coat tails and a top hat along with a bellboy who had a trolley for cases. Jerry got out the front and then got Kat's case out of the boot while Kat got out the back of the cab with her backpack. Afterwards Jerry got a small string bag out of the boot of the car. This relieved Kat, it meant Jerry did not have to drive back home until the following day. She grabbed her case after putting her backpack on her back and pulled it inside the hotel. The bellboy asked if she would like him to push it inside on the trolley but she declined. Pulling her case, Kat walked into the hotel.
Kat stopped when she saw the inside of the hotel, it was breathtaking. The walls were royal blue with gold edging at the top and bottom of the walls. In the middle there was a band of gold flowers. The carpet was violet and soft as Kat felt her shoes sink into it when she walked. Opposite her there was a long counter with several people in a posh uniform. This was the desk for checking in and out of the hotel. To her right she could see two sets of glass doors that led to the dining room. To the left there was a set of elevators which led to other floors of the hotel where the bedrooms were. Kat heard someone call her name and then saw Ben.
"Kat, I was wondering when you would get here" he said.
"It was a long drive, so we took regular breaks" she said.
"You must be quite knackered. Go talk to someone at the desk and they'll give you your key" he said.
"Thanks" she said. Kat then walked up to the desk.
"Can I help you?" the lady behind the counter asked.
"Yes I want to check in" Kat replied.
"Your name miss?" the lady asked.
"Katrina Gibbson" Kat replied. The lady typed for a minute.
"Ah, here we are room 324. Have a nice stay" the lady said.
"Thank you" Kat said before heading to the lifts. There were three lifts in total and in between each lift there was a poster indicating what was on each floor which Kat took a moment to read. The ground floor was the reception and dining room, floors one to five had rooms on them and floor six had a gym and spa on it.
"Wow, this place is posh than I thought, it has a spa" Kat thought to herself. She then pressed the button to call the lift and waited. When it arrived she got in and pushed the button for floor three. A minute later she got out and walked down the corridor until she reached room 324. She then used the card that the receptionist had given her to open the door. The door mechanism turned green and Kat pushed handle down, opened the door and walked through it.
The room was decorated the same as the entrance as was the hallway outside. Immediately on her right there was a door which Kat assumed led to a bathroom. Further into the room on the right hand side there was a double bed and then a sofa. Opposite here there was a window with violet curtains that were drawn back. On the left side there was a desk with kettle on it with tea bags, milk, sugar and coffee next to it. This made Kat happy as she had not had a cup of tea since that morning. There was also a cup by the kettle.
"A little bit smaller than I'm used to but it will have to" she thought. She went over the sofa and put her back pack and case by it before taking her coat off. She then took a short run and leapt onto the bed so that she was lying on her back, letting herself sink into the bed. She then put her hands under her head after bending her arms. She lay there for several minutes thinking. At one point she contemplated getting a book from her bag but decided against it, she was too comfortable and didn't want to move. After her stomach rumbled she realised she would have to move, she was hungry and needed to eat. She got off the bed and left the room after making sure she had the room card in her trouser pocket. She then took the lift to the ground and went to the dining room.
As she walked through the glass door she could see tables directly in front of her. To her left there was a long table with food on it. There was special equipment to keep hot food hot and cold food cold. There were a few people stood by it getting food as well as people sat at the tables. The first thing Kat did was go to the hot drinks machine. She took a teabag and put it into a cup after opening up the packet. Then she put the cup in the machine, pressed the button for hot water and waited. When it was finished she picked up the cup, grabbed milk and sugar and then went to find somewhere to sit. From close observation she could see that most of the tables were full and so wondered where she could sit. After a couple of minutes she saw a table with two chairs by it where only one of the chairs was occupied by a middle aged man. She walked up to the table.
"Mind if I sit here?" Kat asked. The man looked up from his paper work.
"Not at all" he replied, gesturing to the chair.
"Thanks" Kat said, whilst sitting down. She then finished making her tea. Out of the corner of her eye she could see what the man was working on and it looked like it was work related. This confused Kat, who would take work with them on holiday? She knew she wouldn't unless, unless it was important. She took a moment to look at the man she was sharing a table with. He had light brown hair and blue eyes and there was a pair of black glasses on his nose. She couldn't see much else due to the fact that he was sat down. She decided not to bother him and got up to get some food. A couple of minutes later she returned with a plate of sausage and mash and a bowl of tomato soup which she started eating when she sat down. She ate the soup in silence.
