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Bells Of Ballintoy

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3

The others all went out of the restaurant.

"Eilidh, I need to tell you something, something needs to be said, and I've seen something that you should know."
"What is it?" Eilidh said, sitting down.
"You're not destined to be with Mark, I know this might sound crazy, but you've been destined with Nicholas, or should I say Nicky."
"But how did you know?"
"I read tea leaves! Anyway I better get back or Shamus will have me for skiving off on my first day back!"
"Bye and thanks." Eilidh said, as she walked out of the restaurant, still wondering about Kara's sighting.

She strolled back to where the others were waiting.

"Everything alright?" Mark asked.
"Yeah, everything's wonderful." Eilidh said.
"Obviously Kara's news had given you a reason to smile, you've been not yourself lately but today you seem a bit more yourself."
"Yeah, Kara just felt she needed to share some private insights which I found totally gob smacking." 
"Care to share it? Or should I not be worried?"
"I'd tell you later, when we're alone."

Everyone took themselves to their rooms, citing tiredness, Eilidh walked upstairs.

"So, don't keep me in suspense, what has Kara seen? You know she's often very vague, when I ask her about the future!"
"How would you react, if I said that Kara doesn't think we've a future?"
"I'd be disappointed, I was so certain&ldots;" Mark said, sitting on the bed.
"Mark, I don't know exactly how to explain this, but I'll try&ldots;"
"This sounds serious." Mark said.
"Where does one begin, this evening as we all were walking down to dinner, as we walked past the old church, something happened, I heard the bells toll."
"I didn't hear any!"
"Only those destined together will hear the bells and the bells toll out the name in rings."
"You mean you're destined with one of the boys!"
"Mark, you're not making this easy, I don't know how to say this, but I'm destined with Nicky."
"Charming really, isn't it? I invite the lads to meet you, and you decide to go for one of the married ones."
"I didn't decide; the bells did.'
"Oh the bells of blimen Ballintoy, everyone knows that it's a big fraud, like it would really happen. And how come no-one else is talking about the bells, does that mean that Shane and Gillian, or Bryan and Kerry aren't destined to be together." Mark shouted.
"Mark, quieten down. I don't know about the others, and I don't really care, okay."
"Oh, so my friends bar Nicky aren't good enough for you!"
"What? In my defence there has been no bad-mouthing of your friends, so I don't know how you've jumped to that conclusion!!"
"I just can sense it."

Eilidh stormed out of the room, down the stairs, past the open doors of the downstairs bedrooms, where heads were poking out, and into the lounge.

She sat on the couch, breathing deeply, her head in her hands, sitting there for a while.
"Eilidh, I shouldn't be yelling at you, or putting you down like this, but I just felt a tad annoyed before. I just got it into my silly little head that you might prefer Nicky over me&ldots;"
"Mark, you've every reason to be annoyed, but I didn't realise that you'd react like this, even more so, I'm confused with it all, I wasn't expecting it, and then when Kara confirmed it, I got even more confused, I didn't want to hurt you."
"Stop, you had me at Mark," Mark said, embracing Eilidh.
"Mark, what am I going to do?" 
"Eilidh, Mark, sorry for overhearing, I think everyone should get some sleep as its really late and maybe tomorrow those concerned should discuss it." Kian said, yawning.
"Sorry Guys for disturbing you all!" Eilidh said, rushing up the stairs.

4

The next morning dawned dull and dreary; it seemed as those the clouds were here to stay.

Eilidh sat upstairs on the window still thinking, she'd been there since 6am. She couldn't get over the past nights events, and even though the thought of the legend being true, she didn't want to lose mark as a friend.
She thought she needed to sort this out, and the only other person who could help was Nicky.
Nicky stood there at the bottom of the stairs waiting for the right moment, he took a chance.

"Morning," He said, climbing the stairs.
"Hi!" Eilidh said.
"I think we need to talk."
"I was actually thinking the same thing."
"I don't know what to actually say, I'm all mixed up!"
"I don't either, it must be hard for you, and did you and Georgina discuss it?"
"Sort of, she kind of started to ignore what I was saying."
"It's so weird to think that the bells tolled last night, it doesn't seem real!"
"I know and you know that the bells did toll, and we can't really blame the church, maybe we're both in the wrong relationships."
"But it's taken you 10 years to figure out that Georgina isn't the one you should have married."
"True, but who can tell what path fate has given us, I bet if Mark hadn't met you, I'd never had known that it just wasn't to be, me and Georgina!"
"Never ever say that, you and Georgina are happy aren't you? I don't want to be the one to ruin the marriage."
"So, what do you suggest?"
"God, Nicky, I don't know, I just know that I shouldn't be feeling so damn stupid, thinking that my soul mate is not actually, the one who I've been with for the last 3
months."

Mark sat up in the next room, he could see that Eilidh wasn't there, so he got out of the bed, and went to the door, he could hear Eilidh and Nicky talking.

"Nicky, you don't understand, but I can't simply follow the bells and dump Mark. It would be so wrong; Mark has been the best thing that's happened to me. I love him so much, I think he's a little worried about the whole bell thing, I just wish now that the bells didn't happen!" Eilidh said, getting up from the window.
"Eilidh," Nicky started to say, but was interrupted.
"Eilidh, I think the world of you, and I don't want to ever give you up, there's so much that we're been through, to throw that all away would be just stupid." Mark said, walking over.

"Oh Mark," Eilidh said, bursting into tears.

Nicky excused himself, and went downstairs.

"Eilidh, darling, I didn't really sleep last night; I was so worried, that you'd see that Nicky was better than me, and dump me. I couldn't stop thinking that I'd lost you for someone else. Maybe Kara was wrong, and the bells, I should have said something last night, but there was something in your eyes that made me wait."
"What?"
"Yesterday, I heard the bells as well, I think the whole group heard them, and when I looked up at them, I could see old Madame Belle cleaning them."
"Why did you not tell me sooner, making me believe that the bells were a sign?"
"I was going to, but I had to lie about it, as I knew you were counting the bells and then I had worked out that you thought you were destined with Nicky."
"But Kara, what about her sighting,"
"Kara reads tea leaves, think about it, which of the group drank tea last night, Georgina and Nicky, so obviously she mistook Georgina's cup for yours and saw that you were destined."

Mark and Eilidh walked downstairs, and could smell the coffee.

"Morning," Kerry said, sitting at the table.
"Morning. Where is everyone else?" Eilidh said.
"Well, Nicky and Georgina are out for a walk, Bryan is having a shower, and the others are still in bed, I think."
"Okay!"
"I know you and Mark are feeling really out of sorts, it's not far on you both for all of us to be here, so I'm planning to see if the others want to go back. I know it sounds rude, but I'm sure you wouldn't mind."
"Kerry," Mark said, "You don't have to leave so soon, we love having everyone here, please don't leave just yet. It's wonderful seeing everyone, and getting back into the whole band thing."
"Maybe just one more day!"
"Sure! Sounds great!"
"What sounds great?" Bryan said, walking in.
"Nothing!" We all say.