Fury's Island: Fury, #2

By Sue Perkins

On holiday in Nelson, New Zealand, Fury meets Eion who offers to teach her to paddle board. Immediately attracted to him, she agrees. After basic instruction, he takes her out to Skull Island, a creepy looking rock some distance from the beach. No one has ever discovered a way up to the caves which look like eyes, but Fury finds a secret entrance and convinces Eion they should investigate. Their excitement rises as they discover tunnels and caves hidden beneath the ground, but neither is prepared for the arrival of ghostly pirates bringing their treasure chests to bury in one of the underground caves.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Caishel Books
• Release date: Dec 1, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386559566

Sue Perkins

Sue Perkins grew up in Devon, England and emigrated to New Zealand with her family. Sue and her husband live at the top of New Zealand’s South Island. Her interests include writing, reading, genealogy and aqua jogging. Sue’s first romance novel was released in May 2007, quickly followed by a fantasy trilogy, more romance books, young adult and middle grade novels. Visit Sue Perkins webpage to discover more of Sue’s books, including her fantasy romance novels and middle grade level fantasy books. Her aim is to write a full length epic fantasy novel. The outline is complete, and Sue hopes to finish it by the end of 2018.

Book preview

Other Middle Grade Books by Sue Perkins

Fury

Fury’s Ghost

Fury’s Island

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Dragon World Series

Dragon World Box Set

Dragon Flames

Dragon Clans

Dragon Ice

Adri’s Journey

Middle Grade Books

Spirit Stealer

Reva’s Quest

Ghost Bus

Lost on Disc – Microlands Series 1

Disc Chase – Microlands Series 2

Dedication and Acknowledgment

Thanks to my editor Belinda for all her hard work and recommendations.

Chapter One

We’ve booked a cottage at the beach and we leave on 2nd January. You’ll love it, Fiora, lovely sandy beaches and swimming in the sea. We’ve rented a villa for six weeks and Dad is going to work from home via the internet. You can take the new wetsuit you got for Christmas and try it out. It will be wonderful.

Fury would rather go on holiday with her friends, but their parents had other plans. Samantha’s family had gone north to Rotorua for Christmas, while Cora and her mother had headed for Dunedin. Fury had no choice but to go with her parents, and she wouldn’t even have her brother to hang out with. Jonah had been lucky to escape the dreaded ‘seaside holiday’ and had left in November for an intern job at a summer camp in America.

I’m not a child. I’m too old to play on the beach and the sea is usually too cold to swim in. I’d rather stay home.

Stop arguing.

Fury looked at her father in surprise. He usually hid in his study and didn’t get involved in Fury’s altercations with her mother.

Go pack your bag like you were told. Her father left the room and her mother stood with her head tilted to the left while she waited for Fury to either leave or argue again.

Mum...

Do as your father said, Fiora.

Fury stomped up the stairs, annoyed with her parents’ use of her real first name. It sounded so silly. Nobody called her Fiora, everyone called her Fury due to her red hair and the tantrums she’d had as a toddler. Her temper did not improve when she fell over the suitcase her mother had left inside her bedroom door.

Stupid place to put it, right in the way I’d walk so I’d fall over it. Rubbing her bruised shin she hopped to her wardrobe and flung the door open, then threw her clothes into the suitcase, followed by her underwear from the chest of drawers beside her bed.

After dinner, Fury returned to her room. Her mother followed her, tutted over the crumpled clothes in the suitcase and folded them properly.

Have you put your art things into your portfolio bag? You know you like to paint scenes when you’re on a beach holiday.

Mum, I haven’t done landscapes or beach scenes like, in, forever. You know my main thing is cartoons.

Pack them anyway, Fiora. I expect you’ll find a scene you want to capture on canvas.

Fury climbed off the bed and dragged her portfolio bag from the cupboard, checked to make sure she had everything, then put two or three small canvases in the pocket on the side of the bag.

There, all done.

Her mother smiled came across the room and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Lovely, dear. Now get some sleep, we’re leaving early in the morning.

Positive she would be awake all night, Fury got into her pyjamas and climbed into bed. Within minutes she had fallen asleep.