"I don't mean to be rude but why are you doing paperwork on holiday?" she asked him with curiosity.
"Because it is an important part of my job. One that can't be put aside simply because of a holiday. As it is I have had to get someone to replace me while I'm away. Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Dr Arthur Simmons, Forensic Pathologist" he said.
"Katrina Gibbson" Kat said. Dr Simmons pondered for a moment.
"Do you have an aunt called Laura Benson?" he asked her.
"Yes, how do you know her?" Kat asked, uncertain.
"She and I live in the same town south east of here. She often speaks of you, she says you are incredibly intelligent and believes if you took an IQ test you would be shown to be a genius" he said. This made Kat blush.
"I've never thought of myself as a genius. So what is it that you do again?" she asked him.
"I'm a forensic pathologist. I examine the bodies of the deceased to discover their cause of death. I serve the town I live in along with the towns and villages nearby" he explained. This intrigued Kat, she knew it was a possible career path after medical school. She also knew there were numerous other things that she could do but right now she was uncertain. Kat then returned to eating whilst Dr Simmons returned to his paperwork. At the same time Kat finished off her tea she yawned and decided it was time to turn in. She bid Dr Simmons good night who then told her that breakfast was at ten in the morning. Afterwards they would be heading to the yacht which would be taking them to the island where the reunion would be taking place. Kat then left the dining room and went back to her room. She had a shower before putting her pyjamas on. She then set and alarm on her phone, climbed into bed and fell asleep.
The next morning she got up, dressed herself and had a cup of tea before going down to breakfast at ten am. When she walked in she saw Dr Simmons.
"Katrina, over here" he shouted to her. She walked over to him.
"Good morning Dr Simmons. Please call me Kat" she said.
"Of course, is it a nickname?" he asked her.
"Yes, it's what my friends call me, not that I have many friends" she said, disappointment in her voice.
"I'm sure the friends you have are very important to you" he said.
"Of course they are, they mean everything to me" she explained.
"So, tell me how are you related to the King family?" he asked her.
"I'm not, Benjamin is one of my friends and he invited me to go with him. What about you?" she asked.
"King was my mother's maiden name before she married my father. That's them over there" he said, pointing to a couple who were older than him.
"I'll introduce you to them" he said.
"Are you sure? I wouldn't want to impose" Kat asked him.
"Of course, they love meeting new people" he said. He then waved to them and they walked over to Kat and Dr Simmons.
"Mother, father, there's someone I would like to introduce to you. This is the girl. I told you about last night. Kat these are my parents, Alice and Daniel Simmons. Mum, Dad, this is Katrina Gibbson, Laura Benson's niece" he explained. Katrina looked at Alice and Daniel. Alice had Arthur's blue eyes but her hair was mainly grey with a few strands of brown and she was five foot eight in height. Daniel's hair was completely grey and he had green eyes. He was five foot three which made him shorter than his son who was five foot six. She could see that Arthur got his looks from his mother and something told her that Daniel had once had blonde hair.
"I think we had better get some breakfast soon, it won't be long before everyone will be going to the yacht" Dr Simmons said.
"I must be quite a large yacht to hold everyone" Kat thought, thinking of the number of people that were in the dining room at that moment. Kat then ate breakfast with Dr Simmons and his parents before returning to her room to fetch her things. She then handed her room key in, found a place to sit and read. Over time more people brought their luggage to the reception. Over the top of her book she could see several couples with younger children as well as couples with older children and a few older couples.
At twelve o'clock she saw everyone beginning to leave, so she stopped reading, put her book mark in her book and stood up. She then put her backpack on, grabbed her case and followed the others out of the hotel. Eventually the large group ended up at a dock where Kat supposed the yacht was but she couldn't see as she was at the back of the group. The group stopped for a few moments while the gangplank was lowered then it got moving again. When Kat got to the front she saw it was not a yacht at all but a small cruise ship that was obviously owned by the family and used to transport large groups of visitors to and from the island. She followed the others on board to a large lounge area which had many soft chairs and a bar in it. She saw everyone put their luggage down and did the same. Then the stewards came round, asking everyone their name and then telling them which room they would be staying in for the next three nights. As the room emptie3d of people she could see more of it. The carpet was peach and the walls were pastel yellow. The chairs were a pastel pink. Kat liked this room; it had a homey feel to it. Eventually she was the last person in the room and the steward walked up to her.
