Asleep

15 The Horizon

Nora~~

The ocean breeze pushes my hair in my face, and I grasp for the strands as I walk beside Radia along Somnia's only beach. We keep enough of a distance between us and the water that we don't risk getting our feet wet. Out where the waves start to break is a group of five surfers.

The sun is low on the horizon, though the sky has yet to change from its light blue.

I sip on my ice coffee as we find a seat on two large boulders dusted in sand. While I hold her tea, Radia brushes them off. When she found out I was getting out of work a little early today, she asked if we could check out the beach. The coffee and tea were my idea—and my treat; though, Radia was reluctant about the drinks, not wanting me to buy her food she didn't actually need.

Once she sits down, I pass her the tea. From the boulders, we have an uninterrupted view of the surfers. They're too far out to make out their faces, and maybe that means they won't be able to realize our eyes are on them. A few times they're wiped out by the waves, but for the most part, they seem rather good. Not that I know what the bar for good surfing is. I just know I'd be with the ones wiping out—just more often and less graceful.

"What do you think's out there?" The sunglasses covering Radia's eyes shield what she might be feeling. The "welcoming committee" felt the need to give me five pairs of sunglasses. I gave most of them to Radia.

Even with my own pair on, I still squint at the horizon, trying to spot any black shapes that may be out there—land with mountains or buildings or even large ships. But the only ships are a few sailboats that float not far from shore.

"It's hard to imagine nothing, but Somnia is all there is."

"Do you believe that?" She draws up her knees to her chest. "That would make me feel so big and the world feel so small."

"And you don't want that?"

"No. That's too much responsibility. Don't you think?"

I shrug, stirring the straw around my drink, watching as the ice shifts, the coffee sloshing over them. Little icebergs. That's what they are. The thought makes me glance up, eyes straining even more to see past the edge of our world. Icebergs. Where are icebergs? "You'd hate to be a superhero."

Radia laughs, and it's such a soft, perfect laugh as if she must have had the opportunity to mold it just how she wanted. "If I had the powers, I'd be happy to be a hero."

"See, that responsibility scares me."

"Just imagine yourself in a cape and mask."

"Oh gosh." Keeping my eyes on the water, but now on the surfers and not the horizon, I take a sip of my coffee. "I don't know if I believe Somnia is all there is. How could it be? I had to come from somewhere."

"You mean, life didn't start in that chair?" She smirks behind the lid of her tea.

"I think that's what we're supposed to go with." I don't know why I laugh—maybe because the past few days have been absurd, maybe because I'm nervous that my life really did begin that day I met Radia, or maybe because I fear what it means if it didn't.

The surfers make their way through the water toward shore, and as they come into focus, I nearly choke on my drink.

"Tye?"

Radia grimaces. "I hope you don't mind."

"You knew the whole time he was out there?"

She hides her face behind her cup. "Yes?"

I push my hair out of my face as the surfers clap each other's backs, Tye grinning from ear to ear at his friends. I never expected to see my co-worker in a wetsuit. I'm not angry with her—just caught off guard.