Strange pods of light clung to the roof of the cave, with long, dangling appendages like vines or tentacles hanging from each. Small fish followed in ...he wake of my kayak, and the walls of the cave moved with unknown creatures. A cloud of dusty debris in the water caught my attention, and I noticed that my bag dragging across the bottom was causing it. I leaned forward and pulled my backpack out of the water, shaking it before securing it to the front of my vessel once more. I gawked at the. Why would I mind?" I don't know. Maybe you think my proper place isn't at Summers' ranch but at Long's."She was still looking down at her hands. "Cheryl?" I said, causing her to look up tentatively. "Your life is yours to live. Your proper place is where you want to be, not where Randy Long wants you to be. I want you to be where you will enjoy yourself, and if that's with Keith and Joyce for two weeks, then that's fine with me. You'll be sixteen next year, so your parents still have some say. Forewarned and forearmed, we of course met absolutely no one traveling in either direction on the road, let alone an ambush. We arrived at the gates of Whitecliffs just before evening meal on our seventh day of travel.Whitecliffs was named for an obvious geographic feature, similar to the cliffs of Dover back on Earth. The harbor itself was on a spit of land several miles from the cliff, and unlike Beletara, the waters in the area were shallow and difficult to navigate. While this presented. She was there, her eyes were shining. ‘Hey, have you got one of those for me?’ she teased. ‘Scootch on over here,’ I answered. Mom giggled, moved across the narrow distance that separated us and wrapped her arms around my shoulders. ‘I cannot begin to tell you how proud I am of you tonight,’ she said quietly and personally. Pushing back she spoke in a louder voice. ‘When Becca and Charlotte appeared we knew that you must have seen us sneak in.’ ‘Becca’s mom didn’t happen to mention tonight to.