"You must be Katrina Gibbson, please follow me" he said. Kat picked up her things and followed him up to the upper deck until he stopped at a door. He then opened the door the door and Kat gasped in surprise at the room she had been given, it was beautiful. She stepped inside and the steward closed the door behind her. On her right there was a King size bed with a least six cushions on it and on her left there was a door which Kat believed led to a bathroom. Opposite her there was a set of double glass doors which led to a balcony. Kat leant her case against the wall and put her bag and book down before going to these doors. She opened them and stepped out onto the balcony. She could see the clear blue sky above her, the calm waters below her and the seagulls flying through the sky. It was tranquil and very calming and reminded Kat of when her parents had taken her on a cruise in the Caribbean the summer between primary and secondary school. She stood there for several minutes breathing in the smell of the sea and feeling the gentle breeze move her ponytail around. She then walked around back inside and sat on the bed before leaning back.
"This bed is so comfortable, I could lay here forever" Kat thought to herself. She closed her eyes and relaxed for a few minutes until someone knocked on her door.
"I wonder who that is?" she thought. She then got up of the bed and opened the door. Ben was stood on the other side. This surprised her a little bit.
"I was wondering if you had settled in yet" he asked her. Kat shook her head after realising she had just dumped her bag by her case before lying on the bed.
"Well, there will be time for that later. We're about to depart, would you like to watch it with me?" he asked.
"Sure but it's not like I haven't done this before" Kat said once again remembering the Caribbean cruise she took with her parents five years previously. She then came out of her room and followed Ben to the top deck.
The sun was shining brightly with not a cloud in sight as Kat arrived on deck. Kat then decided to and fetch her hat from her back pack. The cap was white and blue. She could see lots of people were also on deck and something told her that all the passengers were here to see the launch of the ship. She went and stood by the railings and from there she could see people who lived in the town that had come to wave them off. Kat wondered why they did this, it wasn't like they were royalty or famous. She took a moment to enjoy the silence as she felt the sun warming her skin and the breeze gently blowing her hair. She contemplated the situation she was in and realised she had no idea where she was going apart from the fact that it was north of her current location. She knew would ask Ben about it later but for now she decided she was going to enjoy the moment. What she did know was that she was going to explore every nook and cranny that she could when she got there. Kat had a very curious nature; it was part of who she was. Thinking of all the things on this mysterious island that were waiting for her made her excited, she did not know what she would find but couldn't wait to get there. First however there was a four day boat journey north. She decided that she would use this time to meet some of the other people also attending the event. She already knew Ben from school and had met his parents before. She had also recently met Dr Simmons and his parents. There was something about his profession that fascinated Kat and she wondered if he would be willing to discuss in detail what his job entailed. Right now however she wanted a cup of and to sit down in a comfy chair and read. So she went back to her room, grabbed her reading book and headed to the lounge. When she got there she found it empty save for a member of staff at the bar, who made her a cup of tea when she asked for it. That is all she did until it was tea time, read her book while drinking tea.
That evening she sat with Dr Simmons and his parents at dinner during which she found them to be enjoyable company. It was like spending time with her mother's parents who had moved to Australia a few years ago. She remembered going to visit them last summer during their winter, not that it had been cold. During the six weeks they had visited as much of the island as they could.
"Arthur tells me that you're Laura Benson's niece. Part of me wonders why she has never married, I'm sure she has had many men who were interested in her" Alice said.
"It's not that complicated actually. Before I was born she was engaged to a man, he was ten years older than her but she was head over heels in love with him. A couple of months before the wedding she got home early to surprise him and found him in bed with another woman. She broke it off with him immediately and refused to ever see him again. She then found out that he had only been with her for money and that he had done this with two other women whom he had divorced and then taken half of everything. After that she had decided she would never let another man get that close to her" Kat explained. There was silence as Arthur, Alice and Daniel digested what Kat had just told them about Laura.
"I Knew that her heart had been broken before I just didn't know the exact circumstances that caused it" Dr Simmons said. Kat looked at him, perplexed as to how Dr Simmons knew Laura.