Chapter Two

Walking along the beach, Fury’s mood proved to be the opposite of calm. Her foot swung viciously at a pebble. She had nothing to do in this place. Fine if you were between two and twelve years old, but for a young lady approaching sixteen the activities were dead boring. The golden sand stretched for what seemed like miles ahead of her, and there weren’t many pebbles for her to kick. The sea had gone out, revealing flat stretches of sand. To get to the sea to swim would take about ten minutes of plodding through the puddles left by the outgoing tide.

It’s so boring. A kick at another pebble did not relieve her frustration.

What’s boring? a voice behind her asked and she spun round.

The most gorgeous boy she’d ever seen stood waiting for her answer. His dark brown hair hung over his ears and forehead, and brilliant blue eyes stared at her, making her feel uncomfortable. A faded yellow tee-shirt covered the top half of his board shorts and in his hands he carried a pair of sandals.

You said it’s boring. What is? he asked again.

This place, the town, the beach, everything. It occurred to Fury the young Adonis could live in this seaside town and she wished she could take the words back.

I’ve got to admit an empty beach is boring. Have you been paddle boarding yet?

Fury had seen people on paddle boards going out toward the small island a little way offshore, but although she thought it looked interesting she knew it would be no fun on her own.

The boy waited for an answer and Fury blushed.

No, I’ve been wanting to but haven’t got round to it yet.

You should, it’s a wonderful experience. Would you like to come with me tomorrow morning?

Sounds lovely. Thank you.

Great I’ll see you at the ramp near the board hire place. By the way my name is Eion.

I’m Fiora, but no one calls me by my given name, I’m known as Fury. She could have kicked herself. Why had she told him her real name?

Fury as in you have a temper? Eion grinned at her discomfort.

I used to have a temper, years ago. The name stuck and I don’t like my real name. Only my mother calls me Fiora, or my dad when he’s mad at me.

I like it, but I’ll keep to Fury. See you tomorrow, about ten o’clock?

Fury nodded and Eion turned and walked down the beach then cut over the dunes to the car park.

Her family had taken a villa near the beach so she didn’t have far to go home. When Fury came in, her mother stood at the kitchen work surface preparing a salad to go with the evening meal.

Good, you remembered what time to come home, she said with a smile.

Fury immediately felt guilty. She hadn’t paid any attention to her mother’s demands to be home by a certain time. In fact she didn’t even know the time at this moment. After a furtive glance at the clock she saw it to be six o’clock.

Wash your hands and let your dad know dinner’s ready. Her mother opened the oven and took out a steaming-hot lasagne.

After visiting the bathroom, Fury collected her father and the three of them sat down to a meal.

So how did your day go? Her mother wanted to know.

Fine. I visited the shops opposite the beach, then walked along the sand,. Sat a while watching the paddle boarders. Mum can I go paddle boarding tomorrow?

Oh, I don’t know, Fiora. It can be dangerous, you know?

Let her go, her father said unexpectedly. She keeps telling us she’s not a baby and we should let her do her own thing, so now’s the chance. They make the inexperienced boarders keep near the shore, so Fury will be fine.

Her mother huffed, but Fury knew it had as much to do with her father’s use of her nickname as it had to do with paddle boarding. Years before, her parents had many arguments about her refusal to answer to Fiora and her mother insisted her father call her by her given name. He gave up and reverted to Fury when his daughter had her fourth birthday. Fury had a habit of ignoring anyone who called her Fiora, so rather than be ignored, he called her by her nickname. Her mother continued to call her Fiora and eventually Fury gave in and responded to the name, but only when her mother used it.

In bed that night Fury realised she hadn’t told her parents she’d arranged to go boarding with the boy she’d met. Her father’s words came to mind. Would Eion refuse to take her out when he found her to be a beginner and had to keep near the shore? At least she’d be the only one to get embarrassed if he walked away.

At ten o’clock the following morning, Fury walked toward the paddle board station. She saw Eion before he saw her as he stood talking to the guy who rented the boards out. As soon as he caught sight of her his lips curved up in a smile and he walked toward her.

Hi, you made it then. Fury nodded and he led her over to the boards. Have you done this before?

No good lying, he’d soon realise her beginner status if she said otherwise. Fury shook her head.

Fine, we’ll go easy today and wait until you’re used to paddle boarding before we go out to the island.

In the beginning he had her sit on the board in the shallow water until she got used to sitting, lying down and standing up. At first her movements were awkward but Eion was very patient with her. He showed her exactly what to do and at one stage he even held her by the waist when she was moving