"I had just moved to town and had taken up the job of being the assistant to the forensic pathologist so I didn't know anyone. One day I walked into the bakery and she was there. From that day on I went as often as I could just so I could speak to her. Eventually I got up the courage to ask her out but she glared at me. Then her assistant told me not to worry, she doesn't trust people she barely knows and certainly not if they're men. She eventually warmed up to me but by then I realised she would never go on a date and so I settled for being her friend" Arthur explained. Kat could see the sadness in his eyes and realised that he truly did care about her aunt, she just hoped that Laura would stop being so stubborn before it was too late. Kat then decided that a change of subject was desperately needed.
"What do the two of you do for a living?" Kat asked.
"I worked as a chef in a restaurant but I retired a few years ago" Alice replied.
"I'm a retired police officer with more than forty years of active duty. I joined the force after finishing school" Daniel said.
"Wow, that's an impressive record. What would you say to someone who was considering joining the police?" Kat asked. Alice looked at her as if to say "you?" Kat saw this.
"No, not me, my friend Ben" Kat said answering her silent question.
"Ben, as in Benjamin King?" Daniel asked.
"Yes, he wants to follow in his father's footsteps" Kat replied.
"His grandfather, my brother, was also a police officer until a couple of years ago when he retired. I'm not really surprised he wants to continue the legacy" Alice said.
"And before him, my father was a member of the police force on the island that we're going to just as his father. As long as the family have been around member have been police officers" she continued. This made Kat realise that Ben's family was older than she originally thought. The four of them continued eating in silence which left Kat to ponder the questions that had formed in her mind during the conversation. Questions like how many siblings did Alice have and what was this island that they were going to called. So many questions and she did not know who to ask to answer them. However something told her that she would find the answers she sought. Eventually, she would just have to be patient. After dinner she returned to her room and continued reading, she did not feel like talking to others that evening. Right now she wanted the company of fictional characters. This is what she did until she started falling asleep, so she stopped reading and went to bed.
The next morning she ate breakfast alone until someone came and sat down at the table. She looked up from the book she was reading whilst eating.
"Can I help you?" she asked the young man.
"Are you Ben's friend Kat?" he asked.
"Yes I am, my name is Katrina Gibbson, only my friends can call me Kat. Who are you?" Kat asked. She took a moment to look at him. He was five foot five in height and well built. Kat wondered how old he was. His hair was blonde but his eyes were unusual because Kat was certain they were the same shade as Ben's eyes. This confused her but when she thought she realised that shade of blue eyes might be a family trait.
"Peter Button, Ben's grandfather and my grandfather are brothers" he said. This made her think that her earlier thought might be correct.
"Benjamin and I share the same birthday" he said.
"That's unusual, how often do family members share the same birthday?" Kat thought to herself. Peter then stood up.
"I just wanted to introduce myself, you were all Ben would talk about last night" he said. He then left Kat alone. She let out the breath she hadn't realised she had been holding. There was something about Peter that unnerved her, he gave her this awkward feeling that she couldn't shake no matter how hard she tried. Also the similarity between his and Ben's eyes was disturbing as well as confusing.
After finishing her breakfast Kat decided to be more social than she had been the previous evening. She cleared up her breakfast things and headed to the lounge. When she got there she found Dr Simmons sat at a table, setting up a chess set so she decided to ask if he wanted to play. She walked up to his table and sat down.
"Mind if I play with you?" she asked him.
"You play chess?" he asked her, curiosity in his voice. Kat nodded and smiled at him.
"Me and my dad play when I'm at home, it helps him relax after a long week at work" she said.
"That I can understand I too find chess relaxing" he said. Once the pieces were set out the two of them played. As time went on the two swapped the colour of the pieces they were using to make things fair. After a short while Kat realised she was being watched. She looked up and saw that Peter was observing her from a distance. There was something creepy about the way that he was staring at her that sent a shiver down her spine. She shuddered and Dr Simmons saw this.
"What's wrong?" he asked her.
"There's something about him that I don't like but I can't put my finger on it" Kat said, glancing at Peter briefly enough for it not to be noticed.
"Ignore him, he'll probably go somewhere else when he realises you're no interested" Dr Simmons said.
"It's not that I'm not interested, I'm not sure right now. It's just that he creeps me out especially with the way he's staring at me" Kat said. Unfortunately for her Peter did not lose interest, he continued to stare at her, which made Kat very nervous as if she was standing on a stage being watched by a huge crowd and not knowing what to do. Dr Simmons saw how she was feeling and so engaged her in various topics of conversation. He asked about her life back at home, her parents and her hobbies. This lead to Kat telling stories of some of the things that had happened to her. This made the two of the laugh. This helped Kat relax and soon she forgot Peter was there. Kat then asked the same of Dr Simmons, to which he answered with enthusiasm. Eventually they realised that they had stopped playing chess a while ago.
"Kat as you may not have heard there is going to be a fancy party tomorrow night. He told her. The look on her face confirmed that she did not know.
"Is attendance compulsory?" she asked nervously. He nodded.
"I didn't bring anything fancy with me" Kat confessed to him.
"Not a problem, I believe Benjamin has sorted something out for you to wear" he said. Kat looked relieved.
"From the look on your face I'd say the two of you are more than just friends" he said. This made Kat blush furiously.
"It's not like that, I just. . . I trust him that's all" she denied.
"Right, whatever you say" he said, clearly not believing her. There was an awkward silence between them.
"So what does this party involve?" Kat asked him.
"There will be food, talking, music provided by a live orchestra and dancing" he replied. Kat suddenly looked very scared and Dr Simmons noticed this.
"I take you don't know how to dance" he stated. Kat shock her head and Dr Simmons thought for a few moments.
"Would you like me to teach you?" he asked her.
"Are you sure? I don't want to be burden" she asked.
"Not at all, it's not often I get to teach someone as enthusiastic as you" he said. Kat smiled and nodded. The two of them put away the abandoned chess set and got up to head to the ballroom. A few moments later Peter also left the lounge.
After meandering corridors for a couple of minutes they arrived at the ball room. It was a large square room with a balcony area above for people watch from. To one side there was a small area that was separated from the rest of the area. In this area there were chairs and music stands and there were sat there with musical instruments in their hands obviously practicing for the party. Dr Simmons led Kat to the middle of the floor.
"I'm not really dressed for dancing" Kat said, glancing at her jeans, t-shirt and walking boots.
"It doesn't really matter right now, your things will be in your room once we're done here" he said. Kat nodded in understanding. The musicians started playing and Dr Simmons started teaching her a simple waltz. After a few minutes Kat noticed movement in the upper area and then she spotted Peter stood there watching. She shook her head, sighed and decided to ignore him.
After a couple of hours Dr Simmons was satisfied with her progress and it was decided that they would pick up where they left off the next morning. Kat then headed back to her room. When she got there she found a couple of boxes on her bed, one large and one small. The small box contained a pair of red shoes with a strap at the top. The shoes had heels that were two inches and chunky. She then closed this box and opened the large one. She gasped with surprise, inside was a beautiful dress. She closed the box again and quickly ran out of the room, hoping to find Ben to thank him. She did not have to look for long, she ran into him, quite literally. The two of them stood up.
"Ben, I'm so sorry, I was trying to find you but not like this" she said apologetically.
"It's ok; I was looking for you as well. I was wondering if you had my gift yet but I don't think I need to ask, the answer is obvious" he said to her.
"That's why I wanted to find you, to thank you" she said.
"I shall take it that you like it" he said. She didn't need to respond to his statement, her smile spoke a thousand words silently for her. Kat then threw her arms around Ben and held him close to her and he put his arms around her. At that moment in time Kat was starting to think that maybe Lucy was right, there was more between Ben and herself than friendship. What she did not know was that Ben was thinking the same thing. The tow of them stood like this for a short while, content to be in each other's arms, neither wanting to part. What they did not know was that they were being watched by Peter. Eventually the dinner bell rang and the two of them let go of each other. Ben then offered Kat his hand which she took and the two of them went to dinner.
That night at dinner Kat sat with Ben, his parents Margaret and Gordon along with Arthur, Alice and Daniel. Margaret had blue eyes like Ben's but her hair was ginger. She was five foot three and was thirty eight years old. Margaret worked as a teacher at the primary school Ben, Kat and Lucy had attended although she had never taught their class so that she couldn't be accused of favouritism. However it would not have mattered as at home she was mum and at school she was Mrs King. Gordon was a police officer and one of the shorter officers at five foot six inches tall. Ben had his dark hair but his eyes were green. He was forty years old.
The events of a short while ago between herself and Ben were still playing on her mind. Was there something more between herself and Ben or was she reading more into something that was simply a gesture of friendship between the two of them. She knew it was something the two of them would have to talk about but she did not want to discuss it in front of his parents. Dinner past by quickly and afterwards Kat retreated to her room to think. She thought about how Ben knew the right thing to say to cheer her up when she was down, how he made her smile and laugh and she could be herself when she was around him. She decided she would say yes if he asked her. Eventually she fell asleep with a smile on her face.
The next morning after breakfast Kat resumed her dancing lessons with Dr Simmons. Once again Peter was watching them. Kat hoped that he would stop watching everything she did because otherwise she knew that she would end up doing something she would regret. For now she would have to do her best to ignore him. The dance lesson ended at lunch time which came and went. After lunch she sat and read until five in the afternoon when she decided it was time to get ready for the party. First she took a shower, washing her hair in the process and then drying it with a hair dryer. After this she slipped into her dress sorted out her hair. She did not bother with any makeup as she didn't own any. When she was finished she looked in the mirror. Her dress was the same red as her shoes and the skirt stopped midway between her knees and ankles. The sleeves covered her shoulders and the bodice was covered with red beads. She had piled her hair on top of her head save for a few strands which she had left to frame her face. Just then there was a knock on the door and Kat wondered who it was until Ben spoke from the other side of the door.
"Kat, are you ready?" he asked her.
"Almost" Kat said back to him. She then grabbed her shoes, put them on and opened the door.
For a moment Ben did not know what to say but after a few moments he found his voice.
"Wow, you look stunning" he said, making her blush.
"Thank you" she said. He then held his arm out for her, which she took and he led her to the ballroom where the party was being held.
The ballroom looked very different to when Kat had been in for her dancing lessons. The theme of the decor was floral and so there were flowers on every table and garlands of leaves and flowers. When they arrived there were people twirling to music that was being played by the orchestra. Ben turned to face Kat and held out his hand for her.
"Would you care to dance?" he asked her.
"Of course" she replied. They joined the group of people dancing. Neither of them spoke for a short while, both of them unsure of what to say. Kat decided to take the silence as an opportunity to think. First she thought that Ben looked quite charming in his tuxedo. Then she realised that Ben must either be a very good last minute planner or he had intended this all along. As they danced she began to realise that she felt comfortable in his arms and this confused her a little. He was her best friend but she was starting to wish they were more than that. While they moved around the room Kat caught the sight of Dr Simmons sat with his parents and so she waved to him which he did in return. She then lost sight of him and caught sight of someone who was staring at her which made her shudder. Ben noticed this.
"What's wrong?" he asked her. Kat glanced at Peter and looked away so not to be spotted.
"He's been following me around like a lost puppy for the past couple of days and he keeps staring at me" Kat said. Ben was uncertain how to respond for a moment then he regained his wits.
"I'll go talk to him" Ben said.
"No, whatever you do, don't do that. I don't want to cause a commotion" she said quietly so as not to draw attention to them. Ben was shocked for a moment.
"But" he began but then Kat put her finger to his lips.
"No buts, hopefully he'll lose interest soon and if not. . . well if it comes to that I'll deal with him myself" Kat told him. Ben gulped; he knew that if the situation arose Kat was very capable of looking after herself. A minute later the dance ended and the two of them decided to sit down for a short while. They walked over to where Dr Simmons, Alice and Daniel were sat and joined them.
"Is he still following you around?" Dr Simmons asked her. Kat nodded, exasperated. He sighed and shook his head.
"Unfortunately, Peter has never been good at socialising. However we should arrive at the island tomorrow afternoon so you'll be able to use the island to avoid him to your heart's content" Dr Simmons explained. This made Kat smile.
"That's better, keep your chin up Kat and remember that things can always get worse" Daniel said.
"The island we're going to, what's it called?" Kat asked.
"It's known as Eilean de Diurrais" Alice answered. This made Kat frown.
"What is it?" Ben asked.
"It's Gaelic, in english it translates to Isle of Mystery" Kat replied.
"Who taught you Gaelic?" Daniel asked.
"My father's Scottish and wanted me to understand my heritage" Kat explained.
Kat was sat with her back to the dancers and so did not see Peter approaching the group but Arthur did and she saw the look on his face which told her everything.
"Hi, how are you all doing this evening? I came to ask if Katrina would honour me with a dance" he asked her. Not wanting to insult him she accepted and stood up.
"I'll be back in a few minutes" she said. Peter then led her to the dance floor and they started dancing. Seeing them together made Ben sad; he had decided to ask if she wanted to be more than just friends. Meanwhile Kat and Peter were joining the other dancers. No words were spoken between them and after a couple of minutes Kat started mentally comparing the way that Peter and Ben each held her. When Ben held her it was gentle and reassuring whilst there was something possessive about the way Peter held her. It was as though for the duration of the dance Kat belonged to Peter and he had no intention of letting her go until it was over. This made her frown which Peter noticed.
"Is everything ok?" he asked. Kat came back to reality.
"Yes, I guess I was just lost in thought" she replied.
"Care to share?" he asked. Kat shook her head. They continued dancing in silence for a couple of minutes.
"Before this dance is over there is something I must ask you. Would you like to be more than just friends?" he asked her. The question shocked her; she had been expecting it from Ben but not Peter whom she barely knew. She stopped dancing and let go of him.
"I'm sorry Peter but how can we be more than friends when we're not even friends. I've only known you for a couple of days so at best we are acquaintances. Now if you'll excuse me I'm going to bed" she said before leaving the ballroom and returning to her room. She did not see the look on Peter's face after she turned him down.
The next morning after breakfast Kat noticed some changes. Firstly that Peter was avoiding her, this she didn't mind as she had found him rather irritating when he had been following her around. She knew she would have done something she would regret if his behaviour had continued this way. She also noticed that Ben was avoiding her but she did not know why. It was certainly a mystery to her, one that she was determined to solve. She spent two hours after breakfast trying to find him so she could talk to him and find out what was wrong. However after this time she still hadn't found him and so decided that he wanted to be alone. She returned to her room where she stayed until one o'clock when she had a visit from Dr Simmons.
"Kat, its Dr Simmons, I was wondering if you'd like to join on deck, the island is just about visible from our current position" he asked her. This piqued her interest and reminded her that they still had not reached their final destination. She got up off her bed, left her room and followed Dr Simmons to the top deck.
When she emerged she immediately felt the sunlight hit her skin, warming her up. She headed to the railing and spotted the island a long distance from where they were. At this time it looked like a spot of green but she imagined that she would see more as they got closer. For the time being she was content to lean on the railing, watching the waves leap and jump as they sailed. She could feel the wind whipping her hair, reminding her why she only ever out in up in a ponytail. Also her mother often described her hair as being windswept. The silence around her meant it was the perfect time for contemplation as she wondered once again about their destination. What was its history, what did they eat there and what would she do when they arrived. The gentle rocking of the ship as they ploughed through the water made her eyes droopy and she drifted off into a blissful sleep. A short while later she woke up and realised they were a little bit closer. She saw that the island was not completely green, there were two separate structures, one on the left side of the island and one on the right. She yawned and decided she needed a bit more sleep. She found a deck chair nearby, sat down and within five minutes was asleep. Dr Simmons watched her and remembered the events of the previous night which her knew exhausted her and something told him that things would change once they arrived but not for the better.
At four o'clock Dr Simmons decided to wake Kat up so that she could get a better view now that they were much closer. He gently nudged her and she stirred before waking up and she yawned.
"Are we there yet?" she asked sleepily.
"No, not yet, but I thought you might want to see this" he said before stepping aside for her to see. The view was so amazing that it literally took her breath away. It was so beautiful it left her speechless. The structure that she had seen earlier was in fact a collection of buildings that formed either a village or town. She could not determine the size from this distance. She determined that the green she had seen earlier was in fact trees and a lot of them. However something told her that if she looked from a bird's eye point of view she would see areas of farm land as well. The structure on the right side of the island looked like a castle to Kat, possibly a medieval one which told her that people had been on the island for a long time. Also looking at the island she came to the conclusion that the island was much larger than she imagined it would be. She stifled a yawn and decided to go lie down for a nap. She told Dr Simmons this and headed back to her room. Once again she was out within five minutes of her head touching the pillows. Sometime later she woke and looked out the window. It was then that she noticed they had stopped moving which meant only one thing, they had arrived.